Avery Koenen was named the Summit League player of the year this season after averaging 19.4 points per game, 10.8 rebounds per game, and 2.4 assists per game while helping lead the Bison to their first Summit League regular season championship.

Q: You all have been building this program for a number of years now. What felt different about this season compared to previous ones?

A: I think the first thing that sticks out is how mature our group is and how much experience we have, especially my class over the past two years. Just growing from that has been really important for us. I also think we’re a very competitive and connected group. We’ve got a good group of girls. We’re all really close and get along really well, so that carries onto the floor and helps our play. Being able to support each other, you want to go out and compete for the person next to you. We’re also very unselfish.

Q: Are those things you felt right away during the preseason?

A: Yeah, I could slowly start to feel that, just that maturity playing a role. My class especially, and the seniors we do have, really started to lead the group. You could also tell we were a very talented group. As we started to grow and flow more together and learn how each other played, you knew that was going to improve our game.

Q: You start the season 2–2—what was kind of the feeling around the team?

A: I would say I always knew we had a talented group. It was more like, when are things going to start to click? I think they started to after that Nebraska game. Even in the two games we lost, we played well and competed. From there, it was just growing day by day with each other. When you have a group with a lot of talented girls, you don’t have to rely on one person every night.

Q: What do you feel like you’ve learned this season?

A: I’d say I’ve learned a lot about the importance of leadership. Being a junior now and stepping into more of a leadership role is huge, especially with younger players and transfers coming in.

Q: How do you try to lead those players?

A: I think number one is by example—how I go about my business every day. Showing up, working hard, being disciplined and consistent—that can take you a long way. And then just how I talk to them—encouraging them, showing them what’s right and wrong, and trying to steer them in the right direction, whether that’s in drills or just every day in practice.

Q: What do you want this team to be remembered for?

A: Just how together we are. Like I said, it’s not just one player—it’s a great group of girls. We play together, we show up every day, we’re competitive, and we’re trying to set a new standard here of teamwork—what being a team looks like and what that does for a program.