Bethany Magazine - Spring/Summer 2023

Go Vikings - Highlights from Athletics

BY LANCE SCHWARTZ ’86 • CHIEF COMMUNICATION OFFICER

BASEBALL

The Bethany baseball team won both the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) regular season title with a 18-3 record and were the conference tournament champions to gain a berth in the NCAA DIII playoffs. Nine Vikings were named First Team All-Conference: Brad Bickmann, Eli Fest, Ben Hopper, Jackson Huiras, Gavin Jacobsen, Conor Merton, Liam Peterson, Aidan Russell, and Matt Verdugo. UMAC honorable mention awards went to Brody Curtiss and Hunter Pearce. Ryan Kragh was named UMAC Coach of the Year and Jackson Huiras earned the Rookie of the Year award.

MEN’S BASKETBALL

The Bethany Lutheran men’s basketball team finished the season with a 23-5 record (12-2 in the UMAC). Head coach Pat Garvin was named UMAC Coach of the Year. The Vikings claimed their first regular season title since 2017-18 and first tournament championship since 2019-20 en route to the NCAA Tournament. Drew Sagedahl was named First Team All-Conference, Jax Madson was a Second-Team recipient, and Hunter Nielsen, Xavier Patterson, and Mason Ackley were Honorable Mention All-Conference.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

The Bethany Lutheran women’s basketball team finished with a 7-18 overall record in 2022-23 and a 5-9 record in the UMAC under head coach Lyle Jones who finished his 21st year at the helm for the Vikings. Skylar Cotten earned All-Conference Honorable Mention.

SOFTBALL

The Bethany women’s softball team was the UMAC regular season champion with a 20-1 conference record. Coach Dan Nessler was named UMAC Coach of the Year. Kayla Senne earned UMAC Pitcher of the Year honors, and Emily Doyle was the conference Rookie of the Year for the Vikings. Doyle, Katelyn Halbach, Kaija Mork, and Senne earned First Team All-Conference honors, while Ana Christofferson and Brynja Mielke gained Honorable Mention.

TENNIS

Marcos Borobia Arias was named First Team All-Conference and Heitor Damaso earned Second Team honors for the BLC Men’s Tennis Team. The Vikings finished the season at 8-9 overall and 6-4 in the UMAC. Sailor Mohlenbrock earned Second Team All-Conference honors on the women’s side for the Vikings. The Vikings were 4-12 overall and 3-7 in the UMAC.

TRACK AND FIELD

The Bethany women’s track and field team earned a second place finish at the UMAC Indoor Championships. Steph Witbrod was named the Women’s Field Athlete of the Meet with her first-place finishes in high jump, weight throw, long jump, triple jump, shot put, and the 60 meter hurdles. Kayla Tobin took first place in the 5000 meter run, and the team of Naomi Anderson, Cianna Hoppe, Chloe Kuhlman, and Jordan Merwin captured first in the distance medley relay. The outdoor season saw the women’s team taking third place at the UMAC Championships. Witbrod, once again, had a successful meet claiming Field Athlete of the Meet honors while winning the 100 meter hurdles, triple jump, and shot put. Cianna Hoppe, Chloe Kuhlman, Abby Skorenkyi, and Kayla Tobin also earned top honors for their first place finish in the 4x800 meter relay.

For the Bethany men, Jake Marzinske was named Field Athlete of the Meet winning the long jump, 60 meter hurdles, and the triple jump while Jakin Anderson captured first place in the 3000 meter run at the UMAC Indoor Championship. The men’s track team captured third place at the UMAC Indoor Championship and took sixth place in the UMAC outdoor conference meet where Jake Marzinske earned All-Conference in the triple jump.