COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. - Goodbye 2020, hello 2021!

Saint John's athletics began its countdown to 2021 by highlighting a moment each day, in no particular order, from Dec. 19-31 on its social media accounts: Facebook (@SJUJohnnies), Instagram (@johnnieathletics) and Twitter (@SJUJohnnies).

Each moment is listed below.

Saturday, Dec. 19
The first in the series was a look back to April 25 when All-American offensive lineman Ben Bartch '20 was selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the fourth round (No. 116 overall) of the 2020 NFL Draft. He was the 10th Johnnie to be drafted in the NFL and the first since the Minnesota Vikings selected defensive lineman Kurt Wachtler '74 in 1974 (15th round). Bartch has played 219 snaps on offense, including his first career start Dec. 13 against the Tennessee Titans (at left guard), and 47 on special teams through week 16 of the 2020 NFL season.


Sunday, Dec. 20
Noah Becker '20 ended the 2019-20 wrestling season with a 22-2 record and a second-place finish at the NCAA Upper Midwest Regional. He was set to make his second national tournament appearance as the No. 3 seed at the NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships in March, but his career came to an end after the NCAA cancelled all winter and spring championships due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Becker was later named a National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) first-team All-American. He totaled a 93-27 career record, including a 49-6 mark over the last two seasons, and was a three-time NWCA Scholar All-American. 


Monday, Dec. 21
The SJU hockey team started a 5-game win streak with a 4-0 shutout of St. Thomas Feb. 8 in Mendota Heights. Eight different Johnnies recorded a point in the victory. Goaltender Andrew Lindgren '20 made 42 saves for his first shutout of the season and fifth of his career, and also registered his first collegiate assist. He ended his career second in program history in save percentage (.926) and totaled a 32-23-9 record with a 2.28 GAA and 1,878 saves.


Tuesday, Dec. 22
The Johnnie basketball team, ranked No. 2 nationally, cruised to an 82-63 win over No. 3 St. Thomas to earn its second consecutive MIAC Playoff championship Feb. 29 in Collegeville. SJU shot a blazing 50 percent (12-for-24) from three-point range, including a 9-for-15 (60 percent) showing in the first half. This marked the program's seventh MIAC Playoff championship and punched SJU's ticket to the NCAA Division III Tournament for the third straight season. 


Wednesday, Dec. 23 
Then-junior Drew Dockendorf won the pole vault March 7 at the Wartburg (Iowa) Qualifier with an SJU-record (indoor or outdoor) height of 5.03 meters (16'-6"). He won the MIAC indoor title in the event eight days earlier. The mark of 5.03 meters was tied for the second-best in NCAA Division III. 


Thursday, Dec. 24
Shortstop Michael Gruber '20 batted .714 (20-for-28) with 18 RBI, six doubles, a triple and four (4-for-4) stolen bases from the No. 2 spot of the lineup as SJU baseball went 7-1 (in five days) in March to open its 2020 season in Ft. Myers, Fla. Gruber batted .769 (10-for-13) with runners in scoring position and .824 (14-for-17) with runners on base during the week. He became the 32nd Johnnie to reach 100 career hits March 4 against Finlandia (Mich.). 


Friday, Dec. 25
SJU basketball earned its first trip to the NCAA's Sweet 16 since 2001 with a 78-69 win over Wisconsin-Eau Claire March 7 in Collegeville. The Johnnies topped Ripon (Wis.) 87-75 in the first-round matchup the night before. Ahead by five (67-62), SJU scored its last 11 points at the free-throw line (11-for-12) in the final 1:51 to seal the victory. The Johnnies (27-2, 19-1 MIAC) were scheduled to host rival St. Thomas March 14 in the Sweet 16, but the season abruptly ended with the NCAA's cancellation of all winter and spring championships due to the COVID-19 pandemic. SJU ended the season ranked No. 2 nationally in the final D3hoops.com Top 25 poll.


Saturday, Dec. 26
Then-freshman Maguire Petersen set a school record in the high jump with a height of 2.10 meters (6'- 10.75"), which he cleared on his third and final attempt, Feb. 7 at the Hamster Invitational hosted by Macalester. The mark surpassed the previous SJU record of 2.09 meters set by Nick Welshons '15 in 2014 and was tied for the fifth-best height in NCAA Division III.


Sunday, Dec. 27
Outfielder Wyatt Ulrich '20 broke the SJU record for career runs scored March 6 on the Florida-trip finale against Alvernia (Pa.). He entered the game tied with former teammate Max Jackson '19 and broke the record with his game-tying run (6-6) in the fourth inning. Ulrich was destined to break a number of other SJU career records, but the COVID-19 pandemic ended the season in March. He fell one triple shy of Matt Boys' '11 record of 11, and 10 stolen bases and 24 hits away from both marks held by Jackson (52 stolen bases, 209 hits). A career .391 hitter, Ulrich will be playing at Division I Richmond (Va.) this spring as a graduate transfer.


Monday, Dec. 28
The 2019-20 MIAC Co-Diver of the Year, then-freshman Jack Grabinski earned a trip to the NCAA Championships with a fourth-place finish in the 3-meter dive, and seventh-place mark on the 1-meter board, at the NCAA Central Regional February 28-29 in Ohio. Grabinski set SJU freshman records in both the 1- and 3-meter dives (six dives and 11) last season and his score of 505.05 on the 3-meter board at the MIAC Championships was the second-best in school history.


Tuesday, Dec. 29
This top moment included five, as five Johnnies joined Ben Bartch '20 (Jacksonville Jaguars) by either signing pro contracts or playing beyond SJU in 2020.

-Quarterback Jackson Erdmann '19: The Spring League (Fall)/Fan Controlled Football (2021)
-Forward Brady Heppner '20: SPHL's Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs (March 5)
-Pitcher Joey Stock '20: Boston Red Sox (Aug. 28)
-Forward Kyle Wagner '20: SPHL's Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs (March 6)
-Post Lucas Walford '20: Ireland's Drogheda Wolves (Sept. 25)



Wednesday, Dec. 30
Then-junior sprinter Ryan Miller defended his MIAC title in the 60-meter dash by breaking his own school record with a time of 6.90 seconds Feb. 28 in Collegeville. The three-time All-American set the previous records of 6.91 and 6.93 seconds in 2019.


Thursday, Dec. 31
SJU hockey clawed back from a three-goal deficit to top Saint Mary's 6-5 and win the 2019-20 MIAC regular-season championship Feb. 22 in Winona. SJU's line of Jack Johnson, Auggie Moore and Dan Wieber - all freshmen at the time - was responsible for all three third-period goals. Johnson tied the game 2:30 into the third period and found Wieber from behind the net for the go-ahead tally 2:45 later. Moore scored what proved to be the game-winning goal on a breakaway with 3:47 to play. The Johnnies scored a season-high three power-play goals (3-for-9) as half (16 of 32) of SJU's shots on goal were recorded during a man advantage.