The Bulldog Update — Spring 2023

We are back with another semester of the Bulldog Update, so let's catch up on everything Bulldog athletics as we continue into the month of February.

Women's Hockey is introduced before their matchup against St. Cloud State. Photo by Lukas Lorenz

The Women’s hockey team continues their impressive win streak with a shutout win over St. Cloud State last weekend. They head into their final series of the regular season next weekend versus Bemidji State with a conference record of 15-8-3 and an overall record of 21-8-3, landing themselves at an impressive #8 in the nation in the latest USCHO rankings. Graduate student Emma Soderberg receives another WCHA Goaltender of the Week award as the team looks forward to conference playoffs.

The Men’s hockey team continues to struggle as a whole after dropping both games in their most recent series against Western Michigan University. With a conference record of 7-11-0 and an overall record of 12-15-0, they head into a difficult away series versus Denver University this weekend before returning to Amsoil for their final home series. While the Bulldogs still find themselves outside of the top 20 in the national rankings, they look forward to the NCHC conference playoffs to make a run at the NCAA national tournament.

Drew Blair lines up for a free throw against the University of Mary. Photo by Lukas Lorenz

Women’s Basketball was able to secure their third straight NSIC conference title with their win over Minot State last weekend. They head into their final two games of the season with a current conference record of 19-1 and an overall record of 22-3, boosting them into a strong #11 in the nation in the most recent Division 2 WBCA Coaches Poll.

Men’s Basketball secured both of their wins last weekend with a comeback win over Minot State. The team finds themselves outside of the top 25 in the national rankings as they head into their final two games of the season versus Minnesota Crookston and Bemidji State. Currently, they hold onto a 14-6 conference record and an overall record of 18-8.

Kiana Bender celebrates from the field after a hit. Photo from UMD Athletics

Bulldog Softball started their season off strong with an undefeated record of 8-0. With two dominant wins last weekend over Bemidji State and St. Cloud State, the team has won their last four games by double-digit margins. Ava Johnson currently leads the team with a batting average of .474, while Sidney Zavoral continues to show her power with a team-leading three home runs on the season so far. They head to Kansas next weekend for the Emporia Classic tournament, facing a Quincy University team who has yet to play a game this season.

Shay Callaway receives UMD's first NSIC player of the Week nod in 11 years. Photo from UMD Athletics

UMD Tennis continued their undefeated season, defeating St. Cloud State last weekend with a 5-2 match win. They opened their season 4-0 overall and 1-0 in their conference. With her performance against Bethel, Shay Callaway became the first Bulldog to receive NSIC Player of the Week since Katie Bolf almost 11 years ago. The team looks to play Gustavus Adolphus, University of Mary and MSU Moorhead next week on their road trip to Virginia, Minnesota.

Bereket Loer races for first in his event at the Lake Superior Challenge. Photo by UMD Athletics

UMD Track and Field head down the stretch of their indoor season after last weekend’s South Dakota State Indoor Classic and Sam Maday Classic. The South Dakota State Indoor Classic saw one first-place finish and six new personal records for Bulldog athletes. The Sam Maday Classic saw 11 first-place finishes and 11 new personal records. The team heads down to the Twin Cities for the Snowshoe Classic this weekend before the NSIC Indoor Championships.