BEMIDJI, Minn. – Bemidji State University Women's Soccer head coach Jim Stone announced that Katrina Barthelt, Emma Huelsnitz and Megan Ko will serve as captains for the upcoming 30th season of Bemidji State Women's Soccer.
Captains are voted on by all returning players which is then approved by the Beavers' coaching staff.
"What I like about this trio of captains is in many ways they have already been leading," said Stone. "Katrina is entering into her second season as captain and brings invaluable experience's in guiding our team. She sets a high standard for us on and off the field and encourages others to live up to it. Emma will be a fifth-year senior, she knows who we are and who we want to become and she has unique ability to communicate with her teammates on a personal level. She helps them understand the Bemidji State standard and get them to believe they can reach it. Megan is a leader by example. She doesn't just role model work-rate and grit but loyalty and belief. When she speaks teammates and coaches listen and is a passionate leader. We are in good hands in 2025."
Katrina Barthelt will serve as one of the team's captains for the second consecutive season. A senior from Bartlett, Ill., Barthelt is the reigning Northern Sun Intercollegiate Offensive Player of the Year and Scoring Champion after leading the conference in goals (11) and points (25). She is a two-time D2CCA All-Region selection and All-NSIC honoree and was named the Bemidji State Female Student-Athlete of the Year for 2024-25. In the classroom, Barthelt is a NSIC Honor Student-Athlete, Myles Brand All-Academic with Distinction and two-time College Sports Communicators Academic All-District.
Redshirt senior Emma Huelsnitz will also wear a captain's armband for the Beavers during the upcoming 2025 season, the first time in her collegiate career. The Ramsey, Minn., native returns after leading the Beavers with 1,541 minutes played on the pitch last season. Huelsnitz led the Beavers' backline scoring two goals and added an assist to total five points on the season. She has logged 4,018 minutes on the pitch in her collegiate career, most by any returner this season, and has made 58 appearances.
Junior Megan Ko also makes her debut with the captain's band for the Beavers in 2025. She is a two-time All-NSIC Second Team selection and has made 38 starts in 40 career games for the green and white. She has logged 2,551 minutes on the pitch in her career and has totaled three points off a goal and assist and scored her first collegiate goal last season. She has been a key piece in Stone's defensive structure that has allowed just 0.79 goals per game over the last two seasons.
Barthelt, Huelsnitz and Ko will captain a 2025 Beaver squad that returns 24 letterwinners and has eight newcomers. The group will look to qualify for the NSIC Postseason Tournament for the 16th consecutive season and return to the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time in five seasons.
For more information on the Bemidji State soccer program, follow the Beavers on X (@BSUBeaverSoccer), like them on Facebook (facebook.com/BSUBeavers) and follow them on Instagram (@BSUBeaversSoccer)
Located on the shore of Lake Bemidji, Bemidji State University sponsors 15 varsity athletic programs with NCAA Division I men's hockey membership in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association and women's hockey membership in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association, while its 13 NCAA Division II programs hold membership in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC).
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