March 16, 2018 By Chris Varney
Its our final installment of our look back at the winter sports season with the Trojans, Mustangs and Pioneers.
Tri County
Girls Basketball: Final Record 4-17, 4th place in the SICL East. The Trojans got two wins in their final three games to finish the season strong. There were only 9 players on the roster and 5 of them are seniors so there will be a little rebuilding to do in the off-season. Senior Allison Steinke (8.6 ppg) led the team in scoring while Junior Mersadie Little was the rebounding leader.
Boys Basketball: Final Record 6-15, 5th place in the SICL East. Senior Cameron Krumm was a definite stand out for the Trojans this season. He averaged 16.1 ppg which was 4th in the conference plus was second in the South Iowa Cedar League in rebounding (9.5) and 2nd in blocks (54) and was named first team all-conference, an impressive achievement for a player from a 6 win team. Tri County will lose Krumm and four other seniors (Cory Hughes, Braydon Clubb, Payton Elwood, and Dylan Seaton). Sophomore Brayden Monroe (9.2 ppg) emerged as a number two scorer to Krumm will be looked to be the team leader next season.
East Marshall
Girls Basketball: Final Record 9-14, 5th place in the NICL West. It was a topsy-turvy season for the Mustangs who lost 12 of their first 15 games but won 6 of their final 8. East Marshall beat Belle Plaine in the first round of the playoffs but fell to Pella Christian in the regional quarterfinals. Sophomore Olivia Terrones (9.7 ppg) and Senior Tylyn Eicher (9.0) were the offensive leaders. The team had to deal with a variety of injuries including losing their best post player Julianna Arfi early in the season. Four seniors will leave the team including Eicher, Abigale Beal, Emily Terrones, and Amber Martenson. There is some talent here with Melinda Puumala, Madison Farrington, Kodi Hoskey along with Olivia returning so the Mustangs will continue to make strides towards the .500 level next year.
Boys Basketball: Final Record 22-1, NICL West Champions. It must be hard to come so close to your goal but to fall short. East Marshall had hopes of making the state tournament for the first time in school history but lost to South Hamilton in the Substate finals. Seniors Zaine Leedom (15.9 ppg) and Zane Johnson (15.0) had big time seasons. Senior Tyler DeBondt (9.9) was a big time leader for the team and Seniors Eli Anderson and Logan Nicholson were strong starters. This team will be gutted by seniors, losing nine players to graduation. Hopefully the winning attitude of the last two seasons will infect the younger players and the Mustangs will try to reload and start all over again.
Wrestling: The East Marshall/GMG team got five into districts but none of them made it to the state tournament. Sophomore Carson Burchland was 31-10 at 113; Freshman Dane Thompson was 18-20 at 120; Junior Cole Nauman was 25-17 at 152; Junior Noah Bandstra was 35-6 at 170 and Freshman Tayte Nauman was 16-23 at 220 pounds. The Mustangs graduate 2 seniors Dawson Riemenschneider and Dillon Lee.
Grinnell College
Women’s Basketball: Final Record 7-15, 8th in the Midwest Conference. The Pioneers lost 9 consecutive games to end the season and it ended the team’s two year run in the post-season tournament. It turned into a transitional year after losing seven seniors — Kayla Morrissey just could not carry the entire team on her back. Morrissey (20.7 ppg) leaves as one of the greatest players ever to put on a Grinnell College uniform. She is the school’s career leader in free throws made and attempted and ranks in the top 10 in 10 other categories including third in points scored. Freshman Tyria Heath (11.9) played out of position at the point guard spot but played it well — another freshman Kathryn Stender suffered a season ending injury before the season even started. Junior Regan Kasprak (10.8) had a solid year as well but the Pioneers suffered from defensive lapses and inconsistent shooting that they will have to overcome. Morrissey and Margaret Giles are the team’s only seniors.
Men’s Basketball: Final Record 13-11, 5th place in the Midwest Conference. Winning on the road in the conference was a problem for the Pioneers this season. After winning at Beloit early, Grinnell went 0-8 the rest of the season on the road in the Midwest. Junior Vinny Curta (32.7 ppg) would lead the entire NCAA in scoring, regardless of division. Curta broke NCAA Division III records for free throws made and attempted during a single season. While Curta was having a superb season, it seemed like it was a one person show. Junior Ky-Sean Johnson (15.9) was hampered by a few injuries and Senior Sean Cullinane (11.7) was a dependable three point scorer but Grinnell’s downfall was a large freshman class that developed slowly. Hannes Kogelnik (14.3) had some impressive numbers but was inconsistent. Other seniors besides Cullinane included Ikaika Phillip, Andrew Redhead, Gus King, Nathan Balcom and Jacob Ekstrand. Also, the retirement of Dave Arseneault Sr. will become official at the end of the school year. Grinnell College threw a retirement party for Coach A and over 50 alumni came back to Grinnell to send him out. Arseneault Sr. retires with a career record of 232-169 in 29 seasons.
Swimming: The Pioneers continued their domination of the Midwest Conference pool, winning both the men’s and women’s conference titles. The women won their 6th title in a row and 19th in the last 20 years. Senior Maria Venneri was the Swimmer of the Year, finishing her Grinnell career with a total of 19 conference titles. Madeline Peak was named the Newcomer of the Year, winning 5 conference titles. Senior Summer White was the Diver of the Year and had her best finish ever at the NCAA Regional Diving meet. The men won their 3rd title in a row and 15th in the last 17 years. It was two freshmen who led the way — Paul Cover was the Swimmer of the Year for 5 titles while his best friend Mitch Sevier was the Newcomer of the Year with 5 titles of his own. Head Coach Erin Hurley was the Men’s and Women’s Coach of the Year.
Indoor Track: At the Midwest Conference Indoor meet, the best finish for the women was 2nd place for the Distance Medley Relay team of Sophomore Madeleine Bruenig, Junior Gwen Holtzman, Freshman Allison Cottreall, and Sophomore Mikayla Fujiwara. Senior Emma Zimmerman was second in the 5000 meter run with the third best time in school history. On the men’s side, Grinnell native Joel Baumann got a pair of third place finishes — individually in the 800 meters and as part of the Distance Medley Relay with Junior Sean O’Reilly, Senior Kevin Anderson, and Sophomore Matt Lieberman.
This concludes our look at the winter sports — have a great spring!