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FIRST CONFERENCE SCHOOL TO SWEEP HOOPS TITLES IN SAME SEASON

WLC became the first school in the 15-year history of the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) to claim both the men’s and women’s basketball conference tournament titles in the same season. Head coaches Aaron Aanonsen and Klay Knueppel (pictured above) were each named NACC Coach of the Year for their efforts.

Aanonsen, who wrapped up his fourth season at the helm at WLC, led the Warriors to an 11-3 mark overall and the North Division title with a 7-3 division record. His charges then captured the overall NACC title with a 78-71 victory over Rockford in the NACC Tournament championship game. The overall title was the second in succession for WLC, while the tournament crown was the first for a WLC men’s basketball squad since winning the Lake Michigan Conference Tournament in 2006 – that league’s final season.

The Warriors were the NACC’s top rebounding squad, outrebounding opponents by 7.4 boards per game. That number jumped to 8.4 rebounds per game in league play. WLC also experienced success getting to – and converting from – the free throw line, leading all NACC schools in free-throw makes (16.8) and attempts (22.7) per game.

This was Aanonsen’s second consecutive NACC Men’s Basketball Coach of the Year honor. Knueppel led WLC to a 12-1 mark overall, including a 9-1 record within the North Division, and secured the NACC’s overall crown with a 78-53 win over host Benedictine in the championship game of the NACC Tournament. Under the 17th-year head coach, the Warriors have won eight NACC championships and 10 NACC Tournament titles in the league’s 15 years of existence.

WLC finished second in the NACC in scoring (69.4 points per game) and allowed the fewest points per game in the league (45.9).

This is Knueppel’s third NACC Women’s Basketball Coach of the Year honor in the last four seasons and his NACC-record fifth honor overall.

FOUR NEWCOMERS NAMED NACC FRESHMEN OF THE YEAR

Three males, one female earn league’s top newcomer award

Wisconsin Lutheran College freshmen student-athletes Puma Galvan (men’s soccer), Sam Leisemann (women’s basketball), Andrew Muffler (baseball), and Jacob Stoltz (men’s basketball) were named Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference North Division Freshmen of the Year for their 2020-2021 seasons.

GALVAN, a goalkeeper from Racine, Wisconsin, started all 10 games for the Warriors and led the NACC with 69 saves. The freshman recorded four shutouts and allowed 1.12 goals per game on a .852 save percentage. Galvan allowed just one goal over the final five games of the season and stopped a season-high 17 shots in WLC’s 1-0 overtime win over Concordia Wisconsin in the NACC North Division Tournament Semifinal.

LEISEMANN, a forward from Fall River, Wisconsin, averaged 10.5 points and 9.5 rebounds per game while shooting 54.0 percent from the field. Among NACC players, she ranked second in rebounding and posted the fourth-best shooting percentage from the field. Leisemann reached double-figure scoring in eight of 13 games, highlighted by a 15-point, 16-rebound performance in WLC’s 66-58 NACC North Division Tournament Final win over Edgewood.

MUFFLER, a pitcher from Waukesha, Wisconsin, made 12 appearances and seven starts on the mound for the Warriors. The freshman right-hander tossed a team-high 53.2 innings and finished fourth in the conference with a 3.02 earned run average while posting a 3-0 record. Muffler struck out 38 batters and recorded four quality starts. In his final start of the season on May 9, Muffler held Concordia Wisconsin to just one run on one hit across six innings to secure the victory.

STOLTZ, a guard from Kewaskum, Wisconsin, led the Warriors in scoring (17.6 points per game), assists (3.7 per game), and steals (1.9 per game) while starting 13 of WLC’s 14 games. He ranked among the top 10 in the NACC in all three categories. Also one of the league’s top free-throw shooters, he led all NACC players in made free throws (77) and ranked third in free-throw percentage (86.5 percent). Stoltz had 10 games with 10 points or more, including a 30-point game at Concordia Wisconsin on February 20.

Unprecedented Year Culminates with Unrelenting Spring Season

Despite the challenges the COVID-19 pandemic presented, WLC Athletics was able to provide its studentathletes with a high-quality experience during a time where other colleges and universities chose not to participate in outside athletics competition.

With the shifting of the Warriors’ nine traditional fall sports and an already busy spring season, all 19 WLC sports teams trained during the same time frame for the first time ever. From pre-dawn practices to team devotions at dusk, practice space was at a premium.

From the home-opening night of women’s basketball on January 29 to the final home baseball doubleheader on May 9, a total of 223 athletics contests took place during the 101-day span. Of those 200plus events, 101 were home competitions. Forty-seven home contests were held during the month of April, and Saturday, March 27 turned out to be the busiest day for the Warriors, as nine teams were in action that afternoon.

SCHUMACHER COMPETES AT NCAA OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS

Finishes one place shy of qualifying for All-American honors in two events

WLC senior Kendra Schumacher (Little Chute, Wisconsin) competed at the 2021 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships May 27-28 in Greensboro, North Carolina.

“I was blessed to have the opportunity to compete at the national championships,” said Schumacher. “It was such a special and exciting way to end my senior season. I was overwhelmed with support from my teammates, family, and alumni. Each race was very anxiety-filled and emotional, but it was very exciting to race against the best competition in Division III. Finishing the year ninth in the nation is something I will cherish and forever be proud of.”

Schumacher, who qualified in both the 100m and 200m, became the first Warriors student-athlete to qualify in multiple events at the same championship. She joined Amanda (Markham) Frier ’15 (2016/400m Hurdles) and Jenny (Ebeling) Biebert ’15 (2015/Heptathlon) as the third NCAA outdoor qualifier in program history.

Seeded 12th in the 100m and seventh in the 200m, Schumacher finished ninth out of 19 competitors in each event, narrowly missing All-American honors by one place. The USTFCCCA All-Midwest Region performer posted a school-record time of 11.98 seconds in the 100m preliminaries, besting her previous school record and entry time by .07 seconds. In the 200m prelims, Schumacher recorded the second-fastest time of her career of 24.63 seconds in the lone heat that ran into a headwind.

“Before the season, we were talking about maybe breaking school records, but we never really talked about nationals as an option,” said second-year Head Coach Eric Kramer. “On one hand, it’s disappointing to be the first one out in both events. But on the other hand, what a way to go out. Kendra had never run a 100m in her life before this season, yet came one spot from being an All-American while running a lifetime best in the 100m, and she had the second-fastest 200m of her life into a headwind! I could not be more proud of the growth she had over the entire season. I’m so happy for Kendra and proud of the example she has been for our program!”

Schumacher, a four-time NACC Student-Athlete of the Week, concluded her Warriors career with nine school records.