As the first snowfall hits Gustavus, it signifies the end of many fall sport seasons.

This list of sports includes cross country. This year, two Gustie representatives took part in the Division III NCAA Championship race held in Mason, Ohio; Senior Caitlin Fermoyle and Sophomore Thomas Knobbe.

“The championships were a great experience this year. After some melting snow, the course was really muddy, which made the start pretty chaotic. I wasn’t able to finish where I wanted, but I am very happy to have had the chance to run at Nationals again,” Fermoyle said.

Five of the seven runners on the women’s team were new to regional competition this year. The ladies stepped up to the challenge, however. The women’s team finished in eighth place at the MIAC Championships. The future is bright as the young runners gained more experience this season.

As for the men’s team, Knobbe competed in his first NCAA Championship race this year.

“We lose a lot of seniors who will be hard to replace, but our goal is to win the MIAC conference and win a bid in the NCAA tournament again.”—Mike Middleton

“The NCAA race was a great learning experience. Since I’m a sophomore, I’ll have a couple more years to try and qualify again, so having an idea of how the meet is run strategically will be pivotal. It was exciting to compete with the best runners in Division III, and I was definitely encouraged to see where I stacked up against the rest of the country,” Knobbe said.

In the seasons to come, Knobbe has a goal to compete in the national tournament alongside the entirety of his team. The team’s season concluded with a sixth place finish at the MIAC Championships.

The men’s and women’s soccer seasons have both come to an end, as well. The men’s team had a successful season, winning the MIAC conference playoff tournament at the end of the season, qualifying for the NCAA tournament. The Gusties won their first round matchup over Dominican University, but then conceded to Loras College in the following match.

“The season was very good, we played very well. We wanted to go the NCAA tournament and we did. We lose a lot of seniors who will be hard to replace, but our goal is to win the MIAC conference and win a bid in the NCAA tournament again next season,” Head Coach Mike Middleton said.

The women’s team’s 6-0 victory over Crown College was the biggest win on the season for the women. They were led by top scorer, Sophomore Maddison Ackiss, who netted an impressive total of 10 goals on the season. The girls hope to keep improving in the seasons to come.

Other highlights from the fall sports season include an individual men’s MIAC golf champion from First-year Chris Captain, a fourth place finish at the MIAC Championships from the women’s golf team, two all-conference volleyball players, and five all-conference football players. The Gusties out of St. Peter have had an extremely strong showing this fall, which will hopefully translate into success in the upcoming winter and spring seasons.

-Jacob Woodrich