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SUPPZ.COM SWNEWS4U CO-ATHLETES OF THE WEEK: UW–La Crosse's Skye Digman; Wauzeka–Steuben's Seth Bunders
Digman helps UWL win DIII national title; Bunders pours in 53 points in playoff win over Potosi
Digman
UW–La Crosse senior Skye Digman won the women’s weight throw and placed fourth in the shot put over the weekend at the NCAA DIII National Championships to help the Eagles win the DIII team national title. (photo courtesy of UW–La Crosse Athletics)
Bunders
Potosi senior Dayton Udelhofen attempts to steal the ball from Wauzeka–Steuben senior Seth Bunders during Friday’s WIAA Division 5 sectional semifinal at Prairie du Chien. Bunders went off for an astounding 53 points to lead the Hornets to an 84–54 victory to end the Chieftains’ season. - photo by A.J. Gates

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, The Platteville Journal / Fennimore Times / Boscobel Dial

Skye Digman, Sr., UW–La Crosse track and field
Senior Skye Digman, a 2018 graduate of Platteville High School, captured the individual national championship in the women’s weight throw (62’11.5”) last Friday to help the UW–La Crosse women’s track and field team captured its second NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships at the Birmingham CrossPlex.  

Digman earned her second All-America honor of this year’s championships with a fourth-place finish (47’10.5”) in the shot put on Saturday. It is her fourth career NCAA III Indoor All-American award in the shot put after winning the title in 2022 and finishing fifth (44’10.75”) in 2019. She also earned NCAA III All-America honors in the shot put and weight throw in 2020 after the national meet was canceled. Digman is also a six-time NCAA DIII Outdoor All-American, placing seventh in the shot put in 2019, second in the hammer throw, third in the shot put and seventh in the discus in 2021, and first in the discus and fifth in the hammer throw in 2022.

The Eagles finished with 59.5 team points to win their first indoor national championship since 2015.

Seth Bunders, Sr., G, Wauzeka–Steuben boys basketball
There wasn’t a whole lot Potosi coach Mike Uppena could do but shake his head in amazement as one of the state’s best Division 5 players was completely dismantling his squad in last Friday night’s sectional semifinal. Wauzeka–Steuben senior point guard Seth Bunders lit the Chieftains up for 53 points in a lopsided 84–54 victory over Potosi, and did so shooting over 60 percent from the field and 100 percent from the free throw line. Bunders finished 53 points on 18 of 30 shooting, but also went a perfect 13-of-13 from the free throw line, including 8-of-8 in the closing minutes.

In the first half, Bunders scored Wauzeka-Steuben’s first 24 points, and accounted for all but 12 of his team’s 44 points in the half, including a walk-off 3-pointer from the corner as time expired. Led by Bunders and fellow senior Caydon Lomas, the Hornets used a 26-7 scoring run in the next seven minutes to push their advantage to 70-43 with 10:12 to play in the contest. During that stretch, Lomas dropped in 15 points and Bunders had 11 before leaving with his fourth foul at the 10:44 mark.


HONORABLE MENTION (in alphabetical order):
Ashlyn Knapp, Sr., G, Prairie du Chien girls basketball
Prairie du Chien senior point guard Ashlyn Knapp shared SWC co-Player of the Year honors with Platteville senior Camryn Nies. The duo was joined on the five-player All-SWC first team by Dodgeville junior Marley Busch, River Valley senior Charlotte Ferstl and Prairie du Chien senior Teagan Radloff. Knapp averaged 12.9 points, 2.3 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 2.4 steals per game for the SWC champion Blackhawks (22–5, 10–0 SWC).

Olivia Olson, So., G, Cuba City girls basketball

Cuba City sophomore Olivia Olson was named the SWAL Player of the Year after leading the Cubans (25–3, 14–0 SWAL) to the conference title. Olson averaged 17.2 points, 5.4 assists, 4 rebounds and 4 steals per game this year.

Camryn Nies, Sr., G, Platteville girls basketball
Platteville senior point guard Camryn Nies shared SWC co-Player of the Year honors with Prairie du Chien senior Ashlyn Knapp. The duo was joined on the five-player All-SWC first team by Dodgeville junior Marley Busch, River Valley senior Charlotte Ferstl and Prairie du Chien senior Teagan Radloff. Nies finished second in the conference in scoring at 16.7 points per game, while shooting 36.7 percent (148 of 430) from the field, 36 percent on 3-pointers (73 of 203) and 65.6 percent at the free throw line (64 of 96). She also averaged 5.1 rebounds, and led the team in both assists (3.3 per game) and steals (2.1).

Camden Russell, Jr., G, Shullsburg girls basketball
Shullsburg junior Camden Russell was named the Six Rivers West Player of the Year after leading the Miners (15–11, 6–4 SRW) to a third-place finish in the six-team SRW. Olson averaged 14.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.1 steals per game this year.