BLOOMINGTON, Minn. – The Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference honored the league’s top performers in athletics and in the classroom with the announcement of the 2015 Fall Academic All-Conference Teams on Friday.
This fall, a record total of 360 student-athletes earned the prestigious honor, which recognizes combined excellence in academics and athletics. The previous record of 356 was established just one year ago (2014).
Of the 360 Academic All-Conference selections from the fall, 26 were representatives of Gustavus Adolphus College. The breakdown of Gustavus’s honorees included three men’s cross country runners, five women’s cross country runners, three football players, three men’s soccer players, eight women’s soccer players, and four volleyball players.
To earn Academic All-Conference honors, MIAC student-athletes must be a sophomore, junior, or senior with a minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale while also meeting sport-specific athletic requirements, making the award a perfect blend of the balanced excellence championed by the MIAC and NCAA Division III.
Athletically, student-athletes in team sports must compete in 50 percent of their team’s regular-season varsity contests. The team sports eligible were football, volleyball, men’s soccer and women’s soccer. Cross country student-athletes were required to finish in the overall top 100 or their team’s top seven at the 2015 MIAC Cross Country Championship.
Men’s Cross Country (3)
John Benson (Jr., Moorhead, Minn.)
Carston Dammann (So., Lake City, Minn.)
Samuel Renier (Sr., Cambridge, Minn.)
Women’s Cross Country (5)
Mata Agre (Sr., Medina, Minn.)
Lydia Hayes (So., Decorah, Iowa)
Lauren Shurson (Sr, Chanhassen, Minn.)
Marit Sonnesyn (Sr., Plymouth, Minn.)
Stephanie Welke (Jr., Tomahawk, Wis.)
Football (3)
Tyler Jakes (Jr., North Mankato, Minn.)
Marcus Kelly (Sr., Woodbury, Minn.)
Kyle Krzmarzick (Sr., Sleepy Eye, Minn.)
Men’s Soccer (3)
Eli Bjerk (Sr., Stillwater, Minn.)
John Fox (Sr., Maple Grove, Minn.)
Matt Murakami (So., Eden Prairie, Minn.)
Women’s Soccer (8)
Brittany Chase (Sr., Victoria, Minn.)
Molly Johnston (So., Mendota Heights, Minn.)
Kendyl Landeck (Jr., Moscow, Idaho)
Sophie Leininger (So., Plymouth, Minn.)
Josie Mazzone (So., Rapid City, S.D.)
Emily Odermatt (So., Minneapolis, Minn.)
Monica Pelkey (Jr., Oak Grove, Minn.)
Hannah Sturtz (So., Plymouth, Minn.)
Volleyball (4)
Abilene Leitch (So., Mankato, Minn.)
Kelle Nett (Sr., Spring Valley, Ill.)
Alyssa Taylor (Sr., Trimont, Minn.)
Rebecca Woodstra (Sr., Minnetonka, Minn.)