ST. PETER, Minn. – The Gustavus Adolphus College Athletics Department has chosen nine individuals for induction into its Athletics Hall of Fame. The 2017 inductees include Brian Bergstrom ’02 (Football), Ryan Britz ’00 (Football), Sarah Garrison Moe ’02 (Hockey), Alicia Golembeski ’02 (Golf), Chad Gustafson ’01 (Golf), Brad Mazer ’02 (Baseball), Brenda Magoba ’97 (Track & Field), Rauha Rahkola ’97 (Cross Country/Track & Field), and Jerry Connolly (Coach). This group will be honored at the Athletics Hall of Fame Banquet, which will be held in Alumni Hall on Saturday, Sept. 23, following the Homecoming football game against Hamline at 1 p.m.
Individuals eligible for induction into the Gustavus Athletics Hall of Fame are athletes, coaches, and benefactors. Selection of athletes is based on athletic achievements while a student at Gustavus. Eight of the nine members of the Gustavus Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2017 will be inducted for their accomplishments as athletes, while one, Jerry Connolly, will be inducted as a coach. Alicia Golembeski will be inducted posthumously, having passed away in 2006.
Brian Bergstrom, a Burnsville, Minn. native, exemplified what is means to be a student-athlete, earning First Team CoSIDA Academic All-America honors twice, 2001 Hewlett-Packard All-America honorable mention, and three consecutive MIAC All-Conference honors before receiving an NCAA postgraduate scholarship. Bergstrom led the team in tackles from 1999-2001 and finished with 407 career tackles after playing in all 40 games during his collegiate career.
Ryan Britz, a St. Peter, Minn. native, was a workhorse running back for the Gusties in the late 1990s, earning All-Conference honors his junior and senior seasons. Britz split carries out of the backfield and proved to be a receiving threat as well, finishing his career with 1,260 rushing and 891 receiving yards for a total of 2,151 all-purpose yards. The 1999 team captain played in all but three games throughout his four seasons and scored 25 touchdowns.
Sarah Garrison Moe, a West Des Moines, Iowa native, is one of the most decorated players in Gustavus women’s hockey history. Garrison Moe was named the 2002 Women’s Hockey College Division Player of the Year, claimed two All-America honors, was twice named MIAC Player of the Year, and earned three All-Conference awards as a Gustie. She holds programs records with most goals in a game (6), career goals (80), and career hat tricks (9).
Alicia Golembeski, a Waconia, Minn. native, earned All-America honors in 2002 after taking fourth place at the NCAA Championships. Golembeski claimed All-Conference honors all four seasons, placing in the top-five at the MIAC Championships each season, culminating with the conference individual championship her senior year.
Chad Gustafson, a Forest Lake, Minn. native, claimed All-America honors in 2000 and 2001, taking 12th and 10th place, respectively, at the NCAA Championships. Gustafson was named a Golf Coaches Association Scholar Athlete his senior year and All-Conference in 1999. He was also a member of two MIAC team championships.
Brad Mazer, an Orono, Minn. native, was the first All-American in Gustavus baseball history after claiming the MIAC Most Valuable Player award in 2002. Mazer earned All-Conference all four seasons as a catcher and is the program record holder in season doubles (18), season home runs (14), career doubles (54), career runs scored (135), and career home runs (35). His .421 career batting average, 210 career hits, and 144 career RBI are second best in school history.
Brenda Magoba, a St. Cloud, Minn. native, earned 11 All-Conference awards as a throwing specialist during the indoor and outdoor track & field seasons of the mid-1990s. Magoba claimed the MIAC shot put title in both the indoor and outdoor seasons of 1996, taking 10th at the NCAA Championships each season. Her outdoor shot put of 43-5.5 at the 1996 MIAC Championships set the school record. Magoba also earned two All-America honors in 1997, taking fifth in the shot put and ninth in the discus at the national meet.
Rauha Rahkola, a Birchwood Village, Minn. native, captured All-Conference honors three times in cross country and five times in track & field. Rahkola owns the program’s second-best finish at the NCAA Cross Country Championships, taking 19th overall in 1995. On the track, Rahkola holds the school record in the 1500-meter (3:54.55) and 5000-meter (14:44.23). Rahkola earned All-America honors once and was a two-time All-Region selection.
Jerry Connolly, an Eagan, Minn. native, was the head coach of Gustavus gymnastics from 1992-2000 and claimed back-to-back national championships in 1993 and 1994. Connolly coached 16 gymnasts that earned 39 All-America distinctions and four gymnasts that earned five national event championships.
The selection of the inductees to the Gustavus Hall of Fame is made by the Gustavus Hall of Fame Board, which is an 11-member group consisting of current athletic administrators, and former coaches and alumni.