2024 Season History
2024 Teams
US Junior National Championships | July 3 – July 11, 2024 | Las Vegas, Nevada | Girls 14’s – 17’s
Northern Lights placed 5 of our 7 teams into the Gold Championship Brackets at the US Junior National Championships in Las Vegas, Nevada and medaled 2 of them. Northern Lights had 7 All Tournament player selections. Northern Lights had more teams finish in the top 10 than any other Minnesota club team! #MNLproud
7 Northern Lights All Tournament Selections
| Player Name | Team |
| Kaelyn Bjorklund | Northern Lights 15-1 |
| Elleora Utecht | Northern Lights 15-1 |
| Kendall Dahlen | Northern Lights 15-2 |
| Taylor Hagedorn | Northern Lights 15-2 |
| Anna O’Keefe | Northern Lights 16-2 |
| Lexi West | Northern Lights 16-2 |
| Hannah Koester | Northern Lights 17-2 |
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Final Finishes
| Team | Final Finish | Division |
| 17-1 | 13th | 17 Open |
| 17-2 | 5th | 17 American |
| 16-1 | 21st | 16 National |
| 16-2 | 3rd | 16 Freedom |
| 15-1 | 5th | 15 National |
| 15-2 | 3rd | 15 American |
| 14-1 | 5th | 14 National |
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Northern Lights 15-2 | 3rd Place
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Northern Lights 16-2 | 3rd Place
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AAU National Championships | June 11 – 29, 2024 | Orlando, Florida | Girls 11’s – 17’s & Boys 16’s – 18’s
Northern Lights placed 12 of our 22 girls teams into the Gold Championship Brackets at the AAU National Championships and medaled 5 of them. Two teams were in their division finals. NL had 14 AAU All-American / All Star selections. It was a great run at AAU Nationals 2024 for Northern Lights!
This was also the first year our boys teams attended AAU Nationals!
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14 Northern Lights AAU All Tournament & MVP Selections
| Player Name | Team |
| Olivia Arlt | Northern Lights 13-1 |
| Ella Bohren | Northern Lights 13-1 |
| Mali Quam | Northern Lights 13-1 |
| Peyton Dornfeld | Northern Lights 14-Black |
| Keira McGunnigle | Northern Lights 14-Black |
| Stephanie Mergens | Northern Lights 14-Black |
| Clara Christ | Northern Lights 15-1 |
| Ellie Osowski | Northern Lights 15-1 |
| Sophia Cowan | Northern Lights 15-2 |
| Estella Garcia | Northern Lights 15-2 |
| Madi Kraft | Northern Lights 16-1 |
| Brooke Thiemann | Northern Lights 16-Black |
| Mesaiya Bettis | Northern Lights 17-1 |
| McKenna Garr | Northern Lights 17-1 |
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Final Finishes
| Team | Final Finish | Division |
| 17-1 | 3rd | 17 Open |
| 17-2 | 16th | 17 Premier |
| 17-Black | 9th | 17 Club |
| 17-Red | 9th | 17 Aspire |
| 17-White | 24th | 17 Classic |
| 16-1 | 5th | 16 Open |
| 16-2 | 9th | 16 Elite |
| 16-Black | 5th | 16 Club |
| 16-Red | 41st | 16 Aspire |
| 16-White | 20th | 16 Spirit |
| 15-1 | 3rd | 15 Open |
| 15-2 | 3rd | 15 Premier |
| 15-Black | 25th | 15 Club |
| 15-Red | 37th | 15 Aspire |
| 15-White | 37th | 15 Spirit |
| 14-1 | 13th | 14 Open |
| 14-2 | 9th | 14 Club |
| 14-Black | 2nd | 14 Aspire |
| 13-1 | 2nd | 13 Premier |
| 13-2 | 22nd | 13 Club |
| 12-1 | 23rd | 12 Premier |
| 11-1 | 10th | 11 Club |
| Boys 16-1 | 51st | 16 Club |
| Boys 18-1 | 29th | 18 Club |
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Northern Lights 13-1 | 2nd Place
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Northern Lights 14-Black | 2nd Place
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Northern Lights 15-1 | 3rd Place
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Northern Lights 15-2 | 3rd Place
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Northern Lights 17-1 | 3rd Place
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Prep Dig Gauntlet 2024 | Milwaukee, WI
We had seven teams compete in the Prep Dig Gauntlet in Milwaukee, WI! Our teams faced some great competition and three of our teams medaled in their divisions.
Team |
Place |
Division |
| 14-1 | 2nd | 14 Open |
| 15-1 | 2nd | 15 Open |
| 15-2 | 11th | 15 Open |
| 16-1 | 9th | 16 Open |
| 16-2 | 13th | 16 Open |
| 17-1 | 2nd | 17 Open |
| 17-2 | 9th | 17 Open |
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Northern Lights Banquet
The Banquet was an amazing event with close to 900 people in attendance. It was the third year of the Marlon Johnson Award of Excellence (which replaces the Maurice Batie Award from previous years).
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Congratulations to our Northern Lights Coach, Jackie Richter, on receiving the Marlon Johnson Award of Coach Excellence! You are so deserving and we appreciate you!
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Congratulations to our player, Britta Hagen, on receiving the Marlon Johnson Award of Player Excellence!
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Molten Cup 2024
A big congratulations to our teams that competed in the Molten Cup; Northern Lights had 17 teams medal! Special shout out to ALL of our 14’s teams for placing in the top 3 of their divisions!
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Team |
Place |
Division |
| 10-1 | 8th | 12 Premier |
| 11-1 | 2nd | 12 Premier |
| 11-2 | 7th | 12 Premier |
| 12-1 | 14th | 14 Club |
| 12-2 | 1st | 12 Premier |
| 12-Black | 5th | 12 Premier |
| 13-1 | 8th | 14 Premier |
| 13-2 | 1st | 14 Club |
| 13-Black | 7th | 14 Aspire |
| 13-Red | 9th | 14 Classic |
| 14-1 | 1st | 15 Premier |
| 14-2 | 2nd | 14 Premier |
| 14-Black | 3rd | 14 Premier |
| 14-Red | 2nd | 14 Club |
| 14-White | 1st | 14 Aspire |
| 14-Xenon | 3rd | 14 Classic |
| 15-1 | 1st | 16 Premier |
| 15-2 | 3rd | 15 Premier |
| 15-Black | 1st | 15 Club |
| 15-Red | 8th | 15 Club |
| 15-White | 10th | 15 Club |
| 16-1 | 14th | 18 Elite |
| 16-2 | 4th | 16 Premier |
| 16-Black | 6th | 16 Premier |
| 16-Red | 2nd | 16 Club |
| 16-White | 5th | 16 Club |
| 17-1 | 2nd | 18 Elite |
| 17-2 | 4th | 18 Elite |
| 17-Black | 1st | 18 Premier |
| 17-Red | 3rd | 18 Premier |
| 17-White | 1st | 18 Club |
AAU Super Regional 2024
Team |
Finish |
Division |
| 12-1 | 10th | 13/14’s |
| 13-1 | 4th | 13/14’s |
| 13-2 | 5th | 13/14’s |
| 14-1 | 1st | 13/14’s |
| 14-2 | 2nd | 13/14’s |
| 14-Black | 3rd | 13/14’s |
| 15-1 | 1st | 15U |
| 15-2 | 2nd | 15U |
| 15-Black | 6th | 15U |
| 15-Red | 3rd | 15U |
| 15-White | 4th | 15U |
| 16-1 | 2nd | 16U |
| 16-2 | 4th | 16U |
| 16-Black | 3rd | 16U |
| 16-Red | 6th | 16U |
| 16-White | 9th | 16U |
| 17-2 | 3rd | 17/18’s |
| 17-Black | 4th | 17/18’s |
| 17-Red | 6th | 17/18’s |
| 17-White | 11th | 17/18’s |
NL Annual Ice Cream Social 2024
This fun night includes playing Queen of the Court, Zumba, and of course, ice cream! It is a night to dress up in funky outfits and hangout with multiple teams and coaches. Enjoy a few pictures capture from the Annual Ice Cream Social:
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NL May Invitational 2024
Our Northern Lights May Invitational is an elite scrimmage, invite only! It was a full and successful tournament! Final finishes were not documented due to it being a scrimmage event.
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NL April Freebie 2024
The Northern Lights April Freebie was a success for our teams! We had 10 teams medal.
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Team |
Finish |
Division |
| 11-1 | 2nd | 14’s Division |
| 12-1 | 4th | 14’s Division |
| 12-2 | 3rd | 14’s Division |
| 12-Black | 4th | 15’s Division |
| 13-2 | 2nd | 15’s Division |
| 13-Black | 1st | 16’s Division |
| 13-Red | 2nd | 16’s Division |
| 14-Black | 1st | 17’s Division |
| 14-Red | 4th | 17’s Division |
| 14-White | 3rd | 18’s Division |
| 14-Xenon | 7th | 18’s Division |
| 15-Black | 5th | 18’s Division |
| 15-Red | 4th | 14’s Division |
| 15-White | 6th | 14’s Division |
| 16-Black | 5th | 14’s Division |
| 16-Red | 1st | 15’s Division |
| 16-White | 7th | 15’s Division |
| 17-Black | 1st | 16’s Division |
| 17-Red | 3rd | 16’s Division |
| 17-White | 6th | 17’s Division |
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Northeast Qualifier 2024 | Philadelphia, PA
The 15-1’s and 15-2’s competed in the Northeast Qualifier in Philadelphia! Both teams made it to GOLD on Championship Sunday and placed in the top 10 of their divisions!
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Team |
Place |
Division |
| 15-1 | 9th | 15 Open |
| 15-2 | 5th | 15 USA |
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LoneStar Qualifier 2024 | Dallas, TX
Our 16-1, 16-2, 17-1 and 17-2 teams attended the LoneStar Qualifier in Dallas, TX. All teams faced great competition; only our 17-2 team competed in gold on Championship Sunday and placed in the top 10!
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Team |
Place |
Division |
| 16-1 | 17th | 16 Open |
| 16-2 | 17th | 16 Liberty |
| 17-1 | 15th | 17 Open |
| 17-2 | 9th | 17 USA |
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MNL Challenge 2024
It was a successful tournament for our teams that competed in the Mizuno Northern Lights Challenge 2024! We had 8 out of 12 teams medal, two of those being 1st place! ☺️
Team |
Place |
Division |
| 10-1 | 10th | 12U |
| 13-1 | 4th | 15U/16U |
| 13-2 | 1st | 13U |
| 13-Black | 2nd | 13U |
| 13-Red | 3rd | 13U |
| 14-2 | 3rd | 15U/16U |
| 14-Black | 9th | 15U/16U |
| 14-Red | 2nd | 14U |
| 14-White | 1st | 14U |
| 14-Xenon | 3rd | 14U |
| 15-Red | 2nd | 15U/16U |
| 15-White | 8th | 15U/16U |
Show Me Qualifier 2024 | Week 1 & 2
Congratulations to our Northern Lights Teams that competed in the Show Me Qualifier at Kansas City, MO!
In Week One our 15-1, 15-2, 16’s and 17’s competed in the Qualifier. Our 16-Red, 16-White, 17-1 and 17-2 teams competed in GOLD on Championship Day!
Our 17-1 team placed 5th AND secured an Open bid for USA GJNC’s!
In Week Two, our 14-1 team and 15-Black team competed in the Qualifier.
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Team |
Place |
Division |
| 17-1 | 5th | 17 Open |
| 17-2 | 7th | 17 USA |
| 17-Black | 19th | 17 Liberty |
| 17-Red | 17th | 17 American |
| 17-White | 37th | 17 American |
| 16-1 | 13th | 16 Open |
| 16-2 | 47th | 16 USA |
| 16-Black | 15th | 16 Liberty |
| 16-Red | 5th | 16 American |
| 16-White | 9th | 16 American |
| 15-1 | 11th | 15 Open |
| 15-2 | 14th | 15 USA |
| 15-Black | 26th | 15 Liberty |
| 14-1 | 14th | 14 Open |
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15th Annual Mizuno Northern Lights 12’s Cup
Six of our Northern Lights teams competed in the annual 12’s Cup tournament! Congratulations to our 12-1’s for placing 1st in the Open division and to our 11-1’s for placing 1st in the 12 Club division! 
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Team |
Place |
Division |
| 10-1 | 14th | 12 Classic |
| 11-1 | 1st | 12 Club |
| 11-2 | 5th | 12 Classic |
| 12-1 | 1st | 12 Open |
| 12-2 | 3rd | 12 Open |
| 12-Black | 3rd | 12 Club |
18’s Italy Trip 2024
Our 18’s traveled to Italy for competition and adventure! All three teams started in Rome, competing in a scrimmage against local teams, but then ventured off to their own tournaments in the following cities…
Mizuno Northern Lights Qualifier 2024 | 12’s, 13’s, 14’s and 16’s Qualifying Divisions
Northern Lights had 34 teams play in the Mizuno Northern Lights Qualifier in March! We had 9 teams medal. We are so #MNLproud!
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Team |
Place |
Division |
| 18-1 | 2nd | 18 Elite |
| 18-2 | 3rd | 18 Elite |
| 18-Black | 13th | 18 Elite |
| 17-1 | 1st | 17 Elite |
| 17-2 | 2nd | 17 Elite |
| 17-Black | 14th | 17 Elite |
| 17-Red | 13th | 17 Elite |
| 17-White | 27th | 17 Elite |
| 16-1 | 14th | 16 Open |
| 16-2 | 14th | 16 USA |
| 16-Black | 5th | 16 Liberty |
| 16-Red | 3rd | 16 American |
| 16-White | 22nd | 16 American |
| 15-1 | 5th | 15 Elite |
| 15-2 | 2nd | 15 Elite |
| 15-Black | 5th | 15 Elite |
| 15-Red | 17th | 15 Elite |
| 15-White | 26th | 15 Elite |
| 14-1 | 6th | 14 Open |
| 14-2 | 15th | 14 USA |
| 14-Black | 5th | 14 Liberty |
| 14-Red | 2nd | 14 American |
| 14-White | 9th | 14 American |
| 14-Xenon | 45th | 14 American |
| 13-1 | 1st | 13 USA |
| 13-2 | 6th | 13 USA |
| 13-Black | 25th | 13 American |
| 13-Red | 34th | 13 American |
| 12-1 | 7th | 12 National |
| 12-2 | 11th | 12 USA |
| 12-Black | 21st | 12 American |
| 11-1 | 2nd | 11 National |
| 11-2 | 9th | 11 National |
| 10-1 | 9th | 11 National |
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NL March Freebie 2024
A few of our teams competed in the NL March Freebie and our 18’s competed against each other in preparation for their travels to Italy!
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Team |
Place |
Division |
| 12-1 | 1st | 12U |
| 13-1 | 1st | 14U |
| 14-2 | 4th | 15U |
| 15-Black | 2nd | 16U |
| 15-Red | 1st | 15U |
| 15-White | 7th | 15U |
| 16-Black | 1st | 16U |
| 16-Red | 3rd | 16U |
| 16-White | 5th | 16U |
| 17-Black | 1st | 17U/18U |
| 17-Red | 2nd | 17U/18U |
| 17-White | 3rd | 17U/18U |
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NCR Girls Regional Qualifier 2024
Congratulations to our teams that competed in the NCR Regional Qualifier 2024 and earned bids to the USAV Girls Junior National Championship 2024 in Las Vegas, NV!
Team |
Place |
Qualification |
| 14-1 | 1st | Qualified |
| 15-1 | 3rd | Qualified |
| 15-2 | 2nd | Qualified |
| 16-1 | 3rd | Qualified |
| 16-2 | 6th | – |
| 17-1 | 1st | Qualified |
| 17-2 | 2nd | Qualified |
National Invitational Tournament (NIT 2024)
Our 14-1, 15-1, 16-1, 17-1 and 18-1 teams traveled to Kansas City, Missouri for the NIT to compete against the best in the country.
Our teams had a great weekend; our 17-1 finished in the Elite (gold) division and the rest placed in Open! 👏🏼
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NL 18-1 team
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NL 14-1 team
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Omaha Presidents’ Day Classic 2024
Northern Lights sent 27 teams to Omaha, Nebraska for the 2024 ASICS Omaha Presidents’ Day tournament. Congratulations to the 2 teams that placed 1st in their divisions, the 3 teams that placed 2nd in their divisions and 7 teams that placed 3rd in their divisions! Thank you to the athletes, coaches, chaperones, and parents for a great weekend! It was a very successful weekend!
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Team |
Place |
Division |
| 18-2 | 3rd | 18 Open |
| 18-Black | 5th | 18 Club |
| 17-2 | 3rd | 17 Open |
| 17-Black | 3rd | 17 Club |
| 17-Red | 9th | 17 Club |
| 17-White | 9th | 17 Club |
| 16-2 | 7th | 16 Open |
| 16-Black | 5th | 16 Club |
| 16-Red | 19th | 16 Club |
| 16-White | 3rd | 16 Select |
| 15-2 | 5th | 15 Open |
| 15-Black | 2nd | 15 Club |
| 15-Red | 25th | 15 Club |
| 15-White | 21st | 15 Select |
| 14-2 | 5th | 14 Open |
| 14-Black | 1st | 14 Club |
| 14-Red | 9th | 14 Club |
| 14-White | 13th | 14 Select |
| 14-Xenon | 5th | 14 Select |
| 13-1 | 2nd | 13 Open |
| 13-2 | 2nd | 13 Club |
| 13-Black | 3rd | 13 Select |
| 13-Red | 8th | 13 Select |
| 12-1 | 1st | 12 Open |
| 12-2 | 3rd | 12 Select |
| 12-Black | 7th | 12 Select |
| 11-1 | 3rd | 11 Club |
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Big City Luau 2024
Team |
Place |
Division |
| 10-1 | 10th | 12 Classic |
| 11-1 | 4th | 12 Open |
| 11-2 | 11th | 12 Club |
| 12-1 | 1st | 12 Open |
| 12-2 | 2nd | 12 Premier |
| 12-Black | 12th | 12 Premier |
2024 January Thaw and 15’s, 17’s and 18’s Mizuno Northern Lights National Qualifier
Congratulations to the 29 Northern Lights teams that participated in our annual January Thaw and the 15’s, 17’s and 18’s Northern Lights National Qualifier in Minneapolis! Our 18-1 team placed 1st in 18 USA and our 17-Red placed 1st in 17 American at the MNLQ! Two of our teams medaled in the January Thaw. #MNLproud
Mizuno Northern Lights Qualifier
Team |
Place |
Division |
| 18-1 | 1st | 18 USA |
| 18-2 | 5th | 18 USA |
| 18-Black | 13th | 18 American |
| 17-1 | 5th | 17 Open |
| 17-2 | 5th | 17 USA |
| 17-Black | 5th | 17 Liberty |
| 17-Red | 1st | 17 American |
| 17-White | 16th | 17 American |
| 15-1 | 8th | 15 Open |
| 15-2 | 7th | 15 USA |
| 15-Black | 21st | 15 Liberty |
| 15-Red | 21st | 15 American |
| 15-White | 63rd | 15 American |
January Thaw
Team |
Place |
Division |
| 16-1 | 1st | 16 Club |
| 16-2 | 5th | 16 Club |
| 16-Black | 7th | 16 Club |
| 16-Red | 8th | 16 Club |
| 16-White | 17th | 16 Club |
| 14-1 | 2nd | 14 Club |
| 14-2 | 5th | 14 Club |
| 14-Black | 5th | 14 Club |
| 14-Red | 8th | 14 Club |
| 14-White | 13th | 14 Club |
| 14-Xenon | 20th | 14 Club |
| 13-1 | 3rd | 14 Club |
| 13-2 | 11th | 14 Club |
| 13-Black | 11th | 14 Club |
| 13-Red | 23rd | 14 Club |
| Boys 16-1 | 3rd | Boys |
| Boys 16-2 | 11th | Boys |
| Boys 18-1 | 5th | Boys |
| Boys 18-2 | 11th | Boys |
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NL 17-Red team
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NL 18-1 team
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NL 16-1 team
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Winter Europe Trip 2024
From December 25 – January 6 2024 our Northern Lights 16-1 and 16-2 teams explored and competed in Amsterdam, Apeldoorn, and Innsbruck. Pictures are posted on the Northern Lights Facebook page and videos can be found on the Northern Lights YouTube site!
Our 16-1 and 16-2 teams will be exploring Amsterdam and competing in Apeldoorn and Innsbruck for the next two weeks! Keep up with their travels here…
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Day 1 Journal – Amsterdam | Trindy Barkeim & Mackenzie Crawford
Day 2 Journal – Apeldoorn | Rayna Christianson and Grace Hertaus
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Day 3 Journal – Apeldoorn | Brooke & Lauren Paetzel
Day 4 Journal – Apeldoorn | Kyla Klein & Madi Kraft
Day 5 Journal – Amsterdam | Macy Hansen
Video Recap of going to Amsterdam
Day 6 Journal – Amsterdam to Innsbruck | Brynlee Major & Kendall Worwa
Day 7 Journal – Innsbruck | Jada Johnson and Anna O’Keefe
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Day 8 Journal – Innsbruck | Izzy and Clara Keaveny
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Northern Lights 16-1 placed 2nd at the Innsbruck Tournament
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Northern Lights 16-2 placed 5th at the Innsbruck Tournament
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Day 9 Journal – Innsbruck | Caroline Banks & Jaelyn Kline
Final Journal – Innsbruck | Breanna Beckering and Dylan Raveling
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Chi-Town Boys Challenge 2023
Northern Lights Boys Volleyball
The 2024 season is the first ever season of Boys Club Volleyball at Northern Lights!
We have 4 teams: 18-1, 18-2, 16-1 and 16-2.
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Congratulations 2023 All-State Players
Northern Lights would like to extend our congratulations to all of the High School Players in Minnesota who were selected for the MN Coaches Association All State teams. The MNVBCA sponsors All-State teams for the top players in each class (1st team and honorable mention). 20 players from Northern Lights were selected:
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Congrats All-Metro Players & Ms. Baden Finalist
Congratulations to our Northern Lights players that made the 2023 Star Tribune All-Metro Volleyball Teams!
All-Metro Volleyball Team 2023:
All-Metro Second Team 2023:
All-Metro Third Team 2023:
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