University of Minnesota Duluth senior guard Sammy Kozlowski has earned the right to call herself the best defender in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference.

The NSIC announced on Thursday its individual awards and all-conference teams, and Kozlowski has bestowed as the NSIC Defensive Player of the Year. Kozlowski also earned First Team All-NSIC honors and All-Defensive team honors after her great senior campaign helped lead the Bulldogs to their first 20-win season in nine years.

Kozlowski is a three-time member of the NSIC All-Defensive team and during her four-year career has attained all-conference nods three times including an NSIC All-Freshmen Team honoree back in 2015-16. She led the NSIC with 63 steals and 2.7 steals per game in league play. She recorded 26 points and eight steals, both collegiate highs, against the University of Mary at home this season and compiled a season high 12 assists last night. Kozlowski, who was named NSIC Player of the Week once this season, was third in league play in assists per game and in assist-to-turnover ratio as well. 

To date, Kozlowski became a member of UMD's 1,000 point club, sitting 15th all-time in scoring at 1,212 points. She is fourth all-time in steals (243) and sixth in assists (416) at UMD. Her steals total is ninth among active NCAA Division II players

Sophomore forward Sarah Grow was named to the Second Team All-NSIC team and Brooke Olson was named to the NSIC All-Freshmen team.

Grow, who grabbed a spot on the all-freshman team last season, averaged 11.7 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.1 blocks in NSIC action in her second full season as a starter. Grow was another catalyst in UMD's top-ranked defense in the league as she posted the second most blocks in the NSIC. Grow knocked down a collegiate-high 20 points in the regular season win over Southwest Minnesota State University.

Meanwhile, Olson was been a key contributor off the bench as the Rice Lake, Wis., native posted 9.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.4 assists in conference action. Olson nabbed her first career double-double in the comeback win over St. Cloud when she tallied 17 points and a season-high 10 rebounds.

The Bulldogs advanced to the NSIC Quarterfinals with their win against the Mustangs last night and will play Augustana University on Saturday at 8:00 p.m. at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D.