The University of Minnesota Duluth may have fallen just short of securing a program-best fourth straight NCAA Division II Central Regional berth -- but the Bulldogs still turned in plenty of other noteworthy accomplishments this spring.
For openers, UMD captured a share of its first Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference title since 2003 and did so by racking more conference victories (19) than any club in program history. Between Feb. 19 and March 19, the Bulldogs also reeled off 14 straight wins -- their second longest ever (bettered only by the team's 19-game run in 1988. UMD won 12 of its final 16 games en route to a 41-13 overall record (for a .759 winning percentage -- its best success rate in 11 years) and along the way shattered or matched no less than 23 school single-game, season, and career records including the following:
TEAM (Game)
Home Runs - 6 vs Bemidji State (4/11)*
TEAM (Season)
Home Runs - 61
Slugging Pct. - .489
Walks Allowed - 151
INDIVIDUAL (Season)
Runs - 54 by Michaela Goris
Home Runs - 15 by Kierra Jeffers
Runs Batted In - 55 by Kierra Jeffers
Total Bases - 122 by Kierra Jeffers
Stolen Bases - 29 by Michaela Goris
Stolen Base Attempts - 33 by Michaela Goris
Assists - 119 by Sami Schnyder
Walks Allowed - 83 by Julia Nealer
INDIVIDUAL (Career)
Games Played - 210 by Tyra Kerr
Games Started - 209 by Tyra Kerr
Consecutive Games Started - 209 by Tyra Kerr
At Bats - 724 by Michaela Goris
Runs - 160 by Michaela Goris
Hits - 267 by Tyra Kerr
Home Runs - 41 by Kierra Jeffers
Runs Batted In - 149 by Kierra Jeffers*
Total Bases - 367 by Kierra Jeffers
Stolen Bases - 84 by Michaela Goris
Stolen Base Attempts - 92 by Michaela Goris
*ties record
The 2013 season marked the end of the line for four Bulldog seniors -- All-American second baseman Tyra Kerr, shortstop Kierra Jeffers, centerfielder Michaela Goris and pitcher Julia Nealer -- all of whom received some kind of All-NSIC recognition this spring. Since that quartet's arrival on campus, UMD produced a 144-69 overall record (.676), a 72-20 NSIC mark (.783) and made three NCAA II Central Regional appearances.
"I'm extremely proud of my team," said eighth-year head coach Jen Banford, the 2013 NSIC Coach of the Year. "Although our season ended earlier then we wanted it to. We had a lot of great accomplishments and they continuallly rose to the occasion."
