WSAW Hilight Zone Podcast

Drafted by the Red Wings: Wausau’s Brady Cleveland

Wausau’s Brady Cleveland had the dream of his life come true when he was drafted by the Detroit Red Wings in the second round of the NHL draft. For Brady, the moment was stamp on a lifetime of hard work. NewsChannel 7's Noah Manderfeld spoke to the Wausau native about what draft night was like and what he's doing as he gets ready for his freshman season with the University of Wisconsin. You can find the video story of this interview at https://www.wsaw.com/2023/07/14/whirlwind-year-cleveland-puts-hard-work-into-perspective/.

Success on the Track: Wausau’s Luke Fenhaus

Wausau native and racer Luke Fenhaus reached victory lane in just his third race in the ARCA Menards Series East, winning in Nashville on a last lap restart.

It's been a great start to the season for Fenhaus through four races of his first full-time season in the ARCA series, who's sitting in second in the standings.

Noah Manderfeld speaks with the Wausau driver about the moment he won at Nashville, and returning home to race at Wisconsin's short tracks, including State Park Speedway.

Persevering Through Pain: Macey Kilty

In 2020, Macey Kilty suffered a devastating shoulder injury in the 2020 Olympic Trials. Just two years later, the Stratford native would suffer the same injury while pushing for the Olympic rings once again. Through perseverance and the help of her loved ones, she's feeling better than ever, with some monster matches looming that could determine her fate for Paris 2024. 

 

Ben Helwig visits with Kilty on her road second road to recovery and why her Wisconsin roots are always fuel for her to keep going. 

Returning Home: SPASH’s Janel McCarville

Janel McCarville is the next SPASH girls basketball head coach.

If you don't know the McCarville name, look no further than her 2013 WNBA Championship ring with the Minnesota Lynx. But her home is Stevens Point, and she is back to replace her former head coach Kraig Terpstra as the new Panther coach.

Noah Manderfeld speaks with McCarville about her path from Stevens Point to the pros and then back to Point as she prepares to lead the Panthers this winter.

Flying High: Russell Gymnastics

For over a decade, Russell Gymnastics has been a hub for young gymnasts in central Wisconsin. However, success is just one aspect of what makes this place home. Take it from three stand-out gymnasts who will be competing on the biggest of stages. Hear from Arianna Ostrum, a level ten competing at Nationals in Oklahoma, as well as Addison Brock and Abigail Berens, both level nine athletes who are competing at Westerns in Idaho. They're joined by Debbie and Dave Russell, two of their coaches and the owners of Russell Gymnastics about the road to success and the family they've become in Stevens Point. 

Marathons, Psychology, and State Titles: Northland Pines’ Nora Gremban

There's so much to unpack with Northland Pines' Nora Gremban. Her mom is her coach and she has run nine marathons—something that blows Gremban's mind. She's so passionate about psychology and the brain that it supersedes her love for running. Oh, and she's won the Division 2 State title in the 800 and 1,600 meter races in each of the last two seasons. She's still a junior.

We unpack all of it in a conversation with Gremban.

It’s all in the Chemistry: Mosinee Softball

There's an expectation around Mosinee softball—win a conference title. Mosinee won 11 in a row from when they joined the Great Northern Conference in 2009-2019. They took back the crown in 2022.

Noah Manderfeld speaks with players Martina Miller and Alanna Bembenek along with head coach Kelly Remondini about the high Mosinee expectations and how their great chemistry this season might be their ticket to another conference title.

Options 1A, 1B and 1C: Columbus Baseball

The Columbus Dons baseball team has three, reliable starting pitching options. The best part is—they're all juniors.

Options 1A, 1B and 1C are Emmitt Konieczny, Cy Becker and Blake Jacobi as Columbus tries to follow up their first state appearance in school history with another.

Noah Manderfeld speaks with Konieczny, Becker and head coach Jared Krasselt about the potential for this pitching staff, and how a little bit of small ball may be in the cards for the Dons this season.

 

The Never-Ending Game: UW-Stevens Point men’s hockey

In a game that lasted over five hours, had over two hours of gameplay, and saw 122 combined shots, the UW-Stevens Point men's hockey team pulled out an NCAA Tournament win over Augsburg in the second-longest game in D3 history. 

 

In this episode of the Hilight Zone Podcast, Ben Helwig speaks with Pointers' goalkeeper Ryan Wagner and forward David Hill, who scored the game-winning goal in the game's fourth overtime. They discuss the physical exhaustion of playing in such a long game, the jubilation in victory, and how they're preparing for the next round of the tournament. 

 

Like it’s 1993: Lakeland Girls Basketball

Lakeland girls basketball is going to state for the first time since 1993, and you could say they are excited for the trip to Green Bay.

Noah Manderfeld speaks with Julianna and Kristina Ouimette, along with Lily Fortier about the dream trip to state as two of them near the end of their high school careers.