CHICAGO (April 7, 2022) – A record nine student-athletes have been named to the prestigious Loyola University Chicago Maroon & Gold Society for the 2022-23 academic year.
Comprised of 25 rising seniors who have demonstrated a commitment to leadership, academic excellence, and service to others, the Maroon & Gold Society represents a University-wide cross-section of undergraduate communities and leadership paths at the institution.
Members of the Maroon & Gold Society exemplify holistic development – the fusion of the academic, personal, spiritual, and character dimensions of student development. Society members are living examples of an integrated Jesuit education for leadership and as such, these seniors act as a liaison between the student body and the President of the University.
This year's Maroon & Gold Society includes Loyola student-athletes
Cameron Arkesteyn (men's track and field),
Nolan Doherty (men's golf),
Grace Droessler (women's soccer), Timothy Harris (men's track and field),
Tessa Kraft (women's track and field), Katie Mather (women's volleyball),
Abby Thielbar (women's golf),
Amelia Thomas (softball) and
Brian Voight (men's volleyball).
Arkesteyn, who is the first Loyola student-athlete to major in computer engineering, is a Dean's List student, who owns a 3.77 grade-point average. Originally from Plymouth, Minn., Arkesteyn has helped on campus by serving as a math tutor.
Doherty, who helped the Loyola men's golf team to just its second NCAA Regionals appearance in 2021, has been a member of the Dean's List in each semester on the Lake Shore Campus and has posted a 4.0 GPA in five consecutive semesters. A member of the Illinois CPA Society, the National Society of Collegiate Scholars and Beta Alpha Psi, the accounting and finance honors society, the Arlington Heights, Ill., native is also on Loyola's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC). An active member of the community, Doherty has given time at Feed My Starving Children, WINGS Resale and Holiday Heroes.
Droessler burst onto the scene as a freshman, helping the Rambler women's soccer program to a NCAA Tournament berth as the team's starting goalkeeper, earning Second Team All-Missouri Valley Conference and MVC All-Freshman Team recognition after posting a league-best 0.95 goals-against average. She was a key figure on Loyola's 2020-21 team that also reached the NCAA Tournament but has had to battle a severe injury since then. She hasn't let that affect her performance in the classroom, garnering magna cum laude honors as a public relations and Spanish major.
An All-Missouri Valley Conference performer in the 4x400m relay at the MVC Outdoor Championships in 2021, Harris has been an active member of the Rambler Alliance for Equity and of Loyola's Black Cultural Community. The Kankakee, Ill., native has worked with the NAACP, the Southside YMCA and Winning Edge Leadership, among others, and has also been a member of the MVC Honor Roll.
Kraft appeared in a pair of cross country meets this past fall as Loyola won a third straight MVC team crown. A two-time selection to the MVC Honor Roll for her career, Kraft sports a 3.56 GPA as an environmental studies major. She is also involved with the Restoration Club at Loyola, doing clean up and ecological restoration in natural areas around Chicago, and Loyola's ASL Club, which has allowed her to connect with the deaf community.
Mather's volleyball career got off to a strong start as she handed out a team-best 678 assists during her freshman season in 2019, but after battling through injuries as a sophomore, she was forced to retire from competition prior to the 2021 fall campaign and now serves as a student assistant coach. A double major in psychology and cognitive and behavioral neuroscience, the Oak Lawn, Ill., product is a member of the MVC Honor Roll and of the Neuroscience and Psychology Society. She is one of two students to be selected for a neuroscience internship at the Shirley Ryan Ability Lab for aphasia research and was one of two students doing neuroaesthetic research. Mather offers assistance at Care for Real, the Chicago Park District and participates in weekly aphasia community groups to promote social inclusion for people suffering from the disease.
During her rookie season in 2020-21, Thielbar made quite a name for herself, posting the second-lowest stroke average on the team (78.8), and she has improved her game this season, trimming three strokes off of her average from a year ago. A two-time Missouri Valley Conference Women's Golfer of the Week honoree, the Zionsville, Ind., native set Loyola individual records for both 18-hole (66) and 54-hole (215) scores during her freshman campaign. A brilliant student, Thielbar, carries a 3.95 cumulative GPA as a accounting major, capturing Dean List's recognition in each of her semesters at Loyola. Aside from her involvement with the golf program, Thielbar is a member of Loyola's SAAC and is also active with Loyola Cru Athletes.
Last season, Thomas hit .274 with 14 runs batted in for the Loyola softball program and this season leads the team with a .268 batting average through games of March 27. The Andalusia, Ill., product is a member of the Dean's List and in addition to being a recipient of the Damen Scholarship, is also part of Loyola's SAAC. Away from campus, Thomas has given back to her community back home by helping coach softball and assisting at food pantries and soup kitchens, and in the Chicagoland area, has been active with Special Olympics and By the Hand.
Voight has excelled in the classroom since arriving at Loyola, earning Dean's List recognition in each of his five semesters on campus, while compiling a 3.90 GPA as an accounting major. The junior setter, who has seen most of his action this season as a serving specialist, has been an active volunteer with Feed My Starving Children and Lakeview Pantry.
