Basketball Alumni Enjoy Their Day Back on Campus
Beaver men cap successful Alumni Day event with last-second victory over Coe College.
Thirty Buena Vista University alumni basketball players returned to campus for Alumni Day on Saturday, Feb. 4, as the Beavers split an American Rivers Conference double-header with Coe College.
Tara (Lehner) Rosengren ’13 joined her husband, Dr. Tyler Rosengren ’14, and other former Beavers as they shot some baskets, introduced themselves, and connected with members of the BVU women’s basketball team.
“It’s great coming back and seeing the student-athletes involved in a program that means a lot to me,” Tara said as their 1-year-old son, Wyen, happily bounced basketballs from the rack at center court.
She and Wyen gathered with the team for a group photo as other basketball alumni Patti (Kuhl) Demers ’90, Kelli (Staley) Cameron ’06, and Christina Schauer ’21 joined in. Other alumni were soon to follow, including Steph Gronau ’98, Margo (Muhlbauer) Hansen ’10, Melissa Sporrer ’10, Keely (Bowman) Dutler ’98, Jill (Gunderson) Gallagher ’94, Joy (Johnson) Gross ’86, Dr. Brooke (Wehle) Nordquist ’13, and more.
“It’s always rewarding to have our alumni return to spend time with their former teammates, friends, professors, and mentors as they simultaneously establish connections with current Beaver student-athletes and their coaches.”
BVU President Brian Lenzmeier
Twenty Beaver men took to the court in waves of five as the alumni battled the varsity reserve team. The alumni, coached by Jon Millea ’09 MSE ‘18, registered a close victory that featured two dunks and zero sprained ankles.
Alumni enjoying the game and the afternoon included, Jim Demers ’91, Mike Cameron ‘05, Adam Friedrichsen ‘09, Wes Nordquist ’13, Nick Clark ‘17, Kyler Huisman ‘17, Jarod Juhl ‘16, Sam Lipps ’16 ME ’22, Kennedy Drey ’17, Brendan Gary ’21, Adam Juhl ’18, Jacob Privia ’22, Jake Thompson ’22, Lincoln Rock ’20, Noah Schmitt ’20, Michael Demers ’22, Ryan Radke ’21, Garret Sittner ’22, and Trey Valentine ’22.
Gary and Rock each earned a BVU sweatshirt from the Office of Alumni Engagement as each traveled more than 1,000 miles one way to return to campus for Alumni Day. Gary, who resides in Ogden, Utah, traveled 1,055 miles to edge Rock, who came from his home in San Antonio, Texas, some 1,046 miles from Storm Lake.
“It was so much fun hearing the laughter and seeing the high-fives in Siebens Fieldhouse on Saturday morning and then joining several of our basketball alumni for lunch in Siebens Forum,” said President Brian Lenzmeier. “It’s always rewarding to have our alumni return to spend time with their former teammates, friends, professors, and mentors as they simultaneously establish connections with current Beaver student-athletes and their coaches.”
BVU’s women basketball alumni were recognized at halftime of the women’s varsity contest, one in which Coe defeated the Beavers, 71-61. The basketball alumni from the men’s program were also recognized at halftime of the men’s contest, one in which the Beavers prevailed, 79-77, on a last-second lay-in by junior Zane Neubaum.