39 Cobbers Earn MIAC Academic Honors
MOORHEAD, Minn. (1/21/20)--- Concordia had 39 student-athletes who participated in the fall athletic season earn MIAC Academic All-Conference honors. The Cobbers also had six student-athletes receive the honor for the third consecutive year.
Student-athletes can only win the honor three years because freshmen are not eligible. The three-time Academic All-Conference honorees include Will Berning, Maison Grefe and Blake Kragnes from football, Eric Wicklund of the men’s cross country team, Kara Andersen from women’s cross country and women’s soccer player Kalli Baarstad.
The Cobber football team led the way for the six different fall sports teams (men’s and women’s golf awards are handed out in the spring). The Concordia football had 17 student/athletes earn the award. The women’s soccer had the second highest total as they placed eight players on the Acamdemic All-Conference Team. The cross country teams both upped their award winners from last year. The women’s cross country team placed six student-athletes on the All-MIAC academic list which was one more than last season while the men’s cross country team improved their total by two from last year and had four student-athletes earn the honor this fall. Volleyball also had four players earn the prestigious conference academic award in the fall.
A total of 432 student-athletes from the 13 MIAC institutions earned the prestigious honor this year after meeting all sport-specific athletic requirements and possessing a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.5 or better on a 4.0 scale following the fall semester.
To be eligible for the award, student-athletes must be a sophomore, junior or senior with at least one year (two semesters) at their current institution. Athletically, student-athletes in fall team sports (football, volleyball, soccer) must compete in 50 percent of their team's regular-season varsity contests. Cross country student-athletes are required to finish in the overall top 100 or their team's top seven at the 2019 MIAC Cross Country Championship. Between the on-field component and lofty GPA standard, the MIAC Academic All-Conference honor is a perfect blend of the balanced excellence championed by the MIAC and NCAA Division III.
Four fall sports hit new record-highs with two - football and women's soccer - crossing the century mark for the first time. Football had the most honorees with 102, up four from last season's 98. Women's soccer reached 100, five more than the sport's previous high of 95 in 2017. Women's cross country set a new record with 69, two more than last year's 66, while men's cross country totaled an all-time best 52, six more than 2018's 46. There were 57 honorees in men's soccer (67 in 2018) and 52 in volleyball (56 in 2018).
MIAC Academic All-Conference teams are announced twice annually, after the completion of both the fall and spring academic semesters. The MIAC Winter/Spring 2019-20 Academic All-Conference selections will be announced in late June. The MIAC has an online archive of Academic All-Conference honors.
Concordia Academic All-Conference Award Winners – Fall 2019
Men’s Cross Country
Nolan Christenson (So., Alexandria, Minn.)
Connor Haugrud (Jr., Detroit Lakes, Minn.)
Jesse Middendorf (So., Sauk Centre, Minn.)
Eric Wicklund (Sr., Moorhead, Minn.)
Women’s Cross Country
Kara Andersen (Sr., Plymouth, Minn.)
Miriah Forness (Sr., Casselton, N.D.)
Carly Fornshell (Jr., Bismarck, N.D.
Isabel Fredrickson (So., Bloomington, Minn.)
Emily Hao (Jr., Fargo, N.D.)
Emily Rugloski (So., Baxter, Minn.)
Football
William Berning (Sr., St. Michael, Minn.)
Matt Bye (Sr., Moorhead, Minn.)
Christopher Claussen (Jr., Glenwood, Minn.)
Zach Ellingson (Jr., Hawley, Minn.)
Gabe Enderle (Jr., Fergus Falls, Minn.)
Andy Gravdahl (So., West Fargo, N.D.)
Maison Grefe (Sr., Cold Spring, Minn.)
Isaac Habedank (So., Twin Valley, Minn.)
Dan Johnson (Jr., Rosemount, Minn.)
Blake Kragnes (Sr., Dilworth, Minn.)
Sean McGuire (Jr., Fergus Falls, Minn.)
Sam Michel (Sr., Phoenix, Ariz.)
Alec Schimmel (Jr., Rosemount, Minn.)
Zion Smith (Jr., Cromwell, Minn.)
Isaac Stene (So., Gary, Minn.)
John Voorhees (Jr., Tucson, Ariz.)
Nicholas Wilson (Jr., Parker, Colo.)
Women’s Soccer
Kalli Baarstad (Sr., Fargo, N.D.)
Klara Beinhorn (Jr., Brookings, S.D.)
Samantha Dalsin (Jr., Eden Prairie, Minn.)
Karsen Granning (Sr., Alexandria, Minn.)
Sarah Liimatta (Jr., Maple Grove, Minn.)
Olivia Murdoff (So., Bismarck, N.D.)
Rachel Nemer (Jr., Fargo, N.D.)
Hannah Sandin (Jr., Zimmerman, Minn.)
Volleyball
Anna Brakke (So., Fargo, N.D.)
Bailey Gronner (Jr., Wright, Minn.)
Jill Klaphake (Jr., Sauk Centre, Minn.)
Kendra Wiggs (So., St. Hilaire, Minn.)