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WOMEN’S BASKETBALL Under the direction of first-year coach Chelsea DeVille, the BSU women’s basketball team finished 2015-16 with a 7-20 overall record and a 3-19 mark in league play. The Beavers reached the NSIC Tournament but fell to No. 8 Winona State University in the quarterfinal, 74-64, after leading for most of the first half. Deville lost just one player to graduation and retains the services of Aimee Pelzer, Tatum Sheley and Sierra Senske, who each averaged over 12.5 points per game this season. DeVille also has six incoming freshman signed to National Letters of Intent for 2016-17: Sydney Arrington, Allyson Dahl, Erica Gartner, BriAnna Karg, Shaice Marx and McKayla Scheuer … MEN’S BASKETBALL Led by junior Ben Best, who averaged 10.8 points and 5.1 rebounds per game, the BSU men’s basketball team team posted a 10-17 overall record with a 7-15 mark in league play. An 81-71 first-round defeat in the NSIC Tournament ended their season … INDOOR TRACK AND FIELD The BSU track and field team concluded its 2016 indoor season at the NSIC Championships. First-year coach Kevin Kean’s Beavers were led by newcomer Emeline Sevila, who broke her own pentathlon record to place fifth at the championship event. The junior transfer from Nimes, France, recorded a score of 3,517, establishing personal bests in all five events, including runner-up marks in the shot put (35.03.75) and long jump (18-01.50) … TENNIS The Bemidji State tennis team finished the regular season with a program-best record of 11-5 and a 6-5 mark in league play. BSU’s 11th win surpassed a 10-win campaign in 1999, the Beavers’ last NSIC championship season. The Bemidji State tennis team made its first NSIC tournament appearance since 2009, a bid cut short by Upper Iowa University in a quarterfinal match. The Beavers finished 11-6 overall, tallying a school record for wins in Coach Mark Fodness’ fourth season. Newcomers Zoe Lindgren and Morgan Opp paced the Beavers with 13-2 and 12-3 singles records, respectively … FOOTBALL The defending NSIC North Division Co-Champion BSU Football team has released its 2016 schedule. The 11-game slate opens at home Sept. 1 against Upper Iowa University in conjunction with BSU’s annual Community Appreciation Day. A six-game home season at Chet Anderson Stadium includes Minot State University for Homecoming on Oct. 15. Head Coach Jeff Tesch, in his 21st year at the Beaver Football helm, announced the addition of 25 high school seniors and four transfers for the 2016 season … SOFTBALL The Beavers set a program record with 33 wins and earned their first berth in the NSIC Tournament since 2008. They beat Northern State and Minnesota Duluth before falling to Upper Iowa and Southwest Minnesota State … SOCCER On the heels of an 11-7-1 season and seventh straight NSIC Tournament berth, Coach Jim Stone’s soccer team continued to build for the future. Stone has signed 12 recruits for 2016. |
Spring/Summer 2016
Ulmer is new volleyball coach
BSU Athletic Director Tracy Dill announced Kevin Ulmer as BSU’s new head volleyball coach. The 14th head coach in the program’s 46-year history, Ulmer previously was head volleyball coach at Bethel College (Ind.). In four seasons, he led the Pilots to an overall record of 88-65, a 47-27 mark in Crossroads League play, a regular-season championship and a pair of conference tournament runner-up finishes. A 2006 graduate of Northwestern College (Iowa), Ulmer has a bachelor’s degree in physical education and health education and a master’s in biomechanics and exercise physiology from the University of Kentucky.
Stram and Benson named 2015-16 Athletes of the Year at banquet
Soccer captain Sarah Stram and men’s golfer Andrew Benson were named BSU’s 2015-16 Female and Male Student-Athletes of the Year at the Beaver Nation Celebration athletic appreciation banquet on April 28.
Emeline Sevila of the track and field team and football standout Gunner Olszewski were chosen as the Female and Male Newcomers of the Year. Emily Backes and Emma Terres, as well as Brendan Harms and Reid Mimmack picked up Female and Male Scholar Athlete of the Year honors.
Stram, a junior from Elk Grove Village, Ill., appeared in all 19 contests for BSU in 2015. She was the team’s lead scorer and ranked sixth in the league with 10 total goals. She earned First-Team All-Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference and National Soccer Coaches’ Association of America All-Central Region accolades. Also an academic standout, Stram became the second player in BSU soccer history to earn Academic All-America honors, carrying a 3.97 cumulative GPA.
Benson, a senior golfer from Eden Prairie, Minn., was a First Team All-NSIC selection in the spring of 2015. He posted a 74.7 stroke average to lead the Beavers in 2014-15 and place himself among the league’s best golfers. During his collegiate career, Benson recorded five top-five finishes, including winning the 2013 Husky Invite.
Nine Beavers make NSIC honors list
Bemidji State landed 39 student-athletes on the 2015 Fall and 2015-16 Winter Academic All-NSIC Teams. To be eligible for the Academic All-NSIC Team, student-athletes must maintain a grade-point average of at least 3.2, be a member of a varsity traveling team and have reached sophomore athletic and academic standing at their school. The BSU women’s soccer team led the fall contingent of 23, with nine student-athletes recognized for academic accomplishment. BSU also had seven volleyball players honored, six from its football team and one from cross country. The Beavers’ track and field team, which had nine student-athletes recognized for academic excellence, led BSU’s 16-person winter contingent. Four members of BSU’s women’s and men’s basketball teams received the 2015-16 academic honor.
Seven Beavers receive Myles Brand All-Academic with Distinction Award
A school-record seven student-athletes were selected for the seventh annual NSIC Myles Brand All-Academic with Distinction Award. Bemidji State’s recipients are: Nicole Anderson and Chloe Miller (track and field), Ashley Kiecker (volleyball), Nathan Heisick (baseball), Emily Olson (soccer), Anthony Peterson (football) and Shaylin Prout (tennis). The award, named in honor of the late NCAA President Dr. Myles Brand, is bestowed to senior NSIC student-athletes who have a cumulative grade point average of 3.75 or higher, are exhausting their eligibility and are on track to graduate.
22 Beaver hockey players honored as 2015-16 WCHA Scholar-Athletes
The Western Collegiate Hockey Association recognized a league-best 22 BSU women’s and men’s hockey players as recipients of the league’s 11th annual Scholar-Athlete Awards. BSU players recognized as 2015-16 WCHA Scholar-Athletes are: Nate Arentz; Kyle Bauman; Michael Bitzer; Mackenzie Bruch; Carley Esse; Reilly Fawcett; Brendan Harms; Madison Hutchinson; Alexis Joyce; Megan Lushanko; Graeme McCormack; Lauren Miller; Reid Mimmack; Hanna Moher; Brittni Mowat; Charlie O’Connor; Ruslan Pedan; Emma Terres; Summer Thibodeau; Kaitlyn Tougas; Jesse Wilkins and Whitney Wivoda.