Gustavus Adolphus senior golfer Taylor Drenttel (Inver Grove Heights, Minn.) and junior hockey player Lindsey Hjelm (North Oaks, Minn.) have been named to the Capital One Academic All-District Women’s At-Large Team for District Six. The 2012 Capital One Academic All-District Women’s At-Large Teams, selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America, have been released to recognize the nation’s top student-athletes for their combined performances athletically and in the classroom.
The Academic All-District teams include the student-athletes divided into eight geographic districts across the United States and Canada. This is the first year of the expanded Academic All-America program as CoSIDA moves from recognizing a University Division (Division I) and a College Division (all non Division I) and doubles the number of scholar-athletes honored. The teams include NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II and NCAA Division III participants, while the College Division team combines NAIA, Canadian and two-year schools.
With a cumulative grade point average of 3.92, Taylor Drenttel makes her first appearance on the CoSIDA Academic All-District Team. A four-year staple of Head Coach Scott Moe’s women’s golf team, Drenttel has been a consistent presence in Gustavus’ starting five since her rookie season in 2008. This season, Drenttel capped her career with a team-leading strokes per round average of 80.6 (+9) after a total of 22 rounds and 1,773 strokes. She placed inside the top-five at four tournaments and won both the Division 3 Classic (Sept. 17-18) and Wartburg Spring Invitational (April 21-22). Drenttel took the Division 3 Classic with a 73-80-153 (+9) and Wartburg Invite with a 76-79-155 (+11). Her 73 on the opening round at the Division 3 Classic is the third-lowest 18-hole round recorded by a Gustavus golfer. The senior’s 80.6 average this season is also tied for eighth all-time at Gustavus.
Although Gustavus’ three-year reign as MIAC Champion came to an end this season, the Gusties managed a second place finish (961, +97) at the conference meet and later earned an at-large bid into the 2012 NCAA Tournament. Gustavus’ season came to a close with an 11th place finish at the NCAA Championships after shooting a four-round 1,286 (+134).
From a career standpoint, Drenttel has recorded a total of 7,497 shots in 92 rounds. The Inver Grove Heights native carries a career stroke average of 81.5 and was most recently named to the National Golf Coaches Association (NGCA) All-Midwest Region Team for the third time in her career. Taylor was a key member of Gustavus’ three-straight MIAC Championships in 2009, 2010, and 2011, and NCAA Championship medalist teams through her first three seasons at Gustavus. The Gusties finished third in 2009, and runner-up in both 2010 and 2010 at the NCAA Championships. A three-time All-MIAC performer who placed second at the MIAC Championships her sophomore and junior season, Drenttel has recorded 22 top-10 finishes during her tenure.
A defenseman with a GPA of 3.85, the versatile Lindsey Hjelm also makes her debut appearance on the CoSIDA Academic All-District Team. A forward her first two seasons for the Black and Gold, Hjelm made the switch to defense for the 2011-12 season. With 26 points (11G, 15A) and a rating of +28 this season, she ranked ninth in NCAA Division III and first in the MIAC in defenseman scoring this year. The junior’s outstanding season earned her national recognition as she was named an America Hockey Coaches Association (AHCA) First Team All-American at the NCAA Championships Awards Banquet.
The Gustavus women’s hockey team finished its 2011-12 season at 24-4-2 overall and 16-1-1 in the MIAC. The Gusties won the MIAC Regular Season title for the eighth-straight season and the MIAC Playoff title for the ninth-straight year. Coach Mike Carroll’s squad qualified for NCAA Tournament play for the ninth-consecutive time and later earned a trip to the national semifinals for the third-straight season.
Hjelm earned a spot on the MIAC All-Rookie Team in 2010 and has garnered All-Conference honors all three year seasons of competition. She has played in all 90 games of her collegiate career thus far and has tallied 34 goals and 46 assists for 80 points.
The Academic All-District honorees advance to the Capital One Academic All-America Team ballot, where first-, second- and third-team All-America honorees will be selected later this month.