Cloquet girls softball is an award winning team

Post-season accolades continue to roll in for the Cloquet High School softball team which wrapped up the season last Friday by taking the Class AAA third-place trophy at the Minnesota State High School League State Tournament in North Mankato.

Among the awards:

Head coach Ron Tondryk was selected by his peers as Section 7AAA Coach of the Year this past week.

Cloquet's Olivia Diver was selected to play in the MSHSL Senior All-Star Series on Sunday in Mankato. Top senior players from around the state are nominated by their head coaches and then players are voted into the select two-game tournament.

“Olivia is very deserving of this great honor,” said Tondryk. “Only the best make the series. Olivia plays the game with grit and determination. She plays it the right way and deserved the honor. In many ways she was the heart and soul of our team.”

Both Dana Jones and Kiana Bender were named to the Class AAA All-Tournament team at the state tournament. Jones was 9-for-13 in the tournament with four runs scored and she reached base in 11 of her 13 at-bats. She also had three RBIs and stole four bases. Bender was 5-for-11 and had three RBIs and a pair of stolen bases. Bender reached base in 8 of her 11 official at-bats and she scored three runs.

The Lumberjacks were also well-represented on the Lake Superior Conference team. Lucy Sinkkonen and Bender made First Team All-Conference while Keagan Anderson and Brenna McClarey were named Second Team All-Conference, while Olivia Diver was named Honorable Mention.