Spring Senior Spotlight
Andrea Cain: Softball
Cain is an outfielder and the team's lead-off hitter. She has a bachelor's degree in exercise science and is earning her master's in athletic training. After graduation, she will be attending physical therapy school at the University of Kentucky.
What has it meant to you to represent your school’s colors?
It’s meant so much more than just wearing blue and gold. To me, it represents a relentless pursuit to uphold Augustana’s standard of excellence every single day — on and off the field. It also means being part of something bigger than myself: the “brotherhood” of Augustana softball, which includes all of the women who have come before me and poured so much hard work, time and passion into this program. Wearing these colors is about honoring that legacy and continuing to build on it for those who come after us.
What’s one challenge you faced during your time here that changed you?
One of the biggest challenges I faced was having to go through surgery again during my freshman year. What people didn’t see was all the hours of rehab that came after it — the early mornings, the long days and all the work that didn’t feel immediate or exciting, just consistent repetition with the trainers trying to get back to where I wanted to be.
If you could go back and give your freshman self advice, what would you say?
I would tell my freshman self to really soak it all in because it goes by so fast. Don’t get caught up stressing over the future. Be present because it will all work out exactly how God intended it. I’d also remind myself that it’s okay to make mistakes — mistakes are part of growth, and every setback ends up teaching you something valuable if you’re willing to learn from it.
Clayton Poppenga: Men’s Tennis
Poppenga is a double major in Spanish and fintech. After graduating, he plans to work at The Bancorp and "continu[e] to gain skills while growing personally."
What are you going to miss most about Augustana?
I’ll miss the people the most. The everyday moments, being around the team, and everything that came with it. The experiences will stay with me, and I know I’ll carry a lot of great memories for the rest of my life.
How have you grown as a person since your freshman year?
I’ve become more disciplined, more self-aware and better at handling adversity. One of the biggest things I’ve learned is how much more I still have to grow. I’ve taken a lot of life lessons from tennis and my time here at Augie, and it has shaped me a lot.
Who has had the biggest impact on your journey as an athlete, and how?
My family, friends and coaches have all played a major role in supporting me throughout the years. There were many moments where I wanted to quit and some very tough stretches, but they kept me going. They pushed me to stay disciplined and believed in me even when I doubted myself.
Lanie Veenendall: Women’s Golf
Veenendall is a biology major with a chemistry minor. She serves as the team captain and team chaplain. After graduation, she will be attending pharmacy school at the University of Minnesota.
How have you grown as a person since your freshman year?
I have grown a lot as a person since freshman year. I am a lot more confident in myself, and I know that has come from growing my relationship with the Lord. I also live a lot more in the moment and enjoy the day rather than living for tomorrow or next month or next year.
What’s a moment in your career that people didn’t see, but meant everything to you?
One moment was actually recently. I played poorly at conference and wasn’t super happy with my scores, so before regionals my dad drove five hours to spend three days with me and work on my swing and mental game. It meant a lot to me that he’d do that.
What has it meant to you to represent your school’s colors?
I have taken a lot of pride in representing Augustana, and I’ve always tried to reflect that in how I carry myself, remembering that each time I compete I am representing myself, my team, my coaches and my entire school. I want people to think highly of Augustana because it truly is the best.
Will Sugrue: Men’s Track & Field
Sugrue is a mid-distance runner and serves as the team's SAAC representative. He is a double major in computer information systems and environmental studies with minors in religion and business administration. He currently works at KonstructIQ as an account manager on the product support team.
What’s one challenge you faced during your time here that changed you?
My freshman year was pretty hard for me. I didn’t have a major, and running wasn’t going my way at all. I just felt a little lost, so I really poured myself into my community. I hung out with the cross country team a lot and stopped worrying about what came of my running efforts and just fell in love with the process and learned to enjoy and love what I do.
How long have you been competing? How does it feel as your career comes to a close?
I have been running competitively since 7th grade, so coming up on 10 years now. It’s really weird. Running has just always been part of me, but my coach, Scott Tanis, and I talked after I was injured for a while this year, and he told me to take the attributes that I learned running and turn that into my everyday life. It’s no longer how can I be the best runner, but the best friend, brother, son or coworker. But stopping running sucks.
If you could go back and give your freshman self advice, what would you say?
I don’t think I would say anything to a younger me. I have loved every part of being at Augustana and how it has shaped me into the person I am today.
Rhidaim Yang: Women’s Tennis
Yang is pursuing a master's degree in sports administration and leadership. After graduation, she is planning to work as a tennis coach either at a college or with a sports club.
Who has had the biggest impact on your journey as an athlete, and how?
My childhood coach, Kevin, is the person that had the biggest impact on my journey as a tennis player. Despite him being a very young coach, his dedication, support, hard work and wisdom made him stand out and be a role model for me. I remember Kevin always had faith in me and encouraged me to follow my dreams. Because he believed in me, I was able to take the step to play college tennis in the U.S.
What’s something about your team that outsiders wouldn’t understand?
I feel like one thing that makes our team unique is its makeup. All of my teammates are international [students] and that naturally kind of forces us to become closer and lean on each other. Being part of an international team makes you understand that this is like a second family, a group of people that will always support you and lift you up.
How do you want to be remembered by your teammates and coaches?
I would want my teammates and coaches to remember me as the girl that never gave up. No matter what, on the court, in the gym or in class — I worked my hardest, I gave everything I had in me, and I found ways to be successful.
Ryan Clementi: Baseball
Clementi is a data science major with minors in mathematics and Spanish. He primarily plays pitcher and catcher but will also play outfield occasionally. After graduating, he plans to move to Lincoln, Nebraska, to pursue a career in either data analytics or computer science.
What’s a moment in your career that people didn’t see, but meant everything to you?
A moment in my career that people didn’t see but meant a lot to me was actually during my first day on campus. Right after my parents had moved me in, all my teammates went out to the field for a captain’s practice. It was really encouraging that I had a bunch of guys around me who had the same athletic goals as me and wanted to go out and work hard from day one. It was also super great to meet all the guys that early, as well as really comforting for my parents knowing I already had a group of 40-something people on campus who I could count on and build relationships with. This was big for me in my baseball career as well because I noticed right from the start that the culture here is built on hard work and playing as one tight-knit unit.
When did it first hit you that your college career was coming to an end?
We go out to the Sanford Fieldhouse to lift every offseason, and our last lift of the year was when it started to feel kind of like the beginning of the end for me and my career. Saying goodbye to all of the trainers who have done so much for me in my time here hit me like a train, and it reminded me that I need to enjoy every second of all of this because it really does go fast.
How do you want to be remembered by your teammates and coaches?
I want to be remembered by my coaches and teammates as someone who was always fun and positive no matter the situation. I don't always do the best job of this, but it is something I strive to do every day whether it be on or off the field. I also want to be remembered as a good teammate because that's something that should be constant despite the wins and losses.
Natalie Homerding: Acrobatics & Tumbling
Homerding is a top and tumbler on the team. She is a biology major with minors in psychology and medical humanities. After graduation, she plans to take a gap year to apply to Physician Assistant school.
What’s something about your team that outsiders wouldn’t understand?
I don’t think outsiders understand how strong and genuine our team culture is. On paper, we have strict rules and standards that we hold ourselves to, both on and off the mat. It may seem intense from the outside, but it has become second nature to our team. This shared accountability and respect has allowed us to create a strong foundation that has allowed a genuine love for our sport and each other to grow. Every single person is committed to doing whatever is best for the team, and because of that, we have built incredibly strong friendships with each other and meaningful bonds with our coaches that I will always be lucky to have.
How have you grown as a person since your freshman year?
Since my freshman year, I think I have grown by learning how to reframe pressure and stress into excitement and motivation. I used to worry so much about failure and letting my team down, but somebody once told me that "pressure is a privilege." This made me realize that those feelings are simply because I care about my team and love what I do, so I should embrace it rather than hide from it. This has helped me become more confident, ambitious and competitive, and it allows me to find joy in the process.
What has it meant to you to represent your school’s colors?
It has been an honor to represent Augie. The constant support from peers, professors, staff and the community make it feel like we are competing for something much bigger than ourselves. Every time we step on the mat, we are representing a whole community that truly believes in us, and that is something that feels so special and empowering.
Blake Northagen: Men’s Golf
Northagen is a senior captain majoring in finance and business administration with a minor in American Sign Language studies. Upon graduating, he plans to "leverage [his] background in finance and business administration to pursue a role that challenges [his] knowledge."
How does it feel as your career comes to a close?
I have been playing golf since I was 8 years old. This has been a journey that has played a major part in my life for just about as long as I can remember. Transitioning out of that has been and will continue to be very difficult. But because of my mentors, coaches and friends, I am grateful to have had something like golf, which means the world to me.
What has it meant to you to represent your school’s colors?
Representing Augie has been amazing. Having 10 of my best friends alongside me the whole way was the best part. Augie gave me a home that has meant so much to me. I have said countless times how perfect Augie has been for me, and if I could go back to making my decision again, I would pick Augie every time.
If you could go back and give your freshman self advice, what would you say?
The biggest piece of advice I would give my freshman self would be to remain patient and be present. Letting things come to me, both on the course and off, has always been a challenge that I (maybe) have started to get a handle on now. The relationships I’ve built have been the most important thing.
