To commemorate the end of the sports season at Gustavus, The Weekly would like to honor and congratulate the following Gustie athletes for their excellences this past year.
Voting on the matter was done by the Gustavus coaching staff and the Student Athletic Advisory Board
Coach of the year:
Steve Wilkinson
It is rare to find a single person who impacts a community in a large way. Steve Wilkinson, however, is one of those people.
Wilkinson was selected as the winner of the U.S. Tennis Association/Intercollegiate Tennis Association Campus Recreation Award earlier this season from a field of over 2,000 ITA coaches from NCAA Divisions I-III, NAIA and junior and community colleges nationwide. The Campus Recreation Award originated in 2003 and is given to collegiate varsity tennis coaches who promote recreational tennis opportunities for students who are not on the varsity squad.
Wilkinson’s approach started with the Tennis and Life Camps which he and his wife Barb have directed every summer since they began in 1977. The Tennis and Life Camps, which are held on the Gustavus campus, offer a wide variety of opportunities aimed to teach and refine skills that will not only be valuable on the tennis court, but also in the classroom or workplace.
Wilkinson has helped transform the men’s tennis program into a dynasty, winning 35 out of the last 38 MIAC titles while compiling an immaculate conference dual match record of 336-1. Wilkinson has also led his team to 15 straight appearances in the NCAA Tennis Championships. He has been named National Coach of the Year by the NAIA twice and has been the NCAA Division III Coach of the Year three times.
After this year’s dominant season in which Wilkinson’s squad went 28-5, he furthered his mark left not only on Gustavus but the MIAC and Division III athletics as a whole. Wilkinson is undoubtedly in the same class as John Gagliardi of St. John’s and John Tschida of St. Thomas as the standards of excellence and domination exuded on the athletic field.
But Wilkinson’s impact stretches much farther than just wins and losses. Between the camps and the large-scale events and championships that he brings to campus. At Gustavus, Steve Wilkinson’s is a staple whose impact is immeasurable. He’s truly a special individual.
Male athlete of the year:
Andy Bryan – Tennis
Andy Bryan is winding down his career with the Gusties in the most desirable way possible.
Bryan, a Senior hailing from Edina, MN will compete in the NCAA Division III National Individual Tournament in Lewiston, Maine; beginning this Saturday, aiming to end his career as a National champion.
After watching his team fall 5-0 to Washington University on Tuesday, Bryan will stay in Maine and compete in the singles and doubles (with Paukert) tournament. In the team’s losing effort, Bryan’s match (which he led 7-5) went unfinished after the opponents clinched midway.
Up to this point, Bryan has a 29-4 record and has played every match as the #1 singles player for the Gusties. He was also an undefeated 4-0 in the MIAC this season as well as 3-0 against nationally-ranked opponents. Overall, Bryan is ranked second in the nation individually and he and doubles partner Junior Charlie Paukart are ranked fourth. About two weeks ago, Bryan was named the recipient of the Arthur Ashe Award, given by the coaches of the MIAC to the the player that best combines ability with academic success, sportsmanship and community service.
In his four years of playing tennis on the hill, Bryan will walk away with a 102-25 record overall and a 79-26 mark in doubles play. Last fall, Bryan won the ITA Midwest Regional title in both singles and doubles. He then went on to finish second in singles and fourth in doubles at the ITA Championships in Mobile, AL.
While playing for the Gusties, Bryan has contributed heavily to four consecutive MIAC championships as well as two National third place finishes and a fourth place finish.
Like most athletes competing for Gustavus, Bryan excels in the classroom as well as the tennis court. A biology major carrying a 3.89 GPA, Bryan will be attending the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Medical School next fall. He has been named an ITA Scholar Athlete selection three times and has been an Academic All-Conference honoree three times as well.
Female athletes of the year:
Stefanie Ubl – Hockey
Jess Vadnais – Basketball
After all of the voting for these awards, the race for Female Athlete of the Year had to be called a tie; and for good reason. Senior Stefanie Ubl and Jess Vadnais have both been stand-out athletes at Gustavus not only this campaign, but also throughout the entirety of their careers.
Ubl, a forward on the women’s hockey team from Maple Grove, MN ,has been an impact player for the Gusties ever since she transferred in from Division I North Dakota. This season, Ubl finished with a team-leading 40 points (13 goals, 14 assists), helping her team to a 25-3 record and an outright MIAC Championship.
She was also honored as the MIAC Most Valuable Player, along with being named to the AHCA All-American team at season’s end. Ubl was the seventh Gustie to be named to the All-American team in the past eight years and she will graduate with a degree in communication studies in next week’s commencement ceremony.
Vadnais, a guard from Hudson, WI, will leave Gustavus as one of the most decorated and honored players in school history. After being named the league MVP following last season, Vadnais averaged 19 points for the second consecutive season.
Gustavus finished with a 18-10 record this past season and snuck into the NCAA Tournament following the MIAC Tournament.
She finished her career ranked first in school history in points (1,788), three-pointers (210), free throws made (481), steals (223) and in the top ten in field goals (3rd – 544), assists (4th – 306), and games played (tied for 4th – 106).
Vadnais was also one of ten finalists for the Josten’s Division III Player of the Year award, a member of the D3hoops.com All-Region Team and an honorable mention to the WBCA/State Farm All-American Team. She was also named the the MIAC All-Conference and All-Defensive teams.
Male team of the year: Tennis
When looking at the recent (and not so recent) history of the Gustavus Men’s Tennis team, one can only describe their performance as dominate. This season was no exception.
Finishing their season with a 29-6 record, the Gusties won another MIAC conference championship—their eighteenth consecutive and forty-second overall. The Gusties put together another one of the exceedingly strong overall performances that fans and followers of the team have grown to expect. The Gusties thrived playing at home, going 20-0 on their own courts.
Led by Male Athlete of the Year Andy Bryan, who went 29-4 this past season, the team was solid from top to bottom. Senior Aaron Zenner and Juniors John Kauss and Ben Tomasek ended their seasons with 20-plus victories apiece individually. Juniors Mike Burdakin and Charlie Paukert finished with 18 and 16 wins respectively playing.
In doubles play, Burdakin and Kauss led the team with 27 wins; playing mostly as the second doubles pair. Bryan and Paukert played the majority of the year as the number one pair and finished with a more-than-modest 24 victories. Tomasek and fellow Junior Nick Hansen finished with 18 wins playing together in the third spot— another solid number for themselves as well as the team.
After a loss to Hawaii Pacific in the early part of February, the Gusties rattled off 17 wins in 18 matches and rose to the top of the polls. They finished the regular season on a thirteen-match winning streak.
After a bye in the first round of the Regional competiton (which was hosted by Gustavus), the Gusties went on to demolish rival Luther and the University of Texas at Tyler with scores of 5-1 and 5-0 respectively.
This past Tuesday, Gustavus fell to Washington University by a score of 5-0 and failed to advance the semifinal round at the NCAA Tournament for only the second time in the past nine years.
Female team of the year: Hockey
The 2007-08 season for the Gustavus Women’s Hockey team was a story of a team on the verge of greatness.
After going 23-2 in the regular season, a pair of losses the the University of Wisconsin- Steven’s Point and going undefeated (18-0) in conference play, spirits were high going into the first round of the NCAA Tournament. They were facing the University of Wisconsin- Superior, a team that had never beaten the Gusties–regular season or not. In a hard-fought contest played in Don Roberts Ice Rink, the Gusties fell by a score of 3-1 and the magical season was over.
The staple of success for the Gusties was their defense. Sophomore goaltender Breanna Scavo was lights out between the pipes for the Gusties. Scavo was 22-3 wearing the three crowns, with nine shutouts and an average goals against of .96. One of the main reasons for her sucess was the suffocating defense played by her teammates. Led by Senior Captain Laura Vannelli, the Gustie defensive unit kept the heat off of Scavo while keeping the puck on the offensive end.
As far as the offense goes, no one was more productive than MIAC MVP Stefanie Ubl. Ubl’s team-leading 40 points jump started the offense and in averaging nearly a goal every game, Ubl lead the team in most every offensive category. Junior Mari Gunderson, Senior Molly Doyle and First-year Allison Harwood followed up Ubl on the stat sheet, finishing the season with 20-plus points throughout the season. Doyle, along with Vannelli, were named as MIAC Players of the Week over the course of the season for their solid efforts.
The Gusties were easily the most decorated of all MIAC teams in their end of the season awards. Along with the MVP, Ubl and three other Gusties, Doyle, Gunderson and First-year Kirstin Peterson were named to the All-Conference first team. Peterson and Harwood were named to the All-Rookie team and Scavo, Vannelli, Junior Jenny Pusch and Sophomore Melissa Mackley were named as Honorable Mentions.