ST. PETER, Minn. – 2015 was another year filled with conference championships, national tournament appearances and spectacular individual performances both on and off the field of play for Gustavus athletics. Here’s a look back at numerous highlight events that occurred throughout the year…
Feb. 21 – Men’s hockey capped its season with a 4-2 win over Bethel at Don Roberts Ice Rink, finishing the season 8-9-8 overall and 5-5-6 in the MIAC. A few weeks later, it was announced that goalie John McLean (Sr., Eagan, Minn.) earned a spot on the MIAC Honorable Mention Team, while Jake Bushey (Fy., Duluth, Minn.) and Conor Deal (Fy, Anchorage, Alaska) were named to the All-Rookie Team.
Feb. 22 – Men’s swimming and diving finished fifth at MIAC Championships. Senior Zac Solis (Centennial, Colo.) dominated in each individual race he competed in. Solis finished with gold medals in the 200 free and 500 free.
Feb. 23 – Women’s swimming and diving captured its sixth straight MIAC Championship. Jennifer Strom (Sr., Rochester, Minn.) was named the MIAC Women’s Swimmer-of-the-Year. Strom capped the conference meet with gold in the 200 breaststroke, completing a career-sweep of both the 100 and 200 breaststroke events at the MIAC Championships. Katie Olson (Sr., North Oaks, Minn.) also repeated in the 100 freestyle. The 400-free relay team also took gold.
Feb. 24 – Women’s basketball finished its season with a 90-58 loss at Saint Mary’s to end the season 17-9 overall and 11-7 in the MIAC. Lindsey Johnson (Jr., Edina, Minn.) and Mikayla Miller (Fy., Goodhue, Minn.) were named MIAC All-Conference on March 5. Johnson and Miller were the fourth and fifth players to receive All-MIAC recognition under Head Coach Laurie Kelly, who completed her third season at the helm.
Feb. 27 – Men’s basketball concluded its season with a heartbreaking 83-79 overtime loss at No. 6 St. Thomas in the MIAC semifinals. The Gusties erased a 10-point halftime deficit to come back and force the game into overtime, but the Tommies got off to a quick start in the overtime period en route to the win. The Gusties finished 16-11 overall and 11-9 in the MIAC. Gary Cooper (Jr., Detroit, Mich.) and Brody Ziegler (Jr., Mankato, Minn.) were named MIAC Honorable Mention on March 6.
Feb. 28 – Women’s hockey was upset 6-3 by Bethel in the MIAC Semifinals a week after claiming the league’s regular season title with a record of 15-2-1. Ranked No. 9 in the USCHO poll, the Gusties did not receive an at-large big to the NCAA Tournament, finishing their season 19-5-2 overall. Two days prior, five Gusties were named to the MIAC All-Conference Team – Courtney Boucher (Sr., Hastings, Minn.), Carolyn Draayer (Sr., Deephaven, Minn.), Allison Eder-Zdechlik (Stillwater, Minn.), Lindsey Hibbard (Jr., Princeton, Minn.) and Erica Power (Fy., Lakeville, Minn.). Draayer was also honored with the prestigious Shelia Brown Award.
March 15 – Gymnastics finished its season in eighth place at WIAC Championships/NCGA Midwest Regional. The Gusties capped their season with their second best score of the year at 180.025. Alexandra Kopp (So., Wayzata, Minn.) was the team’s best individual performer, taking sixth in the all-around.
March 16 – Seven women’s swimmers represented Gustavus at the NCAA Championships in Shenendoah, Texas – Danielle Klunk (Sr., Appleton, Wis.), Katie Olson (Sr., North Oaks, Minn.), Jenny Strom (Sr., Rochester, Minn.), Leah Anderson (Jr., Apple Valley, Minn.), Hayley Booher (So., Warren, Vt.), Michelle Campeau (Fy., Rochester, Minn.) and Kate Reilly (Fr., Hastings, Minn.).
March 20 – Women’s hockey defender Courtney Boucher (Sr., Hastings, Minn.) became the 14th player in program history to be named All America as she received the national recognition from the America Hockey Coaches Association.
March 22 – Women’s swimming and diving finished 10th at NCAA Championships. The 400-free relay team took ninth overall. Katie Olson took 13th in the 100 freestyle, while Jenny Strom took 10th in the 200 breaststroke.
March 28 – Alex Koop finished 12th overall in the all-around and 13th on the balance beam at the 2015 NCGA Championships.
May 1 – Men’s golf capped its season with a runner up finish at the UW-Eau Claire StoneRidge Classic. Two weeks later Chris Captain (Fy., Rochester, Minn.) was named MIAC Freshman-of-the-Year, while teammate Matt Spier (Jr., Prior Lake, Minn.) joined him on the All-Conference Team.
May 2 – Baseball concluded its season with a split against Saint John’s to finish 14-22 overall and 6-12 in the MIAC. Garrett Fuchs (Sr., Cold Spring, Minn.) was the Gusties’ top player as he received All-Conference honors after hitting .396 with 49 hits, 28 runs, 12 stolen bases and 30 RBI – all team-highs.
• Men’s tennis captured its fifth straight MIAC Playoff Championship with a 5-0 victory over Carleton. Motasem Al Houni (Sr., Tripoli, Libya), Mohanad Al Houni (Fy., Tripoli, Libya), Brad Entwistle (Sr., Sioux Falls, S.D.) and Andres Saenz (So., Cancun, Mexico) all earned All-Conference honors.
May 3 – Women’s golf ended its season with a second place finish at the UW-Eau Claire Blugold Spring Invite. Lauren Johnmson (Sr., Plymouth, Minn.) finished her Gustavus career with a third place finish. The following week, Jordy Drenttel (Sr., Inver Grove Heights, Minn.) and McKenzie Swenson (Fy., St. Louis Park, Minn.) were named to the MIAC All-Conference Team.
• Women’s tennis concluded its season with a 5-2 loss to St. Thomas in MIAC Playoff Championship. Making the All-Conference Team included Sidney Dirks (Jr., St. Peter, Minn.), Laurel Krebsbach (Sr., North Oaks, Minn.), Michaela Schluz (So., Elk River, Minn.) and Lizzy Stanczyk (Jr., Plymouth, Minn.). Jon Carlson was also named Co-Coach of the Year. The Gusties finished the season 16-13 overall and 10-0 in the MIAC for their 27th regular season conference title.
• Softball defeated St. Thomas 4-3 to claim the MIAC Playoff Championship, earning the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Championships, which was the program’s fourth all-time and third under the direction of Head Coach Jeff Annis.
May 8 – Softball opened the NCAA Tournament with a 3-2 win over Central. The following day, the Gusties lost a 12-inning heartbreaker 3-2 against Aurora, followed by a 7-4 loss to Central to finish the season 34-16 overall and 16-6 in the MIAC. Sarah Rozzell (Sr., Lakeville, Minn.), Kailey Morgan (Sr., Mound, Minn.), Shelby Nosan (Sr., Baudette, Minn.) and Hannah Heacox (So., Stillwater, Minn.) were later named All-Conference. Heacox, Carly Klass (Sr., Richfield, Minn.) and Nosan were also named to the NFCA All-Region Team.
May 9 – Women’s track and field took seventh place at the MIAC Championships. Elizabeth Weiers (Sr., Le Center, Minn.) highlighted the meet for the Gusties by defending her title in the hammer throw.
• Men’s track and field took seventh place at the MIAC Championships. Ed ReMine (So., Mantorville, Minn.) highlighted the team with a runner-up finish in the 400-meter hurdles.
May 10 – Men’s tennis concluded its season with a 5-2 loss to the University of Chicago in the third round of the NCAA Tournament in Whitewater, Wis. The Gusties finished the season with a 20-11 overall record and a perfect 9-0 mark in the MIAC for their 27th consecutive MIAC regular season championship.
May 12 – Women’s hockey player Carolyn Draayer received the prestigious NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship, becoming the 36th Gustavus student-athlete to receive the scholarship.
May 14 – Women’s golfers Jordan Drenttel, Mae Meierhenry (So., Sioux Falls, S.D.) and McKenzie Swenson were named the WGCA All-Region Team.
May 18 – Men’s tennis players Mohanad Al Houni, Motasem Al Houni and Andres Saenz represented Gustavus at the NCAA Division III Championships. The doubles team of Motasem Al Houni and Saenz was defeated in the quarterfinals, while Mohanad Al Houni fell in the first round in the singles tournament. Motasem Al Houni was later named the ITA’s Most Improved Player.
May 20 – Mike Carroll stepped down as the head baseball coach after serving 19 seasons in the Gustie dugout. The 24th head coach in Gustavus baseball history, Carroll finished as the longest tenured and winningest coach in the history of the program. He skippered the Gusties to a mark of 344-351 overall and 191-187 in the MIAC.
• Elizabeth Weiers was named the recipient of the Elite 89 award for the second year in a row. The award, presented by the NCAA, is given to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative GPA participating at the finals site for each of the NCAA’s championships. Three days later, Weiers finished 11th in the hammer throw at the NCAA Championships.
June 9 – Women’s hockey player Carolyn Draayer (Sr., Deephaven, Minn.) and women’s swimmer Katie Olson (Sr., North Oaks, Minn.) were named 2015 Capital One Academic All-Americans, selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
June 15 – Brad Baker ’80 was named the new head baseball coach. Baker returned to the College after previously serving as the program’s head coach during the 1981 season.
July 24 – Elizabeth Weiers was named to the Capital One Academic All-America Division III Track & Field First Team. A week later it was announced that Weiers had been awarded an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship, becoming the 37th Gustavus student-athlete to earn the prestigious scholarship.
July 29 – Women’s golfers Jordy Drenttel and Mae Meierhenry were honored as WGCA All-American Scholars.
Oct. 5 – Men’s golf took third at the MIAC Championships. First-year Max Savini (Anoka, Minn.) paced the Gusties with a third place finish, just four shots shy of medalist honors. Andrew Krasaway (Sr., Hermantown, Minn.) also finished in the top 10 to be named to the All-Championship Team.
• Women’s golf took sixth place at the MIAC Championships. Ellie Brandt (Fy., Wayzata, Minn.) led the way for the women as she took 16th place.
Oct. 17 – Men’s tennis player Mohaned Alhouni (So., Tripoli, Libya) took fourth place at the USTA/ITA National Small College Championships at the Palmetto Tennis Center in Sumter, S.C. Two week prior, Alhouni won the Midwest Regional in convincing fashion by not dropping a single set. Alhouni’s fourth place finish on the national stage earned him All America honors.
Oct. 31 – Women’s cross country took sixth place at the MIAC Championships. Marit Sonnesyn (Sr., Plymouth, Minn.) was Gustavus’s front runner, taking 13th place and receiving All-Conference honors. Lauren Shurson (Sr., Chanhassen, Minn.) was right behind in 16th place, earning Honorable Mention.
• Men’s cross country placed fifth at the MIAC Championships. Evan Jones (Jr., Pella, Iowa) led the Gusties for the first time all season with a ninth place finish, good for MIAC All-Conference honors. Thomas Knobbe (Jr., Decorah, Iowa) was next for the Gusties as he also received All-MIAC honors with a 13th place finish.
• Men’s soccer concluded its season with a 2-1 win over Hamline. The Gusties finished with an overall record of 9-5-3 and went 3-4-3 in the MIAC. Two weeks later, Charlie Adams (Sr., Stillwater, Minn.) was named to the MIAC All-Conference Team, while Eli Bjerk (Sr., Stillwater, Minn.), Patrick Leach (Sr., Sioux Falls, S.D.) and Sam Leske (Sr., Hampton, Minn.) were named Honorable Mention.
• Women’s soccer secured the No. 2 seed in the MIAC Playoffs with a 1-0 overtime win against Hamline. Four days later, the Gusties captured a 2-0 win over Concordia in the semifinals, marking the first MIAC Playoff win for Gustavus in its first appearance in the league’s postseason playoff.
• Volleyball completed the perfect conference season with a straight set win over Saint Mary’s to finish 11-0 in the MIAC during the regular season. Four days later, it was announced that Head Coach Rachelle Sherden earned MIAC Coach-of-the-Year honors, Alyssa Taylor (Sr., Trimont, Minn.) earned Player-of-the-Year and Nora Holtan (Fy., Rochester, Minn.) was selected Rookie-of-the-Year. Along with Taylor and Holtan, Brittany Luethmers (Fy., Prior Lake, Minn.) and Taylor Trautman (Jr., Hutchinson, Minn.) were named All-MIAC.
Nov. 7 – In what could be considered one of the greatest single days in Gustavus athletics history, the day featured a pair of playoff conference titles, a signature comeback victory, and the induction of nine members into the Athletics Hall of Fame.
• Women’s soccer captured its first ever MIAC Playoff Championship with a 1-0 upset over top-seed St. Thomas to earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
• Volleyball won the MIAC Playoff Championship with a four-set victory over Bethel and earned an NCAA Tournament bid.
• Football earned its signature victory of the season, defeating Concordia 41-34 with a pair of touchdowns in the final minutes of play. At halftime, the Gustavus Athletics Department honored nine individuals as they were inducted into the Athletics Hall of Fame – Tina Peterson Bross ’96 (Soccer), Kyle Landon ’99 (Golf), Lisa Broughten Monjeau ’98 (Tennis), Kevin O’Laughlin ’99 (Swimming), Katie Kortuem Olson ’00 (Gymnastics), Erica Stone Scott ’00 (Track and Field), Chris Swansson ’99 (Football, Baseball), Dave Underdale ’84 (Ice Hockey), and Alan Markman (Benefactor).
Nov. 12 – Volleyball’s dream season came to an end in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament with a four-set loss to UW-Eau Claire. The loss also snapped a program record 27-match win streak. The following day, it was announced that Rachelle Sherden was named Central Region Coach of the Year, while Alyssa Taylor was named to the All-Region Team. Nora Holtan was also recognized as the Region Freshman of the Year, as well as Honorable Mention.
Nov. 13 – In its first appearance at the NCAA Tournament since 1998, women’s soccer nearly completed the late-game comeback, but lost 2-1 to Wheaton in the first round. The day prior, it was announced that four Gusties earned MIAC All-Conference honors, while Head Coach Laura Burnett-Kurie was named Coach-of-the-Year. Ashley Becker (Fy., Farmington, Minn.) was named Rookie-of-the-Year and joined Maddison Ackiss (Jr., Fairbanks, Alaska), Sophie Leininger (So., Plymouth, Minn.) and Josie Mazzone (So., Rapid City, S.D.) on the All-Conference Team.
Nov. 14 – Women’s cross country took 11th out of 30 teams at the NCAA Central Region Meet. Marit Sonnesyn took 15th place and earned All-Region honors, leading the way for the Gusties as she did all season long.
• Men’s cross country placed sixth of 29 teams at the NCAA Central Region Meet, marking the best team finish at a regional meet since 1992. Thomas Knobbe and Paul Nordquist (Sr., Edina, Minn.) led the Gusties on the day, as each earned All-Region honors after placing 28th and 34th, respectively.
• Football finished its season with a 66-9 loss to No. 4-ranked St. Thomas. Despite the season-ending defeat, the Gusties finished with a 7-3 overall record and went 5-3 in the MIAC, which marked the most victories by Gustavus since 2001. Gustavus’s third place finish in the conference was also the best since 2002.
Nov. 17 – Volleyball middle hitter Alyssa Taylor became the fifth Gustie to earn All-America honors in the 47-year history of the program. Taylor was named AVCA Third Team.
Nov. 24 – Thirteen Gusties were recognized by the MIAC in its football postseason honors, highlighted by Head Coach Peter Haugen as he was named Co-Coach-of-the-Year, becoming the first Gustavus coach to earn the honor since Dennis Raarup did so in the 1987 MIAC Championship season. First Team members from Gustavus included Mitch Hendricks (Sr., Bemidji, Minn.), Gabriel Boyce (Sr., Excelsior, Minn.), Matthew Boyce (Sr., Excelsior, Minn.), Scott Newby (Sr., Lakeville, Minn.) and Nick Frandsen (Sr., North Oaks, Minn.); Second Team members included Casey Decker (So., Mapleton, Minn.), Joe Theiler (Jr., Maple Grove, Minn.) and Brendan Boche (So., Lakeville, Minn.); and Honorable Mention went to Jake Douglas (Sr., Montevideo, Minn.), Marcus Kelly (Sr., Woodbury, Minn.), Isaac Kotila (Jr., Buffalo, Minn.) and Kyle Krzmarzick (Sr., Sleepy Eye, Minn.).
Dec. 3 – Women’s soccer players Ashley Becker and Maddison Ackiss were named to the NSCAA All-North Team.
Dec. 7 – Matthew Boyce and Mitch Hendricks were named to the D3football.com All-West Region Team. Boyce was named to the First Team, while Hendricks made the Third Team.
Dec. 18 – Matthew Boyce became just the sixth Gustie football player to garner All America honors twice after being named to the D3football.com All America Second Team.