Portfolio - Freelance work - Star Tribune - 2024-25 state tournaments

Below is Heather's prep sports coverage from the 2024-25 school year, including state tournaments, as a freelancer with the Star Tribune.
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Top teams will clash to start the season: Champlin Park, Lakeville North volleyball teams make the peak their starting point
Aug. 13, 2024 

As fall practice begins, Champlin Park is ranked No. 1 and Lakeville North No. 2, and they will play each other on the season’s first day. (Heather covered Champlin Park volleyball.)
Anoka aiming for resurgence: Anoka, with QB Peyton Podany throwing to friends, seeks high school football revival
Aug. 27, 2024 

The seniors leading Anoka’s charge got an extra dose of Bo Wasurick’s coaching when he led their eighth-grade team while varsity teams were sidelined by COVID in 2020.
Blake earns 1A title worth a shout about: Blake girls tennis goes back to back in Class 1A state tournament
Oct. 24, 2024 

Doubles pairs sweep help the Bears roar to victory, the program’s 15th overall.
Alley finds focus, and a title: Minnehaha Academy’s Chloe Alley captures Class 1A girls tennis state singles title; Maple River duo win 1A doubles title
Oct. 26, 2024 
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Top-seeded sophomore defeats Blake sophomore Fatemeh Vang in two sets for 1A title.
Sweep gives Crusaders title No. 5: Mayer Lutheran sweeps Minneota for Class 1A volleyball championship
Nov. 10, 2024

The Mayer Lutheran Crusaders played in the state final for the fourth year in a row and won the school’s fifth title.
Alexandria unseats perennial champ: Alexandria turns back powerful Marshall, secures the Class 3A volleyball state championship
Nov. 10, 2024

Alexandria, the fifth seed, ended Marshall’s hopes of winning its fourth title in a row.
St. Cloud Cathedral has grand shutout: Boys hockey state tournament: The Class 1A semifinals are set at Xcel Energy Center
March 6, 2025 

It’ll be St. Cloud Cathedral vs. Orono and Hibbing/Chisholm vs. East Grand Forks in Friday’s early session. (Heather covered Mahtomedi vs. St. Cloud Cathedral and Orono vs. Northfield.) 
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Boys hockey state tournament: Saturday’s championship matchups are set
March 7, 2025
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It’ll be Moorhead vs. Stillwater in Class 2A and St. Cloud Cathedral vs. East Grand Forks in Class 1A. (Heather covered Orono vs. St. Cloud Cathedral.)
Green Wave ride furious comeback into final: St. Cloud Cathedral, East Grand Forks to play for Class 1A boys hockey title
March 8, 2025

In semifinals, East Grand Forks defeated Hibbing/Chisholm 7-5 while Cathedral beat Orono 4-1. (Heather covered Orono vs. St. Cloud Cathedral.)
Presenting the boys hockey state tournament champs: Moorhead in 2A and East Grand Forks in 1A
March 8, 2025

Moorhead won its first title, outracing Stillwater 7-6 on four goals in the first period by Mason Kraft. East Grand Forks triumphed after bringing a .500 record to state. (Heather covered East Grand Forks vs. St. Cloud Cathedral.)
Green Wave make quick work of overtime: East Grand Forks defeats St. Cloud Cathedral for Class 1A boys hockey state championship
March 9, 2025

The fourth-seed Green Wave won 2-1 in overtime on a goal from senior Jace Van Eps. 
Girls basketball state tournament: Championship pairings are set in the two biggest classes
March 13, 2025

In Class 4A, Hopkins will play Maple Grove for the title. In Class 3A, Benilde-St. Margaret’s will take on Marshall. (Heather covered Cretin-Derham Hall vs. Marshall.)
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Red Knights advance to third straight final: Benilde-St. Margaret’s, Marshall advance to Class 3A girls basketball championship
March 14, 2025

Benilde-St. Margaret’s will play for a third straight Class 3A championship at 2 p.m. Saturday. (Heather covered Cretin-Derham Hall vs. Marshall.)
Girls basketball state tournament: Pairings are set for four championship games
March 14, 2025

West Central, MACCRAY upset their way into the 1A title game. Providence Academy and Crosby-Ironton, both unbeaten, reached the 2A final. (Heather covered MACCRAY vs. Sleepy Eye St. Mary's.)
Upsets lead to chance at a first title: West Central Area, MACCRAY to play for Class 1A girls basketball state championship
March 15, 2025 

West Central Area and MACCRAY defeated higher seeds in the semifinals Friday to advance in Class 1A girls basketball. Neither program has won a state title. (Heather covered MACCRAY vs. West Central Area.)
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Girls basketball state tournament: Hopkins closes championship day with a record-setting 4A win
March 15, 2025

West Central Area claimed the Class 1A title, Providence Academy won 2A, Benilde-St. Margaret’s took 3A. (Heather covered West Central Area vs. MACCRAY.)
No. 4 seed West Central nabs surprising first state crown: West Central Area defeats MACCRAY 58-41 to claim Class 1A girls basketball championship
March 16, 2025

It’s the first state title in any sport for the school, and it arrived unexpectedly for the bracket’s fourth seed.
Defending champions open with sizable win: Boys basketball state tournament: Pairings are in place for Class 4A, 3A championship game, Defending champions open with sizable wins. 
March 21, 2025

Wayzata will take on Cretin-Derham Hall in 4A, and Alexandria will play Mankato East in 3A. (Heather covered BOLD vs. Cherry and Henning vs. Nevis.)
Boys basketball state tournament: The matchups are set for a day of championships
March 21, 2025

Cherry and Dawson-Boyd advanced to the 1A final, and Albany and Waseca reached the 2A semifinal title game. (Heather covered Nevis vs. Cherry.)
Blackjacks charge into their first title shot: Cherry, Dawson-Boyd will meet in Class 1A boys basketball state championship game
March 22, 2025

Cherry defeated Nevis 79-70 while Dawson-Boyd beat Red Lake County 80-66 in state semifinals on Friday to advance. (Heather covered Nevis vs. Cherry.)
Wayzata, St. Paul Academy add to streaks at boys tennis state tournament
June 5, 2025

Wayzata won its third Class 2A title in a row, and St. Paul Academy took its fourth consecutive Class 1A championship. (Heather covered Class 2A/Wayzata.)
Mounds View’s Soren Swenson wins Class 2A boys tennis singles title; St. Paul Academy sweeps in 1A
June 7, 2025

Soren Swenson wore the same headband his brother Bjorn wore as a state champion. SPA freshman Winston Arvidson won the title that barely eluded him as an eighth-grader. (Heather covered Class 2A/Soren Swenson.)
Ava Hanneman of Orono is Class 3A girls golf medalist; Cretin-Derham Hall’s Sam Udovich wins boys title
June 12, 2025

Cretin-Derham Hall also won the boys team championship. Minnetonka won its first girls team title, by 19 strokes. (Heather covered Class 3A golf.)
Baseball state tournament: How it played out in the Class 4A, 3A, 2A and 1A semifinals
June 13, 2025

Sixteen teams competed for the opportunity to advance to Saturday’s state championships at Target Field. (Heather covered Class 3A.)
All-Minnesota Boys Tennis Player of the Year: Soren Swenson of Mounds View
June 17, 2025

Mounds View sophomore Soren Swenson won the Class 2A singles title and dropped just one match – in the team state tournament – all season.
All-Minnesota Girls Golf Player of the Year: Orono’s Ava Hanneman
June 19, 2025

The senior and Furman University commit won the Class 3A individual girls golf state championship this season.
All-Minnesota Boys Golf Player of the Year: Sam Udovich of Cretin-Derham Hall
June 19, 2025

The Class 3A boys golf state individual and team champion will next play at Texas Christian University.