Where are they now?: Schmidt, DeWitt and more former Jacks still competing at the collegiate level

Jan. 2—For some Bemidji Lumberjacks, athletics extend past the high school ranks.

Former BHS athletes have made their mark on several collegiate institutions for decades, furthering an impressive tradition of excellence on their respective playing surfaces.

Some former Jacks opted to stay close to home, while others ventured out past the midwest to compete in various collegiate levels.

Here's a look at some former Lumberjacks in fall and winter sports athletes who graduated between 2020-23.

Carson Maish is a 2023 BHS graduate who runs for the Green Bay Phoenix cross country team. He took 19th place at the St. Norbert Invitational on Sept. 2 and finished in 36th place at the Green Bay Open six days later. He also ran in the Joe Piane Invitational on Sept. 29 and the Horizon League Championships on Oct. 28.

A 2023 BHS graduate, Isaac Severts has played in two games for the Bemidji State men's basketball team so far. He scored seven points and grabbed five rebounds in 24 minutes of action during his freshman season.

Bella Webb has scored one goal and recorded two assists for the Bethel women's hockey team this season. Webb, a 2023 BHS graduate, is in her freshman season with the Royals. She scored her first collegiate goal on Dec. 8 against Marian.

After graduating from BHS in 2023, Regan DeWitt was named MIAC's Women's Cross Country Rookie of the Year for St. Scholastica. DeWitt finished in 17th out of 172 runners at the MIAC Championships. Her time of 22:56 was good enough for an All-Conference honorable mention. She is the first Saint's runner to win MIAC Women's Cross Country Rookie of the Year. Ashton Niemi ran for the men's team during his freshman season in the fall.

Cade Bolte graduated from BHS in 2022. Bolte recorded nine tackles in 11 games for the Beavers this past season with the Bemidji State football team. Gavin Luksik was also part of the 2022 BHS graduating class with Bolte and is part of the BSU football team.

Khai Branham is a Division III men's basketball player for St. Mary's University of Minnesota. After a freshman campaign with 11 appearances, the 2022 BHS graduate has seen his role jump from nine minutes per game to 16.9. He averages 4.8 points and two rebounds per game. Branham has played in all 11 games for SMU this season.

Elle Bush, a 2022 BHS graduate, has started 32 of the 38 games she's played for the University of Northwestern women's soccer team. The sophomore defender has two assists and eight shots on target and averages over 71 minutes of playing time each match.

Jackie Johnson saw playing time right away when she arrived at St. Scholastica to play women's basketball. The 2022 BHS graduate started in 21 games last season. She has also started all nine of the Saints' games in her sophomore campaign. In 31 games, Johnson averages 7.3 points, 3.1 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game.

As a sophomore midfielder for the Northern Michigan men's soccer team, Noah Johnson logged his best collegiate season. He scored his first goal against Saginaw Valley State on Oct. 13. The 2022 BHS graduate played in 12 matches, recording 249 minutes on the pitch. He played in eight games during his freshman season.

Brooks Matetich ran his second season with the Embry-Riddle cross country team last fall. He finished the NAIA National Championship race with a time of 29:42.1 at Fort Vancouver National Historic Site. Embry-Riddle finished in 27th place as a team against 35 other schools.

Mady Schmidt is in her second season diving for South Dakota. She took seventh place at the Summit League Championships in the 3-meter dive with a score of 232.65. She also took eighth place in the 1-meter dive (225.6). Schmidt, a 2022 BHS graduate, had 13 total top-five finishes during her sophomore season.

Sophomore midfielder Mia Stone played in six matches for the Northern State women's soccer team in 2023. The 2022 BHS graduate did not play during her freshman season. She played 113 total minutes for the Wolves last fall.

After a redshirt season in 2022, junior Nate Alto recorded two of his best cross country times last fall. He took fourth place in the Jimmie Invitational on Oct. 6 at 25:21.0. The 2021 BHS graduate also took 38th at the Roy Griak Invitational (26:41.7) and 34th at the NSIC Championships (25:43.2). Alto raced in the Central Region Championship to a time of 33:43.8 (122nd).

Junior Jenna Anderson is in her third season as a libero for the Wisconsin-Superior volleyball team. She's totaled 1,631 digs for the Yellowjackets since the fall of 2021. The 2021 BHS graduate records an average of 5.28 digs per set and has assisted on 246 points in three seasons.

Colton Hinrichs, a redshirt sophomore linebacker for the Bemidji State football team, played in 12 games during the 2023 season. He recorded 16 tackles and one interception. The 2021 BHS graduate has 29 tackles, one interception and two pass deflections in two seasons with the Beavers.

In three seasons with the Lawrence women's soccer team, forward Sophia Morin has played in 42 games. She has a goal and two assists with 13 shots on target. The 2021 BHS graduate started in 19 games over three seasons with the Vikings. Her first goal came on Oct. 14 at Illinois College.

Setter Emily Wade is coming off another strong season with the Bemidji State volleyball team. She lobbed 833 assists last fall, the most in any of her three seasons with the Beavers. The 2021 BHS grad has totaled 1,925 assists and 566 digs for BSU. She's also one kill shy of hitting 100 for her career.

Ben and Silas Hess wrapped up their senior seasons with the Colorado Christian men's soccer team last fall. Ben started 12 of the 13 games he played for the Cougars, registering 857 minutes as a team captain. Silas started in 11 of the 16 games he played, recording an assist and six shots on target in 722 minutes. In four years, Silas had four goals and three assists in 37 games. Ben had four goals in 39 games.

Editor's note: This is not a comprehensive list of every former Bemidji High School athlete competing in a college sport. To comply with limited space and resources, this edition only features athletes who graduated between 2020-23 and competed in fall or winter sports in college. A roundup including more athletes from winter and spring sports will be published in the summer of 2024. If you know of an athlete who was not included or would like to submit an athlete's name for the next edition, please email sports@bemidjipioneer.com.