Small-school hoops success; swimmers find roles on Minnesota teams

COLLEGE ATHLETES: WINTER REPORT

It was a busy winter for area athletes who have continued competing beyond high school. Here is a look at some of those notable performances on the hardwood, on the track, in the pool and on the ice.

2020 Rib Lake graduate Steven Petkau contributed to a strong finish to the season for the Emmaus Bible College men’s basketball team. The Eagles finished their season ranked 10th in the nation, the first time the program had been ranked nationally in Division II of the National Christian College Athletic Association since the 2000-01 season, and won their first-ever NCCAA Regional Championship.

Emmaus, located in Dubuque, Iowa, finished the year 13-19 after going 1-2 at the NCCAA National Championship Tournament held March 10-12 in Joplin, Mo. The Eagles’ season ended in a 119-118 double-overtime defeat to Bob Jones in the fifth-place game. Petkau scored 12 points in the game and added nine rebounds and five assists. Starting all 32 games, Petkau, a 6-5 sophomore guard, averaged 13.7 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 36 minutes per game this season. He shot 39.8% from the field, including 32.1% from 3-point range (52 of 162). He shot a solid 82.3% from the free throw line (79 of 96).

Petkau twice scored 31 points in a game during the season. The first time was Nov. 20 in a 79-60 win at Maranatha Baptist University in Watertown. He hit 10 of 16 shots from the field, including five of 10 3s, and he made all six free throws. The second time came Feb. 18 in a 102-82 Midwest Christian College Conference tournament win over Calvary University. He made 15 of 17 free throws in that win, along with six of 13 shots from the field. That included four of seven 3-pointers.

After going just 3-9 in the MCCC regular season, Emmaus found its stride at the end of the season. The team lost its first game in the MCCC tournament 69-- 66 to Ozark Christian College but beat Calvary and then knocked off Faith Baptist Bible College 70-67 in the fifth-place game.

Emmaus qualified for the national tournament by winning the NCCAA regional tournament held in Watertown at Maranatha Baptist. The Eagles were seeded fifth out of nine teams. They held on for an 80-74 overtime win over fourthseeded Oak Hills Christian College in the quarterfinals on Feb. 24 and then upset top-seeded Trinity Bible College of North Dakota 74-61 in the semifinals the next day. Petkau had 16 points, nine rebounds, five assists and two blocked shots in the win.

Emmaus beat third-seeded Faith Baptist Bible College 69-62 in the championship game. It was the fourth meeting of the season between the teams. Emmaus won the last two to earn a season split. Petkau had five blocked shots in the win to finish with 10 for the tournament.

Seeded eighth out of eight teams in the national tournament, Emmaus fell to top-seeded Great Lakes Christian 90-63 on March 10 with Petkau collecting six points, three rebounds and two assists. Petkau had a big game the following day as Emmaus outscored fifth-seeded Arlington Baptist 59-45 in the second half to secure a 95-87 consolation win. Petkau had 28 points, eight rebounds and steals.

That set up the fifth-place game against sixth-seeded Bob Jones (16-12). Emmaus rallied from a 52-45 halftime deficit to tie the game at 93-93. Both teams scored 16 points in the first overtime.

The Faith Baptist Bible College team that Emmaus faced four times included Andrew Hecker, who starred for the Gilman Pirates during the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons. As a freshman at Faith Baptist this winter, the 6-1 Hecker played in all 26 games for the 10-16 Eagles and averaged 5.7 points per game while shooting 38.8% from the field (59 of 152) and 23.2% from 3-point range (16 of 69). He made 13 of 23 free throws and added 3.1 rebounds and one steal per game.

Hecker scored a season-high 20 points in 21 minutes Dec. 2 in a 91-83 win at Spurgeon College. He hit eight of 13 shots, including two of five 3s, and he had four rebounds. His 15 second-half points sparked the team’s comeback from an 11-point deficit with 11:44 left. He hit all six of his shots, including three 3s while scoring 15 points in 16 minutes in a 101-64 loss at Simpson on Nov. 16. He had 14 points three nights later in a 104-51 loss to Presentation.

After a quiet middle of the season, Hecker peaked again at the NCCAA regional tournament in Watertown. In 24 minutes off the bench, he scored 13 points in a 98-55 quarterfinal win over Providence University College on Feb. 24. He made six of eight shots from the field and added eight rebounds and two steals.

The next day, Hecker scored 14 points in 20 minutes while going six for nine from the field in a 71-64 semifinal win over Central Christian College of the Bible. Two of his makes were 3-pointers. He had four rebounds, three assists, two steals and a blocked shot. Hecker had four points, five rebounds and an assist in the championship loss to Emmaus.

Marissa Fronk, a 2021 Medford graduate, played in 23 games with three starts and averaged 3.4 points per contest in her freshman season with the St. Catherine’s University women’s basketball team.

Fronk scored 78 points, with a seasonhigh of eight, which she hit twice late in the year. In a 59-54 loss at Hamline Feb. 12, Fronk made two of five shots from the field, including a 3-pointer, and hit three of four free throws. She had five rebounds, two assists and a blocked shot in the loss. The other eight-point outing came in a 95-45 loss at Gustavus Adolphus Feb. 5 in one of the games she started. In 17 minutes, she made three of five field goals and both of her free throws while adding two assists.

The Wildcats finished 7-16 overall and were 6-12 in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. Their season ended Feb. 19 in the first round of the conference tournament with a 61-44 loss at Concordia College of Moorhead, Minn. Fronk had six points and five rebounds in a season-high 25 minutes.

Fronk had a season-high six rebounds Jan. 12 in a 71-61 win at St. Mary’s University and a season-high four assists to go with five rebounds in the team’s second game of the year, a 79-37 win over the Illinois Institute of Technology on Nov. 6.

Another 2020 Rib Lake graduate, Levi Ewan, played for the UW-Stevens Point/ Wausau Huskies men’s basketball team and had a strong season, earning a spot on the eight-man Wisconsin Competitive Sports League All-Conference team.

Ewan was one of two Huskies on the team, which was led by Player of the Year Nick Wilson of UW-Green Bay/Sheboygan. UWSP-Wausau co-captain Ryan Lacerte was the other all-conference team member.

“Levi was definitely one of our best defenders,” UWSP-Wausau head coach Bill Gibbs said. “He shot an impressive 49% from the 3-point line and 53% on all field goals. He shot 87% at the free throw line and averaged 20.1 points per game.”

The Wisconsin Competitive Sports League debuted this winter after the state’s two-year colleges halted sports during the Covid pandemic. Men’s basketball and women’s volleyball were the first sports to return. The Huskies played

Steven Petkau of Emmaus Bible College takes a baseline drive during a Jan. 25 home game against Faith Baptist Bible College.ROBERT TOMLINSON PHOTO

Levi Ewan was an all-conference performer this season for the UW-Stevens Point/Wausau Huskies.PHOTO COURTESY OF UWSP-WAUSAU ATHLETICS