Friday, June 27, 2014

Two Pioneers Named to Dean's List

Jacob Beecher '16 celebrates a special teams touchdown.
Two Pioneers were named to the Dean's List following the spring 2014 semester.  Junior defensive back and two-sport athlete (baseball) Jacob Beecher, a Biological Chemistry major was named to the Dean's List for the second time.  Beecher was also named academic all-conference after his first-year, and will again this year when that is announced by the Midwest Conference. 

Ibuki Ogasawara '17 learning the finer points of the game from Jake O'Polka '15.

Ogasawara, a sophomore out of Takazeki, Japan, joined the team in the off-season and was also named to the Dean's List for the first time.  Ogasawara had an outstanding non-traditonal season this spring and should be a great addition to the team.

Two Pioneers were named to the Dean's List after the Fall Semester, Beecher and Seth Howard.  This spring, three other Pioneers, Colton Feller, Seth Gustafson, and Quinn Rosenthal, received the necessary GPA to qualify for the Dean's List, but were not recognized.  All three were in their final semester at Grinnell and didn't need to take the necessary 16 credits to be eligible for the award.  Even without the official recognition, these three deserve congratulations on a job well done.

Starting with the academic year of 2012-13, the Midwest Conference began naming an Academic All-Conference team only once per year, releasing it after all sports have completed.  That list should be released soon, and the Pioneers stand to do well. 

Monday, June 16, 2014

Former Pioneer Morgan Kinsinger Featured in Senior Edition of Scarlet & Black

Kinsinger clears the way on a screen pass.
Recent graduate Morgan Kinsinger '14 was featured in the Senior Edition of the Scarlet & Black.  I couldn't find an online version, but the story follows:


Kinsinger Touches Down in London

            As an offensive lineman and team captain, Morgan Kinsinger has been overwhelmingly shaped by his football experience at Grinnell.  His role on the team has extended beyond the playing field to help build his academic and social lives, and has given him access to opportunities that allowed him to explore locations beyond his native Iowa.
            Kinsinger say s that football initially helped him find a place at Grinnell by introducing him to a group of people with whom he knew he shared in interest.  Despite this commonality, Kinsinger says, the team is a cross-section of Grinnell, which includes a range of students as diverse as the College itself.  This social support group helped mediate Kinsinger’s doubts about fitting in at Grinnell and a difficult first few months at college, during which he struggled to leave his social comfort zone.
            “Grinnell’s definitely given me a chance to kind of get out of my shell and develop a friend network, and it’s given me the ability to articulate myself more clearly, and I’m dong projects and research now that I never would have dreamed I’d be able to do, especially coming from just a small town in Iowa,” Kinsinger said.  “I wasn’t sure if I felt like I belonged at first, but then I guess as I grew and as I became more accustomed to Grinnell and the culture I really felt like I belonged.  It’s been an exciting transition, to come to be where I am today.”
            His inauspicious beginnings didn’t prevent Kinsinger from becoming the captain of the team in his third and fourth years, a leadership role he says is especially significant because he was elected by his teammates.
            After graduating, Kinsnger is keeping his options open but plans to explore banking opportunities in the Midwest.  He says that, reflecting back on his time at Grinnell, both the team’s and his own achievements have exceeded the expectations he had at the beginning of his first year.
            “I think football kind of exceeded my expectations in that I guess I just didn’t expect very much out of myself and out of the team, and we’ve been able to do a lot more than other teams have done,” Kinsinger said.  “And I was able to get a lot of playing time and experience the college sport.  It was a lot of fun.”
            Playing on the football team has also allowed Kinsinger to make connections with alumni that helped him to broaden his horizons.  As a senior, financial support by football alumni has allowed him to play with other division three football players at all-star games in Virginia and Mexico, where he also did community service work.
            His alumni connections made through the team also secured him a summer research opportunity with an alum and professor at the London Business School, where he built on his academic work as an economics major by participating in financial economic research online, working remotely from his home in Iowa.  Kinsinger says that this personal guidance helped him to explore his career options.  Ultimately, Kinsinger says, his time on the team allowed him to experience many of the new things he hoped to get out of Grinnell.  His time at college has been characterized by the exploration of new places, which was largely made possible by his friends and mentors. 
            “I just wanted to . . . experience something that would let me see the world, more than just what Iowa has shown me, and granted Grinnell is in Iowa, I’ve been able to do a ton of stuff that I wouldn’t have otherwise done.  So the way that it’s kind of exceeded my expectations is that I have been able to travel a lot and see a lot through friends that I have here,” Kinsinger said.  “You know, I’ve played football in Mexico, and then I also got to visit friends in Aspen and go skiing over winter break and I went out to Hawaii to visit another college fiend, so it’s been really a neat experience to have just these places to go and these friends that are willing to take you in, in the Grinnellian spirit.”


Tuesday, June 10, 2014

Defensive Coordinator Jason Martinez at the Careers in Sports Forum

Jason Martinez drawing it up!
While former Pioneer Abby Jaeger '14 was busy learning at the NCAA Careers in Sports Forum, Pioneer Football defensive coordinator Jason Martinez served as a facilitator

Martinez has just completed his fourth year as an assistant coach at Grinnell College.  Under his tutelage the Pioneer Black Shirt Defense has seen a dramatic transformation, into one of the more aggressive and feared units in the Midwest Conference.  This past season the Pioneers finished second overall in both interceptions (18) and total takeaways (29).  Martinez has also helped physically transform many athletes from across the department as the head strength and conditioning coach.

The Careers in Sports Forum was a nice opportunity for Jason to have an impact on the development of student-athletes across the country, and to learn from them as well. 

Sunday, June 8, 2014

Great Opportunity for Former Pioneer Abby Jaeger

Former Pioneer soccer and basketball player Abby Jaeger '14 is participating in the NCAA Careers in Sports Forum in Indianapolis.  This looks to be a great opportunity for Jaeger, as she explores her post-Grinnell options. 

Good luck Abby!


Wednesday, June 4, 2014

Happy Birthday Jordan!

During my time as a student-athlete at Grinnell College I learned so much in the classroom and through my athletic pursuits.  Just as importantly though, I learned from my everyday interactions with people from across the continent and across the globe.  That is what makes Grinnell unique, a special place in the heart of the midwest that brings together people and cultures from across the world in a safe but challenging environment.

Of all the things I learned, and of all the people I met, I am most thankful to have met the beautiful and talented Jordan Esbrook '01.  Having just celebrated our 10th anniversary together last week, we now celebrate her birthday.  Great student, outstanding attorney, wonderful wife and mother, and loyal friend, what more could you ask for?!

Happy Birthday Jordan!!

Tuesday, June 3, 2014

Pioneer Track Star Featured

Ajinjeru '14 breaking the school record for the indoor 400

Pioneer track and field star Christine Ajinjeru '14 was recently featured in a story on the Midwest Conference web site.  Ajinjeru concluded a fine career by qualifying for the Division III Outdoor Track and Field National Championships in Delaware, OH.  Next fall she will be heading to Knoxville, TN for a joint PhD program with the University of Tennessee and the Oak Ridge Institute, where she has previously interned.

Congratulations Christine!  Good Luck!