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Bonde named Coach of the Year after guiding RCTC to national title

guy n. limbeck, post-bulletin, rochester, minn.
·2 min read

Apr. 5—ROCHESTER — The postseason awards for members of the national champion Rochester Community and Technical College women's basketball just keep on coming.

RCTC coach Jason Bonde was named the 2023 NJCAA Division III women's basketball Coach of the Year on Wednesday. Bonde guided the Yellowjackets to a Division III NJCAA national championship and an overall record of 27-1 during the 2022-23 season.

On Tuesday, RCTC had two players selected to the Division III All-America team. Sophomore guard Myia Ruzek was named first-team All-America and sophomore forward Olivia Christianson was named to the second team.

Bonde is in his fourth season guiding the Yellowjackets, including one in which the Yellowjackets did not have enough players to play the season. In three seasons of play, Bonde has guided RCTC to a 67-8 record. That included a 16-1 mark in a shortened 2020-21 season and a third-place finish at the Division III national tournament during the 2021-22 season.

Falling in the national semifinals a season ago helped motivate RCTC to win the national title in 2023.

"Coach Bonde has taken the RCTC women's basketball team to new heights during his four years," RCTC athletic director Mike Lester said in a release. "From his first year when we didn't have a program to a national championship in 2023, coach Bonde has built a program where the team comes first and team success leads to individual accolades."

The Yellowjackets were the No. 3 seed in this year's national tournament after falling to Riverland Community College in the Region XIIIA title game for their only loss of the season. In three national tournament victories, Bonde guided the Yellowjackets to victory by an average of 18 points per game.

RCTC avenged the loss to Riverland in the national semifinals, then defeated MCAC rival Minnesota West Community College in the national championship game. The Yellowjackets had four players named to the All-Tournament Team and Bonde was named the Coach of the Tournament.

The national title was the second in program history for the RCTC women.

"We are extremely proud of coach Bonde and his young women for how they have represented RCTC on and off the floor," Lester said.