Athletics Recap

The fall season in Warrior Athletics began with a big change in leadership as longtime Director of Athletics Denny Jerome retired at the end of September, and former Waldorf baseball coach Chad Gassman returned to Forest City, to take over the leadership mantle.

That smooth transition proved to be just one of many major highlights for Waldorf Athletics in a fall that saw the Warrior football team earn national recognition, the Waldorf cross country team send two more student-athletes to the NAIA National Championships, the golf team grab two tournament titles, the hockey and volleyball teams leap into first place in their respective leagues, and the men’s soccer team go on an eight-game run allowing just one goal on the pitch.

Along with those on-field, on-ice and on-court achievements, another one of the great highlights for Waldorf Athletics came in mid-October during Homecoming as former Warrior softball pitcher Brady (Stumpff) Goerdt (2001) from Brooklyn, former Warrior football quarterback Patrick Ryan Jackson (1989) from Columbus, Ohio, former Warrior football defensive lineman Perry M. Laures (1984) from New Hampton, and former Warrior women’s basketball player Beth Ann (Skogen) Van Roekel (1999) from Lake Mills, all were inducted into the Waldorf Athletic Hall of Fame.

FOOTBALL

Warrior football fights for league title, finishes No. 23 in nation

It was another season to remember for the Waldorf football team as the Warriors went 7-3 overall, finished second in the North Star Athletic Association (NSAA) with a 5-2 record, and found themselves in a Top25 battle with Dickinson State for the league title and a trip to nationals with one week left in the season.

A last-second field goal gave the visiting Blue Hawks the win and a berth to the NAIA National Tournament, while the Warriors bounced back strong from the near-miss to roll past Valley City State and cap a stellar season, earning the No. 23 spot in the final NAIA Top 25 Coaches poll.

Along with being ranked in the Top 25 for the first time in the program’s NAIA history, Waldorf led the way in the NSAA in postseason honors as All-American quarterback Hilton “Bo” Joseph was named the NSAA Offensive MVP for the second straight season, and senior linebacker Marcel Lindner was named the NSAA Defensive MVP. Both were named to the NSAA All-Conference team, along with 17 of their teammates: running back Jeff Jones; wide receivers Ryan Martinez, Zach Morel and Ryan Harrison; offensive linemen Robert Mosley and Maxwell Drebenstedt; defensive linemen Logan Knutson, DeShaun Quinn, Keyon Hodges and Nick Harrison; linebackers Caleb Wilson, James Bell and Thomas Edwards; defensive backs Cameron Newsome, James Jackson Jr and MaCoy Yeakel; and kicker Slater Gifford.

Along with earning a spot in the Top 25 and sweeping the league’s MVP awards, the Waldorf football team added a few more honors as Joseph and center Zach Throne each were named to the CoSIDA District 3 All-Academic Team, and Joseph was selected to play in the inaugural NAIA Senior Classic.

Four Warrior players – quarterback Hilton "Bo" Joseph, linebacker Caleb Wilson, offensive lineman Robert Mosley and cornerback Cameron Newsome – along with Waldorf head coach Josh Littrell and assistant head coach Will Finley all participated in the inaugural NAIA Senior Classic held on Saturday, Dec. 14, in Savannah, Ga. The Warrior senior football players competed on the East Squad, while Coach Littrell was the team's offensive coordinator and Coach Finley was the East Squad's defensive coordinator.

CROSS COUNTRY/TRACK & FIELD

Waldorf cross country seniors Andrew Murley and Marissa Widener run at nationals

For the third straight year the Warrior cross country program was well represented at the NAIA National Cross Country Championships as seniors Marissa Widener and Andrew Murley each made their second trip to nationals.

Racing in Vancouver, Wash., in mid-November, Murley finished 149th in the nation, clocking a time of 26 minutes, 46.5 seconds on an 8-kilometer course, while Widener finished 237th in 20:24.1 on the women’s 5K course.

Both earned their trip to nationals after All-Conference finishes – finishing in the Top 10 – at the NSAA Championships hosted by Waldorf at Bear Creek Golf Club in Forest City in early November.

MEN'S SOCCER

Waldorf men’s soccer allows 1 goal in 8-game win streak as they roll into playoffs

The Warrior men’s soccer team went on an unstoppable roll that started in late September and carried Waldorf into the semifinals of the Association of Independent Institutions (A.I.I.) tournament, winning eight straight games and allowing just one goal during the win streak.

Waldorf goalkeeper Raul Guillamon-Bejar had six of those shutouts, earning co-A.I.I. Goalie of the Year honors, while teammate Joao Guiherme

Romeo added the other shutout during the Warriors run.

Guilherme Alencar also was honored by the A.I.I. as the Newcomer of the Year as he lead the Warriors with 10 goals and three assists, as Waldorf finished two wins shy of another trip to the NAIA National Tournament.

Warrior defender Athos Monteiro and midfielder Edwin Lopez, both seniors, also earned All-Conference honors for their play this fall as Waldorf finished the year 10-6-2 overall.

HOCKEY

Waldorf hockey team opens new league play winning 4-of-5 to grab 1st place

The fall portion of the season went very well for the Warrior hockey team, which opened play in the new Midwest Collegiate Hockey (MCH) league with a pair of home wins, and taking 4-of-5 in conference action to hold onto first place for the first month of the season.

The Warriors currently are 5-9-1 overall and 5-5 in MCH action with one weekend left in their fall schedule, as Waldorf returned to the ACHA as a Division I program this academic year.

The Waldorf hockey team returns to the ice for the winter portion of its schedule on Jan. 17.

Warrior men’s golf team wins back-to-back tournament titles during fall season

The Warrior golf teams hit the course for the fall portion of their year and turned in some great performances as the Waldorf men’s team won the title at the Simpson Invitational on Sept. 25, then shared first place at their own tournament, the Waldorf Invitational, on Sept. 29.

The two victories highlighted a strong six-event fall schedule for the Warrior men’s golf team, which was led by Cole Ruckman, who twice was named NSAA Golfer of the Week in the fall.

On the women’s side, the Warriors finished a season-best second at their own event, while Nicole Misner led the way for Waldorf averaging 85.5 strokes per round playing 10 rounds over six fall events.

BOWLING

Tournament title for Miner, win for Warrior men’s team highlights start to bowling season

Waldorf freshman Jacob Miner rolled his way to the tournament championship at the Stout State Open, leading the Warrior men’s bowling team to a first-place finish as well, as the Waldorf bowlers started their season with four events over the end of October and start of November.

Miner averaged 207.56 pins per game for nine games to win the individual title, one of three Warrior bowlers to earn All-Tournament honors, as teammate Ryan Swiderski finished fourth with an average of 201.33 to also earn All-Tournament honors. They led the Waldorf men, who beat Winona State and Highland Community College in head-tohead matches for the tournament title.

The Warrior women were third and led by Allison Furman, who was also third individually with a 9-game average of 177.89 to earn All-Tournament honors.

The Warriors compete in Las Vegas over the Christmas break and look to qualify for the ITA Sectionals in March.

VOLLEYBALL

Waldorf volleyball grabs earlyseason league lead, advances to NSAA tournament quarterfinals

The Waldorf volleyball team jumped out of the gate, winning their first four matches and nine of their opening 16 – which included a pair of NSAA wins – grabbing an early-season league lead during a strong fall campaign.

Finishing with a 12-19 overall record, Waldorf was sixth in the regular-season NSAA standings and earned its first trip to the league playoffs since 2016, where they advanced to the quarterfinals before falling to 16th-ranked Bellevue.

A strong season on the court saw senior setter Elizabeth Tramm finish her career as the Warriors all-time leader in assists with 3,156, while she also earned First-Team All-Conference honors.

Fellow senior Kyra Platzek also earned First-Team All-Conference honors and finished her career as the all-time leader in kills in the 25-point, rally-scoring era with 1,183 kills in her career.

WOMEN'S SOCCER

Waldorf women’s soccer returns to field with strong season

The Waldorf women’s soccer team came up a win shy of the postseason, returning to the pitch after a lack of numbers cut the 2018 season short.

Playing strong, the Warriors went 4-11-1 on the field and five Waldorf women were named All-Conference performers by the A.I.I., led by First-Team defender Jessica Gil-Garcia.

Warrior midfielders Heather Kolona and Flor Padilla each were named Second-Team AllConference, as were forwards Bailee Russell and Bonnie Zuniga.

WRESTLING

Pair of freshmen lead way for Warrior men’s and women’s wrestling teams

A pair of fantastic freshmen led the way for the Warrior men’s and wrestling programs, each starting their collegiate careers

with a tournament title each and matching 6-1 overall records.

Jojo Hendricks, from Beaumont, Calif., won the title at 191 pounds at the Bob Kellogg Open for the Waldorf women’s team, which competed in an abbreviated fall season and returns to the mats on Jan. 12. Marcus McGinley, a 184-pounder from Eagan, Minn., won his title at the Grand View Open for the Waldorf men’s team.

BASKETBALL

Waldorf basketball teams tip off seasons

The Waldorf men’s basketball team scored an early-season win over Doane on the road, as they enjoyed mixed results playing five of their first eight contests at the Hanson Fieldhouse to open the 2019-20 season. The Warrior women’s basketball team picked up a pair of wins over Nebraska Christian in a home-and-home, non-conference series, as they have played just twice at home in their opening six games.

Both Waldorf teams host Viterbo in December, then open the bulk of their league season starting on Jan. 10 at Mayville State.

MEET THE COACH

// Peak LoL Rank: Diamond 5 90 LP (Season 8) // Head Coach at Union County

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Staff Profile AUDREY SPARKS ’16—WHY WALDORF?

Ido not recall precisely how I stumbled upon Waldorf. I was a student at NIACC, and I knew I did not want to leave the area to continue my education. Somehow, I ended up connected with Director of Residential Admissions Scott “Pitch” Pitcher and started looking at my options. I scheduled my campus visit, not even completely sure of what I really wanted to study. As with the majority of everything I do, I planned it at an odd time when nobody was really on campus. I am still not 100 percent sure of the location of several places that we went, but I do remember on one stairwell, we encountered a tall man, and Pitch introduced us. His name was Bob. We had a brief conversation about my future plans, and as Bob walked away, he said, “Can’t wait to see you on campus.” We hit the bottom of the stairwell, Pitch pushed the door open, and as I walked past him, he said, “That’s the president of the university.” My mind was totally blown! At my previous location, I had encountered our president one time and had no idea who he was. I instantly knew this was the space for me. President Alsop embodied the most accurate depiction of what it means to be a part of the Waldorf University community. I knew I wanted–no, needed–a community much like I had had at NIACC, and that is exactly what I got. hour with Dr. Bob AuFrance, Professor of Theatre and Director of Fine Arts, discussing my future in theatre. I didn’t have much experience, but it was on my bucket list. Apparently, AuFrance recognized my ability to be okay with acting like a fool and gave me a nice little scholarship as a member of the theatre department to help me along my way. I spent numerous hours in the theatre dungeons and on and off stage. I worked in the admissions office (Thank you, Pitch, for that little gem of a job), the library as a tutor, and as a student aid to faculty all at the same time. I was the editor-in-chief of the Lobbyist and the Literary Review, ran crosscountry at the ripe old age of 38 and was in honors. Waldorf was not just my university, it was a home, and I knew I wanted to stay as long as possible.

As graduation approached, I began to look into graduate school. That is when AuFrance approached me and asked if I would be interested in a Graduate Assistant position in the music department. How could I say no? This was my chance to stick around campus a bit longer and get my masters degree.

On graduation day, I remember waiting to walk across the stage. This would be my first time walking in a graduation ceremony. I quit high school when I was 15. I did get my G.E.D. right away, but this was back in the day when you mailed everything in, and there was not an organized ceremony to celebrate your accomplishment. I looked around the gym at all the faces I had grown to love and depend on. Nearly every department at the university had experienced my wanderings or encountered me due to some project I was working on. As my name was called, I approached President Alsop, and without even thinking, embraced him in a strong hug.

As the current residential marketing manager for Waldorf University, I seem to have still found an excuse to stick around. Recently, I was looking for images for a marketing campaign when I stumbled upon the photos from my undergraduate graduation day. I scrolled through them all, and suddenly there I was, standing once again on that stage, tearfully celebrating with all of the individuals who had unknowingly changed my life.

This spring, I will walk one more time across the university stage to receive my master’s degree diploma. President Alsop will be there along with everyone else who has become family for me within these beautiful old walls. You can be assured, I will hug him again. I would line them all up and embrace each of them if I could.