Four CSB+SJU winter sport athletes earn All-American honors

Cole Stencel 

SJU junior Cole Stencel earned All-American honors after placing eighth in the mile run with a time of 4:16.00 at the 2026 NCAA Division III Indoor Track & Field Championships. 

“During the race I was towards the back and needed to get going to get that All-American spot, and I was able to do so,” Stencel said. “I was running with the best in the nation, and it definitely taught me a lot about racing at that level. It was a truly great experience.”

Stencel, a physics major, became the first Johnnie to claim All-American honors in the mile. 

“It’s definitely an honor, and it’s a way of showing that the hard work was worth it,” Stencel said. “I’m extremely grateful to be running at this level.”

During the indoor season, Stencel set school records in the mile, 1,000-meter and 3,000-meter runs, and he was also part of the Johnnies’ record-breaking distance medley relay. 

“Obviously to be an All-American was a great result,” said head cross country coach and assistant track & field coach Maxwell Kuzara via email. “This was a great experience for Cole, and I think he certainly learned a lot about competing at that level that will benefit him going forward.” 

At Wartburg, the quartet of senior Nick St. Peter, junior Cooper Smith, senior Owen Montreuil and Stencel broke the SJU record with a time of 10:04.84, surpassing the previous mark set just one season ago, which also included Stencel. 

“The distance medley relay brings me joy because of the team aspect,” Stencel said. “It can be a lot of fun and makes accomplishments even more joyful when competing with the team.” 

Stencel also delivered a standout showing in the 3,000 meters, finishing third overall and first among Division III runners at Minnesota’s Snowshoe Open with a school-record time of 8:19.52. 

“The 3K I really wasn’t expecting at all,” Stencel said. “I was just set up in the race for success and was able to do bigger things than more I realized.” 

At the MIAC Indoor Championships, Stencel won the conference title in the mile run with a program- and meet-record time of 4:10.26, eclipsing his own school record and took first in the 1,000-meter run with a time of 2:27.44. 

“I knew the mile would be doable, and I was hoping that next year I could break it, but I just ended up running faster than I thought I could this year,” Stencel said. “It’s just been a season of unexpected blessings.”

The strong performance in the mile was just another case of Stencel’s hard work paying off. 

“Obviously it is hard to reach this level without both a great work ethic and a positive attitude, and Cole certainly has both of those things,” Kuzara said via email. “What looks like an overnight success from the outside is really days, on top of months, on top of years of disciplined training” 

Kuzara also emphasized Stencel’s character away from competition. 

“He’s extremely humble,” Kuzara said via email. “If you ran into Cole on the street and had a conversation with him, you would never know how accomplished he is as an athlete.”

A Maple River high school graduate, Stencel never initially envisioned competing on a big stage. That perspective changed after arriving in Collegeville and working with the SJU coaching staff. 

“I was good for a small-town kid, but I never thought of myself being on a bigger stage and being able to develop into the runner I am today,” Stencel said. “Their way of coaching, leading and teaching has helped me learn so much more about running the last three years.” 

Unlike many elite runners, Stencel did not start running competitively until high school. 

“I didn’t start until my ninth-grade year,” Stencel said. “I got encouraged by the high school coach to try a 5k and ended up running well unexpectedly for not having any training. I went out for cross country in the fall, and it just tended to grow into a more important part of my life,” Stencel said. 

Running has now become a central part of not just his athletic career but also his personal life. 

“Going for a run allows me time to pray,” Stencel said. “It has a way of being a part of my prayer and my worship life. It’s become a staple.” 

Haley Zelen 

CSB junior Haley Zelen earned All-American honors at the 2026 NCAA Division III Swimming & Diving Championships after placing second overall in the 100 butterfly, with a school-record time of 53.88, marking the highest finish by a CSB swimmer in program history. Zelen became the program’s first All-American since 2002 and also competed in the 50 and 100 freestyles at the national meet. 

“Overall, the experience was really cool,” Zelen said. “The 100 fly was the highlight of my entire weekend. I was pretty confident and was extremely happy with how that race went. I was hoping to win it all, but I still am extremely happy with my time and just being able to experience getting on the podium, getting the trophy and the walkout for finals.” 

Zelen is the first swimmer or diver to receive All-American honors under head coach Mandy Wolvert.

“I think it was great for Haley’s 100 butterfly to be her second race,” Wolvert said via email. “She was able to get one race behind her, get her feet under her in a sense and focus on her fly. She had so much confidence going into that race and it showed.” 

Zelen noted how meaningful it was to have a strong support system at the national meet. 

“It was really cool to have my parents there, and I had some teammates make the whole drive all the way to Indianapolis,” Zelen said. “I’m just appreciative of them all, especially having Brayden Slavik there. It was awesome to have a teammate and be able to cheer him on as well.”

SJU senior Brayden Slavik echoed that sentiment, noting the value of going through the experience together.

“We experience the same races, the same tiredness,” Slavik said. “It was nice having her there to experience that with me and just to talk.”

Slavik competed for SJU at nationals in the 1,650-yard freestyle and recorded a third-place finish. Slavik was named MIAC Swimmer of the Year for the second consecutive season while Zelen became the first Bennie ever to be named MIAC Swimmer of the Year after earning All-MIAC honors in seven events at the conference championships. Wolvert also became the first CSB Swim and Dive coach to claim MIAC Coach of the Year recognition.

At the conference meet, Zelen won the 50 and 100 freestyles, as well as the 100 butterfly. Zelen was also on three championship relays and one second-place relay.

The national meet ended a monumental season for Zelen, who set four individual school records and was a part of four record-setting relay teams. Zelen earned program records in the 100 butterfly (53.88), 50 freestyle (23.07), 100 freestyle (50.79) and 100 IM (59.76). 

“It has been so much fun coaching Haley this year. There’s not much we can throw at her that she can’t do.” Wolvert said. 

Zelen, a Shakopee high school graduate, was part of school-record relay performances in the 200 medley (1:44.45), 200 freestyle (1:35.76), 400 medley (3:51.91) and 400 freestyle (3:31.36). 

“Haley is a confident competitor,” Wolvert said. “She’s great at analyzing her races, knowing what went well, what she can change for next time and working on those things at practice.”

Zelen traced her swimming journey back to an early age. 

“When I was seven, I joined the YMCA and, since then, I just kind of kept growing and getting better,” Zelen said. “Around sixth grade, I won a city record, and then I started working even harder and growing more in love with the sport.”

Zelen, an accounting major, transferred in for her junior year after spending two seasons at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. 

“Wisconsin was a great experience, but I just wasn’t able to contribute as much as I wanted to,” Zelen said. “I decided to enter the transfer portal and St. Ben’s has always been in my mind just knowing that both of my parents went here. I thought it was a great fit, and I knew I was going to be able to contribute right away. I’m really happy with my decision.”

Zelen’s parents, Deanne and Matt, were both swimmers at CSB+SJU and each earned All-American honors. 

“When I got back home, I made my dad take out his NCAA trophies because he just kept them in a box,” Zelen said. “I was like, now that I have one, you should take yours out, and we found out that we both got second in the butterfly, so that was really cool.”

Building on a family tradition at CSB+SJU, Zelen said she feels proud to add her own chapter.

“They left their own history here, and now I’m able to create my own along with them,” Zelen said. “I think that’s pretty special.”

Brayden Slavik 

Slavik earned All-American honors after placing third in the 1,650-yard freestyle with a time of 15:26.52 at the 2026 NCAA Division III Swimming & Diving Championships, setting a new conference and school record in the event. 

“I was surprised. It ended up going really good, and when I looked at the clock, it was my personal best, so that was an awesome feeling,” Slavik said. 

SJU Swim and Dive head coach Ben Gill was impressed by Slavik’s determination leading up to the national meet.

“The training going into nationals was hard and heavy, and he did great with it. The outcome speaks for itself,” Gill said. “He finished third place and had a really great week.”

A Chaska high school graduate, Slavik improved on his finish in the 1,650 yard freestyle from last season, when he earned All-American honorable mention honors with a 15th-place finish in the same event.

“It’s a huge accomplishment,” Slavik said. “I wanted to get out there and get the real thing this time, and it was one of the best moments of my swimming career.”

Slavik got his start in swimming after growing tired of watching his older sister at her practices. 

“I was eight years old when I started swimming,” Slavik said. “My sister started swimming, and I just got really bored of watching her practice. So, I said, ‘Mom, can I go swim with her?’ And I’m glad I did and got started with swimming in the first place.”

Slavik said his path to becoming a collegiate athlete developed over time.

“Early on in high school, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to continue swimming, but as I started getting better and more into the sport, I saw myself being able to become a collegiate athlete,” Slavik said. “The changing point for me was just seeing how well others did above me. When I joined the team as a high school freshman, I was kind of timid and scared. Then I saw the people around me do amazing things and it makes you want to continue.”

Slavik broke his own SJU record in the 400-yard individual medley with a time of 3:57.55 for his third straight title in the event. He also won the 500-yard freestyle (4:29.70) for the second time and captured his third consecutive 1,650-yard freestyle title (15:32.16).

“Without sounding arrogant, I do have high expectations for myself, and I do expect to be at the top,” Slavik said. “I wasn’t expecting to be that high up though in the national meet so seeing that was amazing.”

Slavik also competed in the 400-yard individual medley and the 500-yard freestyle at the national championships.

Slavik credits much of his success to both his teammates and his head coach. 

“My coach, Ben Gill, he’s there every single practice helping me out,” Slavik said. “Also, my teammates, there was a crowd of about 20 of them at the national meet just to watch and support me. Even though swimming can be an individual sport, there is a team aspect to it as well.”

A psychology major, Slavik ended his career as a nine-time MIAC champion (eight individual and one relay) and a 16-time All-MIAC honoree. 

“Brayden is a special kid in a lot of different ways, but what stands out to me is that he doesn’t look past the daily grind,” Gill said. “He understands that the events that he swims require a lot of effort every single day. You need to be detailed, focused and work hard, and he put that work in every single day.”

With his athletic career at SJU coming to a close, Slavik said he hopes he has left a lasting impact on the program.

“I hope that I’m leaving motivation for the underclassmen and people coming into St. John’s to realize that they really can do anything, as long as they put in the hard work and support their teammates,” Slavik said. 

For the second consecutive season Slavik was named MIAC Swimmer of the Year after winning three events at the MIAC championships. 

“He changed this team in so many ways. He changed expectations and has opened people up to the idea of what hard work can be,” Gill said. “With his success, he is showing guys on the team where hard work can take you, if you’re willing to put it in.”

Jon Howe 

St. John’s University senior goaltender Jon Howe was named to the 2025-26 CCM Hockey/American Hockey Coaches’ Association (AHCA) Division III All-America West Region First Team. Howe is SJU’s first All-American first-team selection in 20 years. 

He finished with a 16-6-4 record (fourth-most wins in an SJU season) and allowed just 2.51 goals against per game. Howe earned a .929 save percentage and collected 869 total saves, second-most in SJU history. 

Howe finished first in goals against average (2.27) and save percentage (.933) in conference play and was named to the MIAC All-Playoff Team. 

The goaltender helped SJU clinch their seventh berth to the NCAA Division III Tournament in school history after winning the MIAC Tournament for the sixth time in school history. The  Johnnies also won the MIAC regular season title, their 10^th in program history.  A Totino-Grace graduate and accounting major, Howe finished his Johnnie career with a 2.58 goals against average, .923 save percentage and 1,761 total saves.