SPORTS

Birgen Nelson ’23 winning the 100-hurdles fi nal at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Geneva, Ohio. Her time—13.44—broke a national record that stood for 24 years. Among her many other accolades is the title of Gustavus Female Athlete of the Year.

“WHAT A DREAM COME TRUE!”

The 2022 Gustavus women’s outdoor Track & Field season was a banner one, ending with the program’s fi rst MIAC championship, fi rst top fi ve fi nish at the NCAA Championships, and multiple records broken.

Leading the squad all season was the trio of Elizabeth Donnelly (Sr., Langely, Wash.), Birgen Nelson (Jr., Edina), and Annika Poe (Jr., Big Lake). All three earned All-America status at the national meet, highlighted by Nelson’s national championship win in the 100-hurdles with a Division III record time of 13.44. She also took second in the 400-hurdles. Donnelly took fi fth in the 800-meter and Poe placed sixth in the shot put. All four events for the Gusties at the NCAA meet featured school-record marks.

Nelson earned two All-America honors at the NCAA Outdoor Championships for the second consecutive season and joined an elite group of Gustie women to earn four NCAA Outdoor All-America honors. (The other two are Jackie Luehmann ’04 and Lisa Brown ’09.)

“Once I set the nerves aside, I knew I could execute my race plans and come away a national champion,” Nelson said. “And to get to share in this success with my teammates and friends from other schools who earned All-America honors is the cherry on top.”

Performing well on the track was not exclusive for Donnelly and Nelson as both earned CoSIDA Academic All-America honors for their combined success on the track and in the classroom.

At the MIAC championship meet, the team claimed eight event titles and nine individual All-Conference performances. The Gusties swept the MIAC postseason awards as Nelson won both the MIAC Outstanding Track Athlete and Outstanding Performance of the Meet, while Poe was named Outstanding Field Athlete and Aaron Lund earned MIAC Women’s Coach of the Year.

Baseball

The Gusties collected the most wins in a season since 2006 after going 28-14 overall and 13-7 in the MIAC for third place. They broke seven team records, highlighted by 55 home runs. Jack Hanson (Sr., Minnetonka) earned First Team All-America honors and MIAC Player of the Year while setting four individual records, and was named Gustavus Male Athlete of the Year. Ethan Mocchi (Sr., Champlin) and Bryce Novak (Jr., Cleveland) joined Hanson on the All-Region Team, while Gavin Baker (Jr., Lakeville), Andrew Gustafson (Jr., Maplewood), and Lane Glaser (Jr., Hutchinson) joined on the AllConference Team.

Softball

The Gusties reached the MIAC postseason tournament for the first time since 2016 but lost a close 6-5 decision at Saint Benedict in the first round. The team finished with a 15-22 overall record and went 10-12 in the MIAC for sixth place. Kaylyn Leonard (Sr., Plymouth), Madelyn Mueller (So., North Mankato), and Piper Otto (So., Brooklyn Park) were selected All-Conference.

Men’s Tennis

The Gusties won their 33rd consecutive MIAC championship with another perfect conference record of 9-0 and advanced to their 10th consecutive NCAA region championship match where they lost to eventual national champion Chicago 5-2, finishing the season at 24-11. Nick Aney (Sr., Rochester) highlighted the postseason awards, winning the MIAC Elite 22 Award, MIAC Arthur Ashe Award, and his second consecutive First Team CoSIDA Academic All-America honor. Chase Johnson ’19 was named the ITA Central Region Assistant Coach of the Year.

Women’s Tennis

The Gusties claimed their 30th MIAC championship with a perfect 10-0 league record. They shut out Bethel in the MIAC playoff semifinals but lost to Carleton in the championship match, finishing the season 19-7 overall. Sydney Douglas (Sr., North Mankato), Yuki Oda (Jr., Kawasaki, Japan), Simona Potockova (Sr., Nova’ Dubnica, Slovakia), and Anna Stutz (Sr., Dellwood) were named All-Conference, while Jon Carlson earned his 10th MIAC Coach of the Year honor. Alli Laux (So., Onalaska, Wis.) won the MIAC Elite 22 Award.

Men’s Golf

The Gusties earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Championships, appearing in the national tournament for the 27th time in program history. They finished 24th while Jacob Pedersen (Sr., Minnetonka) was named Third Team All-America and earned his second MIAC Player of the Year honor. Max Ullan (Sr., Blaine) was selected All-America honorable mention. Wyatt Wasko (Jr., Lake Elmo) joined Pedersen and Ullan on the All-Region Team. All three were also All-Conference. Scott Moe ’95 earned his eighth MIAC Coach of the Year honor.

Women’s Golf

The Gusties competed in four events during a weather-shortened spring season, highlighted by a second-place finish at the Wartburg Spring Invite. Emily Kratz (Sr., Edina) was named AllRegion, while Erin Ericson (Sr., Onalaska, Wis.) and Sydney Regalado (Sr., Rosemount) joined the All-Conference Team. Randy Stuckey ’83 was named the WGCA Division III Assistant Coach of the Year.

Men’s Outdoor Track & Field

The Gusties competed in 10 events leading up to the MIAC Championships where they placed fifth. There were no All-Conference performers, but the Gusties scored in eight different events at the conference meet, highlighted by the 4x100 and 4x400 relays both finishing second.

NEXT

August 27 | Women’s and Men’s Cross Country Alumni Meet

September 1 | Men’s Soccer Home opener (v. Wartburg) 3 p.m.

September 7 | Women’s Soccer Home Opener (v. Bethany Lutheran) 4 p.m.

September 17 | Football Home Opener (v. Wis.-Stout) 1 p.m.

September 30 | Volleyball Home Opener (v. Carleton) 7 p.m.

October 8 | HOMECOMING Football (v. St. Scholastica) + Men’s and Women’s Soccer (v. Concordia) See page 32