Debra Bell
Menomonie High School picture
MENOMONIE – A talented class of Menomonie High School student-athletes will extend their athletic and academic careers at the collegiate level beginning in the 2025-26 academic year.
Fifteen graduating seniors have committed to compete in a variety of sports at colleges and universities across the country. Athletes will compete at various levels, from NCAA Division I to junior college, NAIA programs and club sports.
On the gridiron, Isaac Ellison will play football at North Dakota State University in Fargo, ND, while Brody Thornton heads to the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks, ND. Brady Johnson will continue his football career at North Central College in Naperville, Ill.
Baseball standouts Owen Welch and AJ Zydowsky will stay in-state, with Welch heading to Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE) and Zydowsky competing for UW-Eau Claire.
Adison Hasse (Dominican University/River Forest, Ill.) and Keiara Daniel (Rochester, Minn., Community and Technical College) will play collegiate softball.
On the track, three Menomonie graduates are slated to head up to the Lake Superior area with Kieran Bignell competing at UW-Superior and Nolan Bien and Isabella Whitwam set to join the Bulldogs of UM-Duluth. Peter Cimino will stay near home and compete at UW-Stout, running both track & field and cross country. Grant Burns is slated to run both track & field and cross country at Taylor University in Upland, Ind.
Basketball standout Brooklynn Birt is set to join UW-Stout’s program, while Ashley Slupe will hit the ice for Lawrence University’s women’s hockey team in Appleton. Hayden Weir will continue in hockey with the Junior Hockey Minnesota Blizzard.
Rounding out the group, Ruben Dayton-Brantmeier will race at Colorado Mesa University in Grand Junction, Colo., as a collegiate cyclist.
MHS Class of 2025 College-Bound Athletes
Isaac Ellison – North Dakota State University, Football
Brody Thornton – University of North Dakota, Football
Brady Johnson – North Central College, Football
Owen Welch – Milwaukee School of Engineering, Baseball
AJ Zydowsky – UW-Eau Claire, Baseball
Adison Hasse – Dominican University, Softball
Keiara Daniel – Rochester CTC, Softball
Brooklynn Birt – UW-Stout, Basketball
Ashley Slupe – Lawrence University, Girls Hockey
Hayden Weir – Junior Hockey MN Blizzard, Hockey
Kieran Bignell – UW-Superior, Track & Field
Peter Cimino – UW-Stout, Track & Cross Country
Nolan Bien – UM-Duluth, Track & Field
Isabella Whitwam – UM-Duluth, Track & Field
Grant Burns – Taylor University, Cross Country & Track
Ruben Dayton-Brantmeier – Colorado Mesa University, Cycling
Editor’s Note: This story was written with the assistance of ChatGPT by OpenAI and edited by MNN contributor Layne Pitt
Layne Pitt is the retired UW-Stout sports information director and also worked more than a decade at The Dunn County News.
Menomonie Collegians is a regular feature of Menomonie News Net. The column is not limited to student-athletes, but may be a former Menomonie area student in a play, forensics, music or any type of collegiate competition. If you know of a Menomonie Collegian, please email [email protected].
The column Menomonie Collegians by Layne Pitt is licensed under a CC BY SA 4.0 International license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/