Out in Leftfield

BASEBALL

Ford Ladd (Niwot) finished his collegiate career as a pitcher at New York University and has joined the coaching staff at Georgia Gwinnett College as Coordinator of Research & Development. In his final game at NYU, Ladd played first base and went 1-4 at the plate, scoring a run and driving in two runs in an 11-0 victory over John Jay College March 9, 2020. A day earlier, he went 1-3 as a DH in both games of a doubleheader sweep of Stockton University with a run and an RBI in the second game. His last pitching performance was a loss to William Patterson on March 5, when he started and went five innings, giving up six runs on eight hits while posting five strikeouts. Ladd hit .357 in the five-game COVID-shortened 2020 season, third best on the team.

Skye Messinger (Niwot) is back for his senior season at the University of Kansas. Messinger, a third baseman-shortstop, spent time in Niwot working out over the winter break before returning to KU for the spring semester. In a series against Creighton University March 20-21, Messinger went 8-for-15 (.533) at the plate, including a walk-off homer in the bottom of the 14th inning in the first game. He followed with a 5-for-6 performance in a 20-5 win over Lafayette College March 23, including a double, two RBIs and four runs scored. It marked his first-ever five-hit game and the first-five-hit game by a Jayhawk since 2019. He has multiple-hit games in seven of his last nine games and is hitting a team-leading .403 with two home runs,18 RBIs and 21 runs scored.

David Bote, a former Niwot Youth Sports player, has had a solid spring with the Chicago Cubs, splitting time between second base and third base in spring games. Bote is hitting .306 with 3 homeruns through games of March 24, and won the spring battle for the starting position at second base, according to manager David Ross.

SWIMMING

Abbie Shaw (Niwot) has transferred from the University of Kentucky to Liberty University after one semester, where she will continue her collegiate swimming career as a backstroker. Shaw swam in two meets for Kentucky last fall, finishing second in the 200 backstroke and third in the 100 backstroke against Vanderbilt. She also took sixth in the 100 backstroke in a dual meet against Tennessee. Her best time in the 200 backstroke is 2:00.35 while her top time in the 100 backstroke is 54.72. As a senior at Niwot, Shaw finished second in the state in the Class 4A 200 freestyle, and took third at state in the 100 backstroke.

SOFTBALL

Brooklyn DeLozier (Niwot) has played all 16 games in the outfield for New Mexico Highlands this season. DeLozier is hitting .146, but her nine walks give her an on-base percentage of .305. She has scored nine runs, fourth-best on the team, and was hitting .292 before a mid-season slump lowered her batting average.

Meghan Waidler (Niwot) has played 16 of 18 games for the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs this season. Waidler, a first baseman and designated hitter, has a .205 average with five RBIs. In a March 7 game against Black Hills State, Waidler went 2-2 at the plate with a double and triple, and drove in four runs for UCCS, which won 13-4.

BASKETBALL

Darin Reese (Niwot) led the Mead Mavericks to the state Class 4A basketball title. Reese, a 1999 NHS grad, led his squad to a 68-44 victory over previously undefeated Montrose (18-1) in the title game. Mead finished 15-3 on the season and won in spite of losing sophomore guard Nick Basson, who suffered a stroke a week before the title game. Basson, who was the third-leading-scorer for the Mavericks, is recovering and was able to be on the bench with his teammates for the final game.

TENNIS

Max Petrak (Niwot) transitioned from player to coach at Montana State for the 2020-2021 season. Petrak played tennis at Montana State, posting a career record of 3-7 in singles play and 3-3 in doubles. After graduating in 2020, Petrak is now serving as a volunteer assistant coach for men's tennis at his alma mater. He was the Northern Colorado player of the year while at Niwot, and placed second or third at state all four years of his high school career.

VOLLEYBALL

Sarah Falk (Niwot) is the starting middle blocker for Sacramento State. Falk, a junior, has 56 kills on the season, along with 56 total blocks and 1.08 blocks per set, both second-best on the team. Sacramento State is 10-6 on the season.

Mackenzie Fidelak (Niwot) is a junior opposite hitter for the Stanford University Cardinal. Fidelak has played in four matches this season, two against Utah March 5 and 7, and two against Arizona State March 19 and 21, with a total of 16 sets played. She has 13 kills on the season, and recorded 22 assists against ASU March 19, her best game of the season, after the team switched to a 6-2 offense, with Fidelak becoming a second setter. She also recorded a season-high 12 digs against Utah March 7. Stanford has had 10 matches cancelled this season due to COVID issues, and as of March 25, had a season record of 2-6 after being ranked as high as seventh in the nation.

SOCCER

Maddie Barkow (Niwot) is a senior defender for the University of Northern Colorado this spring. Barkow averages 79 minutes per game for the Bears, who are 2-1 in early season action. She has taken two shots on goal but has yet to score.

GOLF

Jake Butler (Niwot) is a senior on the men's golf team at Midland University in Nebraska. Butler is a senior majoring in business administration with a focus on marketing. Butler shot rounds of 81 and 90 at the Maverick Invitational at Indian Creek Golf Course in Elkhorn, NE, in the final fall meet. The spring season is just now starting for Midland.

Kelsey Webster (Fairview) of Gunbarrel is a junior on the University of Colorado Women's Golf team. Webster finished 32nd at the Lambkin Invitational with rounds of 81-74-80. She posted a season-best score in the first round of the Wildcat Invitational with a one-under-par round of 71, which is the third-best single round of the season for CU golfers.

FOOTBALL

Alex Oelsner (Niwot) is a senior tight end on the 2021 Northwestern University football squad, heading into spring workouts. Oelsner, listed at 6'4" and 244 pounds, played in one game last season for the Wildcats, but did not record any receptions.

TRACK & CROSS COUNTRY

Jenna McCaffrey (Niwot) is a senior at Northern Arizona, where she runs the 1500M, 3000M Steeplechase, 5K and 10K. Her personal best time in the 1500M is 4:43.11. Her top performance in the Steeplechase is 11:02.30, and her top 5K and 10K times are 17:36.62 and 39:16.35, respectively.

Claire Gillett (Niwot) is a senior distance runner at Gonzaga University. Gillett placed 31st in the 5K at the Oregon Cross Country Open Feb. 5 with a time of 18:07.5, her personal best time. She also placed 30th in the 6K at the West Coast Conference Championships Feb. 24 with a time of 22:19.4, and took eighth place in the 1500M at the Whitworth Essential Invite March 19 with a time of 4:47.44.

Alexis Carroll (Niwot), a junior at the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs, finished seventh in the 60 Hurdles at the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships Feb. 26-28, with a time of 9.18. Carroll's time of 9.02 in the prelims put her in fourth place going into the finals. She also took seventh in the Long Jump with a leap of 17'9.5", and took sixth in the Triple Jump with a mark of 37'10.75".

HOCKEY

Reilly Herbst (Niwot) was recently traded by the Dubuque Fighting Saints to the Omaha Lancers of the US Hockey League for a 2021 eighth-round Phase II draft pick. Herbst, a goaltender, appeared in three games for Dubuque before the trade, contributing to a win in each contest. In the 2019-2020 season, Herbst played in the BCHL with the Vernon Vipers, playing in 34 regular-season games, collecting a 20-10-3 record with a 2.91 GAA and a .901 save percentage. Herbst started his USHL career in the 2018-19 season with the Chicago Steel playing in 23 games with a 12-7-2 record, a 3.01 GAA, and a .881 save percentage. He came out of the Colorado Thunderbirds AAA and the Selects Academy AAA programs. The Lancer's website announced the trade with a statement from Head Coach and General Manager David Wilkie, who said, "Depth at the goaltending position is critical. We feel that this move in acquiring Herbst provides that necessary depth for our Club." Herbst has played in seven games for Omaha. Against Lincoln March 20, he had 14 saves on 17 shots in an overtime 5-4 loss.

Herbst, a 2018 graduate of NHS, committed on Feb. 17, his 21st birthday, to play for Ohio State University starting in the fall of 2021. According to his father, Mark Herbst, he had been speaking with quite a few different Division 1 hockey programs but really wanted to attend a college that also had strong football and basketball programs so he could enjoy the whole college experience. "We had not been speaking with Ohio State up until about [early January] when they first contacted Reilly and starting speaking with the coaches and general managers for other teams he has played for over the years," Mark Herbst said.

Michael Sdao, formerly of Niwot, is an assistant coach with the Lincoln Stars of the U.S. Hockey League this season. Sdao, who played for the Stars from 2007-2009 as a defenseman, had an 8-year pro career after graduating from Princeton.