Our weekly Nannen & Harte Physical Therapy Athlete of the Week feature rolls on with three more deserving recipients from Arlington, Blair and Fort Calhoun.
I’m not easily excitable, but it’s always nice to spotlight Washington County’s best in this way. Congratulations.
Nessa McMillen, Blair softball: The senior shortstop — and, let’s be honest, many of her BHS teammates — is an Athlete of the Week candidate every single week of the season. This time, McMillen earns the slight nod over fellow school-record breaking teammate Kalli Ulven, who I recognized after the first week of the season. McMillen hit two homers and had seven RBIs last week, breaking the school record for runs scored in a season along the way. As of Sunday, she is batting at a .529 average, has 10 homers and 47 RBIs, and has scored 47 runs, according to Maxpreps.com. Ulven, obviously, gets special recognition with her team-leading 51 RBIs — the current best total in Bears history.
Sarah Rhea, Arlington golf: The senior Eagle has been the one constant on her golf team the last few years and, on Monday, she delivered her squad’s best 18-hole score of the season — 95 strokes. It’s the lowest high school score in Washington County this fall. A special goes out to Arlington cross-country runners Nolan May and Hailey O’Daniel, who earned top-10 finishes last Monday during the UNK High School Invite.
Kaitlyn Welchert, Fort Calhoun softball: I’d turn myself into the authorities if I went the whole softball season without recognizing the efforts of this senior slugger. The Pioneers put together one of their finest regular seasons on record and Welchert hit at a .457 average through it all. She is tied with Sam Brewer for the team lead in hits (32), has a FCHS-best 35 RBIs and has seven homers so far. Congrats, too, to Brewer and the second-best run producer in the Pioneers’ lineup, Taylor Nolan, who has 29 RBIs.
Wow, I wrote a lot more here than usual this week. Thanks for getting all the way down to the bottom.
