PIO PRIDE

Football Making Strides

The men’s football squad clinched its first back-to-back winning season since 2014-2015, and its first winning CCIW conference schedule since 1989-1990, finishing fourth in the conference. The Pioneers set new records, including the most first downs in one game with 34. Quarterback Josh Raby, a junior, set records for scoring in a single game, being responsible for seven touchdowns, and for the most total offensive yards by a single player in one game, with 420. Carroll landed six players on the CCIW all-conference team. On offense, first-year student Reed Breckheimer, junior Austin Eichstaedt and sophomore Trevor Pye, were all second-team selections, while on defense, sophomores Jake Binkowski and Damon Loker were named to the second team. First-year student Will Campbell was named the 2022 CCIW Football First Year Student-Athlete of the Year. Campbell was later selected to the D3football.com All-Region 5 Second Team, the only first-year student-athlete on the 2022 list.

STUDENT-ATHLETE HONORED

Junior Joshua Gonzaga of the men’s soccer team secured a tryout with the Philippines Men’s U22 National Football Team in February. Gonzaga was born in the U.S. but was granted dual citizenship as a child, since both of his parents were born in the Philippines. Gonzaga traveled to the Philippines for the week-long tryout. The tryout was to secure a spot on the call-up team to compete at the 2023 Southeast Asian Games in Cambodia this May. Gonzaga is a two-time CCIW All-Conference selection.

MEN’S SOCCER REACH TOURNEY

The men’s soccer team clinched its first-ever CCIW tournament bid after a 3-5 conference season and an 8-9 regular season. Carroll, which made its first post-season appearance since 2015, landed two players on the CCIW all-conference list: first-team selection Josh Gonzaga and second-team selection Martí Solanellas Vielella.

Runners Set The Pace

Carroll cross country runner Elizabeth Reddeman qualified for the 2022 NCAA DIII Cross Country National Championship this season, the first Pioneer to do so since 2011. Reddeman finished 170th overall and was an all-region and all-conference selection for the Pioneers. Spencer Kirsteatter was named all-region and all-conference on the men’s side, while Alison Klostermann, and Annika Johnson raced to all-conference honors at the 2022 CCIW Cross Country Championships.

A SECOND FOR WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

The women’s basketball team finished in second place in the CCIW regular season for the first time since 199091. Carroll was a second seed in the CCIW Women’s Basketball Tournament, earning a first-round bye, and played in its third-straight CCIW semifinals game, an unfortunate loss to Augustana. Sophomore Olivia Rangel, senior Brooke Foster and junior Allison Thompson were named to the CCIW Women’s Basketball All-Conference list, with Rangel Carroll’s first-ever unanimous first-team selection. Foster and Thompson were chosen on the second team. Rangel, Foster, senior Kate Christian and graduate student Katie Evans were also named College Sports Communicators Women’s Basketball Academic AllDistrict players.

Ball Squad Has Winning Season

Junior right-side hitter Katie Jensen helped lead the Pioneer women’s volleyball team to its first winning season since 2018. Jensen was named second-team all-conference by the CCIW for her efforts. The team finished with 15 wins and 14 losses.

Track And Field Sends Four To Nationals

Junior Vanessa Uitenbroek became Carroll’s first-ever indoor women’s shot-put thrower to become an AllAmerican. Uitenbroek finished eighth in the event at the 2023 NCAA DIII Indoor Track and Field National Championship in Birmingham, Alabama in March. Sophomore Maria Falk finished in 11th place. At that same meet, senior Mary Quinn became the university’s first studentathlete to compete in the women’s national pentathlon, finishing 19th in the field, and Steven Hermsen finished his indoor track career with a 10th-place finish in the men’s shotput event.

Prior to that, Carroll’s track and field teams had four CCIW champions and set three new records at the 2023 CCIW Indoor Championships. Quinn won the pentathlon, broke school records in the pentathlon and the 60-meter hurdles portion of the event, set personal records in every pentathlon event, and was named 2023 CCIW Women’s Indoor Field Athlete of the Meet. Uitenbroek tied the CCIW meet record for the women’s indoor shot put to win the event. Graduate student David Burgess won the men’s high jump, while graduate student Peter Marra won the men’s 60-meter hurdles. Hermsen broke his own school record in the men’s shot put, finishing in second place.

Mertler To Coach Volleyball

Emma Mertler joined the women’s volleyball program as new head coach in February.

Mertler comes to Carroll after a two-year stint at Morningside University as the assistant coach of the men’s volleyball program. Mertler worked alongside the defensive specialists during practice and performed administrative duties relating to travel, eligibility, scouting reports and recruiting.

“I want to thank Athletic Director Mike Schulist, and the entire hiring committee for the opportunity to lead the Pioneer women’s volleyball program,” said Mertler. “I felt right at home as soon as I stepped on campus. I am excited to start working with the current members of the team to create a new identity and a strong culture within the program.”

“We are beyond excited to welcome Emma to the Pioneer family,” said Michael Schulist, Carroll’s director of athletics. “Her enthusiasm for coaching and leading young women was evident the moment she arrived.”

Mertler graduated from Lakeland University with a Master of Science in Leadership and Organizational Development. She was a member of the Muskies volleyball program for four seasons as the libero, recording 1,436 digs across 442 sets played, in addition to 137 service aces.

WOMEN’S SOCCER ADVANCE IN TOURNEY

After a 10-3-5 regular season record and a 3-1-4 CCIW record, the women’s soccer team returned to the CCIW tournament for the first time since 2017 as the fourth seed. Carroll won its first CCIW tournament game in program history, in a double-overtime thriller against Augustana College at Schneider Stadium. Carroll was led by three all-conference performers: first-team selections Grace Tumilty and Elizabeth Weinberg and second-team selection Jessica Stepien. Tumilty was added to the United Soccer Coaches Third-Team All-Region.