Santa's Helper!

It is not everyday that you can say you have a teammate who is close personal friends with Santa Claus. Yeah you read that right.. the man, the myth, the legend, SANTA! I had the opportunity to get to talk to Sophomore, Judith Hepburn, who is from North Pole, Alaska!

1. How is Santa Claus as a person? 
Santa is a very nice person I found out. He is always happy and is "always spreading the joy of Christmas to everyone in the North Pole."

2. I know you have lived in multiple places. How did your family end up in Alaska? 
"I have actually lived in 4 different places in my life. I was first born in Wuhan China and was adopted when I was baby. My parents and I then lived in Alaska for a couple years until when I was 3 and we moved to New York. We stayed in New York for about a year, went back to Alaska, then North Carolina, and then back to Alaska." Both of Judith's parents were in the military so they moved around for their jobs.

3. How did you find Gustavus? 
"I had a friend, Maddi Ackiss, who already went here who I knew from Alaska. She talked to the coach about watching me play because I was here for USA cup.  Coach came to watch me and we stayed in contact and I eventually came for a visit and met the team."

4. Do you work for Santa in Alaska?
Unfortunately the answer was no. Judith actually worked for a cruise company. She worked at a tourist hotel and helped the tourists find good places to eat and explore all of the great things that North Pole has to offer.

5. What is your favorite part about living in Alaska?
"I really like the outdoor aspect." We talked about how she grew up hunting and fishing and how she can go to a mountain and hike whenever she feels like it. She also talked about being able to snow board on the mountains in the winter and kayak during the summer.

6. What is the biggest fish you have ever caught?
"When I was younger I caught a 110lb halibut."




7. What is your least favorite part about living in Alaska? 
Judith and I talked about besides the outdoor stuff, there is not a lot to do there. Especially compared to Minnesota, it does have nearly as much there is in the cities She also does not like how hard it is to travel to other places from Alaska. "Living in the middle of the country would be nice, it would be nice to be able to drive or fly and not have it be a 10 hour flight."

8.  Do you want to live in Alaska when you are older?
She definitely wants to move from Alaska. Going to school in Minnesota she really likes it here or she would want to live in North Carolina. Her mothers family is from North Carolina so they go there often for holidays and to visit family.

9. What do you want to do after you graduate from Gustavus?
Judith could see herself moving to Minnesota. She said that she definitely does not want to stay in Alaska. She is a business management major and she wants to get a job in some sort of Sports Marketing. She thinks that it would be really cool to work for the Minnesota Vikings or a professional team like that.

10. Do you have a pet reindeer?
"No but I do have a be black lab, his name is Jack."

11. Is Christmas your favorite holiday?
It actually was! But not because she lives in the North Pole. "I like it because it is the most comforting and chill holiday." Being able to hangout with her family and opening presents on Christmas day was her favorite part!

Our triple sport student athlete!

Some people find that playing one sport in college is difficult.... but have they tried THREE? I (Emily Skogseth) sat down with first year, Maddie McDermott, to find out just how much of a super human she really is! Not only is Maddie involved with three different sports teams on campus, she also takes being a mulitasker one step further and is the 1ST CHAIR (not to mention as a first year) Oboe player in the Wind Symphony
at Gustavus...


1. What three sports teams do you play on and what instrument do you play? 
Maddie is on the soccer team, the track team, and the nordic ski team. She plays the Oboe in the Wind symphony and I want to emphasis that she picked it because, "it just sounded the weirdest."


2. What is the best part about playing three sports at Gustavus?
"Well you are definitely never bored." She expressed how she gets to meet a bunch of different people all on campus. Being in different sports allows her to meet different groups and get to know a lot of people while competing in the sports she loves!

3. What is the hardest part about playing three sports and an instrument?

Maddie said that the hardest part about playing three sports and an instrument on campus was managing her time. She is usually going from one thing to the next so making sure to find time to study and do her homework is sometimes challenging. It's called athlete-student right?! 

4. What is your favorite part about playing an instrument? What is your favorite genre to play?

"There is a lot of different instruments that come together to sound good and to play a song." She expressed how she likes that part about music in general and likes to be apart of that little piece that makes a song sound good. Her favorite genre of music to play is Christmas music of course!

5. How do you manage your time between sports, band, and school?
"Its definitely a compromise. I cannot do full sports but I take it day by day and week by week depending on what sport has what each week." We talked about how great all of the Gustie coaches are with being flexible about her leaving practice early or coming late. As for school its really about getting things done on time and keeping up with school work as she gets it. 

5. What is your favorite thing to do at Gustavus out of all of the actives that you are involved in? (No pressure this is just going on the soccer blog) :) 
She actually said whichever season she was in, she liked that one the best! She expressed how much she likes all activities that she is involved in and she couldn't pick her favorite. (But we of course know that soccer is the best)

6. What is your favorite memory of playing any of your sports careers?
"When my nordic team went to state my senior year. The three years before that I was unfortunately one spot off from going to state each year so when we made it my senior year it was really exciting and it was a really cool experience."




7. Whats your favorite part about Gustavus? 
"I really like that my classes are small and that the campus is small. Especially in the winter it is nice that my walk to my classes are short and I don't have to be in the cold for very long."

8. Most importantly, whats your favorite food to eat?
"I would either pick chocolate or chicken strips." This was then followed by all the weird different combinations that you can eat with chicken strips. Waffles with chicken strips, peanut butter with chicken strips, we decided that chocolate and chicken strips would probably be the best because why not put your two favorite food together?

9. Is there any sport that you ever wanted to play but didn't?
"I always wanted to play volleyball but I was too busy. I also used to play basketball but quickly switched to Nordic."

10. Why don't you play 4 sports? 
(Most serious answer I received through the interview) "Well I don't know, if I was good at another one I would probably play that one too.."

11. How does it feel being the coolest three sport athlete on campus?
My favorite response of the entire interview "Um good."


It was so fun to be able to sit down with our favorite oboe playing, triple sport, student athlete. Thank you Maddie for dealing with my questions and giving us all an insight on what it is like to be the coolest three sport athlete on campus!

ALL AMERICAN ASHLEY BECKER

SO SO SO PROUD! Ashley Becker was named United Soccer Coaches First Team All-America. To put it into perspective, there are 347 division 3 soccer programs in the country. Many of them have more than one goalkeeper on the roster and Ashley Becker was picked as the one goal keeper on the first team!! From every game and every practice we know how much of a deserving honor this is. We are so pumped that Ashley is a Gustie and so excited for great accomplishment! What a STUD!

Ashley Becker Named United Soccer Coaches First Team All-America

Posted on November 30th, 2017 by CJ Siewert

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – United Soccer Coaches announced Thursday the association’s NCAA Division III Women’s All-America Teams on the eve of the 2017 NCAA Championship semifinals in Greensboro, N.C. and Gustavus goalkeeper Ashley Becker (Jr., Farmington, Minn.) has been named First Team All-America. The First Team consists of 15 players, but just one keeper. Becker is also the only First Teamer from an institution that did not qualify for the national tournament.

Ashley Becker

Becker becomes the ninth United Soccer Coaches (formerly National Soccer Coaches Association of America) All-American in program history and first since Alecia Tromiczak in 1997. Becker is also just the third First Team All-American in program history, joining Gustavus Athletics Hall of Famers Ginny Schafer in 1991 and Kerri Pool in 1993.

Becker, who was named MIAC Defensive Player of the Year, started all 20 games this season, the most by any keeper in the league, and played 1897:54 (15th/NCAA) between the posts. The Farmington product made a conference-best 98 saves to go along with 10 shutouts. She finished the year with a 0.66 goals against average (42nd/NCAA) and an .875 save percentage (16th/NCAA). Becker, who also earned her third-straight All-Conference nod, is the first Gustie women’s soccer player to be named All-MIAC three consecutive seasons since Renee Beaudry (1999-2002). After three seasons, Becker has 285 saves with a 0.91 goals against average and an .836 save percentage.

A total of 46 women’s soccer players in NCAA Division III received All-America recognition this year, led by a trio of three-time All-Americans: Brandeis University midfielder Josh Ocel, Lynchburg College defender Emily Maxwell and University of Chicago senior midfielder Mia Calamari.

This year’s NCAA Division III All-Americans, along with their families and coaches, will be formally acknowledged for their accomplishments at the United Soccer Coaches All-America Luncheon on January 20, 2018 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in conjunction with the 2018 United Soccer Coaches Convention in downtown Philadelphia.

United Soccer Coaches Release

All-North Region!!

Three years in a row! Congrats to Junior goal keeper Ashley Becker on receiving her third straight All-Region recognition! Everyone who has seen Ashley play between the pipes knows this is a well-deserved honor. Who votes that she go for a fourth?!

Ashley Becker Earns Third Consecutive All-North Region Nod

Posted on November 29th, 2017 by CJ Siewert

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – For the third consecutive season, Gustavus women’s soccer goalkeeper Ashley Becker (Jr., Farmington, Minn.) has been named to the United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division III All-North Team, which was released Wednesday morning. After earning First Team honors in 2015 and Third Team last season, Becker is back on the First Team after claiming MIAC Defensive Player of the Year accolades.

Becker started all 20 games this season, the most by any keeper in the league, and played 1897:54 between the posts. The Farmington product made a conference-best 98 saves to go along with 10 shutouts. She finished the year with a 0.66 goals against average and an .875 save percentage. Becker, who also earned her third-straight All-Conference nod, is the first Gustie women’s soccer player to be named All-MIAC three consecutive seasons since Renee Beaudry (1999-2002). After three seasons, Becker has 285 saves with a 0.91 goals against average and an .836 save percentage.

Becker joins Clara Webby of Macalester, Ashley St. Aubin of Augsburg, and Mallory DeBoom of St. Thomas as MIAC representatives on the 13-member All-North First Team.

United Soccer Coaches Release

Smart on and off the field part 2!

Sophie Leininger does it again! In addition to being named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District team, Sophie wins her SECOND Elite 22 Award. This award recognizes the student-athlete with the highest cumulative GPA who plays in the conference championship game. Sophie previously won this award in 2015. We are so proud and this award is very well deserved!

Sophie Leininger Honored With Second MIAC Elite 22 Award

Posted on November 20th, 2017 by CJ Siewert

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. – The Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) announced Monday morning its Elite 22 Award winners and Gustavus Adolphus senior midfielder Sophie Leininger (Plymouth, Minn.) has been named the conference’s recipient of the honor for women’s soccer.

Sophie Leininger

The MIAC Elite 22 Award recognizes the true essence of the student-athlete by honoring the individual who has reached the pinnacle of competition at the conference championship level in his or her sport, while also achieving the highest academic standard among his or her peers. Modeled after the NCAA Elite 90 Award, the MIAC Elite 22 Award is presented to the student-athlete with the highest grade point average (GPA) in each sport who meets similarly high, sport-specific athletic requirements.

The Elite 22 Award is the second garnered by Leininger as she captured the honor after the 2015 MIAC playoff championship. Leininger, who was recently named CoSIDA Academic All-District, boasts a 3.99 GPA, majoring in political science and psychological science. The Wayzata product started all 20 games this season as she scored two goals and helped on six others to lead the team in assists. Leininger finished her career with 76 games played, six goals, and 18 assists, which ranks sixth in program history. She received MIAC All-Conference honors after the 2015 Gusties won the league playoff championship and appeared in the NCAA Championships. She was named All-MIAC honorable mention this season.

In the classroom, Leininger has been on the Dean’s List every semester and was on the President’s Honors List last academic year. She was named the Gerhard T. Alexis Scholar last year, holding the highest GPA among the Gustavus junior class. She was also awarded the Holly M. Bunn and Gregory D. Swenson Scholarship, which is based on academics, activities, leadership, and service.

Leininger may have one more distinguished award this year as she is on the CoSIDA Academic All-America ballot, which will be announced Dec. 5.

MIAC Release

Smart on the field and in the classroom!

Wow, what a stud! We are so proud of Sophie Leininger for all of her accomplishments on and off the field. Sophie was named a member of the CoSIDA Academic All-District team. Only 11 people are on the district 6 team who are named from institutions from Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin! This is such a honorable and deserving award for an incredible person!

Sophie Leininger Named CoSIDA Academic All-District

Posted on November 9th, 2017 by CJ Siewert

GREENWOOD, Ind. – The 2017 College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-District Soccer Teams were released Thursday and Gustavus senior midfielder Sophie Leininger (Plymouth, Minn.) was named to the 11-member District 6 Team, which features student-athletes of institutions from Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. The CoSIDA Academic All-District Teams recognize the nation’s top student-athletes for their combined performances athletically and in the classroom.

Sophie Leininger

Leininger boasts a 3.99 GPA, majoring in political science and psychological science. Leininger started all 20 games this season as she scored two goals and helped on six others to lead the team in assists. The Wayzata product finished her career with 76 games played, six goals, and 18 assists, which ranks sixth in program history. Leininger received MIAC All-Conference honors after the 2015 Gusties won the league playoff championship and appeared in the NCAA Championships. In the classroom, Leininger has been on the Dean’s List every semester and was on the President’s Honors List last academic year. She was named the Gerhard T. Alexis Scholar last year, holding the highest GPA among the Gustavus junior class. She was also awarded the Holly M. Bunn and Gregory D. Swenson Scholarship, which is based on academics, activities, leadership, and service.

This year’s CoSIDA Academic All-District 6 Team includes just one other member of a MIAC institution – Ashley St. Aubin on Augsburg. First-team Academic All-District honorees advance to the CoSIDA Academic All-America ballot, where first-, second-, and third-team All-America honorees will be selected later this month.

CoSIDA Release

MIAC Awards

After the tremendous season we had this year, we had the honor of having five of our players receive MIAC awards! Ashley Becker and Josie Mazzone were both voted onto the all MIAC team while Ashley was also named Defensive Player of the year... What studs! Along with them, Sophie Leininger and Emily Odermatt were named honorable mention and Hannah Sturtz was named to the All-MIAC Sportsmanship Team. We are so proud of these deserving and outstanding individuals! 

Becker, Mazzone Named MIAC Women’s Soccer All-Conference

Posted on November 9th, 2017 by CJ Siewert

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. – The Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference announced its Women’s Soccer Awards Thursday and two Gusties earned All-Conference accolades. Goalkeeper Ashley Becker (Jr., Farmington, Minn.) was named Defensive Player of the Year, while defender Josie Mazzone (Sr., Rapid City, S.D.) joins Becker on the All-MIAC Team. Midfielder Sophie Leininger (Sr., Plymouth, Minn.) and defender Emily Odermatt (Sr., Minneapolis, Minn.) were named honorable mention.

Becker becomes the first Gustavus women’s soccer player to earn MIAC Defensive Player of the Year, which was first awarded in 2015. Becker started all 20 games this season, the most by any keeper in the league, and played 1897:54 between the posts. The Farmington product made a conference-best 98 saves to go along with 10 shutouts. She finished the year with a 0.66 goals against average and an .875 save percentage. Becker, who earns her third-straight All-Conference nod, is the first Gustie women’s soccer player to be named All-MIAC three consecutive seasons since Renee Beaudry (1999-2002). After three seasons, Becker has 285 saves with a 0.91 goals against average and an .836 save percentage.

Mazzone also started all 20 games this season, posting two goals and one assist for five points as a defender. Mazzone, who earns her second All-MIAC award, took 21 shots, nine of which were on goal, for a shots-on-goal percentage of .429. She also had one game-winning goal. After four seasons of wearing the Black and Gold, Mazzone played in 73 games with three goals and four assists for 10 points.

Leininger and Odermatt receive honorable mention accolades after starting all 20 games. Leininger scored two goals and helped on six others to lead the team in assists. The Wayzata product finishes her career with 76 games played, six goals, and 18 assists, which ranks sixth in program history. Odermatt spent the entire season at center-back, helping the Gustie defense post 10 shutouts and a 0.66 goals against average – the lowest mark since the 1999 Gusties allowed a 0.63 goals against average. Odermatt finishes her career with 69 games played, three goals, and one assist.

In addition to the All-Conference Team, Hannah Sturtz (Sr., Plymouth, Minn.) was named to the All-MIAC Sportsmanship Team.

MIAC Release

UPSET NATION X2

Below is a recap of our playoff Semi final game against St. Thomas. It was such an exciting game where both of us battled hard but needed to take it to a shootout to decide who got to move on to the championship. We came out on fire in the first half and Abby Mullenbach was gritty in the box and was able to get on the end of a cross to put us ahead from the start. From then on, St. Thomas was able to put one in the back of the net which proved to be the final goal in regulation and onto PK's we went. Ashley Becker came up with the saves of the century off of their second and third shots to allow our shooters to do what they do best and finish the game. All four of our shooters buried their shots and sealed off the Gustie upset to take us to the ship!

Another Upset, Women’s Soccer Takes Down St. Thomas On Penalty Kicks

Posted on November 1st, 2017 by CJ Siewert

Lauren Johnson heads a ball out of the Gustavus box. (photo courtesy St. Thomas sports information)

BOX SCORE

ST. PAUL, Minn. – Double overtime wasn’t enough to decide a winner in Wednesday’s MIAC women’s soccer semifinal playoff match. Tied 1-1 after 110 minutes and forced to penalty kicks, Gustavus keeper Ashley Becker (Jr., Farmington, Minn.) came up big with two stops and the Gusties, seeded No. 6, made all four attempts to upset No. 2 seed St. Thomas and advance to the MIAC championship game for the second time in three seasons.

It didn’t take long for the Gusties to gain some momentum as Abby Mullenbach (So., Lakeville, Minn.) scored 1:15 into the game, assisted by Emily Skogseth (Jr., Burnsville, Minn.). In the 22nd minute, St. Thomas responded with a goal and the score remained tied 1-1 at halftime.

“It was a very exciting game today,” Head Coach Laura Burnett-Kurie said. “Loved the determination and fight we played with. We came out strong from the first whistle, scoring within the first two minutes of the game off a well crafted corner kick. We moved the ball well and had territorial advantage for the majority of the first 15 minutes before they changed shape.”

The Gusties celebrate after winning the penalty kicks. (St. Thomas sports information photo)

In the waning moments of the second half, Becker made a game-saving stop on a Tommie shot fired from inside the box, which eventually led to overtime. Each team got one shot off in the first overtime, and the Tommies recorded the only shot in double overtime, but no goals resulted in penalty kicks.

“Second half we came out with a lot of fight and heart,” Burnett-Kurie said. “We trusted each other and played for each other. Our entire roster dug deep in the second half forcing the game into OT.”

Both teams made their first penalty kick, but Becker made a diving stop on the Tommies’ second attempt. Emily Odermatt (Sr., Minneapolis, Minn.) put the Gusties up one with a make, while Becker followed with another stop on the Tommies’ third attempt. The next attempt by each team was made, but Chase Miller (Jr., Brooklyn Park, Minn.) netted the game-winner with a make on the fourth Gustie attempt to complete the upset.

“We’ve been preparing for PK’s and our players trusted their preparation,” Burnett-Kurie said. “They were confident, calm and collected – all of which showed as they buried all four. Absolutely love the fight and heart of this team.”

The Gusties were outshot 15-6 throughout the game, but Becker stood tall in goal with eight saves and two penalty kick stops to earn the win.

Gustavus will travel to the winner of No. 1 Ausgburg and No. 5 St. Catherine, who play at 7 p.m. tonight, for the conference championship at 1 p.m. Saturday.

UPSET NATION

Below is our recap of our quarter final playoff game against St. Olaf. We knew going into this game that it was going to be a hard fought battle against the number three seed. Despite beating St. Olaf 3-0 in the beginning of the season we knew we were going to have to battle and that is exactly what we did. In the dwindling seconds of the first half Ashley Becker came up with what proved to be the game changer for us. Coming up with a huge, tremendous, extraordinary, and amazing save off a St. Olaf penalty kick, we escaped notched at zeros after the second half. From there on we knew that we were in this game and that we were ready to put the ball in the back of the net. We came up with not one, but two early goals in the second half to put us ahead and played solid defensively to earn a Gustie upset in the first round of the MIAC playoffs. 

Women’s Soccer Upsets St. Olaf 2-0 To Advance In MIAC Playoffs

Posted on October 31st, 2017 by CJ Siewert

BOX SCORE

NORTHFIELD, Minn. – The final 35 seconds of the first half and the first 34 seconds of the second proved to be the most exciting moments in Tuesday’s MIAC women’s soccer quarterfinal match at No. 3 seed St. Olaf. Gustavus keeper Ashley Becker (Jr., Farmington, Minn.) made a diving penalty kick save at the end of the first half, while Chase Miller (Jr., Brooklyn Park, Minn.) worked around a number of defenders in the box and found the left side of the net for a goal to start the second, which proved to be the game-winner in a 2-0 victory for the No. 6 seed Gusties.

“Ashley Becker came up with a massive save on a penalty kick,” Head Coach Laura Burnett-Kurie said. “Big time players come up with big time plays.”

The victory moves the Gusties into the semifinal round where they will travel to No. 2 St. Thomas for a 2 p.m. match tomorrow. The last time Gustavus and St. Thomas faced each other in the MIAC playoffs was in 2015, which ended in a 1-0 Gustie victory for the league championship. The Tommies defeated the Gusties 2-0 on Sept. 23 this season in St. Peter.

“Playoffs are an entire new season,” Burnett-Kurie said. “We went into the game with belief and confidence balanced with knowing it was going to be a battle. St. Olaf is a tough matchup, they are technical and dangerous in the final third. Our team battled hard, found a rhythm and figured out a way to win.”

In Tuesday’s quarterfinal game, St. Olaf controlled possession for a majority of the first half as it led the shot count 8-3 after the first 45 minutes. Miller’s unassisted goal 34 seconds into the second half gave the Gusties a jolt of momentum that they carried throughout the rest of the match. Seven minutes after Miller’s team-leading fifth goal of the season, Emily Skogseth (Jr., Burnsville, Minn.) took a pass from Sophie Leininger (Sr., Plymouth, Minn.) and beat her defender down the middle of the field and fired a shot into the back of the net for an insurance goal, her third of the season.

“We came out with a mission in the second half, scoring two early goals,” Burnett-Kurie said. “From there we were smart, controlled the tempo at times and finished out the 90 minutes.”

The Gustie defense didn’t allow the Oles to gain much traction in the final 45 minutes, limiting them to one shot on goal. Becker finished the game with two saves for her 10th shutout of the season.