Minnesota West Student-Athletes Shine in National Academic Rankings

Minnesota West Community & Technical College continues to prove that excellence goes beyond scores and stats. Athletic teams have earned national recognition from two organizations—the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) and the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA)—for their outstanding performance in the classroom.

WBCA Academic Top 25: Minnesota West Women’s Basketball Ranks 8th Nationally

Coached by Rosalie “Moz” Hayenga, the team claimed a spot among the WBCA Academic Top 25 for Two-Year Colleges, finishing 8th in the nation with a stellar team GPA of 3.443. The WBCA Academic Top 25 annually honors collegiate women’s basketball programs that maintain the highest combined GPAs among all student-athletes on the roster, showcasing that talent on the court can coexist with discipline in the classroom.

NJCAA All-Academic Honors: Three Minnesota West Teams Make the Cut for the 2024-25 Academic Year

  • Softball - 3.39 GPA
  • Volleyball - 3.28 GPA
  • Women’s Basketball - 3.20 GPA

These teams represent Region 13 with pride.

In addition to team achievements, individual student-athletes across our programs earned placement on the NJCAA All-Academic Teams:

  • First Team (4.00 GPA)
  • Second Team (3.80–3.99 GPA)
  • Third Team (3.60–3.79 GPA)

Individual

Sport

Grade

Team

Robin Braun

Football & Soccer (Men)

Freshman

First

Zach Hayenga

Basketball (Men)

Freshman

First

Kate Slettum

Volleyball (Court)

Freshman

First

Takuto Usami

Baseball

Freshman

First

Kya Alderson

Softball

Freshman

Second

Thea Anderson

Softball

Freshman

Second

Claire Bohlen

Volleyball (Court)

Freshman

Second

Cecily Geaghan

Basketball (Women)

Freshman

Second

Austin Hansen

Wrestling (Men)

Freshman

Second

Hiroaki Ishiguro

Baseball

Sophomore

Second

Abigale Loosbrock

Volleyball (Court)

Freshman

Second

Elly Moret

Basketball (Women)

Freshman

Second

Per Pekkeriet

Soccer (Men)

Freshman

Second

Sam Rock

Wrestling (Men)

Freshman

Second

Alexis Schreurs

Volleyball (Court)

Sophomore

Second

Katrina Schutz

Basketball (Women) & Softball

Freshman

Second

Raya Van Beek

Volleyball (Court) & Softball

Freshman

Second

Mason Bruce

Soccer (Men)

Freshman

Third

Marcos Castaneda

Baseball

Freshman

Third

Jeonghyeon Han

Soccer (Men)

Freshman

Third

Kylee Larson

Volleyball (Court)

Freshman

Third

Lydia Moore

Volleyball (Court)

Freshman

Third

Ally Nelson

Volleyball (Court)

Freshman

Third

Jacob Olmanson

Soccer (Men)

Freshman

Third

Sam Palfini

Baseball

Freshman

Third

Abe Paulzine

Baseball

Sophomore

Third

Madeline Petersen

Softball & Volleyball (Court)

Freshman

Third

Jose Antonio Sandoval Soto

Soccer (Men)

Sophomore

Third

These values define Minnesota West’s athletic and academic culture.

Next season might bring more points on the scoreboard, but it’s the GPAs off the court that will continue setting Minnesota West apart.