Raiders On The Record

Pete McGinnis is a 1984 Raider Graduate. During high school, he was a three sport athlete competing in football, basketball, and baseball. Pete was All-conference as a football player and captain of the football team and basketball team. While he was in college, he was recruited to coach high school football and began his coaching career in 1987. Over the last 35 years, Pete has coached five different sports. For football he has coached at the middle school, 9th grade, 10 grade, and varsity levels. In basketball, he has coached both boys and girls at the middle school, JV, and varsity levels. In baseball, he has coached at the middle school and 9th grade level. In track, he was an assistant coach for two years. Finally, in golf, Pete was the head varsity from 1996-2019 and is currently as assistant. Pete has been a physical education teacher in the Hastings School District since the early 90's and also the middle school athletic director for two years. The wealth of knowledge and experience Pete brings to this episode is second to none where he gives great advice to new coaches, seasoned coaches, parents, and athletes. 

Kendal Jenkins is a junior at Hastings High School and will be a 2022 Raider Graduate. She competes in swimming and softball. In swimming, she has been a varsity athlete since 8th grade and is a 4 time all-conference award winner while competing in the 100m backstroke and 100 m freestyle. In softball, she has been a varsity starter since 8th grade and was All-State during her 9th grade year. Kendall is extremely thoughtful in her approach to athletics and the role it has played in her life. In this interview, she discusses the impact sports has had on her and has very insightful advice for parents, coaches, and athletes. 

Jackie Kranz is a 1976 Raider graduate. During her time at Hastings High School, Jackie was part of the first female volleyball team in school history and was all-conference her senior year. She was apart of the student council and was the vice president of as a class officer. Jackie started working in the district in 1995 and in 1997 started at the athletic administrative assistant, which is her current position as well. Over the last 20 years, Jackie has worked with three athletic directors,  thousands of coaches, and tens of thousands of athletes where she helps them prepare for their sports season and assists them throughout the year. Working in the athletic department, Jackie has had a unique role working with coaches and athletes, while also being a parent and grandparent of athletes as well. 

Alec Rudh is a 2017 Raider graduate. During his time at Hastings High School, he participated in hockey and tennis. During his junior year of high school, Alec was a captain of the tennis team and the #1 singles. During his senior year, he was captain of the hockey team and captain and #1 singles for the tennis team again. After graduating from Hastings, Alec attended St. Mary's University in Winona where he competed in tennis and majored in business analytics and sports management. Currently, Alec is living in Orlando, Florida and works for the United State Tennis Association where he plans and runs operations and major tennis competitions.

Nolan Myers is a 2021 Raider graduate. He is a three sport athlete participating in Cross Country, wrestling, and track and field. In cross country, he is a four year letter winner, three time all-conference award winner, and a two- time captain. In wrestling, he is a five year letter winner, one time all conference, a two-time captain, and was All-state his senior year. Finally in track, he is a three-year letter winner and a one year captain. Nolan is attending South Dakota State University where he will major in Fish and Wildlife Science. 

Ben Clemens is a junior at Hastings High School. He is a three sport athlete where he competes in football, hockey, and lacrosse. Ben is a stellar student-athlete who excels both in the classroom and on the field of play. As a junior in high school, he brings a unique perspective to sports as someone who is beginning his journey as a leader in sports and how this leadership role has a positive benefit to one's life. 

Nick Tuckner is a 1999 Raider graduate. He is the oldest of six children who went through the SEAS school system and then to Hastings High School for 9-12th grade. Nick participated in multiple sports throughout middle and high school such as soccer, hockey, baseball, and golf. During these sports, he suffered numerous setbacks such as injuries and not making the team which he talks about during this episode. Nick used these small setbacks during his high school years to learn more about the sports he played and fostered a love for sports which ultimately lead him to his current profession. Nick has worked at KDWA as the sports director since 2002 where he has called over 1000 games for Raider Athletics. During this time, he has called some great Raider wins such as the 2011 Softball state championship and the 2012 Football win over CDH. Nick always brings high energy to his play by play and brought that same energy to this interview. He also gets very emotional when discussing his time playing soccer on Todd Field and the circumstances surrounding it. Finally, with 19 years of experience in multiple sports, Nick brings great insight to parents, coaches, and current athletes. 

Mick Willete is a 1993 graduate of Blue Earth Area High School. While in high school, he was a three sport athlete where he competed in basketball, tennis, and cross country. After graduation, Mick attended St. John's University where he majored in English Education and competed in tennis. Mick taught English for one year at Blue Earth Area High School before being hired at Hastings High School in 2000. During his teaching career, he has coached tennis at a variety of levels. These include Middle School for 3 years, JV boys for 2 years, Varsity girls for 5 years, and the head boys coach for 15 years.  Mick retired from the boys head tennis position in 2020 and is still teaching English at Hastings High School. Mick brings an enormous amount of experience and knowledge to this episode where he reflects on the teachers and coaches who impacted his life and how that molded his coaching and teaching style. 

Aryana Klaren is a 2021 Raider Graduate. She has competed in multiple sports throughout her high school career such as soccer, hockey, and lacrosse. She has been a four year varsity starter in both hockey and lacrosse where she was a two-time captain for lacrosse and a one-time captain for hockey. Aryana brings an interesting take to sports where she picked up lacrosse during high school and excelled in it. Finally, she has great advice for coaches, parents, and current athletes. 

Simon Hedin is a 2021 Raider graduate. He is a four sport varsity athlete participating in soccer as a defenseman, football as the kicker, hockey as a goalie, and baseball as a pitcher. Simon won the Excel award as a junior and will attend Northwestern University in Chicago where he plans to major in engineering. Simon has great insight into sports and the role it can play in the life of a high school student athlete. Listen to the entire episode to hear his words of wisdom for coaches, parents, and other student athletes.