What Class of 2022 Athletes Are On The Rise?

The Class of 2022 was the first class that has come into their high school careers with Prep Dig starting with a “Watch List” and now having multiple rankings. I'll be completely transparent with rankings. I overanalyze and then overanalyze some more. A libero vs middle blocker, an outside vs. a setter. This athlete plays for a 2s team vs this athlete who plays for a 1s team, the list of variables moves on. I will say in doing this the past couple of years, the biggest jump we see and changes are between the 15s and 16s year. There are a number of athletes who really start finding their groove which causes a rise in the rankings. Here are some athletes who have made a move in the Class of 2022. Cantrell [player_tooltip player_id="57241" first="Brianna" last="Cantrell"] - Appleton North - FC Elite 18 Elite Cantrell moved to the #2 spot in the rankings as her game continues to rise. A Division 1 First Team All State pick, she was able to ocmpete on the FC Elite 18 Elite against some top competition this club season and has continued to find more ways to score as well as be an outlet out of the backrow. Her physicality is picking up as well. [player_tooltip player_id="90597" first="Aida" last="Shadewald"] - Sauk Prairie - Sting Madison United 16 Red So electric. Shadewald is quick, athletic, and quite a leaper - a pure six rotation outside. She can flat out score points and can do it from all spots on the court. She had over 450 kills last year for Sauk Prairie. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> Class of 2022 outside [player_tooltip player_id="90597" first="Aida" last="Shadewald"] extremely impressive for <a href="https://x.com/stingvb1988?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@stingvb1988</a> Madison United - six ro, solid in serve receive and a big time shot maker. <a href="https://t.co/TwzobWj9dV">pic.x.com/TwzobWj9dV</a> — Chris Fitzgerald (@PrepDigChris) <a href="https://x.com/PrepDigChris/status/1226168418094788608?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 8, 2020</a></blockquote>   [player_tooltip player_id="81267" first="Lily" last="Lutz"] - Catholic Memorial - Milwaukee Sting 16 Gold Lutz just moves across the court like a water beetle. She's quick and gets her hands to the ball where she can get a variety of tempos rolling for her 16 Gold teammates. 16 Gold was picking up a lot of momentum heading into March with winning the Badger Region Qualifier and a competitive weekend at Bluegrass in Louisville. [player_tooltip player_id="90598" first="Mckenzie" last="Gruner"] - Baraboo - Sting Madison United 16 Red Gruner is a major hidden gem that I got a chance to watch at the Badger Region Power League earlier this club season. She's a middle blocker, but with how high she plays and her athleticism I could see her being a force at any position. Her style is much like a Katilyn Riley (Baylor commit) or [player_tooltip player_id="12969" first="Hattie" last="Bray"] (Marquette commit). Gruner's upside is going to be fun to watch the next couple years. [player_tooltip player_id="90606" first="Stella" last="Zarlin"]g - Kettle Moraine Lutheran - Wisconsin Premier 16 Teal Zarling had a big weekend at Badger Region Qualifier and was key in Premier's road to locking up an American bid. Big arm and a smart shot maker, Zarling is going to be big for KML who is returning a powerhouse roster, loading up for the 2020 season. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> Make the middle pause a bit and get a one on one with the outside. <a href="https://x.com/wispremiervball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@wispremiervball</a> tied at 13 w <a href="https://x.com/FCEliteVB?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FCEliteVB</a> in set two <a href="https://t.co/opWUB44Nu6">pic.x.com/opWUB44Nu6</a> — Chris Fitzgerald (@PrepDigChris) <a href="https://x.com/PrepDigChris/status/1234140829603815426?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 1, 2020</a></blockquote>   [player_tooltip player_id="90600" first="Elise" last="Gillen"] - Slinger - Wisconsin Premier 16 Teal Gillen is silky smooth with her delivery and movement on the court. She knows the top matchups and can set a variety of tempos. She will most likely be the go to setter for Slinger after the graduation of SIUE commit [player_tooltip player_id="80163" first="Alyse" last="Drifka"]. [player_tooltip player_id="81270" first="Avery" last="Pennekamp"] - McFarland - Balance 16s Pennekamp was a key piece to the McFarland run to a D2 state runner up appearance. She's got major hops, an aggressive approach and knows how to score points against high level teams. This Balance 16s group is full of plenty of all around athletes from the Class of 2022 and 2023. [player_tooltip player_id="81293" first="Gianna" last="Trotter"] - Fond du Lac - [program_tooltip program_id='431937' first='Fond' last='du Lac Fusion'] 16 Purple Trotter has an explosive style to her game. She can spring and has a big arm that is extremely powerful. Six rotations and definitely has some athleticism to create something out of nothing. [player_tooltip player_id="90601" first="Gabriella" last="Magee"] - Homestead - Wisconsin Premier 16 Teal Magee was extremely key for Premier 16 Teal and their run to finish second at the Badger Region Qualifier behind Sting 16 Gold. Very athletic and dynamic she can close the block and also transition to make herself available to attack and score points. Really fun athlete to watch. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <a href="https://x.com/wispremiervball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@wispremiervball</a> 16 Teal advances to the championship and will fave <a href="https://x.com/stingvb1988?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@stingvb1988</a> 16 Gold <a href="https://t.co/Wp6GbgAEIK">pic.x.com/Wp6GbgAEIK</a> — Chris Fitzgerald (@PrepDigChris) <a href="https://x.com/PrepDigChris/status/1234144793518903298?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 1, 2020</a></blockquote>   [player_tooltip player_id="81273" first="Emma" last="Johnson"] - Luxemburg-Casco - FC Elite Flyers 18 White Johnson's game has really elevated since the summer of 2019 where she was the next in line to take over for [player_tooltip player_id="33378" first="Bekah" last="Day"] at Luxemburg-Casco. Coming on strong as a serving specialist for Lux-Casco enroute to a state title, Johnson has really taken off this past winter with how she can get her hands to the ball and run a dynamic offense. She is cool, clam, and collected, but definitely has a fire and quiet intensity to her.