Rutherford, McMullen given national recognition

By Andy Brown
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Updated: April 20, 2020

Andy Brown / Louisburg Sports Zone

Louisburg senior Madden Rutherford (left) and sophomore Rinny McMullen were both given honorable mention honors for their performance this past season.

A pair of Louisburg High School athletes were recently recognized for their athletic achievements by a couple national organizations.

Senior Madden Rutherford and sophomore Rinny McMullen were both given honorable mention awards in their respective sports for their achievements in the athletic arena.

Rutherford, who was slated to be the No. 1 starter this spring for the Wildcat baseball program, was named as a Perfect Game/Rawlings preseason Central Region honorable mention All-American.

Although, he won’t get a chance to play the spring season with the Wildcats due to COVID-19, Rutherford played a lot over the summer with Building Champions, his club team. He also played in Perfect Game/Rawlings events and saw a lot of success a pitcher.

His success over the summer also helped Rutherford earn a spot on the Washington University (St. Louis) baseball program as he will be playing Division III baseball next season.

Rutherford was a two-time All-Frontier League performer as a member of the Wildcats and he was ecstatic to be honored among the best players in the country.

“I was happy to receive the honor, but it motivates me to work even harder,” Rutherford said. “I’m super excited to hopefully play this summer in the Ban Johnson League, along with next fall and spring at WashU.”

As for McMullen, the Lady Cat setter had a big season for the Louisburg volleyball team as she helped her team to a fourth-place finish at the Class 4A state tournament. With that, McMullen earned high honorable mention recognition by prepvolleyball.com for the sophomore class.

“It’s always special to be honored nationally for the sport that I love,” McMullen said. “I really enjoyed the role that I played last year for my high school team and I look forward to the coming season. I was happy for my nomination from my coaches and look to build on last season’s success.”

McMullen, who was a part of a two-setter offense with teammate Davis Guetterman, finished the year with 504 assists, 179 digs, 90 aces and 59 kills. She was also a second-team All-Frontier League and all-state player last year and was also named to the Class 4A All-State Tournament team.

Following the season, McMullen was playing with the Dynasty Volleyball Club, but their season was postponed due to the spread of COVID-19.

“Sadly, our club season ended until further notice, but we showed the promised of being a top team in the nation and hope that we get the chance to play at nationals in June,” McMullen said. “I continue to work with my teammate/friend Davis Guetterman during the off-time. I look forward to getting back on the court.”