Athletics Recap

The Waldorf Warriors began the 2022-23 academic year with a bang, seeing immediate success in competition in all fall sports. As fall gave way to winter, 18 of the 22 Waldorf sports have begun their seasons, with numerous Warrior athletes earning honors of distinction.

FOOTBALL

The Waldorf Football Team turned in a seven-win campaign for the second straight season under the tutelage of Head Coach Will Finley, who earned his 20th career victory in just his third season when the Warriors bested Iowa Wesleyan on November 5. The Warriors began the 2022 campaign with four straight victories, including three against Iowan foes in Briar Cliff University, 42-24, Saint Ambrose University, 33-13, and Simpson College, 54-21.

The Warriors’ hot start led to national recognition, with Waldorf spending three weeks in the NAIA Football Coaches’ Top 25 Poll. Waldorf had most recently joined the Top 25 in the 2019 season.

Senior wide receiver Sam Huntley became the program’s all-time leading receiver when he hauled in eight passes for 93 yards in a 28-21 victory at North Star Athletic Association conference foe Mayville State on October 8. The senior earned North Star Athletic Association Offensive Player of the Week honors for his efforts in the victory. Huntley finished his stellar career with 226 receptions for 2,420 yards, both of which are program records. He scored 24 total career touchdowns and gained a total of 2,554 yards from scrimmage.

Senior Morgan Dostal had a day he will never forget in Waldorf’s 54-21 win over Simpson College on September 10. Dostal, a special teamer who would not typically touch the ball, managed to score two touchdowns in the same game. In the third quarter, he returned a blocked punt for a score. On Simpson’s next punt attempt, Dostal caught an unusually short kick and also brought it home to paydirt for another Waldorf touchdown. For his efforts, Dostal was named North Star Athletic Association Special Teams Player of the Week on September 12.

Warrior players were a staple of the conference office’s weekly honor roll. In addition to Huntley and Dostal, the following Warriors also earned weekly awards: cornerback Tyler Dennis (Special Teams, Week 2; Defense, Week 4), wide receiver Seth Oakes (Offense, Week 1), defensive lineman Deqwunn McCobb (Defense, Week 3) and quarterback Jordan Cooper (Offense, Week 4).

Several Warriors earned postseason honors from the North Star Athletic Association. Samuel Huntley, who had 55 receptions for 535 yards and six touchdowns, was named to the All-NSAA First Team. The Warriors placed six athletes on the 27-man NSAA All-Conference Second Team: junior offensive lineman Logan Miller, senior offensive lineman Kade KlosterHodak, senior offensive lineman Zachary Throne, senior defensive lineman Deqwunn McCobb, senior defensive back MaCoy Yeakel and senior defensive back Tyler Dennis.

In addition to the all-conference first and second teams, the North Star Athletic Association also recognizes four players per conference team with honorable mentions. The Waldorf players earning this distinction were junior quarterback Jordan Cooper, senior wide receiver Malik Adams, senior linebacker Nico Morasco and senior safety Kasen Handal.

Samuel Huntley and fellow Warrior wide receiver Mike Mouton were selected to play in the 2022 NAIA Senior Football Classic in Durham, N.C. on the eve of the NAIA National Championship Game.

Samuel Huntley Morgan Dostal CROSS COUNTRY/ TRACK & FIELD

Waldorf welcomed to campus a new head cross country coach, Janna Langrell, who came by way of Hope International University, a fellow NAIA program located in Fullerton, Calif. There, Langrell spent just over two years as the Assistant Cross Country & Distance Track Coach. During her time at Hope International, the Royals set 39 new school records and had NAIA national qualifiers on both the men's and women's sides. The HIU men's high jump took first place in the Golden State Athletic Conference in 2022.

Langrell joined forces with Director of Cross Country and Track & Field Joel Popenfoose, who came to Waldorf one year ago from Judson University in Elgin, Ill. Together, they are on a quest to rebuild the Cross Country and Track and Field programs to establish each as a power in the North Star Athletic Association as well as the Midwest.

The women’s cross country squad sent six competitors to the conference championships at Dickinson State on November 5. Sophomore Danielle Wood led the way for the Warriors with a personal best time of 20:53.8, a 34-second improvement for her.

Senior Mindy Barchenger earned the distinction of 2022 Daktronics NAIA Women’s Cross Country Scholar-Athlete. Barchenger was one of just over 600 NAIA athletes to earn the award, which requires a cumulative grade point average over 3.5.

Danielle Wood Mindy Barchenger

MEN’S SOCCER

Under the direction of Head Coach Michael Ritterbeck, the Men’s Soccer Team enjoyed their first winning season since 2019, finishing 8-6-2. The team’s success included the third-longest winning streak in program history, going undefeated from August 31 through September 21.

The team boasted exceptional international talent, particularly that of sophomore Daniel Burko

of Lovenstad, Norway. Burko led the team with eight goals, four of which were game-winners, and 13 assists. Burko earned Continental Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Week honors on September 6.

Burko, who also set program records in Track and Field, is a 4.0 student who was also named an NAIA Daktronics ScholarAthlete. Teammates Lucas Berte of Joinville, Brazil and Mohamed Yokie of Kenema, Sierra Leone also earned NAIA Daktronics Scholar-Athlete awards.

Daniel Burko Antonio Coutinho

Senior midfielder Antonio Coutinho of Lisbon, Portugal was named to the Continental Athletic Conference’s All-Conference Second Team following a five-goal, five-assist season. Junior goalkeeper Osvaldo Andrade earned CAC Defensive Player of the Week on September 26 following a week in which he posted 16 saves.

WOMEN’S SOCCER

The Waldorf Women’s Soccer Team won three of its final four away matches of the season to finish the year strong. One of those victories came at Illinois College on October 23 by a score of 3-0. Senior Iveth Guzman scored all three goals in the contest. For her efforts, Guzman was awarded Continental Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Week. In the spring of 2023, the Women’s Soccer program will bid farewell to a sizeable graduating class of 12 seniors: Katelyn Brandt, Katie Cooling, Autumn Petersen, Iveth Guzman, Adrianna Vargas, Amber Williams, Camryn McFarland, Sydney Boyd, Araneg Leon Velazquez, Reyna Suarez, Nelly Ndlovu and Courtnie Turner. The Warriors also bid farewell to

Iveth Guzman Head Coach Lugo Arenas ’15, who departed after five seasons at the helm to accept the same position at Laramie County Community College, where Arenas also played. Arenas led the Warriors to their highest winning percentage in program history (.571) in 2020-21.

The Waldorf women's soccer team had five athletes named as NAIA Daktronics Scholar-Athletes for their efforts on the field and in the classroom: senior Adrianna Vargas, senior Courtnie Turner, senior Katie Cooling, junior Daniela Benavides and junior Mikayla Smith.

VOLLEYBALL

The Waldorf University Volleyball Team started the 2022 season on fire. The Warriors made program history by starting the season 7-0, including undefeated showings: both at the Cardinal Stritch University Triangular and at the Jimmy John’s Classic at William Penn University.

Junior outside hitter Kenzie Kidd was named to the AllConference Second Team. Kidd finished the season with a team high of 255 kills, averaging 3.19 per set. She also had 239 digs with appearing in 22 matches. Kidd recorded 13 of her 22 matches with double digit kills and digs.

In addition to the All-Conference teams, the NSAA also acknowledges NAIA Champions of Character honors upon one player per conference team. Senior middle-blocker, Abygail Wood earned the Champions of Character recognition for the third consecutive season.

The Waldorf volleyball team had 10 athletes named as NAIA Daktronics Scholar-Athletes for their efforts on the court and in the classroom: senior Abygail Wood, junior Alisha Schaefer, sophomore Annie Stotlar, junior Charlotte Wright, junior Emma Hovenga, sophomore Juliet Karlen, senior Kaitlyn Bakke, junior Kaylee Kidd, junior Kenzie Kidd and sophomore Laina Yurs.

Abygail Wood Kenzie Kidd

GOLF

The Waldorf Men’s and Women’s Golf teams saw success on the links this past fall, and eagerly await the opportunity to get back out on the course in the spring.

Sophomore Amanda Karvala had four straight first-place finishes, which earned her back-to-back North Star Athletic Association Golfer of the Week awards. Karvala tied for first place at the Waldorf Challenge (5,945-yards, 72-par), finishing with a score of 83, helping the women's team get a secondplace finish. At the Waldorf

Amanda Karvala Thomas Houdayer Invitational (5,807-yards, 71-par), Karvala took first with a score of 77, helping the Warriors receive a first-place finish.

Sophomore Thomas Houdayer also finished first individually at the Buena Vista University Fall Invite. On Day 1, Houdayer was two strokes over par, with a score of 74 and on the second day he shot an even-par. He had a combined total of 146, earning him NSAA Golfer of the Week.

Both Waldorf golf teams won the annual Waldorf Invitational at the Rice Lake Golf Course in Lake Mills on September 26. The Men's and Women's teams finished with leading scores of 310 and 358, respectively. The women also won the BVU event, finishing first among five competing schools.

HOCKEY

Head Coach Mike Heitkamp’s squad is picking up steam headed into second semester. At press time, the Warriors are winners of six straight contests, including four straight road wins on the Midwest College Hockey conference circuit. The win streak includes weekend series sweeps of Northern Illinois, Midland University and Dakota College at Bottineau.

In their final game of calendar year 2022, junior defenseman Michael Heitkamp scored the decisive goal in the final three minutes, with his shorthanded squad killing off penalty time the rest of the way for an exciting Warrior victory.

The Warriors played in a historic weekend to open their season when they welcomed The University

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of Oklahoma Sooners for a game at Albert Lea City Arena on September 16. Waldorf also honored longtime assistant coach Steve Smith on October 28. Smith, who retired after 11 seasons behind the Warrior bench, was presented with jersey number 11 by Waldorf University President Dr. Robert Alsop and Director of Athletics Chad Gassman in a pregame retirement ceremony.

The Warriors will play eight of their final 13 regular season contests in Albert Lea, beginning with a pair of contests with topranked University of Mary on January 6-7. The team hopes to have a successful stretch run and a berth in the 2023 Midwest College Hockey Tournament in February.

Coach Steve Smith was honored for his retirement after 11 years of coaching

CHAFFIN, OGBEMUDIA TO LEAD WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Waldorf University began a new era in its women's basketball program in the 2022-23 season, the program’s 50th anniversary. New Head Coach Shawn Chaffin comes to Waldorf following five seasons as the head coach at fellow NAIA member school San Diego Christian College. He also spent five years as the head coach at NAIA member University of Great Falls (currently Providence) from 2006-10.

In all, Coach Chaffin has spent 21 years in intercollegiate athletics as an assistant basketball coach, head basketball coach, admissions coordinator, and assistant athletic director. He also coached at the NCAA Division II level for six years as an assistant women's basketball coach at Minot State University in North Dakota.

Throughout his career, Chaffin's squads have been known for their exceptional integrity. Coach Chaffin was the director of San Diego Christian's Champions of Character program which led to five NAIA Gold Star Awards and a perfect score of 100 for the 2019-20 academic year. Chaffin was named the 2022 Golden State Athletic Conference All-Sport Coach of Character.

Chaffin’s first order of business was hiring Waldorf alumna Ameh Ogbemudia ’19 as his assistant coach. Coach Ogbemudia comes to Waldorf by way of North Central University, a Division III institution, in Elliot Park, Minn. Ogbemudia served as the women's basketball assistant coach where she helped the head coach with tasks involving recruiting, film breakdown and the team diagnostics.

Coach Shawn Chaffin Asst. Ameh Ogbemudia

While at North Central University, Ogbemudia was a part of their 24-5 season, in which NCU was Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) Tournament Champions, and played in the NCAA Tournament. Ogbemudia received her degree from Waldorf University in 2019, with a major in Criminal Justice and minor in Psychology. She was a standout basketball player for Waldorf for four years. Ogbemudia recorded 1,013 career points and 517 career rebounds. In her senior season, she led the Warriors to a 9-5 record in conference and 14-12 overall.

WINTER SPORTS SEASONS BEGIN AT WALDORF

The Warriors’ seasons recently got underway in Men’s and Women’s Basketball, Men’s and Women’s Wrestling, Men’s and Women’s Bowling, and Men’s and Women’s Indoor Track and Field. Competition resumes across all winter sports in the first week of January 2023. Updates for all Waldorf University teams can be found at WaldorfWarriors.com; be sure to visit the website when you have a chance!

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