By Frank Rajkowski, SJU Writer/Video Producer

COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. - While summer internship plans for many college students fell through in the wake of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Preston Kopel's simply took on a new form.

The Saint John's University senior returned to intern at Great North Labs for a second straight year. But this time around, he was asked to manage the virtual internship program at the Minneapolis-based venture capital firm, which also maintains offices in downtown St. Cloud and Sartell, Minn.

That meant he oversaw a team that included three other interns in addition to himself.

"It was a really valuable experience to learn what it's like to manage a team even during a time like we're in now when everyone is in separate locations and isolated at home," said Kopel, a 2017 Foley (Minn.) High School graduate and member of the SJU golf team.

"You really saw how critical it was to keep the lines of communication open and to make sure everyone was on the same page."

Those are skills he's now applying to his role on the golf team. Kopel is one of the Johnnies' veteran leaders in a fall in which there is no competition and the team is not even able to practice as a full group as a result of restrictions brought on by the pandemic.

Last summer, the MIAC announced competition in several fall sports would be postponed until next spring. The plan was that golf and tennis would still proceed with competition. But just before the school year started, those sports were postponed as well.

"I got a reminder on my phone last week that it would have been the MIAC Championship (which were scheduled for Oct. 3-5). I had set it back when the schedule first came out," Kopel said.

"It's been a crazy year all-around. And I'd be lying if I said guys didn't lose a little bit of steam when we found out the fall schedule wasn't going to happen as planned. But we're still looking at the big picture. There's a lot we want to accomplish if we get the chance to play this spring. And that means we have to be putting in the work it will take to do that right now."

Kopel is certainly no stranger to putting in the work – on or off the golf course. He tied for third overall at the MIAC Championship as a junior last fall and had his sights set on placing even higher this year.

He also has excelled in the classroom, where the economics major maintains a 3.98 GPA. He is a two-time All-Academic MIAC selection, and as a junior was named to the 2019-20 COSIDA Academic All-District first team and as a 2019-20 GCAA All-America Scholar.

Kopel also won the 2019 MIAC Elite 22 Award, which is given to the student-athlete with the highest GPA among the top-10 finishers at the MIAC Championships. As a sophomore, he earned the 2019 NCAA Elite 90 Award, which goes to the player with the highest GPA on any of the teams that make the Division III national tournament field.

In addition, he is part of the Entrepreneur Scholars (E-Scholars) program on campus.

"He's an incredibly organized guy," SJU golf coach and athletic director Bob Alpers '82 said. "He always has a plan. I like to think I'm big on scheduling. But you should see his day planner. I think I frustrate him sometimes because he'd like to have his schedule planned out even further than I have it."

Alpers said Kopel has already been mentoring younger members of this season's team in both golf and academics.

"He's a very driven player, but he's also an exceptionally kind guy, especially with his teammates," Alpers said. "His leadership really follows the servant model. His focus is on helping others and doing whatever he can to prop guys up."

Kopel was a three-sport athlete at Foley, playing quarterback on the football team and starting at point guard on the basketball team. But it was golf – a sport he grew up playing with his father on the weekends – that proved his true love.

He qualified for the Class 2A state meet as a sophomore before a rough outing at the Section 6-2A meet caused him to miss advancing the following year.

But he said he learned from that experience and put in the work and study required to make sure he was back at the state meet as a senior – the same season he was selected as the St. Cloud Times' All-Area boys Golfer of the Year.

"It taught me never to listen to the hype," he said. "Talking to other coaches, I knew I was expected to get back to state as a junior. So when it didn't happen, I had to take a long look at my game. I studied what other players were doing to see where I needed to improve. I made up my mind that I wasn't going to let what happened my junior season happen again.

"And that's what golf is all about really – learning lessons. If you have a bad hole, you try and learn from it. Then you move on and birdie the next one."

Because the spring season this year was cancelled as a result of COVID-19, Kopel and his fellow seniors already have another year of eligibility remaining if they choose to use it. But he is on track to graduate next May and is currently looking at jobs in the management consulting or investment banking fields. A return to SJU may not be in the cards.

"It's a tough decision," he said. "But if I land a job that's appealing to me, it would make it really difficult to come back. At the same time, though, there's so much left that I want to accomplish. So you never know.

"The important thing will be making the most of the opportunity if we get it this spring. That's what I'm focusing on now."