The 2025-26 Milwaukee High School Sports Awards show, Presented by Piggly Wiggly, was held at the Brookfield Conference Center on Monday.
More than 300 athletes from the Milwaukee area were honored, including the Players of the Year in each sport and the area’s overall winners for boys athlete of the year, girls athlete of the year, boys coach of the year, girls coach of the year, boys team of the year, girls team of the year and the Courage Award.
Here is a list of winners:
Boys Team of the Year, Presented by Piggly Wiggly – Wisconsin Lutheran basketball
For the second consecutive year, Wisconsin Lutheran boys basketball takes home our boys team of the year. The Vikings won their third consecutive WIAA state title, and finished 34-0 for the second time in three seasons. In the regular season, Wisco won each game over in-state opponents by a minimum of fifteen points. The Vikings also won the Beach Ball Classic in South Carolina over some top teams from around the nation. Head coach Ryan Walz was named boys coach of the year by the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association, while junior Kager Knueppel and senior Zavier Zens were each named to the WBCA D-one All-State team. Their 88-2 record over the past three seasons is the most successful three-year run by win total and win percentage in WIAA boys basketball history.
Girls Team of the Year, Presented by Piggly Wiggly – Sussex Hamilton volleyball
The Chargers won the program’s second W-I-A-A Division One state title this past fall, ending the reign of three-time defending champion Divine Savior Holy Angels in a shocking three-set sweep to capture the gold ball. Four of the five state tournament appearances for the Hamilton program in its history have all come since 2020 under coach Traci Buhr, including back-to-back state title match appearances. Star setter and future Rutgers Scarlet Knight Brooke Baldwin was also named girls volleyball player of the year earlier tonight, helping lead the Chargers to a 39-8, culminating with the state title.
Boys Athlete of the Year – Kellen Wolbert from Oconomowoc High School
Wolbert takes home his second award of the night after being named the boys wrestler of the year earlier this evening. The future Michigan Wolverine captured four state titles in his career in four different divisions during his time at Oconomowoc. He becomes the second straight wrestling recipient to win the boys athlete of the year honor after former Kenosha St. Joseph grappler Co’Ji Campbell received the award following his own four-peat of state titles last year. Wolbert also became the sixth Milwaukee-area wrestler in W-I-A-A history to become a four-time state champion, capping a perfect senior season on the mat.
Girls Athlete of the Year – Payton Haugen from Brookfield East High School
Our back-to-back girls golfer of the year rose to heights never seen before in the fifty-four-year history of the WIAA girls state golf championships. Her 2025 state individual title win in one hundred thirty two strokes beat the tournament record of one hundred thirty eight strokes, which she had matched in a runner-up finish in 2024. The Michigan State commit was named the Wisconsin Golf Coaches Association’s girls player of the year for the second consecutive season, and was a four-time first team all-state honoree.
Boys Coach of the Year – Torre Johnson Jr. from Milwaukee Juneau
In his first season leading the program after serving as an assistant coach for the prior seven years, Torre Johnson Jr. took the helm at his alma mater of Milwaukee Juneau. With talented seniors Takis Tyler and Jaden Hardiman, along with Johnson’s own son Dooney as an emerging star, the new role came with lofty expectations. The Pioneers ultimately delivered with a historic twenty-eight and one season, culminating in a WIAA D-four state title win. Johnson Jr. won Milwaukee City Gold Conference coach of the year for leading Juneau to its first team state title in any sport.
Girls Coach of the Year – Jenny Hines from Whitefish Bay High School
Hines led the Whitefish Bay girls and boys swim programs to D2 state titles this past school year. The girls won in repeat fashion in the fall, led by record-breaking performances by their two hundred yard medley relay team, as well as Anne Dickinson in the two hundred and five hundred freestyles. The boys ended a championship drought going all the way back to 1998 with their depth of talent showcased in the relay events. For her efforts, Hines was named the D2 swimming boys and girls coach of the year by the Wisconsin Interscholastic Swim Coaches Association.
Courage Award – Gianni Quintero from Marquette University High School
Gianni Quintero was diagnosed with transverse myelitis, an inflammation of a section of the spinal cord, at six years old. An active child who had played baseball among other activities growing up would be left paralyzed on his left side from the hip down. Quintero refused to let this slow him down, playing wheelchair basketball for several years before his speed on the court drew the attention of a coach who suggested he try wheelchair track. He has since become the most decorated wheelchair athlete in WIAA history and competed internationally as he inspires those around him, one lap at a time.
Lifetime Achievement Award — Ruth Ann Ahnen from Arrowhead High School
In her 18 seasons with Arrowhead High School prior to her retirement this past fall, Ahnen helped lead the Warhawks to six state titles and six runner-up finishes. The Wisconsin Interscholastic Swim Coaches Association named her coach of the year in 2022. Despite her numerous accolades, Ahnen’s greatest impact has been outside of the pool. Throughout her career, she has led fundraisers for Make-A-Wish Wisconsin, food drives for local food pantries and started a scholarship fund in memory of a JV swimmer who perished in a car accident. Her initiative has helped raise tens of thousands of dollars to support those in need, creating a legacy that cannot be contained by any trophy case.
Defensive Football Player of the Year, Presented by the Green Bay Packers – Brendan Foley from Arrowhead High School
Foley spearheaded an Arrowhead defense that lifted the Warhawks to its first state title in twelve years. The Army West Point recruit was named to the Wisconsin Football Coaches Association all-state team in the large school division, and was also named the co-Classic Eight Conference defensive player of the year. Foley registered just under one-hundred forty tackles, including a team-high ten tackles and the critical pressure on the last play in Arrowhead’s victory over Bay Port in the Division One state title game.
Offensive Football Player of the Year, Presented by the Green Bay Packers — Amarii Ward from Ronald Reagan College Prep High School
Ward showcased his versatility in all three phases for the Milwaukee City Conference Richardson Division champions. The junior was Reagan’s leading rusher with an a thousand-yard season and seventeen touchdowns, while adding team-best receiving yardage and touchdown totals. Defensively, Ward was Reagan’s third-leading tackler, forced three fumbles, picked off four passes including three pick-sixes and returned a kickoff for a touchdown. He capped his junior season with a Wisconsin Football Coaches Association all-state honorable mention selection and was named the Milwaukee City Conference’s offensive player of the year.
Boys Basketball Player of the Year – Zavier Zens from Wisconsin Lutheran High School
Wisconsin Lutheran hardly lost a game with Zens on the roster the past three seasons. An eighty-eight and two record is highlighted by two perfect thirty and oh seasons during one of the most dominant runs in WIAA boys basketball history. In his senior campaign, the University of Illinois commit averaged just over twenty three points per game. He was honored as the Gatorade Wisconsin player of the year, as a first-team selection on USA TODAY’S All-USA Midwest Region Team, as a Naismith Awards honorable mention and as Wisconsin’s Mr. Basketball.
Girls Basketball Player of the Year – Natalie Kussow from Arrowhead High School
The back-to-back Wisconsin Gatorade player of the year capped an unbelievable career by leading Arrowhead to its second state title in three years. Kussow won virtually every player of the year award available as a senior, including the prestigious Wisconsin Ms. Basketball. The future Minnesota Golden Gopher finished her career as the fifth-leading scorer in the history of Wisconsin girls high school basketball with almost twenty-eight hundred career points.
Gymnast of the Year – Mackenzie Gruszynski, Hartford Union High School
After a year off from the sport, Gruszynski made an inspiring comeback to win an individual all-around state title. She took gold in the bars and beam events, while earning silver in the vault to lead the best all-around score. The UW-Madison commit showed incredible determination to overcome obstacles both physical and mental to reach the top of the WIAA podium.
Boys Hockey Player of the Year – Tyler Cook from University School Of Milwaukee (Upper School)
Cook wore the captain patch as a senior and helped lead the Wildcats to the Division One state tournament for the fifth time in the last seven years. He tallied forty-seven points and was named an all-state first team defenseman. Cook completed his career with one hundred and twenty-one points in ninety-seven career games, including forty-six goals and sixteen postseason points. He’s set to join the Janesville Jets of the North America Hockey League.
Girls Hockey Player of the Year — Elizabeth Bowers from Cedarburg High School
Bowers had a stellar junior season, winning eighteen total games between the pipes for the Lakeshore Lightning co-op program. She stopped over five-hundred total shots with seven shutouts, helping the Lightning reach the sectional final. In her first three seasons with the Lightning, Bowers has won thirty-nine games with fifteen shutouts and over fifteen-hundred career saves.
Boys Swimming & Diving Athlete of the Year – Steven Camacho from Whitefish Bay High School
Whitefish Bay’s sixth state title, and first since 1998, would not have been possible without Camacho’s selfless leadership. After dropping an individual event so he could contribute on relays, he swam team-best splits on the winning 200 yard medley relay team, and on the second place two hundred and four hundred yard freestyle relay teams at state. The UW-Eau Claire commit also took a third place individually in the 50-yard freestyle.
Boys Wrestler of the Year – Kellen Wolbert from Oconomowoc High School
Wolbert became just the thirty-second grappler in state history to win four state titles in a career. His latest came at one hundred and fifty pounds to finish fifty three and zero as a senior, his second undefeated season. Wolbert won more state titles than total matches lost over four high school seasons. He is committed to the University of Michigan.
Girls Wrestler of the Year — Izabella Riebe from Wisconsin Lutheran High School
After three previous appearances at state, Riebe finally captured her first state title at two-hundred thirty-five pounds as a senior. She was one of seven total state champions from the Milwaukee and finished forty-four and zero. Riebe reached the state podium in all four high school seasons.
Baseball Player of the Year – Maddux Lessard from Muskego High School
A season after helping lead Muskego to a program first WIAA spring state title, Lessard has emerged as one of the top backstops in the state. In the regular season, Lessard hit four twenty one with a one point three four eight O-P-S. His offense and framing for an elite pitching staff earned the Warriors the Classic 8 Conference title, and Lessard the conference player of the year award. He is committed to the University of Minnesota to continue his academic and baseball career.
Boys Golfer of the Year – Max Zastrow from Lake Country Lutheran High School
The junior led Lake Country Lutheran to its third WIAA state tournament appearance as a team, and first since 2019 this spring. He was the event medalist in LCL’s regional at Kettle Hills with a score of seventy-one. In the sectional, Zastrow placed fifth with a score of seventy-seven. At the state meet last week, Zastrow placed eleventh individually to help the Lightning take fourth as a team, their best finish since 2010.
Boys Lacrosse Player of the Year – Nick Garvey from Kettle Moraine High School
The senior attacker was named the Classic Eight Conference’s player of the year and to the all-state first team after he scored forty-three goals and tallied thirty assists this season in just fifteen games. Garvey concluded his career with the Lasers with one-hundred and sixty-nine goals and one-hundred and two assists in his career, along with four thirty-goal seasons. Nick will attend Indiana University this upcoming fall. This is his second consecutive recognition as our boys lacrosse player of the year.
Girls Lacrosse Player of the Year – Tess Lee, Brookfield Central High School
The senior attacker had one of the most productive seasons in state history for the Brookfield co-op, leading her team to the sectional final round. Lee scored eighty-eight goals with eighty-seven assists in twenty total games this season, including eighteen goals and twelve assists in the state tournament. She was named the Greater Metro-slash-Midwest Classic Conference’s player of the year and was named to the all-state first team. She will play Division One lacrosse for The College of William and Mary this upcoming fall.
Girls Soccer Player of the Year — Amara Leppla from Arrowhead High School
Regarded as one of the elite scorers in the state, Leppla tallied 33 goals and seven assists for an Arrowhead program that finished the regular season at fourteen and two. The Eastern Illinois commit led a thirteen game winning streak highlighted by a two-nil victory over perennial contender D-S-H-A. Leppla was acknowledged with numerous player of the week awards while leading an Arrowhead program that ended the season as the number one ranked area team by the Journal Sentinel.
Softball Player of the Year – Bitsy Palicka from Sussex Hamilton High School
The sophomore was named the Gatorade state player of the year after leading her team to the number one seed in the W-I-A-A Division One state softball tournament. Palicka tallied a twenty-four and one pitching record with two-hundred and seventy strikeouts, along with forty-seven hits and seven home runs prior to the state tournament. She was also named the Greater Metro Conference’s pitcher of the year for the league champion Chargers, who won their third title in the last four seasons.
Boys Tennis Players of the Year – Brady Latus and Finn Milleman from Catholic Memorial High School
Catholic Memorial’s top doubles pairing won its second straight W-I-A-A state doubles championship earlier this month during a three-set thriller in the final. With the victory, Brady and Finn completed a perfect twenty-three and oh season this past spring, with Finn becoming the first D-Two doubles player in over two decades to win three consecutive state titles. The duo also became the fifth duo in the last decade from the area to win the D-Two doubles state title.
Girls Track & Field Athlete of the Year — Elise Schroeder from Arrowhead High School
The future University of Illinois pole vaulter concluded her high school career by winning her third straight W-I-A-A Division One girls pole vault state title, shattering the state meet record with a vault of thirteen feet, six inches. Schroeder also ran a leg on Arrowhead’s state title-winning four-hundred-meter relay team to help the Warhawks win its third consecutive D-One state team title. The team title marked the first time in fifteen years that a D-One school has won three straight team titles. Schroeder also became the first D-One vaulter to three-peat as state champion in over two decades.
Boys Track & Field Athlete of the Year — Cole Zielinski from Waukesha West High School
Zielinski put on an absolute show at WIAA state track and field earlier this month. After winning the D-one triple jump, Zielinski repeated as champion in the long jump with a state record jump of twenty five feet, nine point seven five inches. His effort obliterated the state’s oldest standing track and field record by nine inches, which had been set back in 1965. Zielinski also ran anchor on a gold medal-winning eight hundred meter relay team, which set the state record in the preliminary heat as well. The junior’s three golds led a team state title runner-up finish for Waukesha West, which was split with Arrowhead.
Boys Cross Country Runner of the Year – Brendan Reardon, Marquette University High School
Reardon concluded his senior campaign with the best state placement of his career. His fourth overall finish at state shaved fourteen seconds off of his tenth place time as a junior. The four-time state qualifier led three top-four team finishes for Marquette, highlighted by a 2024 Division one runner-up trophy. Reardon was named to the Wisconsin Cross Country Coaches Association’s All-State first team for the second time this past fall. He will attend Notre Dame starting this fall.
Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year – Ella Anschutz, Muskego High School
Anschutz finished her decorated cross country career by placing second in the Division One state girls meet. Her time of seventeen minutes, forty-one point four seconds was one of three that eclipsed the prior state record in a competitive girls D-one heat. Anschutz finished her career with two individual state titles, while leading four team state qualifications highlighted by a 2022 team state title. The UW-Madison commit is a four-time Wisconsin Cross Country Coaches Association all-state first team selection, and this is her second girls cross country athlete of the year award.
Girls Golfer of the Year – Payton Haugen from Brookfield East High School
After consecutive state runner-up individual finishes that included a then-state record-tying score as a junior, Haugen finished her career in record-breaking fashion. Her 2025 state tournament two-day score of 12 under par blew away the previous record of six under. Haugen won the state championship by 10 strokes, and her career highlights now include two of the four best state tournament performances in WIAA history. This is the Michigan State commit’s second-consecutive girls golfer of the year award.
Boys Soccer Player of the Year – Alec Jacquart from Whitefish Bay High School
Jacquart set the table for Whitefish Bay’s eighth WIAA state title win with three assists on the Blue Dukes’ state tournament weekend. Those assists added to a team-leading total of fifteen throughout the course of the 2025 campaign. The Endicott College commit was named a Wisconsin Soccer Coaches Association All-State second team selection, and a first team all-North Shore Conference selection.
Girls Swimming & Diving Athlete of the Year – Ella Antoniewski from Mukwonago High School
Antoniewski joined an elite club in state history this past fall by four-peating in both the 200 and 500 yard freestyle events at the WIAA state girls swim meet. In doing so, she joined Connie Wright of Waukesha North and boys swimmer Ben McDade of Monona Grove as the only three athletes to earn four titles in two different individual state swim events. The University of Georgia commit also led eight state-qualifying 200 and 400 freestyle relay teams over the course of her career.
Girls Tennis Player of the Year – Caroline Raster, Brookfield East High School
Raster led the Spartans to the best season in program history, as Brookfield East won its second straight team state title. Raster, a UW-Madison recruit, won the individual singles title as the bracket’s top overall seed to finish a perfect twenty-four and zero in her senior season. Raster and the Spartans went on the following week to win the team title as the top overall seed in the tournament, dropping just two matches in the team’s run to back-to-back titles.
Boys Volleyball Player of the Year – Ben Bayer from Sussex Hamilton High School
Bayer led the high-powered Chargers to a sectional title match berth as a senior to follow Hamilton’s first state title during his junior season. The Long Beach State recruit led Hamilton to a co-Greater Metro Conference title, the first in program history. Individually, the star hitter was named to the 2025 Team USA under-nineteen national team, as well as a first team all-state selection by the Badger Region Volleyball Association for the second straight season.
Girls Volleyball Player of the Year – Brooke Baldwin from Sussex Hamilton High School
Baldwin helped lead Hamilton to its second state girls volleyball title in program history with a shocking sweep of defending three-time Division One champion D-S-H-A in the final. The Rutgers recruit eclipsed twenty-six hundred assists in her four-year career as a setter for the Chargers. Baldwin was a unanimous selection to the Wisconsin Volleyball Coaches Association’s all-state first team in her final season.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: The 2025-26 Milwaukee High School Sports Awards show winners
Reporting by Todd M. Adams, USA TODAY High School Sports / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Todd M. Adams, USA TODAY High School Sports | USA TODAY Network
