ST. PETER, Minn. – Volleyball setter Nora Holtan (Jr., Rochester, Minn.) and football quarterback Michael Veldman (Jr., Becker, Minn.) have been selected as the Gustavus Adolphus College September Female and Male Student-Athletes-of-the-Month, presented by Thrivent Financial and voted on by the Gustavus Sports Information Department.
Nora Holtan
Volleyball
Hometown: Rochester, Minn.
High School: Rochester Mayo
Major: Exercise Physiology and Psychological Science
Parents: Doug and Betsie Holtan
Holtan holds the key the Gustie offense as she is in her third year as the team’s setter. Last year’s Gustavus Student-Athlete of the Year, Holtan played in all 62 sets during the month of September, accumulating 581 assists, 21 aces, 84 kills, 182 digs, and 15 blocks. She’s tallied seven double-doubles and two triple-doubles with season-highs of 11 kills, 56 assists, and 24 digs. Holtan’s 9.37 assists per set ranks fourth in the MIAC, and in 1,245 total set attempts, she’s only committed 10 ball-handling errors. Holtan helped guide the Gusties to an impressive 15-3 overall record and 4-1 mark in the MIAC during the month of September, along with a No. 11 national ranking in the latest AVCA top-25 poll. Holtan currently has 2,780 career assists, recently surpassing K. Urosevich for fourth all-time in Gustavus program history.
Michael Veldman
Football
Hometown: Becker, Minn.
High School: Becker
Major: Management
Parents: Gregg and Stacy Veldman
Veldman has been the straw that stirs the Gustie offense’s drink, throwing for 1,609 yards in five games, which ranks second in the MIAC. He also ranks second in the league with 123 completions, 14 touchdowns, and third with a 61.8-percent completion rate. Veldman completed at least 16 passes in each of the five games throughout the month, including a season-high 35 completions during a victory at Augsburg, in which he threw for 430 yards and four touchdowns. The Becker native has also done a good job of distributing the ball among all his receivers with completions to 10 different players. Veldman and the Gusties are out to a 3-2 overall record and 2-1 mark in the MIAC.