Wisconsin High School Sports | Wisconsin Sports Network | WisSports.net

The Bug Tussel Wireless Triple Threat Athlete of the Week is an honor given on WisSports.net to the top senior boys and girls three-sport athletes in the state. Players are recognized each week on WSN, with the a boys and girls winner of the Pat Richter Award at the end of the season to the best three-sport athlete of the year.

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Name: Bella Jacobsen
School: Menomonie High School
Year: Senior 

Cross Country Honors: Four-year all-Big Rivers for coach Craig Olson and the Mustangs... second-team all-conference as a freshman and sophomore... first-team all-conference as a junior and senior... helped led the team to four conference titles... individual conference champion as a junior and senior... advanced to the state meet twice: finished 11th as a junior and 5th as a senior in Division 1... placed first at the Roy Griak Invitational which has nearly 400 runners from across the country... broke the school record by over a minute with a 5K personal record of 17:32... signed with the Wisconsin Badgers...  

Basketball Honors: Four-year varsity performer for coach     Storm Harmon and the Mustangs... helped the team capture the Big Rivers championship, regional championship, and sectional championship... the Mustangs (25-4 overall) advanced to the state tournament for the first time in program history, falling to Division 2 state champion Notre Dame in a state semifinal... 

Soccer Honors: Earned most improved player as a freshman...  converted from an offensive player to a defensive specialist that season... 

Track & Field Honors: As a junior, she was part of an all-conference 4x800 meter relay team and was the individual conference champion in the 3200 meter run... placed third at the state meet in the 3200 meter run for Division 1, and broke the Menomonie school record with a time of 10:57... As a senior, she has gone undefeated so far during the indoor season which includes breaking both the 1600 meter run and 3200 meter run school records with times of 5:08 and 11:18... coached by Adam Topper... 

Favorite Sport (and why): "My favorite sport is whichever one I’m in at the time. I definitely have more individual success in track and cross country and I dedicate a lot of time to running, but I genuinely enjoy every second I get to spend playing basketball as well as running track and cross country." 

Best Part of High School Sports (and why): "The best part of high school sports is the time I get to spend with my team. My teammates are some of my best friends and getting to spend two hours with them every single day is pretty awesome. It’s even more special to then share the success of the team with people who also care so much about our sport." 

Best Advice from a High School Coach: "Some of the best advice I’ve ever gotten from a coach is, 'I don’t care if you make a mistake, as long as you make it going full speed.' This just reminds me to do anything I do in life with 100% effort and if I make a mistake, at least I’ll have an experience to learn from."

Most Memorable Moment in High School Sports: "My most memorable moment in high school sports was when my cross country team won conference when I was a freshman. We hadn’t won a race all season, but we had been getting closer and closer. Winning that race with my team was the first time I saw how incredible the world of high school competition was. I had grown so close with the girls on my team and we all wanted that championship for each other more than anything else." 

Best Part of Playing Three Sports: "The best part about playing three sports is getting to experience the different communities and cultures that each sport comes with. I’m very lucky to be a part of three sports that all have great coaches and teammates, but each team has different people with different skills. I also enjoy that I am then able to take different roles in each sport. If I am not able to lead by being the most talented, I have seen that there are countless other ways for me to add value to a team and do what I can to help the team succeed." 

"The best part about playing three sports is gaining different skills from each sport and being able to transfer skills from one sport to another. Some people might think how fast I could be in cross or track if I didn’t play basketball and just ran all winter, but I think that athleticism and strength and break from running really helped me to become the athlete that I am. Participating in three sports for all four years of high school is also very fun because you always have something to do and goals to be working towards." 

Toughest Part of Playing Three Sports: "The toughest part of playing three sports has been the struggle to find a balance between the sport or the season I am in and trying to stay involved in the other sports. This can sometimes mean making difficult sacrifices involving other areas of life, which can be tough." 

Favorite Opponent (and why): "My favorite opponent throughout high school in all three sports has been the conference team, Hudson. They are a much larger school than Menomonie and have very talented athletes, so it always means a little bit more when we get to face off against them." 

Favorite Professional Team: "My favorite professional team is the Packers. I can’t play football, but I do like to watch it!"

Favorite Professional Athlete: "My favorite professional athlete is Molly Seidel. She is an Olympic marathoner from Wisconsin. She really loves running, but she also just seems super down to earth and fun to be around." 

Favorite College Team: "My favorite college team is the Wisconsin Badgers." 

Cumulative GPA: 4.0

Toughest Individual You’ve Competed Against (and why): "The toughest individuals I’ve competed against have been the top runners at the state cross country meet. During the season everyone runs on different courses in different conditions so it’s really hard to know how you compare against these other super talented and experienced runners, and no one really knows what to expect." 

Most Admired High School Teammate (and why): "The high school teammate that I admire the most is my friend and running partner Maddy Palmer. We have been running together since middle school and she is one person who I know loves the sport as much as I do. She understands all the ups and downs that come with running. She has incredible leadership skills and is someone that I know I can always count on and be real with." 

College Plans: "I am going to UW-Madison to run track and cross country. I plan on studying chemistry and biology, and hopefully finding a career somewhere in the medical field or possibly engineering."

Activities Outside of Sports: "Outside of sports I like to go out with friends and do anything active. I love to be outside, going for hikes and exploring new places. I also enjoy taking my dogs and mini-horse for walks!" 

I Find it Relaxing to: "Some things I like to do when I’m feeling stressed or overwhelmed are go for a walk, go for a run, clean, read, and listen to music."

Favorite TV Show: Grey's Anatomy

Favorite Movie: Pitch Perfect

Favorite Musical Artist: Brandi Carlile

Favorite Subject: Science

Favorite Restaurant: Chipotle

Favorite Website: Athletic.net

Other Family Members: "I live with my parents, Jake and Patty Jacobsen and I have one older sister, Chloe who is 21, and one younger sister, Sam who is 16."