Belleville Class of 2011: A Group to Remember - Part 2

Every now and then, one has the opportunity to watch a group of kids perform at a high level and maintain excellent academic standing. When you are watching, you seldom realize what a treat it is to do so and for so many of them in the same grade.
Such was the case for the Belleville High School Class of 2011. Why is this class so unique so as to be highlighted here? Simple: They have come to exemplify the “STUDENT/Athlete” even into their college life.
Belleville’s 2011 graduating class totaled 69 kids. What is remarkable about this group is that 12 of these “kids,” an astounding 18 percent, went on to compete in a collegiate sport or compete beyond the high school level. More importantly, each of them went on to an institution of higher education. It comes without saying that ALL the parents are very proud of their daughters or sons accomplishments, as is the Village of Belleville.
Rather than interview each of them, I took the easy way out. They took the time out of their schedules to respond to a questionnaire I sent asking about their past accomplishments, collegiate experiences, where their future will lead them, and more.
What is so common for the group is the continued pursuit of academic and athletic excellence developed at a very young age. They continue to be recognized in the classroom as well as on the field of play.
While you only have snippets of the information they shared through the questionnaire, what came across is that each is still passionate about their sport, but more so, about their life’s experiences. As Father Time does his work, all have very fond memories of their times growing up in Belleville.
What the future brings…who knows. If the success they have so far achieved is an indicator, their futures looks bright.
Some have decided to settle into non-player roles, including coaching, while others continue to compete, a trait common among all of these young adults.
I present to you: Ashley Brusveen, Jon Fox, Dennis Haak, Roy Hehn, Hannah Kernen, Michael Nolden, Jessica Putland, Quinn Rear, Alex Schauff, Katie Viney, Brad Wire and Donovan Woods. It is a pleasure to share with you some of their responses to this questionnaire.
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Jessica Putland</strong>
Jessica attended Hamline University in St. Paul, Minnesota, and received a Bachelor’s Degree in Religion and Social Justice, with honors.
Unlike high school, when she competed in Volleyball, Basketball and Track and Field, in college she participated in Track and Field (shot put and hammer throw). And, my, has she been successful. Jessica has earned college honors of all types including: Track and Field Most Improved Athlete 2013, Track and Field Most Valuable Athlete 2014, Track and Field Most Valuable Athlete 2015, Track and Field Captain 2015, Academic All American 2015, 11th Place DIII Indoor National Track and Field Championships, 9th Place DIII Outdoor National Track and Field Championships, Vice President Student Athletic Advisory Committee, Presidential Scholarship for Graduate School Entrance
When asked about her high school experience, Jessica responded, “My fondest memory participating in high school sports is winning the conference championships in both Basketball and Track and Field our senior year. It was a great way to end my high school career.” However, what she misses the most is the team aspects of Basketball and Volleyball. “Though Track and Field is a team sport, it is individual at the time of competition for me. I miss working with a team simultaneously to do our best and win the game.”
While performing well in the classroom, Jessica, like the others, does acknowledge the major difference at the college level from high school: Academics in college are much more challenging. “Because I had a double major in the humanities division, I have written more pages of research papers than I care to count,” she said. “It was a lot of late nights and Sundays in the library.” Her advice to young athletes about participating in college: Do it! “Participating in a sport in college definitely shaped my college experience for the better. It requires you to be a more disciplined person but this will only lead to better grades, improved performance, and a happier and healthier body. Make sure you are ready to party and socialize less with people from outside your team, and always make sure you foster good relationships with your teammates - you will spend A LOT of time with them!”
Jessica is attending graduate school in the Twin Cities to become a Pastor. She is also currently a Youth Director at a local church. She competes in powerlifting and “Strongman” competitions around the metro area with a team. She is headed to the national competition after a successful regional event.
<strong>Quinn Rear</strong>
Quinn attended Ashford University, located in Clinton, Iowa, and graduated with Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration, Bachelor of Arts in Sports and Recreation Management, Coaching Endorsement.
She was a member of the women’s basketball team, but participated in several sports in high school, Basketball, Softball, Volleyball, and Track and Field.
Quinn’s college exploits and honors include: Scoring over 1,000 Career Points, All-Time Leader in Career Three Pointers made at Ashford, Most Outstanding Player for A.I.I. conference tournament (2014-15), Second Team All-A.I.I. (2012-13), Team Basketball Honors: two time conference champions, two time national tournament team.
Not to be outdone in the classroom, her academic achievements include graduating with high honors, recipient of the Forbes School of Business award, NAIA Scholar-Athlete (2013-14, 2014-15), Capital One Academic All-District® First-Team All-District Five (2012-13), and Academic All-MCC (2011-12).
When asked to share some high school memories, Quinn responded, “I loved the atmosphere and support we had from the community and school in high school sports. The one I remember the most is the sectional final game in Baraboo versus Westby my senior year. The crowd and support we had that year was unbelievable, and seeing the whole town in the crowd that game was breathtaking. I miss representing my town. There was no greater feeling than putting on a Belleville uniform and running out onto the court. I knew I was representing something bigger than just me. I wanted to push myself for my teammates and for the community I grew up in. I wanted to make my school, family, teammates, and Belleville proud.”
Today she no longer participates in competitive sports, but they remain part of her life. She is currently a graduate assistant coach for the Truman State University Women’s Basketball team and pursuing a Master of Science in Management and Leadership.
<strong>Alex Schauff</strong>
Alex attends the UW-Milwaukee and will be graduating in May 2016 with a Business Administration degree in Marketing, and Supply Chain Management.
Until recently Alex, together with Donovan Woods, was one of the few Belleville students to participate in Hockey in high school. He also participated in Football and Baseball, earning conference honors in both sports. At UW-Milwaukee Alex participates in Hockey and, like Roy Hehn and Michael Nolden, plays for the Hollandale Rockies in the Home Talent Baseball league.
Like his 2011 classmates, honors continue to come his way, including being named hockey Team Captain during his junior and senior year, as well as being selected HTL All-Star 2015.
Alex was very poignant when discussing his high school experiences, stating, “I miss the spirit of high school sports. When you’re in a small town like Belleville, the community as a whole is a little more associated to high school athletics, so it’s pretty fun playing for your school and supporting the other teams as well, especially when there’s some success.” But, like the others, he has also developed fond memories of competing at the collegiate level. “The best memories I will have of playing hockey in Milwaukee will come from the locker room, the road trips, the stories, and everything off the ice with the guys. Those things will be missed more than anything else.”
Alex’s advice to youngsters is “continue competing for as long as competing is still fun for you.” There are some adults that could use that advice as well.
Alex’s final request to me, typical of the leadership qualities, was to acknowledge that Roy Hehn and Mike Nolden from his class currently play for Hollandale as well.
<strong>Katie Viney</strong>
Katie attended UW-Platteville and earned a degree in Animal Science with minor in Business. Katie played Soccer and Basketball in high school and continued playing Soccer at UW-Platteville.
When asked to compare high school versus college experiences she responded, “In high school we were always used to winning; in college we were served a bigger challenge. Teams are much more competitive and you learn losing will only make you work harder, not only for you, but your team! Also, you learned more responsibility because playing soccer in college is basically a full one job. Academics in college, for me, were more hands on in the Animal Science Department. My time was spent one on one with animals. Also, many more hours spent studying, rather than on homework. You learn quickly your grades come from tests!” 
While she no longer participates in sports, her advice to kids considering college sports is, “If you have the chance to participate in a college sport, definitely do so! You gain so much more than a college degree, you gain family!” 
As for what she’s up to now, she has just accepted a full-time position to start in the near future working at Weigel Dairy in Platteville. She will be raising calves and young cattle. “Each day is something different! In the next few years I also plan to complete my vet tech degree with MATC.”
<strong>Brad Wire</strong>
Brad attended and graduated from St. Norbert College, DePere, Wisconsin, with a Bachelors of Arts in Economics.
Brad’s career includes playing Football in both high school and college. As a collegian, his team was conference champion three times, he registered 30 starts and was voted Team Captain.
Brad no longer competes in football and like many of his classmates is looking towards working, looking for a more permanent job, and he wants to coach.
He wants younger athletes considering playing in college to know that “if you are going to start, finish it out, it will be worth it.”
<strong>Donovan Woods</strong>
Donovan attended and graduated Cum Laude from Southwest Minnesota State University in Marshall, Minnesota, with a BS Degree in Political Science and a BA degree in Business Management.
Although he participated in Football, Hockey, Basketball, Baseball and Track and Field in high school, he only focused on Football at the collegiate level.
Like a number of his high school classmates, he continued the impressive receipt of college honors: Honorable Mention NSIC All Conference 2013; D2 Preseason Honorable Mention All American 2014, Academic All NSIC 2013, 2014, 2015; COSIDA Academic All-District 2014, 2015; COSIDA Division 2 1st Team Academic All American 2015 and 2015 Myles Brand Academic Honor.
Comparing his time in high school with his college experiences, Donovan shares that, “You need to be much more committed and focused for college sports. The speed of game and the players that you compete against are dramatically different than high school. In college there’s much more competition and everyone is much more serious about winning and competing. You have to have the mindset that you’re going to have to wake up 4:30 in the morning, put in work, and then be ready to compete against your own team in practice later that day.”
That said, however, “Being able to play multiple different sports throughout the year. I missed playing sports that I got to play in high school. In college you don’t have time to do nearly as many sports.”
For the younger athletes, Donovan’s advice is, “Don’t give up if things aren’t going your way or if the amount of work is overpowering at times. Have fun with college sports. That’s why we all choose to continue on, because we love the game that we play and would do anything to continue playing it.”
Donovan is currently preparing for business and law school, but is also training to see if there is a chance that he can continue playing football at another level, like the NFL or Canada.
There are many more stories yet to be told of and by this excellent group of STUDENT/athletes. One thing for sure, Belleville schools can sure be proud of the fine individuals it has turned out.
There were a number of other members of this graduating class who also played on teams with this group, but who chose (emphasis added) to focus on the academic side. They are to be commended as well. It’s an individual choice one makes and there is no right or wrong decision.
As you watch collegiate sports on television in the near future, there will be a commercial that depicts all collegiate athletes going on to “life.” So, too, will these 12 young women and men. For a fleeting moment, however, those of us who reside in Belleville and in the many university/college towns in which they participated, we had the pleasure of watching them compete.
Good luck to these and all the graduating classes from Belleville High School. As the late Casey Kasem used to say, “Keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for the stars.”