Alumni Tracker: November 2014

Red Taubenheim

2014 FHS grad Reid Taubenheim is having a strong freshman season for the University of North Dakota football team. Taubenheim, who owns all of the FHS placekicking records, has converted 11 of 12 extra points and nine of 13 field goal tries this fall.

Tiger grad Bubba Friedlund, an all-MIAC offensive lineman for Bethel University last fall, has helped the Royals to a 7-2 record this season...Another former Tiger, Godfrey Mpetey is a freshman lineman at Bethel...CJ Record, a 1000-yard rusher in his playing days for the Tigers, has five tackles and five assists as a safety for Southwest Minnesota State...2013 FHS male Athlete of the Year Darren Beenken is a back-up quarterback at Winona State University.

2012 male Athlete of the Year Drew Hegseth is a junior linebacker at St. John's University...Former all-Missota Conference performer Josh Patterson is a freshman offensive lineman at the South Dakota School of Mines in Rapid City...Patterson's high school teammate Jordan DeCroock is a freshman wide receiver at Augsburg College.

The Tigers didn't advance in the 2014 football playoffs but Farmington was well-represented in the Class 6A state quarterfinal game at Edina between South Suburban Conference powers Rosemount and Lakeville North last Friday night. Principal Jason Berg and ex-Tiger Pat Carey were both on the officiating crew working the contest won by North 14-13.

Mike Markuson

Three former Tiger football players have been working the sidelines as coaches this fall. At the collegiate level, Mike Markuson (1979) returned to coaching and has helped Eastern Illinois to a recent four-game winning streak as the assistant head coach in charge of the offensive line. 2004 male Athlete of the Year Matt Simon is in his first year as wide receivers coach at Western Michigan.

At the high school level, ex-Tiger and St, John's University player Andy Pierskalla was defensive coordinator for Bloomington Jefferson which won the Section 3AAAAA title and advanced to the state tournament for the first time in many years... Pierskalla's high school classmate Nate Rowan had an interesting summer working as an intern for the Kansas City Royals who lost a seven-game World Series to the San Francisco Giants.

Former Tiger all-stater Sam Leske was a top defender for the Gustavus Adolphus College men's soccer team that won the MIAC playoff title this fall...Jared Wolt, an all-Missota Conference forward for the Tigers last season, scored a pair of goals and started nine games for St.Mary's University in his freshman season with the Winona school.

Ruthie Schmitt

 Two ex-Tiger girl's soccer standouts, freshman Isabelle Ferm and sophomore Sydney Eckert, saw a lot of playing time for Viterbo University (Wisconsin) this season...Another former Tiger soccer player, Ashley Kimmel,was a defender for St. Olaf College.

Ruthie Schmitt, a standout Tiger volleyball player last fall is a freshman on the Briar Cliff University team in Sioux City, Iowa....
2009 FHS female Athlete of the Year Kirstee Rotty was an assistant volleyball coach at Rosemount High School this fall.

Ex-Tiger state meet track runner Tyler Lerbakken is a sophomore on the Hamline University men's cross-country team.


Ex-Tiger and Gustavus Adolphus College cross country runner Anton Moody was elected to the Grand Marais City Council last Tuesday night.

Alumni Tracker: June 2014

Ty Vincent

Spencer Merle and Jordan Lugowksi, two ex-Tigers who earned all-Missota Conference honors last spring, are playing amateur baseball this summer for the Miesville Mudhens of the Cannon Valley League. Merle played for Century College this spring, one of the top-rated junior college nines in the country.

Ty Vincent, another former Tiger and a member of the University of St. Thomas baseball team this spring, is playing summer ball for another Cannon Valley team, the Randolph Railcats...Ex-FHS three-sport athlete Nick Davis, who played college baseball at Concordia University in St. Paul, is on the roster of the Elko Express of the Dakota-Rice-Scott League.

When Farmington opens it 2014 season on August 29 against state-power Wayzata at Tiger Stadium it will mark a a family reunion of sorts. Former Tiger and University of Wisconsin-Lacrosse player Ben Froehling, the son of Tiger head coach Mark Froehling, is a sophomore line coach at Wayzata...Former Tiger assistant coach Jeff Whitney is now the head football coach at St. James High School.

Unless the Missota Conference reappears at some future date, a handful of track Tigers will forever be all-Missota record holders. Senior-to-be Justin Hyytinen clocked the best-ever conference time in the 3200-meter run this spring and Hyytinen, Nehemiah Rockett, Ryan Parco and Devon Webb set the all-time league standard in the 4x400 relay at the same meet.

Two previous Tiger relay teams, the 2005 4x200 foursome of Jordan Hauschild, Otimio Masso, Cody Eich and Josh Jackson and the 2007 quartet of Hauschild, Masso, Luke Sturm and Jackson owns the best-ever conference time in the 4x100 relay.

Nadia Lorencz

On the girls' side of the ledger, the Tigers finished with five all-time Missota Conference marks, including Nadia Lorencz (now running for Michigan State) in the long jump and 100-meter hurdles; Alyssa Parco (now running for Brigham Young) in the 300-meter hurdles; the 2010 4x200 relay team of Parco, Erin Hickey (now running for Minnesota-Duluth, Maria Kiminski and Amy Kiminski (both running for the College of St. Benedict) and the 2012 4x400 relay quartet of Parco, Alicia Hett, Megan Graham and Isabelle Ferm.

Former Tiger track standout Kaitlin Mincke wrapped up her collegiate running career at the University of Minnesota by running the 1500-meter run at the NCAA regional meet held at the University of Arkansas two weeks ago.

Lakeville South, who beat the Tigers in the championship game of the Section 1AAA softball tournament and eventually went on win the state tournament, was coached by former Tiger coach Rob Laden.

There's still time to sign up for the annual Louie Schmitz Memorial Classic golf fundraiser set for next Friday (June 20) at Southern Hills Golf Course. The event raises monies for scholarships for FHS students as well as helping to pay participation fees for eligible youth athletes. The registration fee of $100 includes 18 holes of goal with cart, food and refreshments and a post-tournament dinner. For more information contact former Tigers John Barger (952-240-6793 or johnbarger@frontiernet.net) or Bobby Schmitz (schmitzr21@gmail.com).

Alumni Tracker: May 2014

Mike Markuson

1979 Tiger grad Mike Markuson will be back on the sidelines for the 2014 football season. The former Hamline University player who volunteered as an assistant coach at a junior college in Mississippi last fall, has accepted a position as assistant head coach and offensive line coach at Eastern Illinois which plays at Minnesota in the Gopher season opener on August 28.

Markuson has a long history of success coaching at the collegiate level, most recently serving as offensive line coach at Southeastern Conference powers Arkansas and Mississippi....Markuson's son, Elliot Markuson, is a redshirt freshman tight end at Ole Miss.

Former FHS track standout Kailtin Mincke finished 10th in the 1500-meter run for Minnesota at the 2014 Big Ten Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships last weekend at Purdue. Earlier in the month Mincke took third in the same event at the Musco Twilight meet held at the University of Iowa.

Ex-Tiger Logan Hussung threw the shot put for Minnesota at the Big Ten Championships where he ranked 21st overall. Hussung, a former high school state champion in the discus, placed seventh in the shot at the Musco Twilight meet in Iowa City.

FHS grad Andrew Thomas anchored the Hamline University 4x400 relay team that placed seventh at the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Championships held at St. Olaf College in Northfield...Tiger assistant track coach Adam Lippold finished 35th in a filed of more than 1300 runners  in the Get-in-Gear road race in Minneapolis.

When Justin Hyytinen broke Henry Schneider's (1987) 800-meter school record at the recent Pat Foley Classic in Northfield, it marked the second time this season the fleet-footed junior has erased a school mark set by a former FHS Athlete of the Year. Earlier Hyytinen bettered Roger Thelen's (1983) 1600-meter standard. Ironically, both Schneider and Thelen are serving as Tiger assistant coaches this spring.

Heather Kampf, wife of former Tiger track and cross country standout Ben Kampf, finished third in the invitational 1500-meter run at the 105th running of the Drake Relays held in Des Moines, Iowa the last weekend in April. Kampf runs professionally for Asics...New Prague High School sprinter Mallory Applegate is the daughter of 1984 FHS male Athlete of the Year Mike Applegate.

Three-time MGA Player of the Year Sammy Schmitz

1999 FHS alum Sammy Schmitz enters the golf season as the reigning three-time Minnesota Golf Association (MGA) Player of Year. Schmitz and a team of other Minnesota amateurs defeated a group of professionals 24.5-15.5 at the MGA-PGA Cup played last week at Oak Ridge Country Club in Hopkins.

2006 Tiger male Athlete of the Year Carson Jones and twin brother Tyler Jones, both two-sport athletes at St. Olaf College, are back playing baseball for the Dundas Dukes of the Cannon Valley Amateur League this summer. Carson hit .399 and Tyler .385 for the Dukes last season.

2012 Tiger grad Blake Olmscheid completed his sophomore season with the St. Mary's University (Winona) men's tennis team with an 8-15 record in singles and a 9-13 mark in doubles play.

Two former Tiger softball players had outstanding seasons for St. Mary's. Ashley Betzold hit .326 and was the team's top pitcher with a 9-8 record and 2.57 earned run average. Catcher Toni Hunsinger hit .310 for the Cardinals with 12 runs batted in.

1977 FHS grad Doug Dingman is back coaching the clay target shooting team at Prior Lake this spring. Dingman, a state champion shooter in his own right, coached the Lakers to a third place finish at the state meet last season...Former Tigers Dan Nicolai (St. Paul Academy) and Mark Henry (Burnsville) are also coaching the rapidly growing high school sport this spring. 169 Minnesota schools are now offering the sport.

FHS and Concordia College graduate Nate Rowan, who served an internship with the Minnesota Twins two years ago, is working in a similar position with the Kansas City Royals this season....Younger brother Jared Rowan will be coaching the Farmington American Legion baseball teams this summer.

Alumni Tracker: April 2014

Jordan Bridges All-North Star Athletic Association

Former Tiger Jordan Bridges was one of two Jamestown College (North Dakota) players named to the first-ever All-North Star Athletic Association women's basketball team. Bridges, a junior forward, averaged 10.1 points, 6.2 rebounds and two blocks a game for Jamestown who finished fifth in the final NAIA Division II national poll with a record of 27-5.

Dave DeWitt, former Tiger boys' basketball coach, had another outstanding season with the women's hoops team at Anoka-Ramsey Community College. The Rams won the Minnesota Junior College championship with a perfect 12-0 record and advanced to the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) national tournament. DeWitt guided Anoka-Ramsey to the NJCAA national title in 2007 with a 33-1 mark.

The annual Louie Schmitz Memorial Classic golf fundraiser has been scheduled for Friday, June 20, at Southern Hills Golf Course. The event raises monies used for scholarships for FHS students as well as helping to pay participation fees for eligible youth athletes. The registration fee of $100 includes 18 holes of goal with cart, food and refreshments and a post-tournament dinner. For more information contact former Tigers John Barger (952-240-6793 or johnbarger@frontiernet.net) or Bobby Schmitz (schmitzr21@gmail.com).

Three-time MGA Player of the Year Sammy Schmitz

Ex-FHS and St. John's University golfer Sammy Schmitz will enter this golf season as the defending  three-time winner of the Minnesota Golf Association Player of the Year award.

2009 Tiger grad Kaitlin Mincke continues to enjoy a a successful senior season with the University of Minnesota women's track team. Last weekend Mincke won the 1500-meter run at the Spec Towns National Team Invitational held at the University of Georgia, finishing in a career-best 4:29.85...Nadia Lorencz, a two-time state champion for the Tigers, won the 100-meter hurdles and took third in the the long jump at the Spartan Invitational held two weeks ago in East Lansing, Michigan. Lorencz is a a freshman at Michigan State.

Two former Tigers from the class of 2012 are playing softball and baseball respectively this spring for the University of St. Thomas. Ty Vincent is a sophomore outfielder for the Tommies baseball team while Allison Rice (below) is a first-baseman/outfielder with the softball team....Ex-Tiger Matt Rudorfer is a senior outfielder for Holy Cross College in Indiana....2013 Tiger grad Spencer Merle is a freshman outfielder for Century College in White Bear Lake that  is currently ranked No. 1 in the NJCAA Division III  national poll.

Allison Rice

Two members of  the Tigers' 2013 Section 1AAA champion softball team are continuing to see a lot of playing time for St. Mary's University this spring. Toni Hunsinger has started all 18 games for the Cardinals and carries a .326 batting average into this week's games. Ashley Betzold has been the team's most effective pitcher with a 4-3 record, 1.86 earned run average and two saves. Betzold has also been getting more plate appearances and has her batting average up to .243.

Former Tiger and University of Minnesota standout Amber Hegland is the softball coach at Wayzata High School...Another ex-Tiger, Ryan Pietsch, is the head coach at Nortfield...Retired Tiger boys' golf coach Gerry Greupner is back at his familiar post as assistant boys' coach at Rosemount...1989 Tiger male Athlete of the Year Matt Walter who has had a long and successful career as football coach at Annandale is an assistant baseball coach there this spring.

Alumni Tracker: Magalis still flying high

St Cloud State University all-American diver Tyler Magalis

Four years ago as a Tiger senior Tyler Magalis won the one-meter diving title at the Class AA boys' swimming and diving meet.

This weekend at the NCAA Division II national championship in Geneva, Ohio, the St. Cloud State University junior proved he is among the best collegiate divers in the land.

Magalis led the one-meter diving competition until the final dive, eventually placing third with a point total of 548.45. Collin Vest of Clarion University won the one-meter title with 552.40 points. Clarion's Heath Calhoun took second with 551.40.

On the three-meter board Magalis ranked fifth in the preliminaries and then moved up a spot to fourth in the finals with a point total of 519. Calhoun set a national record in winning the event with 615.95 points.

Aumni Tracker: March 2014

Matt Simon

2004 FHS male co-Athlete of the Year Matt Simon has been named the wide receivers coach at Western Michigan University. Simon who had a solid collegiate career at Northern Illinois University where he played for Gopher coach Jerry Kill, was an assistant coach at Rutgers last fall and a tight ends coach at the University of St. Thomas the previous year.

1983 Tiger male Athlete of  the Year  Roger Thelen who spent several years doing missionary work in Brazil has been substitute teaching in the Farmington Schools and recently accepted a position as assistant track coach at Northwestern College in Roseville...One of the Lakeville North players scoring goals in the Panthers Section 1AA championship game win over the Tigers was  Jack McNealy, son of ex-Tiger head boys' hockey coach Mike McNealy who is a teacher in the Inver Grove Heights school district.

Two former Tiger track standouts, Kaitlin Mincke and Logan Hussung, competed for the University of Minnesota in the recent Big Ten Indoor Championships hosted by Ohio State. Minke finished ninth in the mile run while Hussung took ninth place in the shot put.

2011 FHS male Athlete of the Year Carl Elmer finished third at the NCAA Division III wrestling tournament held at Augsburg College two weeks ago and qualified for this weekend's national meet in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Elmer is a junior at St. Olaf College in Northfield...

Ex-Tiger and former Class AA state one-meter diving champion Tyler Magalis qualified for the NCAA Division II national meet slated for this weekend in Cleveland, Ohio. Magalis, a junior at St. Cloud State University, finished sixth on the one-meter board at the national meet last season.

Carl Elmer headed for NCAA Division III national meet

Two years ago, Betsy Anderson was playing hockey for the Tigers, This week she and her University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point women's team will host the University of St. Thomas in the first round of the NCAA Division III playoffs. Earlier this season when Stevens Point played Gustavus Adolphus College former Tigers were all over on the ice. Krystal Baumann is a junior forward for Gustavus and Stefanie Schmitz, a former Wisconsin-River Falls player, was one of the game officials.

2012 FHS female Athlete of the Year Taylor Meyer had 14 points, three steals and two assists for Minnesota-Duluth's women's basketball team in its season-ending loss to Concordia-St. Paul...Ex-Tiger Jordan Bridges averages 10.5 points and 6.3 rebounds for Jamestown College which is currently ranked No. 3 in the nation among NAIA Division II schools with a 26-3 record.

St. Mary's University (Winona) men's basketball coaches were in the stands for the Tigers' Section 1AA semifinal loss to Rochester John Marshall, taking a look at seniors Eli Rockett and Nick Varner, both high on that school's recruiting list...Former Tiger Blake Olmscheid is already at St.Mary's on the Cardinals' men's tennis team. Olmscheid has started his sophomore year well with a 6-6 record in singles and a 4-3 mark in doubles play.
 

Toni Hunsinger

Two members of the FHS class of 2013 are also playing for St.Mary's. Ashley Betzold and Toni Hunsinger are both starters for the women's softball team. Hunsinger is batting .346 through 10 games on a Florida trip while Betzold owns a 2-1 pitching record with a team-low 0.67 earned run average.

Heather Kampf, wife of former Tiger and University of Minnesota runner Ben Kampf, represented the United States in the IAAF Indoor Track and Field Championships held last weekend in Sopot, Poland where she made the finals in the 1500-meter run. Kampf, a Rosemount and U of M grad, ran into some bad luck in the finals when she and a runner from Morocco were disqualified for stepping off the track.

Alumni Tracker: February 2014

Kaitlin Mincke

Two former FHS track standouts, 2010 male Athlete of the Year Logan Hussung and 2009 Leslie Lindell Award winner Kaitlin Mincke, are members of the University of Minnesota track team. In the Bill Bergan Invitational indoor meet held last weekend at Iowa State, Mincke was one of three Gopher women to win an event, leading the pack in the 1000-meter run. Hussung finished fourth in the shot put for the Gopher men who won the meet title.

Two other former Tigers now running for Hamline University helped the Pipers to a win in a recent indoor triangular meet at Wisconsin-River Falls. Andrew Thomas ran a leg of the winning 4x400 relay team and Tyler Lerbakken placed 10th in the 800-meter run.

Nadia Lorencz, a two-time state track champion during her FHS career, recently finished fifth in the long jump and eighth in the 60-meter hurdles at the Hillsdale College-Wide Track Indoor at Hillsdale College in Michigan. Lorencz is a freshman at Michigan State.

Former Tiger assistant baseball coach Louie Rutten, now an elementary school principal in the Wadena-Deer Creek public Schools, was back in Farmington for the Tiger boys' basketball game with Chaska last week. Rutten's daughter, Hannah Rutten, is the leading rebounder (9.8) and second leading scorer (14.3) for the University of Minnesota-Duluth's basketball team this winter.

Hannah Rutten is a teammate of 2012 FHS Athlete of the Year Taylor Meyer at UMD. Meyer is averaging 9,4 points and 4.3 rebounds a game for the Bulldogs. In a recent win over Wisconsin-Superior, Meyer scored 19 points in 20 minutes on nine of 10 shooting from the field.

Nadia Lorencz

2011 Tiger grad Jordan Bridges leads in rebounds (6.5 per game) and blocks (53) and ranks second in scoring (10.7 points) for the Jamestown College (North Dakota) women's basketball team that owns a 22-2 season record and is currently ranked fourth in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) poll. Bridges scored a game-high 21 points and pulled down nine boards in Jamestown's 78-70 win over 13th-ranked Mayville State last weekend.

Tiger grad Betsy Anderson (class of 2012) has played in all 22 games for the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point (16-4-2) women's hockey team that is ranked sixth in the most recent NCAA Division III national poll...Former Tiger standout Krystal Bauman has missed all but three games this season for Gustavus Adolphus College due to recurring concussion symptoms...Ex-Tiger Elena Koch is averaging three points and three rebounds a game for the College of St. Benedict's women's basketball team.

Former Tiger and and Class AA one-meter state diving champion Tyler Magalis finished eighth out of 22 divers on the one-meter board and ninth of 18 in the three-meter dive in the Minnesota Challenge meet held last weekend at the University of Minnesota's Aquatic Center. Magalis is a junior at St. Cloud State University.

Former Tiger and long-time Lakeville North softball and boys hockey coach Randy Schmitz will be a full-time assistant to ex-Tiger Paul Harrington and his Tiger softball team this spring. Schmitz, who was a volunteer assistant last season, replaces yet another former FHS player, Mallory Betzold...Former Tiger baseball coach Mark Opsal is an elementary school principal in the Goodhue Public Schools...The only two seniors on last year's Tiger state tournament roster, Ashley Betzold and Toni Hunsinger, will get a break from the frigid Minnesota winter in a  few weeks when their St. Mary's University softball team (Winona) travels to Florida to play a 10-game "spring training" schedule.

Logan Hussung

2006 Tiger female Athlete  of the Year Kallie Flor, who went on to play Division I hockey at Quinnipiac University (Connecticut), finished 11-13-1 in her first year as co-head coach of the Eagan High School girls' puck team...Ex-Tiger basketball player Jacob Sand is an assistant boys basketball coach at New Prague...Former Tiger Ryan Pietsch will return as head softball coach at Northfield this spring.

Grant Erickson, a 2013 Lakeville North graduate and son of ex-Tiger Jill Horstman and former Tiger boys' basketball coach Randy Erickson has started all 22 games for the Wisconsin-River Falls basketball team this winter, averaging 7.2 points a game and leading the team in assists with 76...1980 Tiger grad John Pellicci has two daughters playing for the Eastview girls' hockey team that plays Burnsville Wednesday night for a berth in the Class AA state tournament. Senior Sarah Pellicci is a senior forward and freshman Kaitlyn Pellicci has been a two-year starter in goal for the Lightning.

Alumni Tracker: January 2014

Tiger graduates Kelsey (2007) and Lindsay Jensen (2009), both six-year members of the Tiger Dance Team, are still active in dance-related activities. After two years serving as a varsity assistant coach at her alma mater, Lindsay, now a fifth grade teacher at Riverview Elementary School, moved up to the head coaching position this winter....Kelsey (pictured at left), a student at St. Catherine's University in St. Paul majoring in sonography, is a first-year member of the Minnesota Vikings cheerleading squad.

Three alumni of the Tiger girls' basketball program continue to see a lot of playing time for their collegiate teams. Jordan Bridges is a starter for Jamestown College (North Dakota) which has started its season with a 16-1 mark and is ranked third in the NAIA national poll. Bridges, who averages 10.2 points and 6.2 rebounds a game, scored 17 points and pulled down nine rebounds in a recent win over Oglala College.

Taylor Meyer, the 2011 FHS female Athlete of the Year, has started four of 12 games for the University of Minnesota-Duluth, averaging nine points and 4.9 rebounds a game in 20 minutes of playing time per game....Elena Koch is a top player of the bench for the College of St. Benedict, scoring four points and grabbing 4.2 rebounds a game in 18 minutes of action a night.

Former high school teammates Betsy Anderson and Krystal Baumann were on different benches last weekend when Wisconsin-Stevens Point and Gustavus Adolphus split a weekend series of women's hockey of games. Anderson plays for the Pointers who are ranked fifth nationally among NCAA Division III schools. Bauman is a forward for the Gusties who are rated No. 8 in the same poll.

Jordan Bridges averages 10.2 points and 6.2 rebounds for Jamestown College

2011 FHS male Athlete of the Year Carl Elmer was just one of four St. Olaf College wrestlers to post a win in a 33-12 dual meet loss to Augsburg, the nation's fourth-ranked NCAA Division III team. Elmer scored a 6-0 decision in the 149-pound bout.

Former Tiger boys hockey coach Greg Gamache must have felt a little disoriented last Thursday night when he returned to Schmitz-Maki Arena, this time standing behind the visitors' bench as the head coach of the Hudson, Wisconsin girls' team.

Three former Tigers are members of collegiate swimming teams that are in the middle of their seasons. Kristin Peters is a senior at Wisconsin-Eau Claire; Brian Huls is a junior at the University of St. Thomas and Tyler Magalis is junior diver at St. Cloud State University.

The names of former Tiger track athletes dot the rosters of several college teams this winter, including Logan Hussung and Kaitlin Mincke, University of Minnesota; Nadia Lorencz, Michigan State; Erin Hickey, Minnesota-Duluth; Mike Shutey, Wisconsin-River Falls; Andrew Thomas and Tyler Lerbakken, Hamline; and Amy Kiminski, College of St. Benedict.

One name not on the list this year is four-time state meet qualifier Alyssa Parco (FHS class of 2012) of Brigham Young University. According to Tiger girls' coach Tom Hart, Parco is serving the mission component of her academic program in South America this year.

Ashley Betzold and Toni Hunsinger, the only seniors on the Tigers' 2013 state tournament softball team are both on the 2014 roster at St. Mary's University in Winona...Joel Klinkhammer, son of 1977 Tiger male Athlete of the Year Pat Klinkhammer and grandson of long-time Tiger middle school coach Dick Klinkhammer, is a sophomore pitcher on the Dakota County Technical College baseball team.

Tom Rolloff

Former FHS principal Tom Rolloff, always a strong supporter of Tiger athletics, passed away last Monday at his home in Bloomington following a battle with pancreatic cancer. Rolloff, who coached numerous youth sports teams in Bloomington, served as Executive Secretary for both the Missota Conference for many years following his retirement from Farmington. Funereal services are scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 14, in Bloomington.

Alumni Tracker: Sejba promoted to Colonel

Pat Hudak and  Col.Tim Sejba

Former Tiger Pat Hudak was Tim Sejba's offensive line coach in high school. Last month, Hudak and his wife Maureen, were on hand to watch Sejba officially receive his promotion to the rank of Colonel in the United States Air Force. The ceremony took place at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida, just a few miles from Tyndall Air Force Base, where Hudak served in the same branch of the service in the 1970's.

Three former Tiger football players saw their teams make the post-season this past fall. Bubba Friedlund, an All-Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference offensive lineman, helped his Bethel University team to the NCAA Division III quarterfinals...Josh Zitzmann, the leading pass receiver for Rochester Community and Technical College during the regular season, had two catches for 51 yards and a touchdown in the Yellowjackets' 23-20 overtime loss to Iowa Central in the Graphic Edge Bowl played in Cedar Falls, Iowa...CJ Record saw some playing time for Southwest Minnesota State in the Mineral Water Bowl in Excelsior Springs, Missouri where the Mustangs lost a lopsided 90-28 verdict to Pittsburg State of Kansas.

Former FHS female Athlete of the Year Kallie Flor who went on to a four-year collegiate hockey career at Quinnipiac University (Connecticut) is the co-head girls' hockey coach Eagan High School this winter...Betsy Anderson has started all 13 games for the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point women's hockey team that owns an 11-1-1 record and is ranked fifth in the NCAA Division III national poll.....Krystal Baumann who ranks second only to Flor in Tiger career scoring, has one goal in a couple of appearances for eighth-ranked Gustavus Adolphus College.

Trevor Davis

Trevor Davis is in his second year as a graduate assistant with the Northwestern State (Louisiana) men's basketball program. Northwestern State has struggled to a 4-5 start after making it to the NCAA tournament last year...Former FHS male Athlete of the Year and two-sport athlete at the University of Minnesota Trey Davis recently returned from a national athletic directors' conference in California. Davis is the assistant athletic director at Shakopee High School.

Jordan Bridges is averaging 10.8 points and 5.9 rebounds for the Jamestown College (North Dakota) women's basketball team that owns a 12-1 record and is ranked No. 5 in the NAIA national poll...Former Tiger female Athlete of the Year Taylor Meyer hasn't been a regular starter for the University of Minnesota-Duluth but is averaging 11 points and 4.6 rebounds a game off the bench, including a 21-point outburst in a win over Bemidji State....Elena Koch is scoring five points and pulling down 3.6 rebounds a game for the College of St. Benedict.

Ex-FHS male Athlete of the Year Carl Elmer, a junior on the St. Olaf College wrestling team, claimed his first collegiate tournament title last month when he won the 149 lbs. division at the Milwaukee School of Engineering Invitational.

Betsy Anderson

Former Tiger boys and girls basketball coach Jason Berg and his football officiating crew worked the Class 3A quarterfinal game between Rochester Lourdes and eventual state runner-up New London-Spicer.  Ex-Tiger Pat Carey is a member of Berg's officiating team.

Nate Rowan just returned from the Major League Baseball winter meetings in Orlando where he interviewed for media relations positions with the Minnesota Twins, Baltimore Orioles and Kansas City Royals. The former Tiger has served a year-long broadcasting internship with the Twins and last year worked with the Orioles' AAA affiliate in Norfolk, Virginia...Jared Rowan, the Tiger junior varsity boys hockey coach, is an elementary school teacher in the Randolph School District.

Four of the eight winter sports programs at FHS have Tiger alumni as head coaches: Chad Olson (wrestling), Keith Revels (boys hockey), Jon Holmes (girls hockey), Lynn Bauman (gymnastics) and Lindsay Jensen (Dance Team). Several other former Tigers are serving as assistants, including Jared Rowan, boys hockey; Kevin Lugowksi (girls hockey); Brad Albano (gymnastics); Brent Mahlstedt (boys basketball) and Joe McCarthy (girls basketball)

Alumni: Mincke wins Big Ten Award

Big Ten Conference News Release
November 21, 2013

University of Minnesota senior Kaitlin Mincke of Farmington has received the 2013 Big Ten Sportsmanship Award, given annually to a representative of each of the conference's 12 women's cross country programs.

The student-athletes chosen are individuals who have distinguished themselves through sportsmanship and ethical behavior. These student-athletes must also be in good academic standing and have demonstrated good citizenship outside of the sports-competition setting.

"Kait has been awesome, especially this year as a fifth-year senior," head coach Sarah Hopkins said.

"As someone who wasn't necessarily a top-top runner on the team for the first couple years of her career, she has shown the rest of the team that if you just keep with it, keep striding, and keep believing in yourself, you can do a lot of really special things.

"That's been a great thing to show some of the younger kids. I think the underclassmen see the rest of that fifth-year senior group as just always having been good, and I think they all remember where Mincke was last year and how far she's come. She's a really great example of someone who sticks to it and has been able to get better every day."

Mincke raced in five meets this season, including her first Big Ten Championship meet. She posted back-to-back career-best 6K times at the Griak Invitational (22:17.6) and the Wisconsin Adidas Invitational (21:21).

Mincke also took ninth overall at the SDSU Classic 5K and 10th overall at the Oz Memorial 6K. At the conference meet, Mincke came in 37th overall in 21:57.2 as the Gophers' eighth runner. She served as an alternate for the NCAA Midwest Regional and will do the same at this weekend's NCAA championship.

Alumni Tracker: The Rifleman

Patrick Sunderman

2012 FHS grad Patrick Sunderman was a member of the Tiger cross country team during his high school days but now he is competing in quite a different sport at the collegiate level.

Sunderman is a sophomore on the unbeaten University of West Virginia rifle team that has cruised to six consecutive wins over Ohio State, Army, Nebraska, Mississippi, Akron and Navy this season.

As a freshman, Sunderman received Great American Rifle Conference (GARC) and National Rifle Association (NRA) all-American honorable mention honors.

Recently, the former Tiger was interviewed by the West Virginity University athletic media center. That exchange takes place two minutes into the broadcast and may be viewed at http://www.wvusports.com/blogs.cfm?blog=WVUSportsBuzzBlog&story=24567

Sunderman, also a member of the West Virginia National Guard, is majoring in mechanical engineering at West Virginia.

Alumni Tracker: Bridges off to fast start

Jordan Bridges

Former Tiger Jordan Bridges' junior season for the Jamestown College (North Dakota) women's basketball team is off to a flying start. Bridges has started all seven games for the Jimmies (6-1) this season, hitting 60 percent of her field goal tries while averaging 10.9 points and six rebounds a contest.

2012 FHS female Athlete of the Year Taylor Meyer scored four points and pulled down two rebounds in 21 minutes off the bench as her University of Minnesota-Duluth team beat Bethel 80-71 in its season opener this week...Another ex-Tiger, Elena Koch, is a junior on the College of St. Benedict team that opens its 2013-14 campaign this weekend. Koch played in all 27 games for the Blazers last season.

2011 Tiger male Athlete of the Year Carl Elmer holds down the 149-pound slot in St. Olaf College's wrestling lineup. Elmer finished 16-10 as a sophomore for the Oles last winter.

Former Tiger hockey scoring machine Krystal Baumann who played one season for the University of Vermont and another abbreviated season with Minnesota State, Mankato, has landed at Gustavus Adolphus College where she is a junior forward for a Gusties team that is rated seventh in the most recent NCAA Division III national poll...2012 Tiger grad Betsy Anderson is a starting defender for the women's puck team at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.

2009 Tiger grad Josh Zitzmann will play in a bowl game this fall. Zitzmann led Rochester Community and Technical College (RCTC) in receiving during its 10-1 regular season (36 catches for 601 yards and nine touchdowns). The Yellowjackets will play Iowa Western in the Graphic Edge Bowl Dec. 8 in the UniDome on the campus of Northern Iowa University in Cedar Falls.

To qualify for the bowl game RCTC had to defeat Central Lakes College (Brainerd) to win the Minnesota state title. 2013 FHS grad Athen Ashton played for Central Lakes this season, gaining 229 yards on 79 carries and scoring three touchdowns.

Tyler Barnes

Another ex-Tiger football player, Bubba Friedlund will also be going to the post season. The senior offensive lineman has helped unbeaten Bethel University to the Minnesota Intercollegiate Conference (MIAC) championship and a No. 5 ranking in the NCAA Division III national poll...Former Tiger Tyler Barnes has helped Minnesota State, Moorhead build a three-game winning streak heading into its season finale Saturday at St. Cloud State...

CJ Record has seen increasing playing time for Southwest Minnesota State University this fall. The ex-Tiger has been in on 14 tackles as a defensive back and special teams player for the Mustangs...Nick Albano, who played a year at RCTC with Zitzmann, has been in on five tackles for Idaho State this fall.

1989 FHS male Athlete of the Year Matt Walter guided his Annandale football team to the Section 3AAA championship game this fall. The Cardinals who won the section last season finished the 2013 season campaign with a 7-4 record...2004 Athlete of the Year Matt Simon is the tight ends coach for Rutgers University who will be moving to the Big Ten Conference in 2014.

Sydney Eckert of the FHS class of 2013 played in 15 of 17 games for Vitebro College (Wisconsin) who won the Midwest College Conference women's soccer championship this fall...Ex-Tiger Sam Leske started 15 of 17 games on defense for Gustavus Adolphus College (13-3-1) who lost to St. John's in the semifinals of the MIAC post-season soccer tournament but will play in the NCAA Division III post-season tournament.

Bailey Opsal

Former Tiger track and cross country standout Kaitlin Mincke finished 37th in a field of 104 runners to help the University of Minnesota to a third place finish at the Big Ten Conference Cross Country Championships held Nov. 3 at Purdue...Ex-Tiger Bailey Opsal was a member of the College of St. Scholastica women's team that won the 2013 Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) cross country title this fall.

Danielle Dombeck who helped the Tigers to their only state volleyball tournament ranks third in digs as a senior defensive specialist for the North Dakota State University women's team.

Former Tiger  girls' basketball coach Jim Schreffler is now the assistant boys' hoop coach at Northfield...Ex-Tiger Ryan Pietsch is an assistant girls' hockey coach for the Raiders.

Alumni: Kampf wins Moose Mountain Marathon

Ben Kampf (left) displays his Moose Marathon trophy

2005 FHS Oscar Lubke Award winner Ben Kampf, a standout track and cross country runner for the Tigers and later the University of Minnesota, won the 2013 Moose Marathon in Lutsen, Minnesota last month. Kampf, now a sales representative for Adidas, came in first in a field limited to 200 by the rough terrain and rugged course conditions on the Superior Hiking Trail. His finishing time of 3:38 was 40 minutes faster than the second place runner.

Christopher Rupp (left) traveled from France to run the Twin Cities Marathon

Another former Lubke Award winner, Christopher Rupp of the FHS class of 1991, may have been one of the longest-traveling runners to complete the Twin Cities Marathon on October 6. Rupp, who lives in Lyon, France, completed the TCM in just under four hours.

2009 Tiger grad Josh Zitzmann continues to have a stellar sophomore season for the Rochester Community and Technical College football team. Through seven games the former Tiger has 25 catches for 465 yards and eight touchdowns for the Yellowjackets who are ranked 10th in the National Junior College Athletic Association poll....Athen Ashton of the Tiger class of 2013 is the second leading rusher for 17th-ranked Central Lakes Community College in Brainerd with 185 yards on 63 carries and a pair of touchdowns.

Bubba Friedlund

Bubba Friedlund (2010) continues to be a force along the offensive line for Bethel University which is unbeaten (5-0) and ranked fifth in the most recent NCAA Division III national  poll...CJ Record, the last 1000-yard rusher for the Tigers (2011), has six tackles and played in every game for Southwest State University this fall.

Naomi Wood

2013 Tiger grad, Naomi Wood, has played in all 14 games for the Buena Vista College (Iowa) women's soccer team this fall and with four goals ranks as the the team's second-leading scorer.

Kelli Harstad (2012) has a goal and seen action in all 12 games for St. Mary's University(Winona)...Sydney Eckert has played in 12 of 13 contests for Vitebro College (Wisconsin) and Ashley Kimmel has gotten into 10 of 12 games for St. Olaf College.

Brandon Scott (2012) has recorded two goals and two assists for the College of St. Scholastica men's team this fall while high school classmate Chad Stivers owns an 0-1 record and a 2.69 goals against average in four appearances in goal for Edgewood College in Madison, Wisconsin...Sam Leske has a goal and an assist for Gustavus Adolphus College.

Ex-Tiger Tyler Magalis, the Minnesota Class AA state one-meter diving champion in 2011, finished runner-up on the one-meter board and fifth in the three-meter diving competition for St. Cloud State University in a triangular meet with South Dakota State and North Dakota last weekend in Grand Forks.

RCTC's Zitzmann among national leaders

Josh Zitzmann

Through four games Tiger grad Josh Zitzmann ranked 30th in the National Junior College Athletic Association in pass receiving. The Rochester Technical Community and Technical (RCTC) sophomore had 18 catches for 271 yards and five touchdowns. RCTC has a perfect 4-0 record and was ranked 19th in last week's national poll...One of the Yellowjackets' wins was a 48-21 triumph over Central Lakes Community College (Brainerd) in which ex-Tiger Athen Ashton picked up 21 yards on six carries for Central Lakes.

Former Tiger Bubba Friedlund is the starting left tackle for Bethel University (2-0) currently ranked No. 8 in the NCAA Division III national poll....Two former FHS teammates, Tyler Barnes and CJ Record, got to square off against each other a couple of weeks ago when Minnesota State, Moorhead defeated Southwest State University 27-20. Barnes is a tight end/long snapper for the Dragons and Record a defensive back for the Mustangs..Nick Albano, a former Tiger and RCTC standout, has been playing on special teams for Idaho State University this fall....2013 FHS male Athlete of the Year Darren Beenken is quarterbacking the scout team for Winona State University. Beenken is being redshirted to preserve his four years of eligibility.

Ex-Tiger soccer goalie Chad Stivers is 0-1 with a goals against average of 3.07 in the early going for Edgewood College in Madison, Wisconsin...Another former Tiger soccer standout, Sam Leske, is a starter for Gustavus Adolphus College which was 4-1-1 after its first six games...Brandon Scott has a goal and two assists in four games for the St. Scholatica men's soccer team.

Tyler Magalis

Four alumni of the Tiger girls' soccer team are playing at the collegiate level this fall. Kelli Harstad is a starter at St. Mary's University in Winona and Kayla Seivert has an assist in five games for the University of Wisconsin-Stout Ashley Kimmel is a sophomore on the St. Olaf College squad and Sydney Eckert has played in six of the first seven games for Vitebro College in Lacrosse, Wisconsin.

Former Class AA state diving champion Tyler Magalis is back for his junior season with the St. Cloud State University men's swimming and diving team. Magalis earned all-American honors for the Huskies as a sophomore, finishing sixth at the NCAA Division II Championships....2009 Tiger female Athlete of the Year Kirstee Rotty who went on to play volleyball and basketball for St. Olaf College, is an assistant volleyball coach at Rosemount High School.

Former Tiger track and cross country runner Bailey Opsal finished 12th overall at the Lumberjack and Lumberjill Invitational cross country meet held recently at Northland College in Ashland, Wisconsin. Opsal is a sophomore on the College of St. Scholastica women's team.

Danielle Dombeck, a key contributor to the only Farmington volleyball team ever to play in the state tournament, leads her North Dakota State University team in digs this season.

Ex-Tigers Andrew Froehling, son of Tiger football coach Mark Froehling, and Rilee Carufel were married earlier this month in Farmington.

Alumni Tracker: Schmitz wins Publinks Title

Sammy Schmitz poses with caddy (and father) Steve Schmitz after winning the Publinks title

Sammy Schmitz of the FHS class of 1999 continues to rank among the best amateur golfers in Minnesota. Two weeks ago the former Tiger and St. John's University standout won the Minnesota Publinks Tournament held at Baker National Golf Course for the second consecutive year. Schmitz, the two-time defending Minnesota Golf Association (MGA) Player of the Year, currently ranks second in the 2013 point standings....FHS boys' golf coach Jon Holmes also fared well at the Publinks Championship, tying for 10th place overall in the talented field.

2010 Tiger grad Nick Albano, who played football for two seasons at Rochester Community and Technical College, earned a scholarship at Idaho Sate and will play for the Bengals this fall. Albano is following in the footsteps of his brother, Tiger assistant coach Brad Albano, who played two years at North Dakota School of Sciences before finishing his college career at Bemidji State.

Nick Albano

2013 Tiger male Athlete of the Year  Darren Beenken is one of two freshman quarterbacks on the Winona State University roster this fall...2009 Tiger grad Josh Zitzmann, one of the top receivers in Minnesota Junior College football last year, is back for his sophomore season with Rochester Community and Technical College.

Two former FHS football players, 2012 male Athlete of the Year Drew Hegseth and high school classmate Austin Bassett are playing for St. John's University.

2013 Tiger grad Athen Ashton, who missed much of his senior season after tearing his ACL, is slated to be the starting tailback for Central Lakes Community College in Brainerd...Another member of the FHS class of 2013, Alex Chadwick, will join nationally ranked University of St. Thomas when freshman drills begin next week.

Bubba Friedlund is a returning starter on the offensive line for Bethel University...Dillon Pariseau plays on the offensive line for the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire...Tyler Barnes, who played center for the Tigers, is a long snapper/tight end for the Minnesota State, Moorhead...CJ Record is a sophomore defensive back at Southwest State University.

2005 Tiger male Athlete of the Year Matt Simon is the tight ends coach for Rutgers who will officially join the Big Ten Conference next fall...1989 Tiger male Athlete of the Year Matt Walter returns as head coach at Annandale High School where he guided the Cardinals to the Class 3A state tournament last season...Ex-Tiger Ben Froehling, son of Tiger football coach Mark Froehling, is coaching the sophomore team at Wayzata High School this fall...Another former Tiger, Andy Pierskalla, who coached at St. John's University last fall, is now the defensive coordinator at Bloomington Jefferson.

After playing on back-to-back NCAA Division III national championship teams at Concordia-University-St. Paul, former Tiger standout Katie Habeck has transferred to Wisconsin-Eau Claire where she does not plan to play vollevball...Danielle Dombeck who played with Habeck  on Farmington's only state tournament team, is a senior defensive specialist at North Dakota State University.

Danielle Dombeck

Three players from the 2011 Tiger boys soccer team are playing collegiately this fall. Chad Stivers is a goalie for Edgewood College in Madison Wisconsin; Brandon Scott is a forward for St. Scholatsica in Duluth and Sam Leske is a defender at Gustavus Adolphus College.

Ex-Tiger girls' soccer players on college rosters this fall include Ashley Kimmel, St. Olaf College; Kayla Sievert, University of Wisconsin-Stout; Kelli Harstad, St. Mary's University and Sydney Eckert, Vitebro College (Wisconsin).

Kaitlin Mincke, former Tiger state track meet performer, is a senior on the University of Minnesota cross country team...Ex-Tiger Bailey Opsal is in her sophomore season with the St. Scholastica University cross country team.

Stephanie (Swedin) Johnson was one of the finishers of the Brewhouse Triathlon in Duluth this summer...1991 Oscar Lubke Award winner Christopher Rupp, who now lives in Lyon, France, is coming back home to run the Twin Cities Marathon on October 6.

Alumni Tracker: Trey Davis assistant AD at Shakopee

Trey Davis

2007 FHS male Athlete of the Year Trey Davis who played football and competed in track at the University of Minnesota wasted little time in finding a job after completing a Master's Degree in Sports Management this spring. The former state shot put champion has been named assistant athletic director at Shakopee High School.

Former Tiger boys hockey coach Jim Hoey who has published two sports trivia-related books, one on the Minnesota Twins and another on the Minnesota boy's state hockey tournament, is releasing a third this fall on the Minnesota Vikings. The retired Farmington teacher has a busy schedule these days having just accepted the position of athletic director at Trinity, a small private school in Eagan, where his son Eddie Hoey is a track and cross country athlete.

Ex-Tiger Kurt Schneider who held the school shot put and discus records for many years was a volunteer coach at Chisholm and Mountain Iron-Buhl this past spring... Heather Kampf, a Rosemount graduate married to 2005 FHS Oscar Lubke Award winner Ben Kampf, runs professionally for Asics shoe company and recently won a couple of races for Team USA Minnesota in Ireland and Belgium.

Former Tiger golfer Sammy Schmitz, a 1999 grad, is tied for second in the 2013 Minnesota Golf Association (MGA) player rankings. In his last tournament, the 35th Players' Championship, Schmitz who plays out of Valleywood Golf Club, advanced to the quarterfinals...Another ex-Tiger, Greg Werner, playing out of the Wilds Golf Club, lost in the opening round of the match play tournament.

Former football coach Earl Wetzel who won several Tri-Metro Conference football titles during his 20 years on the Tiger sidelines is living in California. He is pursuing a graduate dgree program in creative writing and in his spare time volunteering at a local school helping non-native speaking students learn English...

Veteran Tiger assistant coach Gary Burr who has been with the Tiger football program since 1979 has resigned from his winter job as assistant girls' basketball coach at Hastings, a position he held for 24 years, including the state champion season of 1996.

(l to r) Alex Frost, John Walz and Carl Elmer

Two former Tigers, 2011 male Athlete of the Year Carl Elmer and 2013 grad Alex Frost, and Tiger junior wrestler John Walz were among the top finishers in their respective age groups at the challenging Warrior Dash, a 5-kilometer mud run/obstacle course race, held in Afton a couple of weeks ago. Elmer who now wrestles for St. Olaf College placed 10th in his age group and 14th overall in a field of 8311. Frost ranked 11th among 328 in the female 14-19 age bracket and Walz placed 112th out of 372 in his age division.

Two FHS grads were inadvertently omitted from the the Alumni Tracker list of top finishers in the 2013 Farmington Dew Run held last month. Janet (Brownawell) Smith and Christine (Ailabouni) Cahill finished 1-2 in the women's division of the four-mile run...1991 Tiger alum Christopher Rupp who now lives in Lyon, France, is returning home this fall to run the Twin Cities Marathon.

Former Tigers Ben Froehling and Shelly Sturm from the FHS class of 2007 will be married July 13 in Lakeville. Froehling, son of Tiger football coach Mark Froehling and Lori Froehling, teaches and coaches football in Wayzata. Sturm, the daughter of long-time local sports supporters Mike and Debbie Sturm, is an elementary school teacher in the Kenyon-Wanamingo school district.

Alumni Tracker: Ex-Tigers still on course

Sammy Schmitz

2009 FHS alum Sammy Schmitz who played in the Class AA State Championships as a prep continues to be one of the best amateur golfers in Minnesota. Last week the former Tiger advanced to the semifinals of the MGA Mid Players Match Play Tournament held at Island View Golf Club in Waconia...Two other players with Farmington connections also made the elite 32-player field, Tiger boys' golf coach Jon Holmes and Kane Bauer, grandson of former Farmington Bakery owner Tuffy Westenberg.

Greg Werner, another former Tiger state tournament golfer, wrapped up his stellar collegiate career at Minnesota State, Mankato with a 31st place finish in the 107-player NCAA Division II Central Regional Tournament played last month in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

Greg Werner

2005 Tiger grad Ben Kampf. who later ran track and cross country for the University of Minnesota returned home to win his second straight Dew Run title, touring the flat and fast four-mile course in 20:19, more than a minute faster than the second place finisher...Kampf isn't his family's only member busy running this summer. His wife Heather Kampf,  ex-Rosemount and U of M runner, placed sixth in the 800-meter run at the US Track and Field Championships held this past weekend in Des Moines, Iowa.

Current and other former Tiger athletes were among top finishers in the 2013 Dew Run. Justin Hyytinen finished third overall in the four-mile event, four places in front of assistant coach Adam Lippold, a former Doane College (Nebraska) runner. 2013 Tiger grad Adam Wallenta ranked 12th in the 353-runner field. Other top 50 finishers included 2012 alum Bailey Opsal now running cross country at St. Scholastica College (37th); Tiger junior Maricia Pacheco (39th); Tiger boys' standout Tyler Lerbakken (45th) and sophomore-to-be Sean Dougherty (46th).

Lerbakken and Pacheco took sixth and 17th place respectively in the one-mile race. 2005 FHS male co-Athlete of the Year Scott Holmes won his age group and placed 35th while 2009 female Athlete of the Year Kirstee Rotty was an age group winner with a 48th place overall finish.

162 golfers played in the Second Annual Louie Schmitz Foundation fundraiser held last Friday at Southern Hills. The foursome of Steve Sabetti, Paul Rutt, Scott Finn and Shane Clausen claimed top scoring honors with a 16-under par round. Two of Schmitz's daughters and former Tiger athletes, Shelly Schmitz and Jody Schmitz Slette teamed up with Judy Jungwirth and Helen Nikiel to win the womens' division. Proceeds from the event go toward college scholarships and donations to local athletic associations to help needy youth pay participation fees. 2013 Tiger graduates Kevin Olund and Haleigh Zwart were awarded scholarships at the tournament.

1977 Tiger alum Doug Dingman's Prior Lake High School target shooters had another good showing at the Minnesota Clay Target League state championships held in Alexandria a couple of weeks ago. The Lakers finished fourth in the varsity division and runner-up in the junior varsity competition. Dave Warweg, another 1977 FHS grad, is one of Dingman's assistant coaches.

Former Tiger and state champion discus thrower Logan Hussung, a redshirt sophomore at the University of Minnesota, placed ninth in the shot put at the 2013 Big Ten Outdoor Championships held at Ohio State University last month...2012 Tiger graduate Blake Olmscheid had a productive freshman tennis season for St. May's University (Winona) this spring, finishing 6-4 in singles play and 6-2 in doubles competition for the Cardinals.

Alumni Tracker: Elmer earns St. Olaf mat honor

Carl Elmer

2011 FHS male Athlete of the Year Carl Elmer (left) who recently completed his second year with the St. Olaf College wrestling team, received the coach's Heart and Hustle Award at the 2013 post-season banquet held last month.

2006 Tiger grads Carson Jones and Tyler Jones, who both played football and baseball at St. Olaf, are back playing amateur baseball for the Dundas Dukes of the Cannon Valley League...Ex-Tiger Kyle Rains is an infielder playing for the Hampton Cardinals in the same league.

Former Tiger girls basketball coach Jim Schreffler, a member of the Iowa Girls High School Basketball of Fame, will be moving over to the boys' game next winter when he assumes an assistant coaching position at Northfield. Since leaving Farmington Schreffler has been an assistant to Andy Berkvam with the highly successful Lakeville North girls' program. Berkvam will be the head boys' coach at Northfield next season.

2004 FHS male Athlete of the Year Matt Simon, who played for Minnesota football coach Jerry Kill at Northern Illinois and coached at the University of St. Thomas for a season, is now the wide receivers coach for Rutgers University who will be moving to the Big Ten Conference in 2014...1994 Tiger female Athlete of the Year Amber Hegland, who later played softball and hockey at the University of Minnesota is the girl's softball coach at Wayzata...Jack Benedict who served as a Tiger assistant baseball coach for a couple of season passed away last month at the age of 57. 

Greg Werner

Erin Hickey led off of the University of Minnesota-Duluth's 4x200 relay team at the 104th running of the Drake Relays in Des Moines, Iowa, two weeks ago....Greg Werner  (left), a state meet golder in his Tiger playing days, is a senior on the Minnesota State, Mankato men's team and will be playing in a NCAA Division II regional qualifying tournament in Kenosha, Wisconsin this weekend.

FHS grad Nate Rowan says he remains a Minnesota Twins fan but still likes his intern position with the Norfolk Tides (Virginia), the Class AAA Baltimore Orioles affiliate playing in the International League. Rowan had a similar experience with the Twins last season when he served as a broadcast intern.

Former Tiger running standout Ben Kampf who went on to run cross country and track at the University of Minnesota has left his job with the Run 'n Fun running stores to take a sales representative position with Adidas. Kampf is still running, too, finishing 15th out of more than 3400 finishers at the annual Get In Gear 10K road race in Minneapolis last month...Kampf's wife Heather (Dorniden) Kampf, an all-state runner at Rosemount and an all-American at Minnesota, runs professionally for Asics.

Tim Sejba

Ex-Tiger Tim Sejba, a United States Air Force career officer,  received notice in March he is being promoted to full colonel. Sejba now lives in Virginia but will me moving to Florida this summer where he will be stationed at Elgin Air Force Base near Ft. Walton Beach...Former Tiger Kary Sifferath, who went on to play football at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, now lives in Tunis, Tunisia, where he is a regional director for the U.S. Grain Council, a non-profit organization that works to increase profits for United States farmers through export market development..

Doug Dingman, a 1977 Tiger grad who has been instrumental in the development of the Minnesota State Clay Target League as the high school shooting coach for Prior Lake, has hired one of his FHS classmates, Dave Warweg, as an assistant coach. Warweg was formerly an assistant coach with the New Prague trap team.

Three ex-Tigers are head coaches of spring sports at their alma mater this spring: Jon Holmes (boys golf), Paul Harrington (softball) and Jon Stock (girls golf).

Alumni Tracker: Olmscheid 7-3 at St. Mary's

Blake Olmscheid

2012 Tiger grad Blake Olmscheid, who manned the No. 1 singles position for the Tiger tennis team last spring, has won seven of his first 10 matches as a freshman for St. Mary's University in Winona. The ex-Tiger has played fifth and sixth singles as well as third doubles for the Cardinals.

FHS alumnus John "Gus" Barger was inducted into the Minnesota Hockey Coaches Association (MCHA) Hall of Fame on March 7 in St. Paul. Barger coached at St. Louis Park, Burnsville, Austin and New Prague in Minnesota and started his varsity coaching career in Jamestown, North Dakota where he took several teams to the state tournament.

Barger is the second coach with Farmington connections to be selected for the MCHA Hall of Fame. Al Maki, the first high school coach at Farmington, was inducted in 1991.

Tiger football coach Mark Froehling (below) received the Minnesota Football Coaches Association's  2013 Power of Influence Award a couple of weeks ago. The award honors one coach in the state for his mentoring, role modeling and community service.

Mark Froehling

Former Tiger runner Kaitlin Mincke clocked the fourth fastest time in the 1000-meter run for the University of Minnesota during the recently completed indoor track season. She has the sixth best outdoor time in the 1500-meter run in the early outdoor season...FHS grad Logan Hussung had the fourth best indoor shot put throw for Minnesota, the same rank he currently holds for the outdoor campaign.

Matt Shutey

During the indoor track season, ex-Tiger Matt Shutey had the best time in the 60-meter hurdles for the University of Wisconsin-River Falls and also ran a leg on the Falcons' fastest 4x400 meter relay...Alyssa Parco of the FHS class of 2012, who was a four-time state meet qualifier in the 300-meter hurdles in high school, is concentrating on the sprints in her first year of track at Brigham Young University...Tiger alumni Erin Hickey and Amy Kiminski are sprinters on their collegiate school track teams, Minnesota-Duluth and the College of St. Benedict.

Erin Hickey

Former Tiger baseball player Matt Rudorfer has played in 18 of 37 games for the Holy Cross College (Indiana) team this spring...Allie Rice, who helped lead the Tigers to their second-ever state tournament appearance last spring, has a hit in her only at-bat this spring as a freshman outfielder/first baseman for the University of St. Thomas softball team.

Senior point guard Grant Erickson, son of ex-Tiger Jill Horstman and former FHS boys' basketball coach Randy Erickson, had seven points, six rebounds and three assists for Lakeville North in its 74-72 opening round overtime loss to Park Center in the Class 4A state basketball tournament.

Gary Thorson, who coached the Tiger boys golf for almost three decades, passed away last month at the age of 70 at his home in St. Francis, Minnesota. At one time, Thorson was a partner with the late Stan Otness. another long-time Tiger coach, in the ownership of a golf course in Fosston.

Tiger grad joins March Madness

Tiger grad Trevor Davis headed for March Madness

Five years ago Trevor Davis was playing point guard for the Tigers. Last winter he was coaching the Tiger B-squad to a successful season. Last Saturday he found success on a much bigger stage.

Now a graduate assistant at Northwestern State (Louisiana), Davis was on the sidelines watching the Demons edge Stephen F. Austin 68-66 to win the Southland Conference's automatic bid to the NCAA men's basketball tournament.

Northwestern State received the No. 14 seed in the Midwest Region and opens tournament play Friday night against No. 3 Florida in Austin, Texas.

Should the Demons pull off a first round upset, they could face Minnesota on Sunday The Gophers play UCLA in its opening round game.

That would be fine with Davis as it would mean a match-up with his older brother Trey Davis' alma mater. Trey Davis, the 2007 FHS male Athlete of the Year, played football and was a thrower on the track team at Minnesota.