Miranda Wagner Hits 1000

In the storied career of Northland College LumberJills Basketball powerhouse, Miranda Wagner ’23, naming a single favorite moment in her historic college career is impossible, there are just too many to choose from! “There’s so many moments that I treasure so much,” said the senior student athlete. “It’s not just the big ones either…the little moments have just as much value. Really, it’s the collection of moments as a whole that makes being a student athlete at Northland worth it.”

With quite the collection to remember, choosing one Wagner moment is definitely a tall order.

Take, for example, the game on February 11 against North Central University, when Wagner eclipsed the one thousand career point mark. “It was kind of surreal, especially considering we only had a chance to play four games during the COVID-19 season,” said Wagner when describing the shot that put her over one thousand points.

Wagner led the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) in scoring this year, averaging 20.2 points per game in UMAC play. She was also second in the league in field goal percentage and free throw percentage. She scored a career high forty-one points on December 12 in their 75-54 win over Mount Mary University.

For Wagner, some of the quieter, smaller moments rank right up with the big ones. “The whole experience of being a part of something bigger than yourself, that’s the value of being a student athlete,” said Wagner. “We went through so much together…long bus rides, hotel stays, hanging out away from the court…not to mention the challenge of the COVID-19 pandemic, those things all brought us so much closer together. Those might be my favorite moments of all.”

The senior, majoring in sociology and social justice, knows she has at least one more big moment left to go. “Walking across that stage during graduation this May and seeing the culmination of all the hard work in the classroom come to fruition, that moment will rank right up at the top I’m sure,” said Wagner. “Which is saying something considering all these amazing moments I’ve been blessed to have here at Northland.”

This story has been adapted from northlandcollegesports.com

Jason Carter Named the 2022–23 WIAC Women’s Hockey Coach of the Year

Head Coach Jason Carter was named the 2022–23 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Women’s Hockey Coach of the Year. In his third season behind the bench, Carter guided the LumberJills to their first WIAC playoff win over UW-Superior in the WIAC Quarter Finals. “I’m extremely honored to receive this award,” said Jason. “Honestly, it feels like a coaching staff award. I know I couldn’t do it without the help of our two assistant coaches, Natasha Hawkins and Paige Moilanen. They’ve both been great additions to the program.”