On Oct. 22, the College of Saint Benedict will celebrate 50 years of Title IX by honoring 50 of our greatest and most influential student-athletes in a ceremony at 7 p.m. in the Benedicta Arts Center (BAC) on campus. The event is free and open to the public. Please join us!
The week leading up to the event, we will spotlight one of the all-decade teams each day -- the 1970's on Monday, the 1980's on Tuesday, the 1990's on Wednesday, the 2000's on Thursday, and the 2010's on Friday.
SAINT JOSEPH, Minn. -- The 1990's were an incredible time of success for Blazer athletics -- both at the conference and national levels. The 1990's all-decade team consists of 13 student-athletes who earned a collective three MIAC Player of the Year honors, 20 All-American honors and one national goalie of the year. Please join us in congratulating the following individuals.
Niki Denne Gross (Volleyball '90) – Niki Denne Gross was the first Saint Ben's volleyball player to be named MIAC Player of the Year, earning the award as a senior in 1989 when she led CSB to a 29-5 record and an MIAC title. The four-time team MVP was a two-time All-American first-team selection and a three-time all-region pick. She still ranks second in program history with 4,612 set assists.
Joyce Spanier Borash (Basketball '91) – Joyce Spanier Borash was a key part of the CSB basketball program's emergence as a national power. During her four years at the school, the team went 84-25, capturing its first MIAC title and advancing to the NCAA Division III tournament three times. She was named a first-team All-American in 1990-91 and earned All-MIAC honors three times. Her 1,651 career points still rank third in program history.
Amy Hagen Simpkins (Volleyball '91) – The second player in program history to be named MIAC player of the year, Amy Hagen Simpkins was also a three-time All-American first-team pick and a three-time all-region selection. She was named All-MIAC three times in total and still ranks second in program history with 1,679 career kills and third with a .341 career hitting percentage.
Tina Och Uphoff (Tennis '91) – Tina Och was a two-time qualifier for the NCAA Division III tennis meet, earning first-time All-American honors with partner Marcy Erickson in 1988. The duo also won a pair of MIAC doubles championships in 1988 and '89. She was named the CSB rookie of the year for the 1987-88 school year.
Chris Muehlbauer Ganley (Volleyball '92) – A two-time All-American first-team selection in volleyball, Chris Muehlbauer Ganley still ranks third in program history with 108 solo blocks and fourth with a .337 career hitting percentage. Muehlbauer Ganley, who was twice named both all-region and All-MIAC, went on to a successful high school coaching career, leading Sauk Centre to its first berth in the Minnesota state tournament in 1994.
Kathy Yarnott Lowry (Soccer/Basketball '92) – Kathy Yarnott Lowry was named the NCAA Division III goalie of the year and was an All-American third-team pick in 1990 when she helped lead CSB to its first NCAA tournament appearance, advancing all the way to the final four. She was a two-time All-MIAC pick and a two-time team MVP. She was also a member of the CSB basketball team that captured the program's first MIAC title in 1988-89.
Katy Deignan McGrane (Cross Country/Track and Field '93) – A standout in both cross country and track and field, Katy Deignan McGrane earned All-American honors four times in total during her time at CSB. In cross country, she was the first athlete in school history to achieve that honor when she did so during the 1991 season. She was twice selected as her team's MVP. In track and field, she qualified for the NCAA Division III national meet four times, earning All-American honors on three occasions. She won MIAC titles in the 800-meter run during both the indoor and outdoor seasons in 1993, and earned all-conference distinction nine times in all.
Kelly Mahlum (Basketball/Softball '93) – One of the top basketball players in CSB history, Kelly Mahlum was an All-American first-team pick in 1993 when she helped lead her team to a berth in the NCAA Division III final four for the first time. The two-time All-MIAC selection and two-time team MVP ranks fourth in school history with 1,612 career points, second with 394 career assists, fifth with 187 career steals and seventh with 652 career rebounds. She was also an all-conference pick in softball who boasted a .451 career batting average. Mahlum has gone on to a successful coaching career and is currently the head women's basketball coach at St. Olaf.
Colleen Neary (Soccer '93) – Colleen Neary still ranks second in CSB soccer history with both 47 career goals and 111 career points. She was named MIAC player of the year in 1990 and was an All-American first-team selection in 1991. A two-time all-region and three-time All-MIAC pick, she was also twice named her team's MVP.
Tina Kampa (Basketball/Volleyball '95) – A star on both the basketball and volleyball courts, Tina Kampa earned All-MIAC honors three times in each sport. In basketball, she was an All-American honorable mention selection during the 1994-95 season, the same year in which she was named Midwest Sports Channel's D3 women's athlete of the year. Her 1,346 career points still ranks sixth in program history. In volleyball, meanwhile, she was an All-American first-team pick in 1993 and a second-team selection in 1994. Her 1,478 career kills rank fourth on the school's all-time list.
Katie Macy Schwarz (Swimming and Diving '97) – Katie Macy Schwarz qualified for the NCAA Division III national swimming and diving meet as a diver six times during her time at St. Ben's, earning All-American honors on three occasions – the most of any athlete in program history. She was a five-time MIAC champion, sweeping both the 1- and 3-meter events in 1995-96 and 1996-97. She still holds school records in the 3-meter dives in both the six and 11-dive formats.
Missy Petersen Trenz (Cross Country/Track '98) – Missy Petersen Trenz qualified for the NCAA Division III national meet six times in all between cross country and track and field. On the trail, she earned All-MIAC and all-region distinction four times, and was a four-time team MVP. On the track, she won MIAC titles in the 5 and 10-kilometer runs in 1997, and her times still rank in the top 10 in program history in one indoor and four outdoor events.
Robyn Ruschmeier Courchane (Basketball/Volleyball '99) – On the basketball court, Robyn Ruschmeier Courchane was a two-time All-MIAC selection who helped lead her team to the NCAA Division III final four in 1998-99, earning a spot on the all-tournament team. She still ranks eighth in program history with both 1,281 career points and 630 career rebounds. In volleyball, she was a three-time All-MIAC pick who earned All-American second-team honors in 1997. She remains the school's career record holder with 1,771 kills.
Check back tomorrow for details on the honorees from the 2000's.
