GOLDEN EAGLE UPDATE May 4 - 17 , 2014 - University of Minnesota Crookston Athletic Department This Summer Golf Tournaments June 26 - Mark Olsonawski Scholarship Golf Tournament Two Rivers Golf Club Hallock, Minn. July 19 - 24th Annual Teambacker Golf Classic Minakwa Golf Club Crookston, Minn. Thank You To Bill Tyrrell “The campus community thanks Bill Tyrrell for his dedication and service to the University of Minnesota Crookston and wishes Bill only the best in his future endeavors,” said Corby Kemmer, director of Development & Alumni Relations. “We are proud to announce Bill’s induction into the UMC Athletic Hall of Fame this fall during Homecoming.” Since March, a new position of Development Officer has been posted, and UMC is currently in the process of that search with two of the finalists scheduled to be on campus for interviews the week of May 19-23. Moving in a new direction, this role will be responsible for significant philanthropic support of the University of Minnesota Crookston. While there will still be a particular emphasis on athletic related initiatives and priorities, this person will also help broaden overall development efforts for the campus.” An intern has been hired to assist with the Hallock and Crookston Golf Tournaments this summer and the annual Teambacker fund drive will begin in late July. Moving forward, we will continue to collaborate and fully support the UMC Athletic Department and Teambackers and we thanks Teambackers for their ongoing investments in UMC student-athletes scholarships.
Recently IN GOLDEN EAGLE ATHLETICS - The University of Minnesota Crookston athletic department recognized their distinguished award recipients for the 2013-14 season during the University’s award banquet Thur., April 24. UMC men’s golfer Matt McClure (Jr., Grand Rapids, Minn./Natural Resources) was selected as the Male Outstanding Athlete of the Year, while women’s basketball player Katrina Moenkedick (So., Perham, Minn./Early Childhood Education) was the Female Outstanding Athlete of the Year. In addition, UMC awarded baseball player Jesse Jennings (Jr., Robbinsdale, Minn./Criminal Justice) Male Student-Athlete of the Year and women’s golfer Katie Sheetz (So., Grand Rapids, Minn./Biology) Female Student-Athlete of the Year. Tomas Parker (Jr., F/C, Pequot Lakes, Minn./Management) earned the Justin Knebel Memorial Award. - Four student-athletes who earned the NSIC Myles Brand All-Academic with Distinction Award were recognized. These athletes achieved a GPA of 3.75 of higher and are exhausting their eligibility or are on track to graduate. Football players Andrew Steinfeldt (Green Bay, Wis./Health Science) and Joshua Perea (Pico Rivera, Calif./Health Science) and volleyball players Chelsea Wiesner (Rochester, Minn./Health Science) and Alyssa Schneider (Racine, Wis./Early Childhood Education) all earned the honor. - UMC men’s basketball added their first signee of the Dan Weisse era with the addition of A.J. Walton (G, 6-4 190, Hesperia, Calif./Oak Hills, Calif./Oak Hills H.S.) to a National Letter of Intent. Walton joins Gable Smith (G/F, 6-7 190, Lodi, Wis.) and Jim Warmack (F/C, 6-7 220, East Grand Forks, Minn.) who signed with the Golden Eagles during the Early Signing Period and who kept their commitments from the previous staff. “A.J. is a young man that is a great fit for our program,” said Weisse. “He is someone who is hungry to get better. A.J. has intangibles and skills that you can’t coach. He comes from a very strong program in Oak Hills and was very well-coached by Shaun Mora. I feel that he is a great fit with the returning guys, as well a good compliment to the two others players we have already signed. A.J. is a high character kid who will find success off and on the court. He is a bigger guard who is a good ball-handler and is someone that can also post up at times. In addition, he brings great defense to our team. We expect a great four-year career out of A.J.” - University of Minnesota Crookston softball player Ashley Manusos (Sr., OF, Spring Grove, Ill./Sports and Rec Management) was named to the Gold Glove team as the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) named their All-Conference teams for the 2014 season. Manusos was honored as one of the best defensive players in the conference, a much deserved honor for the center field who was consistently made strong defensive play after strong defensive play in the outfield over the last two years. Manusos had a game-saving rob of a home run in a win over St. Cloud State University earlier this season. The senior held a .984 fielding percentage on the season with just one error.
TEAMBACKER MEMBERSHIP UPDATE
- As of May 8, the UMC Teambackers have 167 members and have received $104,422 in cash and in-kind gifts.