This story is sponsored by:
American Family Insurance – Randy LeMoine Agency
MarshfieldAreaSports.com
A number of former local high school athletes have moved on to the next level and are playing sports collegiately across the country.
Periodically, MarshfieldAreaSports.com will publish a College Sports Roundup updating readers on some of those local athletes’ exploits at the collegiate level.
Zschernitz to start for Northern Illinois
Logan Zschernitz, a 2019 graduate of Spencer High School and three-year starter for the Spencer/Columbus Catholic football team, has been named a starter on the offensive line for Northern Illinois University’s game Nov. 13 at Toledo.
Zschernitz, a true freshman for the Huskies, has seen playing time during the last two weeks.
As a senior with Spencer/Columbus, Zschernitz was named Cloverbelt Conference Offensive Player of the Year in 2018, helping the Rockets to a second-place finish in the conference, an 11-2 overall record, and a trip to the WIAA Division 5 state semifinals.
Northern Illinois comes into the game with a 2-3 record in the Mid-American Conference West Division. The Toledo Rockets are 3-2. The game can be seen on television on ESPN2 with kickoff scheduled for 7 p.m.
Luepke makes splash at North Dakota State
Former Spencer/Columbus player Hunter Luepke, a 2018 graduate of Spencer High School has moved into the starting lineup for the North Dakota State University football team.
Luepke, a redshirt freshman fullback, has played in nine of 10 games this season, starting twice. North Dakota State has won seven of the last eight FCS championships, including the past two.
Luepke caught four passes for 38 yards in last week’s win over Western Illinois. He has seven catches for 66 yards and has run the ball twice for eight yards overall this season for the Bison.
NDSU (10-0, 6-0 Missouri Valley Conference) next takes the field on Saturday, Nov. 16 at home vs. South Dakota with kickoff scheduled for 2:30 p.m. The game can be seen on ESPN+. The Bison finish their regular season Nov. 23 at Southern Illinois.
Baierl earns all-WIAC honors for Eau Claire volleyball
Kendra Baierl, a 2017 graduate of Marshfield Columbus Catholic High School, is a junior on the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire women’s volleyball team, helping the Blugolds to an NCAA Division III Tournament berth.
Baierl was a first-team selection to the 2019 All-Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Women’s Volleyball Team.
Baierl has played in all 29 matches this season for the Blugolds, who are 20-9. She has 214 kills, 10 assists, 38 digs and a .284 hitting percentage heading into the tournament this week.
UW-Eau Claire will play St. Benedict (Minn.) in a regional on Thursday, Nov. 14, at St. Thomas University in St. Paul, Minn. Play continues in the regional through Saturday with the survivor moving on to the Elite Eight, Final Four and Championship matches at Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Nov. 21-23.