Top Stories in Ole Athletics in 2021

Despite the continuing COVID-19 pandemic, 2021 marked a return to something resembling normalcy in the world of St. Olaf Athletics. While there were still numerous challenges presented by the pandemic, St. Olaf student-athletes were, for the most part, able to return to competition and put together a year filled with many highlights. From school records and individual accolades, to team championships and NCAA appearances, and much more, here are the top stories of the year in Ole Athletics presented in no particular order.

Jake Brown '15 qualifies for U.S. Biathlon Olympic Team | Full Story

In mid-December, the United States Biathlon Team announced four early qualifiers for Team USA for the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing, including former St. Olaf men's cross country, track and field, and Nordic skiing All-American Jake Brown ‘15. Brown was one of two early qualifiers for the men’s team and qualified by virtue of his 23rd-place finish in the men's 20-kilometer individual event in Oestersund, Sweden on Nov. 27 as part of the IBU World Cup. Set to be the third Ole to compete in the Olympic Games, Brown was a three-sport All-American at St. Olaf, including finishing eighth individually to help the Oles to the 2013 national championship in men's cross country. He also was a multiple-time All-American in Nordic skiing and placed third in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the 2015 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships.

Men's soccer enjoys historic season that includes MIAC regular-season title and Sweet 16 appearance

Men's soccer put together arguably the best season in program history, winning the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) regular-season championship outright before matching the program's deepest-ever NCAA Tournament run with an appearance in the Sweet 16. Under third-year head coach Travis Wall, the Oles finished the season with a 19-3-1 record, setting a new program-record for wins in a season and tying for the most victories in the country. St. Olaf became just the fifth team in MIAC history to win all 10 of its conference games on its way to the fourth outright conference title in program history (seventh overall). From Sept. 15 to Nov. 3, the Oles won 15-straight games to tie the longest winning streak in program history established in 1999. After seeing its streak snapped in the championship game of the MIAC Playoffs, St. Olaf earned an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament and topped Dominican (Ill.) and Loras by a combined score of 7-0 at home in the first two rounds of the tournament to earn a spot in the sectional rounds, where the Oles were edged, 1-0, by North Park in Chicago. During the season, St. Olaf was ranked in the United Soccer Coaches Top 25 in six-straight polls, peaking at No. 10 in the country before finishing a memorable season at No. 15.

Softball wins MIAC regular-season championship, returns to NCAA Tournament

Softball returned to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1996 as part of a season that saw the Oles go 26-8 overall and win the regular-season MIAC championship with a program-best 20-2 mark in conference play. St. Olaf's 26 wins were the program's second-highest total since 1998 despite playing fewer non-conference games than normal due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Head coach Kayla Hatting's team clinched its fifth regular-season championship by sweeping Hamline on the road on May 3 and earned the right to host the MIAC Playoffs, where the Oles won a pair of games before falling to St. Thomas. St. Olaf earned one of just seven at-large bids into the NCAA Regionals and was the top seed in the Waverly Regional as part of the third NCAA Tournament appearance in program history. In Iowa, the Oles picked up wins over UW-Superior and nationally-ranked Coe before seeing their outstanding season end two wins shy of a regional championship.

Cross country teams post top-20 national finishes in Louisville | Women's Recap | Men's Recap

Women's and men's cross country both finished in the top-20 teams at the 2021 NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships in Louisville, Ky. on Nov. 20, logging their highest national finishes in a handful of years. Head coach Erica Maker's women's program recorded its best finish since 2012 by placing 13th, as four of the Oles' five scorers established new collegiate personal-best times in the meet. Head coach Brian Power's men's program finished ahead of 11 teams ranked ahead of them in the national rankings by placing 17th for its highest finish since 2016. The top-15 national finish was the 15th in program history for the women, while the men logged the 13th top-20 team finish in program history.

Women's cross country claims first MIAC title since 2010 | Full Story

Competing on its home course, women's cross country won its first MIAC team title since 2010 by edging crosstown-rival Carleton by six points on Oct. 30. St. Olaf had four of the top-eight individual finishers and had all five of its scorers earn All-MIAC honors with top-15 performances to add a 10th title to the crowns won in 1993, 1994, 1995, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, and 2010. Head coach Erica Maker's team won the meet with a total of 37 points to end the Knights' run of three-straight team titles. Ellen Mickelson led the way for the Oles in third place and was joined in the top 10 by Julia Everest, Sofia Carlson, and Bella Call in sixth, seventh, and eighth, respectively, while Samantha Posey placed 13th.

Anderson, Cooper set/tie program records with four-goal performances 

Tessa Anderson and Tyler Cooper set or tied single-game program records for women's soccer and men's soccer with four-goal performances in September and December, respectively. Anderson tied the school record by scoring all four goals for women's soccer in a 4-0 non-conference victory over Finlandia on Sept. 12, scoring twice in each half to post the fourth four-goal performance in program history. It was the first time an Ole had scored four goals in a game since Kajsa Brindley ‘16 did so against Gustavus on Oct. 5, 2013. Cooper registered the first four-goal performance in the recorded history of the men’s hockey program to lead the Oles to a 5-2 MIAC win over Bethel on Dec. 11. After scoring once in each of the first two periods, the first year added a pair of third-period goals to cap the first hat trick by a St. Olaf skater since Chris Koziel scored three times in a 6-2 win at Gustavus on Nov. 4, 2017. The performance was the first time a St. Olaf skater scored four times in a game since at least 2001.

Haucks named to elite CSCAA Top 100 lists | Top Swimmers/Divers Story | Top Coaches Story

Longtime St. Olaf head swimming and diving coach Dave Hauck was named to the College Swimming & Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) list of the 100 Greatest College Swimming & Diving Coaches and current head coach Bob Hauck ‘87 was selected to the organization’s list of the 100 Greatest Men's Swimmers & Divers this winter. In November, Dave Hauck was one of 100 collegiate swimming and diving coaches selected out of over 500 nominees to be recognized as one of the elite college coaches. After arriving at St. Olaf in the fall of 1966, he built one of the most successful programs in the country starting in 1973. St. Olaf won a combined 43 conference championships and produced 21 individual national champions during his time with the programs. Before coaching with his dad and eventually taking over the programs on his own, Bob Hauck was a 23-time All-American and seven-time individual national champion while swimming for his father from 1984-87. He set national records in the 100- and 200-yard backstrokes as well as the 400-yard individual medley and is one of the rare persons to be named the CSCAA Division III Swimmer (1987) and Coach of the Year (2009 - shared with his dad).

Seven Oles named All-Americans in five different sports

During the 2021 calendar year, seven St. Olaf student-athletes earned All-American honors in five different sports as they were recognized among the top performers in the country. In the spring, Paige Woldt ‘21 and Stephen Peper picked up All-America honors in the triple jump and high jump, respectively, as Woldt finished seventh (11.64m, 38’ 2 ¼") and Peper was fourth (2.05m, 6' 8 ¾") at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Greensboro, N.C. Woldt's seventh-place showing was the best finish in the event in program history, while Peper became St. Olaf's first All-American in the event since 1993 with his fourth-place showing. Also in the spring, Julie Graf ‘21 and Hannah Matthies ’21 became the first second and third National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-Americans in St. Olaf softball history, joining Graf who was also an All-American in 2017. Graf was one of three pitchers named to the First Team, while Matthies was an at-large selection to the Third Team, making the Oles one of 11 programs with multiple All-America honorees in 2021. Men's soccer also had a pair of United Soccer Coaches All-Americans this fall as Victor Gaulmin (First Team) and Hakeem Morgan (Second Team) became the first set of St. Olaf teammates to earn All-America honors in the same season in program history. St. Olaf was one of 11 programs from across the country with multiple All-Americans and the duo were two of only five sophomores nation-wide to earn All-America recognition. First-year punter Tyler Huettel was named a consensus All-American by the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA), D3football.com, and the Associated Press this fall, picking up First Team honors from D3football.com and the AP and Second Team honors from the AFCA after leading NCAA Division III in yards per punt (42.80).

Women's tennis becomes first No. 6 seed to win match in MIAC Playoffs | Match Recap

Women's tennis became the first No. 6 seed to ever win a match in the MIAC Playoffs by upsetting No. 3 seed Macalester, 5-3, on May 5 in Lakeville. After losing to the Scots by a 6-3 margin eight days prior, the Oles flipped the script with wins at No. 1 and No. 2 doubles and No. 2, No. 4, and No. 5 singles to advance to the semifinals for the first time since 2016. Prior to St. Olaf's win, No. 6 seeds at been 0-13 in the MIAC Playoffs since the tournament began in 2007. The victory also marked the eighth time in the tournament's 14 years that the Oles advanced to the semifinals. 

McDonald wins 588th game to become winningest coach in history of St. Olaf baseball | Full Story

Matt McDonald picked up the 588th victory of his career with the St. Olaf baseball program to break a tie with legendary former head coach Jim Dimick as the Oles swept Saint Mary's on April 24. McDonald entered the day tied with his former head coach with 587 career wins and broke the tie when St. Olaf picked up an 8-4 win in the opener. The Oles went on to complete the sweep with a 14-6 victory in game two. Matthew Muller and Joey Glampe each homered and the duo combined to drive in seven runs in game one before the pair each had four hits in the game-two win. McDonald ended the season with 593 career victories at St. Olaf, leaving him seven shy of the 600-win milestone entering 2022.

Woldt, Kramarczuk break school records in triple jump and 60-meter hurdles | Woldt Story | Kramarczuk Story

Paige Woldt ‘21 and Lucas Kramarczuk broke school records in the triple jump and 60-meter hurdles, respectively, during the 2021 calendar year. Woldt bettered her own school record in the triple jump at the Ole Open on May 8 with a mark of 11.76 meters (38’ 7"), which was the seventh-best jump in the country at the NCAA Division III level at the time. The mark was nine inches better than her previous record of 11.53 meters from the St. Olaf Women's Invitational on April 10, 2021. Kramarczuk started the 2021 indoor season out with a bang by breaking Aaron Dunphy's school record in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.38 seconds at the Chuck Peterson Open in Mankato. The junior's time was one-tenth of a second faster than Dunphy's previous record established in 2015.