Strib Varsity Athletes of the Week: Seven produce the credentials
Anica Barze, Calvin Peterson, Camryn VanMaldeghem, Kai Joyner, Mia Sutch, Mya Wilson and Sean Fries are the latest honorees.
The Minnesota Star Tribune
Anica Barze
Roseville • wrestling
Anica “Bo” Barze rounded out 2025 at the peak of the state girls wrestling rankings, sitting at No. 1 in the 118-pound weight class after a stellar start to her senior season.
Barze took first at the Hopkins Athena Invitational in December and returned to Hopkins to win at the Bengston Invitational on Jan. 3. She pinned Wayzata’s Natasha Kedrowski in 30 seconds to take first in the 118-pound division.
The Roseville girls placed second with 171 points behind first-place Lake City, which finished with 183 points.
“Bo is the best teammate and leader a team and coach could ask for,” coach Mike Homes said. “Her willingness to be challenged while also challenging and caring for others is unmatched.”
Last winter, en route to a third-place finish at the Minnesota State High School League state wrestling tournament, Barze led the Raiders in wins, was voted the girls wrestling program’s Most Valuable Wrestler and earned all-conference honors.
“She is such an impressive young woman,” Holmes said. “Her wrestling talent is her fifth-best talent or characteristic compared to her personality.”
Calvin Peterson
Minneapolis Roosevelt • boys basketball
Against St. Paul Como Park, Peterson netted his 1,357th career point to become Roosevelt’s all-time leading scorer, breaking a school record that has stood since 1991. Peterson, a 6-foot-2 senior shooting guard, is averaging a team-best 20.9 points, 6.9 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game for the Teddies.
Camryn VanMaldeghem
New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva • girls basketball
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After losing the first two games of the season, the Panthers haven’t looked back, winning 10 straight games thanks to the hot hand of 5-10 senior guard VanMaldeghem.
Her average of 27 points per game is good for sixth in the state. She’s also averaging 7.8 rebounds per game while playing alongside twin sister Quinn, who leads the team on the boards.
“Camryn is a senior captain and an absolute workhorse for our NRHEG program,” coach Onika Peterson said. “She plays the game fearlessly, attacking the basket with ease and knocking down lethal three-point shots.”
Kai Joyner
Rochester Mayo • boys swimming
As December came to an end, the Mayo sophomore held the best times in the state this season for the 200-yard freestyle and the 500 free. He cut those marks down even further at the Maroon and Gold Meet at the University of Minnesota on Jan. 3, placing first and setting team records in the 200 (1 minute, 38.95 seconds) and the 500 (4:27.90).
He also led Mayo to a third-place finish in the 200 free relay and fourth in the 400 free relay.
“Kai always puts the team first and is a great role model and mentor for the younger swimmers,” Mayo coach Scott Diercks said. “His long-term swimming goals are to compete at the Olympic trials and swim for a top Division I team.”
Mia Sutch
Centennial/Spring Lake Park • girls hockey
Sutch, a sophomore forward, helped Centennial/Spring Lake Park win the Walser Invitational holiday tournament played Dec. 29-31. She tallied three goals and five assists across wins over Andover, Edina and Holy Family, then the top-ranked team in the state.
Sutch’s 36 points are second on the team this winter. Coach Sean Molin described her as “a fast, relentless skater” who “has made big strides in her overall team game in the last two seasons,” becoming trouble for opponents to contain.
Mya Wilson
Hill-Murray • girls basketball
The Pioneers’ junior combo guard surpassed 2,000 career points Dec. 30 when she dropped a season-high 38 points in a 94-71 win over Champlin Park. She also posted a triple-double in a 91-38 victory against Totino-Grace on Jan. 3, recording 28 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists.
Wilson, the state’s No. 1-ranked recruit in her class, is averaging 26.2 points, 10.5 rebounds and 5.7 assists per game — all team highs for a Hill-Murray squad that is 9-1 and one of the top teams in Class 3A.
Sean Fries
Minnetonka • cross-country
The reigning Class 3A state cross-country champion continues to add national honors.
Fries, who is heading to Stanford, finished fifth at the Brooks Nationals XC at Balboa Park in San Diego on Dec. 13. The race, held annually for the top 40 to 50 high school runners in the country, was formerly called the Footlocker National XC meet.
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