EDITOR'S NOTE: The Swnews4u.com Athlete of the Week is a web-only feature that will publish each Thursday throughout the calendar year.

By Jason Nihles

Brynlee Nelson, Sr., Fennimore girls track and field
BOSCOBEL — Senior Brynlee Nelson did all she could to try and help the Fennimore girls track and field team win a conference title Monday night. Nelson won four events, set three new conference meet records, scored 40 team points and was named the Female Athlete of the Meet, but the coach Gregg Davis’ Golden Eagles fell one point short of Cuba City, 121–120. Nelson repeated as the SWAL girls 400 champion with a winning time of 1:05.40, and set new conference records in the 800 (2:18.46) — breaking the 1998 record of 2:23.61 by Riverdale’s Rosette Buening by more than five seconds — the long jump (17’6.75”) and triple jump (36’3”).

Nelson is now a 12-time conference champion — her junior track season was cancelled due to COVID-19 —  and the school record holder in the 400 (58.53), 800 (2:15.54), 1,600 (5:21.99), long jump (17’9”), triple jump (36’7.5”), 4x400 relay (4:03.78), and tied the FHS girls high jump record (5’2”). She is also two-time Sparky Female Athlete of the Meet, a two-time SWAL Conference Female Athlete of the Meet, a five-time WIAA Division 3 State Track & Field individual medalist and a member of the 2019 Division 3 state champion 4x400 relay team.

Nelson, who was also a WIAA state qualifier in cross country last fall and a standout on the basketball and volleyball courts for the Eagles the past four years, will attend UW–Platteville this fall to play both basketball and volleyball.

HONORABLE MENTION (in alphabetical order):
Lainee Burks, So., Lancaster girls track and field
Burks won three events and placed second in another at Tuesday's SWC Conference Meet in Platteville to help the Lancaster girls track team win its first conference title since 2004. the 200 (27.07), long jump (16'4.5") and was on the Flying Arrows' winning 4x100 relay, and placed second in the 100-meter dash (12.970), by just .003 to Dodgeville/Mineral Point junior Blair Watters (12.967).

Riley Christensen, Sr., P/C, Belmont baseball
Christensen had three big games last week to lead Belmont to their first Six Rivers West baseball title since 2016. He went 2-for-4 with a home run, two RBI and three runs scored in a 13–8 win over River Ridge, earned the pitching victory and went 3-for-3 with a home run, a double, a RBI and three runs in their title-clinching 12–2 run over Highland and drove in the winning runs with a two-run single in a 3–1 win over Potosi/Cassville which sealed the Braves an undefeated Six Rivers West season.

Izzy Condiff, Jr., F, Platteville/Lancaster girls soccer
Condiff competed a hat trick in the first half to lead the Platteville/Lancaster girls soccer team to a 10–0 SWC title-clinching victory over visiting River Valley last Tuesday afternoon. With the win, the Hillmen (9–2–1, 7–0–1 SWC) clinched their fifth straight Southwest Wisconsin Conference title. Condiff, who also scored two goals in a 4–2 non-conference win at Monroe May 28, and a career-high five goals in a 13–0 wipeout of visiting Prairie du Chien May 11, is leading the team with 16 goals and 7 assists.

Anna Kartman, Sr., Cassville/Potosi girls track and field 
Kartman won four events and scored 32.5 of the Cassville/Potosi girls' 66 points at Monday's Six Rivers Conference meet to help the Comets place fifth out of eight teams. Kartman won the 100-meter dash (13.83 second), long jump (16'2.5") and triple jump (32'9.5"), and teamed with senior Jade McDonald, junior Olivia Adams and freshman Hannah Infield to win the girls' 4x100 relay (54.87).

Wes Keller, Sr., Richland Center boys track and field
Kartman won the boys high jump (6'4") and the triple jump (41'10"), and placed fifth in the long jump (18'5'5") to lead the Richland Center to a second place finish at Tuesday's SWC Conference Meet.

Chandler Kelly, Sr.; Luke Unbehaun, Jr. and Kayci Martensen, Jr.; Benton/Scales Mounds/Shullsburg track and field
The BSMS trio each won three individual conference title help the Knights sweep the team titles at Monday's Six Rivers Conference Meet for the eighth consecutive season. BSMS won 12 of the 18 events to capture the boys’ title with 212 points and adding firsts in eight events to claim the girls’ title with 205 points at River Ridge High School on Monday, June 7 . Kelly won the boys’ 200 (24.06) and 400 (52.32) meter dashes and Unbehaun won the 110 high hurdles (17.74) and 300 intermediate hurdles (45.57), and then the Shullsburg duo teamed up with sophomores Garrett Ray and Nate Lawrence to add a title in the 1,600 relay (3:45.55) for the tri-op. Unbehaun was third in the high jump (5’6”), while Kelly placed fourth in the long jump (18’7”). Martensen established a new conference mark in the girls’ 3,200 run (11:26.51) and added Six Rivers’ titles in the 800 (2:29.74) and 1,600 (5:32.3) runs. 

Beau Kopp, Jr., and Jack Misky, Sr., Cuba City boys track and field 
Kopp and Misky finished 1–2 in the boys shot put and discus and also placed in three other events to help the Cuba City boys track and field team win its first conference title since 1999. Kopp won the shot put (45'5.75") and 4x100 relay (46.38), and finished second in the discus (141'11"). Misky won the discus (150'11"), place second in the shot put (40'7.5"), third in the high jump (5'8") and fourth in the 300-meter hurdles (47.55) to score 28 of the Cubans' 149 team points.

Adam Larson, Sr., Fennimore track and field and golf
Larson won the boys high jump (6’4”) and triple jump (42’7.5”), and finished second in the long jump (20’1”) to lead the Fennimore boys to a fourth place team finish at Monday's SWAL conference meet. Tuesday he traded in his spikes for golf clubs and helped the FHS boys golf team place second at the SWAL Golf Championships. Wednesday, Larson shot an 11-over par 81 to tie younger brother Brady Larson for sixth out of 71 golfers at the WIAA Division 3 Mineral Point Sectional and help the Golden Eagles qualify for the state tournament for the first time since 1995. Larson will now have to golf in the opening round of the WIAA boys golf D3 state tournament Monday morning in Wisconsin Dells; the final round is Tuesday. The WIAA D3 Lancaster track and field regional is also on Monday.

Mia Hodgson, 2B/P/OF, Belmont softball
sophomore Mia Hodgson drilled a walk-off RBI double to lead the Braves (13–6 overall, 8–5 SRC) over visiting Potosi/Cassville Chieftains (12–7, 9–5), who had already clinched at least a share of the SRW title with a 10–6 win over Pecatonica last Wednesday. Hodgson finished 2-for-4 with a pair of RBI and a run scored. A day later, Hodgson tossed a three-hit shutout, striking out five, and went 2-for-4 with a pair of RBI to lead the Braves to an 8–0 victory over visiting Pecatonica. With the win, Belmont (14–6, 9–5) earned a share of the SRW crown. Hodgson also went 2-for-4 with a pair of RBI in a key league win 9–4 over Juda/Albany Friday afternoon and tossed a 1-hit, five-inning shutout against Benton/Shullsburg last Tuesday and started and earned the win over Iowa–Grant last Thursday. Hodgson is batting .394 (26-for-66) with nine doubles, a team-high 20 RBI and 18 runs scored, and is 3–0 with a 2.14 ERA and 29 strike outs in 32 2/3 innings.