Hutchinson High School graduates kept busy in a variety of collegiate athletic venues during the past several months. Following is a recap of some of the individual successes of former Tigers.
Rensch is top defender at Augustana
MaKenzie Rensch, a 2018 Hutchinson High School graduate, played an important role off the bench as a member of the Augustana women’s basketball team.
Rensch played in 23 of the team’s 24 games this past year, and although she only started six of them she averaged about 17 minutes per game. She also averaged 3.9 points and 2.2 rebounds per game, finishing the season with four blocks, 30 assists, 90 points and 50 rebounds. Most impressive, however, were her 70 steals that not only led the team but tied for first in all of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference. She averaged three steals per game.
Rensch opened the season with a bang back in November, racking up 10 points and 10 steals against Peru State College for her first collegiate double-double. Three days later in the team’s second game of the year, she scored a career-high 14 points in a win over the University of Minnesota, Morris.
All of this work helped the Vikings finish 13-11 overall and 9-10 in the NSIC.
In a meeting with St. Cloud State University and her former Tiger teammate, Tori Wortz, Rensch had three points, one rebound, one assist and two steals. The Huskies won the game 72-59, thanks in part to Wortz’s 24 points.
Augustana’s playoff push ended early with a 76-66 loss to Northern State University in the first round.
Peterson sees action at UW-Superior
Hutchinson High School 2021 graduate Chloe Peterson saw plenty of action in her first year with the University of Wisconsin-Superior women’s basketball team.
The freshman guard appeared in 11 games, averaging 8.4 minutes and earning a 0.146 shooting percent (6-for-41). She finished the year with 19 points, 10 steals, four blocks, five assists and 20 rebounds. Her biggest game was against Northwestern-St. Paul when she scored eight points, pulled down three rebounds, had two assists, two blocks and four steals, which were personal season bests in almost every category.
As a team the Yellowjackets were 6-19 overall and 5-9 in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference. They wrapped up their season with a 64-47 loss to Minnesota Morris in the first round of the UMAC Tournament.
Kucera sprints ahead at Nebraska
Lexi Kucera, a former state champion and leader of the Hutchinson High School girls swimming and diving team, is continuing to make waves as a sophomore at the University of Nebraska.
Kucera was one of Nebraska’s top sprinters and butterfly swimmers this past year, racking up multiple top finishes and helping the Cornhuskers to a 7-1 dual meet overall record. In one dual against the University of Iowa, Kucera took first in the 50 freestyle, 100 butterfly, and as part of the 200 medley relay team. With help from those three wins, Nebraska won the meet 193-59 and recorded the largest dual margin (134 points) over a Big Ten opponent in school history.
Throughout the season, Kucera swam career-best times in the 50, 100 and 200 freestyle, and the 100 butterfly. Her time of 1:49.71 in the 200 freestyle against Rutgers still stands as her career-best, but she mostly saved her best for last.
During the Big Ten Championships, Kucera swam a 23.16 in the 50 freestyle, a 50.02 in the 100, and a 54.09 in the 100 butterfly to mark career-bests in all three events. In her best event, the butterfly, she qualified for the C Finals and competed on four relay teams, helping the Huskers earn a ninth-place finish out of 12 teams.
Luthens takes fifth at Super Region
Former Hutchinson/Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart wrestler Brock Luthens continued to earn more time on the mat this year as a member of the Minnesota State University Mavericks wrestling team.
Luthens, a junior, compiled a 6-8 overall record while wrestling at 133 and 141 pounds. Two of those losses were due to an injury. He was 3-2 in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference duals, helping the Mavs to a 2-6 record against NSIC rivals.
Throughout the season, Luthens won two major decisions and the rest of his victories were by decision. He never lost by more than a decision.
Luthens wrapped up the season with a fifth-place finish at NCAA Division II Super Region V tournament at 141 pounds. In two seasons with the Mavs, Luthens has a 13-12 overall record.
Lang finishes second in NJCAA region
Hutchinson’s Tristian Lang, a former Tiger wrestler, made an impact this winter in his first year wrestling for the Ridgewater College Warriors.
Lang racked up a 4-4 record in his first college action, including a 2-2 finish in the North Country Open for his first taste of action.
At the end of the season, wrestling at 133 pounds, Lang helped the Warriors finish third in the NJCAA Region 13 tournament. He went 1-1, scoring an overtime victory in his semifinal match for falling 5-2 in the final for a second-place finish.
As a team, the Warriors were 3-0 in duals for the season.
Johnson finishes gymnastics at Winona
Winona State University senior Gabrielle Johnson, a Hutchinson High School graduate, wrapped up her college gymnastics career this past year with the Warriors.
A balance beam specialist, Johnson appeared in every meet for the Warriors this year and typically was among the top scorers on her team in the event. Through eight competitions she averaged a score of 9.031, and her best of the season was a 9.4 in the regular-season finale at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. She also competed once in the bars this past year, scoring 8.6 in a quadrangular at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.
In her final college competition at the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championships, Johnson scored an 8.8 on the beam to finish in a two-way tie for 37th place out of 48 gymnasts. Winona took sixth place out of eight teams, while the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh won the championship.
Johnson was one of six members of her team named a National Collegiate Gymnastics Association All-American in academics this year. This award is given to gymnasts who maintain a 3.0 overall grade point average, whose name appears on the team’s NGCA squad list for, and who is in her last year of athletic eligibility.
Markovic caps off hockey career
Kendal Markovic, a Hutchinson High School graduate and senior at the College of St. Scholastica, put the finishing touches on her women’s hockey career this season.
As a defenseman she didn’t earn many flashy stats, taking just four shots on the year, but she appeared in eight games. During those games, the Saints outscored their teammates 24-16, and Markovic had one block. She also committed three penalties for the year.
As a team the Saints were 12-10-2 overall this season and had an 8-5-2 record in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. They defeated Augsburg 6-3 in the first round of the MIAC playoffs before falling to Gustavus Adolphus College 5-0 in the semifinals. Markovic played in both games.
Through four years, Markovic appeared in 44 games and took 15 shots on goal. She only earned two points (one goal and one assist), but her lone goal happened to be a game-winner her sophomore season.
