Tribune Notebook: Two Willmar Cardinals earn performer of the week honors

Apr. 19—A pair of Willmar Cardinals have been honored this week as Central Lakes Conference Perfomers of the Week: Jordan Ellingson and Lyndi Koosman.

Ellingson is a sophomore shortstop/pitcher on the baseball team. He threw 6-1/3 innings in a victory over Fergus Falls, allowing one run and striking out 10.

Koosman is a senior on the track and field team. She won four events in a meet last week, taking first place in the triple jump, long jump and pole vault and also running a leg in the winning 4x400-meter relay.

All honored as CLC performers of the week are:

* From Alexandria, boys track and field athlete Otto Anderson, girls track and field athlete Kaija Schneider and girls golfer Rachel Bowen;

* From Brainerd, softball player Mya Tautges and boys tennis player Brady Johnson;

* From Fergus Falls, softball player Rylynn Krein and boys track and field athlete Jaden Miller;

* From St. Cloud, baseball player Kadyn Mork; and

* From Sartell, boys tennis player Will Gerads.

Two former area wrestling coaches are being inducted into the 2024 Minnesota Wrestling Coaches Association David Bartema Wrestling Hall of Fame.

Wes Haglund of Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg and Chuck Marks at Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa are being inducted at the annual hall of fame induction dinner on Saturday, May 4 at Mckinney's on Southside next to the Country Inn in Benson. The address is 300 14th Street South, Benson, MN 56215. The event includes a 4 p.m. social, followed by a 5 p.m. dinner and a 5:30 p.m. induction ceremony. Tickets are $35 for adults and $22 for students age 18 and under.

Also inducted is former Blue Earth and Iowa wrestlers Luke and Ty Eustice; former Morris wrestler and Little Falls head coach Mike Hendrickson; former Hayfield and Rochester wrestler and coach Jim Richardson; former New York Mills wrestlers and coaches Dean and Doug Salo; former Stephen and Mayville State wrestler and Waubun coach Ray Thorkildson; former St. Michael-Albertville and Minnesota wrestler Mike Thorn; former Ada and Crookston coach Ardell Knudsvig; former Plummer coach Gary Brandl; and former Waubun coach Chuck Keogh.

Haglund started the youth program in first Murdock, then coached at the grade school program for 28 years. In that time, he helped coach 115 state tournament qualifiers, including 49 state place-finishers. There were 11 state champions and 12 second-place finishers. He coached four Division I wrestlers, including three who wrestled at Minnesota and one at South Dakota State. His team won the state title in 2009. He was a coach at some level for 48 years and finished with a 307-112 record.

Marks is 1968 graduate of Herman-Norcross High School who also wrestled at Minnesota State Community & Technical College-Fergus Falls and then at Minnesota State-Moorhead. He began teaching at Belgrade in 1977 and was an assistant from 1978-80, becoming the head coach from 1980-88 and then at BBE from 1988 to 2001. He had a career record of 166-153-6. His teams produced 23 state entrants and 11 state place winners. More than a dozen wrestled collegiately and several became coaches. He returned to coaching from 2011-13 and is a fixture at varsity and youth tournaments in BBE. He has also helped at the state tournament for 22 years.