Athletics Recap

The Warrior athletic teams hit the fields and courts with renewed enthusiasm this fall and winter, celebrating a return to competition after seeing the world of sports put on hold by COVID in March.

Facing the challenges of competing in “the new normal” Waldorf’s athletic teams excelled this fall with the Warrior football team going 6-3 in North Star Athletic Association play, and a pair of Warrior cross country runners earning AllNSAA honors at their championship meet.

Meanwhile, men’s and women’s soccer, and volleyball also competed strong but saw their season take a unique twist as all three programs also have games scheduled for the spring with their respective championship tournament planned for April.

Facing the same unique challenges, winter sports continue to compete with basketball, wrestling, bowling, indoor track & field, and hockey all in action.

FOOTBALL

Fantastic finishes highlight football season

The Waldorf football team racked up an impressive 6-3 record on the season, and in NSAA play, doing it in dramatic fashion with back-to-back fantastic finishes to close out another successful campaign.

The Warriors rallied for 13 points in the final 5 minutes to beat Presentation, 13-6, on the road, then closed out the season at home celebrating Senior Day and scoring 10 points in the final 2 minutes to rally past Dakota State, 17-16.

Along with the two frantic finishes that highlighted the season, the Warrior football team also saw 17 players honored by the NSAA with All-Conference honors, led by 1st Team honorees running back Jatoviay Hill (who led the NSAA in rushing), wide receiver Ryan Martinez (Waldorf’s career receiving TD leader), linebacker Thomas Edwards (who led the NSAA in sacks), kicker Slater Gifford (Waldorf’s career FG and PAT leader), offensive lineman Maxwell Drebenstedt, defensive lineman Logan Knutson, and defensive back James Jackson Jr., and first-year head coach Will Finley was honored by the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) as he was named to the 35 Under 35 Coaches Leadership Institute. With the fall season complete, the Warrior football team began focusing on the 2021 campaign and announced the signing of 46 recruits in early February, a group of incoming Warriors that includes 11 from Iowa and two more players from southern Minnesota.

CROSS COUNTRY/TRACK & FIELD

Pair of Top 10 finishes for cross country

Waldorf runners Naomi Alvarez and Dillan Plummer led the way at the NSAA Championship in South Dakota in November, each earning All-Conference honors.

Alvarez was eighth individually for the Waldorf women, who finished fourth as a team, while Plummer finished ninth in the men’s race for the Warriors, who also were fourth as a team.

VOLLEYBALL

Volleyball plays 1st half of split season

The Warrior volleyball team play half of its NSAA schedule during the fall, as the league opted for a split season with the NAIA Championships moved to the spring. The Warriors return to the court in March for more league contests. In the first half of the season, the Warriors swept Faith Baptist Bible College during an 11-match schedule, which included seven NSAA matches. Compiling a 2-9 record in the fall, Waldorf is poised to make a charge during the league’s spring slate.

WOMEN'S SOCCER

Women’s soccer off to strong start

Led by the prolific scoring of Sydney Boyd and Autumn Petersen, the Waldorf women’s soccer team went 6-4 in the fall portion of its schedule and returns to play in March.

Boyd netted 10 goals in the fall and needs 5 more to match the school record of 15 held by Heather Collins (2006) for a single season. Petersen has 22 points with 7 goals and 8 assists and needs just four more points to match the single-season record of 26 points set by Brittney Thornton (2016).

With that duo leading the way, the Warriors enjoyed a threegame victory streak in the fall that saw them outscore opponents 25-0.

Currently third in the Association of Independent Institution standings, the Waldorf women will play four more games in March as the team looks to earn its first berth to the A.I.I. Championships in April.

MEN'S SOCCER

Men’s soccer chasing playoff berth

Like the women’s program, the men’s soccer team split its season with the A.I.I. Championships in April, and the Warrior men’s team sits on the playoff bubble.

Scoring wins over Bacone and Northwestern-St. Paul in the fall, the Waldorf men look to finish strong under the guidance of interim head coach Michael Ritterbeck with five games on the spring slate before the postseason field is announced.

GOLF

Warrior golfers get wins from Clouse, Harker

The Waldorf golf teams began their year of competition a strong fall, claiming an individual victory on the men’s and women’s side as Tyler Clouse won the men’s Central Fall Classic shooting a 1-over 73, besting teammate and runnerup Benjamin Boerjan, who shot a 3-over 75.

On the women’s side, Nicole Misner Harker won the Hawkeye Invitational golf tournament, shooting a 10-over 82. The Warrior golf teams return to the links in the spring and will compete at the NSAA Championships in late April.

WINTER SPORTS UNDERWAY

The Warriors returned to action in hockey, basketball, wrestling, bowling and track & field during the winter months with some major highlights.

INDOOR TRACK & FIELD

During the early meets of the indoor track & field season, the Warriors got new school records from Hannah Perry in the 600 meters in 1 minute, 49.76 seconds (old record 1:51.29 by Gemma Jasso in 2020) and 800 meters in 2:21.19 (old record 2:36.68 by Naomi Alvarez in 2020), and from Skila Rogers in the triple jump with a mark of 35 feet, 8,75 inches (old record by Camara Green of 349.75 in 2020).

BOWLING

Also, on the bowling lanes – after seeing what typically is a year-long season delayed until 2021 the start of the 2021 calendar year – the Warriors earned an individual victory and three All-Tournament honors at their third event of the season. Jacob Miner rolled a four-game total score of 847 to claim the men’s individual title at the Bronco Bash one-day tournament hosted by Hastings College, and was joined in earning All-Tournament honors on the men’s side by Ryan Swiderski. Swiderski was fourth overall with a four-game score of 817. Adding to the Warrior honors was Rachel Dahlin, who also was fourth individually as she had a four-game score of 777 and earned All-Tournament Team honors.

BASKETBALL

On the hardwood, the Waldorf men’s basketball team already has an upset win over Bellevue this season, its third win over the perennial NSAA powerhouse in the two teams’ last four meetings.

WRESTLING

On the mats the Warrior women’s wrestling team was ranked No. 18 in the NAIA (Jan. 28), with Diana Dzasezeva (136 pounds), Elizabeth Carrillo (143 pounds), Emely Carrillo (143 pounds), and Berenice Espino (155 pounds) all ranked in the Top 20 in the NAIA in their individual weight class.

MEET THE NEW COACH

The Waldorf Athletic department is pleased to announce the addition of new Esports head coach, James Basta, who began his duties with the Warriors in mid-September. Coach Basta has 10 years of experience in League of Legends, and six years of experience in Hearthstone and Magic the Gathering, and regularly travels to compete in Magic the Gathering tournaments in his spare time. In addition to his gaming background and experience, Basta holds a certification with the National Association of Esports Coaches and Directors (NAECAD). Basta completed his masters in Sports Administration from Arkansas State and also holds degrees in Exercise Biology & Religious Studies from UC Davis, as well as a Biology Teaching Credential from the CSU Channel Islands. Prior to joining the Waldorf staff, Basta worked in education for three years as a Physical Education Teacher where in addition to his teaching duties he was instrumental in the development of a district-wide crosscountry program, coaching at two separate schools.