Golden Cobber Male Athlete of the Year 

Tyler Bossert - Men's Hockey
In his first year of Division III competition, Bossert led the MIAC in scoring during the regular season with 11 goals and 28 assists for 39 points and his assist total ranked 5th in the country. Bossert earned All-American Second Team honors and was also on the MIAC All-Conference Team.

Matt Bye - Men's Track & Field
In his first season in the multi-event, Bye was only 10^th at the MIAC Indoor Track & Field Championship Heptathlon. Just two months later Bye finished second at the MIAC Outdoor Championships in the Decathlon and second in the 110 meter hurdles earning him All-Conference Honors in both events. He then went on to finish 15th in the nation in the decathlon at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships. During the following indoor track and field season, Bye improved by earning his first MIAC Indoor Championship title in the heptathlon which also earned him All-Conference Honors. He barely missed the school record in the event and then went on to finish 11th at the NCAA Championships in the heptathlon. Bye has also earned MIAC Athlete of the Week, Scholar All-American Honors and holds the school record in the 60m hurdles.

Nathaniel Kahlbaugh - Men’s Golf
From the spring of 2018 through the fall of 2018 Kahlbaugh finished inside the Top 20 in 8 of 9 tournaments he played. He also finished in the Top 5 a total of five times and shot a 68 to win by 10 shots in the Cobber Spring Matchup. Kahlbaugh also finished second at the Gustavus Bobby Krig Invite, second at the Cobber Fall Invite, third at the Gustavus Twin Cities Classic and fourth at the Jamestown Fall Invitational. Kahlbaugh led the men’s golf team in scoring in the spring of 2018 with an average of 72.0, went on to lead the Cobber men's golf team in scoring in the fall of 2018 with an average of 75.4 and only posted two scores above 77 in his last 22 rounds.

Austin Ver Steeg - Baseball
Ver Steeg was the No.1  starting pitcher for the Cobbers as a sophomore last year. He finished the season by earning All-Region and All-Conference honors. Ver Steeg ended the year with a 1.25 ERA, 3-0 record, 36 innings pitched, 34 K’s and opponents had  a .200 batting average. 

Kara Andersen - Women's Cross Country
Andersen won the individual championship at Cobber Invite as well as the Jimmie Invite and was the top Cobber runner in seven of the eight meets in 2018. She also earned Scholar All-American honors, All-Region honors at NCAA Central Region Meet and was an MIAC Athlete of the Week.

Abigail Haraldson - Softball
Haraldson returned for the 2018 season after tearing her ACL in 2017 when she went 5-2. She defeated the odds by making a great comeback in 2018 and finished her career by becoming the school’s all-time strikeout leader. Haraldson broke the career strikeout mark on March 21 when she fanned eight batters against Bethany Lutheran. She broke the old mark that was set in 2002. Haraldson went on to finish the season with a team-leading 93 strikeouts and ended her career with 441 Ks.

Josie Herrmann - Women's Track & Field
Herrmann won the 1000 meters at the MIAC Indoor Meet. She also finished second in the 800 meters – losing to the eventual national champion. Her 1000-meter time was the second fastest in school history and her time in the 800 meters was fifth fastest in school history. Hermann was also named the MIAC Athlete of the Week two times, ranked 38th in Division III in the 800 meters and improved her 800-meter personal best time by nearly 9 seconds.

Bailey Hovland - Women's Track & Field
Hovland won the hammer throw at the 2018 MIAC  Outdoor Track and Field Championship Meet. She successfully defended her title while breaking the MIAC and school Records. She earned MIAC Outdoor Track and Field All-Conference honors in the hammer throw and the discus where she finished second. Hovland also earned MIAC All-Conference Honorable Mention honors in the shot put by finishing fourth. She was named the 2018 MIAC Outdoor Women’s Track & Field Event Athlete of the meet and also earned NCAA All-Region honors as well as being named a USTFCCCA Scholar All-American and Academic All-MIAC recipient. Hovland earned a spot at the NCAA National Outdoor Meet where she finished 17th in the hammer throw.  

Tyler Bossert - Men's Hockey
In his first year of Division III competition, Bossert led the MIAC in scoring during the regular season with 11 goals and 28 assists for 39 points and his assist total ranked 5th in the country. Bossert earned All-American Second Team honors and was also on the MIAC All-Conference Team.

Cayle Hovland - Women's Track & Field
Hovland finished second in the shot put in her very first MIAC Indoor Championship Meet. She earned MIAC All-Conference honors for her runner-up finish and went on to be named to the All-Region Team. Hovland was named the MIAC Athlete of the Week on Feb. 4 and had a personal best shot put mark of 43-06 which is the No.5 mark on the Cobber all-time list. Her season best throw narrowly missed a spot at the NCAA Indoor Meet.

Jesse Middendorf – Men's Track & Field
Middendorf finished second in the 800 meters and eighth in the 1000 meters in his first-ever MIAC Indoor Championship Meet. He finished the indoor season with the ninth fastest time in school history in the 800 meters and 17th in the 1000 meters. He was also a part of the Cobber 4x400 meter relay team which finished third at the MIAC Meet with a school record time and had won every race leading up to the MIAC Championships.

Meritt Miller - Women's Cross Country
Miller saved her best for last during her initial cross country season as she earned All-Region honors by placing 20^th at the NCAA Central Region Meet. She recorded a personal best time by nearly two minutes at the region meet and ended up missing out on a spot at the NCAA National Meet by only four places.

Nate Weaver - Men's Soccer
The freshman forward scored seven goals which tied for the most on the team and was the second most by a first-year player in school history. His seven goals were also the second highest in goals by a freshman in the MIAC in 2018.

Kendra Wiggs - Volleyball
Wiggs played 27 matches as a freshman and led the team in blocks. She also hit .199 for the season, averaged 1.35 kills per set and 0.89 blocks per set. Wiggs finished fourth in the MIAC in solo blocks and ninth in the conference in blocks per set. She also finished fifth in total blocks, sixth in blocks per set and seventh in block assists.

Bret Wilson - Wrestling
Wilson finished the season by placing eighth in his very first NCAA regional meet. He also earned Scholar All American honors which is based on academic and wrestling accomplishments throughout the season.

Cal Wright - Men's Track & Field
Wright broke the school record in the 3000 meters and also posted the second fastest times in program history in the 200 and 400 meters. Wright placed in the Top 5 in four different events at the MIAC Indoor Championship Meet and was a part of an all-freshman team that broke the Cobber school record in the 4x400 meter relay.  

Chris Howe - Men’s Hockey
Howe led the Cobbers to a 13-10-3 overall record and a 9-5-2 mark in MIAC play. The nine conference wins is the most since the 2013 season. With that success, men's hockey reached the playoffs for the seventh straight time and for the eighth time in his 11 seasons as head coach.

Laura Januszewski - Men's and Women's Cross Country
Januszewski led both the men’s and women’s cross country teams to great success in her first year at Concordia. She helped Merit Miller and Kara Andersen earn All-Region honors by placing 20^th and 28th at the NCAA Regional Meet. It marked the first time two Cobber athletes have received All-Region honor since 2000.  She also helped Kara Anderson earn USTFCCCA national honors. The men’s cross country team had the fastest team average in program history at the region meet.  The men’s team had three runners finish in the top 90 at the region meet which hadn’t happened for a Cobber team since 2002. Januszewski also coaches the distance runners on the track and field teams and her athletes scored 42 points at the MIAC Indoor Championship meet and had several individuals earn All-Conference and All-Conference Honorable Mention honors. 

Bailey Hovland - Women's Track & Field
Holvland was in second place heading into the final attempt of the hammer throw at the MIAC Outdoor Championship Meet and then made the throw of her lifetime as she won the event with a distance of 173-07. That mark broke the MIAC championship meet record as well as the Concordia school record and qualified her for the NCAA championship Meet.

Ty Johnson - Wrestling
Johnson came into the NCAA Midwest Regional Meet seeded fourth in his weight class in a meet where only the Top 3 finishers qualify for the NCAA National Meet. Johnson was behind 3-0 against the No.1 seed heading into the second period in the semifinal match – a match that would earn a spot at nationals. He was able to land a huge takedown thrown which led to a pin and helped him earn a berth at the NCAA Championship Meet. 

Kelsey Rajewski - Women's Track & Field
Rajewsky was plagued by a season-long injury and was ranked ninth in the weight throw heading into the MIAC Indoor Championship Meet. She was barely able to earn a spot in the finals of the event after her prelim attempts. In her final attempt of the meet, she removed her hip flexor wrap and recorded a lifetime-best distance by 1.8 feet which helped her move up to a fifth-place finish and earn her All-Conference Honorable Mention honors.   

Amy Warren - Swimming & Diving
Warren capped off her sophomore season by breaking three school records at the MIAC Championship Meet. She broke the program record in the 200-yard individual medley, 400-yard individual medley and 200-yard butterfly. Warren was also the first Concordia swimmer to qualify for an “A” final race since 2011. She finished seventh in the 200-yard butterfly which the highest finish by a Cobber swimmer at the MIAC meet since 2016.

Men's Golf at Bobby Krig Invite
The Cobbers captured the team title at the Bobby Krig Invite in the spring in a tournament that featured 2017 MIAC champion St. Thomas as well as Wis.-Eau Claire and Gustavus who were receiving votes in the Division III national rankings. Not only did Concordia win the meet but the team tied the school record with a team score of 282.

Men's Hockey vs. Gustavus
Aaron Herdt scored the game winning goal with 4.5 seconds left in overtime to give the Cobbers a 4-3 win over Gustavus. The win clinched a playoff berth for the Cobbers. The game was played at the Dennis Bushy Arena which is named after Herdt’s grandfather.

Men's Soccer vs. St. John's 
Junior midfielder Sam Gess scored an ESPN Top 10 highlight goal in the first half against St. John’s to help the Cobbers to a 2-1 win. Gess’ goal came in the first half and was an acrobatic, overhead bicycle kick that gave Concordia a 1-0 lead and was a difference maker in the 1-goal victory.

Women's Hockey vs. St. Catherine 
Concordia entered their second straight overtime game with St. Catherine and needed a win to stay towards the top of the MIAC standings. The game came down to the final second in the overtime period. The Cobbers were able to kill off a penalty and then sophomore defenseman Callie Fagerstrom was able to get loose on a breakaway and netted the game-winning goal with only 4-seconds left in the extra period. The victory earned the series sweep for Concordia.

Women's Soccer vs. St. Olaf
Concordia came through with a huge 1-0 overtime win at regionally-ranked St. Olaf. The Oles entered the game on a 6-game winning streak and the Cobber defense held strong until junior Kalli Baarstad scored the game-winning goal 2:01 into the second OT period. Baarstad made a great individual effort on the goal as she stripped the Ole defender of the ball, fought off a hard challenge from the defender and hammered a shot that cleanly beat the goalie.

Men's Basketball vs. Augsburg
Concordia and Augsburg battled through a close game for the final 10 minutes of the second half with neither team holding more than a 3-point lead. With 36-seconds left in the game the Auggies led 76-73 and then senior Jordan Davis connected on a 3-point basket to tie the score at 76-76. Augsburg missed on their final possession and then Collin Larson grabbed the ball, dribbled up court and drained an improbable half-court buzzer-beater to give the Cobbers a 79-76 upset win over playoff-bound Augsburg. 

Mario Bianchi - Men's Hockey
Bianchi scored a natural hat trick – and accounted for all three Cobber goals - against Gustavus in a 3-0 win during the MIAC Showcase at the start of the season. The 3-goal game capped off a 5-goal, 6-point weekend for Bianchi.

Matt Bye - Men's Track & Field
Bye won the heptathlon at the MIAC Indoor Championships. His final point total in the event was the second highest in school history and, at the time, was the seventh best in Division III for the year. He then went on to finish 11th in the nation in the heptathlon at the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championship Meet.

Josie Herrmann - Women's Track & Field
Herrmann won the 1000 meters at the MIAC Indoor Track and Field Championship Meet by a mere .15 of a second. It was the first time a Cobber had won a running event at the conference meet since 2008. Her winning time of 3:01.85 was the second fastest in school history. Herrmann was also second in the MIAC in the 800 meters losing to the eventual indoor national champion. She also anchored the 4x400 meter relay team to a fourth-place finish and earned All-Conference honors in the 800 and 1000 meters.

Grace Wolhowe - Women’s Basketball
Wolhowe scored a career-high 27 points, pulled in nine rebounds, dished out five assists, and had one block in the Cobbers’ heartbreaking 1-point overtime loss to St. Benedict,  Wolhowe went 12-for-17 from the floor and scored 15 of her 27 points in the fourth quarter and overtime.

Men's Hockey vs. St. John's
The Cobbers prevailed 2-1 vs. St. John's in front of a huge Friday-night crowd at the Sports Center on Senior Night. Junior goalie Jacob Stephan saved 22 out of the 23 shots he faced and Aaron Herdt and Mario Bianchi had the Cobber goals. The win secured a critical three points against the Johnnies and helped the Cobbers reach 31 points in conference play and a tie for third place in the regular season standings.

Women's Cross Country at the NCAA Regional Meet 
Concordia placed 12th at the NCAA Regional Meet which was the highest finish by a Cobber team at a region meet since 2011. Meritt Miller and Kara Andersen earned All-Region honors and six of the seven Concordia team members ran personal bests. Miller missed earning a berth to the NCAA National Meet by only four places.

Wrestling at Jim Fox Duals
Concordia faced a tough 3-match schedule at the Jim Fox Duals in Dubuque. Concordia competed against Cornell, Top 25 ranked Wis.-Platteville and No21-ranked Wis.-Oshkosh. The Cobbers won all three matches in convincing fashion as they beat Cornell 38-10, then topped Platteville 25-16 and finally pulled off the win of the meet by defeating Oshkosh 28-15. The performance earned the Cobbers a spot in the Top 20 in the next NWCA national ranking which they maintained for the rest of the season.  

Ty Johnson - Wrestling 
Johnson came into the NCAA Midwest Regional Meet seeded fourth in his weight class in a meet where only the Top 3 finishers qualify for the NCAA National Meet. Johnson was behind 3-0 against the No.1 seed heading into the second period in the semifinal match – a match that would earn a spot at nationals. He was able to land a huge takedown thrown which led to a pin and helped him earn a berth at the NCAA Championship Meet.

Jake Nohre - Wrestling
Nohre upset Carlos Fuentez of Wheaton in the consolation semifinals at the Upper Midwest Regional Meet. Fuentez was the returning NCAA runner-up and at ranked sixth in Division III heading into the regional meet. Nohre was able to come away with an 11-9 decision over Fuentez which earned him a spot into the third-place match. Nohre placed fourth at the meet which was his top career finish at an NCAA regional meet.

Women's Soccer vs. St. Olaf
Concordia’s game vs. regionally-ranked St. Olaf was dominated by gusting winds but the Cobbers battled through regulation play and into overtime in Northfield. Concordia  survived the first overtime going against the wind and, with the score still tied at 0-0 going into the second overtime, the Cobbers had the wind at their back and used that to earn the upset win over the Oles. Kalli Baarstad’s goal in the third minute of the second overtime session  earned the win and ended St. Olaf’s 6-game unbeaten streak.

Mario Bianchi - Men's Hockey
Bianchi came back from a torn ACL in January of his junior year to help the Cobbers to a 13-10-3 record just eight months later. He finished third in the MIAC in scoring and set career highs with 14 goals, 19 assists and 33 points. Bianchi also went on to earn MIAC All-Conference honors as well.

Ben Bogart - Wrestling
Bogart tore both ACLs in his senior year of high school in the spring of 2017 and had both ACL surgeries during that spring/summer. He spent his entire freshmen year last season doing rehab and training as much as allowed in order to make it back to a sophomore season. In his comeback season in 2019 he placed in six out of seven tournaments including a Top 8 finish at the Upper Midwest Regional Meet. He amassed a 27-16 record over the season and became a Scholar All-American.

Kirstin Simmons - Women's Basketball
Simmons suffered, what appeared to be, a season-ending wrist injury against Macalester, she returned to the court only five weeks later with a full hard cast against St. Benedict. In the last away game of her career Simmons played 32 minutes, scored 13 points and pulled in a career-high 16 rebounds for her third double-double of the season in the Cobbers’ win at Carleton.

Women's Basketball vs. St. Olaf
After falling behind 15-2 at the start of the game, and ending the first quarter with a score of 25-11, the Cobbers outscored the Oles 52-34 in the second half. Concordia went 24-for-26 from the free throw line and four of the five starters scored at least 10 points in the 81-72 comeback win over the Oles.

Women's Hockey vs. St. Olaf
Concordia trailed St. Olaf 3-1 heading into the third period of their series opener in Northfield. The Cobbers then put up 22 shots in the third period and staged a late-game comeback by scoring three goals in the final four minutes to win 4-3.

Amelia Amon - Women's Hockey
Chemistry and Biology Majors, GPA: 3.7.
Amelia Amon has been a captain of the women’s hockey team her junior and senior year.  Throughout her time at Concordia, she has been involved in many research opportunities that led her to presenting at COSS in 2017 and 2018, Sigma Zeta National Honor Society (as well as presenting at the national convention), serving as the Secretary, and has also been a tutor for student athletes. .  Amelia is a SAAC member, been involved in Colleges Against Cancer with the American Cancer Society and in leadership positions the last three years, serving as President of the organization this year. Additionally, she works as a CNA at Sanford Hospital, was a teaching assistant for summer organic chemistry, and spoke at Fall Symposium in 2017. She has been a great asset to the team, consistently working hard and pushing her teammates to do the same. Not only has Amelia shown her presence on the ice, but in the classroom as well.

Mario Bianchi - Men's Hockey
Business Major with a concentration in Healthcare Leadership and 3.4 GPA.
Mario is a captain and standout leader for the Men’s Hockey team. He has earned All-MIAC honors the last two years and has 89 total career points. He is a two-year member of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee and has been the leader of the Sanford Volunteer team at the Children’s Hospital. Mario has made a lasting impact on this program on and off the ice. He has been the heart and soul of Cobber Hockey the last four years.

Kirsten Bokinskie - Women’s Soccer
Biology Major with a 3.99 GPA/ minor in Chemistry in pursuit of a career in medicine.
In her senior season, Bokinskie scored 4 goals and added 4 assists which was good for 12 points. She is a 3-time MIAC Academic All-Conference selection and was a team captain for the 2018 season. Outside of soccer, Bokinskie has been involved with in Relay for Life, Health Professions Interest Club, and Fellowship of Christian Athletes. She has been an active volunteer with Healthcare Equipment Recycling Organization, Moorhead Adult Basic Education, Fellowship of Christian Athlete’s Summer Girls’ Golf Camp, Feed My Starving Children, and various events with campus organizations at Concordia. She has also served at the MaaSAE Girls' School in Tanzania, and is planning to return in June to work with the students for a few weeks. Bokinskie has spent 3 years working with patients on the Eating Disorders Unit at Sanford Health. Beyond her involvement with Concordia Soccer, she is in her fourth year coaching Shanley High School’s girls’ soccer and has coached with Tri-City Storm Soccer Club’s academy program. Her mentorship skills extend into her role as a tutor and lab assistant for Concordia’s biology department. Kirsten has been a phenomenal leader for the women’s soccer team.

Haley Cuppett - Volleyball
Math Major, Art Minor, GPA: 3.67, two-year Volleyball Captain.
Haley is the President of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee as well as the SAAC SGA rep. She has been an Admissions Ambassador and Campus Tour Guide and been involved with Athletes in Action and Relay for Life on campus. She has made the Dean’s list and earned three-time academic all-conference honors. Additionally, Haley was Best in show at the Concordia juried art show in the spring of 2018 and earned the 2018 all-conference sportsmanship award for Volleyball. While Haley graduated a semester early, she has a continued presence on campus and in the gym. She is constantly helping out at spring practices and is always willing to go the extra mile in order to make a difference in the Volleyball program. It is clear that Haley is passionate about not only her team, but the athletic department as a whole.

Kirstin Simmons - Women's Basketball
Elementary Education Major with a concentration in Social Studies. GPA: 3.325.
Kirstin has been a captain of the Women’s Basketball team for the last 2 years and has had a lasting impact on the women’s basketball program. She played the end of her senior basketball season with a broken wrist while still making crucial plays for her team. Kirstin has also been a peer mentor on campus for two years, a member of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee for three years, attended the MIAC leadership conference in 2017, and has volunteered with Relay for Life, Special Olympics, at the emergency food pantry, cobber kids, CCRI, and in area elementary school classrooms.

Jenna Stilwell - Women's Track & Field
Biology Honors Major, Chemistry & English Minor, GPA: 3.541, Women’s Track & Field captain.
Jenna is a die-hard, loyal and hard-working leader of the women’s and men’s track & field teams.  She served as a team leader and inspiration during recovery from two season ending knee injuries (freshman and junior years). She is also one of three leaders of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee which she has been a member of for 4 years, Teaching Assistant & Tutor for the Biology Dept., Member of the Sigma Zeta National Honor Society (including research presentation at the National Sigma Zeta convention), Health Professions at Concordia College club member, French Teacher to elementary school children through Concordia’s French Dept, and made the Dean’s List last fall. Additionally, Jenna has been involved in Choir, bible study, and volunteering with Hope Inc., Special Olympics, and Feed My Starving Children. She has been a Head Official for both high school and college track meets, assisted the Biology Dept with the science building transition and works as a nursing assistant at Sanford Hospital. Jenna has COBBER written all over her!