LINFIELD UNIVERSITY SOCCER VERSUS GEORGE FOX • OCTOBER 11, 2024
Head
WOMEN'S GOLF
MEN'S GOLF
AUG. 28 LANE CC (Exhibition) 7 P.M.
Aug. 30 at Bushnell 6 p.m.
SEPT. 2 WARNER PACIFIC4:30 P.M.
Sept. 7 at Bridgewater State 4 p.m. EDT
Sept. 8 at Eastern Mennonite 4 p.m. EDT
SEPT. 15 PACIFIC NOON
Sept. 18 at Pacific 5 p.m.
Sept. 21 at Puget Sound Noon
Sept. 22 at Pacific LutheranNoon
SEPT. 28 WHITMAN NOON
SEPT. 29 WHITWORTH NOON
Oct. 2 at Lewis & Clark 5 p.m.
OCT. 11 GEORGE FOX 5 P.M.
Oct. 13 at Willamette Noon
OCT. 19 PACIFIC LUTHERAN NOON
OCT. 20 PUGET SOUND NOON
Oct. 26 at Whitworth Noon
DATE OPPONENT TIME
Aug. 21 at Western Oregon (exhibition) 3 p.m.
AUG. 30 COLUMBIA BASIN C.C. 5 P.M.
SEPT. 2 EVERGREEN STATE 7 P.M.
SEPT. 6 CALTECH 7 P.M.
SEPT. 12 CAL LUTHERAN 7 P.M.
SEPT. 15 PACIFIC 2:45 P.M.
Sept. 18 at Pacific 7:45 p.m.
Sept. 21 at Puget Sound 2:45 p.m.
Sept. 22 at Pacific Lutheran
SEPT. 28 WHITMAN
SEPT. 29 WHITWORTH
Oct. 2 at Lewis & Clark
OCT. 11 GEORGE FOX
12 LEWIS & CLARK
Head Coach: Joseph Smith (148-28, 18th year)
Assistant Coaches: Jackson Vaughan, Brett Elliott, Neil Fendall, Bob Barnes, Nicholas Kernaghan, Greg McAnally, Justin Lyons, DATE OPPONENTTIME
Oct. 27 at Whitman Noon
OCT. 30 LEWIS & CLARK 5 P.M.
NOV. 9 WILLAMETTE 11 A.M
Nov. 10 at George Fox 11 a.m.
Head Coach: Andy Duvall (fifth year)
Assistant Coach: Alex Ponce
WELCOME TO LINFIELD UNIVERSITY
COMMUNICATIONS
Conner
STATISTICS
Cade Johanssen
PUBLIC ADDRESS AND SCOREBOARD
Emerson Teller
VIDEO WEBCASTS
Levi Jones, Joe Stuart
VIDEO CAMERA
Joel Nelson
EVENT PROGRAM
Kelly Bird, Conner Jensen, Jake Downing, Felipe Unker
WILDCAT SPOTLIGHT
everything happens for a reason
An arduous recovery from a season-ending injury taught goalkeeper Alexa Fritz to be patient and trust the journey
by KELLEN WIGGINS ’28
At Linfield University, Alexa Fritz is enjoying the opportunity to pursue her true passion of soccer while being heavily invested in her academic career of biochemistry and molecular biology (BCMB). Her experiences as a student-athlete are setting her on a course to achieve her future goal of helping others in need.
For Fritz, science has always been of great interest. Attending Linfield is allowing her to simultaneously live out her childhood passions of soccer and science.
“Overall, I’ve known I’ve wanted to become a science major since middle school,” says the junior goalkeeper from Bend, Oregon. “I’m so thankful for this opportunity to play soccer at the next level and continue studying what I love.”
Science has a vast array of subjects. This made picking a major in the first place difficult because of the many paths science offers. Fritz settled on BCMB as a major because of the flexibility it provides. The BCMB major allows students to not be tied down into one area of science. For Fritz, who loves exploring different areas of science, this was a perfect match.
“I decided on my BCMB major because it made the most sense for me as a pre-med major,” she says. “I wasn’t constrained to biology or chemistry.”
One thing is for certain: there will be lot’s more schooling ahead once she’s completed her four years at Linfield.
“I have plans to go to med school and become a doctor,” she says. “I am unsure where my focus would be though.”
Along with working as a doctor, Fritz also hopes to be an educator further down the line. The common theme with Fritz is obvious. She just wants to help people, whether that’s as a medical clinician or helping educate the future workforce so they can help others down the line.
“Wherever I end up, I want to be the most caring and compassionate individual,” Fritz says. “I want everyone I encounter to feel comfortable and cared for.”
Soccer has been a big part of Fritz’s life to this point. Through soccer, Fritz has learned how to manage time. It’s well known that time management as a student-athlete is essential, since finding the balance between the two is a challenge that many run into at some point. But soccer has taught her how to successfully manage time. It’s an essential skill for medical
practitioners as patients rely healthcare professionals to be spot-on in their time management.
“As most people would say, playing a sport requires good time management skills and that is one of the biggest benefits.”
Fritz has also learned how to grow relationships. In life, it’s important to have healthy relationships with others, knowing that real-world relationships will help get you through challenges. Soccer enabled Fritz to develop relationships with teammates as together they go to battle on the field to achieve a common goal.
Being a team member requires communication so all teammates can be on the same page. Without communication, operations can quickly fall apart. It’s a life skill Fritz will certainly carry forward knowing how it important it is for her and her other colleagues to be on the
“The relationships I have made through the sport mean the world to me,” she says. “They have allowed me to learn so much about myself.”
During Fritz’s sophomore season of soccer, she suffered a broken collarbone which required surgery. The season-ending injury required surgeons to install a metal plate with 10 screws connecting her bones back together. Fritz quickly realized how difficult being injured is. oad to recovery opened my eyes and made me realize how strong those who get injured are.”
The injury taught Fritz two key lessons. Recovering athletes must be patient and trust the journey because everything happens for a reason. Being hurt is physically and psychologically painful, but choosing a positive attitude is the best way forward. Fritz learned those lessons the hard way.
She knows now to “trust the journey I am on and how everything happens for a reason.
The long road back also taught me patience.” Fritz is blessed to have many supporting figures who helped guided her through her difficulties. She is thankful to everyone who impacted her, especially her mother, Claire
“My mother has helped me get to where
Using the experience of her own the journey through recovery, combined with a natural interest in science, there’s no doubt Alexa Fritz will one day be making a significant impact in society as a medical professional or educator.
PROUD PARTNER OF LINFIELD ATHLETICS
SOCCER AND LACROSSE COMPLEX
THE DREAM OF A MODERN soccer and lacrosse facility at Linfield University has become reality.
The first phase of a $1.55 million project to revamp the current soccer and lacrosse facility was completed in December 2020. Phase 2 is planed to get underway once funding is secured.
The vision for substantially upgrading the Linfield Soccer and Lacrosse Complex has been discussed for many years. With the help of private funding from a cross-section of donors, the project is proceding in two phases.
In Phase 1 of the project, the natural grass field was converted to
FieldTurfTM, providing Linfield teams an ideal year-round practice and playing surface while substantially reducing maintenance and game setup costs. The field was draped with branded mesh screening, providing for a more intimate and enclosed setting. Six enclosed storage spaces to house team equipment and supplies are included in Phase 1.
Phase 2 calls for a new seating for 250 spectators as well as an adjoining paved plaza. It includes construction of a new pressbox on the west side of the field. Phase 2 could begin as early as 2021.
Dressing rooms for the women’s lacrosse and men’s and women’s soccer and teams are included as part of a multi-purpose structure planned for the stadium’s northwest corner. The new building will also contain a dressing room for visiting teams and game officials, restrooms and a concession stand.
Under the leadership of Linfield alumnus Rob Gloeckner of Tarkett Sports, the grass field was converted to a FieldTurfTM surface. The custombranded storage containers are being furnished by Boxwell co-founder Rod Bolls, a former Wildcats soccer player.
HEAD COACH STEVE SIMMONS
Steve Simmons is in the sixth year of his second tenure as Linfield women’s soccer coach.
Simmons’ resumé sports 15 years of Division I coaching experience at Oregon State and Northern Illinois, in addition to serving five years as head coach of the Linfield men’s and women’s soccer and women’s lacrosse programs from 1996 until 2000.
Simmons, who owns a career record of 196-174-37 in 21 seasons as a collegiate head coach.
During his first tenure at Linfield, he took over a men’s team that went 1-150 in 1995 and led the Wildcats to three seasons of double-digit wins, including a 21-1-1 mark in 2000. That team knocked off top-ranked Ohio Wesleyan in the NCAA Division III quarterfinals
before losing in the NCAA Division III semifinals to eventual national champion Messiah. On the women’s side, the Wildcats rose from ninth place to fourth place in his final season as coach.
Most recently, Simmons spent nine years as head coach of the Oregon State men’s soccer program. During his OSU tenure, the Beavers produced three MLS first round picks.
A graduate of Chugiak High School in Eagle River, Alaska, Simmons earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Concordia in 1990. He received a master’s degree in physical education from Gonzaga in 1996.
He and his wife, Maria, have three grown children.
2024 LINFIELD WOMEN
Back row (l to r): Rae Gerking, Jordan Stoner, Kamahie Samudio, Sofia Pietrok, Sidra Griffin, Izzy Thompson, Jenna Stanley, Avery Pratt, Makayla Christensen, Jocelyn Jacobs, Amalia Tufts, Mia Arellano, Madelyn Boettcher.
Middle Row: Assistant Coach Carole Thomas, Assistant Coach Madi Reimer, Kami Echiverii, Lize Rendon, Sophie Eakin, Ruby Lacktrup, Parker Vale, McKenzie Heckman, Marley Ells, Reese Jones, Ava Vargas-Quiroz, Mia Curtaz, Saylor Swanson, Alyssa Ortega, Maddy Baker, Assistant Coach Erin Lutz, Head Coach Steve Simmons.
Front row: Jaeda Doctolero, Julia Alvarez, Riley Omonaka, Alexa Fritz, Faith Richards, Tati Zahajko, Maddie Funk, Emilee Miller, Kylie Rouspil, Jazz Gasca, Yaya Rodriguez, Lena Caballero Uhtoff.
MEET THE LINFIELD WOMEN
MADDIE FUNK | 0
| Freshman | GK Livermore, California
alexa fritz | 1
| Junior | GK Bend, Oregon
Lena Caballero Uhtoff | 4 5-1 | Freshman | M Ashland, Oregon mia curtaz| 10
riley omonaka |13
| Senior | M Renton, Washington
ruby lacktrup | 22
Lize rendon | 27
| Junior | M Portland, Oregon
KAMAHIE SAMUDIO | 11
| Senior | F Lahaina, Hawaii
SOPHIE EAKIN | 12
| Sophomore | M Tacoma, Washington
AYLSSA ORTEGA| 5
| Freshman | M Eagle Point, Oregon
aVA VARGAS-QUIROZ| 23
| Freshman | F Roseville, California
Madelyn BOETTCHER | 33 5-7 | Sophomore | D Pleasant Hill, Oregon
sidra griffin | 14 5-7 | Senior | M Duvall, Washington
kylie rouspil | 48
5-4 | Freshman | GK San Carlos, California
MADELINE ELIASSEN Certified Athletic Trainer Third Year Erin LUTZ Assistant Coach Fourth Year
carole thomas Assistant Coach First Year
JENNA STANLEY | 18 5-8 | Junior | D Puyallup, Washington
Julia alvarez | 9 5-1 | Freshman | F Seattle, Washington
MIA ARELLANO | 21
| Sophomore | D Tacoma, Washington
simmons Head Coach
MEET THE LINFIELD WOMEN
match breakdown
6 marley ells
THE RECORDS
Entering the week, Linfield (5-3-3, 3-3-1 NWC) finds itself tied for third in the NWC standings after a tie with Lewis & Clark last week. George Fox (4-5-1, 1-4-1 NWC) sits at the bottom of the NWC standings, tied for last with Lewis & Clark and Pacific.
LINFIELD AT A GLANCE
Linfield has avoided the loss column for three straight matches and looks to continue the momentum as it crosses the season’s midway point. The Wildcats’ defense has been a staple in 2024 with goalkeeper Alexa Fritz recording six clean sheets on the season to go along with 28 saves. Offensively, Julia Alvarez leads the way with three goals while graduate student Rae Gerking adds two to go along with two assists. Sidra Griffin leads the Wildcats in minutes played with 905.
GEORGE FOX AT A GLANCE
The Bruins are averaging 1.1 goals per game while allowing 1.7 to opponents. Becca Kozak paces the George Fox attack with four goals while Willa Evans and Liv Haima have added two. Emily Robey has taken over goalkeeping duties, registering 31 saves and 10 goals allowed on the season.
SERIES HISTORY
The all-time series between Linfield and George Fox in nearly deadlocked with Linfield trailing 24-25-10. The past two meetings have resulted in ties and the ‘Cats hold a 16-9-2 advantage at home.
LINFIELD WOMEN
GEORGE FOX WOMEN
MANAGED IT SERVICES
HEAD COACH ANDREW DUVALL
AAndrew Duvall is in his fifth year as head coach of the Linfield men’s soccer program. Duvall came to Linfield after spending eight years as assistant men’s coach at Concordia University-Portland.
While at Concordia, Duvall managed a multitude of responsibilities, including recruiting, team training, academic mentorship, team travel, program budgeting, camps, team equipment and team scheduling.
The CU men’s program compiled a record of 90-60-14 during Duvall’s tenure, all while transitioning from an NAIA institution to a full-fledged member of NCAA Division II.
As a player, Duvall lettered four seasons in soccer at Concordia from 1999-2002, playing in 73 career matches. He began as an assistant coach at Concordia in 2011.
He holds a United States Soccer Federation (USSF) National B License and a USSF National Youth License. He completed a bachelor’s degree in psychology at Concordia in 2003 and went on to earn a master’s degree in physical education with a concentration in sport administration and coaching from the University of New Mexico in 2011.
Duvall has been a head coach, age group coordinator, assistant director of coaching and director of coaching for various youth soccer organizations in Washington, New Mexico and Oregon.
At Concordia, Duvall served as the athletic department’s director of internal operations, facilities coordinator, and taught courses as an adjunct professor within the School of Management and Department of Exercise and Sport Science.
A Heritage of Confident Service
Macy & Son is in the business of helping people and meeting the individual needs of McMinnville area families for five generations.
2024 LINFIELD MEN
Middle row: Head Coach Andrew Duvall, Jamis Gonzalez, Andrew Darco, Sid Kosaris, Nick Reggiani, Angel Hernandez, Charlie Strong, Andrew Ortiz, Ronan Hodge, Tate Bliss, Aedan Carroll, Blake Tasci, Cameron Gaines, Johann Singh Sanchez, Assistant Coach Alex Ponce.
Front row: Santiago Freile, Ryan Valdez, Marco Orlando, Riley Rama, Jose Yanez, Cade Alaniz, Jaren Nishikawa, Wyatt Ackermann, Sam Haynes, Patrick Moes, E.J. Sablan, Aidan Crossler, Anson Agapay, Oli Gaines.
Back row (l to r): Evan Stafford, David Contreras, Radule Bozovic, Ryan Hutchison, Luke Smith, Jacob Toves, Matty Hourigan, Colby Reese, Anderson Kelly, Keegan Brooks, Ross Vargo, Noah Stanley, Reece Gaines.
noah stanley | 30 6-1 | Junior | D Bakersfield, California
Radule bozovic | 13 6-2 |Junior | D La Grange, Illinois
jaren nishikawa |38 5-9 | Freshman | D Rancho Palos Verdes, California
andrew duvall Head Coach Fifth Year
jacob toves |42 5-11 | Freshman | GK Talofofo, Guam
Kelly Bird Sports Communications and Marketing Directora
alex ponce Assistant Coach Seventh Year
kaylie bansen Certified Athletic Trainer
oli gaines | 18
5-7 | Freshman | M Happy Valley, Oregon
marco orlando | 19 5-4 | Sophomore | D Camas, Washington
Ryan hutchinson | 21 6-3 | Freshman | F Corvallis, Montana
WYATT ACKERMANN| 23 5-9 | Senior | M Dana Point, California
luke smith | 22 6-3 | Sophomore | F Sammamish, Washington
riley rama | 20 5-7 | Sophomore | F Agat, Guam
MEET THE LINFIELD MEN
ANGEL HERNANDEZ | 6 6-0 | Senior | D Kelso, Washington
ross vargo | 15
6-2 | Sophomore | D Sacramento, California
nick reggiani| 24
Cade alaniz| 34
5-9 | Feshman | M Blythe, California
Sam haynes | 7 5-9 | Junior | F Portland, Oregon
Evan Stafford | 16 6-1 | Junior | D Davis, California
David Contreras | 8 6-0 | Junior | M McMinnville, Oregon
ryan valdez | 17 5-4 | Sophomore | M Chula Vista, California
match
breakdown
joe stuart
anderson kelly | 25 6-3 | Freshman | D San Diego, California
5-11 | Junior | D happy valley, Oregon Connor Jensen
Jose yanez | 35 5-8 | Freshman | M Coos Bay, Oregon
blake tasci | 26
5-10 | Sophomore | D Pasco, Washington
tate bliss|36 5-10 | Freshman | M Dever, Colorado
THE RECORDS
Linfield (2-9, 1-6 NWC) enters the week fresh off its first NWC win of the season over Lewis & Clark, snapping a nine-match losing streak. The Wildcats are hungry to keep the momentum rolling this week with matches against George Fox and Willamette. George Fox (7-2-1, 3-2-1 NWC) is just one win away from matching last season’s conference win total after splitting last week’s matches with a loss to Pacific Lutheran and a 1-0 win against Puget Sound.
LINFIELD AT A GLANCE
The Wildcats are coming off their most complete match of the season where they beat Lewis & Clark 2-1. E.J. Sablan spearheads the Linfield attack with five goals, good for fifth in the NWC. Sid Kosaris leads the ‘Cats in shots with 26 and 10 shots on goal while Radule Bozovic remains the leader in minutes played with 809. Goalkeeping duties have been split through the season between Jacob Toves and Colby Reese. The two have combined for 45 saves on the season.
GEORGE FOX AT A GLANCE
The Bruins have looked impressive this season, boasting a 3-2-1 conference record and a 3-1-1 record on the road. The goal scoring has been widespread for George Fox with six players netting multiple goals. Connor Kong leads the way with four goals, Elijah Soon with three and four other Bruins registering two goals. Justin Huttinger anchors the George Fox defense with 45 saves in 10 matches played.
SERIES HISTORY
Linfield holds the edge over George Fox in the all-time series 33-21-4. The Wildcats won the most recent matchup 2-0 in McMinnville last fall. The Wildcats home record against the Bruins is 13-12-2.
11 e.j. sablan
LINFIELD MEN
Mendoza, Argentina / Colegio Rainbow
Wellington, New Zealand / St. Patrick’s College
Ontario, Ore. / Ontario
Palos Verdes, Calif. / P.V. Peninsula
Talofofo, Guam / Father Duenas
GEORGE FOX MEN
NORTHWEST CONFERENCE
men’s soccer STANDINGS
aiyana henderson
NEW TO LINFIELD
Aiyana Henderson joined the Linfield coaching staff as an assistant volleyball coach in September. She brings experience coaching both club indoor volleyball and club beach volleyball for the past four years in Washington, California, and Oregon.
Henderson played collegiate indoor and beach volleyball at Multnomah University, Corban University, and Los Angeles Harbor College.
At Los Angeles Harbor College, she earned first team all-South Coast Conference recognition and was among the top five producers in the SCC in eight different statistical categories for indoor volleyball. At Corban, she was a part of the 2023 Warriors team that reached the NAIA Beach Volleyball Championships before finishing as the national runner-up.
She graduated from Multnomah in 2020 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a concentration in marketing. The Spokane, Washington, native is a graduate of Ferris High School where she competed in varsity volleyball and track and field.
Alex Glaudé
Alex Glaudé is joining the Linfield University wrestling coaching staff for the 2024-25 season. A current member of Team USA, Glaudé will work with both the Wildcat men’s and women’s wrestling squads.
With a primary focus on the women’s program, she will specialize in teaching freestyle technique (college men wrestle folkstyle, while women wrestle freestyle). She is expected to begin actively coaching October 1.
A native of West Sacramento, California, Glaudé is a two-time collegiate national champion at McKendree University in Lebanon, Illinois and is also a U.S. Open champion.
Internationally, she won gold at the 2021 Pan American Championship and earned a U23 World bronze medal in 2018. This past year, she finished third at the U.S. Olympic Trials at 68 kg.
She and her husband, David, reside in Corvallis, where she continues to train at the Beaver Dam RTC and will compete through the next four-year Olympic cycle.
ATHLETICS HALL OF FAME
Five game-changing individuals, plus a national championship team, have been selected for induction into the Linfield Athletics Hall of Fame
The 26th Linfield Athletics Hall of Fame class is set to be enshrined inside Ted Wilson Gymnasium on Saturday, October 26. Pacific Office Automation again is serving as title sponsor of the annual event, which follows that afternoon’s football game.
This year’s class includes two former soccer players: all-time leading goal scorers Jeff Brooks of the Class of 1987 and Emily (Fellows) Terry, from the Class of 2014. Joining them this year are softball standouts Emily (Keagbine) Conner ’12 and Karleigh (Prestianni) Potter ’14, track and field sprint champion Melody Sherman ’06, and the 2013 national championship baseball team.
Tickets are available at golinfieldwildcats.com/ halloffame2024.
100 YEARS OF THE LINFIELD WILDCAT
First called “Wildcats” in 1924, Linfield’s athletic teams have always been known for their scrapiness
It has been a century since Linfield athletic teams were first called “Wildcats” and to celebrate the occasion, we are throwing a birthday party for Mack the Wildcat that will include birthday cake and a special giveaway.
The Linfield Spirit Squad invites fans and alumni to join us during the Homecoming football game on October 12 for a special celebration marking 100-year birthday of the Linfield Wildcat. According to historical accounts, as competitive athletics grew in popularity and prominence during the 1920s, the Linfield student body voted in 1924 that the college’s athletic mascot would be known as a “Wildcat” because Linfield was “a small school with a lot of fight and scratch.”
Before the 1924 vote, spectators at Linfield sports events cheered for the “Baptists,” owing to the school’s early heritage, or the “Cardinal and Purple,” a reference to the school colors.
The current Linfield athletic logo, showing a scowling Wildcat wearing a jauntily cocked sailor’s cap, first became a visual fixture on the sides of the football team’s helmets in 1963 under Hall of Fame coach Paul Durham. Though that version of the Wildcat logo underwent minor cosmetic changes over the next six decades, the basic logo from the 1960s remains the recognizable symbol of all Linfield varsity athletic teams today and by extension, it has come to represent many periphery segments of campus life, too.
Join us as we celebrate 100 years of the Wildcat during the Homecoming game, Saturday, October 12, when Linfield takes on the Lewis & Clark Pioneers at 1 p.m.
LINFIELD SPORTS NETWORK
All LSN broadcasts, both live and on demand, can be accessed at golinfieldwildcats.com/watch or from within the Linfield Athletics app on mobile, tablet or smart TVs
The Linfield Sports Network continues to bring fans live action of all home Linfield soccer matches in 2024. Fans can enjoy live video webcasts and play-by-play commentary on their computer, tablet, mobile device or Smart TV.
Live coverage begins 15 minutes prior to the start of each match. Broadcasts include a postgame wrap-up.
LSN live broadcasts are under the direction of Joe Stuart, the athletic department’s Broadcast Operations Coordinator.
In his fourth year in the position, Stuart oversees all technical production and management of LSN broadcasts as well as providing play-by-play commentary on football, basketball, baseball and softball webcasting in addition to assisting with other athletics communications needs.
Linfield sophomore Levi Jones begins his second season as the play-by-play voice of Wildcats men’s and women’s soccer. Jones, from nearby Newberg, began his broadcasting experience with the LSN last season.
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WHEN ACADEMICS MEETS ATHLETICS
Softball star Kaili Saathoff loves the process of working to solve a complex mathematics or physics equation
Very few student-athletes come close to matching the academic, athletic and community service accolades of Linfield senior softball player Kaili Saathoff.
Since arriving at Linfield three autumns ago, Saathoff has compiled an enviable résumé of all-around accomplishment.
The list starts with Saathoff receiving what is considered the highest possible scholarly honor for a NCAA Division III softball student-athlete last spring. That’s when she was named the 2024 Academic All-American of the Year by the College Sports Communicators organization. The Philomath, Oregon, native is just Linfield’s third two-time CSC Academic All-American from Linfield in any sport and only the second Linfield athlete ever to be accorded CSC’s prestigious Academic All-American of the Year award.
Equally impressive, Saathoff became the first repeat winner of Elite 90 Award for Division III softball, awarded to the top scholar from competing institutions at each of the NCAA’s 90 national championship events.
In her seventh semester at Linfield, Saathoff maintains a perfect 4.0 GPA while pursuing a challenging double major in mathematics and physics.
Classroom studies, she says, are especially exciting when course content blends together math and physics, opening her eyes to entirely new ways of understanding the world.
“Even if I don’t know an answer, let’s see how far I can get to find the answer. Rather than focusing on the correct answers, it’s more the process to getting there.”
Starting 52 of Linfield’s 54 softball games at first base last spring, she hit .479 with 23 doubles and 43 runs batted in. She scored 71 runs and added 18 stolen bases for good measure. During Linfield’s dominant 40game regular season in which the Wildcats became just the second college softball program to go unbeaten, Saathoff batted .504, the only conference player to hit over .500.
The daughter of Bob and Kris Saathoff encompasses more than just perfect grades and glossy softball statistics. She contributes to Linfield’s student culture as an advocate for gender equity, as a leader within Residence Life, and as a member of several student clubs, all while aiding fellow students as a tutor and teacher assistant within the math and physics departments.
There’s no doubt Saathoff is heading for greatness beyond Linfield. “Growing up, my parents told me ‘You’re a studentathlete, the student comes first.’ I focus on that, and athletics is kind of my reward . . . I’m here to be a student, I’m here to learn and then graduate and I want to go on to earn my PhD.”
