Release by BJ Pickard, MIAC Assistant Commissioner
BLOOMINGTON, Minn. – The Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) announced its fall sport Academic All-Conference honorees on Tuesday and 47 Gustavus student-athletes received recognition.
A total of 431 student-athletes from the 13 MIAC institutions earned the prestigious honor this year after meeting all sport-specific athletic requirements and possessing a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.5 or better on a 4.0 scale following the fall semester.
To be eligible for the award, student-athletes must be a sophomore, junior or senior with at least one year (two semesters) at their current institution. Athletically, student-athletes in fall team sports (football, volleyball, soccer) must compete in 50 percent of their team’s regular-season varsity contests. Cross country student-athletes are required to finish in the overall top 100 or their team’s top seven at the 2019 MIAC Cross Country Championship. Between the on-field component and lofty GPA standard, the MIAC Academic All-Conference honor is a perfect blend of the balanced excellence championed by the MIAC and NCAA Division III.
This is now the eighth year in a row the total of Fall Academic All-Conference honorees has increased. In 2011, 301 student-athletes were recognized with Academic All-Conference distinction. That number rose to 330 in 2012, 334 in 2013, 356 in 2014, 357 in 2015, 380 in 2016, 412 in 2017, and 427 last year.
Four fall sports hit new record-highs with two – football and women’s soccer – crossing the century mark for the first time. Football had the most honorees with 102, up four from last season’s 98. Women’s soccer reached 100, five more than the sport’s previous high of 95 in 2017. Women’s cross country set a new record with 68, two more than last year’s 66, while men’s cross country totaled an all-time best 52, six more than 2018’s 46. There were 57 honorees in men’s soccer (67 in 2018) and 52 in volleyball (56 in 2018).
MIAC Academic All-Conference teams are announced twice annually, after the completion of both the fall and spring academic semesters. The MIAC Winter/Spring 2019-20 Academic All-Conference selections will be announced in late June. The MIAC has an online archive of Academic All-Conference honors.
Men’s Cross Country (8)
| John DeGonda | Gustavus | So. | Marine on St. Croix, Minn. |
| Jeremy Gilbertson | Gustavus | Jr. | Maple Grove, Minn. |
| Nicholas Olfert | Gustavus | So. | Shakopee, Minn. |
| Casey Olson | Gustavus | Jr. | Harmony, Minn. |
| Matt Payne | Gustavus | So. | Stillwater, Minn. |
| Lucas Schnirring | Gustavus | So. | Eden Prairie, Minn. |
| Andrew Stumbo | Gustavus | Jr. | Boone, Iowa |
| Benjamin Wicklund | Gustavus | So. | Marine on St. Croix, Minn. |
Women’s Cross Country (6)
| Haley Anderson | Gustavus | Sr. | Eden Prairie, Minn. |
| Josie Blake | Gustavus | Jr. | Waukegan, Ill. |
| Lily Engebretson | Gustavus | So. | St. Paul, Minn. |
| Sara Moen | Gustavus | Jr. | Blaine, Minn. |
| Gabriela Passmore | Gustavus | Sr. | Mapleton, Minn. |
| Iliana Ramon | Gustavus | So. | Fairmont, Minn. |
Football (13)
| Noah Decker | Gustavus | Jr. | Mapleton, Minn. |
| Brady Essig | Gustavus | So. | Dodge Center, Minn. |
| Austin Fest | Gustavus | Jr. | West Des Moines, Iowa |
| Jordan Grovum | Gustavus | Sr. | Cottage Grove, Minn. |
| Logan Holley | Gustavus | Jr. | Fort Worth, Texas |
| Brett Hufendick | Gustavus | Jr. | Minneapolis, Minn. |
| Jakob Krull | Gustavus | Sr. | Plymouth, Minn. |
| Matthew Montplaisir | Gustavus | Sr. | Buffalo, Minn. |
| Brice Panning | Gustavus | Sr. | Hamburg, Minn. |
| Landon Rauen | Gustavus | Jr. | Zumbrota, Minn. |
| Nathan Schroepfer | Gustavus | Jr. | Sleepy Eye, Minn. |
| Ethan Sindelir | Gustavus | So. | Wells, Minn. |
| Cameron Witt | Gustavus | So. | Champlin, Minn. |
Men’s Soccer (8)
| Cody Billins | Gustavus | Sr. | Farmington, Minn. |
| Joseph Brandel | Gustavus | Sr. | St. Louis Park, Minn. |
| Conrad Cronin | Gustavus | So. | Lincoln, Neb. |
| Trace Dobson | Gustavus | Jr. | Sioux Falls, S.D. |
| Luke Laurich | Gustavus | Sr. | Batavia, Ill. |
| Nicholas Leach | Gustavus | So. | Sioux Falls, S.D. |
| William Richards | Gustavus | Sr. | Hudson, Wis. |
| Cole Schwartz | Gustavus | So. | Jakarta, Indonesia |
Women’s Soccer (8)
| Lydia Arens | Gustavus | So. | Princeton, Minn. |
| Katie Ashpole | Gustavus | Jr. | Chaska, Minn. |
| Ava Hanson | Gustavus | Jr. | Medina, Minn. |
| Lauren Johnson | Gustavus | Jr. | Woodbury, Minn. |
| Madeline McDermott | Gustavus | Jr. | Mendota Heights, Minn. |
| Abby Mullenbach | Gustavus | Sr. | Lakeville, Minn. |
| Rachel Rehnelt | Gustavus | So. | Albert Lea, Minn. |
| Erin Teichroew | Gustavus | Jr. | Duluth, Minn. |
Volleyball (4)
| Ellie Anderson | Gustavus | Jr. | St. Paul, Minn. |
| Kate Holtan | Gustavus | Jr. | Rochester, Minn. |
| Annalee Olson-Sola | Gustavus | So. | Northfield, Minn. |
| Kaikea Welsh | Gustavus | So. | Kansas City, Mo. |