Olympians are made here

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By Mitchell Hansen ’17 St. Cloud State University was well-represented in the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, China in February, with numerous current and former Huskies taking on the global stage. Five Huskies past and present from the St. Cloud State Men’s Hockey Team and two current student-athletes from the St. Cloud State Women’s Hockey Team represented their countries in the Winter Games including Jenniina Nylund who took home the Huskies first Olympic medal. Their selections in the Olympics extended a growing list of St. Cloud State athletes and coaches to take part in the Olympic Games.

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A. In Men’s Ice Hockey competition, St. Cloud State Head Coach Brett Larson, senior forward Sam Hentges and senior defenseman Nick Perbix were part of the 2022 U.S. Olympic Men’s Hockey Team. Larson made his Olympic debut as an assistant coach, while Hentges and Perbix took the ice as the eighth and ninth Huskies to be named Olympians in program history.

B. Along with that trio on Team USA, St. Cloud State alumni Patrick Russell (2014-16) and Oliver Lauridsen (2008-11) participated with the Denmark Olympic Team, marking the 10th and 11th Huskies to be named Olympians.

C. Both the U.S. and Denmark missed out on medals in Beijing, with both national teams seeing their runs come to an end in the quarterfinal round. Hentges finished the Olympics with one goal, while Perbix finished with one assist for Team USA. For Team Denmark, Lauridsen finished with one assist and Russell had three assists.

WOMEN’S HOCKEY

D. In Women’s Hockey Competition, Huskies senior forward Jenniina Nylund was part of the Finland National Team and junior forward Klara Hymlarova took the ice for the Czech Republic. The duo became the second and third Olympians in program history, joining Janine Alder.

Nylund enjoyed a historic run with Finland in the Winter Olympics, capping off her first Olympics appearance by earning a Bronze Medal and becoming the first-ever active player to earn an Olympic medal in University history. Nylund skated in all seven games for Finland, finishing with one goal.

Hymlarova and the Czech Republic saw their Olympics run end in the quarterfinal round, missing out on a medal. Hymlarova took the ice in four games, putting together a strong showing that resulted in one goal scored. Finalist Alli Beste presents her poster during Huskies Showcase in April.

HUSKIES SHOWCASE CELEBRATES FIVE YEARS

By Mitchell Hansen ’17 Huskies Showcase celebrates student research, creative and scholarly works and community engagement campus-wide. The showcase innovated to move online during the pandemic and was back with in-person presentations and engagement this spring. St. Cloud State University’s Huskies Showcase launched in 2018 with the vision of celebrating undergraduate and graduate research, creative and scholarly works, and community engagement campus-wide. In 2022, Huskies Showcase continues to expand and grow. “To me, the most valuable part of Huskies Showcase is that students share their research and creative activity with the public,” said Kristian Twombly, Faculty Fellow for Our Husky Compact. “After all, a critical skill in research is being able to relate your findings to the world. Huskies Showcase gives these students a platform to share their amazing work.” The goal of Huskies Showcase is to celebrate Huskies and the experiential learning, research and other high-impact practices taking place across campus, also highlighting collaborations between campus and community partners throughout the area and state. Students present projects from academic to co-curricular forms of engagement centered around their research, creative works, applied experiences, volunteer and service projects, academic service-learning, internships, and more. Huskies Showcase strives to ensure every student has an opportunity to demonstrate the work they have completed during their time at St. Cloud State.

For five years, Huskies Showcase has featured all the work being done by students both inside and outside of the classroom. As it evolves and expands annually, the goal of showcasing that work and research will only continue.

IT’S TIM… CONNECTION

St. Cloud State has long served as an important site for experiential learning for students. Through the It’s Time initiative, the University is expanding access for students to high-impact learning opportunities that align student learning with service opportunities within the community.