For Immediate Release
Tuesday, April 27, 2021
NSIC Media Relations

NSIC Player of the Week
#36 Amanda Dickmeyer (INF, 5-4, Jr., R/R, Woodbury, Minn. / Woodbury HS) - Augustana
- Hit .600 (9-of-15) with eight RBI over the six-game week
- Entering the week with just one career home run, she knocked three out of the park, including a grand slam in a win over NSU
- Held a 1.267 slugging percentage and added six runs scored and did not strike out
- Had a 0.647 on base percentage, a walk and a double with eight putouts and seven assists 

NSIC Pitcher of the Week
#17 Mackenzie Ward (RHP, Jr., R/R, Clive, Iowa / Valley HS) - Minnesota State
- Went 3-0 on the week throwing three shutouts while striking out 41 batters
- Struck out a career best 19 batters in a one hit win versus Bemidji State
- Matched a MSU record for strikeouts in a 7 inning game (19) with Coley Ries who accomplished the feat in 2017
- Improved her season ERA to 0.93
- Named NSIC Pitcher of the Week for the fourth time this season (3/8/21, 4/5/21 & 4/19/21) 

Other Top Performances - Players 
#31 Kelly Swank (UMD) was 7-for 14 (.500 OB% / 1.000 SLG% / OPS of 1.5 ) with 9 RBI, a double, two runs scored, and a pair of homers. She moved her batting average from .278 to .313 over the week. 

#22 Sydney Nielsen (MSU) led the Mavericks in hitting .455 from the plate as the team went 6-0. She recorded a slugging percentage of .818, punctuated by a pair of homers.

Shayla Running (USF) hit .500 with eight hits in 16 at bats and a slugging mark of .688. She had six RBI, 11 total bases and a .556 OBP. In a doubleheader sweep over Minot State, she had six hits in seven at bats with four RBI and a 1.143 slugging mark. With her hitting streak, she ran her batting average from .281 to .322.

Kali Tomlinson (SMSU) totaled 10 hits with split against Minot State and the sweep against UMary. She would record three doubles two of which came against UMary. In game one against UMary Tomlinson would hit a homer to left center recording three RBIs and tie the game at eight and would eventually win the game.

#7 Holly Weinberger (SCSU) led the Huskies with a .500 batting average, going 9-18 at the plate with three runs, three doubles and one home run for 15 total bases. She added five RBI, slugged .833 on the week and tallied a .550 OBP. In the field, she recorded 20 put outs, one assist and no errors in 21 chances. She recorded three multi-hit games, including a 3-4 performance in game one against Minnesota Crookston. She went 2-3 against both Upper Iowa and Minnesota Crookston.  She hit the go-ahead single to put the Huskies up 2-1 against #20 Winona State in game one.

#4 Katie Crogan (UIU) was 5-for-18 (.278) over six games with four runs batted in, two home runs, two runs, and one double. She went 2-3 (.667) with a home run and two RBI in game one against Minnesota Duluth. She  went 2-4 (.500) with one run thanks to a solo home run in the top of the first inning in game one against St. Cloud State.

#13 Kim Vidlak (WSC) hit a team-high .450 during six games with three multi-hit contests. She was 2-3 with a grand slam in a 6-4 Saturday win over Northern State. She went 3-for-4 with a RBI in 4-1 win over MSU Moorhead Sunday and followed that with another 3 for 4 games with two runs scored in 7-5 win over Dragons.

#7 Libby Neveau (WSU) went 8-for-21 at the plate for a .381 average and hit three home runs over that stretch. Neveau had four RBI, as well as two doubles among her eight hits. Winona State went 5-1 last week, all on the road.

Other Top Performances - Pitcher
Ashley Mickschl (AUGIE) pitched a perfect game for the No. 1 Vikings. It was 15 up and 15 down in the 5-inning run-rule win over MSU Moorhead as Mickschl had one ball leave the infield and she struck out six in the less-than 50-pitch effort. Over four appearances, she went 3-0 with just 11 hits and 15 strikeouts in 19 total innings pitched. She gave up just one earned run (two total) over the 19-inning week.

#24 Lauren Dixon (UMD) recorded 20.0 innings pitched in three starts over the week. She shut out Upper Iowa in 6 innings and only surrendered three earned runs and gave up four walks in 20.0 innings pitched. She struck out 27 opposing hitters and was credited with 3 winning decisions in 3 starts. She held a 1.35 ERA in 20.0 innings. She has struck out the seventh-most batters in the NSIC (115) and carries an 11-4 record on the season.

Kaitlyn Vanderzwaag (USF) had a 2-0 record in three starts with two complete games, including a five-inning no hitter against U-Mary when she had seven strikeouts. She finished the week with a 1.65 earned run average and had 16 strikeouts in 17 innings with four earned runs allowed. Van DerZwaag also had six RBI and her first career grand slam while throwing a complete game in a 9-1 win over Minot State as the Cougars ran their winning streak to five games and moved into sixth in the NSIC race. He had the five-inning no-hitter against U-Mary on Sat in a 15-0 win.

#18 Megan Cull (SMSU) would throw a shutout to sweep Wayne State only allowing two hits. She would find success on Monday against UMary throwing five strikeouts in three innings.

Lauren Kirchberg (SCSU) led the Huskies to a 3-3 weekend with a 2-0 record in three appearances. She struck out 10 batters and walked just two. She held the #20 Warriors in a single inning of relief work. She recorded a complete game shutout of Upper Iowa and allowed just four base runners to reach in the game and surrendered just two hits.

#9 Sloan Cooksey (WSC) had a 3-0 record with two complete game wins in five appearances and 3.00 ERA during the week. In a 6-4 win over Northern State Saturday, struck out six batters allowing four runs. She had a complete game 4-1 win over MSU Moorhead Sunday allowing just one run on five hits. She threw two scoreless innings of relief to get win in second game, a come-from behind 7-5 win over MSU Moorhead.

#3 Jordyn Kleman (WSU) went 3-0 this past week, with three complete game wins all earned on the road. Kleman threw 21 total innings, allowing just 16 hits, while earning 25 strikeouts. She conceded just five earned runs and, in three games of work, walked just one batter.
NSIC Softball Players of the Week
2/16/21
Player:  #14 Megan Conrads - St. Cloud State
Pitcher: #24 Sydney LaPoint - St. Cloud State
2/23/21
Player: #12 Makenzie Merritt  - Northern State
Pitcher: #23 Trinity Valentine - Minot State
3/1/21
Player: #20 Kendall Cornick - Augustana
Pitcher: #16 Alissa Alvarado - University of Mary
3/8/21
Player: #12 Jordyn Thomas - Minnesota Duluth
Pitcher: #17 Mackenzie Ward - Minnesota State
3/15/21
Player: #7 Libby Neveau - Winona State
Pitcher: #14 Liz Pautz - Winona State
3/22/21
Player: #10 Torri Chute - Augustana
Pitcher: #20 Stephi Dullum  - Bemidji State
3/29/21
Not Awarded
4/5/21
Player: #20 Grace Beseman - Concordia-St. Paul
Pitcher: #17 Mackenzie Ward  - Minnesota State (2)
4/12/21
Player: #22 Lauren Oberle - Minnesota Duluth
Pitcher: #9 Meghan Anderson - Northern State
4/19/21
Player: #30 Mary Pardo - Augustana
Pitcher: #17 Mackenzie Ward  - Minnesota State (3)
4/27/21
Player: #36 Amanda Dickmeyer - Augustana
Pitcher: #17 Mackenzie Ward  - Minnesota State (4)

About the NSIC
The NSIC is a 16-team, 18-sport, NCAA Division II conference with institutions located in Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota. The NSIC is a model Division II conference that uses high-level athletics competition to develop champions in the classroom and community while empowering student-athletes to be impactful and positive leaders. Formed in 1992 by the merger of the Northern Intercollegiate Conference (men’s league) and the Northern Sun Conference (women’s league), the NSIC has flourished over the past quarter century, maturing into a 16-team union of Upper Midwest colleges and universities. The NSIC has won 23 team national championships and crowned 77 individual national champions. For additional information, visit NorthernSun.org.

About NCAA Division II
The NCAA, the national governing body for college athletics, is a volunteer association of more than 1,000 colleges and universities that classify their athletics programs in one of three membership divisions. The 300+ institutions in NCAA Division II support a balanced approach in which student-athletes have the opportunity to earn scholarships based on their athletic ability, pursue their desired academic degree, and participate in all the campus and surrounding community have to offer. Division II student-athletes annually graduate at rates higher than their student body peers, and they have access to the best championships-participant ratio among the NCAA’s three divisions. Division II gives student-athletes the unique opportunity to compete in the classroom, on the field, in their career, for their causes, and on their terms. For additional information, visit NCAA.org.