University of St. Thomas Athletics
Women's Hockey adds experience, talent with graduate group
8/24/2022 5:00:00 PM | Women's Hockey
St. Paul, Minn. - Given all of the challenges they faced, Tommie Women's Hockey had an impressive debut 2021-22 season competing in Division I and in the rugged WCHA.
The Purple also had a rewarding offseason on the recruiting front as they added experience, leadership and talent.
Coach Joel Johnson already had Anna Solheim coming back for the 2022-23 season as a graduate student using her fifth year of eligibility. One of seven Division III-era hockey players still competing with the Tommies, Solheim brings a 97-college game resume, including 33 played last season in Division I.
And this summer Johnson and his staff added more experience as they secured three graduate transfers to join the team when fall practices start in a couple of weeks:
"Our staff is so excited to have the veteran presence of Anna, Lotti, and Gabby on our team this year, plus the return of fifth-year Anna Solheim," Johnson said. "Leadership comes in all different forms and I know that each of those players will bring their own unique presence to our team based on the varying backgrounds of their experiences on and off the ice."
Seven freshmen are also joining the Toms' 27-player roster, as the team looks to improve on last season's 5-27-1 record. Seventeen of those losses came against four WCHA opponents that advanced to the 11-team national tournament. The Purple also lost seven games by one- or two-goal margins.
St. Thomas opens its season with a Sept. 25 home exhibition game against Manitoba, and starts WCHA play Oct. 7-8 with two games in Madison, Wis. against the Badgers. The home-ice opener is Oct. 14 against Franklin Pierce.
Odnoga (Hungarian National Team) joins new Tommie teammates Nicole Vallario and Saskia Maurer (Swiss National Team) as competitors in the 10-team Women's World Championships in Denmark. The tournament starts with pool play Thursday Aug. 25 and concludes Sept. 4.
Graduate Group
Billing was named to the Academic All-Ivy team at Dartmouth and majored in Psychology. The Rogers, Minn., native and Breck School graduate played in 87 career games and contributed 15 goals and 23 assists. She has enrolled in the Opus College of Business here and majors in Organizational Development.
Odnoga played in 80 games at Dartmouth and contributed six goals and 22 assists. She was named honorable mention All-Ivy League as a sophomore. She has enrolled in the Opus College of Business and majors in Organizational Development.
Anna Promersberger gets to join her younger sister, sophomore Abby Promersberger, on the Tommie team. Anna graduated from Penn State with a degree in Biobehavioral Health. In her 110 games with the Nittany Lions, the two-time alternate captain contributed eight goals and 16 assists, including three game-winning goals. In high school hockey, she played two seasons at West Fargo High and three at Shattuck-St. Mary's. At St. Thomas she has enrolled in the School of Education and majors in Autism Spectrum Disorders.
Solheim played in all 33 games last season for the Purple, and played in all 64 games of her D-III era from 2018-21. Solheim has chipped in 20 goals and 25 assists in her career, including two goals and eight assists last season in D-I. The Shoreview, Minn., native made the WCHA All-Academic Team and majored in Operations and Supply Chain Management. She has enrolled in the Opus College of Business and majors in Business Analytics.
The Purple also had a rewarding offseason on the recruiting front as they added experience, leadership and talent.
Coach Joel Johnson already had Anna Solheim coming back for the 2022-23 season as a graduate student using her fifth year of eligibility. One of seven Division III-era hockey players still competing with the Tommies, Solheim brings a 97-college game resume, including 33 played last season in Division I.
And this summer Johnson and his staff added more experience as they secured three graduate transfers to join the team when fall practices start in a couple of weeks:
- Forward Gabby Billing, a Twin Cities-area native and a transfer from Dartmouth College, where she played in 87 D-I games;
- Defender Lotti Odnoga, a native of Hungary and a transfer from Dartmouth College where she played in 80 D-I contests;
- Forward Anna Promersberger, a Fargo native and a transfer from Penn State, where she played in 110 D-I games.
"Our staff is so excited to have the veteran presence of Anna, Lotti, and Gabby on our team this year, plus the return of fifth-year Anna Solheim," Johnson said. "Leadership comes in all different forms and I know that each of those players will bring their own unique presence to our team based on the varying backgrounds of their experiences on and off the ice."
Seven freshmen are also joining the Toms' 27-player roster, as the team looks to improve on last season's 5-27-1 record. Seventeen of those losses came against four WCHA opponents that advanced to the 11-team national tournament. The Purple also lost seven games by one- or two-goal margins.
St. Thomas opens its season with a Sept. 25 home exhibition game against Manitoba, and starts WCHA play Oct. 7-8 with two games in Madison, Wis. against the Badgers. The home-ice opener is Oct. 14 against Franklin Pierce.
Odnoga (Hungarian National Team) joins new Tommie teammates Nicole Vallario and Saskia Maurer (Swiss National Team) as competitors in the 10-team Women's World Championships in Denmark. The tournament starts with pool play Thursday Aug. 25 and concludes Sept. 4.
Graduate Group
Billing was named to the Academic All-Ivy team at Dartmouth and majored in Psychology. The Rogers, Minn., native and Breck School graduate played in 87 career games and contributed 15 goals and 23 assists. She has enrolled in the Opus College of Business here and majors in Organizational Development.
Odnoga played in 80 games at Dartmouth and contributed six goals and 22 assists. She was named honorable mention All-Ivy League as a sophomore. She has enrolled in the Opus College of Business and majors in Organizational Development.
Anna Promersberger gets to join her younger sister, sophomore Abby Promersberger, on the Tommie team. Anna graduated from Penn State with a degree in Biobehavioral Health. In her 110 games with the Nittany Lions, the two-time alternate captain contributed eight goals and 16 assists, including three game-winning goals. In high school hockey, she played two seasons at West Fargo High and three at Shattuck-St. Mary's. At St. Thomas she has enrolled in the School of Education and majors in Autism Spectrum Disorders.
Solheim played in all 33 games last season for the Purple, and played in all 64 games of her D-III era from 2018-21. Solheim has chipped in 20 goals and 25 assists in her career, including two goals and eight assists last season in D-I. The Shoreview, Minn., native made the WCHA All-Academic Team and majored in Operations and Supply Chain Management. She has enrolled in the Opus College of Business and majors in Business Analytics.
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