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UW-Stevens Point Names Freshmen Athletes of the Year Four UW-Stevens Point athletes have been selected as the school’s freshmen athletes of the year. Football player Chad Valentyne was the male team sport selection and soccer player Molly Cady was the female team sport recipient. Wrestler Brady Holtz was the top male individual sport athlete and swimmer Jen Randall was the top female individual sport athlete. The awards are voted upon by the entire UW-Stevens Point coaching staff. Valentyne, a Kimberly native, was an honorable mention All-WIAC selection as both a wide receiver and kickoff returner. Valentyne ranked seventh in the NCAA Division III in kickoff returns with 18 returns for 530 yards, an average of 29.4 yards per return. Valentyne was named the WIAC special teams Player of the Week following his first collegiate game, returning kickoffs 93 yards and 80 yards in a win at Northern State (S.D.). He also led the Pointers in receiving with 43 catches for 658 yards and four touchdowns. Valentyne averaged 4.3 catches per game and 65.8 yards receiving per game as the Pointers finished 9-2 overall and won the WIAC with a 6-1 mark. Cady, a Cottage Grove native and Monona Grove High School graduate, was one of the top reserves for the Pointers’ soccer team, which finished 17-4 overall and 8-0 in the WIAC. Cady played in all 21 games and had three goals and six assists for 12 points. Cady’s season highlight came in a 4-1 win over eventual Division III runner-up Macalester when she scored the go-ahead goal with 10 seconds left in the first half, leading the Pointers to the upset win. She also had three assists in a 7-1 victory over UW-River Falls. Holtz, an Oconto Falls native, was one of two freshmen to win a WIAC individual championship, capturing the title at 133 pounds as the Pointers placed second in the WIAC. Holtz compiled a 15-9 overall record for the season. His conference championship qualified him for the Division III championships where he went 1-2, posting a 9-2 win over Steve Kareha of Gettysburg (Pa.). UW-Stevens Point finished 36th overall at the national meet. Randall, a Wisconsin Rapids native and Lincoln High School graduate, earned All-American honors as a member of the Pointers’ 200 freestyle relay team which finished sixth at the Division III championships. She also earned honorable mention All-American honors as a part of the 10th place 400 freestyle relay. The Pointers had their highest national finish ever at 11th place. Randall was also a member of the Pointers’ conference record setting 800 freestyle relay team as UW-Stevens Point won its first-ever WIAC women’s swimming and diving title. |
Four Earn Top Freshmen Awards