Twenty-two Bethany athletes earn academic all-conference honors
Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Julie Thomas

Mankato, Minn. – The winter and spring Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) Academic All-Conference award list was released with 22 Bethany Lutheran student-athletes receiving the honor. In order to be recognized each student-athlete had to post a 3.50 or better semester grade point average based on a 4.0 scale, and needed to complete the season in the sport he or she was nominated for. The following Bethany Lutheran student-athletes met, or exceeded the UMAC requirements to be a part of the elite group.

Men's Basketball:
Derek Peterson (Oakdale, Minn./Tartan)

Women’s Basketball:
Brittany Zabel (Mankato, Minn./Maple River)
Molly Erdman (Courtland, Minn./Lakeview)
Caitlin Meyer (Mankato, Minn./Minnesota Valley Lutheran)
Anna Cepek (Aurora, Neb./New Ulm)

Baseball:
Michael Greibrok (Glenville, Minn./Glenville-Emmons)
Nick Johnson (Indianapolis, Ind./Lawrence North)
Brad Lawson (Belle Plain, Minn./Dakota Country CC)
Chris Porter (Ft. Dodge, Iowa/Iowa Central CC)
Sam Stier (Austin, Minn./Pacelli)

Softball:
Jenna Gehl (Plymouth, Minn./West Lutheran)
Susan Hegstrom (Buffalo, Minn./West Lutheran)
Jonnica Norell (Saint Peter, Minn./St. Peter)
Brittany Schlomer (Glenham, S.D./Selby)
Alyssa Wiechmann (Plymouth, Minn./West Lutheran)
Abigail Popp (Hutchinson, Minn./Hutchinson)

Men’s Tennis:
David Blumer (Lakewood, Colo./Green Mountain)

Women’s Tennis:
Emily Anderson (Hudson, Wis./River Falls)
Laura Gehlhar (Hager City, Wis./St. Croix Lutheran)
Elizabeth Kopacek (Maple Grove, Minn./Osseo)
Brook Osmundson (Mapleton, Minn./Maple River)
Alison Stavig (Robbinsdale, Minn./West Lutheran)

Softball wraps up season with awards banquet
Thursday, May 13, 2010

Julie Thomas

Mankato, Minn. – The Bethany softball team wrapped up the most successful season in school history with a banquet honoring the team and coaches. The following awards were voted for by the team, and given out to student-athletes who made a significant impact on the season.

Most Valuable Player- Susan Hegstrom (Buffalo, Minn./West Lutheran)
Hegstrom was the lead off hitter for the season. The senior played in 34 games, had one home run, and 22 RBIs. Her slugging percentage was .611 and had a fielding percentage of .881. Hegstrom also completed 13 stolen bases.

Rookie of the Year- Kelsey Pekarna (Jordan, Minn./Jordan)
Pekarna was the starting catcher for the Vikings. In her freshman season she batted .346, hit three home runs, and had 25RBIs.

Viking Award- Alyssa Wiechmann (Plymouth, Minn./West Lutheran)
Players were asked to nominate a teammate they felt represented Bethany Lutheran softball in all aspects of attitude, effort, and desire.

Golden Glove- Brittany Schlomer (Glenham, S.D./Selby)
The golden glove award goes to a player whose glove was an asset to the team all season long. Schlomer committed zero errors and was the leader in centerfield.

Batting Champion- Ashley Jensen (Delano, Minn./West Lutheran)
In over 27 games Jensen hit nine doubles, one triple, four home runs, and had 24 RBIs. She ended the season with a .507 batting average.

Softball players selected for all-conference awards
Monday, May 10, 2010

Julie Thomas

Mankato, Minn. - Three Bethany Lutheran softball players were recognized by the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) after helping the Vikings complete their most successful season in school history finishing 19-21 overall, and 12-9 in the UMAC.

Freshman infielder Ashley Jensen (Delano, Minn./West Lutheran) was awarded First Team All-Conference. Jensen finished conference games leading the Vikings with a .507 batting average, and a .851 slugging percentage. She totaled 24 runs, and 24 RBIs against UMAC opponents.

Elizabeth Goetzke (North Mankato, Minn./Minnesota Valley Lutheran) was named All-Conference Honorable Mention. The sophomore batted .397, had 29 hits, scored 18 runs, and batted in 15. Goetzke finished the conference season with only one error, and a .973 fielding percentage.

Selected to the UMAC All-Defensive Team was senior leader Brittany Schlomer (Glenham, S.D./Selby). Schlomer, the Vikings centerfielder, had a 1.000 fielding percentage against UMAC opponents and recorded 16 RBIs.

The Vikings finished the season 5th in the conference, just one game out of the UMAC Playoff Tournament.