MILWAUKEE – Five Mount Mary University student-athletes received their respective diplomas at December's virtual graduation ceremony last month. While the event may have looked a bit different than in years past, the hard work and dedication this quintet of Blue Angels exhibited is nonetheless cause for celebration.
This group of student-athletes represented five different majors (four Bachelors of Arts and a Bachelor of Science), as well as five of the six different athletic programs sponsored by Mount Mary. True testaments of the phrase "student-athlete," they accrued numerous athletic and academic honors in their tenure at MMU.
Please join our entire Athletics Department as we celebrate the academic and athletic efforts of Haley Johnson, Megan Johnson, Johnelle Suto, Brianna Valdez, and Halee Vande Boom, and wish them good look in their future endeavors!
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Haley Johnson - Germantown, Wis. / Germantown Haley Johnson appeared in 81 softball games at Mount Mary, including 11 in the spring of 2020 prior to COVID shutdown. Offensively, Johnson compiled a .174 career batting average on 28 hits in 161 at bats. She was on track for career best marks with a .250 batting average and slugging percentage, and on-base percentage of .379. A four-year letter winner for the Blue Angels, the catcher compiled a career fielding percentage of .949, including an errorless season in 2020 behind the plate. Johnson tallied seven multi-hit career games, going 2-for-2 with three walks, a run scored, and an RBI in an 8-7 victory over Edgewood early last season. Johnson graduates with a Bachelor of Arts in Art Education and a minor in Philosophy and was named to the Academic All-American Collegiate Athletic Association Honor Roll in 2019. |
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Megan Johnson - Waukesha, Wis. / Waukesha North Megan Johnson arrived at Mount Mary University the spring semester of 2019, playing in both volleyball and basketball. On the volleyball court, the defensive specialist-turned-starting libero recorded 303 digs in the 2019 season alone, averaging 4.33 digs per set to accompany 27 service aces. Johnson tallied a career high 34 digs in a four-set win against Holy Family and a career high six service aces in a sweep of the Lakers two weeks prior, and earned All-American Collegiate Athletic Association Second Team laurels. Johnson also saw major court time in two Mount Mary basketball seasons, averaging nearly 23 minutes while appearing in 33 and starting 13 games. At guard, Johnson compiled 245 total points (7.4 points per game), 47 total rebounds, 38 assists, and 13 rebounds in her Mount Mary career. Johnson poured in career high 18 points twice, most recently in a 60-57 victory over Marian in late 2019. Johnson graduates with a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration and earned Academic All-American Collegiate Athletic Association honors for both basketball and volleyball during the 2019-20 athletics seasons. |
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Johnelle Suto - Enterprise, Ore. / Joseph Charter Johnelle Suto was also a dual-sport athlete at Mount Mary, playing one year of volleyball before transitioning to the Blue Angel cross country squad. As a harrier, Suto saw ran 11 career races, including all six races in the 2019 season. Suto's best 6K finish in 2019 came at the Warrior Invitational at Greenfield Park, posting a time of 31:49.6. She posted a personal record 6K time of 29.29.8 at the Wisconsin Private College Championships in Ripon in 2018. In 5K races, MMU also competes annually at the Tom Barry Invitational in Green Bay, with Soto's personal record 5K time of 29:06.4 also coming in 2018. Suto also saw action in 17 volleyball matches and 56 total sets as a freshman setter. She tallied a career high 19 assists against Finlandia, and a double-digit dig outing with 12 against North Central. Suto graduates with a Bachelor of Science in Biology and was a two-time Northern Collegiate Athletics Conference Scholar-Athlete. |
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Brianna Valdez spent two seasons in a Mount Mary University uniform, competing in both basketball and cross country. At forward, Valdez appeared in 43 basketball games, starting two. She scored 105 total points (2.4 points per game average) to accompany 89 total rebounds, 35 total assists, and 24 total steals in just under 15 minutes per game throughout her career as a cager. Valdez recorded a career-high eight point effort against Grace Bible on January 18, 2019. On the Cross Country course, Valdez competed at the Lucian Rosa Invitational at UW-Parkside on September 28, 2019 with a personal best 36:53.8 time for the 6K race. Valdez graduates with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology with a minor in Spanish. |
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Halee Vande Boom played two seasons of soccer at Mount Mary, starting all 32 games while in a Blue Angel uniform. As a defender, Vande Boom tallied three goals and 14 career shots with nine on-goal attempts. She scored once in three different games, including two late October home matchups against Andrews in 2018 and 2019, respectively. She added another goal against Rockford in 2018 and finished her career with six career points. Vande Boom also tallied a pair of All-American Collegiate Athletic Association postseason laurels, named to the Second Team in 2019 and an Honorable Mention honor in 2018. Vande Boom graduates with a Bachelor of Arts in in Merchandise Management with a minor in Business Merchandising. |
