Brookfield Central’s 2023 fall sports season has been full of highs and lows. With only a few weeks before the season comes to an end, let’s take a look at the experiences of our Lancer athletes.

The girls volleyball team has had a season filled with anticipation and excitement. A total of eight seniors graduated last year, resulting in over a third of the team being underclassmen this season. Despite this big shift, the team won their regional championship against Tosa East. Ella Heideman (11th), a right side, called it her “highlight of the season”. She described it as a game that had everyone on the edge of their seats.” I loved this game because everyone on the court had the drive to win, the energy in the gym was amazing, and I felt like everyone had one of their best games this season.” The game was already high stakes, as it would qualify the team for sectionals, but the intensity escalated due to the closeness of the match. Heideman explains how “We won the first two sets but then narrowly lost the second two, taking it to five. The fifth game was close until we were able to pull ahead during the last few points.” After an impressive fight fueled by the girls’ drive to win, the Lancers won their final set and became regional champions once again. Getting the team to this level did not happen overnight. The one word Heideman would use to describe this season was “growth.” To the returning varsity players, this season felt like “almost a completely different team.” One challenge this season was figuring out how to work with the new teammates, both the offense and defense was reworked. However, the age diversity of the team gave the returning members a different perspective. Heideman explains how being one of five juniors has given her an opportunity to grow. She says, “I love being able to learn from my older teammates and have role models to look up to, and I love having younger teammates that I can support and be a role model to.” Another role model to Heideman was her coach, TIffany Voge. She says, “ [her coach has so much advice to offer…when she is tough on me, it strengthens my mental game.” One of our most prominent members of the coaching staff, Coach Voge always shows how “she cares a lot about each of her players not only as athletes but as students and friends as well.” After a tough loss against DSHA, the 2023 girls volleyball season came to a close. As only three seniors will graduate this year, we look forward to seeing the rest of the girls next season.

Volleyball is one of two fall sports to have both boys and girls running at the same time. Lawson Hink (12th) had a unique experience this season, as he says his highlight was “just playing with [his] brother,” a sophomore, Weston. Hink says his 12th-grade season was his favorite, once again due to having the opportunity to play with his brother. One thing he enjoys about being a senior with teammates from younger grades is “teaching [his] team and seeing [them] get better.” As all high school athletes know, playing a sport takes up time and energy. While often very rewarding, Hink’s piece of advice to underclassmen is to remember that, “school is equally as important as sports.”

The boys soccer team also became regional champions this season after a victorious match against Hartford. To advance to this match, however, the team first had to face Sheboygan North in an exciting game that defensive midfielder, Noah Thorpe (11th), calls his season highlight. Thorpe explains that the Lancers entered the game as “underdogs who never gave up at any point of the game and ended up winning 4-3 to advance.” An unforgettable moment, the entire team excitedly celebrated after what Thorpe calls “one of the most fun games [he] has ever played in.” The team this season had about the same amount of under and upperclassmen. When asked how he felt about having teammates in other years, Thorpe replied, “I absolutely love having teammates from other grades. Having upperclassmen on the team to me feels like my older brothers that I never had.” Although knocked out by crosstown rival Brookfield East in Sectionals, Thorpe thoroughly enjoyed this season. He says, “Playing soccer helps to balance my life because soccer is not only a physical game but also a mental game. You’re constantly thinking where to move next on the field, how much time you have on the ball, what’s the best passing option, etc. This helps with my life outside of soccer because being able to think about your actions or words at a quicker pace before committing to your impulses is important.” The end of boys soccer is the end of another season of growth for BC’s 2023 fall sports.

The 2023 Gold Out Football Game is one of the finest traditions at Brookfield Central. The Gold Out Game against the Spartans is hosted in alternation between Brookfield Central and Brookfield East, with it being at East this year. Nick Foster (12th), a running back and defensive back, calls it his “season highlight,” after a thrilling 21-19 victory. Reflecting on the past four years, Foster says his junior year season was his favorite because of “the great morale of the team.” This year, the football team made it into the playoffs but were defeated by Kaukauna High School. Looking back at his entire high school football experience, Foster says football was his “stress reliever and balanced his life.” Foster credits his coach for always being willing to help. One valuable piece of advice Foster would give to underclassmen athletes is: “Keep working hard even if you haven’t gotten the opportunity you want.” Foster encourages underclassmen to overcome their challenges and put in work.

Both girls and boys cross country are popular fall sports at BC that are physically taxing but extremely rewarding. Lily Michalski (9th) shares her thoughts about her first season. Her word of the season was connecting. She says entering high school was “a bit nerve-wracking,” but she found “knowing [her] teammates before the first day helped because [she] could ask for their help or advice.” One of these teammates was Alexandra Rossi, a sophomore. Rossi agrees that cross country helped her form bonds with people she otherwise would not have met. She says, “I feel that [cross country] allows you to connect and meet with lots of new people. It’s really fun to make friends in different grades, especially to have someone older to talk to or help out someone younger with school or cross country.” Rossi feels that cross country balances her life, as “It can be really fun and helpful to go run with friends after school to get a break from homework and school.” The Lady Lancers placed second at Sectionals, right behind Brookfield East, and qualified for State. It was a special race for Michalski as she got a 51 second PR (personal record). Rossi explains that finishing as runner-up “was a huge accomplishment for our team” and Sectionals overall was “an amazing race for everyone.” The girls received a send-off from the school to State, in which they placed 13th.

Unfortunately, the boys cross country team did not make it to State. Nonetheless, Austin Tilkens (9th) enjoyed his first season and chose “competitive” as his word to encompass his time with the team. He says he liked having teammates from older grades because “They’re a lot of fun to run with. They lighten the mood and help me challenge myself. At the beginning of the year, I was a bit timid around them, but once I got to know them better and they became more familiar and comfortable with me being around, I quickly became closer to them.” Tilkens says his highlight was the Nightfall Invitational, as it was the meet with the biggest impact on his overall season. Even without State, the boys ended up with an amazing experience.

The girls golf team also had a great season, as they placed 8th at State. Alexa Fasciotti (9th) says she had an amazing experience. Her personal highlight of the season was shooting her personal best, a 78, during the Waukesha County Championship to place fourth individually overall. The girls’ golf team had a total of eight members. Fasciotti says she learned a lot from the upperclassmen. She says, “As a freshman, I liked how the other girls on my team helped me adjust to high school. From telling me about different teachers to then showing me around on picture day, I really liked knowing people from other grades.” Fasciotti is already looking forward to future golf seasons.

Sariya Benslimane (12th) describes her last BC tennis season as “rigorous.” With five different teams between varsity and junior varsity, girls tennis has the most teams out of all the fall sports. Benslimane’s highlight of the season was beating Oshkosh West. What made it exciting was “being down 4-6 and coming back 7-5 and 13-11 in the tiebreak.” Grace Tran, another senior, chose persevering as her word, and claims that placing third in the Greater Metro Conference was her highlight. Benslimane explains how playing tennis helps balance her life by saying, “It gives an escape from stress and allows me to laugh with my friends.” Tran says, “It’s really difficult to balance school with sports. Tennis is helpful in the sense that I’m staying active and having fun with the team. The balance waivers, but I love tennis, so it’s worth every second to me.” The girls tennis team’s dedication paid off in an impressive season.

Girls swim & dive is one of the fall sports with a longer season. Bella Brueggeman, a freshman, shares her experience so far. A word she would use to describe the season so far is “unpredictable” because [I] started the year not knowing how different high school swimming would be from club swimming.” Brueggeman’s season highlight so far was dueling against Brookfield East. Swimming against the Spartans was especially exciting for Brueggeman because she “got to see a lot of [her] friends and it was a really fun meet because the energy levels were so high.” Brueggeman has two junior sisters on the team, as well as many other upperclassmen. She said her favorite thing about having teammates from older grades is that, “ it helps [her] make new friends, and they are kind of like a second sibling to [her].” Girls swim & dive continues to prepare for State, the last event of BC’s fall sports season. Update: Sophia Brueggeman (11) places 2nd in her individual state meet, Kennedy Rainwater (12) places 3rd in the freestyle event, and the 400 Free relay team broke a school record and finished fifth, garnering a podium finish (Anya Brueggeman (11), Sophia Brueggeman (11), Kennedy Rainwater (12), Baleigh Miller (10)). Congrats on a successful to all the coaches and athletes involved!

Unpredictable and challenging, growing and connecting, the fall sports season of 2023 has been an unparalleled experience for our athletes. Even though each sport has had a unique season, the athletes’ words all share a common theme: their respective sports bring a balance to their lives. The fall season has been an opportunity for freshmen to form connections, sophomores to improve their skills, juniors to become assimilated into being upperclassmen, and seniors to share their advice. BC now celebrates a successful fall season in the gray area of November. In the months looming, make sure to get out and support our fellow athletes in wrestling, gymnastics, hockey, boys swim & dive, and the ski race team. Winter is coming.