Gustavus got off to a sluggish start scoring just 12 points in the first half.  The Vikings weren’t exactly shooting the lights out themselves and Augustana led 24-12 at the intermission.

The Gusties scored the first four points of the second half to cut the lead to eight at 24-16, however Augustana went on a 15-0 run over the next four minutes to increase the lead to 23 points at 39-16.  Augie continued to pull away and extended their lead to 30 points at 56-26 with 8:06 left to play.

Gustavus shot a cool 25.0 percent from the field for the game (13-of-52), while Augustana finished at 41.2 percent (28-68).

The Gusties placed two players in double figures including Geske with 13 and Bri Radtke with 11.  Augustana also had two players in double figures as Faith Tinklenburg tallied 15 points and Megan Doyle added 12 points.

Gustavus will host Wartburg College on Monday (Nov. 23) at 7:30 pm.

Kirsten Peterson takes an inadvertent stick to the head as she battles for possession of the puck.

The Gustavus women’s hockey team scored twice in the second period and rallied for a 2-1 win over Bethel on Saturday afternoon at Don Roberts Ice Rink in St. Peter.  The Gusties got the game tying goal from Gina DeNucci and the game-winner from Allie Schwab.  Danielle Justice, who recorded seven saves, picked up the win in the nets.

Despite outshooting the Royals 12-3 in the first period, Gustavus trailed Bethel 1-0 after the first 20 minutes of play as Sarah Kartak scored a power play goal at the 16:21 mark with assists from Missy Vavra and Kassy Sullivan.

In the second period, the Gusties tied the score at 1-1 when Gina DeNucci took a pass from Alyssa Gaulrapp in front of the net and lifted the puck over the shoulder of Royal netminder Nicole Jones at the 7:23 mark.  Ten minutes later, Gustavus picked up the game-winner when Allie Schwab skated up the right side of the rink and muscled a backhand shot just inside the post at the 17:55 mark.  Gaulrapp picked up her second assist of the game.  The Gusties out-shot the Royals 19-2 in the second period.

Whitney Schaff battles two Bethel players for control of the puck at center ice.

Gustavus continued to put pressure on Bethel in the third period, but strong goaltending from Jones and solid defense in clearing the puck on rebounds kept the Gusties off the scoreboard and the Royals in the game.  Gustavus managed to hold on for a 2-1 victory against the scrappy Royals.

Coach Mike Carroll’s squad will now get next weekend off due to the Thanksgiving Break and return to action on Dec 4-5 with a key MIAC series against St. Thomas.  The Gusties will host the Tommies on Friday, Dec. 4 at 7:00 pm and then travel to St. Thomas on Saturday, Dec. 5 at 2:00 pm.

Box Score

Gustavus Season Preview

All-Conference point guard Bri Radtke will lead the Gusties in 2009-10

The Gustavus women’s basketball team entered the 2008-09 season with a good mix of talent and depth, but lacked some competitive experience as a result of having only one senior (Emily Nelson) on the squad.  This season, however, Head Coach Mickey Haller has the luxury of building around 11 returning letterwinners that gained valuable experience a year ago, while posting a record of 16-10 overall and finishing fourth in the MIAC with a record of 14-8.  Haller’s squad will be led by its four returning starters, senior point guard Bri Radtke (Winsted, Minn./Lester Prairie), senior post Katie Layman (Hudson, Wis.), senior forward Julia Schultz (Marshall, Minn.), and sophomore wing Molly Geske (Mendota Heights, Minn./Cretin-Derham Hall).

On the perimeter, the Gusties will need to replace all-conference shooting guard Emily Nelson (10.5 points per game), but return seven players who were all part of the regular playing rotation last season.  Anchoring this perimeter group will be All-Conference point guard Bri Radtke, who averaged 9.8 points per game and ranked fourth in the league in assists with an average of 3.5 per game.  Radtke is the prototypical point guard who can run the floor, penetrate, pass, and shoot the three.  She has started every game for the Gusties for the past four years and is capable of making the big plays in the big games. Complimenting Radtke will be sophomore Molly Geske, who will play the #2 position and senior Julia Schultz, who will play the #3 position. Geske, who was named to the MIAC All-First Year Team last season, averaged 10.3 points per game and finished second in the MIAC in three-point field goal percentage at 41.3 percent.  Schultz is a solid all-around player who can play both inside and out.  She averaged 7.6 points and 4.8 rebounds per game a year ago.  Providing depth behind that trio will be senior Amber Steffenhagen (Lake City, Minn.) and sophomore Ava Perry (Wabasha, Minn.) at the #2 spot, sophomore Megan Gaard (Edina, Minn.) at the #3 position, and sophomore Colleen Ruane (Edina, Minn./Benilde-St. Margaret) at point guard.  All four players played significant minutes in reserve roles last season and will move into the regular playing rotation this season. Sophomore Liz Shay (Minneapolis, Minn./Washburn) and first year Steph Comer (Minnetonka, Minn.) are also expected to contribute.

Senior Katie Layman gives the team a veteran presence in the post.

In the post, Coach Haller is fortunate to have three key returners and one talented newcomer.  That group includes senior Katie Layman, juniors Molly Mathiowetz and Brittany Holm and first year Abby Rothenbuehler.  Layman (6-0) and Rothenbuehler (6-2) will rotate at the #4 position, while Holm (6-1) and Mathiowetz (6-0) give the Gusties a strong duo at the #5 position.  Layman, who has started every game for the Gusties for the past three seasons, averaged 7.7 points and 3.9 rebounds per game last year, while Rothenbuehler is an athletic newcomer who earned All-Conference honors at Mankato West last year. Mathiowetz was instant offense off the bench last season scoring 8.1 points per game, while also grabbing 4.4 boards per game.  She is an excellent rebounder who can also get out and lead the break when necessary. Holm is a shot blocker, who can also run the floor.

The past two seasons, the Gusties have finished third and fourth, respectively in MIAC regular season play, while also qualifying for the MIAC Playoffs, but the team has just missed contending for the regular season league title or advancing to the MIAC Playoff Championship game.  Mickey Haller and her squad are hoping the experienced gained with a young group last season will lead to a title run this season.

2009-10 Roster

2009-10 Schedule

2008-09 Final Stats

2009-10 Press Guide

Molly Carroll registered two goals to lead the Gusties.

The Gustavus women’s hockey team jumped out to a 4-0 first period lead and never looked back on its way to a convincing 7-0 win over Bethel at the National Sports Center in Blaine on Friday night.  Mollie Carroll tallied two goals and Lindsey Hjelm registered three assists to lead the Gusties.  Danielle Justice picked up the shutout win in the nets for Gustavus.

Mollie Carroll got the Gusties off to a quick start with two first period goals including one at the 7:29 mark and the other at the 18:06 mark.  It was all Gustavus in the first period as Coach Mike Carroll’s squad scored four times and out-shot the Royals 21-1.  First year forward Meagan Wanecke scored her first career goal midway through the period (10:57), and Gracie Olson extended the lead to 4-0 with a goal at the 18:57 mark.

Tam Meuwissen scored the lone goal of the second period and the Gusties led 5-0 after 40 minutes of play.

In the third period, Gustavus quickly increased its lead to 6-0 on a goal by Alyssa Gaulrapp just 21 seconds into the period.  Allie Schwab closed out the scoring with a goal at the 8:18 mark.

Lindsey Hjelm registered assists on the Gusties' final three goals.

Six different players scored for the Gusties.  First year forward Lindsey Hjelm registered the first three points of her career with assists on goals by Meuwissen, Gaulrapp, and Schwab.

Gustavus (1-1-1, 1-0-0) will wrap up its series with the Royals (0-4-0, 0-1-0) on Saturday afternoon at 2:00 pm at Don Roberts Ice Rink in St. Peter. You can watch the game through a live video stream and follow along with live stats.

Box Score

David Martinson scores the first of his four goals.

Gustavus senior forward David Martinson continued his torrid scoring streak as he tallied four goals for the second consecutive game, but it would not be enough as the the Bethel Royals tied the score at 5-5 with 30 seconds left in regulation and then scored the gamewinner with a minute left in overtime to beat the Gusties 6-5 in St. Peter.

With one minute left in regulation play, it appeared that Gustavus might be on its way to handing Bethel its first loss in conference play as the Gusties led 5-4 and had put several shots on the open Royal net, however Bethel put a shot on net with 50 seconds remaining and the Gusties Josh Swartout made the save forcing a faceoff in the Gustavus zone.  The Royals called a timeout with 42 seconds left and when play resumed, Bethel managed to take advantage of a fortunate bounce off a deflected shot and tie the score with a goal by Jon Crouse with 30 seconds on the clock.

In overtime, the Gusties Joe Welch was whistled for elbowing at the 1:58 mark and with 12 seconds left in the penalty and 1:13 left in the extra session, Mason Swens0n ripped a slapshot from the top of the left circle that just snuck under the crossbar in the upper right corner of the net giving the Royals the improbable win in St. Peter.

Six different players scored for Bethel.  Jack Paul and Jake Kogler scored in the first period, Tom Menozzie scored in the second period, Chris Fiala and Jon Crouse scored in the third period and then Swenson tallied the game-winner in overtime.

Josh Swartout stops a Royal breakaway.

For Gustavus, it was all David Martinson for the second consecutive game as the senior forward from St. Louis Park scored four times including three power play goals.  A quick check of the record book shows that it is likely the first time a Gustavus player has scored a hat trick in consecutive games since Gary Hansen did it against Macalester and Hamline in January of 1975.  Martinson has now scored nine goals in seven games this season. He entered the game with 94 career points and with the four goals against Bethel, Martinson now needs just two points to become the 33rd player in program history to compile 100 career points.

Senior forward Rory Dynan scored the other goal for the Gusties. Ross Ring-Jarvi and Patrick Dynan both assisted on three of Martinson’s four goals.

Josh Swartout suffered the loss in the nets for Gustavus.  He registered 22 saves.  Aaron Damjanovich picked up the win for the Royals.  He made 26 saves.

Each team was whistled for seven penalties for a total of 14 minutes.  Bethel was 1-for-6 on the power play, while the Gusties were 3-for-6 with the player advantage.

Gustavus falls to 3-3-1 overall and 1-1-1 in the MIAC, while Bethel improves to 3-4-0 overall and 3-0-0 in the MIAC.  The two teams will wrap up the series tomorrow night at Bethel.  The game is scheduled to start at 7:05 pm at the National Sports Center in Blaine.

Box Score

Photo Gallery

Steve Wilkinson

The United States Tennis Association (USTA) Northern Section along with Gustavus Adolphus College will be holding a tribute for legendary Gustavus Tennis Coach Steve Wilkinson on Saturday, December 12 at 5:00 pm at the Hyatt Regency in Minneapolis.  The event will honor Wilkinson for his contributions to tennis at all levels for the past 40 years.  Wilkinson, who retired as the Gusties head coach last year after 39 years at Gustavus, is currently an assistant coach for the Gusties and is still operating his Tennis and Life Camps at Gustavus in the summer months.

Anyone interested in attending the event can get information and make reservations at http://www.wilkinson.ezregister.com.

Questions should be directed to Gustavus men’s tennis coach Tommy Valentini at tvalenti@gustavus.edu or by calling 507-933-6185.

David Martinson

Gustavus senior forward David Martinson has been named the MIAC Men’s Hockey Player of the Week for his efforts in helping Gustavus claim a win and a tie in last weekend’s important conference series with St. Olaf.

David Martinson, a St. Louis Park, Minn. native, registered a seven-point weekend to help the Gusties claim three points in an important MIAC series against St. Olaf.  Martinson recorded two assists in Friday’s 3-3 tie at Northfield, and then exploded for four goals in the Gusties 5-4 win in St. Peter on Saturday.  Martinson’s first goal tied the score at 2-2 in the first period and his second goal tied the score at 3-3 in the second period. His third and fourth goals came 90 seconds apart early in the third period giving Gustavus a 5-3 lead.  Martinson’s fourth goal turned out to be the game-winner.  The Gusties and defending champion Oles were picked by the league coaches to be two of the top teams in the league this season and the series, even though it was played in the opening week of MIAC play, was significant.  Martinson, a 2008-09 All-American, has now scored five goals and registered seven assists for 12 points in six games this season. He currently leads the nation in shorthanded goals with two and ranks 16th in points scored at 2.00 per game. Gustavus is now 3-2-1 overall and 1-0-1 in the MIAC.

MIAC Release

Tony Palma

Greg Lane

Gustavus senior linebacker Tony Palma and junior kick returner Greg Lane have been honored as MIAC Players of the Week for their efforts in the Gusties thrilling 20-19 win over Concordia in Moorhead last Saturday.  Palma was recognized as the Defensive Player of the Week, while Lane was selected as the Special Teams Player of the Week.

Palma, a Lino Lakes, Minn. native who graduated from Centennial High School, registered 24 total tackles including two tackles for loss and forced a fumble to help the Gusties defeat the Cobbers. Palma’s 24 tackles (8 solo, 16 assisted) set a new Gustavus single game record for total tackles. The old mark was 21 set by Isaac Sieling against Concordia in 2004. Palma also became only the 14th player at Gustavus to record 100 tackles in a season as he finished with 46 solos and 62 assists for 108 tackles. In addition, Palma finished the season ranked first in the MIAC in tackles in conference games with 93 (11.6 tackles per game).

Lane, a Chaska, Minn. native who graduated from Chaska High School, returned a kickoff 86 yards for a touchdown with 39 seconds remaining in regulation to help the Gusties stun Concordia 20-19. The Cobbers made a field goal with 54 seconds remaining to increase their lead to 19-13 and then on the ensuing kickoff Lane caught the ball at the Gustavus 14-yard line, broke one tackle and received several key blocks as he sprinted up the sidelines for the touchdown. Lane returned three kicks for 123 yards in the game. It was the second time he has returned a kickoff for a touchdown in his career. Lane finished third in the MIAC in kick

return average this season at 28.2 yards per return (13 returns for 366 yards).

The Gusties closed out their 2009 season in a four-way tie for fourth place in the MIAC with  mark of 3-5.

MIAC Release

The Gusties rallied from a 2-0 deficit to tie the score on second period goals by Kirsten Peterson (unassisted – 5:41) and Tam Meuwissen (Allie Schwab, Melissa Mackley – 14:12).

It was not enough, however as the Yellowjackets scored at 9:21 of the third period and held on for the 3-2 win.  The Gusties out-shot UW-Superior 22-13, but the Yellowjackets scored on two of their four power play opportunities, while Gustavus was 0-for-2 on the power play.

Emily Klatt suffered the loss in the nets for the Gusties.  She made 10 saves.

Gustavus will open MIAC play this weekend against Bethel. Friday’s game is at Bethel at 7 pm and Saturday’s game is at Gustavus at 2 pm.

Box Score

It was a very challenging first half for the Gusties as the offense managed only 38 yards of total offense and only crossed the 50-yard line one time, while the Cobbers compiled 272 yards of total offense and controlled the ball for 21 of the 30 minutes in the first two quarters.  Concordia led 9-0 at the intermission.

Early in the third quarter, Gustavus linebacker Zach Lundquist recovered a Concordia fumble at the Cobber 16-yard line.  Four plays later, the Gusties scored on a 7-yard run by Jordan Becker.  Huepenbecker’s point after attempt was good and Gustavus trailed 9-7.

On the first play of the fourth quarter, Gustavus fumbled on its own 12-yard line and the Cobbers picked up the fumble and ran in for the touchdown.  The extra point was good and Concordia led 16-7.

Midway through the fourth quarter, on a third-and-four from Gustavus 41-yard line, Jordan Becker broke free for a 59-yard touchdown run.  The extra point was blocked and the Gusties were back with three points at 16-13.

The Cobbers countered with a 14-play, 59-yard drive that consumed 7:28 and resulted in a Carl Hauser field goal that gave Concordia a 19-13 lead with 54 seconds left on the clock.  The Gustie defense came up big late in the drive limiting the Cobbers to a field goal after Concordia had a first-and-goal at the five-yard line.

On the ensuing kickoff, Greg Lane grabbed Carl Hauser’s kick at the 14-yard line and got around the corner on the Cobber kick coverage and picked up some key blocks on his way to an 86-yard return for the touchdown.  It is the second kick return for a touchdown in Lane’s career as he registered a 99-yard TD return against Carleton on Nov. 10, 2007.  It is also the second time a Gustie player has returned a kick for a touchdown this season as Joe Welch took a kick  87 yards for a touchdown against Carleton on Oct. 17.

Senior linebacker Tony Palma wrapped up his career in style as he set the school record for tackles in a game with 24.  Palma registered 8 solo tackles and 16 assisted tackles.  The previous mark was 21 held by Isaac Sieling, which he did twice in his career.  Palma also became only the 14th player at Gustavus to record 100 tackles in a season as he finished with 46 solos and 62 assists for 108 tackles.  In addition, Palma finished the season ranked first in the MIAC in tackles in conference games with 93 (11.6 tackles per game).

It was a fitting conclusion to a season that has seen Coach Pete Haugen’s squad play six games that were decided in the final minute of play.  The Gusties posted a mark of 4-2 in the six games defeating Hamline 30-24 in two overtimes, Pacific Lutheran 34-33 on a Elliot Herdina touchdown catch with 12 seconds left, Carleton 28-21 on a Herdina touchown catch with 14 seconds left and the Cobbers 20-19 with Lane’s return with 39 seconds remaining.

Gustavus completed the season in a four-way tie for fourth place in the MIAC standings with a mark of 3-5.

Box Score