Alumni Tracker: Harrington to sofball Hall

Paul Harrington

Tiger softball coach Paul Harrington will be one of 15 honorees inducted into the Minnesota Softball Hall of Fame on November 3 in St. Cloud. Harrington has played, coached and promoted fatspitch softball since his graduation from FHS in the mid-70's.

Harrington was the unofficial commissioner of the Farmington Fastpitch League for decades and coached and played on several team that won state and national honors. His high school coaching career includes six state tournament appearances, including last spring when he guided the Farmington to the Section 1AAA title in his first year on the Tiger bench.

Harrington is the second softball hall of fame inductee with a Farmington background. Former basketball, softball and track coach Vern Schoolmeester entered the hall in 2008 for his accomplishments as a player in Mankato.

1999 Tiger grad Sammy Schmitz, an outstanding high school and collegiate golfer (St. John's University) won his second straight Minnesota Golf Association (MGA) Player of the Year award this summer.

2009 FHS male Athlete of the Year Derek Waldbillig has started his senior season at Bethel University with a bang. In three games the former Tiger football and track standout has rushed for 105 yards and scored six touchdowns for the Royals who were ranked eighth in last week's NCAA Division III poll. Walbillig's 36 points lead the entire Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

Derek Waldbillig

Former Tiger three-sport athlete Josh Zitzmann has been putting up some impressive receiving numbers for Rochester Community and Technical College. Through five games Zitzmann has 16 catches for 325 yards and a pair of touchdowns for the Yellowjackets who are 4-1 and ranked among the top 25 in the latest National Junior College College Athletic Association poll....In Rochester's only loss, 32-23 to Central Lakes College (Brainerd), Nick Albano, another ex-Tiger, led Rochester in tackles with 15 and also intercepted a pass.

2012 Tiger grad Bret Hoffman is playing football at Fond Du Lac Tribal and Community College in Cloquet...Bailey Opsal who missed much of her senior cross country season at FHS last fall due to injury is running for St. Scholastica College in Duluth....

Kelli Harstad, another member of the Tiger class of 2012, has played in all eight games for the St. Mary's University (Winona) women's soccer team this fall....Ex-Tiger Sam Leske, a second team all-state soccer player as a senior last season, is playing a lot of minutes for the Gustavus Adolphus College men's team this fall. Leske has played in seven games, starting four, for the Gusties who own a 6-1-1 record...Christian Thao of the Tiger class of 2011 is a member of the Benedictine College (Kansas) men's soccer team.

Kirstee Rotty

2009 FHS female Athlete of the Year Kirstee Rotty leads the St. Olaf College women's volleyball team in digs and serve receptions in her senior season at the Northfield school...2010 FHS grad Danielle Dombeck is seeing a lot of floor time as a defensive specialist for the North Dakota State University volleyball team.

1979 Tiger grad Mike Markuson, widely regarded as one of the better offensive line coaches in the country, got to experience the dark side of big-time college athletics when he was released from his position at the University of Wisconsin two games into the 2012 season. Markuson, who has a quarter of a century experience in NCAA Division I coaching experience is back in Mississippi with his family and will no doubt return to the sidelines next fall.