Erik Huls
Former Tiger swimming standout Erik Huls has his junior season at the University of St. Thomas off to a flying start. Earlier this month the all-Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) performer received MIAC swimming and diving Athlete of the Week honors for his efforts at the Hamline Invitational where he won the 50 freestyle and 100 butterfly and swam a leg on a victorious relay team...Two other ex-Tigers, Taylor Trowbridge and Nick Haugen, also swam for St. Thomas at the four-team meet at Hamline.
Former Tigers Katrina Fitzgerald and Kristin Peters helped the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire women's swimming and diving team to a recent 120-27 rout of the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. Fitzgerald won both the one and three-meter diving events while Peters took second in the 200 freestyle and swam on the winning 200 medley relay team.
Devon Meeks, who swam for the Tigers as a freshman before transferring to Rosemount where he became a state champion, is a freshman on the University of Iowa men's swimming and diving team.
Two ex-Tigers are still playing football in late November. Cody Eich, a safety for the University of Minnesota-Duluth, will be in the Bulldogs staring lineup Saturday when they open up NCAA Division II post-season play against St. Cloud State. Eich, who had eight tackles and returned a pass interception 35 yards for a touchdown in the regular season finale against Minnesota State, Mankato, was recently named to the all-NSIC first team...2009 Tiger male Athlete of the Year Derek Waldbillig returned two kickoffs for 54 yards in Bethel's 26-20 win over Wartburg last Saturday in the opening round of the NCAA Division III playoffs.
Two other former FHS gridders, Jimmy Deegan and Wade Fischer, narrowly missed out on post-season play. Their William Penn University team finished 10-1 but was ranked 13th in the NAIA standings and missed the post-season by one place. Both Deegan and Fischer started on the offensive line for the Statesmen who set a national record for rushing yardage this season.
Abby Kenealy of the FHS class of 2008, is averaging 11.5 points and seven rebounds a game for the Southwest Minnesota State women's basketball team...2007 Tiger grad Kelli Johnson, a starting defender for the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire women's hockey team, has three assists for the Blugolds who own a 5-2 record...
2009 FHS female Athlete of the Year Kirstee Rotty's first volleyball season with St. Olaf College ended with a 3-0 loss to the University of St. Thomas in the NCAA Division III regional finals. Rotty finished as the second leading digger for the Oles who finished 31-5 and won the regular season MIAC championship.
Former Tiger coach Chris Harder guided his Rosemount boys cross country team to a third place finish in the Class AA state meet earlier this month...Sean McMenomy, who served briefly as a Tiger football assistant, is the head coach of the DeLasalle team that lost to Holy Family in the Class 4A semifinals at the Metrodome last Saturday...Tiger assistant football coach Gary Burr is back coaching the Hastings girls B-squad basketball team this winter...Former FHS girls basketball coach Jim Schreffler is in his fourth season as assistant coach for Lakeville North, the defending Class 4A girls basketball champions.
