(Photos courtesy of David Faulkner, SPX Sports)
SAINT PETER, Minn. – Volleyball outside hitter Kate Holtan (Jr., Rochester) and football quarterback Michael Veldman (Sr., Becker) have been named Gustavus Female and Male Student-Athletes of the Month, which is voted on by the Gustavus Sports Information Department and presented by Thrivent Financial.
Kate Holtan
Volleyball
Hometown: Rochester, Minn.
Major: Exercise Management
Parents: Doug and Betsie Holtan
Holtan, who was named MIAC Volleyball Hitter of the Week and also recorded her 1,000th career kill during the month of October, helped the Gustavus volleyball team weave its way into the MIAC playoffs with outstanding attacking numbers. Holtan started her month off with a season-high 17 kills against St. Catherine on Oct. 2, but quickly set the bar higher, as she notched a career-high 25 kills in a four-set win over Hamline on Oct. 5. She followed that up with a 16-kill effort against St. Thomas on Oct. 9, in a match where she recorded her 1,000th career kill, becoming the 15th Gustie join to join the elite club. The Rochester native put up at least 12 kills in all 11 of the team’s matches during the month of October and went on to post at 20 or more kills in three more matches during a month in which she had 191 kills and averaged 4.24 kills per set. The junior was also solid defensively for the Gusties, posting nine double-doubles in the month, thanks to 139 digs.
Michael Veldman
Football
Hometown: Becker, Minn.
Major: Management
Parents: Gregg and Stacy Veldman
The Gusties went 3-0 during the month of October and a big reason for their success was the steady play of Veldman. In the three contests, Veldman completed 55-of-71 passes for a completion percentage of 77.5 and a total of 1,007 yards. He threw for 13 touchdowns in the month as well as rushing for one. Veldman had a record setting day on Oct. 26 in the team’s win over Augsburg, when he threw for 317 yards and seven touchdown passes, with the passing touchdowns tying a single-game school and MIAC record. His performance at Augsburg earned him MIAC Player of the Week honors. On Oct. 12 in the team’s win over Concordia-Moorhead, Veldman threw for 405 yards and three scores, marking just the sixth time in school history, and third time for Veldman, a Gustie quarterback has thrown for over 400 yards in a game. Starting with the Gusties’ last possession at Concordia, the offense of the Black and Gold kicked it into overdrive with Veldman in the shotgun, as the team scored on 14 straight possessions with the Becker native calling the plays.