'94 Spring Sports Seasons Wrap Up
The Cobber fall sports season is kicking off a 1994-95 school year that
will surely be memorable. The celebrations surrounding the opening of the
Olson Sports and Fitness Forum, along with the induction of six former
Cobbers into the Concordia Athletic Hall of Fame will add to the on-field
excitement generated by our student athletes.
Olson Forum Opens for Fall Classes,
Dedication Set for October 2nd
The Olson Sports and Fitness Forum will be open for the start of classes
on September 1. The formal dedication of the building is set for 11:45
am on October 2 following the Homecoming Worship Service. This beautiful
facility will strengthen the quality of our academic programs, expand recreational
opportunities for all our students, and greatly improve the practice and
competition facilities for our intercollegiate athletes. To all who helped
make this building a reality, the staff and students feel a deep sense
of gratitude. I hope you will have a chance to see and tour it in the near
future.
Spring '94 Teams Set High Standards With All-America Performances
The Cobber spring sports teams posted solid seasons again, led by a third
place finish at Division III Nationals by the women's golf team, five all-America
performances in track, and winning MIAC records in baseball and softball.
Here are some of the spring season highlights.
Women Golfers Take 3rd at Nationals
Duane Siverson's women golfers scored their third consecutive top-five
finish at the NGCA National Division III Tournament in Des Moines May 9-11.
Three-time all-American Lisa Hanson ('94 Fosston, Minn.) and Kari Walrath
('96 Watertown, S.D.) finished 10th and 12th respectively in the individual
competition. The Cobbers, who've won four straight MIAC titles, finished
3rd at Nationals in 1993 and 2nd in 1992.
Erickson Wins NCAA Javelin Title and Banks Sets Shot and Discus Records
Concordia's Track & Field teams set several school records, qualified
10 athletes to the NCAA Division III National Championship in Naperville,
Ill. and won a National Title in the javelin. Freshman Renee Erickson ('97
New Rockford, N.D.) won the NCAA javelin title with a toss of 145'9". She
had earlier won the MIAC title and set the Cobber school record with a
toss of 149'0". Merrilee Rutherford ('96 Helena, Mont.) was 5th in the
javelin at Nationals, posting her third consecutive all-America finish
in that event. Tracy Berntsen ('95 Hermantown, Minn.) set a school record
in the 400 hurdles in April and earned her second all-America award in
that event in May by and placing 3rd at Nationals. She was 4th as a freshman.
On the men's side of track and field, Aaron Banks ('96 Lynd, Minn.) earned
all-America honors in both the shot and discus. After setting the school
record in the shot at 54'6.75" earlier in the season, Banks finished 4th
at Nationals. He was 5th in the discus in Naperville after having set the
school discus record with a toss of 165'6". Joining Banks at Nationals
was James Lehnhoff ('94 Ellendale, N.D.). Lenhoff placed 15th at Nationals
in the javelin after having set a school record in April with a 193'6"
throw.
The Cobber All-American Chris Coste Leads Baseball to a 13-7 MIAC Record
The baseball team won 9 of their last 10 MIAC games to finish 13-7 in the
league. Concordia's junior third baseman and pitcher, Chris Coste ('95
Fargo, N.D.) repeated as the league MVP and was also named first-team all-region
and a second-team Division III all-American. He was a third-team coaches
all-American last year. Coste hit .491 for the season and was 7-1 on the
mound with a 2.33 ERA. He also broke the school record with 9 home runs
while getting 43 RBI. First baseman Clark Christianson ('94 Waseca, Minn.)
was also named to the all-MIAC team and an Academic All-MIAC honoree. Christianson
hit .341 for the Cobbers with 21 runs scored and 20 RBI. He was 10th in
MIAC hitting with a .426 average in 19 MIAC games and had a 3.7 GPA. The
Cobbers received crucial support late in the season from Dave Kloster ('94,
Mandan, N.D.). Kloster was 5-1 as the top reliever, had a 2.41 ERA and
hit .294 in 102 at bats. He was Academic All-MIAC with a 3.35 GPA. Though
the Cobbers missed the NCAA playoffs for the first time in three years,
their 13-7 record this year gives coach Bucky Burgau a 42-15 record over
the past three MIAC seasons. Burgau also recorded his 300th win as the
Cobber coach. His 16-year Cobber record is now 307-216.
Softball Team Records 12-10 MIAC Year
The Cobber softball team finished the season with a 12-10 record, tied
for 5th in the MIAC, and 14-20 overall. The Cobbers were led by pitcher
Stacy Hoien ('96 Cokato, Minn.) and junior catcher Heather Johnson ('95
Mankato, Minn.). Both were named to the coaches all-MIAC team. Hoien hit
.408 with 31 RBI to lead the team at the plate. She hit 456 in MIAC games,
5th best in the league. She also had a 9-8 record on the mound with a 4.17
ERA. Johnson hit .313 with 21 RBI and led the team with 8 doubles. She
was also steady behind the plate with a .981 fielding percentage.
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