Cardinal ‘M’ Club Weekend kicks off Young Alumni Weekend

By Sam Borawski
News Editor

The annual Cardinal ‘M’ Club Sports Hall of Fame and Awards Ceremony kicked off the lineup of events for Young Alumni Weekend, Sept. 13 and 14.

“The Cardinal ‘M’ Club ceremony is a great event because it allows us to look back on our athletic success from last year, but also gives us a chance to get excited about continuing that success into this year,” says Assistant Cardinal ‘M’ Club Director, Carolyn Bray.

Three alumni were inducted into the Hall of Fame, and current student athletes were recognized for their exceptional work as students and as athletes.

This year’s inductees to the Sports Hall of Fame included Greg (Dick ’84) Arens (men’s hockey), Todd Borndale ’85 (baseball), and Ashley (Dingels ’05) Gossen (volleyball/track and field).

Jake Traxler (cross country/track and field) and Bethany Schmidt (women’s soccer/swimming and diving) received the awards for Outstanding Male and Female Scholar Athlete awards during the awards ceremony.

For their exceptional work as athletes, Alex Raske (fastpitch) and Peter Borash (Cross country/track and field) received the Outstanding Female and Male Athlete awards.

Over 90 individual awards were given out this year to student athletes at the Cardinal ‘M’ Club ceremony.

Students and alumni participated in the annual Cardinal Dash 5k that took place over Young Alumni Weekend. Many who did not participate in the race attended a golf outing hosted by Saint Mary’s at Cedar Valley Golf Course and auctioned gifts and prizes.

Other events of Young Alumni Weekend included: an alumni party at Jefferson’s Pub and Grill, a faculty and staff social, a gathering at Mulligan’s in downtown Winona, a picnic in the plaza with live music, and the availability of the ropes course and disc golf course throughout the weekend.

Amidst the various events and activities offered, the weekend included various Cardinal sports teams competing against their alumni. Teams who played alumni games included men’s hockey, volleyball, men’s soccer, women’s soccer, fastpitch softball, men and women’s tennis, and men and women’s swiming and diving.

All together, over 150 alumni attended Young Alumni Weekend.