Concordia University, St. Paul Athletics

After arriving from Hermantown High School, Anna (Bjorlin) Graves, BA ’10, made an immediate impact as she locked down the second base position, starting nearly every game over her four years and earning All-NSIC First Team honors in each of her final three seasons.
 
Graves helped the team to four consecutive seasons with at least 27 wins, culminating in a trip to the NCAA Tournament in her senior season. In addition to her durability for the Golden Bears, she was a remarkably consistent player as she hit at least .325 with double-digit steals while fielding at a .955 clip or better in all four seasons on campus. She finished her career with a .353/.416/.526 slash line, 57 steals and a .963 fielding percentage.
 
Taking her place at the second base, Graves provided value on both sides of the ball as her 370 total bases and 15 triples both stand as program records while her 437 assists and 69 double plays turned are tied for first at Concordia. She also ranks second at CSP with 248 hits and 50 doubles.
 
After a strong debut season in which she led the NSIC in doubles and triples in 2007, Graves put together a dominant conference campaign as a sophomore as she won the NSIC batting title with .481 average in league play. Her efforts that season resulted in her first of three straight All-NSIC First Team selections.
 
She took another step forward as a junior as she put up a career-high .441 on-base percentage with a .360 batting average while driving in a career-best 33 runs and stealing a career-best 17 bases. She added another All-NSIC First Team honor while helping the team to a 33-win campaign.
 
In her final season with the Golden Bears, Graves contributed a massive .393/.434/.612 slash line with a career-high 26 extra-base hits en route to being named NFCA All-America Third Team. Her efforts helped lead the team to a 35-17 record, including a 19-7 record in league play, as they grabbed a first round victory in the NCAA Tournament.
 
While Graves found success on the diamond, she also found success in the classroom as she was named a 2010 ESPN The Magazine (CoSIDA) Academic All-America Third Team selection. She was also named Academic All-Region twice and NSIC All-Academic three times while completing her degree in criminal justice.
 
Following graduation, Graves took a job in her hometown of Hermantown at Urshan Retirement Group where she currently holds the position of Licensed Office Manager. Graves and her husband, Peter, were married in 2010 and they currently reside in Duluth with their three girls, Paisley, Posey and Indy.