Gauderman, Rogowski sign letters of intent

Both Witt-Birn athletes leaving state for college athletics
By: 
Morgan Rode
Sports Editor

Wittenberg-Birnamwood High School seniors David Gauderman and Reese Rogowski took the next step in their athletic careers when they signed letters of intent in front of family, coaches, teammates and friends on Feb. 1 inside the high school library.

Gauderman is headed to the University of Minnesota-Duluth to play football, while Rogowski will compete in track and field at North Dakota State University.

“It’s just kind of a big relief, now I don’t have to worry about where to go or if I’m going to play college football or not,” said Gauderman of signing. “Just to have it set in stone just really means a lot.”

“I’m just blessed and thankful to be able to have this opportunity and to compete at the next level because it shows that all my hard work throughout the years has paid off,” said Rogowski.

Gauderman is coming off a senior football season in which he rushed for 1,539 yards and 16 touchdowns across 10 games. He also caught 12 passes for an additional 157 yards and three scores.

Defensively, Gauderman accumulated 96 total tackles during the regular season, 22 of which went for losses. He also forced two fumbles, recovered one fumble and registered 7½ sacks.

Gauderman was surprised to only have two offers after his senior year wrapped up, and rightfully so after ranking near the top of the state on both sides of the ball in several different statistics.

He ended up choosing Duluth because, “I really love the town up there and the football team is always good, so it was a pretty easy decision to make.”

Over the years, Gauderman said he “put a purpose to every workout that I want to make it to the next level” and that’s what helped him get to this point.

He thanked his dad, Tony, for driving him to football camps over the years and all his coaches for their time and effort to work with him and his teammates. Gauderman also highlighted his teammates for “supporting me throughout the journey.”

Gauderman is also a standout wrestler for Witt-Birn, and is currently ranked first in the entire state at 220 pounds in the Division 3 rankings put out by www.wisconsingrappler.com. The two-time state qualifier said there really was never a decision to make between the two sports.

“It was always football. Wrestling, I couldn’t imagine doing that for 4-5 more years, if I’m going to be honest,” said Gauderman with a smile. “It was always in the back of my head, but I think football is the main sport I’ve enjoyed doing.”

Gauderman said he and his new football team have been talking a lot about what the future might hold. The plan is for Gauderman to play outside linebacker or defensive end.

Rogowski has been a star athlete for Witt-Birn since the day she started high school.

After having her freshman track and field season wiped out because of the pandemic, Rogowski has made up for lost time by qualifying for state in four events — the 100-, 200- and 400-dashes and long jump — in her sophomore and junior years.

Rogowski has placed in the top 10 in each event, with second-place finishes in the 200 and 400 as a junior serving as her best state finishes so far.

When she began looking into college athletics, Rogowski thought she wanted to play basketball. She started getting emails from track coaches and decided to take a look around.

“I visited some basketball schools, and they just didn’t feel like the right fit. I visited a lot of track schools, and when I went to NDSU I saw the team atmosphere and the atmosphere that the coaches provided for their athletes and it felt like it’d be a good place for me,” said Rogowski.

She singled out coaches, family members and teammates for helping her get to the college level.

“My coaches push me hard in practice because they believe in me and knew I could get here to this day, so that’s really helped,” said Rogowski.

Rogowski was also a star volleyball player for Witt-Birn, so she had options for what sport she could play at the next level.

She picked track because “It’s a self-motivating sport and that’s what I love about it. It all depends on you and the work you put in, and I love that aspect of it.”

Rogowski said the coaching staff at NDSU wants her to compete in all of the events she can and not just specialize in one thing, like sprints or field events.

“That’s going to be interesting to see how that goes, and it should be fun to learn new things,” said Rogowski.

The senior also has one final track season with the Chargers, but there aren’t specific places she hopes to achieve in each event. Instead, she wants to drop her times, improve her marks in field events and continue to get better each day.

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