Castleton

Spartans

Joel Leichtnam ’05 helped establish Castleton as a force in the North Atlantic Conference in both soccer and basketball as a four-year letter winner in each sport. Leichtnam was a defensive anchor in both, serving as a goalkeeper in soccer and forward on the hardwood. He took over keeper starting duties as a junior and established himself as one of the top goalies in the North Atlantic Conference. Leichtnam led the Spartans to back-to-back NAC Championships in 2003 and 2004, appearing in 42 games and starting 39. He won 24 of those contests, posting a 1.50 GAA over that period with 11 shutouts – highlighted by shutouts in the 2003 and 2004 NAC Championship matches. As a senior he was All-Conference honorable mention, while his eight shutouts is still tied for third all-time in a single season. Leichtnam finished his career fourth all-time in wins while posting a career 1.55 GAA. In basketball, the forward is one of five players to surpass 1,000 points and 700 rebounds in a single career. Leichtnam was honored as the team’s Most Valuable Player as both a sophomore and junior, and was selected as NAC All-Conference Honorable Mention during the 2002-03 season. As a senior, he helped lead the team to its first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance. Leichtnam concluded his career fifth all-time in rebounds with 722, while also scoring 1,059 points. He and his wife live in Texas where he works for General Electric.