Hortonville junior Ben Smith has the longest high school shot put toss in the nation

Hortonville's Ben Smith is picking up where he left off in the shot put.

The Polar Bears junior had a personal-best throw of 67 feet, 8.25 inches at the Wisconsin Boys State Indoor Championships on April 8. That netted him the indoor title and his throw put him in the top spot in the nation for indoor competition.

He also had a throw of 67-7.25 at his first outdoor meet, a Fox Valley Association quad April 10, which also leads the nation. That throw is nearly three feet better than the second-best toss by David Wilson (64-11.75) of Hurst Bell (Texas).

"It's been more than surprising actually," Smith said. "I was just hoping to top that 60-foot range just once this year and hitting that 67 was way more surprising."

Smith won the shot put title last June in Division 1 at the WIAA state track and field meet in La Crosse. His winning toss was 59-4. He also captured the discus title, winning that event with a throw of 179-3.

He said his improvement has a lot to do with better technique as well as weight training.

"I would say it's both," Smith said. "Kind of honing your skill and getting your technique to the best that you can is very important, but hitting the weight room and getting strong, having a good diet and getting big is very important as well."

The three-sport athlete was also a standout at inside linebacker for the Polar Bears in the fall, finishing with 126 tackles, including nine for loss. He also had 4.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery. He also reached the sectional level as a wrestler in the 220-pound weight class.

"I'm really focused on track once wrestling season is over, so that's where most of my work is after both of my other sports," he added.

Smith said he'd like to reach 70 feet if possible by his senior year.

"I'm definitely hoping for that by next year, maybe even 70-plus," he said. "Right now I'm trying to PR every inch I can get and get better every meet."

Appleton West's Lauterbach transfers to Virginia

Former Appleton West basketball standout Taylor Lauterbach is on the move.

Lauterbach, a 6-foot-7 center, averaged 1.3 points and 1.7 rebounds this past season as a junior for Kansas State. She averaged 16.7 points, 11.0 rebounds and 2.2 blocks her senior year at Appleton West in 2019-20.

Lauterbach earned her bachelor of arts in psychology this spring at Kansas State. She appeared in 75 games for the Wildcats and will join Virginia as a graduate transfer, according to Cavaliers head coach Amaka Agugua-Hamilton.

“I’m thrilled to welcome Taylor into our family,” Agugua Hamilton said in a news release. “Taylor is a high-academic student-athlete committed to the grind on and off the court. She is a hard-working, high-character kid who is tall, long and mobile. She can block and alter shots in the paint. She also has great hands and can catch and score, as well as shoot the 15-foot/3-point shot. Her potential is off the charts. I am excited that she has two years to develop under our tutelage. Her future is bright.”

Neenah grad Chevalier Emery Jr. in transfer portal

Former Neenah basketball standout Chevalier Emery Jr. is searching for his next college basketball home.

Emery Jr., who played for Merrimack last season, has entered the transfer portal. He averaged 0.6 points, 0.3 rebounds and 0.2 assists while appearing in 14 games for the Warriors.

Emery Jr. said he has been receiving interest from UW-Green Bay, UW-Milwaukee, Dodge City Community College (Kansas) and California Polytechnic State University.

Papermakers tops in latest girls soccer poll

The undefeated Kimberly girls soccer team has ascended to the top of the Wisconsin Soccer Coaches Association rankings.

The Papermakers (6-0) are ranked No. 1 in the latest Division 1 poll released Tuesday, with Muskego (2-0-1), Divine Savior Holy Angels (2-1), De Pere (4-0) and Verona (5-0) rounding out the top five.

Here are the rankings for all four divisions:

Division 1: 1, Kimberly; 2, Muskego; 3, Divine Savior Holy Angels; 4, De Pere; 5, Verona; 6, Arrowhead (2-0-1); 7, Waunakee (3-1); 8, Kettle Moraine (1-1); 9, Brookfield East (1-1); 10, Middleton (2-0).

Division 2: 1, Oregon (3-0); 2, Waukesha West (4-0); 3, Whitefish Bay (3-1-1); 4, Pewaukee (3-0); 5, Brookfield Central (1-0-1); 6, Sauk Prairie (2-1-1); 7, Cedarburg (3-1-0); 8, Union Grove (3-0-0); 9, West De Pere (6-1-0); 10, Nicolet (3-1-1).

Division 3: 1, New Berlin Eisenhower (1-1-2); 2, Plymouth (6-0); 3, Edgewood (5-0); 4, Notre Dame (6-1-1); 5, McFarland (3-2-1); 6, Ashland (4-0-1); 7, Sugar River (2-1); 8, Shorewood (2-2-2); 9, Rice Lake (2-1-1); 10, Sheboygan Falls (3-1).

Division 4: 1, Cedar Grove-Belgium (5-0); 2, Kiel (3-0-1); 3, The Prairie School (2-1); 4, Brookfield Academy (2-1); 5, Shoreland Lutheran (2-3-1); 6, Howards Grove (1-1); 7, Kenosha St. Joseph (1-1); 8, Oostburg (2-1); 9, Lake Country Lutheran (0-3); 10, Assumption (2-0).

Area softball, baseball rankings

SOFTBALL

1, Kaukauna (5-0): Defending two-time WIAA Division 1 state champs open as top team in area and are also ranked No. 31 in the nation in latest Extra Innings Softball poll. Next: Thursday vs. Appleton East.

2, Kimberly (6-2): Sophie Hermus is having a fast start to the season and is batting .385 with two home runs, five doubles and 12 RBIs. Next: Thursday at Appleton West.

3, Freedom (4-1): Defending D2 state champs have outscored opponents 30-10 this season. Next: Friday vs. Little Chute.

4, Neenah (5-1): Rockets' lone loss is to Kimberly last week. Seniors Morgan Harwood, Piper Alberg and Quinn Marnocha lead solid roster. Next: Thursday vs. Oshkosh North.

5, Winneconne (6-2): Norah Kutnink leads the team in batting average (.542) and also has a home run, two triples and 11 RBIs. Next: Thursday vs. Waupun.

Others: Menasha (6-3), St. Mary Catholic (4-3), Chilton (4-2), Hortonville (2-2), Weyauwega-Fremont (4-4).

BASEBALL

1, Kimberly (3-1): Papermakers have talented roster with Brayden Deering, Ryan Csida, Evan Olson, Brayden Pleau, Maxwell Kalk, Brady Koester and Sawyer Deering all expected to have big seasons. Next: Thursday at Appleton West.

2, Hortonville (7-2): Polar Bears' three losses have come to teams outside Wisconsin. Seniors Thomas Burns (pitcher) and Nate Vela (infielder) are returning all-FVA first-team picks. Next: Thursday vs. Appleton North.

3, Appleton North (5-1): Lightning expected to challenge Kimberly and Hortonville for Fox Valley Association supremacy and are led by seniors Garrett Hietpas, Brock Salm, Caden Popp and Ben Isom. Next: Thursday at Hortonville.

4, Freedom (6-1): Irish have solid senior nucleus returning with pitcher Carter Kriewaldt, catcher Trenton Feucht and outfielder Matt Wyngaard. Next: Saturday at Denmark (DH).

5, St. Mary Catholic (3-1): Owen Ripley and Fisher Mackenzie lead a young Zephyrs roster that has just two seniors. Next: Thursday vs. Manitowoc Lutheran.

Others: Menasha (4-1), Chilton (3-1), Clintonville (4-2), Shiocton (4-2), Wrightstown (3-2), Seymour (3-2), Fox Valley Lutheran (3-2).

This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: Hortonville Polar Bears junior Smith is nation's top shot put thrower