BEMIDJI - A pair of Bemidji High School athletes are headed to the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference to complete their academic and athletic careers.
BHS seniors Emily Falldorf and Matt Morgan each signed National Letters of Intent on Wednesday afternoon, which was the start of the early signing period for both volleyball and baseball.
Falldorf, whose Lumberjacks volleyball team recently finished its season with a loss in the Section 8-3A finals, will play for Minot State.
The 6-foot tall middle blocker made her verbal commitment with Minot way back in August, in part so she could spend the fall focusing on volleyball.
She wants to major in nursing, and thought Minot had the best nursing and volleyball program for her.
She’ll be part of the first recruiting class for Minot State head coach Ben Kaszeta, who is about to complete his first season on the Minot State bench.
“Coach told me I could be an impact player as a freshman, and I’m super excited to help him out as his first recruiting class,” Falldorf said.
The Beavers are 3-22 overall this season and 0-18 in the NSIC, and Falldorf said she was also excited to be able to help Minot get its program back on track.
“I got an e-mail from Emily the day I got the job here in Minot,” Kaszeta said in a press release after signing day.
“Emily visited the school and loved it. She knew this is the place she wanted to be before I even was hired. After working with her in camp and seeing her positive attitude and how much she wanted to see herself here in Minot I knew it was a perfect fit. Emily is a really good one foot attacker. I love how dynamic she is when she hits.”
Falldorf finished the season with 273 kills and 75 blocks.
Minot State actually visits Bemidji State on Saturday in the season finale for both teams. Falldorf also said the chance to come back and play in front of her family and friends in Bemidji was another factor in choosing to play for Minot State.
“I’m super excited to come back, and maybe beat up on my hometown a little bit,” she said.
Also signing with an NSIC school to continue his baseball career was BHS senior Matt Morgan.
Morgan, who is a pitcher and a catcher on the BHS baseball team, will attend Southwest Minnesota State next fall.
“I thought it was the best decision for me,” he said. “I liked the coaching staff there and I also thought the teammates were awesome.”
Morgan, who said he also had some interest from other NSIC schools like Augustana and Sioux Falls as well as some Division III schools, knows he’ll have to compete for playing time as a freshman.
“I can’t assume anything,” he said. “I have to work as hard as I can and hopefully get a chance to play.”
The Mustangs went 21-29 last season and finished ninth in the NSIC.
Morgan, who said he plans to major in exercise science, still has to play another season of spring baseball with the Lumberjacks. He was one of the team’s top pitchers last season and will return to be a leader on the team this spring.
BHS finished 13-9 last season before falling in the Section 8-3A playoffs.
