Cj Wrzesien

C.J. Wrzesien is a senior Communication major with a Journalism minor at Bethel University in St.Paul, Minnesota. 

I have a passion for writing about sports, from covering games to writing features about athletes to shooting photo and video. 

I enjoy watching baseball, playing the guitar and going on long drives while listening to my favorite rock and metal albums. 

Looking for an internship or job in sports, either writing for a newspaper or working in sports information and communication for a team. 

ROYAL REPORT •

Better late than never

As Boston’s “More than a Feeling” plays, John Solfest trots out to the pitcher’s mound at Bethel University’s Hargis Park. Solfest chose his walk-out song, “More than a Feeling” as a nod to his dad, whose favorite band is Boston. Solfest recalls many times growing up blasting the song in his dad’s old pickup.

“He likes to come out to these games here at Bethel and it’s always fun seeing him up there,” Solfest said. “I kind of picked that song for him.”

Sporting a royal blue 44Pro brand glove o
The Clarion •

Rivalry renewed: Royals and Oles set for playoff battle once again

The 2023-24 season was a historic one for the Bethel University men’s hockey team, who finished the regular season with a 17-5-3 record good for a .733 winning percentage—the best in program history. The Royals appeared primed to win the MIAC for the first time since 2007, even defeating the College of Saint Scholastica in a double overtime thriller to advance to the MIAC championship game. 
And then the St. Olaf College Oles came to the Bethel University Arena. The fifth-seeded Oles built a 2-1...
The Clarion •

From Neenah to Bethel: The fight continues for Matt Jung

It’s a cool October afternoon, and the Bethel University Royals football team is playing Augsburg University in a MIAC Skyline division matchup. Auggie quarterback Ryan Harvey drops back to pass. He floats the ball over the middle, where Bethel linebacker Taylor Glynn tips it into the air. The ball appears bound to hit the turf for an incomplete pass before Royal defensive back Matt Jung, patrolling his usual centerfield safety spot, intercepts the pass. 
It’s Jung’s sixth interception of the se...
The Clarion •

Johnson’s final game epitomizes legacy

[Editor’s note: The headline has been changed for clarity]

Six NCAA Division III national championship flags pointed northeast as the orange streamers above each field goal post at Perkins Stadium in Whitewater, Wisconsin fluttered in the 13-mile-per-hour wind Saturday.

The Bethel University Royals made the nearly five-hour drive to take on the fifth nationally ranked University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Warhawks in the first round of the Division III football playoffs. The Royals lost 42-14, fi
The Clarion •

Today is a gift

On a wet and soggy field at the Ona Orth Athletic Complex in early November, the Bethel University men’s soccer team’s historic 2024 season came to a close. It was one that saw the Royals earn their most wins and conference wins since 2004 and host the first ever MIAC playoff game in program history. 
All of this washed away in a 5-2 loss to Carleton College, a game in which Bethel fell behind 3-0 and never really caught back up. 
For the Royals, the season ended in an unceremonious fashion— the...
The Clarion •

Royals’ season survives, Johnson’s legacy kept alive

Steve Johnson paced around a huddle of Bethel University football players following the team’s 31-14 win over Concordia College. Johnson announced to his team Monday, and later to the Bethel community, that this season would be his last.

While his career as a whole lives on for one more week, Johnson gave his traditional post-game lesson – often about the privilege of God’s freedom, handling challenges in real life and being a “soft-hearted, tough sucker” – extracted from the game.

In his post
The Clarion •

Embracing the challenge

Bethel University freshman Nainoa Hayashi fields the two-hop ground ball at third base and fires it toward freshman second baseman Loren Owan. Owan completes the around-the-horn double play with a throw to first during infield drills. It’s 8 p.m. on a Friday night, but instead of hanging out playing video games in their dorm, Hayashi and Cannon are at baseball practice in the Sports and Recreation Center.

The pair are more than just a double play duo, however. Hayashi and Owan, along with Chris
ROYAL REPORT •

The game that transcends race

Jeremy Iwaszkowiec glances around his office on the second floor of the Robertson Center at Bethel University in St. Paul, Minnesota. Surrounding him on the walls of his office are team photos of previous soccer teams, each one telling a unique story of a different team and a different season. Iwaszkiewicz is the head coach of Bethel’s men’s soccer team, a group with a more diverse collection of players than any other on campus.

Iwaszkowiec came to Bethel after assistant coaching at the Divisio
hometownsource.com •

Lakeville resident is running for a cause

Laura Hanneman begins the climb up “Heartbreak Hill” a half-mile stretch on the back half of the world famous Boston Marathon. As Hanneman begins the ascent on this hot, humid April morning in Boston she looks to complete her fifth marathon in the Abbott World Marathon Majors Series. As she reaches the top of Heartbreak Hill, she is tired but feeling confident she could break the six-hour mark needed for a series-qualifying time for the London Marathon in 2025.

Laura Hanneman begins the climb u...
The Clarion •

Chasing history

Chris McKelvie looks on from behind the bench as his Royals take a 4-0 lead over 10th-ranked St. Scholastica in their Feb. 2 matchup. At the west end of Bethel University Arena McKelvie sees the gold banner of the 2006-2007 Royals, the only team in program history to win a conference title. With a win tonight, the Royals will move into first place in the MIAC — a place McKelvie has been working to get the program to since he took over six years ago.

McKelvie began his journey to Bethel first as