GREEN BAY, Wis. – It's the final January edition of Phoenix Weekly, presented by Capital Credit Union! The lone home event this week is Green Bay men's basketball on Thursday at 11 a.m. Thursday is Education Day, where Green Bay area elementary schools will come to the Resch Center to enjoy some Phoenix basketball. Expected attendance is over 5,000, including nearly 4,000 students and educators.
WEEK IN REVIEWÂ Â
MEN'S BASKETBALL
Green Bay men's basketball picked up two Horizon League wins this past weekend at the Resch Center over Oakland and Detroit Mercy to place themselves first in the HL. On Thursday, Green Bay defeated then-first-place Oakland 69-59. Oakland led 28-27 at halftime in a defensive stalemate. Green Bay grabbed a slight advantage until OU's Rocket Watts converted on a three-point play, tying the game at 50 with 6:20 left. Over the next three minutes, the Phoenix exploded on an 11-0 run to put the game away. Foster Wonders notched a career-high 19 points with five threes. Will Eames and Rich Byhre both chipped in 14 points as well.Â
On Saturday, Green Bay defeated Detroit Mercy 78-64. The Phoenix started slow as Detroit Mercy led 29-25 with 2:11 left in the first half. However, a 9-0 run to close the half gave Green Bay a 34-29 lead heading into halftime. David Douglas Jr. caught fire as he connected on two threes, part of a 9-0 Phoenix run, giving them a 52-45 lead with 11:22 left in the contest. He totaled 22 points thanks to six second-half threes. Green Bay led the rest of the way, as Noah Reynolds and Douglas Jr. scored all but four Phoenix points in the second half. Noah Reynolds finished with his fifth 30+ point game this season, dropping 34 on an efficient 14-21 from the field.
Because of his efforts, Douglas was named the Horizon League Freshman of the Week for the third time this season.
NORDIC SKI
The Green Bay Nordic Ski team hosted its first home event at Ariens Nordic Center in Brillion, Wis. this past weekend. Other participants included Michigan Tech, Northern Michigan, and the College of St. Scholastica. On Saturday, Ryan Thieme led the Phoenix in the 7.5K Skate with a time of 20:51.3 time and placed eighth overall. Saturday was Thieme's first career CCSA top-10 finish. Noah Erickson, CJ Young, and Grant Rocheleau were the next three Phoenix finishers, placing 23rd,24th, and 25th. Lilly Franzen led the women's team, taking 21st overall with a time of 22:20.4. Silje Busklein and Jenna Johnson finished right behind Franzen, placing 23rd and 25th.Â
In the team sprint on Sunday, Green Bay was led by the duo of Noah Erickson and Lilly Franzen, who finished 19th with a time of 33:05.2. Ryan Thieme and Silje Busklein finished right behind with a time of 33:50.9, good for 21st overall. CJ Young and Kiera Rotar finished 27th. Derek Waddick and Jenna Johnson finished 28th, and Grant Rocheleau and Chelsey Johnson finished 32nd.Â
SWIM & DIVE
The Green Bay swim and dive team participated in two duals last week, first at Wisconsin before returning home to celebrate Senior Day against Milwaukee. On Friday, Wisconsin outscored GB 218-76 on the women's side and 178-97 on the men's side.
MEN
On Friday, Max Kasal led the Phoenix men in the 200-yard freestyle, posting a time of 1:40.11 for a third-place finish. Jack Merkatoris, Ethan Braatz, and Carson Beals finished right behind Kasal in fourth through sixth place, respectively. Braatz finished second in the 100-yard freestyle with a time of 48.18, collecting four points for the Phoenix. Eli Zimmerman placed second in the 200-yard backstroke in 1:54.03. Aaron Klym finished right behind in third place and was less than nine-tenths of a second behind Zimmerman.Â
On Saturday, Green Bay took two of the top three spots in the 200-yard medley relay, including first place, led by Calvin Kremer, Alex Smolecki, Nathan Halbach, and Max Kasal. Kremer won the 100-yard backstroke in 52.28, beating Milwaukee's Victor Kostov by .05 seconds. John Burnard placed third in the 1,000-yard freestyle, finishing in 10:03.93. Alex Smolecki finished first in the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 57.39. Teammate Eli Zimmerman finished right behind in second place. Smolecki's brother, Sebby, took second in the 200-yard freestyle with a time of 1:45.01, less than one second behind Milwaukee's Charlie House.Â
WOMEN
Esther Oswald started the evening on Friday by collecting a fourth-place finish in the 100-yard backstroke with a time of 1:00.05. In the 100-yard butterfly, Green Bay recorded six of the top eight finishers. Bailey Venden finished in third place at 1:02.41 behind Wisconsin's Hailey Tierney and Kaylyn Schoof. McKenna Metropulos, Mia Pagel, Betsey Walkowiak, Kelsey Kobus, and Morgan Allison finished fourth through eighth, respectively.Â
On Saturday against the Panthers, Grace Morgan placed third in the 1,000-yard freestyle with a time of 11:00.71. Alexa Kelly boasted GB's best time of 2:00.06 in the 200-yard freestyle, good for third place. Ella Anderson finished second in the 200-yard breaststroke with a time of 2:28.79. Esther Oswald added two third-place finishes in the 100-yard backstroke and 200-yard breaststroke.Â
DIVING
Freshman Annie Frederickson placed third in the one and three-meter diving events vs Wisconsin. Junior Andy Groebner also finished third in the one-meter dive. Groebner and Frederickson secured second-place finishes in the one-meter dive against Milwaukee.Â
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
The Phoenix women's basketball team recorded two Horizon League wins at IUPUI and home vs Wright State this past Wednesday and Saturday. On Wednesday, Green Bay defeated IUPUI 87-59. IUPUI led early 5-0 until the Phoenix outscored IUPUI 32-5 the rest of the first quarter to lead 32-10 after one. Green Bay held onto their big lead en route to their 28-point victory. Jasmine Kondrakiewicz led the Phoenix notching a double-double with 21 points and 12 rebounds. Maddy Schreiber also added a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds. Cassie Schiltz dropped 15 points and six rebounds. Natalie Andersen added 14 points against her former school.Â
On Saturday, Green Bay returned home after a three-game road trip to defeat Wright State 77-59. The Phoenix got off to a hot start offensively once again leading the Raiders 45-31 at halftime. Jasmine Kondrakiewicz led the Phoenix in points with 20 and seven rebounds. Cassie Schiltz, Maddy Schreiber, and Natalie McNeal each added 13 points.
Kondrakiewicz's consecutive stellar performances earned her the first Player of the Week award of her career. She is the second to collect the accolade this season, with Cassie Schiltz winning it on January 2.
A LOOK AHEAD
MEN'S BASKETBALL
Green Bay hosts IUPUI in their lone game on Thursday at 11 a.m. The Jaguars are led by junior guard Jlynn Counter, who ranks tenth in the Horizon League in points per game at 15.1 and 12th in assists, averaging 2.7 per game. IUPUI's leading rebounder is Qwanzi Samuels, who grabs 5.4 boards per game, ranking 15th in the HL. Bryce Monroe is the other Jaguar posting double figures in points at 10.8 per game. IUPUI currently resides in tenth place in the Horizon League standings, with a record of 2-10 in the conference and 6-17 overall.Â
Noah Reynolds is second in the Horizon League at 19.3 points per game, while Elijah Jones ranks eighth with 6.3 rebounds per game. Foster Wonders is sixth in threes made per game, averaging 2.4 per contest. The Phoenix is in first place at 9-3 in the HL and 14-9 overall.
SWIM & DIVE
The Phoenix will conclude the regular season with a dive-only meet at UIC on Saturday. The Horizon League Championships begin February 14 in Indianapolis.
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Green Bay women's basketball travels to Cleveland State for a first vs second-place showdown on Saturday at 1 p.m. Junior guard Colbi Maples leads Cleveland State, averaging 16.3 points per game, which is good for third in the Horizon League. Maples is also third in assists per game, averaging 4.2. Senior guard Mickayla Perdue is right behind Maples, averaging 16.1 points per game, which is fourth in the HL. Carmen Villalobos is seventh in the Horizon League at 6.7 rebounds per game. Cleveland State currently resides a game behind Green Bay with a record of 9-2 in the Horizon League and 18-4 overall.Â
Maddy Schreiber leads Green Bay in points per game with 12.8 PPG, good for ninth in the Horizon League. Natalie McNeal is behind Schreiber at 12.5 points per game, ranking tenth in the HL. Bailey Butler is second in the Horizon League with 5.0 assists per game.
OTHER HAPPENINGS
Green Bay student-athletes continue to excel in the classroom, continuing a long-standing streak of semesters with a 3.0 or better GPA dating back to 2000. Under the watch of Assistant AD for Academic Services Mike Kline, GB student-athletes have extended the streak to 48 consecutive semesters after the Fall of 2023. Phoenix student-athletes have also had a 3.3 GPA in 18 straight semesters. As a whole, Phoenix student-athletes attained a semester GPA of 3.54, with eight of GB's 14 varsity programs boasting a 3.65 or higher GPA. All 14 programs achieved at least a 3.25 GPA. The 3.54 GPA is the second-highest mark for the entire department since the streak began in the Spring of 2000. Over 86.5 percent of Green Bay student-athletes recorded at least a 3.0 GPA, while 24.5 percent tallied a 4.0 GPA. Men's golf led the way with an impressive 3.74 GPA.
Hey, Phoenix youth! Students in kindergarten through 8th grade are encouraged to sign up for Phlash's Phriends, the Official Kid's Club of the Green Bay Phoenix. At just $25 per child, each member receives numerous benefits, including a free ticket to all home volleyball and basketball games, postgame court access, Phoenix apparel, and personalized Kid's Club Day activities.
Fly With the Phoenix was named the official NIL collective of the Green Bay Phoenix last week Tuesday. Started in 2022, 'Fly with the Phoenix' was established by dedicated former student-athletes, alumni, and local business professionals to provide Green Bay student-athletes with name, image, and likeness (NIL) opportunities. This partnership will bring a collaboration between the Green Bay Athletic Department and 'Fly with the Phoenix'. Fans attending home athletic events will notice additional marketing efforts to help promote the relationship and how fans can get involved. View the different tiers of membership opportunities here and learn more about the Fly with the Phoenix collective here.
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