Former Pioneer Excelling in NYC

Tefiro entered the all-time top-ten at Grinnell on this throw

Last spring Pioneer track and field athlete Tefiro Serunjogi accepted an offer as one of six new William R Berkley scholars for New York University's MBA program.  Tefiro swam as a youth in Uganda and was initially a swimmer here at Grinnell.  He spent the last three years of his Pioneer career as a thrower on the track and field team.  Before his senior year Tefiro interned for Goldman Sachs in Salt Lake City, and had to decide between an offer from Goldman Sachs and the opportunity to continue his studies as a Berkley scholar.  Not a bad option to have!

"This experience is opening my eyes to what I can and should be doing with my life, to think beyond what I thought was possible."

Read more about Tefiro's experience at NYU here:  http://www.stern.nyu.edu/experience-stern/tales-in-possible/connect-possible-berkley-scholars-2015

Grinnell College Athletic Facilities - From Above

Our swimming and diving teams held an alumni event recently, and friend of the program Danny Engesser used his drone to create a stunning view of the northern part of campus, prominently featuring our athletic facilities.  The Bear Recreation and Athletic Center and Rosenbloom Field are both highlighted quite a bit.  This video is not officially connected with the college in any way, but it does a great job highlighting our campus.  Check it out and enjoy!!

https://vimeo.com/143093436

Kid's Camp a Success

Current and future linebackers

 We hosted our annual free kids camp yesterday, and once again it was a success.  There was a lot of learning and a lot of fun for the local kids,  hopefully some future Pioneers in the group!  Thanks to all who came.

Learning to Catch

Positive Thursday!

It's Positive Thursday once again, and the Pioneers got some encouragement from number 1 fan Frances Pedersen (1st grade).  In case you're having trouble reading them (she writes like her dad), Frances says "I believe in you! Be good out there!" and "Be awesome.  I love football so much! Go Daddy's team!"

After two road games, we are excited to be back on Rosenbloom, hosting Knox this Saturday at 1:00 PM.  The Pioneers last appearance at Rosenbloom was a 28-20 victory over Lawrence, and we're looking for similar results this Saturday!

Beecher Named Semi-Finalist for Prestigious Student-Athlete Award

Jacob Beecher #22, heads to mid-field for the opening coin toss

Senior safety/outside linebacker and team captain Jacob Beecher has been named a semi-finalist for the William V Campbell trophy.  The intent of the award is to honor top academic student-athletes playing football, and it comes with a $25,000 scholarship to be used on graduate school.  Fifteen finalists will be named in late October, and each of those will receive and $18,000 scholarship, and one winner will be named in December and will receiver the $25,000 scholarship.  Beecher is the third Pioneer in the last four years to be named a semi-finalist (TJ Schaid in 2012 and David Ternes in 2014).

Congrats Jacob, and best of luck in getting selected as a finalist!

Arrieta

I usually like to keep these posts at least somewhat related to Pioneer Football, but I'm making an exception today.

First School Record of the Season - Longest Kick Off Return

The first school record of the season has fallen, and it took until week four for it to happen.  During last Saturday's 28-20 victory over Lawrence, Emmi Sandoval set a school record with a 94 yard kick off return for a touchdown.  The previous long was an 84 yarder by Nick Merklin in 2007 and an 82 yarder by Kyle Perry in 2005.  Congrats Emmi!

Fisher Earns Mention in Notable Special Teams Performances

Graham Fisher '16 unleashes another long punt

Each week the Midwest Conference selects an offensive, defensive, and special teams performer of the week, and also list other notable performances.  This week Graham Fisher '16 was mentioned in the notable performances.  Fisher averaged 50.2 yards per punt on four punts, with two of them being downed inside the 20 (both at the 11).  Graham was named Honorable Mention All-Conference as a first-year, and First Team All-Conference last year.  He's off to a stellar start this year, currently leading the conference by nearly four yards per punt (42.0 - 38.1)!

Keep up the good work Graham!

Nice Article in the Minor League Sports Report

Head Coach Jeff Pedersen '02 was recently featured in the Minor League Sports Report.  The article does a nice job highlighting some or our philosophies, check it out:

http://minorleaguesportsreport.com/index.php/jeff-pedersen-bringing-roller-coaster-to-end-for-grinnell-pioneers/

Myron Rolle to Visit Campus Oct. 2-3

The poster pretty much says it all, but former All-American, Rhodes Scholar, and NFL athlete Myron Rolle will be visiting campus October 2-3, which corresponds with our home game against Lawrence.  We have invited our football alumni and our local recruits to join us for the game, and we hope to have a great turnout.  Myron is a great example for our guys, as he is the embodiment of a student-athlete, excelling in every arena.  I'm excited to have him here on campus!

Congrats to Chris Brown

I also wanted to take a second to congratulate my old high school coach, Chris Brown, who earned his 300th victory as a head coach last night.  The West Grand Mustangs beat Nederland 22-7 last night, as Brown became just the third coach in Colorado high school football history with 300 wins.  Congrats Coach!!  You've been such a positive influence on so many of us over the years, and hopefully many more to come.  Although I'm know there is at least one receiver and quarterback combination (Ryan Brown and Jeff Pedersen) who though you should have thrown the ball a little bit more!

Congrats and here's to many more!

Follow the Pioneers Live!

Follow the Pioneers live today as we open the season against Beloit College at 1:00 PM Central.  We'll be playing at home on beautiful Rosenbloom Field, looking to get the season started off right!

The free webcast can be found here: http://portal.stretchinternet.com/midwest/.

Final Summer Update

It is a little unusual to have a summer update at this point in the fall, after all we're gearing up for our first game this Saturday.  However, I wanted to make sure to include one more update, this one from Jacob Bernholtz, a biology major from Slater, IA and Ballard Senior High.  Bernie is one of only two guys from Iowa on the roster this year.  While we will always seek to have a diverse roster; a roster full of guys from all across the country (and the globe, Ibuki Ogasawara and Vinny Pavoni!) it's still a priority to have a strong group of local players.  One of the biggest priorities in our recruiting efforts this year to bring in a good group of Iowa boys.

Jacob Bernholtz '17 looking sharp on Media Day

Anyway, in his own words, here is the summer experience of Jacob Bernholtz:

I worked part time at Safe Building Compliance and Technology doing municipal building code inspections and earned an International Property Maintenance and Housing Inspector certification. I also worked to improve the inspection database by cleaning data and working on other computer related projects. It was a nice commute as I worked at the family business which is located on the first story of our new residence on Main Street in Slater, Iowa.

In the afternoons I worked as a Biological Lab Technician at the USDA labs in Ames. I worked under Dr. Julia Ridpath and Kathy McMullen studying BVDV (Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus), Corona Virus, and HoBi Viruses. It was an amazing experience being able to work with great people performing science in a lab environment.

I look forward to the upcoming season and can't wait to return to my true home at Rosenbloom field.

Thanks Bernie!

College Football Opening Day: It's a Family Thing

Not much more needs to be said about this post.  Today is the first real day of college football games, and I couldn't be more excited.  I was just made aware of this video today, but it's a promotional video for the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta, and it features former Pioneer Scott Raecker '84.  Raecker is a former Republican member of the Iowa House of Representatives.  Great stuff from Scott!

Catching Up With: Eddie Guen-Murray '15

Defensive lineman Eddie Guen-Murray '15 just graduated this past spring, and it looks like he'll be staying in Grinnell for one more year.  Eddie has been appointed the Howard Hughes Medical Institute Post-Bac Fellowship Position here at Grinnell.  The Fellowship is a great way for Eddie to continue his education and improve his options in his career field, while giving back to the current students at Grinnell.  Here's what Eddie had to say:

For the next academic year I will be occupying the HHMI Post-Baccalaureate Fellow position for the Science Learning Center (SLC) of Grinnell College. My job will primarily be composed of two main responsibilities: to oversee the 2nd year science retreat and to act as a full time mentor in the SLC. The goal of the 2nd year science retreat is to aid students in their transition into higher level science courses and inform them on how to pursue a future in science. As a mentor in the SLC, I will work to further assist student success by providing an ever-present mentor for Organic Chemistry I/II. Two courses generally regarded as some of the more difficult that students have to take as science majors. 

Thanks for the update Eddie.  It will be different to see you at Rosenbloom Field on Saturdays in your street clothes, but we're glad you'll be here in town!  Good luck!

Summer Update: Jacob Beecher

Yes, we're well past summer already!  Our pre-season practices are going well and the guys are in high spirits.  We've installed a lot in a short period of time, but they've done a good job keeping up.  Maybe that's because our schemes are significantly easier to learn than the advanced genetic engineering and chemical research done by some of our students over the summer!

Jacob Beecher '16 spent the summer working for Integrated DNA Technologies:

Integrated DNA Technologies is bio-tech company that supplies both RNA and DNA to universities and other research organizations for use in many different genetic experiments. With offices in Iowa, California, Belgium, and Singapore, IDT is the largest producer of oligonucleotides in the United States and is becoming quite prominent in the worldwide research community. This summer, as a Chemistry Research and Development Intern, I was conducting organic synthesis research looking at fluorescence dyes that could be attached to DNA sequences. My main projects this summer were providing the full-time researchers with intermediate materials to further their own research and conducting a study revolving around the methodology of a single step of the synthetic process.  I have really enjoyed my summer doing lab work at IDT and have learned more about the research process through a completely different research setting than I had ever experienced.

Tomorrow is the Big Day!

Tomorrow is the big day, the 2015 Pioneers will report in the morning.  Report day is always one of the best and worst days of the year, all at the same time.  It is one of the best, because we're finally all in the same place, ready to go for another exciting season.  At this point in the year, anything is possible!  It is one of the worst, because even though we're reporting, we're still not really allowed to start yet.  It seems like we can talk about and do anything we want, except football.  It stinks, but that's the way it is.  I'm just excited to see these guys!!

I also want to give you another summer update from one of our rising seniors.  Henry Cummings spent this past summer working at TIAA-CREF.  As an educator who has his entire retirement account with TIAA-CREF, I hope he did a great job!  Here's what Henry had to say:

For the last two summers and this last winter, I have worked for TIAA-CREF, a financial services firm, based in New York City. The firm's motto is "serving those who serve others" and their main product is the management of the pensions of teachers, doctors and people who have spent their careers serving others. I have been helping them launch a separate charitable business called a donor advised fund. This company and project fit right in with Grinnell college's values and TIAA is a common summer home for Grinnell College students looking for an internship. A Grinnell graduate who now works for TIAA makes sure to get a few current Grinnell students in with TIAA every year. It has been an incredible experience, seeing how a business is started and learning about all the different roles that exist in a company and how they function. I have worked on many different projects during my experience. In the last month I have helped write the policies and procedures for the business. I have met some incredible people who have advised me and helped me figure out what exactly I want to do after my senior year of college. I am planning on working for a consulting firm next year. My experience at TIAA has completely changed my prospects for my career and I am grateful that Grinnell has helped me find this opportunity. 

Sounds like a great internship!  

Alumni Update - Tom Brinkman

Coach Brinkman (rght) likes what he sees against Lawrence

Brinkman as a defensive lineman, bringing down a Monmouth Scot in 2011.

Tom Brinkman '13, of Rolfe, IA is just starting his third year as a college football coach, but this will be his first season away from Grinnell College.  Tom was the defensive backs coach for us the past two seasons, but has moved on to begin a Graduate Assistant program at Midland Lutheran, an NAIA school in Nebraska.

Here's what Tom has to say:

I am an offensive GA at Midland University in Fremont, NE coaching the WR's.  I am also the recruiting coordinator for the staff, and I manage our roster.  As the recruiting coordinator, my main duty is to completely revamp our old recruiting plan and create a new 52 week cycle for recruiting.  I am getting my MEd. (Master of Education) in Adult and Organizational Leadership.  This focuses on how to educate individuals that are 18 or older.  As a coach, this will help me better communicate with my players, but it will also give me the skills I need to educate and effectively communicate with staff members.  This is a 2 year position, and after the two years I hope to get a full time job as a defensive assistant coach, eventually working my way up to a defensive coordinator and head coach.

Thanks for the update Tom.  Best of luck to you!

Autumn's Here

The weather was a little cool this morning, the first NFL pre-season game was last night, and most high school teams are starting practice today.  Yep, Autumn's Here!!

For the second year in a row our bye week is actually week one, so we don't report until a week from today, the 17th.  The guys are anxious to get back and get to work, but fortunately for the coaching staff we've got a few more days of prep time.  I am very excited to get this season started though, I've got a great feeling about this group.  We will likely be outnumbered every week, but we won't be outworked and we won't be out-prepared.  I can't wait to see what happens!

For all of you who are anxious to get this season started, this video should help.  It's a few years old now, but it's a good one.  Enjoy!

Junior Tackle Grant Koch Interns at Holmes Murphy in Des Moines

Grant seals the edge for a TD against Cornell

Junior right tackle Grant Koch, from Keystone, CO, has spent this past summer as a Loss Control & Claims Intern at Holmes Murphy & Associates Insurance in Des Moines.  Koch is pursuing a history major, but has always had an eye towards something in the insurance or finance fields.  He was excited to land the internship at Holmes Murphy, as it has given him insight into the insurance world.

Here's what he has to say:

Holmes Murphy has been in business for more than 75 years, with around 700 employees in 12 offices across 10 states. We work with a variety of commercial clients and almost 100 carriers as insurance brokers. My role as a Loss Control & Claims intern has been to assist our Loss Control & Claims Consultants in their daily work as they help our clients build safer and better workplace cultures. The service we provide not only helps our clients grow their business, but it also allows them to focus on their business, rather than worry about the insurance side of things. It is our job at Holmes Murphy to help facilitate the relationship from client to insurance carrier. Some days I'm in the office working at a computer, and other days I get to get out on the road to visit clients . My biggest project this summer has been to centralize and organize the safety documents all our consultants use to make the information they collect in the field more accessible between offices.  My most "interesting" experience though, was the trip I made to a meat-packaging facility in central Iowa. I never expected to see an operation like that in my internship (let alone in my life), but it was something to experience. I have really enjoyed my summer here at Holmes Murphy, and I've learned much more here in 10 weeks than I could have hoped for.