 "Photo: Photos by Dan Moen and Courtesy of Sport Pix, Illustration by Dan Moen")
5. KYLE BAHE, JR., GOLF
The Minnesota State men's golf team holds a commanding 20-stroke lead after the fall portion of (first two rounds) the Northern Sun Championships. Credit Kyle Bahe.
The junior had the best combined score for the first two rounds at the tournament and is MSU's leader in stroke average (74.8) top-ten finishes - three out of four events and two were top five finishes.
Bahe opened the season with an eighth-place finish Sept. 14 at the Bemidji State Invite and took third at the Husky Invite a week later. He suffered a setback, finishing 32nd at the NSIC/RMAC Crossover, but is leading the pack in the NSIC Championships.
Bahe looks to hold on to his one-stroke lead and help MSU keep other teams at arm's length when the tournament concludes with the final three rounds this April in Lake City. Earned six points out of possible 20 in Reporter voting. (T.B.)
4. SHELIA REYNOLDS, SR., SOCCER, GOALKEEPER
An old military adage states that "your best offense is a good defense." After a career of holding true to that saying Reynolds is arguably the best defensive player to sport a Mavericks soccer uniform.
In 20 games she posted 0.68 goals against average, which is third best in school history. She also holds the best goals against average all-time, 0.60 in 2008.
Reynolds logged 1,727:53 minutes in the net this season allowing a minuscule 13 goals all year with a save percentage of .852.
After falling 2.5 shutouts short of the all-time record for career shutout at the end of the 2008 season. Reynolds wasted no time in capturing another school record, standing alone on top with 20 career shut-outs including eight this season. She also had 75 saves this year and 183 for her career.
But the stat that everyone truly cares about is the wins. Reynolds was in net as the Mavericks posted a 12-5-3 record this season and has a career record of 29-13-5, anchoring this program to their third consecutive NCAA Division II National Tournament appearance.
A defensive phenom since 2006 Reynolds has helped build this program into a national contender and the Illinois native will leave some big shoes to fill. Received seven of possible 20 points in Reporter voting. (L.Z.)
3. JAKE ABERG, FR. FOOTBALL, RUNNING BACK
It's hard enough to rush for 1,000 yards in college football, let alone doing so with a team that has a running back by committee mentality.
After being plagued by injuries last season, Aberg returned with fresh legs to rush for 1,201 yards with 10 touchdowns. These stats are extremely impressive knowing that Aberg did so splitting carries with Julian Phipps and Ernest Walker.
Aberg averaged 100.1 yards per game and his burst of speed fooled defenders as did his shiftiness in the open field. While watching him from the press box it was very common to look around and just say, "Wow, this kid is something special."
Aberg ran for over 200 yards in a game twice this season and also was a receiving threat out of the backfield averaging 17 yards per reception along with a touchdown.
The redshirt freshman finished as the No. 20 running back in the nation in yardage, although he had fewer carries than nearly everyone in front of him. His 6.39 yards per carry ranked No. 8 of the top 20 rushers.
The Mavericks may not return the same offensive line in 2010, but the smarts and speeds of Aberg will hopefully make up for part of that loss. Received 12 out of possible 20 votes in Reporter voting. (K.R.)
2. CHELSEA FOGARTY, FR. VOLLEYBALL OUTSIDE HITTER
The Minnesota State women's volleyball team had plenty of impact players in the 2009 season. The amount of talent helped them finish with a 26-7 overall record, including an appearance in the NCAA tournament.
With all the talented players the Mavericks had you wouldn't expect such a huge impact by freshmen. That is until you look at the season that freshman outside-hitter Chelsea Fogarty had.
Fogarty jumped on the seen in her first match, racking up 23 kills in a win against Tarleton State. That offensive effort continued all season and led to Fogarty leading the team in kills with 413. That total ranked fifth in the NSIC and the most by any freshmen or sophomore.
"My teammates had a lot to do with my success," said Fogarty. "I feel like they along with my coaches welcomed me in and really wanted me to do well."
Fogarty also improved defensively as the season rolled along finishing in the top five on the team in both digs and blocks. Her efforts throughout the season earned her a spot on the First Team NSIC All-Conference, only one of two freshmen to be honored.
With such great numbers in just her freshman season, Fogarty has already emerged as one of MSU's top fall athletes and is a big reason to have excitement for next volleyball season. Received 13 of possible 20 points in Reporter voting. (P.D.)
1. JAMES KRAJSA, SR., CROSS COUNTRY RUNNER
Despite getting hurt towards the end of his senior campaign, Maverick cross country runner James Krajsa put together quite an impressive career running cross country at MSU. Krajsa won his second individual conference title this past fall while anchoring the Maverick cross country team the past couple of years.
Krajsa did not qualify for nationals this season, mainly due to injury. However, he was even more disappointed that the team failed to make nationals and has always put the team first throughout his career even with all of his individual success.
"My coach and my teammates keep me on top of my game," said Krajsa. "When I push it too hard they help me slow down and they also keep me motivated. I just love the team aspect of the sport."
Krajsa's favorite moment of his cross country career came during his junior year at nationals, if it wasn't for his injury, Krajsa likely would have returned there.
"Crossing the finish line at nationals and knowing I was one of the top ten runners in the whole nation was special," Krajsa said.
Krajsa will now shift his attention towards MSU outdoor track next semester. Cross-country hasn't been a regular in the Reporter but Krajsa has been featured twice in the last two years and for good reason. Earned 20 out of 20 Reporter votes. L.H.
2 Individual NSIC Conference Championships ('08,'09), 2-time NCAA All-American ('07,'08), Finished 8th in NCAA in 2008. (L.H.)
HONORABLE MENTION: Gina Paletta (soccer), Laura Leber (soccer), Amanda Beekman (volleyball), Jesse Hamilton (football)
Kyle Ratke, Tyler Buckentine, Pat Delaney, Levi Zimmer, Lee Handel
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