New home, new college, new city, new level of competition.
One of the finest linebackers to come through Owatonna in recent years, Grant Achterkirch, will be transferring to Division III University of Wisconsin-La Crosse after spending the previous two years at Division I FCS University of St. Thomas. He announced his decision on social media early Tuesday evening.
Achterkirch, who entered the transfer portal on December 7, will be eligible to play for UW-La Crosse for three seasons starting this fall.
Achterkirch saw limited action in two games at UST this past season and brings a ton of skill and pedigree to his new team. He is a former two-time all-district linebacker for the Huskies, a Big Nine Scholar Athlete recipient and was selected to play in the 2021 Minnesota Football Showcase at US Bank Stadium. His father, Marc Achterkirch, is Owatonna’s long-time defensive coordinator, Activities Director and former record-setting college linebacker at Minnesota-Duluth.
Achterkirch will be the third OHS graduate to play football at UW-L in the last 10 years, joining Mitch Hawkins and Zach Mensink.
Achterkirch joins a UW-L program that has finished with no fewer than nine wins over the last three seasons and has qualified for the national tournament each year in the stretch. In 2023, the Eagles finished 11-2 and advanced all the way to the Division III quarterfinals in 2023.
Wisconsin-La Crosse won the 1992 and 1995 D-III National Championship and is a member of ultra-competitive Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. The football team plays its home games at the 10,000-seat Veterans Memorial Sports Complex, which is roughly, by comparison, is double the size of the Tommies’ home facility, O’Shaughnessy Stadium.
SIDE-BY-SIDE: ST. THOMAS & UW-LACROSSE
| NCAA LEVEL | UNDERGRAD UNROLLMENT | HOME STADIUM CAPACITY | FOOTBALL CONFERENCE | CONFERENCE FOOTPRINT | LONGEST CONF. ROAD TRIP | MAIN CAMPUS LOCATION | DISTANCE FROM OWATONNA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ST. THOMAS | Division I FCS | 9, 878 | 5,1000 | Pioneer Football League | 10 states 3 time zones | 1,823 miles | St. Paul, MN | 71 miles |
| UW-LA CROSSE | Division III | 10, 546 | 10,000 | WIAC | 1 state 1 time zone | 170 miles | La Crosse, Wis | 113 miles |
GRANT ACHTERKIRCH: PLAYER PROFILE
HEIGHT: 6-foot-2
WEIGHT: 222 lbs.
POSITION: LB
YEAR: RS-Sophomore
NEW COLLEGE: Wisconsin-La Crosse
PREVIOUS COLLEGE: University of St. Thomas
ELIGIBILITY: 3 years remaining
GRANT ACHTERKIRCH: HIGH SCHOOL STATS
2021 (SR): 8 GP, 74 TACK (24 AST), 2 FR, 1 FF, 2 BK I All-Big Southeast District, Big Nine Scholar Athlete, Minnesota Football Showcase participant
2020 (JR): 7 GP, 51 TACK (17 AST), 2.0 SK, 2 FF I All-Big Southeast District
2019 (SOPH): 7 GP, 22 TACK (4 AST), 1 FR
CAREER: 22 GP, 147 TACK (45 AST), 3 FR, 4 FF, S SK, 2 BK
JON WEISBROD is the Founder/Publisher of The Husky Bulletin and the recipient of numerous top place awards for his writing and editorial skills from the Minnesota Newspaper Association, Wisconsin Newspaper Association and The Associated Press.
THE HUSKY BULLETIN 
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