Skippers Shine in 2023-2024

It was another stellar year in sports for the Skippers. Twenty-one of our teams qualified and participated in state tournaments. Five of our teams won State Championship titles and 6 teams are runners up.

“Our student athletes played with spirit, skill and competitive drive this year,” said Ted Schultz, Activities Director at Minnetonka High School. “I am proud of each of them and all that they’ve achieved athletically, academically and personally. This was an amazing year from beginning to end, I can’t say enough about the high level of competition demonstrated. Well done teams!”

The following is a brief recap of our Skippers successes in 2023-24.

ADAPTED BOWLING

• State Second Place, P.I. Division
• Four bowlers competed to place second at the state adapted bowling tournament. 

ALPINE RACING – BOYS

• 2024 State Runner-Up
• The team narrowly missed repeating as state champions after winning last year.

ALPINE RACING – GIRLS

• 2024 State Champions
• The team’s second state title in three years and seventh in program history.

BASEBALL

• Lost to Moundsview 11-1 in the State Quarterfinals
• Will Koeppen named to Class AAAA All Tournament Team

Basketball – Boys

• 2024 State Champions
• The Skippers beat Wayzata to earn the fourth State title in program history.
• The Skippers last won the State Championship title in 2008

Basketball – Girls

• 2024 State Champions – Minnetonka's second state title. Last title in 2016.
• The Skippers beat west metro rivals Hopkins 64-56 to earn the second state title in program history.
• 2nd season under the coaching of Brian Cosgriff
• Overall record of 29-2; 12-2 record in the competitive Lake Conference, securing the most conference wins of any team.
• Junior Aaliyah Crump, senior Tori McKinney, and sophomore Lanelle Wright finished with a combined average of 53 points per game, 20 rebounds per game, 10 steals per game, and 9 assists per game.
• ESPN HoopGurlz Power Rankings placed Minnetonka as the 16th best high school team in the nation.
• Aaliyah Crump reached the 1,000-point mark for the season, ending with a career total of 1,723 points, just 100 points shy of becoming Minnetonka's all-time leading scorer. Crump was named All-State by the MGBCA and First Team All-Metro by the Star Tribune.
• Tori McKinney earned All-State honors, was named Second Team All-Metro, and was a finalist for the Minnesota Miss Basketball award.
• Point guard Lanelle Wright's 129 assists this season were the third highest in Minnetonka's history, earning her honorable mention All-State recognition.
• The All-Lake Conference team included Crump, McKinney, Wright, Nesseth, and Hamdorf, with Cummings, Wock, and Anna McKinney receiving honorable mentions.
• Coach Cosgriff's 600th career victory this season, finishing with a career record of 615-80. He was honored as Section 2AAAA Coach of the Year and Minnesota Class 4A Coach of the Year by the MGBCA. This championship marked the eighth state title team he has coached, with seven previous victories at Hopkins before this one at Minnetonka.
• Macy Hatelstad was named the state's Assistant Coach of the Year by the state coaches association.
• 7 girls earned Academic All-State honors from the Minnesota Girls Basketball Coaches Association (MGBCA): Keira Keegan, Sydney Cummings, Anna McKinney, Tori McKinney, Josie Chose, Avery Boen, and Liesl McCallum. Overall GPA of 3.84.

CHEER

• State Champions (Class AA Varsity Non-Tumbling 1); 3rd in Varsity Game Day Non-Tumbling 1
• National Runners Up Small Varsity Non Tumbling Division I Game Day
• The Skippers earned their 27th state title this year

CROSS COUNTRY – BOYS

• Team placed 2nd at State – their best finish at State competition in school history.
• Sophomore Sean Fries finished 7th

CROSS COUNTRY – GIRLS

• Team: State Third Place
• Individuals: freshman Evie Malec and junior Avery Marasco-Johnson finished 8th and 9th respectively

FOOTBALL

The Skippers suffered injuries to three senior starters 1/3 way through the season, but finished 7-3 thanks to a strong supporting senior and junior class. 

• Section runner-up after losing to East Ridge 13-10 in the section quarterfinals. 
• Team and Individual Accolades:
  • Class 6A Academic All State Silver
  • Senior QB Milos Spasojevic named to the Kare11 All Metro Team. Spasojevic will be playing D1 football for UW Madison in fall 2024.
  • All District Team: T. Smith, L. Speedling, L. Knox, H. Poole, M. Boadi, Dylan Hudgens, Aidan Becker; All District Honorable Mention: J. Thomsen, K. Zabilla, L. Larson, J. Boberg
  • Keagan Zabilla selected for the 12th annual Minnesota Bombers – 16 of the top talented kickers, punters and snappers in each graduating class in Minnesota.

GOLF – GIRLS

• State Third Place
• The team was also the Section 2AAA champion. This is the team’s second consecutive third place finish at state. 

HOCKEY – GIRLS

• State Third Place 
• The team advanced to the semifinal round.

LACROSSE – BOYS

• State Sixth Place
• The team made it to the quarterfinal round.

LACROSSE – GIRLS

• State Fifth Place
• The team made it to the quarterfinal round making for the best season in MHS school history.

SOCCER BOYS

• Won both Conference and Section Championship titles
• Minnetonka Boys Soccer lost to Park Cottage Grove 1-0 in the Class AAA State Quarterfinals.
• Senior Jake Hennen named to 2023 All Metro 2nd Team

SOCCER GIRLS

• No. 2 seed Minnetonka Girls Soccer lost to No. 1 Edina 3-2 in overtime in the Section 2AAA Championship.
• The Skippers finished their season 15-4.

Tennis – Girls

• The two-time defending champions took 3rd Place at State
• The team ended with a 21-5 record
• Individual State qualifiers: 
  • Singles: Sr. Karina Elvestrom - made it to round two and lost to Eagan’s Cassandra Li 6-4, 6-1
  • Doubles: Sr. Alexa Cummings & Sr. Sydney Prondzinski and Sr. Charlotte Carney & So. Tessa Trivedi; both teams lost in round 1.

 

GIRLS NORDIC SKIING

• State Eighth Place
• The team made it to state for the second time in school history.

SWIMMING & DIVING – BOYS

• Finished 2nd in the Lake Conference
• Earned their 11th Class AA True Team State title
• State Second Place & State Individual Champions
• Jr. Evan Witte ‘25 won individual state champion titles in the 200-yard Individual Medley and 100-yard Freestyle. 
• The 400-yard freestyle relay team also won the state title.

SWIMMING & DIVING – GIRLS

• True Team State Champions – their fifth straight True Team State title
• State Second Place (team)
• Senior Paige Dillon – State Champion of the 200-yard Freestyle
• Junior Annabelle Wentzel – State Champion in the 100-yard Butterfly

TRACK & FIELD – BOYS

• State Fourth Place
• True Team Third Place
• State Individual Champions in the  4x100m relay Names?
• In addition to the team’s success, Tobias Williams ‘24 was runner up in the 200m Dash. The won the state champion title with the fastest time in the state for 2024.

TRACK & FIELD – GIRLS

• True Team State Champions
• State Champions (team)
• Individual medalists:
  • Junior Zeal Kuku took 5th in the Girls 100 Meter run, 1st in the 200 Meter Dash, 3rd in the 400 Meter Dash
  • Junior Bridget Koller placed 3rd in the 800 Meter Run
  • Freshman Evie Malec was the Girls 1600 Meter Run Champion and placed 2nd in the 1600 Meter Run
  • Senior Claire Kohler won both the 100 and 300 Meter Hurdles
• Claire Kohler named Minnesota Ms. Track & Field and Metro Athlete of the Year

VOLLEYBALL – GIRLS

• Made it to the State Quarterfinal round
• The team finished its season with a 16-16 record. 

 

WRESTLING – GIRLS

• State qualifier senior Phoebe Kunerth finished 2nd in the 130 lb category making her the first Minnetonka state qualifier in Girls Wrestling.

CLAY TARGET

• Mikayla Kazmierkoski qualified for the State Clay Target competition.

INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENTS

• Hagen Burrows ‘24 named Minnesota Mr. Hockey and Metro Player of the Year
• Claire Kohler ‘24 named Minnesota Ms. Track & Field and Metro Athlete of the Year
• Tori McKinney ‘24 was a Ms. Basketball finalist
• Lindzi Avar ‘24 was the Athena Award winner