A season to remember
Buccaneer athletics made their mark last spring, even with most programs facing modified schedules and empty stands. Three athletes earned All-America status, the baseball team clinched a championship, two sports won all-conference honors, head baseball Coach Dave DeGeorge’89 was named coach of the year, and Beloit graduated its most decorated track and field athlete of all time.
Sprinter Aminah Crawford’21 secured All-America status in May at the 2021 Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Greensboro, N.C. Earlier that month, she crushed the 100-meter dash at a meet hosted by St. Norbert College, finishing with a 12:05 time that tied her for fifth fastest in the nation. A few weeks later, in a meet at North Central College, she ran the 100-meter with a time of 11:86, breaking Beloit’s school record and placing her fourth nationally. She finished seventh in the championships with a time of 12:15 in the 100-meter dash and returned to Beloit in time to graduate with her class.
Men’s baseball broke records throughout the season despite playing 10 fewer games than in a typical year. The team claimed the MWC North Division title in May with a victory over the University of Chicago and finished with a 24-4 season record. The team broke school records in runs (324), doubles (88), triples (20), homeruns (32), and RBIs (291).
Hitters Matt O’Leary’23 and Brett Kiger’23 secured All-America honors, the first baseball players to do so in program history. They were selected for the 2021 Midwest Conference All-North Division Team along with teammates Bronson Balholm’21, Matt Crandall’22, and Garrison Ferone’22.
Coach DeGeorge was named North Division Conference Coach of the Year for the fourth time. He has accumulated 484 wins in 31 years at the helm of the baseball program.
In softball, Emily Stapay’21 and Maddie Moser’23 were named to the 2021 Midwest Conference All-North Team. Stapay was recognized as a first baseman while Moser was an at-large selection to the 2021 squad.
Eva Laun-Smith’21 graduated in May, bringing her unparalleled track and field career to a close. She is the sole three-time All-American in program history. At the conference level, Laun-Smith won nine medals at indoor championships, including seven gold, a silver, and one bronze, while adding five gold, a silver, and a bronze in two outdoor championship meets. She holds program records in the long jump, triple jump, and 60-meter hurdles indoors and the long jump and triple jump outdoors.
