Behind the Scenes of the 2029 Watchlist Debut

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 2029 Watchlist made its debut today! It is probably one of our biggest watchlists to date. There are many reasons for this, which will be discussed in the article below! I am so incredibly excited for this group of athletes, so let's dive in!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">1. Exposure for this Class Started Early</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The main reason for such a large Watchlist... the exposure has been so significant and started early. While we don't provide much coverage before athletes enter high school, these talented players were busy this summer. We had expanded divisions of the Prep Dig Gauntlet, a sold-out JV and Varsity Sizzle, coverage of both AAU and USAV Nationals, and the introduction of our Freshman Showcase, and that was all the summer before high school started! Add in a high school season where the freshmen seemed to have a dominant impact across all divisions and geographically across the state, and the list keeps growing. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">2. These athletes were DOMINANT</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I cannot say enough about some of these players who stepped onto the biggest stage in high school, the WIAA State Championships. A few names who played lights out included [player_tooltip player_id='771608' first='Addison' last='Lempke'] and [player_tooltip player_id='915810' first='Brooke' last='Vanden Berg'] at Grafton, [player_tooltip player_id='734111' first='Claire' last='Baldwin'] and [player_tooltip player_id='781698' first='Faith' last='Benson'] at Sussex Hamilton, [player_tooltip player_id='745070' first='Avery' last='Bork'] at Oconomowoc, and [player_tooltip player_id='808030' first='Maia' last='Kerry'] for DSHA. Even beyond state though, we saw freshman athletes who were huge difference-makers on the court. [player_tooltip player_id='894280' first='Ryanne' last='Eagon'] was a massive addition to a growing Waukesha North program. Scralett Van Harpen rounded out an absolutely lethal Port Washington team. And [player_tooltip player_id='545529' first='Pacyn' last='Stoffel'] was nearly unstoppable for Mosinee. From </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">3. The Freshman Showcase and Exposure Tour had so many names</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It was so fun that we've already had two different showcases for this class. There are athletes we have now seen numerous times, or athletes who might not have been available for the first showcase, who came to the second. Either way, any event like a showcase just puts so many new names on our radar. [player_tooltip player_id='736760' first='Holly' last='Taylor'] was a standout middle at the most recent Exposure Tour, and [player_tooltip player_id='902298' first='Helena' last='Goll'] ran the show as a setter. Other names who stood out include [player_tooltip player_id='895978' first='Paetynn' last='Gnatzig'], [player_tooltip player_id='767041' first='Addison' last='Hahn'], and [player_tooltip player_id='904325' first='Rylee' last='Klapperich']. From the Freshman Showcase in August, [player_tooltip player_id='781110' first='Addison' last='Swaney'], [player_tooltip player_id='734115' first='Lexi' last='Sheffield'], [player_tooltip player_id='847883' first='Tejay' last='Anderson'], and [player_tooltip player_id='781353' first='Brooklyn' last='Rowe'] were all outstanding. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">4. We are just getting started! </h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This list will only continue to grow (very rapidly) as we dive into the club season. There is talent from across the state that we have not even had an opportunity to see yet! I cannot wait for tournaments to start and my notes app to be full to bursting! </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Some great ways to help us include: </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Claiming your profile on Prep Dig (or creating one) - It is free (no subscription required)</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Keep your information up to date (club, high school, position, etc.) - this helps immensely, so we aren't trying to fact-check when we are writing articles or building rankings</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Follow us on social media! My Instagram is @prepdigrachel - you can ALWAYS shoot me a message with your schedule for upcoming tournaments or highlight reels. No promises - but I do watch a lot of tournaments virtually! </li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->