ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) announced the postseason award winners for the 2023-24 UMAC Men’s Basketball season on Wednesday afternoon. The Bethany Lutheran College Vikings led all teams with 10 awards including three of the top honors. Only statistics earned in conference games during the regular season count for consideration in the awards. The awards are nominated and voted on by the conference head coaches.
Bethany Lutheran's Hunter Nielsen earned both UMAC Player of the Year and UMAC Defensive Player of the Year honors. The senior center led the Vikings in their undefeated 14-0 conference campaign to earn the UMAC Regular Season Championship; their second consecutive and their fourth in program history. Nielsen played all 14 conference games for the Vikings and led the UMAC with 134 rebounds, 9.6 rebounds per game, 33 blocks, 2.4 blocks per game, and 61.5 percent shooting from the field. His 15.8 points per game (5th), 221 points (4th), and 99 field goals (2nd) were all also top-five in the UMAC.
The Martin Luther College Knights' Trey Lauber earned UMAC Freshman of the Year honors. In 14 conference games played, the first-year guard averaged 10.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game. Lauber shot 42.7 percent from the field, 42.9 percent from beyond the arc, and 79.3 percent at the charity stripe.
Bethany Lutheran Vikings Head Coach Pat Garvin earned UMAC Coach of the Year honors. In his fourth year with BLC, Coach Garvin led the Vikings to their second-consecutive UMAC Regular Season Championship with an undefeated 14-0 record. In conference games, his team led the UMAC with 88.6 points per game and had the second-fewest points per game at 70.3. After the regular season ended, Garvin's Vikings would go on to win the UMAC Tournament Championship, their second-consecutive and fourth in program history, to punch their ticket to the NCAA DIII Championship.
The Martin Luther Knights won the team sportsmanship award, an accolade that is selected by the UMAC coaches and awarded to the team that best represents sportsmanship throughout the entire season, including the championship event. Each team also had one representative named to the all-sportsmanship team.
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Hunter Nielsen | Bethany Lutheran
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Hunter Nielsen | Bethany Lutheran
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
Trey Lauber | Martin Luther
COACH OF THE YEAR
Pat Garvin | Bethany Lutheran
TEAM SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD
Martin Luther College
FIRST TEAM ALL-CONFERENCE
| Name |
Institution |
Yr.. |
Pos. |
Hometown / High School |
| Tyrus Buckner |
Crown |
Jr. |
F |
Richton Park, Ill. / Homeschool |
| Pal Dak |
Minnesota Morris |
Sr. |
G |
Lincoln, Neb. / Lincoln East |
| Hunter Nielsen |
Bethany Lutheran |
Sr. |
C |
New Prague, Minn. / New Prague |
| Xavier Patterson |
Bethany Lutheran |
Sr. |
G |
Superior, Wis. / Superior |
| J'Vaun Walker |
Wisconsin-Superior |
Sr. |
G |
Rosharon, Texas / Manvel |
SECOND TEAM ALL-CONFERENCE
| Name |
Institution |
Yr. |
Pos. |
Hometown / High School |
| Cade Carroll |
Crown |
Gr. |
W |
Buena Vista, Colo. / Buena Vista |
| Josef Fahrenholtz |
Wisconsin-Superior |
Sr. |
F |
Chatfield, Minn. / Chatfield |
| Caleb Hoilien |
Northwestern |
Sr. |
F |
Minneapolis, Minn. / Hope Academy |
| Drew Sagedahl |
Bethany Lutheran |
Jr. |
G |
Olivia, Minn. / BOLD |
| Ja'Shon Simpson |
North Central |
So. |
G |
Caledonia, Minn. / Caledonia |
HONORABLE MENTION ALL-CONFERENCE
| Name |
Institution |
Yr. |
Pos. |
Hometown / High School |
| Mason Ackley |
Bethany Lutheran |
Sr. |
F |
Superior, Wis. / Superior |
| Thomas Balge |
Martin Luther |
So. |
G |
New Ulm, Minn. / Luther Prep |
| Henry Fahnbulleh |
Northwestern |
Sr. |
C |
Maple Grove, Minn. / Maple Grove |
| Nik Feller |
North Central |
Jr. |
F |
Madison, Wis. / Poynette |
| Tanner Holtman |
North Central |
Sr. |
G |
Aurora, Colo. / Grandview |
| Jax Madson |
Bethany Lutheran |
Jr. |
G |
Mankato, Minn. / Mankato East |
| Carrington McNeal |
North Central |
So. |
G |
Minneapolis, Minn. / Twin Cities Academy |
DEFENSIVE ALL-CONFERENCE
| Name |
Institution |
Yr. |
Pos. |
Hometown / High School |
| Pal Dak |
Minnesota Morris |
Sr. |
G |
Lincoln, Neb. / Lincoln East |
| Jacob Masek |
Crown |
Gr. |
G |
Shoreview, Minn. / Trinity |
| Carrington McNeal |
North Central |
So. |
G |
Minneapolis, Minn. / Twin Cities Academy |
| Hunter Nielsen |
Bethany Lutheran |
Sr. |
C |
New Prague, Minn. / New Prague |
| J'Vaun Walker |
Wisconsin-Superior |
Sr. |
G |
Rosharon, Texas / Manvel |
ALL-SPORTSMANSHIP
| Name |
Institution |
Yr. |
Pos. |
Hometown / High School |
| Kyle Bilodeau |
Wisconsin-Superior |
Sr. |
C |
Chetek, Wis. / Chetek-Weyerhaeuser |
| Jacob Brooks |
Minnesota Morris |
Sr. |
W |
Madison, S.D. / Howard |
| Paul Frick |
Martin Luther |
Sr. |
G |
Waukesha, Wis. / Luther Prep |
| Chris Orsello |
North Central |
Sr. |
G |
Chicago, Ill. / Glenbrook |
| Ryan Schneider |
Northwestern |
Sr. |
G |
Longmont, Colo. / Longmont |
| Justin Schrupp |
Bethany Lutheran |
Sr. |
F |
Danube, Minn. / Renville County West |
| Ben Smith |
Northland |
Sr. |
F |
Milltown, Wis. / Luck |
| Alec Testerman |
Crown |
Gr. |
G |
San Diego, Calif. / Vista Murrieta |