Less than a week out from the start of 2023-24 University of Minnesota Duluth fall sports seasons hitting the playing fields and court against outside competition, it's time for one final look back at the incredible accomplishments all of the Bulldog teams in 2022-23.
For an athletic department known for great success over the decades, 2022-23 may just have been one of the most successful years ever for the UMD athletic department. A total of eight different programs qualified for their respective NCAA Tournaments, including eight women's teams and two men's teams. Two teams had their longest NCAA postseason runs ever – the women's basketball team made its first-ever appearance in an NCAA title tilt, while their court counterparts, the men's basketball team, made it into the Elite Eight. In all, UMD thrived in 2022-23 and accomplished each of the three C's (Competition, Classroom, and Community). Here's a complete look back at the 2022-23 UMD athletic accomplishments.
COMPETITION:
- Eight UMD programs advanced to the NCAA Tournament or had a student-athlete advance to an NCAA Meet in 2022-23, including four teams that earned at least one NCAA postseason win. Those eight teams who earned NCAA postseason berths were volleyball, men's and women's cross country, women's hockey, women's indoor track, women's and men's basketball, softball, and women's outdoor track and field. Volleyball and women's hockey grabbed first-round NCAA wins, while men's basketball made its deepest NCAA run in program history, earning a spot in the Elite Eight. After completing a comeback in the NCAA Regional final that will go down as arguably the most thrilling game in Romano Gym history, women's basketball kept that momentum and parlayed it into an NCAA Championship Runner-Up finish. It also marked the first time in NSIC history that both the men's and women's basketball teams sent squads to the NCAA Elite Eight, and it was just the 13th time it had ever happened in NCAA history.
On the individual side, graduate senior Cailee Peterson ran to a second-place finish in the NCAA DII Indoor Track mile, earning herself All-American honors in the process. Peterson also earned a fourth-place finish at the DII National Outdoor Track Meet in the 1,500 meters and an additional All-American nod – the first women's runner since ??Danielle Kohlwey in 2019 to earn a top-four finish in both the indoor and outdoor season.
After leading the UMD women's basketball team all the way into the NCAA title tilt, graduate senior Brooke Olson was named the Honda DII Athlete of the Year in mid-June – the biggest national accolade bestowed on a student-athlete. Olson became just the second-ever DII Honda Athlete of the Year for UMD, following volleyball standout Vicky Braegelmann, who earned the accolade in 2008.
A sport-by-sport highlight of 2022-23 –
Fall Teams
Men's and Women's Cross Country: The men's side finished the 2022 season finishing 10th in the NCAA Division II Central Region Championships. Junior Lucas Selman finished 32nd overall, while Jack Van Kempen crossed the line in 45th place. The women's team stretched their season all the way into December after earning an NCAA Division II Cross Country Championship berth in Seattle, Wash. on Dec. 2, 2023. The team finished in 20th place in the meet, led by Cailee Peterson, who finished in 62nd place. The women had three runners land in the top 20 en route to a sixth-place finish at the Central Region Championships, led by graduate senior Peterson in 8th place (20:34.3 - personal best), Maddie Verkerke (13th place - 20:53.2 - personal best) and Julia Nielsen (16th place - 21:08.0 - personal best). The men's side also finished fifth in the NSIC Championship, while the women earned a fourth-place finish. Peterson was named the NSIC's Newcomer of the Year for her efforts on the season.
Football: The Bulldogs were undefeated at home in 2022-23, and had 16 players land All-NSIC honors. Three players were named to the CCA All-Super Region 4 Second Team, which included tight end Zach Ojile, offensive lineman Brent Laing, and cornerback Dayvia Gbor. Both Ojile and Laing were named Don Hansen NCAA D2 All-American Honorable Mention, while Laing was selected an AFCA First Team All-American. Laing didn't stop there though – he earned invites to the NFPLA Collegiate Bowl, East-West Shrine Bowl, and the NFL Scouting Combine. Laing eventually signed as an undrafted free agent with the New York Jets and while Ojile was invited to the Minnesota Vikings Rookie Camp.
Soccer: UMD posted its best record since the 2017 season, and finished just one place out of the NSIC postseason. Three players landed NSIC All-Conference honors, including two players who landed NSIC First Team nods. Senior defender Eliana Marciano, as well as junior defender Rachel Boelke, were named to the NSIC All-Conference First Team, while freshman midfielder Myra Moorjani was selected to the NSIC All-Conference Second Team.
Volleyball: The Bulldogs clinched their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2019 and 23rd in program history in November, earning the third seed in the Central Region and picking up an NCAA First Round win before bowing out in the second round. Sydney Lanoue earned NCAA Central Region All-Tournament Team for her efforts, one of a number of awards and milestones the fifth-year senior accrued over the season. Six Bulldogs were named to NSIC All-Conference teams, including Samantha Paulsen and Cianna Selbitschka (First Team), Grace Daak, Sydney Lanoue, Hope Schjenken and Madison Gordon (Second Team). Lanoue also earned 1,000 digs on August 27, 2022, and ended her career with a total of 1321 – the ninth most by a Bulldog.
Winter
Men's Basketball: UMD made a historic run all the way to the Elite Eight in March, securing its deepest run in the NCAA postseason. The Bulldogs – who had never picked up an NCAA Tournament victory prior to the season, clicked off three straight, defeating Central Oklahoma 65-56 in the first round, Emporia State 84-79 in the second round, and Southern Nazarene 62-52 in the region final. Senior Drew Blair, who surpassed 2,000 points during the season, one of two players ever to reach the plateau, also earned D2CCA Central Region Second Team honors after earning an NSIC All-Tournament Team nod by helping UMD to a runner-up finish in the conference tournament. Two players landed on All-NSIC Teams – Blair, First Team, and Charlie Katona on the Second Team. Two players crossed over the 1,000-point threshold – Austin Andrews and Joshua Brown.
Women's Basketball: UMD finished its historic season 32-4, posting a record for total wins and NCAA Tournament wins (five). Prior to reaching the NCAA National Championship game, the Bulldogs had clinched an NCAA Central Region title, an NSIC Tournament Championship, and an NSIC Regular Season Championship. No player at UMD earned more praise last season than Brooke Olson, however, and the Honda DII Athlete of the Year and the graduate senior capped off her career by taking over the NCAA Tournament scoring record with 171 points. Olson averaged an impressive 28.5 points per game and 19.6 rebounds per game in the NCAA Tournament and was named to the NCAA Final Four All-Tournament Team. Overall, on the season, Olson averaged a career-high 23.1 ppg and added 7.4 rpg and was named the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Division II Player of the Year, the first in program history, and finished her career as a four-time WBCA First Team All-American. Named the 2022-23 D2CCA Central Region Player of the Year and the 2022-23 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Player of the Year, Olson was also a 2023 College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-America honoree.
Men's Hockey: Bulldog fans were introduced to freshman Ben Steeves, who not only became the first freshman to record a hat trick since Brett Hull, but Steeves recorded two natural hat tricks in the regular season, the first rookie in UMD history to accomplish the feat and just the fourth-ever Bulldog player to ring up more than one natural hat trick in a season. Steeves earned NCHC All-Rookie Team accolades for his efforts, as well as All-NCHC Honorable Mention recognition after scoring 20 goals in 32 games – the second most by a rookie in the NCAA. Junior defenseman Wyatt Kaiser was named to the All-NCHC Second Team after compiling 19 points, including 15 assists. In March, Kaiser signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League.
Women's Hockey: The Bulldogs landed their third-straight NCAA Tournament berth in March and picked up their fifth NCAA Tournament win in three years against Clarkson University in the first round. Part of UMD's success over the season was simply holding other teams scoreless, and the Bulldogs set a program record for team shutouts with 14. Graduate senior Emma Soderberg shattered UMD's career shutout record (23) by turning in another Bulldog record for single-season shutouts (12). For her efforts, Soderberg was named a National Goalie of the Year Finalist, the WCHA's Goaltender of the Year, and was also selected to the 2022-23 All-USCHO Team First Team, along with fifth-year defenseman Ashton Bell, who was named to the second team. Bell was also named 2022-23 CCM/AHCA Women's Division I All-American after compiling a career-best 12 goals in addition to 21 assists for a career-high 33 points and named a finalist for the WCHA Defender of the Year and to the All-WCHA First Team. Five players in all were named to All-WCHA Teams in addition to Bell and Soderberg (first team), Gabbie Hughes (second team), Maggie Flaherty (third team), and Hailey MacLeod (rookie team). Hughes arguably won the most significant and most meaningful award of all – a repeat finalist, she was named the 2023 Hockey Humanitarian winner in April.
Men's and Women's Indoor Track: Six runners earned NSIC All-Conference nods, including Rachel Boelke (2nd, 600m), Caliee Peterson (1st, mile), and Savannah Schley (3rd, 800m) on the women's side, and Owen Dickson (2nd, 1000m), Bereket Loer (3rd 600m) and Colton Kostynick (2nd, shotput). Dickenson set a school record in the 1000 meters with a time of 2:29:81, while Peterson finished first in the mile at the NSIC Championship meet with a time of 4:46:50. In all, 20 Bulldogs were podium finishers. Peterson capped the season with an incredible 2nd place finish in the mile at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championship with a time of 4:51:56 – which also earned Peterson All-American status.
Spring Teams
Baseball: Three Bulldogs landed on two different NSIC teams last season, including senior outfielder Tim Pokornowski, who was one of just two players to start all 46 games for UMD. Pokornowski earned NSIC All-Conference Second Team honors, in part due to a team-best 10 home runs to go with his .312 batting average. Two players earned NSIC All-Defensive Team selections, including senior shortstop Alex Wattermann and sophomore second baseman Ethan Cole. Waterman had 51 putouts on the season and pitched a total of 24 innings on the season. Cole had 126 putouts, along with 98 assists over 40 games played.
Softball: It was a season to remember for the Bulldogs, who won the NSIC Tournament title for the first time since 2002 and punched their ticket to the 10th NCAA postseason in program history. UMD posted an overall record of 40-13 and 22-6 in NSIC play – which tied a program record for the most NSIC wins in a single season by a Bulldog squad. Led by arguably one of the best pitchers in program history, Lauren Dixon led UMD by adding to her career strikeout record – a record that has now risen to 585 strikeouts. Dixon was named the NSIC Pitcher of the Year, The junior paired her honor with an All-Conference First Team nod, joining Sidney Zavoral and Nicole Schmitt, who were also named to the league's top team. Both Kiana Bender and Kat Burkhardt landed on the All-Conference Second Team. Dixon was also named to the D2CCA All-Central Region First Team and NFCA All-Region First Team, as well as an Academic All-American Second Team nod.
Tennis: For the fifth in program history, the tennis team made the NSIC Tournament. Freshman Carly Chaney led all singles players with a record 11-4, followed by Olivia Honsey, who posted a record of 8-6. Abby Johnson and Mallory Lithun were the Bulldogs' most formidable doubles pair and turned in a record of 4-2 overall. After guiding her squad to six more wins than the previous season, UMD head coach Jessica Worden was named the USPTA's Northern Divison College Coach of the Year.
Men's and Women's Outdoor Track: The men's track and field team started out the season with a 5000-meter school record courtesy of junior Austin Anthony with a time of 14:40:76 on April 8, 2023. The Bulldogs had 27 podium finishes at the NSIC T&F Championships, including a first place finish from both Caliee Peterson in the 1500m, and Colton Kostynick in the discus, second-place finishes from Jaden Johnson in the high jump, third-place finishes from Savannah Schley in the 800m, William Heydt in the triple jump, and Eli Bicek in the Hammer Throw. For their efforts, Peterson, Kostynick, Johnson, Schley, Heydt, and Bicek all earned NSIC All-Conference honors. Peterson ended the season with another brilliant run at the NCAA Division II Championships, earning yet another All-American title after running to a fourth-place finish in the 1500m.
CLASSROOM:
UMD men's basketball sophomore guard Joshua Strong took home the Elite 90 award for the 2023 NCAA Division II men's basketball championship as part of the Elite Eight's opening banquet. It was just the second time a UMD athlete had ever earned the accolade across any sport, the first and only other example being Grant Pulver of the men's track and field program back in 2017. Strong, Entrepreneurship major, currently posted a 3.983 GPA last season.
–UMD graduate senior goaltender Emma Soderberg was named the 2022-23 WCHA's Outstanding Student Athlete of the Year.
–The student-athletes across all UMD athletic programs posted a cumulative GPA of 3.35 across this academic year. Helping to contribute to that number was the total GPA of all UMD athletes during the spring semester, which came in at 3.39. Tennis ended up with the highest team GPA of all women's squads this spring with a 3.63 mark, while men's track and field had the highest semester GPA of the men's teams at 3.43. The football team also posted a program-best semester GPA of 3.24 this spring. In the fall, volleyball held the highest women's GPA of 3.67 while men's hockey led all men's programs with a team mark of 3.30.
–108 student-athletes were named recipients of the Division 2 Athletics Directors Association (D2 ADA) Academic Achievement Award. The women's track & field program led the way with 21 recipients, followed by the football program with 19.
–The student-athletes across all University of Minnesota Duluth athletic programs posted a cumulative GPA of 3.35 across this academic year.
Helping to contribute to that number was the total GPA of all UMD athletes during the spring semester, which came in at 3.39. Tennis ended up with the highest team GPA of all women's squads this spring with a 3.63 mark, while men's track and field had the highest semester GPA of the men's teams at 3.43. The football team also posted a program-best semester GPA of 3.24 this spring. In the fall, volleyball held the highest women's GPA of 3.67 while men's hockey led all men's programs with a team mark of 3.30.
Spring also brought with it plenty more academic accolades. A total of 63 Bulldogs landed on the NSIC Spring All-Academic Team, with 37 of them also earning NSIC Academic Team of Excellence honors. This brings UMD's yearly total to 184 NSIC All-Academic Team and 108 Team of Excellence members. That includes 66 All-Academic honorees in the fall, a record number for that season. In order to qualify for the All-Academic squad, athletes had to maintain a GPA of at least 3.20, complete at least one full year at UMD, hold sophomore status or higher both academically and athletically, and be a member of the varsity traveling team of their respective sports. To land a spot on the Team of Excellence, that GPA had to be 3.60.
Back in January, 10 Bulldogs took home NSIC Myles Brand All-Academic with Distinction honors. This award, named after late NCAA President Dr. Myles Brand, is earned by senior student-athletes who maintain a GPA of at least 3.75, are exhausting their athletic eligibility, and are on track to graduate.
But UMD's studious athletes earned praise even beyond the Northern Sun. A total of 33 Bulldogs earned Academic All-District honors from College Sports Communicators (CSC) over the spring, bringing the school's grand total for the year to 47. To earn the moniker, athletes needed to maintain an average GPA of 3.50 and be with their current school both academically and athletically for two years. Eligible nominees also had to be a starter (or important reverse) on their respective teams, playing in at least 50% of that team's contests. Lauren Dixon (softball) and Austin Andrews (men's basketball) took things one step further, landing on the CSC Academic All-America Second Team and Third Team respectively. Dixon, a Chemical Engineering major, secured her spot by way of a 3.98 GPA. Andrews held a GPA of 3.93 while majoring in Civil Engineering B.S.C.E.
Over in the world of hockey, 16 members of the women's hockey team earned WCHA All-Academic distinctions while nine men's hockey student-athletes were named to the NCHC Academic All-Conference Team. Fourteen of those 16 women's honorees also earned Scholar-Athlete distinctions, as did three men's players.
These next two award winners signify the kind of perfect storm UMD experienced this year both academically and athletically. In March, Joshua Strong of the men's basketball team took home the Elite 90 award for the NCAA Division II Men's Championship. These Elite 90 awards are given annually to the player with the highest cumulative GPA of those who have made it to the final site of their respective sport's championships. Strong took home the illustrious honor with a staggering 3.983 GPA. A Bulldog basketball team making its first Elite Eight appearance in program history was able to produce the second Elite 90 award winner in UMD history, the first being Grant Pulver of the men's track and field program in 2017. Speaking of men's track and field… in May, Ted Rogers would take home the NSIC Elite 18 Award. This functions the same way as the Elite 90 Award but at a conference level, being handed out to the player with the highest GPA across the NSIC's 18 postseason tournament sites. In the fall, Morgan Radel of the UMD women's cross-country team also earned the NSIC Elite 18 distinction.
The academic acclaim just keeps on coming. The very first day of March saw women's hockey's Emma Soderberg take home the WCHA's Outstanding Student Athlete of the Year Award. An impressive goalie out on the ice put up numbers in the classroom that were just as noteworthy, maintaining a GPA of 3.81/4.00 in Economics after graduating Magna Cum Laude with a BBA in Organizational Management and a minor in Human Resource Management last May. March ended up being some month for UMD, as two weeks later, Brooke Olson from the women's basketball team was crowned the CSC Academic All-America Player of the Year. She became just the second Bulldog to ever earn the title, joining Lindsey Dietz. Across what was an all-timer of a season for her squad, Olson, a graduate student pursuing a bachelor's in biology, managed a GPA of 3.65.
COMMUNITY:
Perhaps no Bulldog embodied the definition of community more than women's hockey senior forward Gabbie Hughes, who was named the 2023 Hockey Humanitarian winner after being named a finalist in 2022. Hughes made an impact statewide in Minnesota as an integral part of the Sophie's Squad organization, a non-profit that she helped co-found, to combat mental health that to date has earned more than $290k for mental health resources and advocacy in its less than two years existence. Sophie's Squad has put on more than 47 events over that span, including its first-ever DI women's and men's doubleheader Hockey Hits Back event on Dec. 12, 2022, at AMSOIL Arena in Duluth, Minn.
Men's Basketball's Joshua Brown, who shared UMD's Shjon Podein Award for commitment to the community with Hughes, was a leader in forming the UMD Department of Athletics Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council and served as the group's first president. DEI has been heavily involved in the community, including having organized a winter clothing drive that benefitted Meyers Wilkins Elementary, Lincoln Park Middle School, and Denfeld High School in January.
The Bulldog tennis team earned the UMD Team Impact Award for the highest average hours of community service. Tennis averaged 12 hours of service to the community volunteering at a variety of places such as Kindred Hospice, American Red Cross, Kids Ministry, and many other community and campus events.
In all, UMD spent more than 2,000 hours out in the Duluth community over the 2022-23 academic year.
