Prep Athletes of the Week: For her team and herself, Becker gymnast Lauren Woelfel excels

Woelfel capped her career in style, with an individual state title to go along with a team championship.

The senior won the Class 1A individual title on the balance beam with a score of 9.45 one day after helping the Bulldogs capture the team state championship with a score of 143.575 at Roy Wilkins Auditorium in St. Paul. It was the initial team state title for the program.

“It was a lot of fun celebrating with my teammates and coaches,” Woelfel said. “Since we had never been the team champion before, it was huge for us. It was definitely a big deal.”

Woelfel also had the Bulldogs’ high score on the balance beam with a mark of 9.325 during the team competition. She was the team’s top all-around performer in the team competition, registering a personal-best mark of 36.3.

“For her to nail her beam routine at sections, then team day at state and finally individual day at state to win the gold medal was incredible and certainly a testament to her determination and grit,” Becker coach Jen Harmoning said. “What makes her a champion is her ability to calm her mind and find that perfect level of focus even in high-pressure moments.”

The three-sport athlete has now medaled in the state meet in three different sports; she is a diver in the fall and pole vaulter in the spring. The team title was her first.

“She is the epitome of a student-athlete, excelling both in the classroom and in sports,” Harmoning said. “Lauren’s attention to detail and her effort to practice her best every day is rare. She is not willing to settle for good enough.”

It didn’t come without a price. Woelfel suffered a foot injury that plagued her during track season last spring and sidelined her the entire summer and into the fall. She wasn’t fully healed when she started training for gymnastics and suffered a hip injury.

“I worked so hard to be able to get back to competing,” Woelfel said. “It’s really rewarding to go out like this. It’s very special.”

The senior won two individual events (50-yard freestyle and 100 breaststroke) and was a member of two winning relay teams (200 freestyle and medley), helping the Hornets win the Class 2A, Section 6 championship. “Rohan has been a leader since he joined the team four years ago,” Edina coach Scott Johnson said. “He is not too far off our team record in the breaststroke [55.44 seconds]. We are very excited to see what he can do in the state meet.”

Frost has played a big role in the Cougars winning 12 of their past 15 games. The North Dakota State recruit is averaging 25.3 points per game during that stretch. A 5-9, lefthanded senior point guard, she is the program’s second-leading career scorer, closing in on 1,600 points. She holds school records for career steals (333) and steals in a game (12). “Marisa has been doing an incredible amount for us this season,” Centennial coach Jamie Sobolik said. “Marisa is more than a great scorer. She is also one of the best on-ball defenders in the state.”

The junior forward helped Minneapolis get one win away from a state tournament berth. Krasean netted a hat trick in a 6-3 victory over Delano in the semifinals and had two goals and two assists in a 6-1 triumph over Mound Westonka in the quarterfinals of the Class 1A, Section 2 tournament. He has 24 goals and 12 assists this season. “He had one goal last year and has 24 this year. That’s a big step,” Minneapolis coach Joe Dziedzic said. “He’s got a good motor and high compete level.”

Graber became the third girl to qualify for the boys wrestling state tournament, winning the Class 3A, Section 1 championship at 107 pounds. The sophomore is ranked sixth in the state in the weight class by The Guillotine. She is 41-4 this season after beating Owatonna’s No. 10-ranked wrestler 4-2 in the finals. “She beat a very tough kid in the finals,” Northfield coach Geoff Staab said. “Caley is a gamer.” Graber is the 11th-ranked girl in the nation at 105 pounds by Flowrestling.

Langsy put together the best three-game stretch of his career, including back-to-back games of 40 points or more for the Sabers (20-4), ranked fifth in Class 4A by Minnesota Basketball News. The 6-0 senior guard averaged 40 points per game over that period, including a career-best 44 in an 81-69 overtime victory over Eagan. He shot 76% from the field, including 70% from three-point range. “He shines brightest in the biggest games, and his competitive joy is on display every day,” Shakopee coach Jake Dammann said. “Truly a special individual and player.”

Esget successfully defended her Class 1A uneven parallel bars individual championship with a score of 9.5, vaulting her to the all-around title with a mark of 37.575. She finished second in the floor exercise (9.525) and vault (9.725). “Dakota had an amazing state meet,” North Branch coach Christine Johnson said. “She stayed focused and positive from the start of the meet to the end and concentrated on enjoying the experience.”

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