2019 Gustavus Athletics Year in Review Posted on December 26th, 2019 by CJ Siewert

SAINT PETER, Minn. – There’s no better time to take a look back at the year that was as we prepare to flip the calendar into a new decade. Gustavus Athletics continued to display excellence throughout 2019, so here are a few of the highlights that happened during the past trip around the sun.

Baseball

• won first MIAC championship since 1980 after going 14-6 in the league
• lost twice in the MIAC playoff championship to finish the season 25-13 overall
• Sam Archer, Adam Stockwell, Matt Berkner, and Cole Pengilly earned All-Conference; Brad Baker selected MIAC Coach of the Year

Men’s Basketball

• reached MIAC playoffs for first time in four years after going 8-12 in the conference
• lost to Bethel in the opening round to finish the season 11-15 overall
• Riley Sharbono earned MIAC honorable mention, Nolan Malo All First-Year Team honors
• longtime basketball coach Whitey Skoog (1957-81) died April 4 at the age of 92
• have started the 2019-20 season 3-5 overall and 3-2 in the MIAC

Men’s Cross Country

• fourth of 11 at the MIAC Championships; Garet Grant and Andrew Stumbo earned All-Conference
• seventh of 28 at the NCAA Regional; Grant and Stumbo earned All-Region honors
• Grant (78th) and Stumbo (144th) raced at NCAA Championships

Football

• 7-3 overall and 5-3 in the MIAC for fourth place
• all three loses were to nationally ranked teams
• highlight win of the season was a 35-28 comeback victory at Concordia in the snow; Michael Veldman connected with Josh Kirk for a 78-yard TD pass with 14 seconds left in the game
• Brayton Finch, Zach Jakes, Josh Kirk, Brice Panning, Kaleb Scott, and Michael Veldman earned All-Conference
• Finch and Panning named All-Region
• Panning selected CoSIDA Academic All-America, becoming first football player to do so since 2013

Men’s Golf

• played in five events during the fall and never finished lower than second
• second of 10 at the MIAC Championships
• Jacob Pedersen (second) and Max Ullan (fifth) earned All-Championship Team honors
• ranked No. 7 in the nation heading to the spring season
• longtime golf coach (1973-96) Whitey Skoog died April 4 at the age of 92; won 17 MIAC championships, including 13 straight from 1982-94

Men’s Hockey

• finished 7-17-1 overall and 4-11-1 in the MIAC for eighth place
• Robbie Goor earned All-Conference honorable mention; Toby Sengvongxay All-Rookie Team honors
• highlight win of the season was a 3-1 upset victory over No. 4 Augsburg in Head Coach Brett Petersen’s 500th career game on the Gustie bench
• have started the 2019-20 season 5-6 overall and 2-2 in the MIAC

Men’s Soccer

• won second consecutive MIAC championship, going 9-1 in the conference
• claimed the program’s seventh MIAC playoff title after beating Saint John’s 6-2 in the semifinals and St. Thomas 3-1 in the championship
• beat Colorado College 3-2 in the NCAA opening round before losing to host North Park in penalty kicks in the second round
• Raphael Cattelin, Matt Gibbons, Wesley Sanders, and Cole Schwartz earned All-Conference and All-Region
• Cole Schwartz named First Team All-America after becoming just the fifth player in MIAC history to eclipse 50 points in a season and the first since 1975

Men’s Swim & Dive

• won the MIAC Championship for the first time since 2008
• Tanner Sonnek earned MIAC Co-Swimmer of the Year; Jon Carlson MIAC Coach of the Year
• Sonnek earned All-America honors at the NCAA Championships, taking third in the 200 breaststroke with a school record time, and took fourth in the 100 breaststroke
• have started the 2019-20 season well, winning all six of their meets so far

Men’s Tennis

• claimed 31st consecutive MIAC championships, going 9-0 in the conference
• beat Bethel and Carleton for ninth straight MIAC playoff title
• defeated Grinnell in the NCAA second round before losing to Chicago in the regional championship, finishing the season 20-8
• Chase Johnson and Michael O’Neil selected CoSIDA Academic All-America
• Patrick Whaling named ITA Division III Most Improved Senior
• this fall, Daniel Fouchier and O’Neil earned All-America by winning the ITA Midwest Regional doubles championship, and Indraneel Raut earned All-America by winning his first round singles match at the ITA Cup

Men’s Track & Field

• took fifth at MIAC Indoor and third at Outdoor
• Michael Hensch selected MIAC Outstanding Field Athlete after winning the grand slam of throwing events. He became the first person in MIAC history to win the javelin, shot put, weight throw, and discus at the MIAC Championships
• Taylor Rooney set a MIAC Championships and school record in the 110 hurdles; Andrew Stumbo earned All-Conference in the 10,000 meters
• Hensch named Central Region Field Athlete of the Year and earned All-America at the NCAA Championships in the discus, shot, and hammer

Women’s Basketball

• took fifth in the MIAC after going 11-7 in the conference
• beat Saint Ben’s in the MIAC quarterfinals before losing to St. Thomas in the semifinals to finish the season 15-12
• All-Conference: Justine Lee and Kendall Thompson
• have started the 2019-20 season 8-1 overall and 5-0 in the MIAC, including a 62-57 win over St. Thomas, ending the Tommies’ 77-game MIAC winning streak. Also ranked No. 21 in the latest national poll

Women’s Cross Country

• took fourth of 12 at MIAC Championships; Tierney Winter All-Conference second place finish, which was the best finish by a Gustie since 2005
• 

  Tierney Winter earned the program’s first All-America honor since 2006

  sixth of 30 at the NCAA Regional; Winter earned All-Region with a sixth-place finish; Kourtney Kulseth also earned All-Region

• Winter took 18th place at the NCAA Championships to earn All-America status; the first by a Gustie since 2006.

Women’s Golf

• competed in six events, including a sixth-place finish at the MIAC Championships
• Erin Ericson earned All-Championship Team honors after taking sixth

Gymnastics

• took sixth at the WIAC/NCGA West Regional
• Brooke Merila achieved All-America in the all-around; Amanda Malo was All-America in the all-around and bars
• Malo named NCGA West Region Gymnast of the Year

Women’s Hockey

• took fourth in the MIAC with an 11-4-4 record in conference play
• beat Saint Mary’s in the MIAC quarterfinals before losing to St. Thomas in the semifinals to finish 16-6-5 overall
• Amanda DiNella, Allie Stanger, and Amelia Vosen earned All-Conference; Kayla Vrieze All-Rookie Team
• have started the 2019-20 season ranked No. 4 in the nation at 9-1-1 overall and 5-0-1 in the MIAC

Women’s Soccer

• finished 6-12 overall and 4-7 in the MIAC
• Ashley Becker became the third player in program history to earn All-Conference honors all four seasons
• Becker also set the program record with 397 career saves

Softball

• finished 17-19 overall and 8-14 in the MIAC for eighth place
• Aly Freeman earned All-Conference and CoSIDA Academic All-America honors

Women’s Swim & Dive

• Second place at the MIAC Championships
• Maggie Webster competed at the NCAA Championships, earning All-America honorable mention in the 50 freestyle
• have started the 2019-20 season by winning six meets

Women’s Tennis

• took second in the MIAC, going 9-1; finished the season 19-12 overall
• Ginger Valentine had a successful fall season, taking second at the ITA Midwest Regional singles tournament and competing in the ITA Cup

Women’s Track & Field

• fifth place at MIAC Indoor and fourth at Outdoor
• Annalee Olson-Sola named MIAC Outstanding Field Athlete, winning the shot put and second in the discus
• Katie Keelin and Olson-Sola earned All-Region
• Keelin competed at NCAA Championships, taking 13th in the hammer

Volleyball

• rebuilding season after losing a number of four-year starters; finished 14-15 overall and 7-4 in the MIAC for fifth place
• Hailey Embacher and Kate Holtan earned All-Conference
• Holtan named AVCA All-Region and All-America honorable mention for the third year