SAINT PETER, Minn. – Volleyball setter Nora Holtan (Sr., Rochester, Minn.) and football quarterback Michael Veldman (Sr., Becker, Minn.) have been named Gustavus Male and Female Student-Athletes of the Month, which is voted on by the Gustavus Sports Information Department and presented by Thrivent Financial.
Nora Holtan
Volleyball
Hometown: Rochester, Minn.
Major: Exercise Physiology and Psychological Science
Parents: Doug and Betsie Holtan
A two-time Gustavus Student-Athlete of the Year, Holtan played in all 43 sets during the month of October, notching 463 assists, 13 service aces, 52 kills, 105 digs, and 20 blocks. She’s recorded four double-doubles, matched a season-high of 53 digs twice, and tied her season high in digs twice with 14. During the month, Holtan helped guide the Gusties to an 11-0 overall record, as well as a 6-0 MIAC record, along with a No. 8 ranking in the latest AVCA top-25 poll. Being named MIAC Setter of the Week once, Holtan also received national recognition by being the first Gustavus volleyball player in program history to earn the Sports Imports/AVCA Division III Player of the Week award. Holtan received the award the same week she broke a 22-year old Gustavus record by surpassing Jess Lobben’s (1993-96) career assists mark of 4,201 to become the Gusties’ all-time assists leader. On Wednesday, Holtan was named MIAC Player of the Year for the third straight season, becoming the second player in MIAC history to achieve that feat.
Michael Veldman
Football
Hometown: Becker, Minn.
Major: Management
Parents: Gregg and Stacy Veldman
Thanks to exceptional play from Veldman, the Gusties went a perfect 4-0 in the month of October. In the four contests, Veldman completed 75-of-106 passes for a completion percentage of 70.8 and a total of 1,073 yards. He threw for seven touchdowns on the month and ran for four, which triples his career rushing touchdown total. In his most recent performance against Carleton, Veldman passed for 417 yards, threw three touchdowns, and ran for two more touchdowns to earn himself MIAC player of the week honors. Veldman’s 417-yard passing performance – the fourth highest single game mark in program history – increased his career total to 4,147 yards, which ranks ninth in program history and is 42 yards shy of passing Sean Smith (2000-03) for eighth place.