ATHLETICS

In Nov. 2022, the Northwestern Volleyball team reached the NCAA Division III Final Four for the second time in six years, posting a program-best 34-3 season record and finishing the season with a No. 3 national ranking. Three Eagles—Abby Glanzer ’24, Ari Schmidt ’24, and Marylyn Schroyer ’23 —were named AVCA All-Americans while head coach Beth Wilmeth ’01 was voted the AVCA Region Coach of the Year.

Volleyball student-athlete Sydney Schwitters ’21 broke the all-time career assists record of 4,469, finishing her career with 4,684. In addition to leading all NCAA Division III players with 11.53 assists per set, Schwitters was named the 2021 American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) / National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) Player of the Year.

The Northwestern football team went undefeated in UMAC play to win the 2022 conference championship and advance to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2016.

Northwestern Women’s Basketball became UMAC Tournament Champions in Feb, 2023. Eagles won the title game to advance to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2014. At the end of the season, Eagles were honored with numerous conference awards, highlighted by Player of the Year, Coach of the Year, and the Sportsmanship Team Award.

Dave Hieb (baseball) became the first UNW head coach to have coached in 1,000 contests and win 500 or more of those games. Hieb is UNW’s longesttenured Athletics staff member; 2023 is his 28th and final year leading the baseball program and his 34th year serving as an athletic trainer.

After claiming the 2021 UMAC championship, the Northwestern women’s golf team participated in its first NCAA Division III Tournament in 2022 at Bay Oaks Country Club in Houston, Texas.

Track and Field student-athlete Deanna Trucksess ’25 broke the school record in the 200-meter run—a mark that had previously stood for 39 years—with a time of 27.01 seconds.

Abby Glanzer ’24 was named the 2021 AVCA/NCAA Division III Freshman of the Year and an AVCA First Team All-American—both firsts for Northwestern. Glanzer also received Top Freshman, All-Conference, and Academic All-Conference honors from the UMAC.