The trajectory of the Syracuse University women’s club ice hockey team is what Hollywood makes movies about.

“When I joined [in Fall 2021] there were only six other people on the team,” says Amanda Wheeler, a senior at SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry and co-president of the women’s ice hockey team. “For our games we had to borrow players from other teams because we often didn’t have enough [of our own] to start the game.”

Now, in the Spring 2025 semester, the team is fresh off of an undefeated (20-0) season and celebrating their recent win at the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) College Hockey Women’s National Championship, a conference the team joined this academic year. “In the short time that I’ve been here, the team went from a relaxed, low-level program to one of the best women’s club hockey programs in the country,” says Elise Herrick, a junior at SUNY ESF and co-president alongside Wheeler.

Taking the team from a casual approach to being national champions in such a short amount of time is a credit to both the coaching staff and the players themselves. Christina Beam began coaching the team two years ago, and within those two years, she noticed the drive and commitment within the team change.

“The players are passionate about the game of hockey and the commitment to each other and the program,” says Beam. “At the end of last season, we did an ‘end of the year’ meeting with each of the athletes. We took their feedback seriously and developed a plan for this season. We shared our plan and expectations early on; this allowed us to all be on the same page and develop the program together.”

Along with implementing player feedback into the team strategy for the 2024-25 season, joining the AAU may have been the special ingredient needed to help the team truly take off. “Joining the AAU this year gave the team an opportunity to compete for a title; it may not sound like much to some, but to have an end goal is huge when you play competitive sports,” says Beam. “The women took our commitment seriously and it is evident by the season we played this year.”

The Orange completed their 2024-25 season in the College Hockey North Women’s Division undefeated, easily securing their place in the AAU National Championship, held March 6-9 in Jacksonville, Florida. But clinching a spot in nationals didn’t mean the work stopped.

“We spent a lot of time before the tournament setting expectations for ourselves, working our on-ice systems and mentally preparing for the games,” says Herrick. “We had never played [some of the teams], so we had no way of knowing how good they were going to be, but we knew that we had the skill to beat any team we faced as long as we played our game and stayed focused.”

Along with perfecting their skills on the ice, the team had to block out naysayers. “Despite being undefeated, there were a lot of people who didn’t think we would win, with some predicting that we wouldn’t even make it to the championship game,” Herrick says. “But the negative attention fueled us and made us even more determined to win.”

After winning their playoff games, including a close call against their opponent in the championship game , the University of Tampa, the team was nervous to get on the ice, but still as focused as ever on winning a title. “The score from that game [against Tampa the day before] was close and we all knew that Tampa would be coming out hard [in the championship] because of that,” says Wheeler. “I don’t think anyone [on our team] sat down during the entire game. It was constant cheering, singing and dancing, no matter what the score was. We just needed to calm our nerves and keep the energy up.”

The strategy to “keep the energy up” was a winning one. Near the end of the game. Ivy Dietrich ’27, assistant captain and a member of the team’s first line, scored a short-handed, empty net goal to put Syracuse up 4-2 and secure the championship. “It was a real full-circle moment for me since I’m the only person still on the team from that original seven-person roster,” says Wheeler. “Being there holding the trophy with everyone who’s helped build this team and supported us for the past few years was incredible.”

The team is already planning how to keep the momentum going into next season. “We keep moving forward, we continue to build on what we’ve done right and work on things we’d like to do better,” Beam says. “We stay humble, committed and remember the joy we get from playing ice hockey.”

As Herrick prepares to move into her senior year and assume full presidential duties, she wants to see the team continue to flourish, both on and off the ice. “I hope that we can maintain the values of our program and continue to provide a welcoming environment for female hockey players looking to continue their careers and find a supportive community,” says Herrick. “One of the most important parts of a hockey team is the energy, and I want us to continue having good energy for as long as the program is around.”

Students interested in joining the women’s club ice hockey team can learn more on the Syracuse University competitive club sports website.

Watch a Cornell ice hockey game at Lynah Rink and you’ll spend three periods looking at – or rather, through – a methacrylate, a type of polymer used widely in paints, adhesives and glass substitutes. But making this material for applications more nuanced than blocking hockey pucks – for instance in drug delivery mechanisms – requires a highly controlled process called anionic polymerization, which has been difficult and even dangerous to pull off.

Now, Cornell chemists have developed a user-friendly, scalable anionic polymerization process for methacrylate that’s precisely controlled and mediated by carbon dioxide (CO2). Useful for developing advanced applications of methacrylate, the process is already benefiting researchers such as engineers working to develop metal-free batteries and has potential future applications in biomedical settings.

“Making anionic polymerizations more accessible and safer will allow the scientific community to use these powerful methods to make next-generation materials,” said Brett Fors, the Frank and Robert Laughlin Professor of Physical Chemistry in the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology in the College of Arts and Sciences (A&S).

Fors is corresponding author of “Controlled Anionic Polymerization Mediated by Carbon Dioxide,” which published in Nature Chemistry on May 13. The first author is doctoral student Paige Jacky, M.S. ’23. Alexa Easley, Klarman Postdoctoral Fellow in chemistry and chemical biology (A&S) is a co-author.

Anionic polymerization is a powerful way to make materials with well-defined molecular structures, in which precise control allows scientists to understand how the material’s structure and properties are related, Easley said.

“For specialty applications, like drug delivery, if you’re submitting to the Food and Drug Administration a plan with an exact polymer, you need to have a very known structure, which Plexiglas does not have,” Easley said. “Glass substitute is great for what it’s doing, like protecting us at sports events, but it couldn’t be used for these biomedical applications, where there’s more need for structural control.”

Existing anionic polymerization methods are hard to do – and often dangerous, requiring toxic metals, chemicals that are explosive or spontaneously flammable in air, or other compounds that contaminate the final material. Some of these methods require very low temperatures and are sensitive to moisture and air.

In contrast, the Cornell team’s method, called CO2-mediated reversible deactivation anionic polymerization (CMAP), is simple, requiring one container. It uses an atmosphere of carbon dioxide plus an initiator, and it works through easy-to-achieve heating rather than deep cold. It yields well-defined materials. The simple synthesis of the initiator and “one-pot” nature of the process makes anionic polymerization an accessible tool that can be used outside specialized chemistry labs.

The keys to the method are carbon dioxide and heat, Jacky said. Inspired by recent research on reversible initiators – chemicals used to both start and stop a reaction – she turned to carbon dioxide: it’s relatively abundant, cheap and nontoxic in this context. Typically, carbon dioxide is considered a terminating agent in anionic polymerizations, but she discovered that “the process is reversable if you apply heat.”

Carbon dioxide starts and stops the reaction rapidly. It also protects and stabilizes the enolate, a key component that is very reactive.

The researchers tested the method using a setup Easley has developed during her Klarman Fellow research to monitor molecules for carbon dioxide capture.

Work still needs to be done to scale the CMAP method for industry, but the researchers believe this work will inspire future similar reversible deactivation strategies for other anionically polymerizable vinyl monomers. They also hope the method makes anionic polymerization of methacrylate materials more approachable to the broader scientific community.

It’s already in used by some researchers, including Easley. As a graduate student in engineering at Texas A&M University, Easley tried to make a polymer for a metal-free battery, but the only available method – using pyrophoric initiators – was not working.

“I tried multiple ways to do it and never could get it,” she said. But now, using CMAP, “we made it.”

Kate Blackwood is a writer for the College of Arts and Sciences.

SIOUX FALLS — The time has arrived to mark the calendar for Augustana hockey’s upcoming season.

On Tuesday, the Vikings announced the schedule for their 2025-26 season. The 34-game slate features 19 home games and 15 road games.

Following an exhibition game that has yet to be finalized, Augustana will open the regular season on Oct. 10-11 at Minnesota Duluth before returning to Midco Arena the following weekend for its home opener versus Arizona State.

For the Vikings, CCHA action begins the following weekend when they travel to face Bemidji State in a two-game series.

The Vikings will play on home ice throughout December and into the first weekend of January before conference action resumes in the second half of the season.

All four of Augustana’s non-conference series are against teams in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference.

The Vikings’ 2025-26 season is their first with a full league schedule. They’ll play in a total of 26 conference games this season.

In its second season as a program in 2024-25, Augustana had its first winning record in program history, finishing with an 18-13-4 mark. The Vikings had a 9-5-2 record in conference play, earning the No. 2 seed in the Mason Cup Playoffs. They were 9-6-2 at home and 9-7-2 away from Midco Arena.

Here’s a glance at Augustana’s 2025-26 schedule with further analyses.

• Bulldogs’ 2024-25 record: 13-20-3
• Analysis: This season-opening series marks the first time the two longtime Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference foes will meet on the ice. Last season, the Bulldogs finished 7-9-3 at Amsoil Arena. Scott Sandelin has been at the helm of the program since 2000 and has led UMD to three national titles, including back-to-back championships in 2018 and 2019. Forward Max Plante is one of the Bulldogs’ top returning players after notching 28 points (nine goals, 19 assists) as a freshman in 2024-25.

• Sun Devils’ 2024-25 record: 21-14-2
• Analysis: The Sun Devils will make the trip to Sioux Falls for the first time ever when the two teams meet in Augustana’s home opener. ASU and AU didn’t play against each other last season, but in the second half of Augustana’s inaugural season in 2023-24, they split a pair of games in Tempe after the Vikings were triumphant in a 5-4 decision in the series opener to notch the program’s first win against a nationally ranked team. Bennett Schimek heads into the 2025-26 campaign as the Sun Devils’ top returning point-getter. He will be a team captain this season after recording 37 points on 15 goals and 22 assists in 2024-25.

• Beavers’ 2024-25 record: 15-18-5
• Analysis: Augustana’s first CCHA series of the season will be against its most familiar league opponent. The Vikings are 3-4 all-time against BSU, which includes a series defeat in March in the first round of the Mason Cup Playoffs. Entering his 25th season at the helm of the program, Beavers coach Tom Serratore is now the current longest-tenured coach in the CCHA. Forward Kirklan Irey will be back for the Beavers after producing a team-best 24 points in 2024-25, including a team-leading 11 goals.

• Wildcats’ 2024-25 record: 5-27-2
• Analysis: Augustana is 3-0-1 in all-time meetings with the Wildcats. Last season, the Vikings claimed a pair of 4-1 victories at Midco Arena to sweep the season series. NMU finished in last place in the CCHA standings, missing the CCHA playoffs. Dave Shyiak returns for his second year as bench boss for the Wildcats, who were 3-11-2 on the road last season.

• Bulldogs’ 2024-25 record: 13-20-3
• Analysis: The Bulldogs will be in their first season under the direction of new coach Brett Riley, who replaces the legendary Bob Daniels. FSU leads the all-time series between the two teams, 3-1. In 2024-25, Augustana split a pair of games at FSU, winning the first game of the series in a 5-2 decision before losing 4-1 in the finale. The Bulldogs had a 6-8-3 mark at home last season.

• Tommies’ 2024-25 record: 19-14-5
• Analysis: Going into this one-off game, Augustana has a 3-1 record in the brief all-time series between the two programs. This will be UST’s final season as members of the CCHA. The Tommies are set to join the NCHC for the 2026-27 season. Led by coach Rico Blasi, UST had an 8-6-3 mark on the road a season ago.

• Lakers’ 2024-25 record: 12-22-2
• Analysis: Following a week off, the Vikings return to action Thanksgiving weekend when they travel to Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, to take on the Lakers. AU has a 3-1 all-time record against LSSU. Damon Whitten enters his 12th season at the helm of the Lakers’ program. LSSU was 4-10-1 last season at Taffy Abel Arena.

• Beavers’ 2024-25 record: 15-18-5
• Analysis: The Vikings will close out their regular season series with the Beavers on the first weekend of December when the two teams meet at Midco Arena for a two-game set. Last season, BSU won three of five games played between the two teams. All of them took place in Sioux Falls. The Beavers finished 9-10-3 in road contests last season.

• Mavericks’ 2024-25 record: 27-9-3
• Analysis: Augustana will be seeking its first official win against the Mavs when the top two teams from the 2024-25 CCHA regular season meet in December at Midco Arena. The Vikings are 0-3-1 in all-time matchups versus MSU. Luke Strand enters his third year as coach of the Mavericks, who won the league’s regular season and tournament titles last season. MSU was 10-4 in road games a season ago.

• Mavericks’ 2024-25 record: 18-17-1
• Analysis: The rivalry between the Mavs and Vikings carries on for another season. UNO will travel north up I-29 to play at Midco Arena for the first time ever. It’ll be the Vikings’ final series of the first half of the season. Augustana was swept by Omaha in its inaugural season, but in 2024-25, the Vikings traveled to Omaha and claimed a pair of nationally ranked wins. Mike Gabinet enters his 10th season as UNO’s bench boss. The Mavericks return one of the top goaltenders in the country in Simon Latkoczy, who notched a .922 save percentage in 31 appearances last season.

• Tigers’ 2024-25 record: 18-18-1
• Analysis: The Vikings will begin the new year against a CC program that has yet to beat them. Augustana has a 3-0 all-time record against the Tigers, including a sweep last season when CC was ranked No. 8 in the country. This will be the Tigers’ first trip to Sioux Falls. Kris Mayotte enters his fifth season as CC’s coach. The Tigers, who were 7-12-1 last season away from Colorado Springs, bring back their top forward in Owen Beckner, who tallied 27 points on seven goals and 20 helpers in 2024-25.

• Wildcats’ 2024-25 record: 5-27-2
• Analysis: After more than a month of playing in front of their home crowd, the Vikings will return to conference play when they travel to Marquette to take on the Wildcats. One of NMU’s top players in the fold for the 2025-26 season will be forward Caiden Gault, a Ferris State transfer. Gault generated 25 points on 10 goals and 15 assists last season with the Bulldogs.

• Bulldogs’ 2024-25 record: 13-20-3
• Analysis: Augustana will head back to Midco Arena for another conference tilt with FSU, which finished with a 6-10 mark in away games a season ago. The Bulldogs will welcome in forward Carter Rapalje, who had 30 points (17 goals, 13 assists) last season while playing under Riley at Long Island.

• Mavericks’ 2024-25 record: 27-9-3
• Analysis: Next up is one-off game in Mankato for the Vikings, who were swept last season at Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center. Goalie Alex Tracy will be back for MSU after being named CCHA Player of the Year in 2025. He was a finalist for the Mike Richter Award after going 26-9-3 between the pipes with a 1.42 goals-against average and .946 save percentage. MSU finished 17-4-3 at home in 2024-25.

• Lakers’ 2024-25 record: 12-22-2
• Analysis: The Vikings will close out their January slate with a home series against the Lakers. Augustana won 6-3 and 4-3 against LSSU in 2024-25 at Midco Arena. The Lakers, who finished 8-11-1 in road games last season, will bring back their top forward in Connor Milburn, who had 23 points on nine goals and 14 helpers.

• Huskies’ 2024-25 record: 16-17-3
• Analysis: AU will open its final month of the regular season by making a trek to the Upper Peninsula, where they’ll square off against the Huskies in Houghton. This will be the only regular season meeting between the two teams in 2025-26. MTU posted a 7-9 record at home last season and holds a 2-1-1 all-time record against the Vikings. Led by Joe Shawhan, who enters his ninth season as bench boss, the Huskies will bring back their top forward from 2024-25 in Stiven Sardarian, who had 35 points (11 goals, 24 assists).

• Falcons’ 2024-25 record: 18-14-4
• Analysis: In their final regular season series, AU will take on BGSU. Dennis Williams heads into his second year at the helm of the Falcons’ program. Augustana leads the all-time series, 3-0-1. Bowling Green was 8-9-1 a season ago on the road but expects to be a force in 2025-26. As it stands, the Falcons have the No. 1 recruiting class in the nation, according to

  Neutral Zone.

  Falcons forwards Ben Doran and Brody Waters each had 22 points last season, and both are expected to be back in the mix this season.

• Tommies’ 2024-25 record: 19-14-5
• Analysis: A tough test awaits the Vikings in their regular season finale when they travel to St. Paul for a series with the Tommies. It’ll be their first visit to Lee and Penny Anderson Arena, a $175 million facility that’s expected to open this year on UST’s campus. The Tommies will return one of the league’s top forwards in Lucas Wahlin, who recorded 41 points on 17 goals and 24 assists in 2024-25.

• Friday, Oct 10 | @ Minnesota Duluth
• Saturday, Oct. 11 | @ Minnesota Duluth
• Friday, Oct. 17 | vs. Arizona State
• Saturday, Oct. 18 | vs. Arizona State
• Friday, Oct. 24 | @ Bemidji State
• Saturday, Oct. 25 | @ Bemidji State
• Friday, Oct. 31 | vs. Northern Michigan
• Saturday, Nov. 1 | vs. Northern Michigan
• Friday, Nov. 7 | @ Ferris State
• Saturday, Nov. 8 | @ Ferris State
• Saturday, Nov. 15 | vs. St. Thomas
• Friday, Nov. 28 | @ Lake Superior State
• Saturday, Nov. 29 | @ Lake Superior State
• Friday, Dec. 5 | vs. Bemidji State
• Saturday, Dec. 6 | vs. Bemidji State
• Friday, Dec. 12 | vs. Minnesota State
• Saturday, Dec. 13 | vs. Minnesota State
• Friday, Dec. 19 | vs. Nebraska Omaha
• Saturday, Dec. 20 | vs. Nebraska Omaha
• Friday, Jan. 2 | vs. Colorado College
• Saturday, Jan. 3 | vs. Colorado College
• Friday, Jan. 9 | @ Northern Michigan
• Saturday, Jan. 10 | @ Northern Michigan
• Friday, Jan. 16 | vs. Ferris State
• Saturday, Jan. 17 | vs. Ferris State
• Saturday, Jan. 24 | @ Minnesota State
• Friday, Jan. 30 | vs. Lake Superior State
• Saturday, Jan. 31 | vs. Lake Superior State
• Friday, Feb. 6 | @ Michigan Tech
• Saturday, Feb. 7 | @ Michigan Tech
• Friday, Feb. 13 | vs. Bowling Green
• Saturday, Feb. 14 | vs. Bowling Green
• Friday, Feb. 20 | @ St. Thomas
• Saturday, Feb. 21 | @ St. Thomas

Trent Singer is a sports reporter for Sioux Falls Live. He focuses his coverage on Augustana men’s hockey and Sioux Falls area sports. Singer’s previous stops include Just Women’s Sports, the Southeast Missourian and the Kentucky New Era.

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. – Gustavus first-year Jimmy Abdo (Edina, Minn.) was named the MIAC Rookie of the Year and was joined by two teammates on the All-MIAC list when the conference announced its 2024-25 Men’s Golf Awards on Monday, May 12. 

Junior Chris Gutuza (second; Johannesburg, South Africa) and senior Teddy Kaste (t-sixth, Apple Valley, Minn.) achieved All-Conference distinction by placing in the top 10 at the MIAC Championship held Oct. 5-7.

The second Gustie to receive the MIAC’s rookie award, Abdo averaged 75.3 in 22 rounds this season – the third best mark on the team. He and his All-Conference teammates, as well as Jack Reinardy (Sr., Andover, Minn.), each collected a medalist finish this season. Abdo peaked in the spring, winning the Bobby Krig Invite on April 19, followed by a second-place finish at the Saint John’s Spring Invitational the following week. Abdo was selected as the MIAC Athlete of the Week for his performance at the Gusties’ home tournament, and shot a season-best round of 68 (-3) at SJU on April 27. 

The All-MIAC honor is the third-consecutive for Gutuza, the Gusties’ first Rookie of the Year in the 2022-23 season. Gutuza owned a team-best 74.1 scoring average this season with five top-10 finishes in 25 rounds. Gutuza won the prestigious Williams Invitational in the fall, took second at the MIAC Championship by three shots (was leading for first two rounds), and finished second in each the Bobby Krig and SJU Spring Invites.

Kaste averaged a 75.0 with five top-10 finishes in 25 rounds this season. The All-Conference honor is also the third-straight for Kaste, who opened the 2024-25 competition year with medalist honors at the Augsburg University Invitational in the fall, collecting MIAC Athlete of the Week honors the following Monday. He shot a season-low 68 (-3) in his final round of collegiate golf at Saint John’s (April 27). Kaste graduated with a career average of 76.1, two medalist honors, four top-five finishes, and 12 in the top 10.

In addition to the three All-MIAC selections, Pelay Perez Crespo (Jr., Sotogrande, Spain) was also an honorable mention selection. In his junior season, Perez Crespo averaged an even 76.0 in 25 rounds. Through 10 events, he collected a trio of top 10 finishes, and one in the top five (Bobby Krig Invite). 

The Gustavus men’s golf team won four tournaments in the 2024-25 season – the most since the 2012-13 season (5) – and placed in the top five of five others, including the 2024 MIAC Championship where the Gusties finished fifth of nine teams. Gustavus went 56-14 against MIAC competitors and recorded a scoring average of 298.6 in 29 rounds. 

 

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