About Champions4Life

Our Annual Pioneer Golf Classic has helped Carroll Athletics compete for over five decades. Proceeds from the event benefit the Champions4Life Fund. 

When President Walter Rankin brought intercollegiate athletics to Carroll in 1894, he envisioned a winning program that would prepare students for the rigors of life through competition, sportsmanship and hard work. As Carroll athletics celebrates its 129th year, its success is seen in the accomplishments of student-athletes, rising expectations of coaches and growing enthusiasm of fans.

The Champions4Life Fund supports the success of Carroll athletics by providing funding for special initiatives not supported with operating dollars. These initiatives support our student-athlete by making possible the tools and experiences they need to excel.

About Carroll Athletics

Below are some highlights of the 2023-24 school year from each sport:

MEN’S CROSS COUNTRY

Carroll’s men’s cross country team finished sixth out of eight teams at the CCIW Championships this season, before finishing 21st at NCAA Division-III Regionals. Austin Sanderfoot and Charles Quast each earned All-Conference honors by finishing in the top 20 runners at the conference meet. One other highlight of the season came at the Wisconsin Private College Championships, which saw Carroll finish first out of six teams.

WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY

Carroll’s women’s cross country team finished the season eighth out of nine teams at the CCIW Championships, before placing 22nd at the NCAA Division-III Regionals. Rebekah Buboltz earned All-Conference honors by finishing in the top 20 at the conference meet. The Pioneers also placed fourth during the season at the nine-team Wisconsin Private College Championships.

FOOTBALL

Carroll’s football team finished the 2023 season with a 5-5 record, finishing fifth in the CCIW standings. The Pioneers broke the program’s single season scoring record with 364 points, which eclipsed the previous record of 361, set in 2014. Senior quarterback Josh Raby had an outstanding season, breaking single season school records for passing yards (2,697) and completions (200), while finishing with 26 touchdown passes, which is just one shy of the school record. Senior kicker Jacob Laurent also had a record-breaking season, snapping single season records for field goals made (13) and PATs (43) and the program’s career record for field goals made (28). Punter Noah Streveler also set a single season school record for highest punting average (40.3). The Pioneers saw 10 players named to the All-Conference team (five to the First Team), eight selections to the Academic All-District Team and three receiving All-Region recognition.

MEN’S GOLF

Carroll’s men’s golf team had a successful Fall season in which they broke a school record for a 36-hole tournament, shooting a 595 at the Strawberry Creek Classic hosted by Carthage College. The Pios also set an 18-hole school record with a score of 290 in that tournament. At the CCIW Championships to end the year, the Pioneers finished in a tie for sixth, while grad student Evan Bridges was tied for 10th among all individuals, earning him a second consecutive All-Conference honor. He shot a three-round total of 222 (+6) at the year-end event.

WOMEN’S GOLF

Carroll’s women’s golf team finished the 2023 Fall season with a fifth-place finish at the CCIW Championships. Tessa Lawson led the Pioneers at that tournament, finishing 28th among all individuals, shooting an 88 on the final day. Another highlight of the season came at the BrewCity Battle in Pewaukee, Wis., where Carroll finished second with a team score of 355.

MEN’S SOCCER

Carroll’s men’s soccer team finished with a 7-9-1 overall record this season, including a 2-5-1 mark in the CCIW. Zane Walters and Josh Gonzaga led the team with six goals apiece, while Marti Solenalles added five goals and a team-high nine assists. Gonzaga and Solenalles each earned All-Conference recognition (Second Team), while Walters and Sam Dorchester each received Academic All-District recognition. Head Coach Derek Marie announced his resignation at the conclusion of the season, to pursue other professional opportunities, after four years as the Pioneers’ Head Coach. Andy Kohel has been hired as the program's new Head Coach.

WOMEN’S SOCCER

Carroll’s women’s soccer team achieved their third consecutive 11-win campaign in 2023, finishing the season with an 11-6-3 overall record, including a 4-1-3 mark in the CCIW, which was good for second place in the conference standings. The Pioneers, who were regionally ranked as high as seven this season, advanced all the way to the CCIW Tournament Championship game, where they lost 3-1 to top-seeded North Central College. Another highlight of the season came in a 2-0 home victory against 19th—ranked Loras College, which marked the first time in program history that Carroll defeated an opponent ranked in the Top 25. Grace Tumilty, Jessica Stepien, and Kenzie Blau each earned All-Conference honors, while Tumilty and Stepien also each landed on the All-Region team. Earning Academic All-District honors for Carroll’s women’s soccer team were Blau, Ingalsbee, Tumilty, Stepien, Caitlin Fitzsimons, Elli Pease, and Amanda Rose. After the season, Head Coach Taylor Clarke stepped down to take the Head Coaching job at NCAA Division-I Eastern Michigan. He has been replaced by first-year Head Coach Chris Tadley.

WOMEN’S TENNIS

Carroll’s women’s tennis team finished 6-6 during the 2023 Fall Season, including a 4-4 mark in the CCIW. They finished the season on a positive note with a 9-0 win against Elmhurst College. At the ITA Midwest Regional, freshman Katherine Trifilio advanced to the semifinals in the B flight, while sophomore Erin Horzewski finished second overall in the singles category in flight A.

VOLLEYBALL

Carroll’s volleyball team finished this season with a 14-14 overall record. Senior Katie Jensen was the team’s lone All-Conference representative, earning Second Team honors after recording a team-high 240 kills, to go along with 53 blocks, 110 digs, six assists, and five service aces. Carroll volleyball received three Academic All-District honors, which requires student-athletes to have a 3.50 Grade Point Average, combined with outstanding statistics. Representing Carroll on the list were Jensen, Kaitlin Gawelski, and Maggie McGough.

WOMEN'S BOWLING

Carroll's women's bowling team qualified for the CCIW Tournament this season as the number four seed. Freshman Ava Butt was named Second Team All-Conference, making her the second student-athlete to earn that distinction in the four year history of the program. Fellow freshman Kelsey Aviles earned the program's first-ever CCIW Student-Athlete of the Week award in the final week of the regular season.

 WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

Carroll’s women’s basketball team had a historic season in 2023-24, as they won a program-record 23 games to finish with a 23-5 overall record and a 14-2 mark in the CCIW, which included a pair of nine-game winning streaks. That helped the Pioneers win the CCIW regular season championship for the first time in program history, marking the program’s first conference championship since winning the Midwest Conference in 2006. They would go on to win the CCIW Tournament for the first time in program history, as the Pios were ranked as high as 13th in the D3hoops.com Top 25 poll, which is the highest ranking in program history. They were ranked for the final seven weeks of the season, which marks the program’s longest such streak. That helped them earn hosting rights for the NCAA Division-III Tournament for the first time since the mid-1980s.

 Junior guard Olivia Rangel was a force for the Pioneers this season, as she was one of two unanimous First Team All-Conference selections. She became just the 17th player in program history to score 1,000 career points, reaching that milestone midway through the year, currently sitting in eighth place all time with 1,148 career points. Also a First Team All-Region and Fifth Team All-America selection, Rangel finished the season ranking third in the CCIW in scoring (18.5 ppg), which also ranked 54th in Division-iII. Carroll won both games they played against Millikin, with Millikin being ranked in the top 15 in the country each time the Pioneers earned the win. That includes a 101-98 overtime thriller against the Big Blue in front of frenzied fans at Van Male in Waukesha. Rangel also received a selection on the CSC Academic All-America team, becoming the 17th Pioneer to earn that honor, while becoming just the third Carroll women’s basketball player to achieve the feat.

Carroll finished the season ranking second in all of Division-III in 3-point shooting (.378), while ranking third in scoring (79.9 ppg)j, fifth in assists (18.5 apg), third in field goal percentage (.479), and 21st in scoring margin (+17.2 ppg). Individually, sophomore Emilie Wizner led all of Division-III in 3-point shooting (.486), while Rangel finished the season ranking 23rd in the nation in assists (4.8 apg) and 26th in total points (518).

As a team, Carroll set several school records this season. In addition to the most wins in program history, the Pioneers set new marks for single season points (2,236), scoring average (79.9 ppg), scoring margin (+17.2), assists (519), field goal percentage (.479), and defensive rebounds (789)

Joining Rangel on the All-Conference team were sophomores Natalie Gricius and Wizner, who earned First and Second Team honors, respectively. Gricius also joined Rangel on the All-Region squad, receiving Second Team recognition. Rangel and fellow junior Chloe Halverson earned Academic All-District honors, while Halverson also won the CCIW’s prestigious Elite 26 Award, given to the student-athlete who excels academically and athletically at the conference level in each of the CCIW's 26 sponsored sports.

MEN'S BASKETBALL

Carroll’s men’s basketball team progressed well throughout this season, finishing with an overall record of 14-12 and 7-9 in the CCIW, clinching a spot in the conference tournament for the first time since the 2016-17 season. The Pioneers defeated the second and third best team in the conference. The Pioneers finished the season ranking eighth in all of Division-III in 3-point percentage defense (.285). They also ranked 59th in the nation and second in the conference with 15.6 free throws made per game. Junior Kobe Simpson earned the team’s lone All-Conference nod, while seniors Justine Steinike and Tyler Miller each earned a spot on the CSC Academic All-District team.

MEN'S AND WOMEN'S TRACK & FIELD

Rick Bellford was hired as Carroll’s Head Track & Field Coach in August. He fills the void left by Shawn Thielitz, who will remain at Carroll as the Head men's and women's Cross Country coach, while also serving as an assistant Track & Field coach, specializing in long-distance running.

Vanessa Uitenbroek had an exceptional senior season to lead the Pioneers, earning her eighth career appearance in the NCAA Division-III National Championships during the indoor season. She finished third in the Shot Put at Indoor Nationals, earning All-American honors in that event for the second consecutive year. That marked her fifth career All-American performance, while she also won the conference championship in that event for the third straight time. She also earned All-Region honors in that event. Not to be outdone during the outdoor season, Uitenbroek earned the CCIW Outdoor Performer of the Meet for women’s field at the 2024 CCIW Outdoor Championships. In that meet, Uitenbroek won the discus with a new conference-record throw of 50.88m. In addition to that school record, Uitenbroek also set a school record in the shot put at that meet with a toss of 14.83m, which was good for second place in that event. She qualified for Outdoor Nationals in three different events (shot put, discus, hammer), earning First Team All-American honors in the shot put for the third consecutive season with a third-place finish. She also earned Second Team All-American honors in the Hammer Throw, bringing her career All-American total to six. She was named North Region Women's Field Athlete of the Year at the conclusion of the season, while earning All-Region honors in both the Discus and Shot Put. Also qualifying for outdoor nationals for Carroll's women's team were Maria Falk (Shot Put) and Cate Gudaitis (Discus). Carroll's women's other All-Conference performers this season included Rebekah Buboltz (800 meters), Falk (Shot Put and Weight Throw), and Grace Kelly (Weight Throw) during the Indoor season, while the team's Outdoor All-Conference performers were Gudaitis (Discus), Buboltz (800 meters), Falk (Shot Put and Hammer Throw), and Grace Tinder (Pole Vault).

On the men's side, grad students Steven Hermsen and Jimmy Himkley each qualified for Nationals with Hermsen doing so in both the Discus and Shot Put and Hinkley doing the honors in the Hammer Throw. Both student-athletes earned All-American status. Hermsen, who was vying to become the first-ever person to become a four-time National Champion in the Discus, finished second in the event, which marked the seventh career All-American performance of his storied career. Hinkley earned his first career All-American performance in the Hmmer, finishing eighth in the event. Both also earned All-Region honors in those respective events. 

In the CCIW Outdoor Championships, Nathan Raatz earned All-Conference honors with a second-place finish in the 800 meters, while Hermsen earned All-Conference honors in both the discus and shot put. Peter Marra, Will Campbell, and Ethan Zilsch also earned All-Conference honors in the 110 hurdles, shot put, and high jump, respectively. Hinkley won the Outdoor hammer throw to earn All-Conference honors, while Hermsen and Spencer Kirsteatter also earned All-Conference in the hammer throw and 10K, respectively. Hinkley and Campbell also each earned All-Conference honors in the Indoor weight throw. Raatz and Brady Reusser earned All-Conference recognition in the indoor 800 and shot put, respectively.

 MEN'S AND WOMEN'S SWIMMING & DIVING

The College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) proudly announced the selection of the Scholar All-American Team for the Fall 2023 semester, with both Carroll's men's and women's swim team earning a spot on the list, coached by Guy Gniotczynski. The Pioneer men's team, consisting of nine members, finished the Fall semester with a Grade Point Average (GPA) of 3.20, while the 17-person Carroll women's swim team boasted a GPA of 3.18.

Josie Peterson set a new school record this season, in both the 100 freestyle with a time of 53.08, and in the 200 freestyle with a time of 1:58.17. She won the conference championship in the 50 freestyle for the second consecutive season, while earning All-Conference honors in the 50 and 100. Edward McConnaha also set a school record for the men’s team, breaking Carroll’s mark in the 100 IM with a time of 55.67. Anina Lee, Chopper Ceshker, Nicole Johnson, and Peterson each earned a spot on the CSC Academic All-District team.

MEN’S TENNIS

Carroll’s men’s tennis team finished 3-0 during the Fall season. One highlight of the season came at the ITA Midwest Regional Tournament where the duo of Daniel Ezcurra, a junior from Bilbao, Spain, and Adrian Gomez, a junior from Logrono, Spain, delivered an inspired effort by advancing to the semifinals in the doubles flight of that tournament. That marked the first doubles team in program history to advance to the semifinal round of the Regional Tournament.

In the Spring season, the Pioneers went 9-7, including 4-3 in conference, giving Carroll the five seed in the CCIW Tournament, which the Pios hosted in Waukesha. Gomez and Ezcurra were both named to the All-Conference team, earning First and Second team honors, respectively. That marks the most All-Conference honors the program has received in one season since 2018. As a doubles team, that duo broke a school record for highest winning percentage as a team in a single season, going 15-2 (.882) on the season. Ezcurra also went 14-2 (.875) in singles play, which is the second-highest singles winning percentage in a single season in program history.

MEN’S LACROSSE

Carroll’s men’s lacrosse team set a new program record for single season victories in 2024, going 6-10 on the season, while also setting a new school record for longest winning streak (3 games). In addition to that, the Pioneers broke the program’s single game scoring record in back-to-back games, defeating Concordia-Chicago 16-2, before besting that score with a 20-5 win against Centenary. Freshman Brady Conwell broke school records for both single game goals (6) and single game points (9). Conwell also broke the program’s single season record for both assists (21 and points (44). The Pios shattered the school record for goals in a season, scoring 147, which is 61 more than the previous high. They also set new school marks in assists (54) and points (201). Sophomore Goal Keeper Jake Gehl also broke a single season school record with 636 saves, which is nearly 400 more than the previous high. Gehl’s six wins also set a new single season school record.

WOMEN’S LACROSSE

Carroll’s women’s lacrosse team had another strong season in 2024, qualifying for the CCIW Tournament for the sixth consecutive season with a program-record 14 victories. The Pioneers finished with a 14-4 season in a season that started with them winning their first four games and 10 of their first 11. The Pioneers also set a new school record for single season goals (245). The Pios saw several individual records fall in 2024, as freshman Elizabeth Wang burst onto the scene with 78 goals, 86 points, 4.33 goals per game, and 112 shots on goal, which all set new school marks. Freshman Goal Keeper Sydney Everett also established a new school record for goals against average (6.33). Sophomore Rebecca Hallman tied a single game record with nine goals in a blowout win over North Central (IL).

Wang was joined as a First Team All-Conference selection with teammates Ariana Cullam, Samantha Hurd, and Grace Tumilty. Tumilty also was named CCIW Defensive Player of the Year, marking the second time in the last three years that a Carroll player has received that honor. 

As a team, Carroll finished eighth in Division-III with a conference-best free position percentage of .570. They also finished the season ranking 29th in the nation in caused turnovers per game (13.0), 22nd in ground balls per game (24.22), 24th in scoring defense (7.89 gpg), 43rd in shot percentage (.484), and 47th in scoring margin (+5.72). Individually, Wang led all of D-III in free position percentage (.846), while ranking 13th in the nation in goals (78), 22nd in goals per game (4.33), 16th in free position goals per game (1.22), and 61st in points (86).

BASEBALL

The Pioneer baseball team finished the 2024 season with a 17-23 record, including 7-13 in the CCIW. The Pios finished the season ranking 59th in Division-III in stolen bases (91), 68th in stolen bases per game (2.28), and 76th in doubles (83). Individually, sophomore centerfielder Joey Appino finished 24th in the country in stolen bases (30) and 29th in runs scored (53). Lake Scott was eighth in D-III for sacrifice flies (7), while Connor Nolen was 16th in the nation with a league-best six saves as a relief pitcher.

Appino and Nolen were each named to the All-Conference team at the conclusion of the season, earning First and Second Team recognition, respectively. Appino shattered school records for runs single season runs scored (53), and stolen bases, swiping 30 bags in 31 attempts. Nolen also put his name atop the program’s single season record book with six saves and 21 appearances, while his 58 strikeouts rank second in program history. Nolen also broke his own school record for highest strikeout rate per nine innings (16.73). Outfielder Casey Mir and Pitcher Brett Buzzelli were each named to the CSC Academic All-District Team.

SOFTBALL

Carroll’s softball team finished the 2024 season with a 12-26 record, including a 5-11 mark in the CCIW. The Pioneers received a pair of All-Conference selections, as Senior catcher Madison Palasz and Sophomore outfielder Abby Curtis each made an appearance on the All-CCIW Second Team. Curtis broke her own school record for single season stolen bases with 24, breaking a record she set last year. Her 45 career stolen bases rank second in program history, after just two seasons, just three shy of the number one total.

Curtis finished 75th in the country in stolen bases, while also ranking third in the conference. She led the team with a .357 batting average from her leadoff spot in the batting order. Carroll’s pitching staff was led by Senior Andrea Kuhne’s 3.13 ERA, to go along with a 7-9 record and 66 strikeouts through 100 innings of work. Kuhne earned Carroll softball’s lone weekly conference award, as she received the CCIW’s first Pitcher of the Week award of the season on February 26.

THE P.I.O.S. AWARDS

Below are this year’s winners of The P.I.O.S. Awards

Athlete of the Year in a Female Sport: Olivia Rangel, Women's Basketball 
Athlete of the Year in a Male Sport: Steven Hermsen - Men's Track and Field 
The Kilgour Award: Katrina Hardin – Women's Lacrosse 
The Buschkopf Award: Josh Raby - Football 
Rookie of the Year in a Female Sport: Rebecca Hallman - Women's Lacrosse 
Rookie of the Year in a Male Sport: Joey Appino - Baseball 
Comeback Athlete of the Year: Rebekah Andreae - Volleyball 
Play/Performance of the Year: Jimmy Hinkley - Men's Track and Field (Winning the Hammer Throw at the CCIW Outdoor Championships) 
Game/Meet/Match of the Year: Women's Basketball winning the CCIW Tournament Championship Game at #12 Illinois Wesleyan 
Team of the Year: Women's Basketball 
Distinguished Alumni Award: Bill and Amy Wick Staff/
Faculty Member of the Year: Karen Buckley

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