By David Paulsen
SPORTS CORRESPONDENT
With two Southern Lakes Conference Athletes of the Year, and a total of seven first-team all-conference players, the Burlington High School winter sports teams fared quite well.
The SLC 2012-2013 Winter All-Conference Teams were released recently and BHS did very well especially in gymnastics, wrestling and basketball.
Senior guard Carson Biedrzycki was named SLC Boys Basketball Athlete of the Year, while sophomore Molly Benavides was given the Athlete of the Year Award in gymnastics.
Biedrzycki led the Demon boys and the SLC with 19.4 points per game for the 18-6 team that won the SLC title before being eliminated in the second round of the playoffs. The team was 13-1 in the SLC and won the conference by two games.
Benavides helped the Demon gymnasts to their third straight runner-up finish at state, and won individual titles at state in the floor exercise and vault. She also set two SLC records, one in the floor exercise with a 9.8 score and the other in the all-around with a score of 38.3.
Benavides also earned first-team honors on the vault. She was the WIAA Division 1 state champion on the vault and floor exercise.
Two other Demon gymnasts earned first-team honors alongside Benavides. They were sophomore Bailey Fitzpatrick on the balance beam and junior Jenna Fitzpatrick on the uneven bars.
Bailey Fitzpatrick set an SCL record in the balance beam this year with a 9.7 score.
Senior Lauren Otter (beam) and junior Jacquie Fiorillo (vault) earned second-team all SLC honors, while junior Ciara Johnson was honorable mention.
In boys basketball, Biedrzycki was joined by senior Ty Dennis, who earned second-team all-conference recognition. Junior Ben Geiger was an honorable mention selection.
The other Demon first-team selections came in wrestling, with three first-team members.
Sophomore Ben Hornickle, at 113 pounds; freshman Josh Bird, at 120; and senior Cody Elsbury, at 152 made the first team. All three went to individual state this year and helped the team return to state for the second year in a row. Bird won the state title at 120.
Senior Max Shenkenberg was an honorable selection at 160 pounds.
Elkhorn’s Jake Stilling was named the SLC Athlete of the Year in wrestling.
In girls basketball, the Demon girls had no first- or second-team selections. Jenn Stevens was an honorable mention selection. Wilmot’s Kari Clements was the Athlete of the Year.
In boys swimming, the Burlington/Waterford co-op team had no one make the first team, but junior Andrew Krause was honorable mention. Elkhorn’s Sam Johnson was the Athlete of the Year.
In the cheer category, the BHS small group dance team finished the highest in the SLC with a second-place finish. The varsity dance squad was third, and the varsity cheer squad sixth.
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