NORTHERN TODAY 17 SPRING 2015 NORTHERN ATHLETICS S T UD E N T H I GH L I GH T S Outfielder Jack Schmidt had a breakout year for the Wolves baseball team, which finished with a 27-26 record and its first NSIC Conference Tournament victory. The red-shirt freshman led the team with a .412 average and a single season school record with 20 doubles. Schmidt was the first to break the single season hits record versus Minnesota Duluth, with his 70th of the year, only to be broken by Lucas Lorenz a few innings later. Schmidt finished the year strong for the Wolves, earning himself a spot on the NSIC All-Tournament Team. Senior forward Rachel Krogman led the Wolves to a 26-7 record in 2015 with the NSIC North Division crown, NSIC/Sanford Health basketball championship and second straight NCAA regional appearance. Krogman averaged 16.5 points and 10.8 rebounds per game, while shooting 51.1 percent from the floor. She recorded career highs in points (30) and rebounds (17), and compiled 11 games with 20 or more points and 29 games in double digit scoring. Her 20 double-doubles on the season ranked sixth nationally. BURKETT NAMED HEAD COACH OF NSU WRESTLING BURKETT has spent the last three seasons as the head wrestling coach at Aberdeen Central High School, where he led the Golden Eagles to two Eastern South Dakota Conference titles, two Region 3 titles and the 2014 South Dakota State Wrestling Tournament team title. “We are very excited to welcome Rocky Burkett to the NSU Athletics family,” stated Josh Moon, director of athletics. “Rocky has a very clear plan to elevate NSU wrestling and has a high level of passion and energy that will transform this program. Rocky has proven that he can build champions in the classroom, on the mat and in life. We received a lot of interest from a number of talented candidates nationally, but Rocky stood out due to his dynamic leadership skills and experience and the respect of high school coaches throughout the state of South Dakota. We are excited for the future and are thrilled to welcome Rocky, his wife Jennifer, and their children Ryder and Becca to the Wolves family.” “I am very excited to be named the head wrestling coach at NSU,” stated Burkett. “I would like to thank (President) Dr. Jim Smith and (Director of Athletics) Josh Moon for giving me this opportunity to lead Wolves wrestling. This is my dream job and this program is ready to reach new heights, and I can’t wait to get started.” Burkett returned to the NSU coaching staff after two stints with the Wolves as a graduate assistant and an assistant coach from 2007 to 2011. In his time with the Wolves, the Rochester, Ind., native helped coach 10 wrestlers to NCAA Division II National Tournament appearances, two NCAA All-Americans, and one NCAA National Champion. “I am grateful to the wrestling community, both in Aberdeen and across the country,” added Burkett. “The outpouring of support we have received in raising the funds needed to reinstate the program is tremendous. I specifically am excited to be a part of that community and continue a strong tradition of wrestling here in South Dakota.” As a collegiate wrestler at Manchester College in Indiana, Burkett earned two Mid-States Wrestling Conference Championships, two NCAA Division III Academic All-American nods, and appeared in the 2003 NCAA Division III National Tournament. Rocky Burkett “I am very excited to be named the head wrestling coach at NSU.” Senior ace Kami Smesmo led the Wolves to their best season in modern history with a school record 33 wins. Along the way, Smesmo grabbed a few records of her own, with 20 single season wins, 36 appearances and 214.1 innings pitched in 2015. She also had career records in strikeouts with 487, wins with 50 and appearances with 124. Smesmo was named to the NSIC AllConference second team in 2015. She is also one of Northern’s NSIC Myles Brand honorees. In her senior campaign, she tallied 36 appearances, 32 games started, 27 complete games, six shut-outs, two saves and 139 strikeouts in 214.1 innings pitched. Aberdeen native Lucas Lorenz has been all about the power this season for Wolves baseball, tallying a school single season record 14 homeruns in his freshman season. Lorenz also captured the single season hits record, with 71, in the Wolves NSIC/ US Bank Baseball Tournament game versus Minnesota Duluth. Lorenz finished the year with a .382 average, 50 runs scored, 71 hits, three triples, 14 homeruns and 52 runs batted in for the Wolves. Rocky Burkett was introduced as the sixth wrestling head coach in Northern history on April 20. Rachel Krogman Lucas Lorenz Jack Schmidt Kami Smesmo
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NzkyNTY=