The Hengstler-Ranweiler Awards are presented annually to the Tribune-area’s outstanding senior male and female three-sport athletes.
The awards are named for Herb Hengstler and Lefty Ranweiler, two long-time Tribune Sports Editors.
Nominees must have competed in three sports through their senior years and earned all-conference honors in at least two of their sports at some point in their careers.
Athletes who have had a Minnesota State High School League violation are not eligible for the award.
Below are profiles of the 15 female athletes nominated for the 2019 HR Award. The 15 male athletes will be featured in Friday’s paper and on the Tribune's web site. The winners will be announced in Saturday’s print edition and web site.
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Lindsey Minnick
Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City
VOLLEYBALL: Minnick lettered and started two years for the Falcons and earned all-conference honors once as an outside and right-side hitter. As a senior, she collected 103 kills, 49 assisted blocks, eight solo blocks and 111 digs. She had 153 career kills, 60 assisted blocks, 16 solo blocks, 172 digs and 19 ace serves. “Lindsey is a fantastic all-around player,” said ACGC 2018 head coach Micah Tolzin. “She is aggressive both on offense as a hitter and on defense in the back row.”
BASKETBALL: Minnick lettered three years, started two years and earned all-conference honors twice as a guard and forward for the Falcons. As a senior, she averaged 9.7 points, 9.9 rebounds, led the team with 74 steals and set a school single-game record with 10 steals. She scored 516 career points and had 559 rebounds. “Lindsey is an intense competitor who works hard at everything she does,” said ACGC 2018-19 head coach Adam Schumacher.
SOFTBALL: Minnick lettered and starter four seasons and earned all-conference honors in 2018 and 2019 as a pitcher, infielder and outfielder. In her senior season, she hit .235 with 15 runs batted in and posted a 10-7 record with a 3.99 earned-run average and 124 strikeouts in almost 109 innings pitched. She had a .294 career average with five home runs and 29 RBIs and she won 20 games with a 4.27 ERA.
Devyn O’Halloran
BOLD
VOLLEYBALL: O’Halloran lettered two years and started two years as a right-side hitter and defensive specialist. She finished her career with 331 digs, 55 kills, 28 set assists, 10 solo blocks and 31 ace serves. “Devyn is an incredible worker and always gives maximum effort,” said Warriors head coach Brittany Keltgen. “She puts in the extra time to improve her game, including attending each open gym, extra volleyball event and staying after practice. She is accepting of any role she is given and embraces it.”
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DANCE: O’Halloran lettered four years and was an all-conference selection in High Kick this year. She started varsity as a freshman in both Jazz and High Kick from 2016 to 2019. A senior captain, O’Halloran helped lead BOLD to four-straight Jazz conference championships and a first in High Kick in 2017 and second-place Kick finishes the other three years. BOLD also qualified for state four times in Jazz and three times in High Kick in that span. “As a captain her senior year, Devyn stepped up and took her leadership role very seriously, striving to always better the team,” said head coach Karen Smith.
SOFTBALL: O’Halloran lettered and started three years and was a 2019 all-conference pick. Entering her senior season, she was hitting .237 with two home runs, 21 runs batted in, 23 runs scored and 14 stolen bases. “She is a very gifted softball player so I was able to play her in different positions that I knew would benefit the team,” said head coach Heidi Mack.
Makenna Steffel
BOLD
BASKETBALL: Steffel lettered five years, started four seasons and was all-conference four times, including a conference MVP award last winter. Steffel is BOLD’s all-time leader in points (2,225), rebounds (1,061), steals (453), blocks (140), field goals made and field goal percentage. She also had 191 assists. The team was 74-40 in her varsity career. “Makenna will go down as the most decorated BOLD basketball player of all time,” said head coach Brian Kingery. “Makenna was a great player but an even better leader on and off the court.”
VOLLEYBALL: Steffel lettered and started five years and was a three-time all-conference selection as an outside hitter, middle blocker and setter. As a senior, Steffel had 377 kills, 32 blocks, 29 ace serves, 26 set assists and 322 digs. In her career, she had 890 kills, 185 blocks, 67 ace serves, 218 assists and 686 digs. “Makenna is a coach’s dream,” said head coach Brittany Keltgen. “She plays with so much heart and passion.”
SOFTBALL: Steffel lettered and started two years and was an all-conference pick as a junior. She missed her senior season because of injury. In her career, Steffel hit .345 with a .427 on-base percentage. She scored 22 runs, had 11 RBIs and stole 20 bases in 22 attempts. “As a coach, you look forward to having an athlete like Makenna on the team,” said BOLD head coach Heidi Mack. “She always put the team first and respected every aspect of the game. The skills that she brought to the table were so natural.”
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Mary Bothun
Dawson-Boyd
BASKETBALL: Bothun lettered four years, started three years and earned all-conference honors twice playing forward and center. As a senior, she averaged 7.6 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.4 steals and 1.5 assists. For her career, Bothun scored 562 points, had 285 rebounds, 161 steals and 76 assists. “Mary’s combination of grit and positive attitude made her a great leader,” said Blackjacks head coach Justin Wager. “She played a pivotal role on our basketball team for multiple season, taking on any role as of her to make the team better.”
SOFTBALL: Bothun was the Blackjacks' spark on offense and in the pitching circle this season. She hit .488 with six home runs, 11 doubles and she stole 21 bases. She was 9-9 -- three of her losses were 1-0 defeats -- and she struck out 158 in 119 innings pitched. Bothun was team captain, a five-year varsity starter and a four-time All-Camden Conference selection. "Mary is the best all-around player I've coached in my 15 years at Dawson-Boyd," said Blackjacks head coach John Nevins.
VOLLEYBALL: Bothus lettered and started four seasons, earning all-conference honors three times as a middle and left hitter and in the back row. In her career, she had 533 kills, as well as 35 set assists, 89 ace serves, 651 digs and 43 solo blocks. “Mary is a true leader, on and off the court,” said head coach Andrea Lee. “I can see the younger players looking up to Mary when she is on the court.”
Katie Krieger
Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg
VOLLEYBALL: Krieger lettered and started four years and was a two-time all-conference selection as a libero. As a senior, she accounted for 502 digs, 43 ace serves, a 2.28 serve-receive average, 27 kills and 29 set assists. In her career, Krieger had school-record 1,382 digs, 113 service aces, 40 kills and 52 set assists. “Katie loves to stretch her abilities and is constantly challenging herself to do more and improve her skills,” said head coach Joquel Molenaar.
BASKETBALL: Krieger lettered four year, started three years and was named an all-conference guard two times. As a senior, she averaged 17.6 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 4.1 steals and shot 76.2 percent on free throws. In her career, Krieger scored 994 points and had 475 rebounds, 203 assists and 288 steals. “Katie had incredible quickness, which made her a great defender,” said head coach Justin Johnson.
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SOFTBALL: The Saints senior was a five-time letterwinner and a four-year starter who earned three all-conference selections primarily as a pitcher and shortstop. As a senior, she posted a 10-1 mark in the pitching circle with a 2.06 earned-run average and 59 strikeouts in 68 innings.
At the plate, Krieger displayed solid power. She hit .373 with 31 hits, including nine doubles. She drove in 17 runs and scored 36 runs. She's been the Saints' MVP the last two seasons and her 133 career hits are third all-time.
Mallory Rudningen
Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg
VOLLEYBALL: Rudningen lettered and started three years and was a two-time all-conference pick as a setter. She also was the Saints’ MVP in her senior season, during which she amassed 755 set assists -- second in school history -- 24 ace serves, 195 digs, 67 kills and eight solo blocks. She has career totals of 1,623 set assists -- also second all-time -- 55 ace serves, 431 digs, 123 kills and 22 solo blocks. “Mallory is a hard worker and goes for everything,” said head coach Joquel Molenaar.
BASKETBALL: Rudningen, a forward, lettered and started three seasons. As a senior, she averaged 5.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, an assist and 1.4 steals. In her career, Rudningen scored 367 points, grabbed 372 rebounds, and had 76 assists and 90 steals. “Mallory did so many of the small things for us,” said head coach Justin Johnson. “She has a very nice jump shot and rebounded very well.”
SOFTBALL: Rudningen lettered and started three years and was an all-conference selection twice. This year, she earned a spot on the Class A All-State Honorable Mention team. She had 38 base hits, posting a team-best .487 batting average with six doubles and six triples -- tying a team single-season record -- and she led the Saints with 36 runs batted in. She finished her career with 107 hits, a .457 average and 93 RBIs. "She made a number of outstanding catches in the playoffs, and she's a strong left-handed hitter," said Saints head coach Eileen Suter.
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Haley Wollschlager
Lac qui Parle Valley
VOLLEYBALL: Wollschlager lettered four years, started three seasons and earned an all-conference selection as a hitter and libero. As a senior, Wollschlager had 61 kills, nine ace serves, five blocks, 115 digs and 16 set assists. In her career with the Eagles, Wollschlager had 102 kills, she served 38 aces, had 738 digs, had six blocks and 23 set assists.
BASKETBALL: Wollschlager lettered five years, started all or parts of five years and earned four all-conference selections as a guard. In her senior season, she averaged 13.1 points, scoring a total of 353 points, and she had 127 rebounds (4.7 per game), 117 assists (4.3) and 76 steals (2.8). In 141 career games, Wollschlager scored 1,333 points, grabbed 497 rebounds, and had 409 assists and 280 steals.
SOFTBALL: Wollschlager posted a 15-4 record with a 1.29 earned-run average and 210 strikeouts in 120 innings pitched. Those numbers were a major factor in Wollschlager's selection to the Minnesota Fastpitch Coaches' Association Class A All-State First Team for a second time. Offensively, she hit .257 her senior season with 24 runs and 12 stolen bases. She was All-Camden Conference three times and was a team-time league MVP. “She displays a competitive spirit with a desire to do her best individually, as well as for her team,” said head coach Janet Larson.
Laney Huhner
Litchfield
TENNIS: Huhner won six letters, earned all-conference honors three times, helped the Dragons earn state tournament berths twice and qualified for state individually three times in doubles. Her 2015 team placed fifth as a freshman in 2015. She was a top player on Dragons teams the last two years that were a combined 47-3 and placed second at state in 2018 and fifth in 2017. Huhner compiled a 148-47 career record and she was 34-5 as a junior and 32-7 as a senior.
BASKETBALL: As a senior, Huhner averaged 9.8 points, 2.9 assists, 6.7 rebounds and 1.5 steals. She finished her career with 745 points, 521 rebounds, 239 assists and 177 steals. Her career steals are second all-time and her rebounding and assist totals are sixth in school history. Huhner earned all-conference honors this spring after leading Litchfield to the section semifinals. “Laney is one of the most competitive people I have ever met and this has helped push our team to work harder and become more successful,” said 2018-19 head coach Shannon Walters.
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TRACK & FIELD: Huhner has earned six letters and helped lead Dragons relay team to the Minnesota State Track & Field Meet five times. She ran on Litchfield’s 4x100 relay team that placed four at state in 2017. She also was on 4x100 and 4x400 relay teams that set school records. “She has run anything that is asked of her and will be very hard to replace,” said Litchfield coach Tait Christensen.
Sydney Zindel
Montevideo
VOLLEYBALL: Zindel lettered and started two seasons as a middle hitter and right-side hitter. She let the team in serve percentage as a senior. “Sydney is a coach’s dream,” said Montevideo 2018-19 head coach Stephanie Hennen. “She will come early to practice and stay after to work on her skills or to help a teammate. Besides being in other sports, you can always find her in the weight room before school, getting faster, stronger, better. Great kid!”
BASKETBALL: Zindel lettered twice, started twice and was a two-time all-conference selection at center for the Thunder Hawks. In her senior season, Zindel shot 42 percent from the field and grabbed 115 rebounds. “Sydney was a team leader and she will sacrifice for the best of the team,” said head coach Steve Rohloff. “ Her leadership did, and will, lead the girls program back to competing each and every game. Sydney was more that a basketball player, she was part of the program.”
SOFTBALL: Zindel entered the season as a three-year letterwinner, starter and two-time all-conference selection playing catcher and second base. She carried a .314 batting average and had 20 RBIs. In the field, she had a .964 fielding percentage with 27 assists and 53 putouts. “Sydney is always looking to get better by spending extra time in the weight room and staying after practice with her pitchers and being a leader on and off the field,” said head coach Shelby Monahan.
Katherine Knudson
Montevideo
VOLLEYBALL: Knudson lettered two year and started one season as a defensive specialist, libero and setter. “Kat was always willing to step into any position we asked,” said 2018-19 head coach Stephanie Hennen. “She always had the look of determination on her face and wanted to get better daily. It wouldn’t be a surprise to hear Kat say, ‘Give me another ball,’ as the end of a drill to make herself really hone in on her skills.”
DANCE: Knudson lettered six years in Jazz and five years in High Kick. She earned all-conference honors three years. She was a member of the Minnesota Association of Dance Teams All-State team and was captain twice. Knudson helped her team place third at state, win two conference championships and two top-three finishes in sections. “She did what she needed to do to push through injuries, which continued to make her a stronger person,” said head coach Amanda Macziewski.
TRACK & FIELD: Knudson lettered four years competing in the Long Jump, the 100 and 200 and the 4x100 and 4x200 relays. She helped the T-Hawks’ 4x100 relay place second at the 2016 conference meet and a fifth-place finish in the 2017 section meet. Through 2018, she helped lead the team to eight conference, sub-section and section top-five finishes.
Elizabeth Dietz
Morris/Chokio-Alberta
BASKETBALL: Dietz lettered three years and started two years as a forward and wing for the Tigers. In her senior season, she scored 76 points and had 60 rebounds, 29 assists and 15 steals. In her career, Dietz scored 216 points, grabbed 211 rebounds, had 132 assists and 66 steals. “Liz worked her way into the starting lineup as a junior and was one of our leaders on the floor,” said MCA head coach Dale Henrich. “Truly a hard worker who helped out team get better.”
VOLLEYBALL: Dietz lettered two seasons and started one as a setter for the Tigers. As a senior, she had 313 set assists, 125 digs and hit 93 percent of her serves, recording 17 aces. “Liz was a calm, natural leader for our volleyball program,” said head coach Caleb Greene. “She rarely got frazzled and teammates always looked to her for confidence. She was an excellent team leader and role model.”
SOFTBALL: Dietz earned three letters and started three years for the Tigers. She was all-conference three times and was the West Central Conference MVP in 2018 and 2019. As a senior, Dietz hit .389 with 33 RBIs and 21 runs scored, and she also was 13-1 with a 1.48 ERA. In her career, she hit .396 with 73 RBIs and 44 runs scored, and she was 33-7 with a 2.572 ERA and 177 strikeouts in 231 innings. “Her experience as been key to our success this year,” said head coach Mary Holmberg.
Riley Decker
Morris/Chokio-Alberta
BASKETBALL: Decker earned four letters, started three years and was all-conference twice as the Tigers’ point guard. As a senior, Decker scored 213 points, had 59 rebounds, 78 assists and 26 steals while shooting 70 percent on free throws. She finished her career with 768 points, 295 rebounds, 284 assists and 151 steals. Her point total is ninth-best in school history, she’s fourth in assists and is the career leader with 152 3-pointers. “Riley made our team better every day,” said head coach Dale Henrich.
VOLLEYBALL: Decker won five letters and was a four-year starter as a libero. Her senior season, she served 94 percent and recorded 36 aces, and she had 444 digs and 64 set assists. In her career, Decker’s 2,006 digs are a school record and she served 95 percent with 100 aces and had 126 set assists. She was the West Central Conference’s Defensive MVP three times. “The best passer I have ever coached,” said head coach Caleb Greene.
SOFTBALL: Decker was a three-year letterwinner and two-year starter as second base. In her senior season, she hit .500 with 18 RBIs and 21 runs scored, and in her career she averaged .383 with 39 RBIs, 45 runs scored. On defense, she had 61 putouts and 78 assists. “She is a leader on the field and communicated continuously,” said head coach Mary Holmberg. “Riley makes good contact with the ball and is a fierce competitor.”
Emily Novak
New London-Spicer
GYMNASTICS: Novak lettered five years and four times earned all-conference honors competing on the vault, bars, beam and floor. She placed third in the vault at the Wildcats’ 2018 section meet, earning a spot in the Minnesota State Gymnastics Meet. Novak had third-place finishes in section four times and conference third-place finishes five times. “Her determination, dedication and perseverance to the gymnastics program has been a big part of our success,” said head coach Cindy Jacobson.
TRACK & FIELD: Novak lettered six years and earned one all-conference selection competing in the 100 High Hurdles, the 300 Intermediate Hurdles, the 400 run, all four relays and the long jump. Novak twice was voted the Wildcats’ Most Valuable Track Events competitor and qualified for sections twice. She was an all-conference honoree in 2017. “Emily was a very versatile athlete for our girls team throughout her six seasons,” said head coach Dan Essler. “She’s a great leader with a positive attitude.”
VOLLEYBALL: Novak lettered three seasons and started once playing libero. She was the team’s captain as a senior. As a senior, she had 344 digs and served at a 96.9 percent clip. “Emily is a great leader on and off the court,” said head coach Erin Schoumaker. “She’s always giving 100 percent and encouraging teammates to do the same.”
Erica Schramm
Willmar
SWIMMING & DIVING: Schramm was a six-time letterwinner and a four-time all-conference selection. Schramm was the Section 3A diving champion three years and earned spots in the Minnesota State Swimming and Diving championships four times. She placed three times at state and was the state runner-up as a junior, and she placed third as a senior, improving her score each year. Schramm was the Cardinals’ team MVP three years and she was the conference champion diver as a senior. She owns the school’s all-time record for six dives.
GYMNASTICS: Schramm earned state meet spots as a ninth-grader (bars) and 10th-grader (All-Around), then missed the last month of her junior season with a serious neck injury. She recovered from the injury to once again earn a state meet spot in the All-Around as a senior. Schramm helped lead Willmar to two consecutive berths in the state team competition. Willmar hadn’t been to state since 1997, and the last two berths are just the fourth in school history. At state, Schramm placed in the top 11 in three events and placed 12th All-Around. She won four conference championships.
TRACK & FIELD: Schramm helped lead the Cardinals in several events in her career. She has lettered every year since ninth grade and was a three-time team MVP. She owns top-three spots in five different events in Willmar’s all-time track and field honor roll, and she has a top-five spot in a sixth event. Schramm helped lead the Cardinals to a state True Team championship this spring and three-straight runner-up finishes in the three previous years.
Meeghan Dahlager
Yellow Medicine East
BASKETBALL: Dahlager lettered four seasons and started three years at guard. She earned an all-conference selection this winter. As a senior, Dahlager scored 109 points and had 133 assists, 11 blocks, 82 rebounds and 60 steals. In her career, Dahlager scored 308 points and had 348 assists, 23 blocks, 273 rebounds and 204 steals.
TRACK & FIELD: Dahlager earned five letters and three all-conference selections. This spring, Dahlager placed third in the Triple Jump in the Section 3A meet after winning the event at the conference championships. She also placed eighth in the Long Jump at the conference meet. She also placed third in the Triple Jump at the 2018 section meet, was second in the event in 2018 conferences and third in 2017. She had the YME school record of 34 feet, 9 inches. “She is especially good at helping young girls get started in track and field and encourages them to try new and challenging events,” said head coach Bill Nelson.
VOLLEYBALL: Dahlager lettered four years and started three years as an outside and middle hitter. She finished her senior season with 292 kills, 22 ace serves, 29 ace blocks, 285 digs and 14 set assists. In her career, she totalled 584 kills with 678 digs, 63 ace serves, 82 ace blocks and 21 set assists.
