A Special Olympian from Manitowoc will be coming home with a gold medal, while another earned a silver.
Lucas Smith and the Team Wisconsin volleyball squad bested Team Virginia 2-1 yesterday at Mariucci Arena on the campus of the University of Minnesota as a part of the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games.
Smith and his Team Wisconsin counterparts played very well over the past four days, winning in straight sets over Team Alabama, Team Texas, and Team Pennsylvania prior to the medal match.
Meanwhile, fellow Manitowoc athlete Preston Bjarnarson ended his tournament experience with fellow bowlers Dalton Schulz, Travis Doire, and Nathan Styger as a part of the team competition.
They bowled a 1966, which was three pins behind Illinois for the best of the day.
In total, Team Wisconsin earned 11 gold medals, 15 silver, and 11 bronze, along with seven 4th-place finishes, five 5th-place finishes, three 6th-place finishes, and one 8th-place finish.
Minnesota was the top medal winner, earning 112 medals, 42 of which were gold, followed by Florida and Texas with 64 and Indiana and Michigan with 54.
