Top Sports stories of 2014: 6-10
Published 11:06 am Wednesday, December 31, 2014
Lyle-Pacelli’s Jordan Hart is met by teammates after his third inning homerun against Blooming Prairie. — All photos are Herald file photos
6. Lyle-Pacelli’s Jordan Hart signs with Minnesota State for baseball (8 percent of the vote)
After Jordan Hart had a dominant spring season with the Lyle-Pacelli baseball team and a great summer with the Austin Post 91 baseball team, he made his future known as he signed with Minnesota State University-Mankato.
Hart, who has played football, basketball and baseball at LP, will likely play outfield at Minnesota State. He’s hoping he can put together a solid spring and help LP make a solid postseason run with the Athletics this spring.
The Packer gymnastics team won its second straight Big Nine title and competed at the Class ‘A’ state meet this earlier this year. Back row (left to right): Abby Bickler, Carolyn Hackel and Sydney Marsh; front row: Paige Raymond, Maddie Mullenbach, Jen Boyle and Sela Fadness. Not pictured: Rachel Quandt, Logan Tischer, Kassie Fate and Isabel Leuer.
7. Packer gymnasts win second straight Big Nine title (7 percent of the vote)
The Austin gymnastics team cemented itself as one of the greatest teams in Big Nine history last year when it won its second straight Big Nine title and set two new conference records.
The Packers set a Big Nine record for points in a meet with a 149.8 and they set a new conference record for points in floor exercise with a 38.2.
The Packers had at least a 9.0 in 15 of their 20 events and the team score of 149.8, was the highest ever recorded by an Austin gymnastics team.
The Austin boys swimming and diving team had seven athletes compete in the Class ‘A’ state meet. Back row (left to right): Isaac Christopherson, Craig Heimark, Ian Christopherson and Sawyer Myers; front row: Alec Anderson, Ben Walker and Seth Clasen.
8. Packer swimmers set records at state (7 percent of the vote)
The Austin 200-yard freestyle relay team of Ian Christohpherson, Craig Heimark, Seth Clasen and Sawyer Myers made big waves at the Class A state meet last year as the team broke an AHS record and it finished third in the state.
The Packers were also on the podium in three other events as Christopherson took sixth in the 50-yard freestyle, Heimark took eighth in the 100-yard freestyle and the 400-yard freestyle relay team of Heimark, Isaac Christopherson, Myers and Ian Christopherson took fifth.
The Austin Bruins hold up the NAHL Central Cup after defeating the Bismarck Bobcats in game 5 of the Central Division finals last season.
9. Austin Bruins make it to Robertson Cup for the first time (6 percent of the vote)
The Austin Bruins finished their best season in franchise history by coming up on the short end of a 6-2 loss to Fairbanks in 2014.
The Bruins won the NAHL Central and they made it to the Robertson Cup for the first time ever, but they were knocked off by the Ice Dogs in two games.
Christian Folin of the Minnesota Wild shoots the puck against the Buffalo Sabres during the game on Nov. 13, 2014, at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Photo by Bruce Kluckhohn/
NHLI via Getty Images
10. Former Bruin Christian Folin lands on Minnesota Wild roster (4 percent of the vote)
Christian Folin was always a hard worker with the Austin Bruins, and now he took that attitude to the Minnesota Wild in 2014. After playing in a game at the end of the 2013 season, Folin officially made the Wild’s final cut this season and he has been a member of the team as a defenseman.
The Bruins hope that more of their players will follow in Folin’s footsteps to the NHL.
