Former Mayo, RCTC running back Lozoya retires from football: 'It brought a tear to my eye'
Jul. 11—ROCHESTER — Israel "Speedy" Lozoya has decided to end his college football career after playing two seasons at Rochester Community and Technical College.
Lozoya is a 2019 Mayo High School graduate. He was a standout running back at RCTC in 2019 and 2021. The 2020 season was called off due to COVID.
He suffered a season-ending ACL knee injury during the sixth game of the 2021 season, on Oct. 6 at home against Minnesota State-Fergus Falls. RCTC moved to 4-2 with a win that day, but without Lozoya in the lineup, the Yellowjackets dropped their final two games, including a 29-28 setback to Minnesota West in the state quarterfinals.
Despite his injury, Lozoya was still named first-team All-MCAC as he easily led the Yellowjackets in rushing.
He recently announced his decision to stop playing competitive football in a Twitter post. Lozoya had been playing organized football since he was about 8-years-old.
"It brought a tear to my eye just writing it down and posting it," he said. "It was definitely a hard decision to make because it was a big part of my life. But I can't play football forever and I gave it all I had."
The 21-year-old has decided to begin the next chapter of his life, which includes running a business and raising a family.
"I have a daughter now so I've decided to settle down," Lozoya said. "I think I've done my due with football and (I want to) focus on my daughter."
His daughter is nearly 8 months old. He started his own business in Rochester in 2021, Lozoya Lawn and Landscaping. Last year Lozoya said he had between 30 and 40 clients and that number is around 50 this summer.
"I've been doing that for a couple of years now," he said. "This summer has been going great so I've been doing that and pretty much taking care of my daughter."
Lozoya has had knee surgery and he is currently rehabbing at the Mayo Clinic.
"I'm doing good, the therapy's been going great," he said. "I still haven't been cleared to sprint or do any jogging yet, but I can definitely walk around and work."
The Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference has announced its 2021-22 winter and spring Academic All-Conference honorees. A record 1,299 student-athletes made the list.
In order to qualify for Academic All-MIAC status, student-athletes must be sophomores, juniors, or seniors by academic standards with a minimum cumulative grade-point average of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale. Students must also have completed one full-time academic year at their current institution prior to becoming eligible for the honor.
Area student-athletes to be honored by the MIAC include, by sport with college, grade and hometown:
Baseball: Matthew Hayford (St. John's, junior, Rochester) and Keegan Majerus (St. Mary's, senior, Pine Island); women's basketball: Kevin Boysen (Augsburg, senior, Rochester) and Megan Boegel (Bethel, senior, Rochester); men's golf: Fritz Belisle (Augsburg, junior, Red Wing, and men's hockey) and Zach Stewart (Augsburg, junior, Rochester); women's golf: Olivia Boe (Augsburg, senior, Stewartville) and Grace Hillemeier (St. Benedict, senior, Byron); men's hockey: Brandon Ratzloff (Augsburg, sophomore, Rochester), Sean Salz (St. Olaf, junior, Rochester) and Brady Dahl (St. John's, senior, Rochester); women's hockey: Brooke Leone (Augsburg, senior, Rochester), Malia Schubert (Augsburg, sophomore, Mantorville), Ally Halverson (Bethel, junior, Rochester), Clara Billings (Gustavus, junior, Rochester), Isabelle Heim (St. Benedict, sophomore, Rochester), Rose Kraus (St. Mary's, senior, Kasson), Lily Holtz (St. Scholastica, junior, Austin) and Alyssa Ratzloff (St. Scholastica, junior, Rochester); softball: Bryn Carlstrom (St. Benedict, sophomore, Rochester), Abby Nosbisch (St. Mary's, sophomore, Chatfield) and Mikayla Grant (St. Catherine, senior, Kasson); men's swimming: Brady Boie (Gustavus, sophomore, Pine Island) and Matt Strom (Gustavus, sophomore, Rochester).
Women's swimming: Aleia Johnson (Carleton, sophomore, Rochester), Abigail Schammel (Gustavus, senior, Austin), Julia Cordes (St. Olaf, junior, Rochester, also track and field); men's tennis: Nicholas Aney (Gustavus, senior, Rochester), Nolan Morrey (St. John's, sophomore, Rochester) and Matthew Besek (St. Mary's, junior, Winona); women's tennis: Emily Norman (Gustavus, junior, Rochester), Amalin Sorajja (Macalester, junior, Rochester), Kailee Johnson (St. Mary's, senior, Rochester) and Julia Ellefson (St. Scholastica, senior, Rochester); men's track: Henry Hinchcliffe (Gustavus, junior, Austin), Tom Nemanich (St. John's, junior, Red Wing) and Brock Lawhead (St. Olaf, junior, Austin); and women's track: Alexa Ellinghuysen (Bethel, junior, Altura), Sydney Marsh (Carleton, senior, Austin), Kyra Nichols (Concordia, junior, Zumbrota), Simerjit Kaur (Gustavus, junior, Rochester), Julianna Boyum (Hamline, sophomore, Wanamingo), Olivia Hoff (St. Benedict, senior, Rushford), Brenna Nelson (St. Catherine, sophomore, Zumbro Falls), Claire Nichols (St. Catherine, junior, Winona), Rachel Nelsen (St. Olaf, sophomore, Austin) and Ellie Sholing (St. Scholastica, junior, Wabasha).
Guy N. Limbeck is a sports writer for the Post Bulletin. His Local Notebook appears each Tuesday. He can be reached at
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