KSEN/K96 Bozeman Trophy Athlete of the Week

(UNDATED) –It was one of those weeks we had to dig deep to pick a KSEN/K96 Bozeman Trophy Athlete of the Week, especially on the girls’s side where there were a number of outstanding performances.

Not quite as difficult for the boys as Cut Bank Sr. Austin Vanek wins his 2^nd Straight State Wrestling Championship at 182 LBS.  At the beginning of the season, probably no one would have denied that Vanek would win another Championship, but if you had said that 40 of his 41 wins would be by pin, that might have raised some eyebrows.

But that is the way it turned out and his last pin in the State Championship match was necessary for the Cut Bank Team to pass Jefferson by a half-point and finish in 2^nd place.  Head Coach Cody Fetters told us “I knew he was going to win but didn’t know if it would be by a pin, even though he said Austin probably knew.”  He said we decided not to say anything to him and let the chips fall where they may”

They fell on the Wolves side as Vanek pinned his opponent in the 1^st period and ended another incredible season with 41 wins and 0 losses, 40 of those wins by pin.

Two incredible performances on the female side and I couldn’t make a choice.  Co-female Athlete’s of the Week, Jr. Jori Clary of Shelby and So. Haylee Fetters of Cut Bank.

Clary had her best performance of the season, maybe career with 20-points in Shelby’s upset win over Cut Bank.  She 4-3’s in game and hit 4-6 shots from the free throw line, including the game clinchers near the end.

Shelby went on to win by 5 and Clary even secured the final rebound to end the game.

Our Co-Athlete of the Week, Sophomore Haylee Fetters of Cut Bank.  Haylee wrestled her way to a 2^nd plae finish at last week’s State Tournament in Billings.  Her Dad-Coach Cody said “I knew she was capable, but still a little surprising in reality.”  Haylee drew a really tough 1^st round draw in the 4^th seed but pulled out the win.

In the Semi-finals she was up against the #2 seed in the heavyweight division and facing an opponent who had beaten her twice during the season, sometimes an awesome task.  But Coach Fetters says, “she beat her when it counted and that was pretty cool”  Haylee gave it her best shot but came up a little short in the Championship match against the #1 seed.

We also want to mention the incredible run by Cut Bank’s Maria Wahl, another undefeated season and a 2^nd Straight State Title at 138LBS.

Congratulations to our KSEN/K96 – Bozeman Trophy Athlete’s of the Week, Sr. Austin Vanek of Cut Bank, Sophomore Haylee Fetters of Cut Bank and Jr. Jori Clary of Shelby.  The Athlete of the Week is sponsored locally by McDonald’s in Cut Bank. McDonald’s honors our Athlete’s with two free value meals each.

KSEN encourages all fans, coaches, parents to nominate Athlete’s of the Week when you feel they have had an outstanding performance.  Email  markdaniels@townsquaremedia.com