File photo by Travis Rosenau New Ulm’s Morgan Hulke takes a 3-pointer during the Section 2AAA championship game against Marshall on March 5, 2025, at Gustavus Adolphus College. Hulke, a 2025 New Ulm High School grad, will continue her basketball career at Bethany Lutheran College in Mankato.

MANKATO — While she initially had no plans to continue her basketball career in college after graduating from New Ulm High School this past spring, the 5-foot-8 Eagles wing Morgan Hulke had a change of heart after talking to one particular college coach she knew well.

That coach was Bethany Lutheran College Vikings head women’s basketball coach Emma Purfeerst.

Luckily for the Vikings, Hulke was swayed enough by a visit to bring her spot-up, 3-point shooting talents to the team this coming winter, announcing her commitment to BLC this past April.

“Emma was actually my AAU coach in the summer and it was after the first tournament, she asked me to come on a visit there, and I obviously said yes,” Hulke said. “So I toured it, I loved it and as the summer went on and she continued to be my coach, I loved her. … That was my main factor in coming to Bethany was because of the coaches and just the community Emma’s built there. It’s really good.”

After the Eagles fell to the Marshall Tigers 82-69 on March 5 in the Section 2AAA title game, a game in which Hulke led the Eagles with 19 points, Hulke was sad but willing to let that be the end of her competitive basketball career as she looked into studying at Southwest Minnesota State University in Marshall or Minnesota State University, Mankato.

But, like many athletes graduating high school, it’s not so easy to say goodbye to the sport they love.

“I actually changed my mind,” Hulke said. “I wasn’t originally going to play basketball, it was like towards the end of [March]. I was starting to regret it after my high school season came to an end, and looking back now, I’m very happy and glad I changed my mind.”

Hulke said another factor in choosing Bethany came down to its location and the community.

“I knew I wanted to stay close to home,” Hulke said. “I also wanted to be on a smaller campus, so when I first visited, I loved the community of it and how close everything was, and I have a really good relationship with the coach, too, so that was my deciding factor for that, too.”

Hulke joins a BLC team that already features a couple of area players like Kaylee Hunter, a Minnesota Valley Lutheran grad who will be entering her senior year with the team, and Brea Mertz, a Sleepy Eye grad who will be entering her sophomore year.

Hulke, who finished her senior year with the Eagles as an All-Journal player, finished her prep career with 1,461 points. Her final year with the Eagles saw her post averages of 11.6 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.2 steals per game.

Hulke did a bit of everything for the Eagles during her time on varsity, but she consistently was one of the team’s go-to 3-point shooters in catch-and-shoot scenarios, especially from the corner.

However, Hulke knows she has more work to do in order to get in the game for the Vikings.

“[I’d like to develop] my off-the-dribble shot or getting downhill and finishing more at the rim,” Hulke said. “I do some workouts with some people locally here, so that’s what I’ve been really working on, too, is making myself open instead of just getting a catch-and-shoot, like working shots for myself.”

Whether Hulke gets time on the court right away or not, she will be working for her spot and doing everything she can to contribute.

“We’ve had a couple scrimmages so I can kind of see where I’m at with the other girls,” Hulke said. “But I would say it’s just up to me to keep practicing and keeping up my skill and earning a spot to play if I want to play with the older and top girls. For me, it’s just getting the practice in and keep working at it.”

As she continues to train this offseason, Hulke is looking forward to bringing a positive attitude to BLC.

“I’m super excited,” Hulke said. “I’m hoping to bring positive energy and good vibes all around and just trying to make the team better in any way that I can.”