Stone, Bauer and families among most notable athletes in school history

Editor's Note: Sports writer Roger Merriam is compiling a "20 Favorites" series highlighting some of his favorite athletes in a variety of high school sports since he started working at the Watertown Public Opinion in December of 1984. The series is about northeastern South Dakota athletes, but some played at colleges all over the state and others have moved to other areas.

Let's get one thing straight. Just because Great Plains Lutheran has only been around 28 years doesn't mean it's been any easier to finalize than 40-year lists for other "20 Favorites" stories.

Before we continue, let's thank former GPL coaches Bert and Beth Falak and Jeff Roloff for their assistance with the project and friend and photographer Boyd Tesch for taking many of the GPL photos through the years.

The Watertown school opened in 1996 and is currently in its 28th year. The school's volleyball and basketball teams started competing in 1998, track and field in 1999, cross country in 1999, boys golf in 2000, football in 2003 and girls golf in 2005.

Originally, we considered one "20 Favorites" story for GPL athletes but that's been changed to two (one for girls and one for boys). This one is the girls. The boys are planned for Saturday.

Enough pomp and circumstance. Let's go (the order doesn't really matter until the top):

20 Favorites: Links to the stories highlighting the best northeastern South Dakota athletes since 1984

20. Others

There's just no way that we've accounted for all of the top GPL girls' athletes through the years and some current ones like Abby Kjenstad and Sophie Kannas would be higher on the list if their high school careers were over.

How about some other names that were considered including Ashley and Marisa Stohr, Ellie and Lexi Scharlemann, Rachel Lindwurm, Katheryn Hansen, Olivia Giovannettone, Kyrie Roberts, Taylor Bendix, Regan Schoon, Chloe Kuhlman, Cortney and Lanea Livingston and Anna Fritze. Roberts, Kannas, Lindwurm and Fritze all hold school records in track and field as does Amy Wockenfuss of Anchorage (Alaska), who holds the discus mark.

Believe me, there's more we missed. Forgive us.

19. Mali York

OK, punish me for breaking the rules a bit here. Mali was named the most valuable player for the Panthers in both girls basketball and girls golf in 2022 and also was a talented volleyball player.

We're still finalizing the boys' list and not positive if her brother Myles is going to make it. We're giving both Yorks mention here because they put together some pretty good careers these last few years for the Panthers.

18. Natalie Lendt

Compiling this list wasn't easy because Great Plains Lutheran has had less than a handful of All-State honorees in basketball, football and volleyball and searching for 25 years of All-Eastern Coteau Conference honorees was too time consuming if even possible.

Lendt's on the list because she was selected as the Panthers' most valuable player twice each in volleyball (2017 and 2018) and track (2016 and 2017).

17. Jordan Zeck

Jordan and her sister Regan Zeck had a lot of success on Watertown Junior Olympic softball teams that their mother Sheryl helped coach. They also competed in volleyball, basketball and track for GPL. Sheryl also coached at least volleyball with the Panthers.

Jordan earned MVP honors in girls basketball (2016) and volleyball (2015). Regan earned the Panther Award in girls basketball in 2017.

16. Anna Noeldner

Noeldner worked her way onto the list by earned MVP honors for the Panthers in volleyball in 2013 and by placinig twice in the Class B girls' 300-meter hurdles (seventh in 2014 and sixth in 2015) at the state track meet.

15. Katie Bicek

Bicek for sure competed in volleyball, basketball and track and field during her high school career at Great Plains Lutheran, earning MVP honors in volleyball in 2014 and basketball in 2014 and 2015.

The Last 35:: State boys golf title, cross country and track success highlight Panthers' history

14. Kristine Schlomer

If we're not mistaken, the research shows that Schlomer became the first Great Plains Lutheran girls' golfer to qualify for a state tournament in 2011, placing 33rd as a senior.

She was the Panthers' MVP in golf in 2009, 2010 and 2011 and also played basketball and volleyball.

13. Taylor Dornbusch

As long as were talking about girls' golf,, let us introduce Dornbusch. Like Schlomer, she was the Panthers' MVP three years (2016, 2017 and 2018).

Her 11th-place finish in the state B golf tournament in 2018 makes her the only girls golfer in school history to medal in the state tourney.

12. Rebecca Meyer

This pick is going back to the early days of GPL athletics.

Meyer earned MVP honors in volleyball in both 1999 and 2001 and also received Panther Awards in both basketball (2000) and track and field (2001).

11. Elena Hoffman

One of the interesting things through the years is many GPL athletes not only competed for the Panthers but also on Watertown club sports like soccer, hockey and softball.

Hoffman holds the Panthers' school record in the girls' shot put (34 feet, 7 inches) and also was a standout hitter in slowpitch and with Watertown's club fastpitch softball team. She continued hitting during a record-setting fastpitch career at Martin Luther.

10. Kaci Hemiller

The Panthers' most valuable player in volleyball in 2004, Hemiller also played basketball for the Panthers and also competed in rodeo.

Not sure how many GPL athletes also competed in rodeo.

9. The Gosch Families

The way that it was explained to me (and providing I didn't mess it up) is that the Gosch family of Aberdeen had nine children and their son moved to Rapid CIty and also had nine children.

Many of the Goschs attented GPL and competed for the Panthers beginning with Carrie, Seth and Anthony in the early 2000s and sisters Leah, Jocelyn and Erika between 2010-2020 and their cousin Morgan in the middle of the same decade.

Carrie was the girls' track and field MVP in 2002, Leah set the school's triple jump record in 2013 (34-0) and Jocleyn earned MVP honors in girls basketball in 2018. Erika also competed in basketball and joined her sister in competing in track and as fastpitch softball players with Watertown's club team. Jocelyn also competed in basketball and track at Martin Luther.

8. Katie Schuh

Schuch competed in volleyball, basketball and track for the Panthers, but may be best remembered for her exploits on the track.

She became the school's first state medalist in girls track when she placed fifth in the Class B high jump at the 2005 state meet. She placed in both the 100- and 300-meter hurdles at state in 2006 and earned the Panthers' team MVP honors both years.

7. Kristi Snyder

If we counted correctly, Snyder is one of three girls' athletes in school history to receive team MVP honors in three sports (volleyball, basketball and track).

She earned girls basketball honors in 2006 and 2007, volleyball in 2006 and track and field in 2007.

6. The Holmens

Sisters Bryn, Olivia and Kate have left their mark on the Panthers' volleyball and girls basketball programs in recent years and the story isn't over since Kate is in the midst of her sophomore year.

Bryn and Kate also competed in track but were not sure on Olivia, a senior who missed some of her high school athletic career after having knee surgery. Kate also followed suit this winter.

Bryn was the girls basketball team's MVP in 2021 and Oliva earned the same honor in volleyball in 2022.

5. The Klucks

Doug Kluck earned All-State football honors for Watertown High School in 1958 and started on the Arrows' state championship boys basketall team in 1959. His daughter Tami and son Mike were also standout athletes for the Arrows in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Fast forward a few years and three of Mike's daughters Kara, Kendra and Kristin all had athletic success at Great Plains Lutheran. Kara earned team MVP honors in volleyball (2007) and girls basketball (2008), Kendra in girls basketball (2017) and Kristin in volleyball in 2018. Kristin also received the Panther Award for girls basketball in 2018 and 2019.

4. The Schlechts

Sisters Leandra, Michaela and Kendra displayed their talents in basketball, volleyball and track and field for the Panthers. Leandra earned MVP honors in girls basketball in 2010 and track in 2009 and 2010, Michaela in volleyball in 2012 and Kendra in basketball in 2019.

Leandra and Michaela later both competed in track at Northern State.

Most amazing is the fact that Leandra still holds school records in five individual track events — long jump (16-4.75), high jump (5-4), 100-meter hurldes (15.91), 300 hurdles (49.17) and pole vault (9-0). She placed in the Class B 300 hurdles at state in 2009; in both the Class A high jump and pole vault in 2010 and in the Class A 100 hurdles and pole vault in 2011.

3. Lauren and Alyssa Maertz

The Maertz sisters, daughters of GPL Superintendent and principal David Maertz, were standouts in girls basketball, volleyball and track for the Panthers in the early 2010s. Alyssa was MVP in volleyball in 2011 and 2012; girls basketball in 2011, 2012 and 2013; and in girls track in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013. Lauren earned MVP honors in volleyball in 2010 and the Panther Award in track in 2011. Alyssa won the Panther Award for volleyball in 2012.

The two sisters are still part of the school-record 3,200 relay team. Alyssa also ran on the 1,600 relay team that still holds the school record. Alyssa also placed in the Class A 800 and 1,600 runs at the state meet in 2011. She also placed in the 800 and ran on the place-winning 1,600 relay in Class B in 2013.

2. Halle Bauer

Bauer, the daughter of GPL athletic/activities director and head girls baskeball coach Matt Bauer, is a four-time state medalist in cross country, six-time state place winner in track and field and three-year starter in girls basketball.

In cross country, she is one of only two GPLHS girls to ever medal in the state meet and she did it four times in two classes (ninth in 2019 and fifth in 2020 in Class B; and eighth in 2021 and 16th in 2022 in Class A). She missed her senior season last fall with an injury.

In track, she took fifth in the Class B 1,600 and eighth in the 3,200 in 2021. Last spring, she was fifth in the Class A 3,200, sixth in the 1,600 and eighth in the 800 while also anchoring the sixth-place medley relay. She'll complete her track career this spring.

GPL's girls basketball team set a program record for wins during a 15-6 season this winter.

Update: Halle is also a three-sport MVP, earning honors in cross country (2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022), girls track (2022 and 2023) and girls basketball (2024).

1. Kelly Stone

Again keep in mind you could take any of the top 5-6 people or groups here and put them at the top.

Stone earned MVP honors in volleyball in the winter of 2002 and again in the fall of 2022 after the switch of seasons between volleyball and girls basketball. She also earned MVP honors in girls basketball in 1999, 2000 and 2003 and also received the Panther Award for basketball that year.

Despite missing some time after injuring her knee, she still the leading scorer in program history with 938 points. Let's also mention she is an assistant coach with the volleyball program.

Follow Watertown Public Opinion sports reporter Roger Merriam on X (formerly known as Twitter) @PO_Sports or email: rmerriam@thepublicopinion.com

This article originally appeared on Watertown Public Opinion: Series takes a look at some of Great Plains Lutheran's top girls' athletes