Xavier wins second consecutive WSN Cup, but Hawks will move up a division in several sports due to WIAA's performance factor

APPLETON − A strong fall sports season helped carry the Xavier athletics program to the WSN Cup for the second consecutive school year.

Xavier finished as the top Small School in the annual competition by Wisconsin Sports Network with 733.11 points. The Hawks' WIAA Division 2 state titles in girls volleyball and girls cross-country was supplemented by a fourth-place finish at state girls golf and a state quarterfinal berth by the football team.

Hawks senior Lilie Fouts was a pivotal member of the cross-country team and also had success in track and field in the spring.

"I think we have just a really competitive spirit at Xavier, and this senior class was a really competitive class," she said. "Leading up to the fall championship season, we kind of had this feeling that we knew we could go back-to-back for both sports. There was a lot of energy in the school and we really had a lot of support.

"A couple of girls on the volleyball team − like Mariah Potter − she came out to the cross-country (meet). And all the cross-country team went to the (state) volleyball game. And a few other girls went to a pep rally at the school for the cross-country victory. And a lot of the volleyball players were there. Both teams were supportive of each other, which I think was really cool."

Also adding into the points was a Division 3 state runner-up finish in girls basketball and a D3 regional title by the boys basketball team in the winter.

In the spring, Xavier reached the sectional final in baseball and the girls track team − led by Fouts − placed sixth in Division 2. The boys tennis team also finished second in its sectional.

"Having our girls cross-country and girls volleyball team win back-to-back state championships was incredible," Xavier athletic director Luke Herriges said. "In the words of our seniors, we made history.

"We're equally as proud of our girls tennis and girls basketball teams for bringing home the runner-up trophy at state. The past school year we won 10 conference championships. This is just a sample of what we accomplished this year in the athletic department."

Xavier isn't an outlier in terms of a small school with a lot of success. The Fox Valley has a plethora of small schools that are highly competitive in a number of sports including Freedom, Little Chute, Wrightstown, Fox Valley Lutheran and St. Mary Catholic.

"Xavier is surrounded by very successful athletic schools," Herriges said. "Yet in the background we sit humbly as a powerhouse in athletics."

Herriges pointed out that Xavier's success will impact the Hawks in the near future due to the WIAA's success formula.

"This upcoming year, three of our fall teams get promoted to Division 1," Herriges said. "And we are eagerly anticipating to show everyone that we can compete no matter what division we are placed in."

Fouts, who is heading to Belmont University this fall to compete in cross-country and track, said the Xavier community as a whole offers the athletes much-needed support.

"The booster club at Xavier is super supportive of our athletics," she said. "They help and fund everything so that we can travel to competitive meets and volleyball tournaments. And the student sections − we don't get huge student sections at cross-country meets − but we have had them come out. And the student sections at volleyball matches are always electric with so much energy from the crowd."

Arrowhead was the Large School winner of the WSN Cup for the third consecutive year and Notre Dame was the top Medium School for the second year in a row. According to WSN, Large Schools have enrollments over 1,000, Medium Schools are from 500 to 1,000 and Small Schools are below 500.