Busy Day for the Pioneers

In what was the busiest day yet for the 2013 Pioneers, they were still able to find time for some fun.

The day began with a 6:30 practice.  The Pioneers were greeted with a heavy layer of fog for the special-teams heavy practice.

Classic football weather for the 6:30 AM practice

The practice finished with speed and agility drills for the skill guys and strongest man drills for the linemen.  After practice each player got a protein bar and gatorade to begin the re-fueling process immediately, then they made their way to the pool for twenty minutes to aid in the recovery process.

In an event coordinated by Pioneer track and field star Christine Ajinjeru '14 and captains Colton Feller '14, Seth Gustafson '14, Morgan Kinsinger '14, and David Ternes '15, the Pioneers joined the students from the International Pre-Orientation Progam (IPOP) for lunch.

Harnak Mann '14 connects with new students

The lunch was a great opportunity for each group to learn about the other.  Obviously no two international students are the same, and neither are any two student-athtletes, but it was a great opportunity to connect and learn.

Following lunch the Pioneers spread across campus to help the incoming first-year students move into their dorms.  With groups stationed at the North, South, and East campus dorms they made quick work of a difficult task for the incoming students.

At 3:00 they finally moved back into football-mode.  They had a special teams meeting, followed by offense and defense meetings, then a full-padded practice.  There was a lot of good back and forth competition with the offense finally breaking off some long, explosive plays.  However the defense forced more turnovers yesterday than they had all pre-season.  It's great to see those groups compete!

The day continued with a trip to equipment manager Roger Bauman's farm for some bbq and a fishing derby.  The food and hospitality were both better than the fishing, but the Pioneers managed to reel in a few. 

Clayton Desjardin '15, winner of the smallest fish prize

The night concluded with a players-only trip to the Dairy Barn. 

It was certainly a full-day, but such is the life of a student-athlete at Grinnell College.

Looking Good on Testing Day

The Pioneers reported Thursday, August 15th and officially began the season on Friday with some testing in the weight room.  You could feel how anxious and excited the guys were to get started, and they performed well once they did.

The Pioneers had one new entry on the top five hang clean list in Colton Feller '14. 

Senior Linebacker Colton Feller hang cleans 345

Kevin Hwang '14, who is currently second all-time, also cleaned well.

Senior defensive back Kevin Hwang

The Pioneers re-wrote the top five pro-agility times, recording the new three fastest times.  Richard Renteria '15, Jeremy Wiles '14, and Kevin Hwang '14 led the way.  There were two new entries in the 20 yard dash, with Barrett Morrissette '16 and Jacob Meixler '15 tying for third all-time, and Andrew Clark '14 tying his previous best, which is second on the list. 

We finished testing with strong performances from Morgan Kinsinger '14 and Zach Davis '17 in the bench press and Wiles, Hwang, and Morrissette in the vertical.

Sophomore running back Barrett Morrissette

The Pioneers will look to turn their strength and speed into on-field success.  Be sure to attend the intrasquad scrimmage Saturday, August 31 at 1:00 pm on Rosenbloom Field.

Pioneer Football Featured in Grinnell Magazine

Brian Westerlind '12 #33 with his fellow defensive linemen at Macalester in September, 2011

Former Pioneer Brian Westerlind '12 was featured in the Observations section (page 15) of the Summer 2013 issue of Grinnell Magazine.  His letter, titled Pioneer Football: It has made me who I am is a great testament to the many benefits of participating in varsity athletics at Grinnell, and football in particular.

Westerlind began his Pioneer career as a tight end and moved to the defensive side of the ball for his Junior and Senior seasons.  He was in the midst of a productive senior season as a defensive end when he suffered a broken leg midway through the season.  Brian's attitude in recovering from the injury and subsequent surgeries was admirable, as was the leadership and coaching he provided for younger players on the defensive line.  A recipient of the Florence Smith Sifferd '30 Science Scholarship and the James Walter Rosenfield Scholarship, Westerlind is now a medical researcher for the Department of Orthopedic Surgery and Rehabilitation at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. 

Thanks for the great letter Brian!

Staff Changes for the Pioneers

Former Pioneer Football assistant coach Ben Cooprider has taken a new position within Grinnell's Athletic Department.  Cooprider will serve as the Coordinator of Athletic Facilities, while continuing to serve as an assistant baseball coach.  With Cooprider's departure the football staff has added one new member and re-organized heading into the upcoming season.

Nick Plato will assume the duty of special teams coordinator, while also coaching the receivers and quarterbacks.  Darien Bell will join Plato on the offensive side of the ball, coaching the running backs.  Head Coach Jeff Pedersen '02 will continue to coach the offensive line and coordinate the offense.

Plato and Bell work some x's and o's

Defensively, Jason Martinez enters his fourth year as defensive coordinator and linebackers coach.  Long-time Pioneer head baseball and assistant football coach Tim Hollibaugh will once again coach the defensive line.  New addition to the staff, Tom Brinkman '13 will coach the defensive backs.

Brinkman on the recruiting trail

Nate Smith will continue to serve as a defensive assistant the the kickers coach.

Coach Pedersen is pleased with the staff changes, and optimistic heading into the season.  "Of course it's tough to lose Ben, he's done a great job for us the past four seasons, but baseball is his passion, and this will be a good move for him.  I'm very excited to add Tom to the staff.  He was a great player for us, known for being a technically sound and high effort player.  I believe he'll instill the same characteristics with our guys.  He's a great addition for us."

The Pioneers will host an intrasquad scrimmage Saturday, August 31 at 1:00 on Rosenbloom Field.  The home opener is against Beloit Saturday, September 28.  

David Ternes named Pre-Season All-American

After an outstanding sophomore season David Ternes '15 has been named 3rd Team Pre-Season All-American.

After recording 45 tackles as a first-year, Ternes became a leader of the Pioneer Defense as a sophomore, recording 103 tackles, 11.5 for a loss.  Ternes also forced three fumbles and recovered four.  As a result, he was named 2nd Team All-MWC, voted by the coaches, and named 3rd Team All-Region by d3football.com.  To cap off the honors, last week Ternes was named to the Pre-Season All-American team by USA Football Network.

Ternes and the Pioneers will report to campus August 15th and will begin practice the 16th.  The Pioneers will host an intrasquad scrimmage at Rosenbloom Field Saturday, August 16th at 1:00 PM.

 Check out some of David's highlights from 2012.

Fourteen Pioneers Make Academic All-MWC!

A total of 14 Grinnell Football players were named to the Academic All-MWC team this month, which is the third highest total in the entire league and unofficially is the highest percentage of team members of any team in the league!

As an entire athletic department, Grinnell led the MWC with 254 student-athletes named to their respective Academic All-Conference teams.

Congrats to all 14 guys for earning such a high honor!

Jacob Beecher '16
Drew Blumberg '13
Tom Brinkman '13
Andrew Clark '14
Clayton Desjardin '15
Colton Feller '14
Seth Gustafson '14
Seth Howard '14
Kevin Hwang '14
Morgan Kinsinger '14
Quinn Rosenthal '14
TJ Schaid '13
Brian Taylor '13
David Ternes '15

Andrew Clark's Summer Job!

Soon-to-be senior cornerback, Andrew Clark '14, is working for Koch Industries in Wichita, Kansas this summer as a intern in the software development department.  This is just one example of some of the unique and life-changing opportunities presented to Grinnell football players every summer.  Stay tuned for more stories like this one!

I have the opportunity to intern with Koch Industries in Wichita, KS this summer.  For those of you wondering, Koch is a privately held business with a focus on energies.  Their big money maker lies in the oil industry, with large refineries in Minnesota and Texas.  My role is to work as a software developer for one of Koch’s subsidiaries, Flint Hills Resources (FHR).

                Throughout the summer, myself and 4 other software developer interns have been and will continue to work on improving existing applications that the customers of FHR use.  Our focus is on making the process of correcting orders much simpler.  As of right now, customers have to go through a lengthy process with multiple screens in an effort to correct an order.  The goal of our project is to condense everything down into one screen, leaving logic and processes to be done by our code.  I’ll spare you the technical details…

                This internship has been a great learning experience so far.  I have been exposed to many programs I did not know existed, and then proceeded to gain extensive skills in those programs in very little amount of time.  Work just seems more interesting when I am doing something that will eventually impact people and make a difference.  My mentors encourage innovation, and challenge us to even “break stuff” to create new solutions.  Let’s just say that we have been great at breaking stuff this summer (but we have also made a lot of progress).

                So far, I am enjoying my time here in Wichita.  I have been making new friends and connecting with old ones (shout out to Brian Taylor).  I have been improving my programming skills and gaining skills in the real world.  I can definitely see myself doing this type of work in the near future, hopefully again for Koch Industries with FHR. 

New Jerseys!

Techfit jerseys are in! Momo Quinn @MattMedrano58 @grantkoch and Drove @SamPoulos1 jersey better be this white in Nov pic.twitter.com/YbTthown2j
— Jeff Pedersen (@GCCoachP) June 26, 2013

Three Pioneers Make Dean's List!

Three Pioneer Football players made the 2013 Spring Semester Dean's List, Colton Feller '14, Seth Gustafson '14 and new Pioneer Football player, Greg Ruzich '16.  Making the Dean's List requires a GPA of 3.75 or better within the semester while taking a full 16-credit course load.

Congrats guys!

Also, the entire Pioneer Football team pulled a 3.10 GPA for the semester helping raise the cumulative team GPA to 3.08, the highest since 2008.  Further proof that smart kids do play football!

Grinnell Food in The New York Times

Those of us that know the town of Grinnell, know that despite it's relative small size, the variety and quality of local restaurants is top notch.  Now the whole country knows, thanks to a spotlight on one of Grinnell's newest and best spots, the Prairie Canary, in The New York Times!

James Kopeck for the NYT

“We needed to have something for everyone,” from meat-and-potatoes to more adventurous dishes, said Ms. Groben, 31. She grew up near Grinnell (population, about 9,200) and made a splash with her previous two restaurants, about 55 miles west in Des Moines. “Grinnell is a really unique town because it does have the college, so there are people living here from different parts of the country, even the world,” she said. “We also have our more rural or farming community, people who have lived in Grinnell for generations.”

Check out the Prairie Canary's website as well!

Coach Pedersen in Chicago

Pizza with a few Pioneers form Chicagoland (Ed, Quinn, Aamir, Barrett, Cedric, Poulos). Dang Ed, lookin good! pic.twitter.com/TWJIlIftVq
— Jeff Pedersen (@GCCoachP) June 17, 2013

Founders' Day!

Tomorrow, Monday June 10th, is Grinnell College's Founders' Day!  The College asks that Grinnell students, faculty, staff, alumni, parents and supporters all across the world to "wear Grinnell".

Pioneer Football will be sporting our #GCPride tomorrow and would love to see photos of you in yours.  Upload a picture to our Facebook page and show the world how proud you are to be a Grinnellian!

Top 5 Offensive Plays of 2012!

This is the second in a series of "Top Plays" from our 2012 season, this is the Top 5 Offensive Plays of the Pioneer Football 2012 Season.

Be sure to Like Grinnell College Football on Facebook!

Pioneers Summer Plans

As the Pioneers head out into another summer, we asked them what they were up to during their time away from Grinnell (though a handful of players are still in town). Here's a sampling of some of their plans:

Andrew Clark '14:   "Interning as a Software Developer at Koch Industries (in Wichita, KS) and running my first 5k early August (fundraiser for Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team In Training program."

 Ed Hardman '16 : "Eat, sleep, lift, run, repeat."


Sam Poulos '16:  "I am coaching football at my high school working with the varsity quarterbacks as well as the freshman sophomore quarterbacks. It will really teach me a lot and hopefully give me good experience to be a coach in the future."

Danny Reynolds '15:  "I'm going to Bonnaroo Music Festival. Then in July I'm heading out to Israel en route to Nepal for an engineering program."


Kevin Hwang '14:  "Working a 9-5 at the law offices of Jae Y. Kim."

Jordy Manker '15:  "This summer I'm helping kids and adults (with and without learning disabilities) improve their reading and writing."

Cedric Abdul-Hakeem '15:  "I'll be teaching entrepreneurship to people, ages 12-21 and potentially serving ice cream for an ice cream parlor."


Brogan McWilliams '16:  : I'll be working part time as a waiter in my moms restaurant, a coffee house/Bistro. And then part time as a farm hand on a cattle farm of a family friend."

Morgan Kinsinger '14:  "This summer I'm working full-time at a company called GELITA and I'm an accounting intern. I've also been working part-time as a research assistant in financial economics at the London business school for a Grinnell football alum."

Pioneer Prospect Football Camp!

Just a reminder about our upcoming Pioneer Prospect Football Camp for all high school age football players!

This year's camp will run on June 28th and 29th.  Please see the above brochure or this link for more information.

Registration is online here!

Sam Poulos Wins First-Year Athlete of the Year!

Sam Poulos (far right) along with his fellow First-Year Athlete of the Year winners, (L-R) Nate Kolacia, Hayley Levin, and Alissa Hirsh

Pioneer quarterback Sam Poulos '16 along with three of his Grinnell College student-athlete peers were honored with the 2013 G. Lester Duke '25 First-Year Athlete of the Year Award at the annual GOAL ceremony Sunday night in the Joe Rosenfield '25 Center.

Alissa Hirsh '16 and Hayley Levin '16 were named the top female athletes representing a team and individual sport, respectively. Hirsh is on the Pioneers' basketball team and Levin is on the swimming and diving squad.

Poulos and Nate Kolacia '16 were tabbed top male athletes representing a team and individual sport. Kolacia competes in cross country and track and field.

Jake O'Polka Wins College Triathlon

Sophomore transfer Jake O'Polka was the top student finisher in last weekend's Grinnell College Triathlon.  This was Jake's first triathlon competition and he did it with little training!  Read his story below:  

My times were: 
Swim Time (750 meters): 13:26 
Transition 1: 3:07 
Bike Time (12.5 miles): 22:39 
Transition 2: 1:24 
Run Time (3.2 miles): 22:20 with a total time of 1:02:56. 

This was my first triathlon and I didn't really know how to prepare for it, and honestly I didn't really prepare for it that much. The week before spring break I was in the pool for an hour a day, doing a lot of intervals switching going from pulling, then kicking, then swimming. And that's all the swimming I did beforehand. I went on a couple 20-30 miles bike rides during spring break, and that's all I biked beforehand. And I really didn't do any running outside of the football running sessions in preparation for the triathlon.

Congrats Jake and hopefully this is just the start of high-level triathlete career!

Max Keller Abroad in Australia!

This spring we'll be bringing you posts from a few Pioneers that are studying abroad this semester.  Defensive back Max Keller '14 is currently in Melbourne, Australia and this is his third installation.

Australia is known for its unique biodiversity which displays a range of ecosystems and organisms unlike any other on earth. The “Land of Oz” is inhabited by marsupials, spiders, and of course the most venomous snakes in the world. Sometimes I like to think that the first English settlers would have been better off with Dorothy’s yellow brick road and a few flying monkeys. But even then the sound of the laughing Kookaburra, native to Australia, is eerily reminiscent to that of a monkey. If there was a lesson to be learned from our adventures it was that nature will do all that it can to best you. Whether it was huge fruit bats defecating on our car, giant white tailed rats potentially gnawing through our tents, Cane toads covering the camp site, swarms of mosquitoes, or a tent held together with twigs and duct tape. Nature was more prepared than we were.

What I did discover was that such events pleasantly surprised me. Things were made a little more interesting and maybe a little stressful at times. However, this was the excitement of coming to Australia; the adventure, the struggles, and the increasing absurdity of our situation. As it has always been wisely pointed out to me, things could be worse. So when a sign read, “Beware of giant white tailed rats, they gnaw through tents…” I was a little enthralled with the adventure that may present itself. But that did not stop me from waking up and spot-lighting my tent for signs of entry.

I’ll attempt to spare you from the minute details and convey some of the more interesting events from our trip. As mentioned before in a previous post we were fortunate enough to snorkel and scuba dive the Great Barrier Reef. In the following days we then hiked to Mossman Gorge and several waterfalls in the surrounding area. I must admit these hikes were much more enjoyable than the one a fellow teammate, Cody Weber, led me on just two years ago. Not once did I envision the events of 127 Hours. Instead I was able to safely appreciate the scenery and cool off underneath a few waterfalls. The next two days were spent white water rafting down the Tully River and navigating the beautiful beaches of Whitehaven Island.

After traversing a number of sea side towns and completing approximately twenty hours of driving we reached Sydney. There we were greeted with great hospitality and our first home-cooked meal in the past ten days. To say we were thankful to have completed our 2,500 mile journey and returned our Ford station wagon safely would be an understatement. After spending a few days in Sydney checking out the sites we boarded our plane back to Melbourne. Left to reminisce about the events of the past twelve days and look forward to the prospect of a bed and a roof that wasn’t held together with duct tape.

Schaid and Blumberg Named to NFF Hampshire Society

Drew Blumberg (#44) and TJ Schaid (#28)

Two Grinnell College football players have been named members of the 2013 National Football Foundation Hampshire Honor Society.

Those earning the honor were Drew Blumberg '13 and TJ Schaid '13.

The society is comprised of college football players from all divisions of play who maintained a 3.2 GPA or better. A total of 703 players from 259 schools qualified for membership in the society's seventh year.

Blumberg, a 6-1, 191-pound defensive back, was an All-Midwest Conference second-team selection in 2012. He was among the MWC leaders in pass breakups (eight), interceptions (four) and tackles (72). His tackle total ranked second on the team. He is also a two-time Academic All-District first-teamer.

Schaid, a 5-9, 187-pound running back from Walworth, Wis., was a two-time All-MWC selection, having earned the honor in 2010 and again in 2012. He led Grinnell in rushing in 2012 with 570 yards and a touchdown, and ranked second in receiving with 36 catches for 241 yards and three scores. He was a semifinalist for the National Football Foundation's National Scholar-Athlete Award.

See the NFF Hampshire Release here.

More Than Just Words

This video is a bit old (pardon the "Season's Greetings" at the end) but the words used by the students to describe their experiences at Grinnell and what they hope for post-Grinnell will never be outdated!