University of St. Thomas Athletics
Rohde named Summit League Freshman of the Year, Bjorklund to all-conference second team
3/2/2023 12:45:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Sioux Falls, S.D. -- Andrew Rohde was named the Summit League Freshman of the Year and Parker Bjorklund to the all-league second team, the Summit League announced Thursday.
Rohde is the first Tommie in the program's NCAA Division I era to earn the award in conjunction with his selection to the All-Summit League Newcomer Team. He was also a selection to the All-Summit League First Team while Bjorklund landed on the second team, the first St. Thomas Men's Basketball student-athletes to earn spots on the all-league team since joining the Summit in 2021-22.
The All-Summit League Teams and individual awards were voted on by the league's head coaches, athletic communication directors, and select media members.
Rohde, a Milwaukee, Wis., native, led all Summit League freshmen with 16.7 points per game, a .455 field goal percentage, 3.7 assists per game, a 1.7 assist-to-turnover ratio, 1.6 steals per game, and 32.7 minutes per game. He ranks among the top 10 overall in those categories in the Summit League, and third in the country among all freshmen in points per game and sixth in field goal percentage. Rohde's 16.7 points per game are the most for a St. Thomas student-athlete since Bryan Schnettler scored 19.9 points per game and Isaac Rosefelt averaged 17.9 points during the 2006-07 season, excluding the 2020-21 COVID season. Rohde is 16 points away from 500 this season and would become the first Tommie freshman ever to reach the milestone in a single season.
During the DI era, no other Tommie has recorded more 20-point games in a season than Rohde's 10, including six over the last eight games. He's scored in double figures in 26 of the team's 31 games this season, including a career high 27 points during the regular season finale Feb. 25 at North Dakota. Rohde has recorded 10 five-assist games, including three games with eight assists, and has shot over 50 percent in 14 games.
Bjorklund, a Chaska, Minn., native, ranks third in the Summit League this season shooting 49.6 percent from the field and is ninth scoring 14.7 points per game. He's scored in double figures during 18 games this season, including five 20-point games and a career high of 29 points Dec. 19 versus North Dakota. Over his last eight games, Bjorklund is averaging 17.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per contest.
Bjorklund is 19th in the league with 5.1 rebounds per game and recorded a double-double of 19 points and 10 rebounds on Feb. 4 at Denver. He's shot over 50 percent in 12 games this season.
Max Abmas of Oral Roberts was named the Summit League Player of the Year while his teammate Connor Vanover was selected the Defensive Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year. ORU Head Coach Paul Mills was voted the Coach of the Year while North Dakota's Matt Norman was awarded the Sixth Man of the Year.
St. Thomas begins the 2023 Summit League Championships at 6 p.m. Sunday, March 5 against Western Illinois. The five-seed Tommies and four-seed Leathernecks will meet for the third time this season at the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center in Sioux Falls, S.D.
Follow Along
For more information on St. Thomas Men's Basketball, follow along on Twitter at @TommieMBBall and on Instagram at @TommieHoops
Rohde is the first Tommie in the program's NCAA Division I era to earn the award in conjunction with his selection to the All-Summit League Newcomer Team. He was also a selection to the All-Summit League First Team while Bjorklund landed on the second team, the first St. Thomas Men's Basketball student-athletes to earn spots on the all-league team since joining the Summit in 2021-22.
The All-Summit League Teams and individual awards were voted on by the league's head coaches, athletic communication directors, and select media members.
Rohde, a Milwaukee, Wis., native, led all Summit League freshmen with 16.7 points per game, a .455 field goal percentage, 3.7 assists per game, a 1.7 assist-to-turnover ratio, 1.6 steals per game, and 32.7 minutes per game. He ranks among the top 10 overall in those categories in the Summit League, and third in the country among all freshmen in points per game and sixth in field goal percentage. Rohde's 16.7 points per game are the most for a St. Thomas student-athlete since Bryan Schnettler scored 19.9 points per game and Isaac Rosefelt averaged 17.9 points during the 2006-07 season, excluding the 2020-21 COVID season. Rohde is 16 points away from 500 this season and would become the first Tommie freshman ever to reach the milestone in a single season.
During the DI era, no other Tommie has recorded more 20-point games in a season than Rohde's 10, including six over the last eight games. He's scored in double figures in 26 of the team's 31 games this season, including a career high 27 points during the regular season finale Feb. 25 at North Dakota. Rohde has recorded 10 five-assist games, including three games with eight assists, and has shot over 50 percent in 14 games.
Bjorklund, a Chaska, Minn., native, ranks third in the Summit League this season shooting 49.6 percent from the field and is ninth scoring 14.7 points per game. He's scored in double figures during 18 games this season, including five 20-point games and a career high of 29 points Dec. 19 versus North Dakota. Over his last eight games, Bjorklund is averaging 17.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per contest.
Bjorklund is 19th in the league with 5.1 rebounds per game and recorded a double-double of 19 points and 10 rebounds on Feb. 4 at Denver. He's shot over 50 percent in 12 games this season.
Max Abmas of Oral Roberts was named the Summit League Player of the Year while his teammate Connor Vanover was selected the Defensive Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year. ORU Head Coach Paul Mills was voted the Coach of the Year while North Dakota's Matt Norman was awarded the Sixth Man of the Year.
St. Thomas begins the 2023 Summit League Championships at 6 p.m. Sunday, March 5 against Western Illinois. The five-seed Tommies and four-seed Leathernecks will meet for the third time this season at the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center in Sioux Falls, S.D.
Follow Along
For more information on St. Thomas Men's Basketball, follow along on Twitter at @TommieMBBall and on Instagram at @TommieHoops
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