http://miac-online.org/news/2012/6/14/HONORS_0614125008.aspx
ST. PAUL, Minn. -- The 2012 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic
Conference (MIAC) spring sports season was filled with standout
performances and unforgettable moments. Recently, many of the
talented student-athletes that delivered those highlights were
honored for their outstanding seasons with All-America and
All-Region honors. In all, MIAC student-athletes accumulated 32
All-American honors and 55 All-Region honors this spring.
This season, MIAC student-athletes earned individual postseason
honors in baseball, softball, tennis, golf and outdoor track and
field, with most All-Region and All-American teams selected and
publicized by the sport's respective coaches' association. MIAC
baseball players were also honored by the D3sports.com All-American
and All-Region selections. The award-winners are detailed below,
sport-by-sport.
BASEBALL
The MIAC had another great season on the baseball diamond, and its top players were honored with seven All-American selections and 30 All-Region honors, to go with some impressive individual honors handed out by the American Baseball Coaches' Association and D3baseball.com.
St. Thomas pitcher Steve Maher headlined the selections, earning both ABCA and D3baseball.com First-Team All-American honors, as well as All-Region honors and the Region Pitcher-of-the-Year award from both groups. Teammate Dylan Thomas was a first-team D3Baseball.com All-American and a second-team pick by the ABCA - both as a utility player - as well as the ABCA Midwest Region Position Player-of-the-Year, and a first team All-Region honoree by both groups. Their coach, St. Thomas' Chris Olean, was named the ABCA's Midwest Region Coach-of-the-Year.
Also earning All-America honors were Bethel star Matt Rowley (utility, third team, ABCA), Saint John's reliever Joey Long (second team, D3baseball.com) and St. Thomas pitcher Bryce Gapinski (third team, D3baseball.com). All three were ABCA First Team All-Region picks, while Rowley (OF) and Long were D3Baseball.com First Team All-Region selections, and Gapinski was a D3Baseball.com All-Region Second-Team choice. The versatile Rowley also made the D3baseball.com All-Region team as a third-team pitcher.
The MIAC had six ABCA Second Team All-Region picks: St. Thomas's
Charles Bruchu (3B) and Ben Podobinski (OF), Saint John's Connor
Cline (utility) and Hayden Zimmerman (P), Bethel's Jay Slick (C)
and Augsburg's Adam Carl (SS). Saint John's Dylan Graves (OF) and
Ryan Spengler (P), Saint Mary's Kevin Gannon (1B) and Concordia's
Michael Olson (OF) were all ABCA Third Team All-Region
selections.
Zimmerman doubled as a D3Baseball.com All-Region Second Team choice, while Podobinski, Graves, Cline, and Spengler all received third-team All-Region honors from D3Baseball.com. Saint Mary's Paul Lanasa (2B) and Jon Schlemmer (DH), Bethel's Buddy Flaherty (RP) and Augsburg's Ryan Mestnik (SP) were also named to the D3Baseball.com Third Team.
SOFTBALL
The National Fastpitch Coaches' Association (NFCA) announced its All-American and All-Region softball teams recently, with the MIAC receiving one All-American honor and 12 All-Midwest Region selections. St. Thomas' Kimmy Hassel headlined the MIAC selections, earning an at-large spot as a Third Team All-American, and she was the second baseman on the All-Midwest Region First Team.
Gustavus infielder Lisa Klass joined Hassel on the All-Region First Team as an at-large selection. The Tommies placed three players - pitcher Kendra Bowe, shortstop Jenna Hoffman and outfielder Alyssa Dunrud - on the All-Region Second Team, while Gustavus' Sarah Rozell (at-large) and St. Catherine's Alyssa Luedtke were also second-team selections.
All third-team selections were at-large, and the MIAC was represented by five more players. Bethel's Rachel Gilbert, Augsburg's Allyson Ruedy and Kylee Persing, Gustavus' Kate Rentschler and St. Thomas' Emily Gregory were all All-Midwest Region Third Team picks in 2012.
TENNIS
The Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) recently announced its NCAA Division III Tennis All-American teams for the 2011-12 season, and three MIAC student-athletes received a total of four honors from the ITA. Gustavus star Amrik Donkena was named an All-American in both singles and doubles competition. Donkena's teammate, Mya Smith-Dennis, also earned All-America honors for his doubles performance in 2012. Carleton's Kathryn Schmidt capped her great career with her fourth-straight All-American honor for her excellence in singles play.
GOLF
All-American and All-Region honors for golf were handed out for
both men and women by their respective coaches' associations, with
the MIAC receiving four All-American awards and 13 All-Region
awards, along with a few other individual honors.
The Golf Coaches' Association of America (GCAA) recently announced
its men's honor squads, headlined by the Division
III Ping All-America Teams. St. Thomas' Alex Kapraun received
Second Team All-American honors, while Gustavus' Simon Erlandsson
and Saint John's Dennis Granath were All-America third-team
selections. Grantah was also named to the All-Central
Region team, where he was joined by teammate Casey Vangsness,
Concordia's Pat Deitz and Coy Papachek, Gustavus' Tyler McMorrow
and Bethel's Toby Robinson. Papachek was the Central Region's
representative on the Division
III All-Freshman Team.
On the women's side, St. Olaf star Molly Erickson led the way
with an Honorable Mention All-American award from the National
Golf Coaches' Association (NGCA). Erickson's coach, Luke
Benoit, was named the Division III Eaton Golf Pride Midwest Region
Coach-of-the-Year. Erickson headlined the MIAC's All-Midwest Region
selections, and was joined on the team by Gustavus' Taylor
Drenttel, Sam Falk and Annie Jackson, Carleton's Gina Kabasakalis
and Taylor Wells and Saint Benedict's Kathryn Hauff.
OUTDOOR TRACK AND FIELD
The MIAC had a great collective performance last month at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships, with 13 individuals and two relay teams earning a total of 16 All-American honors. Hamline's Devin Monson led the way with two All-American nods thanks to his performances in the 5,000- and 10,000-meter runs.
Monson's teammate, Jack Deichert, was an All-American in the 1,500-meter run. St. Thomas also had two All-American performers in Mike Hutton (800-meter run) and Ben Sathre (5,000-meter run), while the other two MIAC men's All-Americans came from Bethel. Zach Haskins (1,500-meter run) and Matt Schafer (800-meter run) were the Royals' two honorees.
The St. Thomas women had one individual All-American, Taylor Berg, in the 1,500-meter run, as well as a pair of All-American relay teams. The Tommies' 4x100-meter relay team (Mallory Burnham, Christian Rozeske, Angela Tipp and Emily Van Heel) and 4x400-meter relay team (Larissa Peyton, Angela Tipp, Erika Tipp and Van Heel) both earned the prestigious honor. Hamline also had a pair of women's All-Americans in Brenna Coyle (hammer throw) and Becky Culp (discus).
Augsburg's Ashley Carney (100-meter dash), Carleton's Simone Childs-Walker (10,000-meter run), Concordia's Kaari Jensen (heptathlon) and Gustavus' Allyson Voss (pole vault) rounded out the MIAC's women's outdoor track and field All-Americans.
The conference also had three individual award-winners on the regional level by the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches' Association (USTFCCCA). Hutton was named the Central Region Men's Track Athlete-of-the-Year. Jensen was named the Central Region Women's field Athlete-of-the-Year. And St. Thomas Assistant coach Chad Robran was honored as the Central Region Women's Assistant Coach-of-the-Year.
ACADEMIC HONORS
In addition to all the success on the field, court, course and track this spring, MIAC student-athletes have also racked up some impressive academic honors through the Capital One Academic All-American program and from other awarding bodies. The final spring academic honors - outdoor track and field Academic All-Americans - will be announced Tuesday, and all MIAC spring academic honorees will be announced in a press release that afternoon. The 2011-12 MIAC Winter and Spring Academic All-Conference awards will also be announced later this month.