Tuesday, November 18, 2014

More UMC sports signings

UMC Volleyball Adds Middle Hitter Sikkink to Signing Class

CROOKSTON, Minn. – The University of Minnesota Crookston volleyball team announced the signing of Kaitlin Sikkink (MH, 5-11, St. Charles, Minn./St. Charles H.S.) to a National Letter of Intent to begin playing for the Golden Eagles during the 2015 season.

“Kaitlin is a very athletically talented athlete that always competes with a lot of energy and passion for the game,” said UMC Head Coach Lee Anderson. “She will bring a level of enthusiasm on a daily that will be infectious!” “I forsee great things for Kaitlin and I am so excited that she decided to make her home at UMC and become a member of the Golden Eagle Volleyball family!”

Sikkink is the fifth signee for the Golden Eagles for the 2015 signing class. She joins Alex Oakes (S, 5-9, Cloquet, Minn./Cloquet H.S.), Devan Miliner (DS/Lib., 5-2, Rosemount, Minn./Apple Valley H.S.), Callie Schapekahm (MH, 6-0, Eagan, Minn./Eagan H.S.) and Sabrina Leuer (MH, 5-10, Hamel, Minn./Wayzata H.S.) as signees for the Golden Eagles. UMC returns 11 players from last year’s roster but is looking to replace three big players for them during the 2014 season in All-NSIC First Team pick and all-time kills leader Brittany Looker, one of the program’s all-time leading blockers in Morgan VanGerpen and starting libero Mary Mikutowski.

Kaitlin Sikkink (MH, 5-11, St. Charles, Minn./St. Charles H.S.)

She played for SMV (Southern Minnesota Volleyball), which has helped produce UMC greats such as Brittany Looker and Chelsea Wiesner. Sikkink helped lead her club to first place in the 2013 Med City Cup and second place in the 2013 Frostbite Tournament. Sikkink was All-State Honorable Mention in 2014 and was an All-Three Rivers Conference pick in 2013 and 2014. She has been very involved in her school, serving as National Honor Society treasurer and secretary, a member of student council, including serving as president in 2014. She has also been honored for her academic excellence throughout her academic career.

Sikkink is the daughter of Mike and Amy Sikkink. She plans to major in biology. Sikkink was born Nov. 5, 1996.




UMC Baseball Signs Four During Early Signing Period

CROOKSTON, Minn. – The University of Minnesota Crookston baseball team announced the signing of four student-athletes to National Letters of Intent for the early signing period. David Olson (C, 6-1 195, Stillwater, Minn./Vermillion C.C.), Eric Newman (RHP, 6-3 188, Buffalo, Minn./Buffalo H.S.), Clarke Peterson (C, 5-6 175, East Grand Forks, Minn./East Grand Forks H.S.) and Zach Seipel (C, 6-2 185, Eagan, Minn./Eagan H.S.) have all signed with UMC in Head Coach Steve Gust’s first full recruiting class leading the program.

“I am extremely excited to sign these four student-athletes,” Gust said. “They all have talent, but more importantly, they exhibited the character traits we are looking for as we build this program. They have great passion for the game and school, and all of them are ready to give their best effort to what we are trying to accomplish here.”

The quartet of players are just a start for Gust’s first recruiting class as he looks to build upon the numbers and talent on the UMC roster. The Golden Eagles are currently slated to have 30 players on the roster for 2015 season and will lose four players to graduation.

Zach Seipel (C, 6-2 185, Eagan, Minn./Eagan H.S.)

Seipel hit .383 with 16 runs scored, four doubles, 19 runs batted in and a .400 slugging percentage for the Eagan Patriots, junior American Legion team, in 2013. In 2013, Seipel helped lead Eagan to the American Legion state tournament in 2014. Seipel hit .319 during the legion season in 2014.

Seipel is the son of Kim and Larry Seipel. He plans to major in health management. Seipel was born Oct. 17, 1996.

“Zach has a bright future at UMC,” Gust said. “He has all the intangibles we are looking for both on and off the field. We are excited to have him as a member of our baseball team.”

Clarke Peterson (C, 5-6 175, East Grand Forks, Minn./East Grand Forks H.S.)

Peterson hit .375 with 10 runs scored, 10 RBI, four doubles and one triple. He had a .374 batting average for East Grand Forks H.S. Peterson also plays football for East Grand Forks H.S.

Peterson is the son of Michael and Karen Peterson. He plans to major in sports and rec management. Peterson was born March 4, 1997.

“Clarke is one of the top catchers in the region,” Gust said. “We are very fortunate to sign him early because he is a kid that projects very well at this level. We are very excited to see him develop during his time here at UMC.”

Eric Newman (RHP, 6-3 188, Buffalo, Minn./Buffalo H.S.)

Newman was a letterwinner in baseball and strength and conditioning. Newman played American Legion for Buffalo. He joins current UMC player Colton Haight as players from Buffalo H.S. to play for the Golden Eagles. Student-athletes Alexa Thielman (women’s basketball) and Bailey Braatz (softball) are also Buffalo-products.

Newman is the son of John and Angela Newman. He is undecided on his major. Newman was born Aug. 21, 1996.

“Eric has a bright future at UMC,” Gust said. “He has all the physical tools to be a good pitcher. He needs to develop but he has tremendous up side and we are excited to be able to have him in a UMC uniform.”

David Olson (C, 6-1 195, Stillwater, Minn./Vermillion C.C.)

Olson was an All-Minnesota Collegiate Athletic Conference (MCAC) selection at Vermillion C.C. At Vermillion, Olson hit five doubles, three triples and one home run as a freshman for the Ironmen. Olson drove in 13 runs, had four walks and hit .385 on the season. He scored 11 runs as a freshman. While at Stillwater Area H.S., he lettered in baseball and wrestling. Olson earned the Impact Award and Coaches Award on the wrestling mat. He earned the Joey Gaulo Memorial Scholarship.

Olson is the son of Kristine Olson of Stillwate, Minn. and Corky Olson of Wyoming, Minn. He plans to major in sports and rec management. He was born Sept. 19, 1994.

“David is going to come in here and help from day one,” Gust said. “His passion, desire and talent will allow him to do great things for us. We are very excited to sign someone of David’s caliber early.”

CROOKSTON, Minn. –The University of Minnesota Crookston men’s basketball program announced the signing of Chase Knickerbocker (F, 6-6 175, Annandale, Minn./Annandale H.S.) to a National Letter of Intent to begin playing for the Golden Eagles during the 2015-16 season.

“Chase can flat out shoot the ball,” said UMC Head Coach Dan Weisse. “He has good size and can play multiple positions for us. He also just understands how to play the game. Chase is a great fit in our system. He is a great addition to our basketball program and community. He will have a big impact on our program for four years and I’m excited to coach him.”

Knickerbocker joins a talented Minnesota-based signing class that features all four players who are ranked in the top 100 in the state of Minnesota per Northstar Hoops Report. UMC has also signed Kobe Critchley (G, 6-0 160, Roseville, Minn./Roseville Area H.S.), Connor Gamble (G, 6-0 155, Stillwater, Minn./Stillwater Area H.S.) and Nate Lorenz (F, 6-7 210, Breckenridge H.S.) to National Letters of Intent.

The quartet of players will provide UMC a strong foundation as Coach Weisse starts to build UMC into a contender in the NSIC. The class has already been labeled as one of the strongest in-state classes so far for this recruiting cycle by Northstar Hoops Report.

Chase Knickerbocker (F, 6-6 175, Annandale, Minn./Annandale H.S.)

Knickerbocker is the 54th ranked player in the state of Minnesota according to North Star Hoops Report, joining Critchley (30), Lorenz (31) and Gamble (88) as Top 100 players in the state of Minnesota to sign with UMC. Knickerbocker averaged 17.2 points and shot 50.5 percent from beyond the arc for Annandale H.S. last season. He averaged 4.4 rebounds per game. Knickerbocker played AAU for the Minnesota Fury.

MC Women’s Basketball Adds Wisconsin Point Guard Michaelis to Signing Class


CROOKSTON, Minn. – The University of Minnesota Crookston basketball program announced the signing of Caitlin Michaelis (G, 5-8, Marshfield, Wis./Marshfield H.S.) to a National Letter of Intent to begin playing for the Golden Eagles during the 2015-16 season. Michaelis joins Lindsey Weber (F, 5-11, Delafield, Wis./Kettle Moraine H.S.) as signees with the Golden Eagles.

“Caitlin is a player that will bring a lot of talent to our back court,” said UMC Head Coach Mike Roysland. “She has the ability to stretch the court with her shooting ability and does a great job as a point guard of seeing the floor and getting the ball to everyone. She also does a nice job of accelerating off the bounce. We are excited to have Caitlin join the UMC women’s basketball team.”

Caitlin Michaelis (G, 5-8, Marshfield, Wis./Marshfield H.S.)

Michaelis is entering her fourth year as a varsity member of the Marshfield H.S. basketball team. She earned Honorable Mention All-Wisconsin Valley Conference in ninth grade. In 10th grade, she was a First Team All-Wisconsin Valley Conference and set the record for three-pointers in a game with nine. As a junior, she was a First Team All-WVC pick and earned the Leadership Award and set the school record for three-pointers in a career. Michaelis finished fifth in the league in scoring with 11.7 points per game. She averaged 2.8 assists per game and made 22 three-pointers.

Michaelis is the daughter of Heidi and Craig Michaelis. She was born Jan. 30, 1997. Michaelis is undecided on her major. Both of her parents were college athletes at Miami University (Ohio). 

All signees are contingent upon admission to UMC and compliance with NCAA rules, including certification by the NCAA Eligibility Center. Everyone released today has signed their National Letter of Intent prior to release of information.

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