Starting last August through the WIAA state girls soccer tournament there were plenty of standout girls athletes across Manitowoc and Sheboygan counties in the 2023-24 school year.
Here is a list of the top 25 girls athletes, in alphabetical order.
I’ll be focusing on the athletes top accomplishments, not necessarily every sport they competed in or accolade they received.
At the bottom of the list will be a poll to choose who you feel was the best of the entire school year.
Olivia Bahr, jr., Cedar Grove-Belgium
Bahr earned Big East defensive player of the year for the Cedar Grove-Belgium girls soccer team. She was also honorable mention all-state by the Wisconsin Soccer Coaches Association.
Olivia Baierl, sr., Howards Grove
Baierl, the 2023 Lakeshore Elite girls volleyball player of the year, was named the Big East player of the year from the Howards Grove volleyball team. She was also chosen as first-team all-Division 3 by the Wisconsin Volleyball Coaches Association.
Maggie Behler, fr., Kohler
Behler finished second at the WIAA Division 3 state cross country championships with a time of 18 minutes and 55.4 seconds for the Kohler girls cross country team. She also qualified for the WIAA Division 3 track and field championships in both the 1,600- and 3,200-meter runs for the Kohler girls track and field team.
Angie Bianchi, so., Two Rivers
Bianchi became the first girls wrestler in Manitowoc County to win a WIAA state championship when she claimed the crown at 114-pounds. Bianchi, who won her family’s ninth state wrestling title, did so via a 12-0 major decision over Wausau West’s Savannah Danielson. She was the Lakeshore Elite girls wrestler of the year for the 2023-24 season.
Katelyn Callahan, sr., Mishicot
Callahan was both the Big East North Division and Wisconsin Fastpitch Softball Coaches Association Division 3 players of the year for the Mishicot softball team. She batted .614 with 54 hits, 11 home runs, 42 runs batted in and 25 total extra-base hits.
Mya Delleree, sr., Ozaukee
Delleree capped her career with a third girls state wrestling medal, finishing third at 120.
Destiny Duesterbeck, jr., Sheboygan North
Duesterbeck capped her junior year by taking second place in the shot put with a throw of 43 feet and 1.75 inches at the WIAA Division 1 state track and field championships. She also qualified for the WIAA girls wrestling tournament at 185 pounds.
Cora Erickson, jr., Cedar Grove-Belgium
Erickson helped lead the Cedar Grove-Belgium girls soccer team to the WIAA Division 4 state championship, the first title in program history. She led the state with 66 goals and broke the Division 4 single-tournament record for most goals scored with seven in two games. Erickson’s 187 career goals is already third most in state history and she has one more season left. She was the Lakeshore Elite girls soccer player of the year for 2024, Big East offensive player of the year and named first-team all-state by the WSCA.
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Coryn Fromm, sr., Elkhart Lake-Glenbeulah
The Big East South Division girls basketball player of the year averaged 21.6 points per game for the Elkhart Lake-Glenbeulah girls basketball team. She was honorable mention all-Division 5 by the WBCA.
Grace Fruzen, sr., Manitowoc Lincoln
Fruzen was name co-Fox River Classic Conference volleyball player of the year for the Manitowoc Lincoln volleyball team. She was also first-team all-Division 1 by the WVCA.
Mallory Gozdziewski, sr., Howards Grove
Gozdziewski earned first-team all-Division 3 honors from the WVCA in addition to first-team all-Big East Blue Division for the Howards Grove volleyball team.
Rachel Halverson, sr., Sheboygan Falls
Halverson qualified for the WIAA Division 2 state track and field championships in both the 100 hurdles and long jump. She made the finals in the 100 hurdles and placed third in the long jump (17-8.75 inches). Halverson was the Lakeshore Elite girls track and field athlete of the year for 2024.
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Jayla Harter, sr., Random Lake
Harter was named second-team Divisions 4 and 5 by the WFSCA in addition to the Big East South Division player of the year. She batted .504 with 38 hits, six home runs and 42 RBIs for the Random Lake softball team.
Megan Hochkammer, so., Valders
Hochkammer was exceptional at both softball and girls basketball for Valders. In the spring, she was named the EWC softball player of the year after batting .368 with 28 hits, four home runs and 14 RBIs while scoring 29 runs. Hochkammer also threw 138 and 2/3 innings with a 1.868 ERA while fanning 219 batters. During basketball, she averaged 13.2 points per game, 5.6 assists per game and was unanimous first-team all-EWC.
Ady Ketterhagen, so., Oostburg
Ketterhagen, the 2023-24 Lakeshore Elite girls basketball player of the year, was named first-team Division 3 by the WBCA and the Big East South Division player of the year. She averaged 21.4 ppg for the Oostburg girls basketball team, which led the Big East South Division.
Melina Knowles, sr., Plymouth
Knowles helped guide the Plymouth girls soccer team to a second-straight WIAA Division 3 state championship. She was named the East Central Conference girls soccer player of the year and earned second-team all-state honors from the WSCA.
Paige Kurlinski, jr., Ozaukee
Kurlinski placed third in the shot put (39-9.5) at the WIAA Division 3 state track and field championships to earn a bronze medal.
Olivia Minikel, sr., Manitowoc Lincoln
Minikel entered the WIAA Division 1 individual girls tennis tournament for the Manitowoc Lincoln girls tennis team undefeated and the No. 1 seed. She fell in the state semifinals to Lexie Hankel of Janesville Craig in three sets 5-7, 6-1, 10-8. Minikel rebounded though to finish third, knocking off Annalise Yang from Sun Prairie East in straight sets 6-1, 6-3 in the third-place match.
Emjay Neumann, so., Manitowoc Lincoln
Neumann also won a WIAA girls state wrestling title, earning the crown at 120. She became the first Manitowoc Lincoln girls wrestler to win a championship when she earned a narrow 4-2 decision over Dealya Collins of Mineral Point.
Kiran Sanford, jr., Mishicot
Sanford led the state with seven no-hitters or perfect games for the Mishicot softball team. She tossed 112 innings with a 0.31 earned run average and struck out 220 batters. Sanford was named unanimous first-team all-Big East North Division, second-team all-Division 3 by the WFSCA and was the Lakeshore Elite softball player of the year for 2024.
Addison Schliewe, jr., Sheboygan Falls
Schliewe shined for the Sheboygan Falls girls basketball team, being named the EWC player of the year and unanimous first team all-conference in addition to honorable mention all-Division 3 by the WBCA. She averaged 20 ppg and almost 10 rebounds per game.
Peri Subat, sr., Sheboygan Falls
Subat was named the EWC volleyball player of the year, in addition to honorable mention all-Division 2 by the WVCA for the Sheboygan Falls volleyball team.
Lydia Vander-Meer, sr., Kiel
Vander-Meer scored 25 goals and had 16 assists to help the Kiel girls soccer team reach the WIAA Division 4 state tournament. She was named the EWC girls soccer player of the year.
Addy Verhagen, jr., Sheboygan Lutheran
Verhagen was first-team Division 4 by the WBCA and second team all-Big East South Division after averaging 14.1 ppg and 4.1 apg for the Sheboygan Lutheran girls basketball team.
Maddie York, sr., Manitowoc Lincoln
York earned first-team all-Division 1 honors from the WVCA while also making first-team all-FRCC for the Manitowoc Lincoln volleyball team.
Contact Tom Dombeck at 920-686-2965 ortdombeck@htrnews.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, at@Tom_Dombeck.
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