By Paul Lecker

Sports Reporter

Marshfield Columbus Catholic’s Ben Behling was voted as the WDLB-WOSQ Radio & MarshfieldAreaSports.com October High School Athlete of the Month. (Paul Lecker photo)

MARSHFIELD — Columbus Catholic High School senior Ben Behling has been voted as the WDLB-WOSQ Radio & MarshfieldAreaSports.com October High School Athlete of the Month.

The High School Athlete of the Month Award is sponsored by Marshfield Clinic, Cost Cutters Family Hair Care, and Burt Trophy & Awards.

Varsity athletes from the following high schools are eligible to be nominated for the award: Abbotsford, Athens, Auburndale, Colby, Columbus Catholic, Edgar, Granton, Greenwood, Loyal, Marathon, Marshfield, Neillsville, Owen-Withee, Pittsville, Spencer, Stratford, and Thorp.

Behling garnered a record 8,007 of 16,672 votes cast.

Behling helped the Columbus Catholic boys cross country team qualify for the 2014 WIAA State Cross Country Championships by placing fifth at the Division 3 Athens sectional on Oct. 24. Behling’s fifth-place time of 17:45.5 lifted the Dons to a second-place team finish and a berth at the state meet on Nov. 1 at Wisconsin Rapids. Behling also took fifth at the Cloverbelt Conference Meet at Eau Claire on Oct. 18, running in 17:10.56.

Columbus finished 14th in the Division 3 boys standings at the state meet, while Behling took 61st place in 17:59.20 for the Dons’ top finish.

Other nominees for the award were Ryley Fischer of Loyal football, Cooper Henrickson of Abbotsford football, Johnelle Miner of Stratford cross country, Bryce Niemi of Owen-Withee football and Sydney Schmutzer of Auburndale volleyball.

Behling joins Columbus Catholic boys soccer player Sean McCarthy (September) as winners of the awards for the 2014-15 school year.

You can nominate someone for the November award by e-mailing publisher Paul Lecker at [email protected]. Voting will be from Dec. 1-7.

(Hub City Times Sports Reporter Paul Lecker is also the publisher of MarshfieldAreaSports.com.)