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Triple Threat Athlete of the Week: Marissa Ellenbecker, Edgar

05/21/2020, 1:30pm CDT
By Norbert Durst

Name: Marissa Ellenbecker

School: Edgar High School

Year: Senior 

Cross Country Honors: Four-time state qualifier for coach Dennis Webb and the Wildcats... two-time Division 3 individual state champion... also had third and 10th-place finishes at the state tournament... three-time sectional champion, and one runner-up finish... only four-time female Marawood Conference champion... four-time all-state scholar athlete... two-time Division 3 Runner of the Year... District 2 Runner of the Year... Channel 9 Athlete of the Week... Channel 7 Hello, My Name is... Central Wisconsin Sports Athlete of the Week... Wisconsin High School Sports Girls Cross Country Athlete of the Year... received Edgar’s MVP all four years... team captain for three years... Edgar’s Rookie of the Year... chosen as a WIAA Scholar Athlete... 

Basketball Honors: Three-year starter for coach Betty Urmanski and the Wildcats... received team hustle award three times... two-time honorable mention all-Marawood South... second-team all-conference as a senior... led team in assists as a junior and senior... team captain as a senior... helped Edgar capture a Division 5 regional title as a senior... 

Track & Field Honors: Two-time individual state champion for coach Greg Streit and the Wildcats... state champion in the 1600 meter run and the 3200 meter run as a sophomore... finished second at state in the 1600 meter run twice... posted second and third-place finishes in the 3200 at state... fourth and fifth-place finishes at state in the 800 meter run, and also a fourth-place finish in the 1600... school record in both the 1600 (5:07) and 3200 (11:19)... first at sectionals in 3200 twice, first at sectionals in 1600 twice, first at sectionals 800 once, first at sectionals in the 1600 meter relay once, second at sectionals in the 800 and 1600, and third in the 3200 once... first at regional in 3200 three times, first at regionals in 1600 three times, first at regionals in the 800 twice, and first at regionals in the 1600 meter relay... in conference action, first in the 3200 three times, first in the 1600 three times, first in the 800 three times, and broke some conference and meet records... two-time team MVP and team captain... Rookie of the Year... MVP of Dr. Schultz Meet... helped Edgar finish as Division 3 state runner-up twice, to go along with conference, regional and sectional titles... 

Favorite Sport (and why): "My favorite sport would probably have to be basketball, because it is very different from track and cross country. It has many different aspects or skills than just running. In addition, it definitely has more of a team atmosphere."

Best Advice from a High School Coach: "The best advice I have ever received from a high school coach would be a very common saying “just have fun” because that's truly what it's about. You are doing the sport because you enjoy it."

Most Memorable Moment in High School Sports: "My most memorable moment in high school sports would definitely be becoming a two-time state champion in cross country. Only 12 other girls have done it."

Best Part of Playing Three Sports: "I love playing three sports, because it taught me so many things. I learned how to make the most of my time and prioritize. I worked hard and was dedicated during the season and in the summer, but it was worth it. I also got to meet so many people and make a lot of friends throughout the years that still remain close to me."

Toughest Part of Playing Three Sports: "Sports has lots of ups, but with that comes downs. I think the toughest part about playing three sports would be all the time and dedication put into them because of the love and drive I had towards them to do well. In other words, I loved participating in them so much that it caused a lot of stress and pressure especially as school or grades were also very important. When a big project or test was at the same time as a competition, some nights got pretty tough and rough."

Favorite Opponent (and why): "My favorite opponent to play against in basketball would be Auburndale, because the games were always so close and super competitive. Most of the time the outcome of the game wouldn’t even be determined until the last shot because the score was always so close. When we were younger, I remember tournaments always coming down to Edgar vs Auburndale, too. Many games would consist of overtimes or be won by only one point. We would push each other to improve and do better." 

Favorite Professional Team: "I have multiple favorite professional teams, but the Green Bay Packers would probably be my favorite football team."

Favorite Professional Athlete: "Since the Green Bay Packers are my favorite professional team, I have to say my favorite professional athlete would be Aaron Rodgers. In fact, I got to meet him because I won an award for cross country and he presented it to me. He also gave me an autographed football, talked to me for a while, and took a picture with me at the awards ceremony. I was actually kind of scared at first because I was just a small high school girl, but he was very nice but bigger than I expected." 

Favorite College Team: "My favorite college team would have to be the Wisconsin Badgers for basketball because they are just so fun and enjoyable to watch." 

Cumulative GPA: 3.989

Toughest Individual You’ve Competed Against (and why): "The toughest individual I have competed against is hard to answer because there are so many strong women who give their heart out in sports. The person who really pushed me in running and made me feel so tired in meets when we ran against each other is Savannah Schley. We have ran against each other periodically since middle school, and you could always tell we both wanted to win so badly that the races would always end so close. But no matter what the outcome of the race was, we both pushed each other and had fun doing it." 

Most Admired High School Teammate (and why): "My most admired high school teammate would be MaKenna Guden because even though she is a year younger than me, she has really taught me so much about sports and life in general. Makenna works extremely hard at everything she does and it definitely shows. She is not just amazing in sports and school, but she is a great friend as well. MaKenna is a major reason why leaving my small and loving town for college is going to be so hard, because of the love I have for her and the memories we have made with each other."

College Plans: "I plan to run cross country and track at Minnesota State University - Mankato and get an elementary teaching degree."

Activities Outside of Sports: "I am involved in a lot of activities outside of sports like snowmobiling, going to our cottage, skiing, tubing, volunteering especially with younger students through church activities such as VBS and CCD, babysitting, working, doing things on my phone, and spending time with my family and friends."

I Find it Relaxing to: "I find it relaxing to go for a jog, because it gives me a break to just think about things and clear my head."

Favorite TV Show: "My favorite TV show is a series on Netflix called Riverdale."

Favorite Movie: "I like a lot of different movies, but my favorite would probably have to be any in the Fast and Furious series."

Favorite Musical Artist: "I really enjoy listening to Post Malone."

Favorite Subject: "My favorite subject is definitely math, because I feel that I am good at it. I don’t really have to spend time studying for it, because it is one of those subjects that you just get and understand or you don’t. All you can really do is practice problems. I also really like my teacher for Math, so that helps me enjoy the subject more too."

Favorite Restaurant: "My favorite fancy restaurant would be Olive Garden, because everything is so good especially the bread sticks. Another maybe a little cheaper restaurant that I really like Noodles in Company, because all runners love pasta." 

Favorite Website: "Shopping wise, my favorite website would be Shein because it has a lot of cute clothes for super cheap. Overall, the website that I definitely go on the most would for sure be athletic.net with no doubt because it's just a habit to check out."

Other Family Members: "My mom's name is Karen, my dad's name is Ryan, and I have one older brother named Hunter." 

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