The University of Minnesota Duluth women's hockey team officially wrapped up another banner season last Tuesday night, and unveiled three program awards at the Bulldogs annual banquet.

Reece Hunt - Most Valuable Player
Graduate student Reece Hunt was named the team's Most Valuable Player after the forward led the Bulldogs with 34 points – including a team-high 18 goals over the season. The transfer made her impact immediately, scoring five points in her first three games in a UMD sweater (2g, 3a), including two assists in her debut against Long Island University on Oct. 6. Hunt recorded two hat tricks in the season – including an offensive clinic against the University of St. Thomas where she scored four goals, which included a natural hat trick, in the Bulldogs 4-1 triumph over the Tommies on Feb. 9 in Mendota Heights, Minn. 
 

In all, Hunt had eight multiple point games – four of which were three or more points, and three times where Nelson, B.C. native had four or more points, which included a career-best five points (1g, 4a) against St. Cloud State University on March 1 in the opening round of the WCHA playoffs. In addition to her four-goal game against UST, Hunt had a natural hat trick against Bemidji State University where she figured in four of UMD's seven goals against the Beavers on Jan. 13. Hunt was twice a WCHA Forward of the Week (Feb. 12 and Nov. 6) and was tied for first in the WCHA with two hat tricks on the season. Hunt was also tied for third in the WCHA with six game-winning goals.

Hanna Baskin - Breakthrough Player of the Year
Junior blueliner Hanna Baskin was selected UMD's Breakthrough Player of the Year by the coaching staff, presented annually to the student-athlete who made the most progress in her development as an athlete in a given year. The Excelsior, Minn. product had a career offensive season from the backline, posting 18 points – more than other defenseman – which also included both a career-best five goals and 13 assists. The defenseman turned in a career-high point performance on Jan. 13 against BSU, dishing out another career-best effort of four assists. Baskin was no less impressive on the defensive side of the puck, and blocked a team-high 61 pucks, which doubled as the eighth most in the WCHA this past season. With 11 games with three or more blocks, including six games with four or more and a six block effort at the University of Minnesota on Feb. 24, Baskin was a big part of UMD's NCAA tying best mark of 13 shutouts in 2023-24 and part of a penalty kill unit that was ranked in the top-five of the country most of the season.

Mannon McMahon – Maroon and Gold Award
Graduate student Mannon McMahon was bestowed the Maroon and Gold Award voted on by the team. The award honors the player who the team thinks best combines the team values of work ethic, attitude and commitment to the team and to the game of hockey. McMahon, who Monday night was named the UMD Athletic Department's Outstanding Senior Female Athlete of the Year by her student athlete peers on campus, set the program record with 173 consecutive games played after never missing a game over her entire collegiate career. While her career games played total also tied her for the fourth most games played by any WCHA player in league history, McMahon – part of all four of UMD's latest NCAA Tournament berths – scored the double overtime game-winner to send her team to the NCAA Regional Final this season. McMahon also played in back-to-back Frozen Fours in 2021 and 2022, including a national championship runner-up finish in 2022, and finished her Bulldog career with 87 career points. This past season, McMahon posted a career-best 31 points and tied a career-high 14 goals. She also had four game-winning goals – the most of her five-year Bulldog career, and none bigger than her NCAA double overtime effort. Even more impressively, McMahon, the team captain, was also the president of UMD's Student Athlete Advisory Committee in 2023-24 after serving on the SAAC Leadership Board the previous year. McMahon was a four-time WCHA Scholar Athlete at UMD and once a AHCA/Krampade All-American Scholar.

Previous Recipients:
Breakthrough Player of the Year:                               Most Valuable Player:                                                           Maroon and Gold Award:
Katie McGovern -  2015-16                                            Ashleigh Brykaliuk - 2015-16                                              Michela Cava - 2015-16
Maddie Rooney -  2016-17                                             Lara Stalder - 2016-17                                                            Ashleigh Brykaliuk - 2016-17
Emma Yanko  - 2017-18                                                  Jalyn Elmes - 2017-18                                                             Catherine Daoust - 2017-18
Anna Klein - 2018-19                                                        Gabbie Hughes - 2018-19                                                     Sydney Brodt - 2018-19
Ashton Bell and Kylie Hanley - 2019-20                  Gabbie Hughes - 2019-20                                                      Sydney Brodt - 2019-20
Taylor Stewart - 2021-22                                                Elizabeth Giguere and Gabbie Hughes - 2021-22      Anna Klein - 2021-22
Nina Jobst-Smith - 2022-23                                         Emma Soderberg - 2022-23                                                 Anneke Linser - 2022-23
Hanna Baskin - 2023-24                                                Reece Hunt - 2023-24                                                              Mannon McMahon 2023-2