THE SEASON: The University of Minnesota-Duluth women's basketball team ended a successful 2002-03 season by qualifying for its sixth NCAA Division II Tournament in nine seasons. The Bulldogs, which lost to North Dakota 70-63 in the first round of the national tournament, finished at 25-5 setting a team record for season winning percentage (.833). UMD won its 10th Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference regular season title in the last 14 years and its 11th overall. The Bulldogs, who finished 15-3 in league games, won their third NSIC Tournament title in four seasons. Freshman Lindsey Dietz (Elk River, MN) scored an NSIC Tournament record 31 points and grabbed a career-high 16 rebounds to lead UMD to a 68-60 win over the University of Minnesota-Crookston in the tournament championship game on March 9, in St. Paul. Dietz earned MVP honors and senior Kim Toewe (Cohasset, MN) was named to the NSIC All-Tournament team for the third time. The Bulldogs improved their overall record in NSIC Tournament games to 11-1. The Bulldogs were ranked 22nd in the final USA Today/ESPN/WBCA Top 25 Coaches Poll. UMD head coach Karen Stromme picked up career win No. 400 in the NSIC Tournament final. Stromme also became the first women's basketball coach to reach 200 NSIC victories.

BULLDOGS EARN POST SEASON HONORS: Kim Toewe earned honorable mention to the 2003 Kodak Division II All-America team. A Kodak and Daktronics Division II All-North Central Region first-team selection, Toewe also the 2003 NSIC Player of the Year. She finished her collegiate playing career fourth on UMD's all-time scoring list with 1,610 points and is one of only two Bulldogs to record 1,600 career points and 900 rebounds. On UMD career charts she is fourth in field-goals made (647) and attempted (1,343) and free-throws attempted (412). She is fifth in scoring average (13.1 ppg), free-throws made (276) and rebounds (905) and seventh steals (186). Lindsey Dietz was named Newcomer of the Year by the NSIC for 2003. A second team Daktronics All-North Central Region selection, Dietz was second in NCAA II in field-goal percentage (.633) and was honored as the NSIC's Player of the Week five times during the 2002-03 season. Joining Toewe and Dietz on the post-season awards list is Tasha Martin (Lakeville, MN) who earned honorable mention to the All-NSIC team. Martin was third on the team in assists (80) and steals (34) and is fourth in scoring at 8.9 points per game.