2024 a banner year for Kennedy: Austin diver highlights a full season with big sports moments
Published 7:00 pm Monday, December 30, 2024
Alayna Kennedy sealed her second consecutive Class A state diving championship on her final dive at the Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center in Minneapolis. Herald file photo
LeRoy-Ostrander/Lyle-Pacelli’s Camden Hungerholt scrambles away from Renville County West’s Austin Rice during a Minnesota State Football Nine Man quarterfinal game.
Hunter VaDeer hurls a pitch for Lyle-Pacelli at this year's state baseball tournament.
Shawntee Snyder is greeted at home plate after she blasted a two run homer to give the Awesome Blossoms the lead for good in Todd Park during the Section 1A tournament. Herald file photo
Hayfield's Natalie Beaver shoots behind Goodhue's Maya Poncelet during the fsecond half of the Section 1A title game against Goodhue last season in Mayo Civic
Hayfield's Kirsten Watson drives through Goodhue traffic during the Section 1A title game in Mayo Civic Center.
Austin grad Nichelle Guillaume has returned to the Packers as the head volleyball coach.
Gabby Weiss. Herald file photo
Ailani Thiravong tees off for the Packer girls golf team on May 14, 2024. Herald File Photo
The Austin Packer Dance Team varisity high kick team kick off the 11 a.m. showing of the APDT Winter Dance Show last February.
GMLOS’s Diann Smith wrestles at the state wrestling meet in Xcel Energy Center last season. Photo by Laura Murtaugh
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Austin senior Alayna Kennedy had herself a historic run on the diving board for the Packers over the past six months.
After being named an NISCA All-American and committing to Division Boston University over the summer, Kennedy won her second straight Class A diving championship when she scored a 444.80 at the state meet.
“Just competing was on my mind. We compete all of the time,” Kennedy said after taking first. “I’m very happy with the progress I’ve made. It really makes me feel like the hard work wasn’t for nothing.”She also set an AHS diving record during the season.”
Best of the best
LeRoy-Ostrander senior Camden Hungerholt became the first ever nine-man football player to win the Minnesota Mr. Football award this past fall.
Hungerholt ran for 2,846 yards and threw for 2,421 yards and he finished his four year Cardinal run with 11,984 all purpose yards and 147 total TDs.
His 5,267 all-purpose yards this season sets a new MSHSL record.
Hungerholt was on the Cardinal state championship team as a freshman and he led LeRoy-Ostrander/Lyle-Pacelli to the state semifinals this season.
Another big finish
A year after finishing in second place at the Class A state baseball tournament, the Lyle-Pacelli Athletics made another big run, but fell short in the state quarterfinals on a 7-5 loss to Sacred Heart.
L-P rode the arms of Hunter VaDeer and Isaac Nelsen during each of their back-to-back state tournament runs.
Nelsen has graduated, but VaDeer is a senior and has committed to Division I Creighton University. L-P senior baseball player Landon Meyer will also compete at the next level as he has committed to Division II Upper Iowa University.
End of an era
A senior heavy group of Awesome Blossoms softball players made their last year together a memorable one as they rallied all the way to the Class A state tournament.
BP lost 14-7 in a rain-delayed game against West Lutheran 14-7 in the quarterfinals in what was their first state tournament berth in 11 years.
The Blossoms were led by senior Macy Lembke, who switched from shortstop to pitcher in her senior season. Lembke committed to play softball at Gustavus Adolphus.
A pair of unforgettable careers
Hayfield grads Natalie Beaver and Kristen Watson will likely go down as two of the best Hayfield girls basketball players ever.
Both surpassed 2,000 points in their career, with Watson claiming the program’s all-time scoring title, and Beaver grabbing the program’s all-time lead in rebounds.
The pair went out on a 78-49 loss to eventual champions Goodhue in the Section 1A semifinals, but they helped led Hayfield to two state tournament berths over the past three seasons.
The Vikings are now combining with Schaeffer Academy for girls basketball.
Back to school
Austin grad Nichelle (Grage) Gabrielson didn’t know what she was going to find when she returned to the Packer volleyball team as a head coach after a long stint as the head coach in Rochester Century.
What Gabrielson did is lead the Packers to their first winning record since she was a member of the team in 2009. Austin went 17-12 overall in Gabrielson’s first season and the team has plenty of its top players set to return next fall.
“We also look forward to the girls we have coming back,” Gabrielson said. “This program is rising up and I’m proud to be a coach of this team and I think the girls are proud to be part of the program.”
Gabby Weiss
Austin lost a local legend over the summer when Gabby Weiss, who started the All-Stars baseball program, passed away in early June.
Weiss was instrumental in giving many youths the chance to play baseball at a higher level and he also supported the Packers as the voice of the Packers on KAUS radio.
Dan Ransom, a former All-Star coach and parent, said that Weiss’s impact was lasting in Austin.
“Gabby knew everyone’s name and he genuinely cared about all of the kids that had ever been in All Stars. He loved Marcusen Park. That was his home away from home,” Ransom said. “Gabby was a legend and was loved by everyone who was affiliated with All Stars in some way.”
Thiravong breaks through
Austin’s Alani Thiravong, now a sophomore, became the first Austin girl to compete in the state golf meet since 2009 as she finished 34th overall in the big meet.
Thiravong thanked her teammates after making it to state.
“Having them will give me a lot of confidence. Everybody on our team improved this year. Sydney (Lewis), Lucy (Annis) and Izzy (Sellers) were shooting in the 80s and Gracie (Greenman) and Reagan (Harty) were touching those 90s,” Thiravong said. “I’m very proud of the direction our team is heading in.”
Dance run continues
The Austin Packer Dance team competed in its 23rd straight state meet last season as the team finished second in high kick and eighth at the Class AA meet.
The team was led by Rachel Danielson and Lexie Yokiel.
Witnessing change
Grand Meadow/LeRoy/Ostrander/Southland wrestler Diann Smith took second place for the second straight year at the MSHSL girls meet as she went 30-5 overall in her final year for the Bulldogs.
Smith grew up wrestling in club meets, but she was given the chance to wrestle at state two years ago when the MSHSL introduced girls wrestling as its own sport, with its own state meet
