Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

The 2024-25 Milwaukee High School Sports Awards, Presented by Piggly Wiggly, were on Wednesday night at the Miller High Life Theater.

More than 300 athletes were honored from across the area, including the Players of the Year in 27 sports and the area’s overall winners for boys athlete of the year, girls athlete of the year, boys coach of the year, girls coach of the year, boys team of the year, girls team of the year, courage award, lifetime achievement award and USA TODAY Studio IX Trailblazer Award.

Green Bay Packers star Rashan Gary was the guest speaker.

Here’s a list of all the winners:

Boys Team of the Year, Presented by Piggly Wiggly – Wisconsin Lutheran High School basketball

After being elevated by competitive balance and losing a likely upcoming NBA Draft pick to graduation prior to this season, the Vikings became the first boys basketball program in WIAA history to repeat in Division One following a D-two title. Wisco went twenty-eight and two on the year, including knocking off an Oshkosh North team in the state semifinal led by the 2025 Mr. Basketball winner. Critical defensive stops down the stretch of a two-point state title win over Marshfield showcased their depth and experience, making them a worthy recipient of our 2025 Boys Team of the Year award.

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Girls Team of the Year, Presented by Piggly Wiggly – Divine Savior Holy Angels High School volleyball

The Dashers became just the twelfth girls volleyball team in WIAA history to win three-straight state titles this past fall, defeating Sussex Hamilton in four sets to secure the three-peat. D-S-H-A went forty-seven and one on the year, losing just eight total sets all season. Six members of the Dashers appeared on the 2024 Wisconsin Volleyball Coaches Association’s All-State teams, led by the state’s Gatorade Volleyball Player of the Year, Madison Quest.

Courage Award, Presented by Green Bay Packers Give Back – Sam Buchholz, Lake Country Lutheran High School

Buchholz, a multisport athlete, received a devastating diagnosis as a freshman of scoliosis, which had progressed after a fall while playing football. Doctors warned that without successful surgery, the condition of Buchholz’s spine may deteriorate to the point of paralysis. Through determination and faith displayed throughout his recovery, Buchholz returned to the wrestling mat just months after his surgery. He ultimately qualified for state this year as a junior.

Boys Athlete of the Year – Co’Ji Campbell, Saint Joseph Catholic Academy High School

Campbell was named the boys wrestler of the year earlier tonight after becoming the fifth grappler in area history to win four state titles in his career. He finished his senior season at a perfect fifty-four and zero record with one-hundred sixty-nine career victories and just one registered loss on his overall high school record. He’ll attend the University of Illinois to continue his wrestling career in the fall.

Girls Athlete of the Year – Kaylee Frank, Elkhorn Area High School

The senior put together two incredible all-around performances at the 2025 WIAA state gymnastics meet, leading Elkhorn Area to a fourth-place team finish while winning the individual all-around title in Division one. Her all-around was also highlighted by individual event wins in the vault and bars to lead a historic first program individual title in D-one.

Boys Coach of the Year – Bill Jacklin, Slinger High School

In his 14th season at the helm of the Owls, Bill Jacklin led the football program to an undefeated 14-0 season. The year culminated in a dramatic 31-to-30 win over Rice Lake in the Division two state title game, earning Slinger its first state title since 1998. Jacklin has received numerous local and statewide recognitions this year, as well as being named one of two national Don Shula NFL High School Football Coaches of the Year.

Girls Coach of the Year – Lance Matthews, Muskego High School

Matthews has built a modern-day dynasty at Muskego with four W-I-A-A Division One state girls soccer titles since the twenty-nineteen season. The Warriors are a perfect nineteen, zero and two this season and became the first team in almost two decades to win three straight Division One state titles last season. The Warriors could win a fourth straight state title under Matthews later this weekend here in Milwaukee to make them the third program in area history to win four straight titles.

Lifetime Achievement Award – Brian Leair, Cedarburg High School

The most successful era in the history of Cedarburg football came to an end earlier this year with the retirement of Brian Leair after 32 seasons with the team. Leair took over a program with zero postseason appearances prior to his promotion to head coach in 1996, leading them to twenty-five playoff appearances in twenty-nine seasons. The 2023 Wisconsin Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame inductee was named North Shore Conference Coach of the Year five times, and W-F-C-A District 12 Coach of the Year in 2001.

USA TODAY Studio IX Trailblazer – Karen Kuhn

The late great Karen Kuhn left a lasting legacy as one of the most important female figures in the history of Milwaukee-area and Wisconsin high school athletics. Kuhn’s commitment to education and athletics spanned almost four decades. She began her career in education at Steuben Junior High School in Milwaukee from nineteen sixty-four to nineteen sixty-six. She later taught at St. Francis High School for two years before teaching physical education at Whitefish Bay High School prior to joining the W-I-A-A’s executive staff in June of nineteen-seventy one. Kuhn became the first woman to serve on the W-I-A-A executive staff when she joined the organization as an administrative assistant to the executive director. She also became the organization’s first sports coordinator responsible for administration of girls’ sports programs. During her time with the W-I-A-A, she worked on task forces to study gender equity related to more equal seasons and the imbalance of girls’ sports in fall, winter and spring seasons. She also worked on the proper seeding team sports, and out-of-season rules and regulations. Among a laundry list of accolades in her three-plus decades, Kuhn was inducted into the National Federation of State High School Associations Hall of Fame in her retirement year of two-thousand and two. Her work at the national level included being a member of the Girls’ Advisory Council for the Division of Girls and Womens’ Sports. She passed away in November of last year at the age of eighty-two.

Defensive Football Player of the Year, Presented by UScellular – Cooper Catalano, Germantown High School

The University of Wisconsin recruit became the state’s all-time leading tackler during a senior season where he was named to the Wisconsin Football Coaches Association large school all-state team. Catalano was also named association’s defensive player of the year and finished his career with five-hundred and eighty-three total tackles in forty-one career games.

Offensive Football Player of the Year, Presented by UScellular – Carson Fletcher, William Horlick High School

Fletcher capped a stellar senior season with over one-hundred and twenty tackles, twenty-seven total touchdowns and over two-thousand yards of total offense for the Rebels. The South Dakota State commit was recognized as the Southeast Conference’s back of the year for his efforts on the offensive end. He was also named to the Wisconsin Football Coaches Association’s large school all-state team as both a running back and an inside linebacker.

Girls Volleyball Player of the Year, Presented by UScellular – Madison Quest, Divine Savior Holy Angels High School

The University of Wisconsin recruit helped the Dashers complete a historic quest to a third-straight WIAA Division 1 state volleyball titles this past fall. Quest was named the Gatorade state player of the year for the second straight season after a stellar senior year where the Dashers went forty-seven and one, and lost just eight total sets all season.

Boys Basketball – Jamarion Batemon, Milwaukee Academy Of Science

The Iowa State recruit led a program-first WIAA state boys basketball title for the Novas while being named one of six finalists for the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association’s statewide Mr. Basketball Award. He was the Novas leading scorer on the season, averaging twenty-five point six points per game while shooting a team-best forty-two point seven percent from three. He led MAS with thirty-eight points over the state tournament, including a late go-ahead three in the semifinal against Lake Mills to help the Novas reach the title game.

Girls Basketball – Mikaia Litza, Wauwatosa East High School

The star junior led Wauwatosa East to its first state girls basketball title in forty-four seasons this past winter. In the first triple-overtime game in state tournament history, Litza scored thirty-two points with nine rebounds and five assists to help bring home a gold ball for the Red Raiders. Litza was also named the Greater Metro Conference player of the year, and to the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association’s all-state team in Division Two.

Baseball – Peter Kussow, Arrowhead High School

The Warhawks pitcher has garnered significant MLB Draft interest for his upper nineties fastball and wipeout slider, which he employed to devastating effect this year. A 16-strikeout no-hitter against Kettle Moraine highlighted a 2025 season with a sub-one-point-five ERA. He is committed to Louisville for this coming fall.

Softball – Sydney Vitangcol, Wisconsin Lutheran High School

For the second time in the last three seasons, Vitangcol is the softball player of the year. The Wisconsin commit had another dominant season inside the circle with two-hundred fifty-four strikeouts while allowing just seventeen total runs all season for the Vikings. She finished her excellent prep career with exactly one-thousand strikeouts, fifty-seven victories and an earned run average under one over four-hundred and sixty innings.

Boys Volleyball – Aleksey Mikhailenko, Homestead High School

The Highlanders junior outside hitter was arguably the most electric player in the state this season on one of the area’s most competitive programs. Mikhailenko was named the North Shore Conference player of the year and Badger Region Volleyball Association’s state player of the year after leading the state with four-hundred and eighty-three kills, helping the Highlanders to a sectional final berth.

Gymnast – Kaylee Frank, Elkhorn Area High School

One season after leading a program-first team title in Division Two, Frank and her Elkhorn teammates were elevated to Division One this season. Frank dominated at her new level of competition, winning the state individual title with an all-around score of thirty-eight point zero five. The senior became the sixth Elkhorn gymnast to win a state individual all-around title, and the first to do so in Division One. She was named to the Wisconsin High School Gymnastics Association’s All-State First Team as an all-around athlete.

Boys Hockey – Connor Hillig, Sussex Hamilton High School

The assistant captain from Sussex Hamilton had a stellar senior campaign, scoring eighty total points in twenty-four regular season games. He added eleven more points in three playoff games, leading the high-powered Brookfield Stars co-op to the top overall seed and a second straight state tournament berth. Hillig was also named to the all-state first team and the state’s player of the year by the Wisconsin Hockey Coaches Association.

Girls Hockey – Macy Blooming, Oak Creek High School

The senior netminder from Oak Creek was one of the best players in the state this past season for the Brookfield Glacier co-op. Blooming stopped the fourth-most shots on goal in the state with seven-hundred twelve saves with four shutout performances in twenty-four regular season games. She was named to the Girls Wisconsin Hockey Coaches Association’s first team as a goaltender.

Boys Swimming & Diving – Ethan Schutten, Whitnall High School

After swimming club his junior year, Schutten returned to WIAA state swim in dramatic fashion this winter. At the WIAA Division Two state meet, the University of Minnesota commit won the 200-yard freestyle and 500 freestyle events with state record times. The titles were his second and third individual state titles of his career, joining a 2023 500 freestyle title.

Girls Swimming & Diving – Anne Dickinson, Whitefish Bay High School

Whitefish Bay girls swimming and diving finally took home its first WIAA Division Two state title this past fall, thanks in large part to the efforts of Anne Dickinson. The junior program leader won every event she competed in, highlighted by individual titles in the two-hundred-yard freestyle and five-hundred yard freestyle. She also led off a winning four hundred freestyle relay team, and anchored another win in the 200 freestyle relay to round out her title win leading effort.

Boys Wrestling – Co’ji Campbell, Saint Joseph Catholic Academy High School

The Illinois recruit became the thirtieth wrestler in state history to capture four individual state boys wrestling championships this past winter. Campbell won the one-hundred twenty-six pound title in Division Three to finish off a perfect fifty-four and oh season. It marked the third different weight class that Campbell won a state individual title, and the fifth time a Milwaukee-area grappler had won four state titles in their career.

Girls Wrestling – Isabelle Olesen, Oak Creek High School

Olesen became the third area wrestler in the three-year history of the WIAA girls wrestling state tournament to capture a state title this past winter. She won the one-hundred fifty-two pound title with a dominant fourteen-zero major decision victory in the state title match to become the first female Oak Creek grappler to win a state title. Olesen finished a perfect twenty-three and oh for her senior season.

Boys Golf – Alex Kim, Marquette University High School

The senior was the most consistent piece down the stretch for Marquette University High School’s WIAA state team title run this spring. Kim was the medalist at the Franklin regional AND the Westosha Central sectional to lead a team state qualifying effort. At state, Kim was one of four Hilltoppers to appear in the top 11 of the individual standings. Those scores combined to set a WIAA state boys golf tournament record of 584 strokes. Kim finished ninth individually for the best placement of his career.

Girls Golf – Payton Haugen, Brookfield East High School

Payton tied a WIAA state tournament record score of 138 strokes through 36 holes to force a playoff with Beaver Dam/Wayland Academy’s McKenna Nelson. Despite coming up short in the playoff hole, the Spartan junior took home her second WIAA state runner-up finish in as many seasons. The Michigan State verbal commit was named the Golf Coaches Association of Wisconsin’s Player of the Year for 2024.

Boys Lacrosse – Nick Garvey, Kettle Moraine High School

Kettle Moraine made its first appearance in the WIAA state boys lacrosse tournament last week, led by Classic 8 Conference Player of the Year Nick Garvey. The junior’s sixty-three regular season points in fifteen games were just shy of top 10 in the state despite playing two fewer games than most of his peers. In the playoffs, Garvey stepped his game up another to another level, scoring 18 points over four games to advance to the state title game.

Girls Lacrosse – Hailey Lipusch, Muskego High School

Lipusch was named the co-Classic Eight Conference player of the year and the Wisconsin High School Girls Lacrosse Coaches Association player of the year this past season. Her total of one-hundred eighty saves was tops across the state. She finished her career with twenty-five victories and three-hundred forty-five saves over two seasons. Lipusch will attend the University of Wisconsin in the fall.

Boys Soccer – Angel Escamilla, Waukesha West High School

Escamilla made the crucial clinching save in a 2-1 penalty shootout that earned Waukesha West its first WIAA State title in seven appearances last fall. The senior was a stalwart in goal for a Wolverines team that shut out 11 opponents in 22 en route to a WIAA gold ball. For his individual efforts, Escamilla was named an All-Classic Eight Conference First Team selection and a Wisconsin Soccer Coaches Association All-State Selection.

Girls Soccer – Meg Decker, The Prairie School (Upper School)

The 2024 Metro Classic Conference player of the year emerged as one of the leading scorers in the state this year to lead another successful campaign for The Prairie School. Through the regular season, Decker had thirty-one goals and eleven assists while leading the Hawks to a third-consecutive conference title. She has been named to the Wisconsin Soccer Coaches Association all-state team twice, and will be attending Marquette University this fall.

Boys Tennis – Nolan Shaub, Union Grove High School

Shaub recently became the first player in school history and the first singles player in the history of the Southern Lakes Conference to win a W-I-A-A state tennis title. Shaub finished this past season at a perfect thirty-three and zero, defeating Middleton’s Alexander Bo in straight sets to win the Division One title earlier this month as the number two seed in the state tournament.

Girls Tennis – Kylie Matz, Brookfield Academy Upper School

After transferring in prior to the start of the school year, Matz helped Brookfield Academy complete a pair of historic state titles. The sophomore ace won the WIAA Division 2 state girls individual title with a twenty-six and two record as the top overall seed in the bracket, and helped lead the Blue Knights to their first WIAA team state title in program history.

Boys Track & Field – Jay Tally, Homestead High School

Tally capped a tremendous junior campaign with two winning performances that led a state runner-up finish for Homestead at UW-La Crosse earlier this month. The junior won the eight hundred meter run state individual title, eclipsing a D-one state record that had stood since 2013. The following day, he anchored a boys thirty-two hundred relay team that won the event for just the second time in school history. Tally took the baton in fourth place entering the final eight hundred meters, but was able to close the gap to win by under half a second.

Girls Track & Field – Analena Peterson, Catholic Memorial High School

Peterson became a W-I-A-A Division Two state champion in both the hundred and two-hundred-meter dashes earlier this month. Her time in the two-hundred-meter final broke a new state record. She followed that up with a fifth-place medal as the anchor leg in Catholic Memorial’s four-by-four-hundred-meter relay team. Peterson will attend Eastern Illinois University in the fall to continue her track career.

Boys Cross Country – Remy Strichartz, Kenosha Indian Trail High School

A season after finishing one hundred and fifth at the WIAA Division One state meet in 2023, Strichartz dropped one minute and forty seconds off his time to finish fifth overall this past fall. The Yale commit won the Southeast Conference Championship boys heat by nineteen seconds, and was named to the Wisconsin Cross Country Coaches Association’s All-State First Team.

Girls Cross Country – Bella Grenier, University School Of Milwaukee (Upper School)

The Wildcats senior has led the girls cross country program to unprecedented heights in WIAA competition over the past two years. Grenier placed eleventh individually at state to lead a seventh-place team finish in the program’s WIAA state debut in 2023. She followed that up in 2024 by rising to fifth overall individually to lead a program-first WIAA Division Two state title.