Bruins celebrate 2022-23 at 49th Annual BU Athletics Banquet

The Bellevue University Athletic Department recognized and highlighted the outstanding accomplishments of its student-athletes on the field/court and in the classroom at the 49th Annual BU Athletics Banquet held at the Beardmore Events Center Wednesday evening in Bellevue. 

Volleyball setter All-American Olivia Galas was named the school's Female Athlete of the Year. All-American Hugo Ronnberg (Men's Golf) and baseball standout Kanta Kobayashi garnered co-Male Athlete of the Year accolades. 

All-conference honorees Tylah Saifoloi (women's golf) and Millie Hopkisson (women's soccer) were recognized as the co-Female Academic Athletes of the Year. Nick McCormick, captain of the esports squad, was honored as the Male Academic Athlete of the Year. 

In addition, long-time play-by-play "Voice of the Bruins" Mick Krupski was honored with the Bruin Award. 

Strength and Conditioning Coach Jake Aylward named Britney Nolte (women's soccer) the Female Strength and Condition Athlete of the Year and Aaron Garner (baseball) earned Male Strength and Conditioning Athlete of the Year. 

Head Athletic Trainer Mike Livergood honored Laura Jurek as the Student Athletic Trainer of the Year.  

Olivia Galas

Volleyball All-American setter Olivia Galas became the most decorated athlete in school history following her storied BU career, culminating in being named a first-team NAIA All-American for the fourth-straight season. Galas became only the second player in NAIA volleyball history to earn first-team All-American honors four times. 

Galas was named the 2022 North Star Athletic Association and AVCA North Central Region Player and Setter of the Year while becoming a first-team all-NSAA honoree for the fifth consecutive year. She led the NSAA and ranked sixth nationally with 10.9 assists per set. 

Among setters running a 5-1 offense, Galas led the nation with 1.47 kills per set and a .338 hitting percentage. She finished her BU career as the school's all-time leader in career assists with 6,672 while amassing 1,526 career digs, 737 career kills, and 137 career service aces.

Galas led the 2022 Bruins to a 28-8 overall record and to the NSAA regular-season title, finishing with a 13-1 conference mark. BU advanced to the NAIA National Tournament each of the five seasons with Galas as the starting setter. 

Hugo Ronnberg

Junior golfer Hugo Ronnberg earned first-team NAIA All-American honors this season and is fresh off a second-place finish at the NAIA Men's Golf National Championship two weeks ago at the Las Sendas Golf Club in Mesa, Ariz. After finishing in a tie for first place after 72 holes, Ronnberg lost on the second playoff hole to The Master's Easton Johnson. 

Ronnberg captured the individual title at the North Star Athletic Association Championship, helping guide the Bruins to the league championship and their 10th appearance at the NAIA National Championship. 

On the season, Ronnberg led the Bruins with three individual titles and seven top-10 finishes while compiling a team-leading 72.1 strokes-per-round average. He recorded a season-low score of 65 in the second round of the U.C. Ferguson Classic. 

Ronnberg helped guide the Bruins to a sixth-place finish at the 2023 NAIA Men's Golf National Championship. It marked the third-straight season that Bellevue has finished in the top 10 at Nationals.   

Kanta Kobayashi

Senior All-American center fielder Kanta Kobayashi (Tokyo, Japan) has been a mainstay atop the Bruin lineup for the past two years. He was named the North Star Athletic Association's Player of the Year after earning NSAA Newcomer of the Year honors a season ago.

Kobayashi, an elite defender with a pair of NSAA Gold Glove Awards, earned Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athlete honors this year. He has helped BU win a pair of NSAA regular season and tournament titles, two NAIA Opening Round Championships, and a pair of appearances in the Avista NAIA World Series.

This season, Kobayashi batted .392 and led the team with 89 hits, 18 doubles, and 78 runs scored. He additionally totaled 40 RBI, and 15 stolen bases.

Kobayashi's name can be found all over the Bruin Baseball records book. He is one of just two qualifying players to wrap up his career with an on-base percentage over .500, and his 196 career hits share top billing among two-year players. He played errorless baseball in 119 career games and reached base safely in all but three contests in his BU career. 

Tylah Saifoloi

Women's golf standout Tylah Saifoloi has demonstrated dedication and excellence in the classroom and on the course throughout her four-year Bruin career. The senior from Penrith, New South Wales, Australia, has compiled an impressive 3.991 GPA in Health and Human Performance and has been named to the Dean's List for 12 consecutive terms. 

She is a four-time honoree as a North Star Athletic Association Scholar-Athlete and a three-time first-team all-NSAA selection. Saifoloi is also a four-time Women's Golf Coaches Association (WGCA) Scholar-Athlete and a three-time Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athlete. 

Last week Saifoloi competed with her teammates at the 2023 NAIA Women's Golf National Championships at the TPC at Deere Run in Silvis, Ill, where she finished in a tie for 23^rd place. 

Millie Hopkisson

Women's soccer standout Millie Hopkisson has demonstrated an aptitude for excellence both in the classroom and on the soccer pitch in her three years at Bellevue University.

A native of Wisbech, England, Hopkisson boasts a 4.0 GPA as a Health and Human Performance major and was named a Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athlete and a CAC Academic all-conference selection.

Over the past year, she overcame a devastating ACL injury to return to captain the women's soccer team to their first CAC Tournament Championship and first back-to-back trips to the NAIA National Tournament since 2014. Hopkisson earned all-conference honors for her efforts and was named to the CAC all-tournament team.

Nick McCormick         

The male Academic Athlete of the Year is esports standout Nick McCormick, who has excelled in the classroom throughout his BU career. The senior from Lewiston, Maine, has amassed an impressive 4.0 GPA as a graduate student in Organizational Leadership after previously earning his bachelor's degree in Communication Studies with a minor in Business Administration. 

McCormick went above and beyond as a student-athlete this past year. He served as a lynchpin during a coaching transition in a non-traditional sport advising his new coach on the State of the Program and emerging as the team leader while a new coach was found.

In addition to being a highly-ranked Overwatch 2 player, McCormick employed his leadership acumen to assist Coach David Castillo-Ferrin throughout the program's transitional phase.

McCormick maintains a high level of academic achievement, is a crucial member of the esports team, and continually contributes positively to the Bellevue University community.

Bosa Cup Champions

Also honored on the evening was the outstanding accomplishment of Bellevue's BOSA representatives in capturing the 2023 BOSA Cup. 

The Board of Student-Athletes (BOSA) is a committee made up of 16 student-athletes, 2 from each of the 8 NSAA member institutions. BOSA is assembled to enhance the total student-athlete experience by promoting opportunity, protecting student-athlete welfare, maintaining athletic integrity, acting as a liaison between student-athletes and the administration, and fostering a positive student-athlete image for the student-athlete experience.

The purpose of the NSAA Board of Student-Athletes is to engage in ongoing education and collaboration that will benefit the health, safety, and development of the student-athletes. BOSA serves as the voice of all NSAA student-athletes in the NSAA's governance. BOSA provides a platform for student-athletes to discuss issues of concern to them, offer feedback to NSAA membership, and propose legislation or policy changes, as appropriate. BOSA serves as an advocacy group on behalf of the NSAA student-athletes to enhance their collegiate athletics experience. Additionally, BOSA offers its members the opportunity to develop their leadership skills as they represent and empower all NAIA student-athletes.

Behind the leadership of BU's BOSA Representatives: Brooklyn Hundt (volleyball), Sidney Sledge (volleyball), and Kaziah Terrell (women's basketball), and their Staff Advisor, Russ Lane, the Bruins captured the North Star Athletic Association's 2023 BOSA Cup Championship.