A podcast that captures the commitment, determination, and accomplishments of Edina High School athletes and friends, past and present.
Episodes will be published every other Monday and, for Season 2 and 3, are available wherever you get your podcasts. Season 1 episodes are available through The Hornet Buzz Podcast on Spotify. All episodes can be accessed on this page.
Season 3-2025-26
Lifelong friends Jay Bennett and Jeff Wright, both 1967 graduates of Edina High School, were two of the most successful athletes to come through EHS. Jay and Jeff led the Hornets to four state titles in three years – two in football and two in basketball. After high school, Jay attended Dartmouth College where he played football and still holds the record for the longest punt in program history (83 yards). Jeff is still considered to be one of Edina’s greatest all-around athletes leading, along with Jay, the Hornets to those two football and basketball titles and was a captain and All-Lake Conference selection in baseball. After an All-Big Ten career at the University of Minnesota, Jeff played seven seasons of professional football for the Minnesota Vikings competing in 3 Super Bowls. Jay and Jeff joined us to talk about their appreciation for the athletic and academic experiences they had growing up in Edina as well as the positive and lasting impact their coaches had on their careers and their lives.
Published on 11/3/2025
A 1997 EHS grad, Greg Buth played 4 years of varsity basketball for Edina High School. During his senior year, he was named 1st team All-State and a finalist for the statewide Mr. Basketball award. Greg went on to play 4 years of NCAA Division I basketball for Dartmouth. As a sophomore, he was presented the Edward S. Steitz Award for being the top three-point shooter in the nation in Division I Men’s Basketball. Greg joined us to talk about growing up in Edina, the evolution of his basketball career, how he approaches coaching his own sons, and what he has been up to since college. Greg lives in Austin, Texas with his wife Shannon (EHS ‘97) and his four boys.
Published on 10/20/2025
A 2013 Edina High School graduate, MC McGrory was recently named head girls’ basketball coach at Edina High School. MC was a Minnesota Miss Basketball Finalist in 2013 and the MVP of the Minnesota Coaches All-Star Game. At Creighton University, MC was a three-year starter, earning two All-Big East selections and helping her team to a Big East regular season championship and a second-round NCAA Tournament appearance. MC joined us for a conversation about her basketball career and how she is looking forward to leading the Hornet girls’ basketball program.
Published on 10/6/2025
A 2018 graduate of Edina High School, Emily Kompelien competed in cross country, track & field and Nordic skiing at Edina High School. She was a two-time team state champion in cross country , 2018 state champion in track for 1600m and 800m events and was named the 2018 Gatorade Track & Field Player of the Year as well as the ExCEL Award Winner-Scholar with Distinction. After attending Brown University and competing on their cross country and track and field teams, Emily moved to New York City and is currently employed by lululemon where she works in Loyalty Strategy. Emily talks to us about the evolution of her cross country and track career and her psychological approach to competing.
Published on 9/22/2025
We begin Season 3 of Always A Hornet with a home run! A 1996 Edina High School grad, Dan Fitzgerald has established himself as one of the top college baseball coaches in the country. He is currently the head baseball coach at the University of Kansas and was recently named the Big 12 coach of the year. His teams have been successful everywhere he’s been and he is known for his outstanding recruiting and his ability to develop his players. During his years at Edina High School, Dan played football, hockey and baseball. Dan shares with us his experience as a young athlete in Edina, the mentors he had through high school, and the long and winding coaching road that led him to KU.
Published on 9/8/2025
Season 2-2024-25
In this episode, we catch up with 1984 grad Lea Blackwell Favor. Lea won eight letters in soccer, tennis and basketball while at Edina High School and led the Hornets to a state Class AA runner-up finish in basketball her junior year. After Katie shares her fangirl moment, we talk to Lea about her experiences growing up in Edina, her college years that included her two All-Big Ten seasons in basketball at the University of Minnesota, the continuing role of competitive sports in her life and the evolution of her career as a life long educator dedicated to community engagement.
Published on 5/19/2025
Troy Stein is the Assistant Principal in charge of Activities and Athletics at Edina High School. Troy has led the EHS athletic department for 12 years overseeing 34 varsity sports and numerous other independent and intramural opportunities for students. He started his career in education as a Math teacher and coach in Edina and, after a brief detour, was hired to be the AD in Edina in May of 2013. Troy gets very high marks from his coaches for being engaged and supportive of coaches and athletes. In this episode, Troy shares with us the responsibilities his job entails, what he is looking for when hiring coaches, and what he enjoys the most about being an activities director.
Published on 5/9/2025
A 1996 graduate of Edina High School, Katie (Ryerse) Aafedt excelled in soccer in both high school and college at Gustavus Adolphus. As Edina High School Girls’ Soccer Coach for 11 years, Katie led the Hornets to a state championship in 2023. In this episode, recorded as part of the Hornet Buzz podcast in June of 2024, Katie shares her experience growing up in Edina as the daughter and granddaughter of coaches who inspired her love of sports and, in particular, of soccer. Katie also talks about the evolution of her coaching philosophy and the difficult decision to retire after the championship season. Hornet Buzz Podcast producer Pete Waggoner gets the assist on this interview.
Recorded in June of 2024-Published on 4/21/2025
A 2022 Edina High School graduate, where she was a team captain in basketball and soccer, Dorothy Stotts went on to play basketball at the United States Coast Guard Academy where she is experiencing quite a bit of success. In January, she became only the 12th player in Bears women’s basketball history to break the 1,000 point scoring mark. Dorothy was also named to the First Team All Conference Team in the New England Men and Women’s Athletic Conference. Dorothy talks about the role of her family in her athletic success, shares her experiences at the USCGA and lays out her post-graduation options. Most importantly, Dorothy relates her real moment of fame when she was on an ESPN highlight video. (Thanks Paige Bueckers!)
Published on 4/7/2025
A 2018 Edina High School graduate who played both football and basketball for the Hornets, Luke Glenna went on to the University of St. Thomas where he became the first ever Tommie Division I All-American football player in 2022. Luke is entering his 3rd season in the European League of Football and has signed a contract with the Nordic Storm based in Copenhagen, Denmark. Luke shares his favorite memories of playing football and basketball growing up in Edina, his experience at the University of St. Thomas as the program moved from NCAA Division III to Division I, and what playing professional football in Europe has to offer. Hang with the episode to hear Luke’s story about playing in a Johnnie-Tommie game with a broken collar bone.
Published on 3/24/2025
This week we talk to Hilary Lunke about her youth sports experience and how she got into golf and made a career out of it. The Star Tribune 1997 Metro Scholar Athlete of the Year, Hilary shares her experiences at both EHS and being recruited to Stanford University. She also talks us through, in great detail, her experience winning the LPGA Women’s US Open in 2003.
Published on 3/10/2025
Paul Nitz is one of the most decorated athletes in the history of Edina High School. A five-time Paralympian, Paul won 5 medals (4-gold, 1-bronze) in track. Paul shares with us his experience as a student and athlete in Edina and how his athletic experience evolved from basketball to track and ultimately to his competing in the Paralympics. Paul also acknowledges and explains his status as an EHS sports Superfan.
Published on 2/24/2025
This week we were fortunate to talk with Jeannette Cluskey Vickman, EHS Class of ’00 and back to back State Class AA Singles Tennis Champion in 1998 and 1999. Jeannette went on to play college tennis at the University of Richmond and the University of Minnesota. She shares with us her experiences developing her tennis game and how they continue to impact her perspective in all areas of her life. Most importantly, Jeannette helps us identify the name of the popular sandwich shop that was a go to for so many EHS students from that era.
Published on 2/10/2025
As we expand our reach to persons who have become fixtures in the community but are not EHS alums, a great person to start with is Dave Dickey, the “Voice of Edina.” Dave has been a public address announcer for EHS sports teams for 25 years. While his main focus lately has been football and basketball, Dave has called numerous other EHS sporting events and, beginning in 2019, became the voice of the Edina 4th of July parade. Dave shares his experience moving to Edina with his wife Ann (EHS ’88) as well as some highlights of his announcing career.
Published on 1/27/2025
From Athens, Greece, where he is playing basketball professionally, Anders Nelson EHS ’18 shares his favorite memories of youth sports, especially basketball in Edina. One of the top scorers in the history of Edina HS basketball, Anders went on to University of St. Thomas where he participated in the transition from a Division III basketball program to Division I. Anders spent his post-graduate year making a huge impact on the William and Mary basketball program. After playing a professional season in Switzerland, Anders finds himself in Greece enjoying the weather and the unique experience that is overseas basketball.
Published on 1/13/2025
Coming off a remarkable first year of soccer at the University of Notre Dame, where she was named ACC Freshman of the Year, Izzy Engle, EHS ’24, talks to us about her experience as a young athlete growing up in Edina and the challenges of playing soccer at the collegiate level. Izzy also shares with us the pressures of growing up around the corner from her high school coach and mentor Katie Aafedt as well as her go-to order at Jersey Mike’s.
Published on 12/30/2024
Join us for our conversation with Drew Johnson EHS ’10 as we talk to him about his incredible swimming career both at Edina High School and The University of Minnesota. Drew shares his perspective on the EHS swim program under the leadership of the legendary Art Downey and an appreciation for some of the people who made his experience in Edina Schools so special.
Published on 12/16/2024
Season 1-2023-24
In Episode 11, Girls Varsity Hockey Coach Sami (Reber) Cowger shares her journey through Edina High School sports and in coaching. After successful hockey careers at Edina High School and Harvard University, Sami returned to EHS as the head girls hockey coach. 5 state championships later, Sami has already established herself as one of the greatest coaches in the history of Edina High School.
Published on 6/19/2024
In Episode 10, we feature 2006 EHS graduate, Jenny Taft. Jenny graduated from Boston University where she majored in Broadcast Journalism and also played Lacrosse. Jenny works for Fox Sports as a sideline report for College Football, is a host for Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, and has served as a reporter for the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia and New Zealand. She also worked the FIFA World Cup Qatar in 2022.
Published on 5/23/2024
In Episode 9, we catch up with 1986 EHS graduate Jim Carroll who was a multi-sport athlete in hockey, soccer, and baseball. Jim went on to play college hockey at Michigan Tech in the WCHA and also served as the first ever public address announcer for the Minnesota Wild. Currently, Jim can be heard in the arena as the voice of MSHSL state tournaments including boys’ and girls’ hockey. We discuss with Jim his experience growing up as a Hornet and how it impacts him today.
Published on 5/6/2024
Episode 8 features Kelly (Siemon) Deyo. Kelly is a 1997 EHS graduate and was a two-time All State and Honorable Mention All American basketball player in high school and was a major reason the Fighting Irish won a national basketball championship in 2001. She was inducted into the Edina High School Athletic Hall of Fame in 2007.
Published on 3/12/2024
In Episode 7, we talk to “Chef Donny” Andrew Enriquez who was a 2015 graduate of Edina High School and who is currently the host of What’s For Lunch? produced by Barstool Sports. “Chef Donny” is also the author of Not Your Mother’s Cookbook.
Published on 2/8/2024
Episode 6 is our conversation with multi-sport star Maddie Dahlien, a 2022 graduate of Edina High School. The 2021-22 Minneapolis Star Tribune Female Athlete of the Year, Maddie is currently attending school and playing soccer at The University North Carolina.
(A quick note here: There is an episode 5 of the Hornet Buzz podcast. We don’t link to it here because it is not an episode of Always A Hornet)
Published on 1/5/2024
In Episode 4 we welcome Hayley Nilsen, a 2022 graduate who is a team member on the MN Junior Rolling Timberwolves, plays wheelchair basketball at the University of Arizona and was a Gold Medalist at the 2023 Women’s U25 Wheel Chair World Championships.
Published on 11/29/2023
In Episode 3, 2013 graduate Anthony Walsh joins the show for a conversation about his experience growing up playing hockey in Edina. Anthony is a Community Engagement Specialist for Hennepin County and the author of Hockey is for Everyone: Anthony’s Goal.
Published on 11/11/2023
Episode 2 features Hornet multi-sport athlete Justin Gaard a 2001 grad who earned eight varsity letters (5 in tennis, 3 in basketball). Justin is a producer of the popular KFAN radio show, Bumper-to-Bumper. He also a sideline reporter for Golden Gopher Football and the radio play by play announcer for the University of Minnesota’s Women’s Basketball team.
(Another note here: There is an episode 1 of the Hornet Buzz podcast. We don’t link to it here because it is not an episode of Always A Hornet)
Published on 10/11/2023
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