NORTHFIELD, Minn. -- As the calendar flips from 2025 to 2026, it provides an opportunity to look back at some of the Knights' top highlights from the last 12 months. Obviously, not everything can fit into a top-10 list, but part of the fun is discussing what did/did not make the list and which highlights should be ranked in which spot.

Enjoy this stroll down memory lane and recall some of the most memorable moments of 2025. Happy New Year!

T-10) Football sweeps trophy games against Macalester and St. Olaf  
The football team went 6-4 on the season, including trophy game wins over rivals Macalester and St. Olaf. The Knights rolled to a 51-7 win over the Scots to retain the Book of Knowledge on Sept. 20. Seven days later, Carleton handed the Oles a 35-28 defeat to reclaim the Goat Trophy.

T-10) Men's Basketball makes a run to finals of the MIAC Playoffs  
The No. 4 seed in the conference tournament, Carleton started the postseason with a come-from-behind win over Augsburg, then closed the semifinal game at top seed and No. 21-ranked Gustavus Adolphus with a 27-9 run to pull off the upset and punch the Knights' ticket to the MIAC Finals for the second time in three seasons. Carleton could not repeat the magic of the 2023 championship game, and this time fell 74-59 at No. 10-ranked Saint John's.
 
9) Academic accolades aplenty  
The Knights had 15 varsity athletic sports earn team academic awards during 2025. Aside from team academic success, Carleton student-athletes earned a total of 202 Academic All-MIAC honors in 2025. Additionally, 62 student-athletes earned College Sports Communicators' Academic All-District recognition, including Academic All-Americans Hans Anderson (men's swimming) and Ben Pennell (men's soccer). Across the board, the Knights earned 39 other national academic honors.
 
8) Six student-athletes were individual qualifiers for their various NCAA Championships
• Men's Cross Country: Gabe Nichols
• Women's Indoor Track & Field: Hannah Preisser (5000m)
• Men's Swimming & Diving: Hans Anderson (1-meter and 3-meter diving)
• Women's Swimming & Diving: Nina Schwab (1-meter and 3-meter diving)
• Women's Golf: Carter Sichol
• Women's Outdoor Track & Field: Sophie McManus (3000m steeplechase)
 
7) Knights collect numerous All-Region accolades  
Student-athletes from 11 programs earned a total of 28 individual All-Region awards in 2025.
• Men's Basketball: Luke Harris
• Women's Indoor Track & Field: Kayla Marx, Hannah Preisser (2x), Libby Rowland, Celia Silverstein, Hadley Twichell
• Men's Golf: Sam Higaki
• Women's Golf: Carter Sichol
• Women's Outdoor Track & Field: Aliya Larsen, Sophie McManus
• Baseball: Will Schnepf
• Men's Cross Country: Gabe Nichols
• Women's Cross Country – Amelia Campbell, Aliya Larsen, Hannah Preisser, Lauren Tittel, Claire Vukovics
• Men's Soccer: Ben Pennell, Briggs Priem
• Women's Soccer: Sam Gotch, Kathryn Kresse, Ashlyn Haigh, Zaraya Jordan, Avery Trapp
• Football: Jack Curtis, Declan Schwab, Rye Storrs
 
6) Individual All-America awards  
Student-athletes from five squads took home a total of eight individual All-America accolades in 2025.
• Women's Indoor Track & Field: Hannah Preisser - 8th in the 5000-meter run (All-America 1st team)
• Men's Swimming & Diving – Hans Anderson – 12th in 1-meter diving (All-America 2nd team) and 12th in 3-meter diving (All-America 2nd team)… 2025 also saw him set school records on both boards
• Women's Swimming & Diving: Nina Schwab – 3rd in 1-meter diving (All-America 1st team) and 3rd in 3-meter diving (All-America 1st team)… 2025 also saw her set pool and school records on both boards plus the MIAC overall 1-meter record
• Men's Golf: Ryan Choi (All-America Honorable Mention)
• Men's Golf: Gordon Walker (All-America Honorable Mention)
• Women's Soccer: Avery Trapp (All-America 2nd Team)
 
5) Women's Cross Country wins MIAC Championshps and finished 13th at Nationals
The women's cross country team cruised to the team title at the 2025 MIAC Championships, winning its 9th crown over the last 12 conference meets. The Knights posted the largest margin of victory at the MIAC Championships since 1993. The team had six racers collect All-MIAC recognition (top-15 finish), including rookie Claire Vukovics and senior Hannah Preisser, who finished 1-2. Carleton next finished second at the NCAA North Region Championships, where Preisser was the individual champion for the second consecutive year and five Knights collected All-Region honors. At the NCAA Championships, Carleton—boasting the youngest squad in the 32-team field by a wide margin as the seven-member team entry included two seniors and five rookies—finished 13th.
 
4) Men's Golf debuts at NCAA Championships
The Knights made their first-ever trip to the NCAA Championships in May (thanks to a team victory at the 2024 MIAC Championships) and concluded the four-day event—played in chilly, rainy conditions—in a tie for 13th place. Ryan Choi closed his career by tying for 12th place, Gordon Walker had a final-round 67 and tied for 14th place. Sam Higaki (59th), Justin Rodriguez (79th), and Gareth Birney (94th) also teed it up for the Knights in a 225-player field.
 
3) Women's Golf sets records in winning MIAC Championships
The women's golf team completed a wire-to-wire victory at the 2025 MIAC Championships, capturing the program's 10th conference title in record-setting fashion. The Knights finished with a three-day total of 886 (+22), good for a 32-stroke margin of victory and shattering the previous MIAC Championships low team score by 18 strokes. Leading the way was senior Carter Sichol, who collected her second individual conference title with a MIAC Championships-record of 211 (-5) to win by seven strokes. The team victory secured the Knights' bid to the NCAA Championships in May.

2) Women's Soccer makes a run to the Elite Eight
The Knights went 18-3-3 this fall, tied for the most victories in program history. Carleton won the MIAC Playoffs and advanced to the NCAA Championships for the third consecutive season. The Knights defeated John Carroll, 1-0, in the opening game of the national tournament, then prevailed 2-0 over No. 12 Lake Forest College in the second round. The Knights tied No. 20 Swarthmore College 1-1 (2 OT) in the Sweet Sixteen and advanced after winning the shootout by a 4-2 margin. Carleton's season ended with a 2-1 loss at No. 4 University of Chicago in the Elite Eight.
 
1) Jack Curtis posts record-breaking season en route to Gagliardi Trophy nomination despite cancer diagnosis  
Diagnosed in June with late-stage 2 "unfavorable" Hodgkin's lymphoma, he decided to play his senior season despite undergoing chemotherapy every two weeks during the season. He somehow still managed to throw for 3,120 yards with 29 touchdowns as he completed 284-of-392 passes for a 72.45 percent completion rate and was voted the MIAC Offensive Player of the Year. Curtis broke Carleton single-season records for completions, completion percentage, and passing yards and had the second-highest passing touchdown total. He is 1 of 5 finalists for the 2025 Gagliardi Trophy, which honors the most outstanding NCAA Division III football player.