Tribune Notebook: Former Willmar star earns All-MIAC honors

Nov. 25—Willmar's MacKenzie Knofczynski just wrapped up an excellent volleyball season at the College of St. Benedict, helping the Bennies to a Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference tournament championship and national berth.

And to top it off, the senior nursing major was named an All-MIAC selection.

Knofczynski is a 6-foot middle blocker who finished the season with 193 kills, averaging 1.84 kills per set. She had 22 blocks and 81 assisted blocks for 103 total, averaging 0.98 blocks per set.

The Bennies wound up with a 21-7 record. They were were 9-2 in the MIAC regular season, then beat Augsburg, Gustavus Adolphus and top-seeded St. Olaf in Northfield for the conference tournament championship, their second in a row.

St. Benedict then made its second straight national postseason appearance, losing to Washington University in the NCAA Division III national tournament 25-16, 25-22, 25-20 in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The loss ended a six-match winning streak and also wraps up one of the Bennies' better seasons. St. Benedict made Elite Eight appearances in 2008 and '19, had a 1990 Final Four appearance and eight trips to the Sweet 16.

Knofczynski, a two-time All-MIAC pick, finishes her career with a 834 kills, a 22.3 hit percentage, 39 aces and 351 total blocks for Nicole Hess, who just wrapped up her 16th season as head coach.

Sydney Thein, a sophomore setter from MACCRAY, picked up All-Northern Sun Intecollegiate Conference honors for the second straight season for Southwest Minnesota State University.

Thein finished first in the NSIC with 820 set assists. She averaged 11.5 assists per set, third best in the conference. She was second in all of NCAA Division II with 1,116 total assists and third nationally with 11.75 assists per set. She also earned NSIC setter of the week twice during the season.

SMSCU finished the season with a 14-6 NSIC and 21-7 overall record. The Mustangs lost to eventual NSIC tournament champion St. Cloud State in the conference playoffs, 25-14, 25-21, 25-12.

Thein is a business administration major.

The Willmar Golden Gloves Boxing program is underway, with regular practices beginning at 7 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays at the Willmar City Auditorium. Head coach is Kirk Davis and assistant coach is Lupe Navarro. Contact Davis at 320-9279-2639 or Navarro at 320-979-1127 for more information. Everyone is welcome.

Jevon Williams, a sophomore running back from Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City, earned All-MIAC football honors for St. Scholastica this fall. Williams rushed for 806 yards and nine touchdowns on 137 carries, good for 5.9 yards per carry. He averaged 115.1 yards per game. He also caught 18 passes for 248 yards, averaging 13.8 yards per catch. He also returned three kick-offs 53 yards, a 17.7 average, and had two punt returns for 31 yards, a 15.5 average.

Williams rushed for 406 yards and four TDs on 78 attempts and caught nine passes for 110 yards and one touchdown as a freshman.

The Saints finished the year with a 3-7 record, good for eighth in the MIAC.

Also on the St. Scholastica roster is Connor Plumley. Plumley is a 5-foot-11, 195-pound junior linebacker from BOLD. He came to St. Scholastica after transferring from Concordia-Moorhead.