SAINT PETER, Minn. — The Gustavus Adolphus College Athletics Department recognized the accomplishments of the 2023-24 athletic year in May with a student-athlete celebration, and recently voted on the 22nd annual Golden Gustie Awards, which honors the department's Male and Female Athletes of the Year, Newcomers of the Year, and Teams of the Year.
And, for the third consecutive year, a member of the track & field team was named the Gustavus Female Athlete of the Year.
Megan Geraets (Jr., Mankato) followed in the footsteps of Gustie great
Birgen Nelson '23 this season, picking up where the Edina native left off on the track. On the men's side, the awards saw its first ever tie, as senior stand-out wide receiver
Jake Breitbach (Golden Valley) and sophomore tennis players
Gage Gohl (Sioux Falls, S.D.) and
Tyler Haddorff (Burnsville) shared the award following a national championship in the doubles.
Swimming & diving first-years
Stella Anderson Moye (Inver Grove Heights) and
Logan Cyr (Maple Grove) swept the Female and Male Newcomer of the Year awards, while volleyball and men's tennis earned the department's Team of the Year award, as voted on by the 2023-24 Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) representatives.
This year's Athlete of the Year ballot included five women and five men. The women were Geraets,
Syd Hauger (basketball),
Hailey Holland (hockey),
Katie McCoy (hockey), and
Kasie Tweet (volleyball). Geraets and McCoy finished first and second in the voting, with Tweet in third. The men were Breitbach, Gohl and Haddorff,
Marco Siviero (tennis),
Matt Strom (swimming & diving), and
Spencer Swanson (basketball). The three winners finished in a perfect tie after counting every head coaches' vote, while
Matt Strom took third on the ballot.
Also voted on by the head coaches was the Newcomer of the Year award. The ballot for newcomer of the year featured four women and five men. The women were Anderson Moye,
Olivia Duncan (track & field),
Carly Olson (softball), and
Kylie Scott (hockey). Duncan finished second in the voting, followed by Olson in third. The male newcomer ballot featured Cyr,
Jade Anstine (track & field),
Nick Brauer (cross country/track & field),
Drew Holt (hockey), and
Dominik Knutson (tennis). Brauer finished second on the ballot, followed by Anstine in third.
Here's a look at all the Golden Gustie award winners:
Female Athlete of the Year: Megan Geraets – READ MORE
Geraets capped off an impressive junior season with the highest honor awarded by the department. Geraets' season included the following accomplishments:
- 200-meter Indoor All-American
- Long Jump Indoor Second Team All-American
- Outdoor Second Team All-American in 200-meter and long jump
- Indoor All-Region in 200-meter, 400-meter, and long jump
- Outdoor All-Region in 200-meter, 400-meter, and long jump
- MIAC Indoor Champion in 200-meter, 400-meter, long jump, and 4x200 relay
- MIAC Outdoor Champion in 200-meter, 400-meter, and 4x100 relay
- MIAC Outdoor All-Conference in long jump and 4x400 relay
- Set school records in outdoor long jump, outdoor 400-meter, outdoor 200-meter, indoor 200-meter, indoor 400-meter, and indoor 4x200 relay
- Set MIAC records in indoor and outdoor 200-meter
- Three-time MIAC Athlete of the Week
Male Athlete of the Year: Jake Breitbach – READ MORE
Breitbach posted the most decorated season in Gustavus football history. The wide receiver earned a number of impressive accomplishments:
- Gagliardi Trophy Finalist (DIII Heisman)
- CSC First Team Academic All-American
- AP Second Team All-American
- AFCA Second Team All-American
- D3football.com Third Team All-American
- Bobby Bell Division III Minnesota Impact Player of the Year
- D3football.com First Team All-Region
- MIAC Offensive Player of the Year
- MIAC All-Conference Offense
- Two-time MIAC Athlete of the Week, one-time National Team of the Week
- Finished the season second in all NCAA Divisions (FBS, FCS, DII, DIII) for receiving yards per game (159.9), receptions per game (11.0), and total receiving yards (1,599)
- 11.0 receptions per game this season tied for 12th in the all-time NCAA DIII single season record book, his 110 receptions tied for 15th, and his 1,599 receiving yards are 22nd
- Broke three program records (single season receptions, single season receiving yards, and touchdowns in a single game)
Male Athletes of the Year: Gage Gohl and Tyler Haddorff – READ MORE
Gohl and Haddorff became the sixth tandem in men's tennis history to win a NCAA Doubles National Championship. The two also had an impressive fall season, and led doubles play in the MIAC and the nation.
Female Newcomer of the Year: Stella Anderson Moye – READ MORE
Anderson Moye became the first Gustavus women's swimmer to earn MIAC Rookie of the Year honors and helped the Gustie women to their first MIAC Championship since 2015.
Male Newcomer of the Year: Logan Cyr – READ MORE
Cyr made a splash in his first year for the Gusties, totaling 169 points at the championship meet to help the team win its fifth consecutive MIAC title. He is also the first men's swimmer to be named conference Rookie of the Year.
Women's Team of the Year: Volleyball
The 2023 volleyball team played an undefeated 11-0 MIAC season to capture the program's ninth MIAC regular season championship and sixth MIAC playoff championship, claiming both for the third consecutive season. With an overall record of 26-7, the Gusties earned their eighth NCAA appearance and advanced to the tournament's second round after upsetting No. 12 Calvin in straight sets in the first round. The team finished ranked No. 16 in all of DIII volleyball.
Men's Team of the Year: Tennis
The men's tennis team earned their 35th consecutive MIAC regular season championship and 52nd in program history, and their 13th consecutive playoff championship, punching a ticket to the NCAA tournament for the 36th time. The Gusties advanced to the second round of the tournament after defeating Kalamazoo, where they ended their season in the round of 32 against No. 14 UW-Whitewater. The team posted wins over six nationally-ranked opponents and collected eight All-America awards, boasting several players in the regional and national rankings. This is the second consecutive season that the men's tennis team has been selected by SAAC members as the team of the year.
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)
2023-24:
Megan Geraets (junior, track & field),
Jake Breitbach (senior, football),
Gage Gohl/
Tyler Haddorff (sophomores, tennis)
