05/17/2026
Kason Dopler and Hailey Wellington are nominated for Athlete of the Week. Give them your vote.
*VOTING HAS CLOSED*
Listeners, this is our biggest Athlete of the Week poll to date, featuring at least one athlete from each program in the KCII listening area! Cast your vote for one of the pairs listed below by commenting on this post. One vote per person only. We'll feature the winners on the KCII PM Sports Page 5/20 and 5/21. Voting ends at 1P Monday, 5/18.
Washington Track- Boys Josh Anderson, Girls Leighton Messinger. This Demon duo is primed for fireworks at State. Josh Anderson will be in Des Moines with his full compliment of four events, the wheelchair 100m, 200m, 400m and 800m. He is ranked No. 3 in the state in all four races. Anderson placed top four in each of those four events last season at Drake Stadium. This season he was a part of Washington's SEC team championship, their fifth team title in the last six seasons. Leighton Messinger will also have a busy week on the blue oval at State, qualifying in four different events, the 400m hurdles, distance medley, 4x200m and 4x400m relays. Individually, Messinger won the 400m hurdle championship and was part of the championship distance medley relay team, second place 4x200m relay team and third place school record setting 4x400m team at the Class 3A State Qualifier meet at Mount Pleasant last week. She was the SEC Champ in the 400m hurdles. Messinger is ranked No. 9 in Class 3A in the 400 lows. The Demon distance medley is No. 7 in 3A, the 4x200 and 4x400 are both top 15 in 3A.
Washington Soccer- Boys Braedon Tappan, Girls Angline Anderson. These two Demons put together top performances on the pitch over the last week. Tappan made 14 saves in a match against Clear Creek Amana. That runs his season total to 132 stops with an 81.5% save percentage. His total saves lead the Southeast Conference and are 10th in Class 3A. Tappan's save percentage is 10th in 3A for those who have faced at least 100 shots. He also scored a goal this year with a penalty kick against Keokuk. Anderson has been a big part of Washington's four match winning streak over the last two weeks. In those matches, Anderson's eight goals are best on the team. She leads the Demons on the season with 20 total goals and 11 assists. Anderson is 10th in Class 1A in goals scored and 9th in assists.
Washington Golf- Boys Rajan Roth, Girls Adalyn Long- Washington's leaders on the links have raised their game to another level during the championship portion of their season. Roth helped lead the Demon boys to the Southeast Conference team title for the fourth straight season, winning the individual SEC title in back-to-back years. The Washington boys advanced through the first round of the postseason with a runner-up finish at their Class 3A Sectional at Fairfield. Roth was the leader there again with a round of 77 to finish as individual runner-up. Roth's low round of 32 on nine holes this year is second best in Class 3A, as is his 35 average per nine. His low round 69 on 18 holes is sixth in 3A. As a team, the Demons low round 149 on nine holes is eighth in Class 3A. Their nine hole average is sixth lowest in 3A. According to the Iowa High School Golf Coaches Association, the Washington boys are ranked No. 16 in 3A as a team. Roth is No. 10 in the individual poll. Long led the Washington Demon girls to their own Southeast Conference team title as they defended their home course this week, winning the league going away by 35 shots. Long was the individual SEC champ with her round of 85 to win by six. Long's low round 39 on nine holes is No. 5 in Class 3A. According to the Iowa High School Golf Coaches Association, the Demon girls are ranked No. 23 as a team in Class 3A and Long is No. 29 individually.
Mid-Prairie Track- Boys Carson Humphrey, Girls Tessa Brokaw- This Mid-Prairie pair qualified for the state track meet in Des Moines in a total of six events. Humphrey will be at Drake Stadium to compete in the 110 hurdles, the shuttle hurdle relay and sprint medley relay. To get to state he finished runner-up with the shuttle team, and fourth in the 110 hurdles and sprint medley relay. Humphrey helped the Golden Hawks to back-to-back team state qualifier meet titles, their sixth in the last nine years. The Mid-Prairie shuttle team is ranked No. 9 in Class 2A, the sprint medley and the Humphrey solo in the 110 highs are both in the top 25 of 2A. Brokaw is on her way to state individually in the 800m and as part of the Golden Hawks 4x800 and distance medley relay. Brokaw was a member of the state qualifier meet champion 4x800m relay, runner-up distance medley and finished second individually in the 800, all while helping the Golden Hawk girls to their sixth straight state qualifier meet team championship. She is a member of the No. 2 in Class 2A 4x800m relay, No. 3 in 2A distance medley, and No. 10 Class 2A 4x400m relay.
Mid-Prairie Golf- Boys Grayson Gingerich, Girls Olivia Swartzendruber- Golden Hawk golf got the postseason started in a big way this week thanks to these two sharpshooters. Gingerich advanced through the Class 2A sectional tournament at Oskaloosa individually with a six-over 76 to place fifth. Gingerich has a season low for nine holes of 37 with a 42 average per nine. On 18 this year he has a low score 72 with an 80 average. His low round numbers are both top 10 in 2A. The Mid-Prairie girls made a statement in the first round of the regional tournament Friday with their team championship at Mediapolis. The Hawks shot a team score 378 to win the championship by 18 strokes. They were led by individual champion Swartzendruber with her 11-over 84. Swartzendruber added that title to an already full Mid-Prairie trophy case following the team's RVC title and her individual conference championship this year. Her low round of 38 on nine holes is No. 4 in 2A. Her low round of 80 on 18 holes is No. 9 in 2A. According to the Iowa High School Golf Coaches Association Class 2A poll the Golden Hawks are ranked No. 8 as a team and Swartzendruber is No. 16 individually.
Mid-Prairie Soccer- Boys Mac Yoder, Girls Avery Helmuth- Both Golden Hawk soccer teams were winners on the pitch this week. For the boys in a 4-2 win over Bellevue and a 2-2 draw against Dyersville-Beckman, Golden Hawk goalkeeper Mac Yoder made 18 total saves, including 13 to keep the Hawks even with the Blazers. This year, Yoder has 118 total saves and a 79.2% save percentage, both top 15 in Class 2A. Helmuth has been a big part of the Mid-Prairie girls soccer team's second half of the season that saw them win eight of nine matches, four-in-a-row, and set a new school record for shut outs in a season. Helmuth had the game winning goal on Tuesday in a 2-1 win over Bellevue in Wellman. This season, she has a total of five assists and four goals.
Hillcrest Academy Golf- Boys Rowan Miller, Girls Claire Withrow- Raven boys and girls golf rolled through the opening rounds of the postseason this week. The Hillcrest boys were champions of their Class 1A sectional at Iowa Valley Wednesday with their score of 310, spearheaded by Miller's five-under-par 67 to win the individual title by nine shots. According to the Iowa High School Golf Coaches Association Class 1A poll, the Ravens are ranked No. 8 as a team with Miller No. 6 individually. Miller's low round 35 on nine holes this year is No. 5 in Class 1A. His 37 average per nine is No. 7. Miller's 67 at sectionals is the second best 18 hole round in 1A all year. His 74 average on 18 is fourth in 1A. The Hillcrest girls were runners-up to move through the first round of the Class 1A regional tournament Friday at North Cedar with their score of 396. The Ravens were led by Withrow's 90 to finish fourth individually. According to the Iowa High School Golf Coaches Association, Hillcrest is ranked No. 19 in Class 1A as a team. Withrow's low round 41 on nine holes is No. 8 in Class 1A.
Hillcrest Academy Track- Boys Kayden Estell, Girls Rya Scott- The Raven boys and girls track and field teams finished the regular season with fireworks at the Class 1A state qualifier meet at Sigourney. Estell finished his Raven track career with a pair of PRs in the 200m and 400m races in 24.07 and 54.88 seconds respectively. Scott is on her way to the state meet in Des Moines in three different events. Scott was the winner in the 100m dash and part of the champion 4x100m relay team in Sigourney. She was also a performance qualifier in the 200m. Scott is part of the No. 3 in Class 1A 4x100m relay team. Individually she is ranked No. 7 in Class 1A in the 200m, No. 8 in 1A in the 100m.
Hillcrest Academy Soccer- Lincoln Miller and Isaac Birky- This set of senior standouts on the soccer pitch have been a big part of the Raven's success. Hillcrest is on a season high five-match-winning streak to close the regular season, winning those contests by a 24-3 total. Both Birky and Miller have scored five goals this season, with five and four assists respectively.
Highland Golf- Boys Keegan Sexton, Girls Joslyn Prottsman- Two members of Highland golf have had an impressive home stretch to their season. Keegan Sexton led the Highland boys in both their Southeast Iowa Superconference meet and Sectional tournament with his performances of 94 and 91 respectively. The Huskies also recorded their first dual win of the season, taking down Columbus, led by Sexton's 42. The Highland girls golf team is winning everything during the championship portion of their season. The Huskies won their third consecutive Southeast Iowa Superconference team title with a 370 at Fort Madison. Highland's title run was keyed by Joslyn Prottsman's conference runner-up round of nine-over 81. That's the seventh best 18-hole round in 1A this year. The Huskies followed that up with a first round 1A regional team championship at North Cedar with a 361 score. Prottsman was regional runner-up with a 16-over 88.
Highland Track- Boys Elvin Hernandez, Girls Chloe Sexton- Highland track raced through the Southeast Iowa Superconference meet and Class 1A state qualifier at Sigourney in the past week. Hernandez was part of three relays, the 4x400, 4x800, and distance medley that finished in the top four of the Superconference at WACO. In Sigourney, Hernandez was part of a 4x800m relay that finished third in the Class 1A qualifier. Sexton finished third at the conference championships at WACO in the shot put. In Sigourney, Sexton was shot put runner-up to advance to the Class 1A State meet as a performance qualifier. Sexton is ranked No. 15 in Class 1A in the shot put.
Highland Soccer- Jose Ramirez, Tyler Pierson- These two Huskies helped Highland record their first win of the season this week, shutting out conference foe Wapello 3-0, to snap a 14-match losing streak. Pierson had two goals in the victory. This season, Ramirez leads the Huskies with nine goals and three assists. He is No. 8 in the Southeast Iowa Superconference in scoring. Pierson is second on the team with five goals.
Lone Tree Track- Ava Christofferson, Jazmine Nino- The Lady Lions have had a big season and this pair of senior captains have been in the middle of the action. Christofferson will represent Lone Tree on the blue oval at state in three different events. At the Sigourney 1A qualifier, she was the 200m champion and finished runner-up in both the 100m and long jump to get to Des Moines in all three. Christofferson and Nino combined in the Lady Lions sprint medley for a third place finish at Sigourney. Christofferson is ranked No. 6 in 1A in long jump and in the top 15 of Class 1A in both the 100 and 200.
Lone Tree Golf- Boys Jon Daufeldt, Girls Adi Parizek- Lion golf had these two lead them with their performances on the links this week. Daufeldt was Lone Tree's best individual at the Class 1A sectional meet at Wyoming with his 85 to finish in a tie for sixth. He also fired a 94 at the Southeast Iowa Superconference Championship meet. Daufeldt is Lone Tree's statistical leader in low nine hole round, nine hole average, low 18 hole round and 18 hole average. Parizek has burst on the scene with a big first varsity season. The freshman is the Lion leader in nine hole low round, nine hole average, 18 hole low round and 18 hole average. Parizek shot 121 at the 1A First Round Regional at North Cedar.
Columbus Soccer- Boys Miguel Elizarraras, Girls Sarai Martinez- Both Wildcat soccer programs enjoyed success this week, including a Senior Night sweep of Centerville. The Wildcat boys handled the Big Reds by a 4-1 score and backed that win up with a dominant 8-1 performance in a home victory over WACO. Elizarraras was a huge part of the offensive fireworks against the Warriors, the senior had half the 'Cats goals, scoring four times in the win. Martinez has been a steady hand in goal this year for the Wildcat girls. She turned in back-to-back clean sheets this week for Columbus in a 4-0 win over Central Lee and a 3-0 win over Centerville. The senior has made 39 saves this season with a 66.1% save percentage.
Columbus Track- Boys 4x800m relay, Girls Bella Forbes- The Columbus boys and girls track teams took on a stout field at the Class 2A state qualifier this week at Tipton and sent several events on to state in Des Moines. The Columbus Boys 4x800m relay saved their best performance for the big stage. The team of Victor Tovar, Ryan Villa, Kevin Villa and Cade Storm finished third at Tipton to reach state as a performance qualifier with a time of 8:30.65, a season's best by more than 19 seconds. Forbes will join that group at Drake Stadium and the state meet in the shot put. She threw 37'10.25” to place third and make state as a performance qualifier. Forbes is ranked top 15 in Class 2A in shot put.
Columbus Golf- Boys Kason Dopler, Girls Hailey Wellington- This Wildcat senior golf duo has led on the course during the championship portion of the season for Columbus. Dopler fired a 19-over 90 at the Southeast Iowa Superconference Championships at Burlington and followed that up with a new PR 88 at the Tipton 2A Sectional meet. He leads the 'Cats in all major stat categories including nine-hole low round and average and 18-hole low round and average. Hailey Wellington finished fourth individually at the Class 1A First Round Regional meet at New London with her 93 to advance one round away from state. Wellington leads the Wildcats in all major stat categories including nine-hole low round and average and 18-hole low round and average.
Winfield-Mt. Union Track- Boys Cruz Hagmeier, Girls Quin Smith- These Wolves will both be in action at this week's Class 1A State track meet at Drake Stadium thanks to their finishes at the Sigourney qualifier. Hagmeier was the winner of 110 highs and helped lead the WMU shuttle hurdle team to the championship. Both events are ranked in the top 20 of Class 1A. Smith, the high jump school record holder, will make her return to Des Moines in that event this year after winning the contest at the 1A qualifier in Sigourney by clearing 5'3”. She is ranked second in Class 1A in the event.
Winfield-Mt. Union Golf- Boys Konner Kinneberg, Girls Ashlyn Bender- These two Winfield-Mt. Union golfers have continued their great seasons as the stages have gotten bigger. Kinneberg led the Wolves to a runner-up team finish at the Superconference Championship meet at Burlington, posting a WMU best six-over 77 to finish as conference runner-up. The Wolves were team champions of their 1A sectional in Winfield on Wednesday, shooting a team score 321 to clear the field by an amazing 45 shots. Kinneberg was the individual sectional champ with a three-over 75. He leads the Wolves in all major categories including nine-hole low and average rounds and 18-hole low and average rounds. His low nine of 35 is fifth in Class 1A. His 75 at sectionals is 10th best in 1A for an 18 this year. According to the Iowa High School Golf Coaches Association poll, the WMU boys are No. 5 in Class 1A with Kinneberg No. 23 individually. Bender was top eight individually at the Superconference Championship meet at Fort Madison with a 19-over 91. She helped the Wolves advance through the first round of the Class 1A regional tournament at New London with her second place 90. Bender leads the Wolves in all major stat categories including nine-hole low and average rounds and 18-hole low and average rounds. Bender also has a hole-in-one to her credit this season. According to the Iowa High School Golf Coaches Association, the WMU girls are ranked No. 16 in Class 1A, with Bender individually No. 10.
WACO Track- Boys Hayden Shelman, Girls Carlee Lunsford- These two Warriors have been top level during the home stretch of the season. Shelman, was a two-time conference champion at the SEISC meet, winning the long jump individually and playing a part in WACOs distance medley title, while also finishing as runner-up in the 100m and 4x400 relay. At the Sigourney Class 1A state qualifier Shelman earned bids to the 1A state meet in Des Moines in the 200m, long jump and as part of the distance medley team. He was the 200 winner, runner-up in long jump and the distance medley. Individually in long jump and with the distance medley team he is ranked in the top 15 of Class 1A. Lunsford helped lead the Warriors to their first Southeast Iowa Superconference team title since 1987 with wins in the 4x400 and 4x800m relays. At the state qualifier in Sigourney, she advanced through to the 1A state meet individually in the 800 and as part of the distance medley and 4x800m relay, including a win in the 4x800 and runner-up performances in the other two events. All three of her events at state are ranked in the top 15 of Class 1A, including the No. 3 4x800m relay.
WACO Golf- Boys Ian Maize, Girls Morgan Meyer- These two Warriors have controlled the course this spring. Maize shot an 89 at the Superconference championship meet at Burlington. He and the Warriors advanced through the opening round of the 1A postseason, finishing as sectional runners-up with their score of 366 at Winfield, where Maize finished in a tie for fourth with an 86. He leads the Warriors in all major categories including nine-hole low and average rounds and 18-hole low and average rounds. Meyer put together an individual round of 99 at the SEISC championship meet at Fort Madison. At the Class 1A First Round regional at New London she was seventh with a 103.
WACO Soccer- Raefe Davison, Tristan Luitjens- The Warriors closed the regular season winning four of their final five matches, and that hot streak starts with these two senior captains. Each had a goal and Luitjens added a pair of assists in WACO regular season finale 3-2 win over Sigourney-Keota. Luitjens is tied for the team lead with a dozen goals and has a Warrior-best 11 assists. That assist total is No. 9 in Class 1A.
Keota Track- Ayden Galindo, Elyse Lyle- Keota continued their success on the oval over the last week. Galindo is on his way back to the state meet in high jump for the second straight year. He got over the bar at 5'10” at the 1A Sigourney state qualifier to win the event and advance to state. Galindo is ranked No. 6 in Class 1A in high jump this season. Lyle had the best finish for the Eagle girls at the Sigourney qualifier, placing third in the 400 and joining the Keota sprint medley in a fourth place event finish.
Keota Golf- Boys Tucker Sprouse, Girls Brynn Conrad- Hardware has been headed the Eagles way during the home stretch of this season. Sprouse helped Keota clinch their second South Iowa Cedar League title in the last 15 years with his fifth place 81 at Oskaloosa. In the Class 1A Sectional Tournament at Iowa Valley, Keota kept their season alive with a third place team finish, keyed by a fourth place finish for Sprouse individually at six-over 78. According to the Iowa High School Golf Coaches Association, the Eagles are ranked No. 4 in the Class 1A team poll. Conrad was 11th individually at the South Iowa Cedar League championships in Oskaloosa. At the 1A First Round Regional at North Cedar Conrad shot 112. She is Keota's leader in all major categories including nine-hole low and average rounds and 18-hole low and average rounds.
Sigourney Track- Boys Troy Klett, Girls Addie/Ellie Yates- The Savages put on a show for the home crowd hosting the Class 1A state qualifier meet. Klett was a one-man wrecking crew, qualifying for state in all four of his events. He was the 3200 and 1600 champion, while also making Des Moines in the 800 and as part of the distance medley team on performance qualifying. Klett is ranked in the top 20 of Class 1A in each of his individual events. The Yates sisters have taken turns rewriting the school record books at Sigourney, each holding the all-time best mark in distance races this year. The pair will get to see what they can do on the big stage, each were performance qualifiers for state in the 3000 after their 2-3 finish at home in the 1A qualifier. Both girls are ranked in the top 20 in Class 1A in that event.
Sigourney Golf- Boys Jordan Tremmel, Girls Ella Bruns- Savage golf has sizzled down the stretch thanks to this pair. Tremmel was part of a runner-up team performance for the Savages at the South Iowa Cedar League meet in Oskaloosa finishing fourth with a 79. He helped Sigourney move through the sectional round of the 1A tournament at Iowa Valley where they were again second and he was third with a 77. Tremmel is the team leader with a 38 average per nine holes. His low round 35 on nine is fifth in Class 1A this year, his 38 average is ninth in 1A. Tremmel's low round 74 on 18 is ninth in 1A. Bruns was best for the Savage girls at the SICL meet in Osky with a seventh place individual finish. In Sigourney's third place team finish at the First Round 1A regional at BGM, Bruns was sixth. She's the Savage leader in all major categories including nine-hole low and average rounds and 18-hole low and average rounds.
Sigourney-Keota Soccer- Jackson Vittetoe, Ty Goldman- This pair of players have led the Savages on the stat sheet this season. Goldman, senior goalkeeper for SK has made 116 saves with a 68% save percentage. His save total is top 20 in Class 1A. Vittetoe is the team leader in assists with three helpers on the year. He also has a goal to his credit.
