The University of Minnesota Duluth Athletic Department held its fourth annual Bulldog Awards Monday night inside the Marshall Performing Art Center on campus, with around 450 Bulldog student athletes in attendance and local community members in attendance.

A total of 30 awards were awarded to student athletes and community members, and the event was emceed by UMD Communication Instructor Trista Vucetcih Anderson.

Chancellor's Cup -- Volleyball Team

The 2025-26 Chancellor's Cup was awarded to the volleyball team, who had a cumulative GPA of 3.71 in the past two completed semesters (spring of 2025 and fall of 2025). Other top teams in the running for this year's Chancellor Cup award were the women's cross country with a 3.70 GPA, women's tennis with a 3.64 GPA, and women's hockey with 3.63 GPA, and our top men's teams — men's track & field and men's basketball both had a 3.45 GPA. 

Female Newcomer of the Year – Daphne Evans – Softball

Evans has 52 hits in 157 at-bats, 44 runs, 36 RBIs, 11 doubles, four triples, seven home runs, 20 stolen bases, and is currently hitting a .331 batting average. She has 67 putouts with a .947 fielding percentage.

Male Newcomer of the Year – Jackson Fowlkes, Men's Basketball

Fowlkes has earned 316 points, 22 steals, seven blocks, 33 assists, and 98 rebounds as a redshirt freshman this past season. He hit 44.5% from the field, 32.2% beyond the arc, and 71.9% from the free throw line and averaged nine points per game.

Female Individual Performance of the Year – Tova Henderson – Women's Hockey

Henderson scored back-to-back game winning goals in overtime against the University of Minnesota on Feb. 20-21 at Ridder Arena, the program's first sweep of the Gophers on the road since 2005.

Male Individual Performance of the Year  –  Caleb Siwek –  Men's Basketball

Siwek scored 34 points against St. Cloud State in the NSIC Championship Game, including 15 straight points to end the first half. Siwek was named the NSIC Tournament MVP because of his performance, which helped the Bulldogs advance out of the NCAA Central Region.

Female Breakthrough Athlete of the Year – Madeline Guetzkow, Volleyball and Elaina Shromoff, Soccer

Guetzkow was named to All-NSIC Second Team, CSC Academic All-District Team and the NSIC All-Academic Team. Guetzkow led the Bulldogs and was ranked 10th in the NSIC in points per set, as well as in the top-13 in kills per set.

Shromoff started in 16 games for the Bulldogs and posted 13 points after not recording a single point in her first year as a Bulldog in 2024. The second-year transfer tied for the sixth most goals in the NSIC with six and was named an All-NSIC Second Team honoree for her efforts.

Male Breakthrough Athlete of the Year – Noah Paulson – Men's Basketball

This season, Paulson was named NSIC Second Team All-Conference for the first time in his career, and jumped from an average of 3.3 points a game last year to 12.1. Paulson had 95 points a season ago and improved to 425 in 2025-26, as well as played in and started in all 35 games this year, increasing his average minutes from 10.6 to 28.1 in his final campaign.

 

Shjon Podein Award – Emily Anderson – Women's Track and Field

This award is given to student-athletes who have shown exceptional commitment to community. 

Anderson has served as a mentor for Mentor North for the last two years in the community. Taking her mentee on adventures throughout the community has been a huge commitment, and on top of that, she has been a ski instructor for Northland Adaptive Recreation. Her coaches at UMD have described Anderson as service oriented, "almost to the point where you start to feel bad about yourself". Despite her time spent on helping others, Anderson has been studying for the MCAT all year.

Team Impact Award - Women's Basketball

The Team Impact Award goes to the team that accrues the highest average number of community service hours per team member logged in the athletic Helper Helper app. This year's team winner women's basketball averaged an impressive 29 hours per team member, volunteering at a variety of places such as Essentia Health's Breast Health Center, Second Harvest, Bentleyville, signing a Team Impact kid and many other community and campus events. 

Men's Outstanding Moment of the Year – Men's Basketball vs. Washburn, NCAA Central Region Tournament

UMD defeated Washburn in Topeka, Kansas in the first round of the NCAA Central Region Tournament on March 14 by a score of 64-62.. The Ichabods entered the contest with a 31-1 record at home and were ranked No. 2 in the country. 

Women's Outstanding Moment of the Year – Women's Basketball vs. Top-Seeded Minnesota State in the NCAA Central Region Tournament

The Bulldogs defeated No. 1 seeded Minnesota State 72-63 on their home court in Mankato, Minn. on March 13 as the No. 8 seed in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. UMD went on to win the Central Region and advance to the Elite Eight. 

 

Male Athlete of the Year – Max Plante  – Men's Hockey

Plante was named the 2025-26 Hobey Baker Memorial Award Winner earlier this month, as well as a 2025-26 CCM/AHCA Hockey West First Team All-American, the College Hockey News Player of the Year, the 2025-26 National Collegiate Hockey Conference Player of the Year and UMD's first NCHC Forward of the Year. Plante also earned an All-NCHC First Team selection and finished the season with 52 points – the most by a Bulldog since 2011-12 – and his 26 goals was the second most in the NCAA.

Female Athlete of the Year – Ève Gascon – Women's Hockey

For a second-consecutive year, Gascon earned the honor after another banner year in net for the Bulldogs. Gascon was a Second Team 2025-26 CCM/AHCA Women's Division I All-American, an All-USCHO First Team selection, a National Goalie of the Year Finalist and was named the 2025-26 WCHA Goaltender of the Year -- honors she has also owned in consecutive seasons. Named to the 2025-26 All-WCHA First Team, Gascon was the 2025-26 WCHA Statistical Goaltending Champion after posting a league-high .943 saves percentage in league games and led the conference with 10 shutouts – the second most in all of the NCAA.  Gascon also played the most minutes in the league and posted 993 saves -- the third most in a single-season in UMD program history.

 

The Dale "Hoagie" Haagenson Award – Joey Pierce – Men's Hockey

The longest serving volunteer in UMD Athletics history, Hoagie was a fixture on the bench, sideline or dugout of almost any UMD event. He loved Bulldog Athletics and was here through the good years and the hard seasons. Hoagie was loyal, committed, served others and worked hard every day. But most importantly, he served others selflessly and with so much joy. This new award will be presented to the student athlete who displays similar qualities and character. 

Pierce was one of two men's hockey players in his senior class to stay all four years at UMD. He has expressed to his teammates the importance of carrying on the legacy of Hoagie on and off the ice, and it is something that his very actions have helped lead by example. 

The Bulldog Award – Noah Paulson – Men's Basketball

The purpose of this award is to honor the student-athlete who fully embodies what it means to represent UMD at the highest level—on the field, on campus, and in the community. This individual goes beyond their own sport, consistently showing up to support fellow Bulldog teams and contributing to a culture of unity and pride across the athletic department.

E.L Duce Rasmussen Female Scholar-Athlete Award - Mary Kate O'Brien, Women's Hockey and Elizabeth Van Loon, Cross Country and Track and Field

O'Brien is a graduate student in the LSBE MBA program after completing a double major in Business Analytics and Marketing, with a minor in Management Information Systems.  For her undergraduate studies, she was recognized with the Academic Excellence in Business Analytics Award and Robert S. Hancock Award for Excellence in Marketing.  O'Brien was awarded the WCHA Outstanding Student Athlete of the Year Award for the 2025-2026 season, and is a multiyear CSC Academic All American, AHCA All American Scholar, WCHA Scholar Athlete, and member of the WCHA All-Academic Team. She served as team captain for the 2025-2026 season, and was a USA Hockey 2025 Women's National Team Festival Invitee.  In addition, she is an avid volunteer and contributor to both the UMD and Duluth Community.  

 

VanLoon is a 4.0 student in Cell and Molecular Biology, with a chemistry and coaching minor.  In the fall, she will head to the University of Iowa Health, Sport, and Human Physiology to pursue her masters and PhD. VanLoon won three NSIC Elite 18 Awards, and was recognized this fall with the NSIC Women's Cross Country Outstanding Senior of the Year Award.  In addition, she is a NSIC Myles Brand All-Academic with Distinction Award winner, and a multi-year member of the NSIC All-Academic Team of Excellence. Across three sports, she holds a UMD Top-10 steeplechase performance, and two NSIC All Conference performances. She serves on the UMD DEI Council, volunteers in the community, and works as a CNA.

 

E.L Duce Rasmussen Male Scholar-Athlete Award – Gabe Richardson, Baseball and Riley Bodnarchuk, Men's Hockey

Richardson completed his undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering in just three and half years and holds a 3.87 GPA. He began two distinct masters degree programs this fall, Master of Mechanical Engineering and a Master of Environmental Health and Safety, while competing in his last season of baseball and working on his masters thesis project on Lake Superior wave energy.  Richardson is a NSIC Myles Brand All-Academic with Distinction Award winner, and a multi-year member of the NSIC All-Academic Team of Excellence and CSC Academic All-District team. He has been a four-year starter and two-year captain for the Bulldogs, earning a NSIC Second team All-Conference nod last season. A hitting leader, he's chasing UMD's Top Five All-Time for Career RBI and Career hits. He is an engineering honor society member, and volunteers with local youth. 

Bodnarchuk is an Exercise Science major with a 3.97 GPA, who participates in an undergraduate research project on training volume and neuromuscular fatigue and was recently the Student Spotlight for the College of Education & Human Service Professions.  He is a multi-time NCHC Distinguished Scholar-Athlete and was the UMD representative named to the NCHC Academic All-Conference Team for having the highest GPA of any junior or older on the team.  Additionally, he was a finalist for the NCHC Senior Scholar-Athlete Award.  On the ice, his hockey sense, discipline, and willingness to sacrifice his body by blocking shots were critical to the team's success. He was recognized with the Community Service Award for the Men's Hockey 2025-2026 season, and he volunteered and contributed significant time in the Duluth community over his career.

 

Outstanding Senior Female Athlete of the Year – Myra Moorjani – Women's Basketball

Moorjani earned three CSC Academic All-District selections, three NSIC All-Academic selections, was 2023 NCAA Champion Runner-Up team member, a 2026 NCAA Elite Eight team member and a First Team All-NSIC team selection. Moorjani completed the this past season with an average of 13.5 points, 1.3 steals, 3.4 assists, and 3.5 rebounds per game. Her career totals are: 943 points, 83 steals, 23 blocks, 242 assists, and .794 FT. Moorjani also played for the soccer team her freshman and sophomore seasons, and was a named All-Conference Second Team member as a rookie.

Outstanding Senior Male Athlete of the Year – Kyle Walljasper – Football

Walljasper is a two-time Harlon Hill Award Nominee, 2023 NSIC All-Conference Second Team, 2024 NSIC All-Conference First Team, 2025 NSIC All-Conference Second Team, 2023 D2 ADA Academic Achievement Award Recipient, three-time CSC Academic All-District Team member, three-time NSIC Team of Excellence Honoree, and three-time NSIC Fall All-Academic Team member. For his Career, Walljasper registered 3,458 rushing yards, 6,689 passing yards, 52 rushing TDs / 80 passing TDs, averaged 8.8 yards per pass / averaged 5.4 yards per carry.

Female Team of the Year – Women's Hockey

The women's hockey team made its fifth-straight NCAA Tournament appearance this March, including its fourth-straight NCAA Regional Final after defeating Sacred Heart University in the NCAA First Round. The Bulldogs ranked third in the nation with seven shorthanded goals and had the seventh most shutouts in the NCAA (eight). UMD also ranked in the top-10 for power play goals, scoring offense and scoring defense, and finished sixth in the final national polls. 


Male Team of the Year -- Men's Hockey

The Bulldogs had their best start in 36 years, and finished the season with an overall 24-15-1 record and an appearance in the NCAA Tournament Albany Regional Final. Ranked seventh nationally to finish the season, UMD had three players record 40 or more points, including two players who ranked in top-five in scoring in the NCAA. The Bulldogs finished with the nation's third-ranked power play and second-ranked penalty kill.

 

Golden Bone – Soccer

This award is a year-long competition among UMD athletic teams, recognizing those who go above and beyond in supporting the Bulldog community through SAAC involvement, attending other teams' events, and engaging in Green Bandana and DEI initiatives. At the end of the year, the team with the most points is recognized.

Other UMD Athletic Department honors awarded Monday night –

Bruce Bennett Award Servis Award – Brian Haedrich

This is awarded to an individual who shows exceptional service and commitment to furthering the UMD Athletics mission.

Marsh Nelson Award Bulldog Award – Bob & Kim Lenihan

 The Marsh Nelson Bulldog Award is an annual award that recognizes leadership and support of Bulldog Athletics in the community. 

Dr. Steve Castleberry Most Influential or Supportive Academic Community Member  – Krista Twu

This award recognizes a UMD faculty or staff member who has been influential or supportive of Bulldog Athletics.

Cornerstone Award - Minnesota Power

An honor given to a business that has truly gone above and beyond for UMD Athletics.

Fan of the Year – Richard Gurske

Richard has been supporting Bulldog fans since 1947!

 

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