HERMANTOWN, Minn. – Hermantown basketball standout Peter Soumis committed over the summer to play college ball right here at the Univeristy of Minnesota Duluth. “I just wanted to stay home, stay close to the family, so that was a big thing. The coaches, the coaching staff, they’re all super nice and I could relate to them a lot with our…
DULUTH, Minn. – If you’ve been to a UMD volleyball game over the past few years, you probably heard Emily Torve’s name blast through the speakers. But this year, she’s got a new name, as she married former football standout Jason Balts over the summer. “We just met through athletes in action, which is a bible study on campus for…
DULUTH, Minn. – Amy “Hard Hands” Lemenager has always been a fighter. “My grandparents are always like, “OK so when are you going to be done fighting?” and I’ll always be like, “Just one more.” And of course after the one more, there’s always another. I just can’t stop,” said Lemenager. Growing up, Lemenager was a two–sport athlete. In high…
SUPERIOR, Wis. – Senior midfielder Alex Hanson never really thought about playing high school soccer. “I started in about sixth grade. My parents got me in it. I played a lot in latchkey and stuff, and everybody said I was pretty good. I’m not super outgoing so they kind of forced me into it,” Hanson said. But since then, Hanson…
DULUTH, Minn. – Duluth East senior quarterback Caden Edwards has become the leader the Greyhounds need. “Caden’s an extremely gifted athlete and at quarterback he has all the tools, he’s big, he’s got a big arm,” Duluth East head coach Joe Hietala said. Through the first three weeks of the season, Edwards has completed 19 passes for 291 yards and…
CARLTON, Minn. – When Alaina Bennett first joined the Carlton volleyball team, she was one of three eighth graders to play on the varsity squad. “It was just crazy when you step on the court and you’re with seniors and juniors and you’re a little eighth grader. You listen to what everybody’s saying because you just want to make sure…
DULUTH, Minn. -St. Scholastica quarterback Zach Edwards entered Saturday’s season opener with high expectations, as he officially started his last first game. “You think about it’s the last of the end. I’m looking forward to it, I’m excited. Nothing like senior year, nothing like football, so I think it will be a good time,” Edwards said. In his junior season,…
SUPERIOR, Wis. – For University of Wisconsin-Superior senior Eric Watson, this upcoming season will be a big one for the Yellowjackets men’s soccer team. “The publishings that come out or the stories that come out about us, it’s all extra on top of it. A little bit of the cherry on top. But I think really if we’re being truthful…
CLOQUET, Minn. – Last season, the Cloquet football team lost in the section 7AAAA final for the first time in three years. “It’s a team game and our team just didn’t do what we were supposed to do,” senior running back Markus Pokornowski said of that loss. But the Lumberjacks were missing a big piece in that game, as Pokornowski…
DULUTH, Minn. – The UMD football team is officially one week into the 2019 season. “I am pumped to be here. I’ve been wishing away my summer to be here and I’m pretty excited,” freshman running back Reagan Ruffi said. Fall practice allows the whole team to come together and is crucial for the freshmen and newcomers to learn the…
DULUTH, Minn. – Gabby Seyer, a rising sophomore at East High School, has made figure skating her life for the past ten years. Now, she’s one of only 18 girls in her level competing at the inaugural National Excel Festival in Coral Springs, Florida. “I’m excited about meeting new competitors from all over the country. So I’m kind of excited…
DULUTH, Minn. – When you think of athletes in northern Minnesota, you think of all of the great hockey players and the kids who learned how to skate before they can walk. But baseball is growing in the Northland, and part of the reason for that is Hilltoppers senior pitcher Ben Pedersen. “I grew up wanting to play hockey. I…
HERMANTOWN, Minn. – Anyone from Hermantown can tell you how much the town means to them. “Hermantown, oh boy, it means a lot. It’s where you’ve grown up, it’s the tight community, it’s welcoming, it’s where you have all your friends. It’s definitely going to be hard to leave the small town feel of knowing everybody and having everyone know…
DULUTH, Minn. – Next month, Andrew Standfield will be representing Team USA at the International Powerlifting Federation World Championships in Helsingborg, Sweden. But how we got to this point has put as much strain on his body as the weights he trains with. “They noticed during an ultrasound that his belly was bigger than his head. They were like, “OK…
SUPERIOR, Wis. – Superior softball is off to another strong season and a key reason for that is senior pitcher Mady Stariha. “She’s definitely one of the leaders and they all look up to her,” Superior head coach Mike Sather said. Stariha is 11–1 on the season, has allowed just 10 earned runs and has struck out 109 batters, which…
DULUTH, Minn. – St. Scholastica baseball junior outfielder Aaron Weber is having a monster season, leading the Saints with a .400 batting average and has been a consistent glove in right field. “On the field he’s been our most consistent offensive player. We moved him to the outfield last year as well, and he’s adapted really well out there and…
SUPERIOR, Wis. –Â Senior catcher Gabby Gidley has been a key part in turning the Yellowjackets season around, leading the team to a perfect 8-0 home record in front of her hometown. “I have people that I don’t even know personally on a personal level come up and talk to me about my successes or they’ll say ‘Oh I’ve watched you…
DULUTH, Minn. – UMD men’s hockey team is embarking on their third straight trip to the Frozen Four. For this week’s Northern Star, hear from the Bulldogs before they head out to Buffalo to try to defend their title. “Some people don’t get the opportunity obviously to even make a regional, in the four years that they go to college…
DULUTH, Minn. – Jordyn Thomas always knew she’d be a Bulldog. “Just being 15 minutes away from Hermantown, UMD has just been home and it’s always been that way so it feels right to be here,” Thomas said. The Hermantown native grew up playing basketball and softball for the Hawks and has always had deep ties to the Bulldogs. “With…
DULUTH, Minn. – A bond between sisters can’t be broken, and that’s exactly what St. Scholastica women’s tennis teammates Brynne and Elise Hauer have. The sisters are playing in their first and only season together with the Saints and are enjoying every moment. “It’s definitely a different bond being a sister, especially when you also wear that teammate hat and…
DULUTH, Minn. – After winning their second ever national championship, the UMD men’s hockey team needed a trusty captain this year. That’s when they looked to their assistant Parker Mackay and decided to give him the “C”. “It was special honestly. I was excited for the challenge but a little nervous maybe just with the high expectations that this group had…
DULUTH, Minn. – Third time’s the charm for senior Danielle Kohlwey.  In her third straight trip to the NCAA Division II Indoor Track and Field Championship, she finally came out on top. Kohlwey captured the 60-meter hurdle title on Saturday with a time of 8.24 seconds. But going into the weekend, Kohlwey just wanted to enjoy the moment. “With this being my…
CLOQUET, Minn. – Jacob Herter has always called the Northland home. “This whole Twin Ports area, the hockey is so amazing. The completion around here is unbelievable,” Herter said. Herter spent three years playing with Hermantown and is now just down the road playing in the NAHL with the Minnesota Wilderness. “I always kind of wanted to play for the…
DULUTH, Minn. – The Minnesota Duluth women’s basketball team is having one of their best seasons in program history. But for the seniors on the team, especially forward Josie Buckley, they’re not ready to think about the season winding down. “I just haven’t really been thinking about it much. We’ve been having such a great season and it’s been fun,…
HERMANTOWN, Minn. -With talent up and down the lines, the Hermantown boys hockey team is once again one of the top powerhouses in the state. But with so much talent, a trusty captain is needed, and that’s what they have in senior Darian Gotz. “He’s our leader, hands down. And it’s not because he’s the rah-rah guy in the locker room….
MAPLE, Wis. – After going 12–12 last year, the Northwestern boys basketball team has been dominate this year. The Tigers are currently undefeated in conference play and ranked in the top 10 in division three within the state. “We’re about 10, 11 guys deep that I can play at any single time in any single game and that’s a luxury…
SUPERIOR, Wisc. – This month marks five years since turmoil began between Russia and Ukraine. Two players on the UWS men’s hockey team know all about it: Russian Pavel Mikhasenok and Ukrainian Artur Terchiyev. “We’ve know each other for five years because we went to school together back at Everest Academy. And we room together also so we never talk…
TWO HARBORS, Minn. – Jayden Ruberg comes from a basketball family. His dad, aunt and older sister all played for Two Harbors and each left legacies within the program. “They were pretty much the reason I started playing basketball. They’re my role models. I wanted to play like them, be like them, that’s my motivation,” Ruberg said. Ruberg’s sister holds…
DULUTH, Minn. – After birth, Caitlin Breen and Victoria Thorson were both in the same orphanage in Bogota, Colombia, but never met each other. Breen was adopted at two months old and her family moved throughout the US while Thorson was adopted at three months old and came straight to Duluth. When Breen’s family made the move to Duluth and…
DULUTH, Minn. – Quinn Fischer has been playing basketball his whole life and is now finding success early at the collegiate level thanks to his St. Scholastica teammates. “It’s definitely different, going from high school to college, but with all of the upperclassmen showing us what it takes and them opening up a lot of things for me, offensively, defensively,…
CLOQUET, Minn. – Taylor Nelson and Kiana Bender have been key contributors to the Cloquet-Esko-Carlton girls hockey team this season, and their connection goes beyond being linemates. “We met when we were in boys hockey in like squirts or whatever. We were the only two girls on the team so we kind of just had to be friends and we’ve…
DULUTH, Minn. – In the middle of the Northland’s first winter storm of the season, Brandon Myer is still at practice one hour early. “Like all the greats that play in the NBA, they say confidence comes with preparation. If you out-prepare the people you play against, then you’re more likely to do better,” said Myer. Myer says it’s just…
HERMANTOWN, Minn. – Ryan Gray has given Proctor/Hermantown a sense of security in net for the past six years, as she’s climbed from a middle school player on junior varsity to the senior starting goalie. “So she started out, I think in seventh grade, as a JV goalie and played for a few years there and then slowly moved her…
DULUTH, Minn. – Seems like it was just yesterday that we saw Cole Koepke and Jesse Jacques bring state titles to Hermantown. Now their mission is to do the same not too far from home with the UMD bulldogs. “When I saw that he was coming to Duluth, I was excited. And I didn’t even know it was initially this…
SUPERIOR, Wis. – Mac Reykdal is having a breakout year on the court this season; he scored a career–high 27 points in the Yellowjackets loss on Saturday at Minnesota Morris. But Reykdal’s work off the court is standing out more. “Really takes a lot of pride in what he does, both on the court and off the court. It’s something he’s…
DULUTH, Minn. – After transferring from Minnesota Duluth after her freshman year, Alexia Klaas has been a key part of the St. Scholastica women’s hockey program for the past three years. The senior is currently tied for the most goals on the team and is second with 12 points, and has helped lead the Saints to a 7-3-1 record. But…
CLOQUET, Minn. – Makayla Suominen has been a standout on the Cloquet-Esko-Carlton high school swim team for six years, swimming in five state meets, earning eight medals, countless top–five finishes, and even a state title her sophomore year. “Coming in, I knew it was my senior year and taking all of the other years into account and I was pretty…
DULUTH, Minn. –Â The Duluth East Cheer team has spent most of the year on the sidelines of Friday night lights, cheering on the Greyhounds each week. But over the past month, they’ve been putting in the work for competition season. “We do a lot more performances for our school and then we work on competitions so they only had about…
CARLTON, Minn.-Â After losing in the section finals last season the Carlton Bulldogs have redeemed themselves and are headed to state for the first time since 2014. A big reason for that is setter Brynne Mickle. “After we lost last year it just hung over our heads the whole season and we used it as fuel to motivate ourselves because we…
CLOQUET, Minn. – If you’ve attended a Cloquet football game at all this season, you’ve definitely heard the name Markus Pokornowski blare over the stadium speakers. His success on the field goes beyond natural athleticism. “Obviously he’s a good athlete but he’s really coach-able. He’s worked hard to get better at things when he doesn’t have the football. He’s a…
SUPERIOR, Wis. – Hannah Norlin is a UWS senior playing the game that has taught her invaluable life lessons. “Basketball has been a huge role because of all the time spent. It is something that really helps with your work ethic. You are constantly working and trying new things, learning new skills and not giving up,” Norlin said. Her work…
MAPLE, Wis.- The last time the Northwestern Tigers went 9–0 was back in 2010 and if you ask anyone for a reason behind their success they’ll give you one name: Reagan Ruffi. “Teams that have a record similar to ours, they’ve got some exceptional players and that’s what Reagan is. He is an exceptional player. But he leads not only on…
DULUTH, Minn.-Â If you’ve set foot inside the Duluth Denfeld gymnasium in the past four years, you’ve probably witnessed Caitlin Schneeweis absolutely killing it on the volleyball court. But she admits it hasn’t always been this way. “I always played basketball so my mom wanted me to do something in the off-season to get ready for basketball. I just decided…
DULUTH, Minn.- William Francis entered his senior season at Duluth East with hopes of break the school record as leading goalscorer for the Greyhounds and just last week he made that happen. “I kind of had it in the back of my mind before the season started. Every game I just tried to make an appearance in the game, tried…
DULUTH, Minn.-Maddie Rooney is rejoining the Bulldogs after taking time off to backstop Team USA to victory in the 2018 winter Olympics. The redshirt junior’s game has reached new heights and she’s ready to make it known. “Over the past year I’ve definitely matured a ton as a player. All the experiences I’ve had, my game has developed so much…
CLOQUET, Minn.- Kendra Kelley has been a key member of the Cloquet–Carlton girls soccer team long before she even began high school. “I’ve been playing at this varsity level since seventh grade. I’ve just grown so much as a person, as an athlete. I’m really close with these girls and with my coach as well. It’s a great family and…
DULUTH, Minn.- Denfeld football recorded only one win last year. But in game one of the 2018 season they matched that record and a main part of that was senior wide receiver Wryott Gerson who believes that this is the year of the Hunters. “We kind of got that in our mind set that we can do good this year….
DULUTH, Minn.- Former Esko football wide receiver is entering his senior season at St. Scholastica. “I love St. Scholastica. I’m super glad I came here. It’s a small school, kind of a small team, private team. We should win the conference every year. They’re a winning team so that’s why I pretty much came here and I wanted to win,”…
DULUTH, Minn.- Joe Yernatich is entering his 12th and final season of his football career. “It feels weird. I’ve been playing football since fourth grade. This is the last time i’ll strap it up, last fall i’ll be able to play so it’s weird,” said Yernatich. Since the age of 14 the Duluth native had envisioned himself as a UMD…
DULUTH, Minn.- For as long as he can remember, Tim Pokornowski has been a three sport athlete. But when it came down to his future there was one game that he knew he needed to continue playing. “It was a dream of mine ever since I was a kid to play college football somewhere and it just feels great to…
