SAINT PETER, Minn. – It was certainly a year to remember for Gustavus seniors Birgen Nelson (Edina, Minn.) and Nick Aney (Rochester, Minn.). Nelson and Aney, who were recently named the Division III Commissioners Association's (DIIICA) Regional Student-Athletes of the Year, added one more accolade to their lengthy résumés, as they were voted the winners of the 21st Annual Gustavus Athlete of the Year awards.
 
The Gustavus Adolphus College Athletics Department celebrated the accomplishments of the 2022-23 athletic year in May with a student-athlete banquet, announcing a total of 12 awards, four of which were recently voted on by head coaches. 

Chris Gutuza (Johannesburg, South Africa) of the men's golf team and Maren Sundberg (Eagan, Minn.) of the volleyball team were voted as the Male and Female Newcomers of the Year, respectively, while women's hockey and men's tennis earned the department's Team of the Year award, as voted on by the 2022-23 Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) representatives. The Grace Goblirsh Award — presented to a student-athlete that has been an inspiration to their team and the Gustavus community — was awarded to women's hockey's Heather Olinger (Prior Lake, Minn.).

This year's Athlete of the Year ballot included five women and five men. The women were Nelson, Ellen Hofstede (swim & dive), Anna Sanders (basketball), Marlee Turn (volleyball), and Kayla Vrieze (hockey). Nelson was the unanimous winner, while Vrieze finished second and Hofstede third. The men were Aney, Mitch Casperson (baseball), Zach Jakes (football), Wesley Sanders (soccer), and Erik Small (swim & dive). Sanders finished second in the voting, while Small came in third.

Also voted on by the head coaches was the Newcomer of the Year award. The ballot for newcomer of the year featured five women and four men. The women were Sundberg, Molly Austin (tennis), Lily Mortenson (hockey), Caitlin Olafsson (softball), and Cambelle Waldspurger (soccer). Austin finished second in the voting, followed closely by Mortenson in third. The male newcomer ballot featured Gutuza, Gage Gohl (tennis), Rivaldo Pena (soccer), and Will Sarkinen (swim & dive). Gohl finished second on the ballot, followed by Pena in third.
 
Here's a look at all the Golden Gustie award winners:

Female Athlete of the Year: Birgen Nelson
Nelson earned her second-straight Female Athlete of the Year honor, joining Nora Holtan (Rochester, Minn.) as the only Gustie to win the award in back-to-back years.

Nelson finished her Gustie track & field career by repeating as the NCAA Division III national champion in the 100-hurdles and the runner up in the 400-hurdles. She also won the national championship in the 60-hurdles at the 2023 NCAA Indoor Championships. Nelson became the most decorated track & field athlete in Gustavus history as a three-time national champion and eight-time All-American while graduating with 14 school records (indoor 60M, 200M, 400M, 55H, 60H, 4×200, 4×400, outdoor 100M, 200M, 100H, 400H, 4×100, 4×200, sprint medley), including nine set just this year. Nelson owns three NCAA DIII all-time records in the indoor 60-hurdles (8.33), outdoor 100-hurdles (13.32), and outdoor sprint medley relay (3:59.32). She also owns the top four all-time NCAA DIII times in the 60-hurdles and is a two-time USTFCCCA North Region Track Athlete of the Year and two-time MIAC Track Athlete of the Year. She has also received CSC Academic All-America honors each of the last three years.

Outside of competition, Nelson earned a 3.96 GPA while double-majoring in political science and classical languages at Gustavus. Nelson has put her degree to use as a hall representative in Student Senate, a member of the Gustavus Board of Conduct, the student body Co-President, and the Legislative Affairs Co-Chair for the Minnesota Association of Private College Students. Nelson, who will continue her athletic and academic career at Duke University this coming year, was also selected as the MIAC's nominee for the NCAA Woman of the Year award, established in 1991 to honor graduating female college athletes who have exhausted their eligibility and distinguished themselves in academics, athletics, service, and leadership throughout their collegiate careers. 

"Birgen followed up an incredible junior year campaign with an even better senior season that solidified her as one of the best track and field athletes in the history of NCAA DIII," said Head Track & Field Coach Aaron Lund. "It's hard to believe that almost every race, all season for four years, she continued to get better. It's just incredible. Birgen's desire to succeed is very special. Mix that with the love that she has for her teammates and this program created a winning recipe. Birgen has inspired so many teammates to push themselves farther than they thought they could and to set the next round of lofty goals that they soon will achieve. Our team is forever grateful for the journey that Birgen has had at Gustavus. I will always remember her for her passion, work ethic, relentless curiosity to learn more about the sport, will to win, leadership qualities, awareness of others and her love for the team."

Male Athlete of the Year: Nick Aney
Aney had a banner year on the court and in the classroom, graduating with a 3.99 GPA in biochemistry. A recipient of the NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship earlier this summer, Aney also earned his third consecutive CSC Academic All-America honor and received the College's first Academic All-American of the Year award this past year. Aney is a three-time All-American after reaching the quarterfinals of the 2023 NCAA Doubles Championships, the semifinals of the 2021 NCAA Doubles Championships, and finishing in the top eight at the 2021 ITA Cup after upsetting the No. 1-ranked team in the country in the first round. Aney received the 2022 MIAC Arthur Ashe Award for high achievement and character, and is a two-time MIAC Elite 22 Award recipient. Aney posted a career singles record of 48-38 and is 71-35 in doubles play. He helped the Gusties win conference championships in both the regular season and MIAC Playoffs in 2019, 2021, 2022, and 2023, and capped his senior season by clinching the match point in an upset win over defending national champion Chicago to go to the Elite Eight. In the final 2023 ITA Division III rankings, Aney and partner Daniel Fouchier ranked No. 16 in the nation in doubles, while Aney was the No. 28-ranked singles player in the country.

Beyond athletics, Aney has volunteered at Good Samaritan Dental Clinic and Channel One Food Bank in Rochester, Minn., and has been a leading participant in the Gusties' Big Partner/Little Partner program. He also co-founded the Gustavus Pre-Dental Club and served as a first-term seminar peer mentor and academic leader in guiding first-year students to help ease the transition to college.

"This is a great honor for Nick and our team. He had a tremendously impactful career in our program and in the Gustavus community, and he had a remarkable '22-'23 season in every way.  He played outstanding tennis in both singles and doubles, becoming an All-American for the third year in a row, but more importantly, he was a key part of a very special group of fifth and fourth year Seniors who led our team to give our best, embrace challenges, and represent our values every day," said Head Coach Tommy Valentini.

"We'll certainly all remember the match Nick played in the Sweet 16 as a highlight of our season. To show the poise, courage and gratitude he displayed to come from behind, and clinch our team's trip to the Elite 8 in that moment was a great culmination of all the work he put in as a player, teammate, and person during his time in our program - but his season and career were about more than just that match. He worked extremely hard every day, and he grew tremendously as a person, student, and athlete. He is the definition of an elite student-athlete - his list of honors as a student-athlete is long and distinguished - and he certainly raised the standard for what it means to be a Gustavus tennis student-athlete. I know Nick is humbled by this award and honored to be in the company of the other truly excellent Gusties who are finalists. We're grateful he was selected as male athlete of the year, we're thankful that he'll continue to live our program's values in the next chapters of his life."

Women's Team of the Year: Hockey
The 2022-23 women's hockey team was the first in Gustavus history and the only team ever in the West Region to win a national title. The national championship came in dramatic fashion, as the Gusties played in the longest title game in DIII history, defeating Amherst 2-1 in triple overtime. The team recorded an overall record of 27-3-0 and 17-1-0 in conference play, clinching their 16th NCAA appearance, 18th MIAC regular season championship, and 14th MIAC playoff championship. 

Men's Team of the Year: Tennis
The men's tennis team earned their 34th consecutive MIAC regular season championship and 51st in program history, including their 12th consecutive MIAC playoff championship, punching a ticket to the NCAA tournament for the 35th time. The Gusties upset the 2022 returning national champions, University of Chicago 5-4 to earn a spot in the Elite 8 for the first time since 2017. The Gusties posted six wins over nationally-ranked opponents, and sported several players in the regional and national rankings. 

Female Newcomer of the Year: Maren Sundberg
Sundberg was the cornerstone of the Gustie defense in her first year of collegiate volleyball. Posting 573 digs on the season, Sundberg earned AVCA All-America Honorable Mention, AVCA All-Region, MIAC All-Conference, and was named the conference's Rookie of the Year.

Male Newcomer of the Year: Chris Gutuza
Gutuza became the eighth Gustavus player to receive MIAC Rookie of the Year honors, and the first since the 2018-19 season. Gutuza played 20 rounds of golf in his debut season, averaging 76.3 shots at the nine events he attended. He had two top-10 showings and played a crucial role in the Gusties' win over nationally-ranked Saint John's, tying for fourth at the event with an even-par 72.

Grace Goblirsh Award: Heather Olinger
Named after former Gustavus swimmer Grace Goblirsh, the award recognizes a student-athlete that has overcome obstacles in their life and who has been an inspiration to their team and the entire Gustavus community. After suffering a career-ending spinal injury during the season, the entire Gustavus community rallied around Heather Olinger, who showed strength and grace in recovery and served as an inspiration to the national championship women's hockey team.

Women's Team GPA Award: Women's Tennis 
The women's tennis team posted a GPA of 3.809 in the 2022-23 season — the highest of any women's team at Gustavus.

Men's Team GPA Award: Men's Swim & Dive
The men's swim & dive team posted a GPA of 3.595 in the 2022-23 season — the highest of any men's team at Gustavus.

Evelyn Young Award: Kristin Martens and Morgan Mellum
The Evelyn Young Award is presented to the female student-athlete with the highest GPA. The 2022-23 winners are golf's Kristin Martens (Sartell, Minn.) and swim & dive's Morgan Mellum (Edina, Minn.).

Hollingsworth Key Award: Jared Dawson
The Hollingsworth Key Award is presented to the male student-athlete with the highest GPA. The 2022-23 winner is Jared Dawson (Eagan, Minn.) of men's swim & dive.

Gary Reinholtz Award: Anica Herrera and Nicolai Lohman
The Gary Reinholtz Award has been presented annually since 2011 to the most exceptional student in the Gustavus athletic training program. The winners of the 2023 Gary Reinholtz Award are seniors Anica Herrera and Nicolai Lohman.

Gustavus Athletes of the Year
2000-01: Andrea Kleven (first year, swimming, track & field), Eric Butorac (sophomore, tennis)
2001-02: Sarah Moe (senior, hockey), Ryan Hoag (junior, football, track & field)
2002-03: Molly Biehn (junior, softball), Luke Speltz (senior, track & field)
2003-04: Angie Peterson (senior, basketball), Luke Benoit (senior, golf)
2004-05: Tara Houlihan (junior, volleyball, tennis), Joe Hartwell (senior, soccer)
2005-06: Hailey Harren (junior, cross country), Bobby Kroog (senior, soccer)
2006-07: Andrea Peterson (senior, hockey), Tony Konicek (senior, baseball)
2007-08: Lisa Brown (junior, track & field), Andy Bryan (senior, tennis)
2008-09: Rachael Click (senior, softball), Matt Stewart (senior, swimming)
2009-10: Melissa Mackley (senior, hockey), David Martinson (senior, hockey)
2010-11: Janey Helland (senior, track & field), Whitaker Davis (senior, swimming)
2011-12: Alissa Tinklenberg (sophomore, swimming), Ross Ring-Jarvi (senior, hockey)
2012-13: Lindsey Hjelm (senior, hockey), Alex Kolquist (senior, golf)
2013-14: Alissa Tinklenberg (senior, swimming), Jeffrey Dubose (senior, football)
2014-15: Jenny Strom (senior, swimming), David Lilly (senior, soccer)
2015-16: Alex Kopp (senior, gymnastics), Matt Boyce (senior, football)
2016-17: Nora Holtan (sophomore, volleyball), Tanner Sonnek (sophomore, swimming)
2017-18: Nora Holtan (junior, volleyball), Mohanad Alhouni (senior, tennis)
2018-19: Nora Holtan (senior, volleyball), Michael Hensch (senior, track & field)
2019-20: no awards presented due to pandemic-shortened and canceled seasons
2020-21: no awards presented due to pandemic-shortened and canceled seasons
2021-22: Birgen Nelson (junior, track & field), Jack Hanson (senior, baseball)
2022-23: Birgen Nelson (senior, track & field), Nick Aney (senior, tennis)