TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONS

The Kohawk men’s basketball team put together a magical run to end its 2022-23 season, winning five straight games in the last two weeks of February, including three consecutive wins en route to its first-ever conference tournament title. Coe, which made its return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1976, battled ups and downs throughout the season but finally began to click down the stretch. Head Coach Bryan Martin’s team ended the regular season with narrow wins over Wartburg College and Nebraska Wesleyan University, sneaking its way into the American Rivers Conference postseason tournament as the sixth and final seed. Martin’s Kohawks then won three straight road games against third-seeded Nebraska Wesleyan, second-seeded University of Dubuque and fourth-seeded Loras College, taking down the Duhawks 93-86 in the conference championship game.

“Winning the A-R-C tournament championship for the first time in school history was special in so many ways,” said Martin. “For our players and staff on this year’s team, it was the culmination of our belief in each other and the players’ ability to improve each day throughout the season and ultimately peak when it mattered most. We have always emphasized that if we put relationships first, then the championships will soon follow — so to see their joy after winning the title together was truly special.”

Coe was led by two first-team allconference performers in Cael Schmitt ’24 and TJ Schnurr ’24 , who were two of the league’s top scorers throughout the season. Schmitt and Schnurr combined for 55 of Coe’s 93 points in the titleclinching win over Loras, with Schnurr exploding for a career-high 36. The junior from Algona, Iowa, put together the greatest shooting performance in Coe men’s basketball history, going 14-of15 from the floor to shoot 93.3 percent from the field, a new single-game school record.

“We are grateful for the success that came our way this season. We want to parlay this year’s success into future opportunities to represent Coe at the national level and keep taking our program to new heights.”

- Coach Bryan Martin

Schmitt, who directed the Kohawk offense and defense throughout the season, was named the American Rivers Conference Defensive Player of the Year along with his first-team allleague selection. Schmitt continued to earn accolades and recognition following Coe’s first-round loss to Washington University - St. Louis in the NCAA Tournament, being named academic All-American by the College Sports Communicators as well as one of 10 men’s finalists for the Division III Jostens Trophy.