Volkert, Hintz and Borowicz Named All-NSIC First Team; Nelson Coach of the Year
BURNSVILLE, Minn. (MSUM Athletics) — After winning a third straight Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference regular-season title, the Minnesota State University Moorhead women’s basketball team has piled up the postseason accolades from the team. Three Dragons — senior guard Jacky Volkert, junior forward Megan Hintz and sophomore Kiley Borowicz — earned All-NSIC First Team honors, while Karla Nelson was named the 2018-19 NSIC Coach of the Year for a fourth time in her 19-year Dragon career.
Volkert was also named to the NSIC All-Defensive Team while redshirt freshman Peyton Boom was named to the All-Freshman Team.
Volkert leads the NSIC at 4.7 assists per game and is first in assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.5. She is tied for 11th in scoring at 14.2 points per game. Volkert also was fourth in steals at 1.8 per game to help her to be named to the NSIC All-Defensive Team. The Arden Hills, Minn., native is a two-time All-NSIC first team selection.
Hintz was sixth in the NSIC (conference games only) at 16.0 points per game. She led the NSIC at 10.3 rebounds per game and is the only NSIC player averaging a double-double. Hintz is third in field-goal percentage at .574. The Rochester, Minn., native had 13 double-doubles in 22 league games.
Borowicz was tied for eighth in the NSIC at 15.0 points per game. She scored a career-high 37 points in the Dragons’ win over Augustana on Jan. 19, which one away from an MSUM school record and the second-highest total in the NSIC this season. The Roseau, Minn., native also set a new MSUM single-game record with nine 3-pointers. Borowicz had 14 double-figure scoring games this season in 22 NSIC games.
Nelson guided MSUM to a third straight NSIC regular-season title and a fourth-straight NSIC North division crown. Nelson also led MSUM to a fourth straight 20-win season, the first time in school history the Dragons have reached 20 wins or more in four straight years.
Nelson is now a four-time NSIC coach of the year; she is only one of three NSIC women’s coaches in history to win the award four times, and is the only current coach to win the honor more than three times. Nelson joins football coach Steve Laqua as an NSIC Coach of the year; it is the first time since 1995-96 that an NSIC school has had football and women’s basketball coaches of the year during the same athletic year.
Boom averaged 6.1 points and 4.0 rebounds per game in 22 conference games and scored in double figures seven times as he enjoyed a solid campaign as MSUM’s primary post off the bench.
MSUM NSIC Honors
All-NSIC First Team
Jacky Volkert
Megan Hintz
Kiley Borowicz
All-Defensive Team
Jacky Volkert
All-Freshmen Team
Peyton Boom
NSIC WBB Honors
2018-19 NSIC Player of the Year
Cassie Askvig, UMary
2018-19 NSIC Defensive Player of the Year
Sammy Kozlowski, Minnesota-Duluth
2018-19 Freshman of the Year
Vishe Rabb, Augustana
2018-19 NSIC Coach of the Year
Karla Nelson, MSUM