Athletes of the Week

Week 10

Elise Gibeault… ”Sophomore Elise Gibeault came into the season on the injured list.  A nagging spring  injury prevented her from attaining any kind of mileage this summer.  Midway through the season she was finally able to begin biking, but throughout this ordeal she had to face many inner doubts, and to her credit stayed positive and trusted the process.  Putting in a good amount of work on the bike and prioritizing her health, she was able to return to competition at the home invitational.  Elise did not disappoint and instantly gained her spot back on the varsity team. She then proceeded to drop a minute in one week for the GNC Meet and then played a crucial part in the girls Sectional victory by going from 34th place at the mile to 22nd in a time of 21:54.  With Elise now healthy and returning to action for the state meet, it’s fair to say teams should lookout for the mighty Hatchets when Elise is in the mix.” 

Jeremiah Johnson… ”A junior who has put in the work and has an incredible amount of patience is Jeremiah Johnson.  This season he is beginning to see the benefits of all his mileage and ran a seasonal best time of 18:36 at the Marshfield Invitational. As he is known by his teammates, Jerry is a great friend to many on the team and when he sets the tone in a race or workout his teammates follow suit.  This past Friday Jeremiah made a determined effort to break out in the Sectional Meet.  Coming across the first mile in 45th place he proceeded to push in the second mile to put himself in 39th place.  This was fantastic to see as he led two other teammates in this advance.  Though he would be passed by a few boys he finished in 43rd place tying his GNC mark of 18:59 running sub 19 minute 5k for the third time this season.  The coaching staff knows that if the boys are to see continued growth next season, Jeremiah will be a key piece of the puzzle.”  

Week 9

Faith Derleth…”One of the hardest working women on the team, junior Faith Derleth, has had a roller coaster ride of a season.  Starting out 5th on the team and then having many frustrating races throughout the heart of the season was beginning to take a toll.  Despite these setbacks Faith continued to have solid practices and when conference came she didn’t hesitate to lead the junior varsity girls with a great first place finish in 23:04.  Regaining her momentum, Faith now looks on to the Sectional meet.  She’s ran the course before and knows what it will take to advance as a team.  Faith has a strong presence on the team and now that she’s back, on track, and in the mix the coaching staff believes there is nothing this girls team can’t accomplish when Faith is at her best.” 

Dominic Boos…”Senior Dominic Boos is the outspoken leader of the team.  Always a fiery competitor at heart, Dominic thrives in the hard practices and bigger races.  No bigger evidence than this past Great Northern Conference meet with Dominic earning 1st Team All-Conference honors with a 6th place finish in 17:55.  Dominic has served as a great example of what determined effort can achieve.  Now nearing the end of his cross country career he would like nothing more than to have one last big race and one more stellar boys team performance.  The upcoming sectional meet could be the place to make one last mark on the program and inspire the boys team to the next level. If anyone can do it, it’s Dominic.” 

Week 8

Reagan Gorell…“Some improvements can shock the very foundation of what is believed to be possible in a short amount of time.  The improvement freshman Reagan Gorell made in one week is one of those such incidents.  Finishing the vast majority of her races in the 27 minute range for a 5k, Reagan proceeded to destroy the new Hatchet course with a personal record of 24:51.  It seemed as if she got faster as the race went on.  Reagan has done a great job making the jump from middle school to high school cross country.  She is also a big reason why our girls team has plenty of fun and stays relaxed, helping to maintain that great team chemistry.  Through Reagan’s positive energy one never knows what the girls could be capable of given time, effort, and camaraderie.” 

Gerard Gorell…“Junior Gerard Gorell completes the “Gorell Sweep” of the Athletes of the Week.  Gerard came into this season with a decent amount of summer mileage looking to make a big time improvement on his 5k.  At first it seemed Gerard would be relegated to the 23 minute mark again for his 5k.  Undeterred though, Gerard has continued to push himself in every workout this fall and has attended every single practice to date even without any excused absence.  With the home invitational this past weekend he has reaped his reward running a new personal record of 22:02.  Gerard has been the epitome of quietly going about one's business and working hard.  Gerard is a stand up role model for many of our young student-athletes who want the gains and fast times to happen instantly.  With Gerard on the team patience and hard work is embodied in a living example of what it takes to have success in this sport.  It’s not glamorous and often the daily grind is overlooked, but not this week.  We’re truly lucky to have such a student-athlete on the team.”  

Week 7

Abbie Rosenmeier… “Despite being yet to post a personal record this season Sophomore Abbie Rosenmeier has been one of the girls steadiest performers all season.  She started this season running a 26 minute 5k and has dialed it down to a mid 23 minute 5k.  With her most recent time of 23:49 landing her in the sixth place position on the team.  She has been at every practice to date and remains one of the most reliable runners on the team.  She always has a positive attitude and is a big part of the girls team chemistry.  These are crucial components to have on a team when the training and schooling become more challenging.” 

Cayden Shepler… “The light hearted, kind, and friendly temperament of Junior Cayden Shepler has been another part of why the boys team has bonded so well.  Cayden can get along with virtually anyone, but don’t let his great personality fool you as he is a competitor at heart.  Taking a year off one would think you would lose a step or two, in our case a lot of your speed and endurance, but not for Cayden.  Cayden went from running a 2022 top time of a 24 minute 5k to this year at Athens running a 22:30.  He has looked far stronger in every workout and race.  He looks forward to getting faster and his enthusiasm is certainly helping him continually improve as an excellent distance runner.” 

Week 6

Joa Reilly... “Despite being injured since week one of this season, freshman Joa Reilly has been working hard to return to the cross country course.  Joa finally did so at the Three Lakes Invite to run her first high school 5k in a respectable 25:26 to finish eighth on the team.  A true testament to her character, Joa has remained positive throughout this difficult time being injured and has never faltered on any of her training.  She will surely be an important part of the lady Hatchets for years to come and with any luck might be helping out in a big way down the stretch.” 

Jordyn Carew… “A newcomer to the program making a big splash this season is Jordyn Carew.  He has done extremely well in all the workouts he has been a part of, despite having no base mileage and beginning his high school cross country career during one of the highest mileage weeks.  His most recent performance at Three Lakes landed him the 8th place spot on the team by running a time of 20:28.  It’s clear to see Jordyn has talent but also seems to have determination, when combined with consistent training makes a powerful runner.  The coaching staff believes there’s a good possibility Tomahawk might have gained a future varsity scorer.”  

Week 5

Alli Palmer… “Losing your right shoe just after the 1st mile of a 3.1 mile race would cause most folks to end their race or at least give up running a good time and put on their shoe to continue, but not senior Alli Palmer.  Running the rest of the massive Smiley Invite with just one shoe she would end up running a 21:05 for 21st out of 163 Division 2 runners.  Consistently dropping time at each meet since last season while being an inspiring team leader have been trademarks of Alli’s all season long.  A key piece of the lady Hatchet program since her freshman year, Alli continues to amaze.  The coaching staff is extremely grateful for all she has done, both seen and unseen.  Her efforts along with her fellow classmate, Reese, on the girls side have been everything a team needs to have the best chances at success.” 

Will Boneck… “Nearly dropping a minute from last year’s Smiley race, Will Boneck showed up with great will power, pun intended.  All kidding aside, Will has been working at his craft for a long time now which started back in June.  His race results prove his hard work is paying off.  Originally a 25 minute 5k runner, he worked his way down throughout 2023 to a 21:17 by season’s end.  This year he started out around a 22 minute 5k and as of Smiley isn’t far from a new personal record, running a 21:52.  Will has taken lots of constructive criticism and held a positive attitude.  The coaching staff is impressed by his learners mentality and knows the future only holds faster times as he continues to adapt.  As Zig Ziglar has said, “If you are determined to learn, no one can stop you.”  On a 5k course, Will will become a very hard man to stop.” 

Week 4

Lydia Shaney…“Dropping over three minutes from her previous year’s time at the Mustang Relays, Junior Lydia Shaney found herself yet again having a solid race for the girls team.  She has already set a personal record this season, but with much of the season ahead of her it could be a year to remember. Consistency has been her trademark this season finishing as our 1st or 2nd runner every race.  Team’s need dependable athletes and that’s exactly what Tomahawk is getting through Lydia’s hard work and effort.”   

Joe Zastrow…“A new Zastrow to the boys squad, Joe is already finding ways to improve nearly every race so far.  A fine achievement when one considers the conditions of the Marathon Invitational to the Mustang Relays.  Going from borderline varsity starting the season to earning the 6th spot on the team running a 19:38 5k, the coaching staff believes this isn’t the end of Joe’s progression.  The young freshman is just coming into his own at the high school level and a great future distance running career potentially awaits.” 

Week 3

Reese Molitor… “A quality leader on our girls team is Reese Molitor.  She has been providing stable leadership since the start of the season and continues to be a valuable asset to the girls team.  Despite having a rough start at Rhinelander, Reese dropped 82 seconds comparatively to the last time she raced at Nine Mile Forest.  The team needed a few to step up and Reese answered the call by running a new personal record of 22:41 while going from 8th place on the team to 5th.  If the Hatchet girls have success later in the season a large part will be due to Reese’s efforts." 

Dawson Jones… “One of the hardest working middle school athletes Tomahawk has seen come through is making his high school cross country debut this year.  Similar to our other Athlete of the Week, Dawson struggled at Rhinelander and learned just how valuable it is to be hydrated and ready for a meet.  Dawson didn’t let anything surprise him in his second official meet of the year at Marathon’s Nine Mile Forest running the course in 21 minutes for a new season best.  The coaching staff has taken notice that at every practice Dawson always takes the workouts seriously and is never lacking in effort.  We are sure he will someday be a vital component of an impressive boys team." 

Week 2

Ellie Micke… “Distinguishing herself in the girls Rhinelander race was freshman Ellie Micke.  She put herself in a great position when the team needed her.  Taking the 3rd place spot on the girls team thus far in a time of 24:47.  Ellie achieved this by clearly showing great personal drive and competing at each point in the race.  Being her first year, Ellie still has much to learn, but seems to be grasping quickly what it takes to be a varsity contributor.” 

Elliot O’Connor… “Junior Elliot O’Connor looked strong throughout the Rhinelander race and made huge improvement from his time last year.  Dropping over 334 seconds to run his new personal course record time of 23:32.  He also finished 7th on the team.  Elliot continues to develop as a distance runner and finished the week out the very next day with an excellent seven mile long run.  The coaching staff is extremely pleased with his effort and results this week while looking forward to what’s to come for the Junior.” 

Week 1

Norah Mann…”Drive and preparation are key ingredients to becoming a great athlete, these are two traits that encompass Norah Mann.  The sophomore has worked extremely hard in the off-season to continue her push towards being a vital component of the girls varsity squad this fall.  Clear evidence was occurring last track season and even more so was running over two minutes faster this year in the annual Alumni Scrimmage than what she ran in 2023.  Her intensity has also been an immense factor in her distance running progression, the epitome of never being satisfied with where she is at has only continued this constant improvement.  The coaching staff certainly believes Norah will be a key element of the lady Hatchets this season.” 

Sam Zastrow…”The quiet, stalwart senior captain kicked off his final season of cross country with a first place finish at the Alumni Scrimmage in a time of 18:39.  Sam went about his business this summer completing the necessary mileage to establish another strong base coming into the fall.  Leading the team by example through Bond Falls cross country camp and leading his teammates through the hilly Alumni course has given everyone a small preview of what this season may look like for him.  A varsity runner since his freshman year, the coaching staff believes Sam is due for a massive breakout season.  Sam has shown great mental and physical strength, now the season’s races will come down to execution and grit.  Two athletic aspects that Sam has the capability to master.”