As the Peacock Athletics Department closes out 2023 and looks ahead to the new year, take some time to reflect and retrace the footsteps from the last 12 months. Below is a cluster of remarkable moments to highlight and celebrate once more before the conclusion of 2023.
Men's Basketball Won First-Ever Conference Title
Upper Iowa men's basketball captured a share of the NSIC South Division Championship for the first time in program history after securing a pair of wins over Concordia, St. Paul and Minnesota State in the final weekend of conference play last season. They posted a 16-13 (13-9 NSIC) record in their 2022-23 campaign and boasted three all-conference athletes; Jake Hilmer, Lucas Duax and Nick Reid. Hilmer was tabbed as the NSIC South Player of the Year, while Duax was named Defensive Player of the Year.
Women's Basketball Had Best Season as Division II Program
The Peacock women's basketball team concluded one of their most progressive seasons in school history as they closed out their 2022-23 slate in the first round of the NSIC Women's Basketball Tournament against Northern State. This was the first time they had qualified for the conference tournament since 2019, when all teams were allowed participation. The Peacocks finished the season with an overall record of 10-18 and a mark of 6-16 in the NSIC under Head Coach Justin Maass. Their overall number of wins was the most they had collected since the 2001-02 season (19 wins), while snapping their losing streak on the road of 62 consecutive games. Upper Iowa's six wins in the NSIC was the most the program has ever secured in a conference season.
Chase Luensman Clinched National Championship
Upper Iowa senior Chase Luensman completed his journey to a National Championship title at 165 pounds at the NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships back in March. Luensman marked the 12th different Peacock in program history to win an individual title.
Prior to his championship match, the three-time All-American defeated three other opponents. He began with a 7-2 win over Kaden Hart of the University of Nebraska at Kearney, which advanced him to the next round where he faced No. 6 Aaden Valdez of Adams State College and fought to a 10-5 decision. Luensman then matched up with No. 7 Ty Lucas of Central Oklahoma in the semifinals, defeating him in a 8-2 result and sending him to the championship match.
In the championship bout, Luensman battled No. 8 Hunter Mullin of Western Colorado and defeated him in a 9-7 decision. He was ranked No. 3 heading into the postseason, but ended up grabbing the gold in Cedar Rapids. The Monticello, Iowa native finished the year with an overall record of 32-3, executing over 100 takedowns that led to four falls, three tech falls and seven major decisions.
Upper Iowa finished in 16th place at nationals after tallying 26.5 points and earning three All-American honors behind the efforts of Luensman, Tate Murty and Colter Bye.
Women's Wrestling Coach Hired- Rich Manning
Rich Manning was tabbed as the first Head Women's Wrestling Coach at Upper Iowa University in May. He has been busy recruiting and training with his current athletes to prepare the women's wrestling program to be set to compete next season. Upper Iowa is committed to the on-time launch and development of the women's wrestling program for the fall of 2024 under Manning's tutelage.
Switched to Great Lakes Valley Conference
Upper Iowa Athletics embarked on their journey to the Great Lakes Valley Conference in the fall of '23 after 17 years with the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference. The Peacock volleyball team was the first program to qualify for a GLVC post-season conference tournament back in November.
Men's Soccer Defeated No. 7 University of Indianapolis
The Peacock men's soccer team defeated No.7 University of Indianapolis in a 2-0 decision back in October, handing them their first loss of the season and snapping their 12-game unbeaten streak. The Greyhounds claimed the GLVC Conference Tournament title and went the remainder of the year without a loss until their final game of the season, falling to Lewis 2-0 in the NCAA Division II Super Region Semifinal. UIU men's soccer finished ninth in the conference, just missing out on the opportunity to participate in the conference tournament.
Eddie Burgess Recipient of D2CCA Award
Tight end Eddie Burgess of Upper Iowa football was selected to the Division II Conference Commissioners Association Super-Region 3 Team in late November. The last tight end in Peacock football history to be recognized for this award was Lucas Hefty, who was elected to three different super region teams in 2014. Prior to Burgess, Erik Hansen was the most recent football student-athlete to receive this honor back in 2019.
Burgess appeared in all 11 games for the Peacocks this season and caught 43 passes for a total of 616 yards. His longest catch was for 58 yards against Michigan Tech, and in that same game, he tallied his season-high of 111 receiving yards in a single contest. The sophomore recorded a team-high of eight touchdowns this fall, which also led the conference (GLVC). He showed his versatility on the field as he completed a 12-yard pass on a fake punt in the last game of the season versus Quincy. His efforts earned him GLVC First Team All-Conference.
UIU football saw the most wins in a season since 2018 after going 3-8. Upper Iowa garnered ten GLVC-All Conference selections and after graduating only 11 seniors, the football program will look to continue building on their foundation, anticipating new heights in spring ball and the 2024 season next fall.
Jake Hilmer Reached 2,000-Point Milestone
Graduate senior Jake Hilmer eclipsed the 2,000-point mark in Upper Iowa's last outing of 2023 versus Truman State. He became the third Peacock to achieve this accolade, placing him third on the all-time scoring list with 2,037 points as of now. Above him in second stands 2022 graduate Joe Smodlt with 2,053 points, while the all-time leading scorer is Jim Bushkofsky (1970-1974) with 2,194. Hilmer's current average of points per game puts him on par to climb into the number one spot by the end of the season.
Peacock fans, here's to 2024 and the many more monumental moments to come.
