For senior center Mitch Gaulke, 2012 was a season he checked all the boxes.
Going into the year, the recipient of this year's Pokey Allen Endowed Scholarship had three goals: 1) be a starter…check (all 11 games); 2) Get All-Conference honors…check (honorable mention All-Big Sky Conference—again); 3) Be an Academic All-American…check—and how! (NCAA/FCS ADA Academic All-Star, CoSIDA Academic All-District 8, Academic All-Big Sky Conference and PSU Mike Schrunk Scholar-Athlete of the Year).
Putting himself in a position to start meant watching extra film and spending more time in the weight room each week. Obviously, it worked.
"I felt the strongest since I've been here. Every year, I've gotten bigger and stronger,” said the 6-2, 285-pound West Linn High School graduate. “And that meant focusing on healthy eating to put on the right kind of weight.”
His extra work didn't go unnoticed, either.
“Over the last year, he (Gaulke) got stronger and improved his footwork and his flexibility. He settled into a starting role and became the vocal leader for the offensive line,” said Offensive Line Coach Brad Davis.
And it was the general effort of that offensive line that provided him with his 2012 on-field highlight.
“Being on the offensive line is such a team thing, it's not just an individual thing. For me, the highlight of the season was the way the offensive line came together as a unit,” Gaulke said.
It was the first time those players had played as a unit, he added. “We'd all played before, but this was the first year we played as a unit, and it was the most fun I've had… playing with those guys.”
Gaulke also found the expanded Big Sky Conference a fun place to play.
“That made the league stronger. We brought in some strong teams and, being the Big Sky, there are no cake walks. Anyone can rise up. They're all strong and that makes it fun to play,” he said.
His goal for next year is to “be in a position to compete for the Big Sky championship. I want to do whatever I can to help get the new players up to speed. We're still a young team and I want to help them get experience.”
That's in line with Davis' plans for him. “We're going to have a lot of inexperienced players next year. His biggest role will be to get them up to speed… to buy into the vision and to play hard… get them to fulfill the high level we've developed over the last three years protecting the quarterback, running the ball and playing hard,” said Davis.
Off the field, Gaulke will “walk” this spring for his degree in accounting, even though he plans to finish the final 10 hours next fall. In earning an accounting degree, he follows in the footsteps of his mother, Cheryl Gaulke, and brother, Cameron, both of whom have accounting degrees. Graduate school looms with plans for the CPA exam.
Before that, though, there's next season and high expectations. And, he added one final note.
“None of what I've done has just been done by me. There's been a lot of support from my teammates. The staff and coaches do a good job helping us,” he said.
