Kroner’s Picks: Mahomet-Seymour All-Decade Team (Spring), Kenney and Whitehouse named Athletes of the Decade

By FRED KRONER

fred@mahometnews.com

The final installment (fall, winter) in our series on all-decade athletic teams concludes today with the release of the elite spring-sport athletes.

Before we get to the particular sports, we will recognize two individual athletes. The designation is for Male and Female Athlete of the Decade.

In a sense, the winners picked themselves. One person was selected to all-decade teams for each of the three seasons.

Tom Kenney, a 2016 graduate, was honored for football, basketball and baseball. His feat was unmatched by any other former Bulldog during the decade and he stands alone as the top overall M-S Male Athlete between 2010-19.

The Female Athlete of the Decade was a choice between six athletes who were recognized on two all-decade teams. Only one person earned individual all-state accolades in two sports, however, and that was enough for Lauren Whitehouse to receive the nod as the school’s top female athlete for the decade.

Other M-S girls who were two-sport all-decade choices were Brittany Bohn, Emma Cabutti, Jessica Franklin, Brisa McGrath and Keida Nichols.

Other M-S boys who were feated on two all-decade teams were Austin Armetta, Derek Bunch, Hunter Crowley, Cully Day, Riley Fortune, Jordan Geese, Alex Keeble, Joe Kenney, Mathias Powell, Jack Rettig, Ben Stahl and William Wolf.

Before turning our attention to the spring-sport all-decade teams, two points should be remembered. The selections are based entirely on what the athlete did during high school. Subsequent college accolades were not taken into account.

Also, a great number of athletes from the school received All-Area first- or second-team honors during their time in high school and that recognition was the foundation for compiling the all-decade lists.

MAHOMET-SEYMOUR BASEBALL

NAME                 POS. GRAD YR.

Austin Biehl                    SS 2018
Brooks Coetzee         OF     2018
Cully Day                OF 2014
Joe Kenney                   INF   2015
Tom Kenney                OF 2016
Brannon Kwiatkowski   OF 2010
Josh Raymond            INF 2010
Jack Rettig                      P 2015
Alex Smith                      C 2011
Jordan Veldman             C 2019
Jason Ziegler                P 2011

Player of the Decade – Joe Kenney, who was a four-time All-Area first-team selection. In his illustrious prep career, he slugged 20 home runs, had 141 hits, 116 runs batted in and maintained a .401 career batting average.

MAHOMET-SEYMOUR GIRLS’ SOCCER

NAME                                 POS. GRAD YR.

Nyah Biegler                        D             2021
Kathy Bradley                      G             2013
Aleyna Brunner                   M            2015
Kelsie Donley                      F             2010
Sarah Hohenstein            G            2018
Meredith Johnson-Monfort        F 2018
Maddie Louis                       D            2019
Sarah VanWingerden         M         2014
Hillary Veitch                       G             2010
Maddy Wade                         M 2019

Player of the Decade – Meredith Johnson-Monfort, who set season (43) and career (117) records for goals scored and was twice chosen as The News-Gazette Area Player of the Year.

MAHOMET-SEYMOUR SOFTBALL

NAME                        POS.  GRAD YR.

Ashley Anglin             OF      2015
Kameryn Brotherton       INF 2018
Allison Gwinup            INF       2010
Lindsey Ogle               OF           2013
Jessica Roberts         INF      2013
Jaime Scott               INF      2011
Aubrie Shore              P           2021
Alyssa Spoerer        INF        2014
Sam Tamburo          INF      2019
Alie Tarrant                 P 2013
Emily Ziegler            INF        2015

Player of the Decade – Alie Tarrant, who set season (217) and career (566) records for strikeouts as well as a career record for home runs (17) and was The News-Gazette Area Player of the Year as a senior.

MAHOMET-SEYMOUR BOYS’ TRACK AND FIELD

NAME                  EVENT GRAD YR.

Austin Armetta         PV           2012
Brandon Bretz          400         2018
Derek Bunch             Shot          2012
Colton Fender       Hurdles      2011
Riley Fortune            800         2018
Hunter Hendershot    Weights 2020
Alex Keeble            3,200     2016
Zach McClughen    Jumps   2011
Mathias Powell     3,200     2019
Andrew Roney           PV     2013
C.J. Shoaf                    HJ 2021
Brennen Shobe          PV     2017
Callan Whitehouse       PV 2018
William Wolf        3,200           2015

Athlete of the Decade – Hunter Hendershot, who is a two-time Class 2A state champion and three-time state-placer in the shot put as well as a one-time state champion and three-time state placer in the discus. Holds school records in both events at 62-1 ¼ and 182-4, respectively.

MAHOMET-SEYMOUR GIRLS’ TRACK AND FIELD

NAME                     EVENT   GRAD YR.

Brittany Bohn              800 2011
Jessica Burke        Hurdles     2012
Emma Cabutti      Sprints      2012
Jessica Franklin    Hurdles     2018
Mackenzie Joop    Weights         2014
Emily Kauffman     Weights           2015
Brisa McGrath         3,200             2019
Jessica Melchi          400               2013
Keida Nichols           Sprints       2019
Cassie Perry             Weights       2017
Mara Pletcher             PV     2019
Lauren Whitehouse 3,200        2016
Morgan Young       Weights       2013

Athlete of the Decade – Jessica Franklin, who was at the school for one year,  but was the Class 2A state champion 300-meter hurdler as a senior and set the school record with a time of 43.45 seconds. She was the school’s only individual state titlist during the decade and also helped the 1,600-meter relay earn state medals.