Falcon Sports

The year the crowds went

1 year, 9 months, 19 days. That

works out to 658 days. That’s how much time elapsed between Nov. 16, 2019, and Sept. 4, 2021. November 16 was the last time the UW-River Falls football team took the field – a victory over UW-Platteville at Ramer Field on Senior Day 2019. September 4 marked their return to intercollegiate play, just under two years from their last game.

Women’s soccer, volleyball and the men’s and women’s cross country teams all had similar hiatuses. Winter sports had abbreviated seasons, spring teams – many of whom had the rug pulled out from under their seasons in 2020 – competed in front of virtually empty stands.

The 2020-21 athletic season were unlike any in school history. Cancelled games and seasons, masked competitors and spectator bans all combined to create an unusually quiet year in the Athletic Department. Or so it seemed.

Despite all the disruptions, most Falcon student-athletes and coaches spent the year working as hard as ever. Teams adapted to COVID-19 restrictions. They worked out in small pods and were forced to spread out their strength and conditioning workouts, meaning student-athletes started sessions early in the morning and timeslots continued all day. Many headed outside, even in poor weather, so that social distancing could more easily be achieved. Most had to learn how to manage working out and staying in shape, despite virtual settings and a lack of organized competition. All had to deal with the “will we, won’t we?” questions that plagued the entire year.

“Not having a season last year was very difficult in a lot of ways. It was obviously frustrating because we wanted to play but the pandemic also hindered our ability just to see each other,” said Andy Metcalf, a senior from La Crosse who plays linebacker for the Falcon football team.

Athletes weren’t the only ones whose routines were disrupted. Coaches were forced to pivot in ways they hadn’t anticipated. Schedules they spent hours developing were tossed out the window, familiar practice plans were scrapped and replaced with new ones that were constantly being adjusted to adapt to ever evolving COVID-19 restrictions. Recruiting

The year the crowds went quiet

by Kelsea Wissing

efforts went fully digital for many months, with in-person visits and trips to visit recruits replaced with virtual visits and tours. They worked overtime on retention efforts for their current teams, working hard to keep athletes engaged and in school, supporting them through the numerous challenges COVID-19 threw their way.

While the changes were at times hard to keep up with and cancelled seasons were frustrating and heartbreaking for everyone, Falcons made the best of it and managed to find the positives.

“Adjusting to COVID and COVID restrictions was really difficult at first, however we made the best of the situation and grew as a team in many ways,” explained Head Volleyball Coach Patti Ford. “The 114 practice opportunities we had were so beneficial for our team and team growth. I love practice and developing our team and this past year we did just that, we practiced and got stronger as a team.”

Metcalf believes the season that didn’t happen will serve as motivation, having taught teams that they can’t take their athletic careers for granted. They’ve also learned a valuable lesson in overcoming obstacles.

“If there were any positives that came out of the past year and a half, it is that we know how to face adversity and are extra motivated to finally play football again in the 2021 season,” he said.

LeFever earns All-American status

UW-River Falls track and field athlete Lexi LeFever finished an outstanding season in May with an All-American performance at the NCAA

Division III Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Championships. LeFever, a junior from Hudson, finished second in the long jump with a leap of 5.78 meters. She is the first Falcon All-American since 2013.

The NCAA Championships capped a decorated season for LeFever. In addition to the long jump, she also competed in the 200-meter dash at the national championships where she finished 15th with a time of 25.23 seconds. She was the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) outdoor champion in the long jump with a jump of 5.81 meters, her second-best distance of the season. She also finished 3rd in the 100-meter dash and 2nd in the 200-meter dash at the WIAC Championships and was named All-Region.

During the indoor season, LeFever was named the WIAC Track Performer of the Year and won every open event she was entered in. She established indoor school records in the 60-meter dash, 200-meter dash and long jump and was named to the All-WIAC Team in all three events. She was named the WIAC Athlete of the Week three times and was twice named the Division III National Athlete of the Week.

UWRF grad wins big with Bucks

by Kelsea Wissing

The Milwaukee Bucks celebrate their 2021 NBA championship. Insert photo: Jack Herum, ’16. Submitted photos.

Jack Herum will never forget July 20, 2021. “No doubt, it was the most incredible sports moment of my life,” Herum says. “Completely surreal.”

The moment he’s referring to would be the night the Milwaukee Bucks claimed the 2021 NBA Championship. On their homecourt at Fiserv Forum, the Bucks ended a 50-year title drought, topping the Phoenix Suns 105-98 in game six of the NBA Finals. Herum, a player development and video assistant for the Bucks, was right in the thick of the celebration, soaking up the culmination of so much hard work. The team had gone down 0-2 early in the series before battling back to earn four straight wins and cement their place in history.

For Herum, it was a dream fulfilled. A River Falls native and standout multisport athlete in high school, he chose to pursue basketball in college. He followed his older brother Marty to UW-Whitewater, where he spent three years as a student athlete before transferring to UW-River Falls. Marty had been drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks and Jack decided he wanted to be close enough to his parents to tag along to watch his brother play baseball. That was the first spark, he says, when explaining how he ended up back in River Falls.

“Ultimately, I’m a Wisconsin kid at heart. But truly I’m a River Falls, Wisconsin, kid. River Falls above everything,” he says enthusiastically.

After transferring to UWRF, he was welcomed with open arms and quickly realized that he was truly at home. An exercise and sport science major, Herum spent two seasons on the basketball team before graduating in 2016.

“I am very happy with the route I took. I only have wonderful things to say about River Falls because I

really did have such a great experience,” he explains. “Hands down, some of my best friends today were on that basketball team. But it wasn’t just them.”

Herum quickly rattles off a list of folks who had an impact during his time as a Falcon. Crystal Lanning, current Falcon athletic director was an associate AD at the time and helped him adapt to UWRF after transferring in. Carmen Pata, strength and conditioning coach, guided Herum as he interned in the weight room, giving advice and becoming a lifelong mentor. Head basketball coach Jeff Berkhof, professors in his major, coaches throughout the Athletic Department, even former UWRF staff all had a significant impact on his life, he says.

“Everyone is willing to help, no matter what your goals are,” he says. “The UWRF community really has an impact on people.”

That community is what helped launch Herum to where he is today – on the bench with the world champion Milwaukee Bucks organization. He says a conversation with Rick Bowen, former UWRF men’s basketball coach, led to a connection with the University of Minnesota-Duluth basketball program, where Bowen’s son Matt was the head coach. After graduating from UWRF, Herum served as a graduate assistant for the Bulldog program before taking a coaching gig at IMG Academy in Florida. It was connections made there that led him back to his home state.

Herum returned to Wisconsin in 2019 as a player development coach for the Wisconsin Herd, the Bucks’ G League affiliate. He spent a season working with the Herd in Oshkosh before landing a position with the Bucks this season.

Now he’s made it to the ultimate basketball stage and he couldn’t be happier. He loves what he does in his “do it all role” where he helps the video coordinator with video for everything from scouting reports to personnel breakdown. He goes wherever the need is – he spent the playoff series against the Atlanta Hawks sitting on the bench assisting a scout coach. He also helps run pregame workouts for players and often serves as a scout player.

“Sometimes we don’t have enough guys because of injuries or whatever, so we have to step in and act as a player for the day,” he explains. “Or there’s a player coming in to work out before practice, we guard them for the entire workout. At night, we’re in charge of all shooting workouts so we’ll come in and rebound for them. It’s a lot of responsibility – you never know what’s coming at you.”

The season culminated in the ultimate highlight for an athlete or coach – a championship. In a season played under the cloud of COVID-19 – one where no fans were allowed early on and Herum says they constantly prayed no one would test positive – to end with a title celebration and parade was a dream come true.

“It was all a bit of a blur. It just went by so quick that it was tough to soak it all in. I’m still not sure it’s sank all the way in that the Milwaukee Bucks did it. We won a world championship!” he says with palpable exuberance.

And while Herum’s just getting started, the fact that he’s accomplished so much in his short career is in no small part thanks to his time at UWRF.

“Being a Division III athlete prepared me so much. It’s for the love of the game. You really figure out who you are and what it takes to get to where you want to be. You learn how to work hard,” he explains. “The mentors I had at UWRF took me and helped sculpt me into a leader and who I am now. River Falls is just a place where you want to be because that’s what they do for you.”

Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2021

Six individuals and one team will be inducted into the UW-River Falls Athletic Hall of Fame during Homecoming weekend. The class of 2021 will be recognized at halftime of the football game on Saturday, Oct. 2, while the induction ceremony will be held later that evening.

2021 inductees are:

Derek Hansberry

(Hockey, 2005-09)

Nina Petersen Kreofsky

(Volleyball, 2001-04)

Kathy Lindahl

(Basketball/Volleyball/Field Hockey/Softball/Track and Field, 1969-73)

John Peterlik

(Football, 2001-04)

Shannon Zweifel

(Track and Field, 2005-08)

Larry McKenzie

(Positive Contributor)

2008 Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Team

The recognition event is Saturday, Oct. 2, at halftime during the Falcon football game against UW-La Crosse. Game time is 1 p.m. The induction ceremony will be held at 6 p.m. in the University Center.

Tickets for the induction ceremony are available by calling the University Advancement Office at 715425-3505.