Pioneers name athletes of the week, Belken earns WIAC honors

Pioneers name athletes of the week, Belken earns WIAC honors
November 19, 2015

Cross Country Female Athlete of the Week – Chelsey Heiden, Jr., (Greendale, Wis./Greendale) – Heiden finished in 24th place to earn All-Region honors at the NCAA Midwest Regional Championship Saturday. Heiden's time of 21:57 was a 32-second personal best and is the sixth fastest time in school history.

Cross Country Male Athlete of the Week – Ian LaMere, Jr., (Green Bay, Wis./Southwest) – LaMere won the NCAA Midwest Regional Cross Country Championships Saturday. LaMere won in commanding fashion pulling away early on in the race and winning by 28 seconds. LaMere's 8K time of 23:32 was not only a 30-second course record but also a 30-second school record.

Men’s Basketball Athlete of the Week – Cory Vaassen, Jr. (Dickeyville, Wis./Cuba City). Forward –Vaassen scored 17 points on six-of-12 shooting in the Pioneers’ thrilling double-overtime victory at Lake Forest College. Vaassen also added five rebounds, four steals, one assist, and one block, while going four-of-four from the free-throw line down the stretch to help clinch the victory.

Football Defensive Athlete of the Week – Andrew Belken (East Dubuque, Ill./East Dubuque) Linebacker – Belken totaled seven tackles in the Pioneers’ 52-7 victory over UW-La Crosse on Nov. 14. He had one sack, one tackle for loss and one interception as UW-Platteville limited the Eagles to 216 yards of total offense.

Football Offensive Athlete of the Week – Tom Kelly, Jr. (Chicago, Ill./Guerin College Prep). Quarterback –Tom Kelly completed 22-of-25 passes for 284 yards in the Pioneers. victory over UW-Lacrosse. He threw four touchdown passes to three different receivers in the win. 

Football Special Teams Athlete of the Week – Mike Pratl (New Lenox, Ill./Lincoln-Way West) Kicker –Pratl went seven-for-seven on extra points against UW-Lacrosse. He also added a 22 yard field goal, giving him ten points in the victory.

Wrestling Athlete of the Week – Jon Goetz, Fr. (West Bend, Wis./West HS). 174 pound weight class –Goetz defeated Mitchell Fucile by a score of 6-2 to help UW-Platteville beat Lakeland College 33-9.  Fucile was a 2015 NCAA Qualifier and came into the meet ranked #7 in the nation in the latest National Wrestling Coaches Association rankings.  The win moved Goetz to a 4-0 record so far this season.