Wednesday, February 27, 2013

NDSU’s Anderson Named Summit League Female Golfer of the Week

ELMHURST, Ill. - North Dakota State's Amy Anderson earned her sixth career Summit League Female Golfer of the Week from the league office Wednesday, Feb. 27.

Anderson placed second at the UC Irvine Invitational presented by Kia. She fired a 54-hole score of 219 (78-68-73) to finish four shots behind individual champion Alice Kim of Gonzaga.

It was Anderson's third runner-up finish of the year. She has placed in the top five in all six events this season and has 20 straight top-four finishes excluding NCAA tournament play.

Anderson leads The Summit League with a 73.38 stroke average this season.

North Dakota State is off until March 11-12 when the Bison compete in the South Dakota State Jackrabbit Invitational at the Primm Valley Golf Club in Primm, Nev.

NDSU Wrestlers remain in Top 10 rankings

North Dakota State wrestlers Steven Monk and Trent Sprenkle have become mainstays in the national individual rankings this year, and both continued their season-long run of national top-10 rankings this week.

Monk, a junior from Wausau, Wis., is ranked No. 6 at 165 pounds by Amateur Wrestling News (AWN) and Intermat. He was also ranked sixth in the second of three NCAA Coaches’ Panel rankings released on Feb. 14.

Monk holds an overall record of 31-3 on the season, with a perfect 18-0 mark in duals. He has defeated five opponents who were ranked in the top 11 at the time of their match, and Monk’s only two losses to collegiate opponents have been to the wrestlers currently ranked No.1 and No. 4 in the nation.

Sprenkle, a senior from Billings, Mont., is ranked No. 8 at 125 pounds by AWN and Intermat. He owns an overall record of 25-4 and a dual meet record of 16-2 this season. Sprenkle became the eighth wrestler in NDSU history to register 100 career victories with a win at South Dakota State on Feb. 15.

Sprenkle has posted two wins over top-10 opponents this season.

Neither wrestler has been ranked outside the top 10 in the country by Amateur Wrestling News during the 2012-13 season.

North Dakota State will compete at the Western Wrestling Conference tournament and NCAA West Regional in Laramie, Wyo., on March 9.

Friday, February 22, 2013

Pine To Prairie Conference Players of the Week

(February 22, 2013) - A pair of senior guards, Justine Yost (Waubun) and Neil Henrickson (Ulen-Hitterdal) have been selected as the Pine to Prairie Basketball Players of the Week for their efforts last week.

Justine scored 17 points, had 4 steals, 3 rebounds and 2 assists in a loss against New York Mills last week.  Yost led the Bombers to a win over Fosston when she scored 28 of the team’s 36 points.  She also had 5 steals, 4 rebounds and 1 assist in that game.  Justine is a player that leaves it all out on the court each and every night.

Neil scored 22 points, grabbed 5 rebounds and had 4 steals against Bagley on Tuesday.  He also hit the game winning shot with .4 seconds left to go in the game.  On Thursday against Mahnomen, Henrickson had 27 points, 8 rounds, 4 assists, 3 steals and 1 block.

Other outstanding efforts for the week were turned in by Monica Vega from Ada-Borup and Lexi Nelson from Norman County West.  The Pine to Prairie season will wrap up on Saturday with the Conference Championship games at Ulen-Hitterdal High School.  Ada-Borup and Win-E-Mac will play for the Girls Championship and Fertile-Beltrami and Ada-Borup will play for the Boys Championship.

Monday, February 18, 2013

NDSU’s Straka Named Summit League co-Pitcher of the Week

ELMHURST, Ill. - North Dakota State's John Straka was named Summit League baseball co-Pitcher of the Week by the league office Monday, Feb. 18.

Straka, a senior right-hander from Chaska, Minn., collected his school-record sixth career shutout in a 4-0 win at Arkansas-Pine Bluff. He needed only 96 pitches over nine innings, allowed two singles, walked none and struck out six.

It is Straka's fifth career award. He ranks fourth on the NDSU all-time wins list with a 15-9 record and lowered his career ERA from 3.03 to 2.91 with the shutout.

Western Illinois sophomore righty Mason Pingel shared the Pitcher of the Week award after going five innings with five strikeouts in a win over No. 1-ranked Arkansas. He allowed seven hits and three earned runs.

Fort Wayne second baseman Markus Kalber was named Player of the Week after hitting .500 (8-for-16) over four games. He hit four doubles and scored twice in a 7-6 extra-inning loss to Alabama A&M.

North Dakota State (1-2) opens a three-game series at Southeast Missouri State on Friday, Feb. 22. The Redhawks swept a three-game series at New Orleans and host Harris-Stowe and Mid-Continent in a pair of midweek games.

Friday, February 15, 2013

NDSU Finalizes 11-Game 2013 Football Schedule

FARGO, N.D. - North Dakota State athletic director Gene Taylor today announced the addition of a sixth home football game to finalize NDSU's 11-game schedule for the 2013 season.

North Dakota State will host Delaware State on Saturday, Sept. 21, at Gate City Bank Field. The Hornets were 6-5 and tied for third in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference with a 5-3 record.

This will be NDSU's second matchup against the MEAC. The Bison defeated Morgan State 35-9 at the Fargodome in September 2010.

Delaware State will be NDSU's third game before the Bison open Missouri Valley Football Conference play at South Dakota State on Sept. 28.

NDSU's season opener is Aug. 31 at Kansas State and the Bison are scheduled to host Montana State on Sept. 7 before an open week Sept. 14.

Other home dates include Missouri State for the annual homecoming game Oct. 12, Illinois State on Nov. 9 for the Harvest Bowl, and South Dakota to close the regular season Nov. 23.

North Dakota State won its second NCAA Division I football championship with a 39-13 win over Sam Houston State and also claimed the program's second Missouri Valley Football Conference title. The Bison were 14-1 overall and 7-1 in MVFC.

Thursday, February 14, 2013

PTP Players of the Week

(February 13, 2013) Brooke Brommenschenkel (Norman County West) and Kari Skersick (Bagley) have been awarded the Pine to Prairie Girls Basketball Player of the Week awards.

Brooke, a junior guard, is currently the second leading scorer in the Pine to Prairie Conference averaging 18.2 points per game. Last week, Brommenschenkel averaged 22.3 points in three games last week. Brooke scored 26 in a loss at Bagley, 29 in a win over Larimore and added 12 in a loss to Win-E-Mac.

Kari, a junior forward, scored 25 points and 14 rebounds against Norman County West, added 2 points and 15 rebounds against Park Rapids, and had 18 points and 15 rebounds at Lake Park-Audubon. Kari averaged 22.6 point per game for the week and 14.6 rebounds. Kari also became the Bagley Girls Basketball All-Time Leading Scorer against Lake Park-Audubon.

Other outstanding performances for the week were turned in by Tori Voss (Waubun) and Ciara Austinson (Ulen-Hitterdal).

Monday, February 11, 2013

Longtime football assistant, UND letterwinner Mannausau to lead Champions Club

GRAND FORKS, N.D. – The University of North Dakota Athletics Department and the UND Alumni Association & Foundation announced today that Mike Mannausau has been hired as Assistant Athletics Director/Champions Club Executive Director.

Mannausau, who begins his new duties on Monday, Feb. 18, recently completed his ninth season on the North Dakota football coaching staff and his seventh as defensive coordinator. Prior to the 2008 season, he was elevated to assistant head coach and last season he was named associate head coach.

"Since I arrived at the University of North Dakota, I have been impressed with the great ambassador that Mike is for UND Athletics," said UND Director of Athletics Brian Faison. "We are excited that he will be bringing his passion for North Dakota and his unique combination of skill sets to this critical position for UND Athletics."

The North Dakota Champions Club is a primary source of private support for UND Athletics. The membership club, operated by the UND Alumni Association & Foundation, raises funds for scholarships and program support for UND's Athletics. The Champions Club raised $2.23 million in cash gifts and commitments from 2,360 members in 2011-12, marking the sixth consecutive annual fundraising record for the club.

“We are thrilled to have Mike join our team,” said DeAnna Carlson Zink, associate executive vice president and chief development officer for the UND Alumni Association & Foundation. “His connections to UND Athletics and UND alumni and friends will serve him well in this vital role. We are at a critical point in the fundraising efforts to not only support Impact Scholarships for student-athletes at the Division I level, but also to proceed with the UND Athletics Complex.”

A standout linebacker for North Dakota from 1994 to 1998, Mannausau lettered four times and was a 1998 Football Gazette All-America honorable mention honoree, while serving as a team captain. He received a bachelor's degree from UND in May 1999, majoring in education/physical education and minoring in special education and coaching. In June of 2003, he received a master's degree in kinesiology from UND.

“This is an exciting opportunity for our family,” said Mannausau. “Tiffany and I are so fortunate to be able to continue to be a part of this great University and community. I am so grateful to have been a part of something as special as the University of North Dakota football program for 16 years. I can't thank coach (Chris) Mussman enough for allowing me and my family to share so many wonderful memories. I am so excited to share my passion for UND, our student-athletes and teams with our great alumni and fans. I really feel I can make a bigger impact on UND in this new role and I am excited to get started.”

Mannausau, originally from International Falls, Minn., is married to former UND women's basketball standout and UND Athletics Hall of Fame inductee Tiffany Pudenz. They have two children, daughter Mya and son Max.


In addition to managing the efforts of the Champions Club, Mannausau will work with major donors and prospects to obtain funds for athletic facilities, Impact Scholarships, and endowments for UND Athletics. Mannausau joins a staff that includes Steve Brekke, associate athletics director for development, and Katie Horob, Champions Club Associate Director.

Friday, February 8, 2013

NDSU Picked to Win Summit League Baseball Title

ELMHURST, Ill. - North Dakota State is the unanimous favorite to win its first Summit League baseball championship according to a preseason poll of the league's six head coaches released Friday, Feb. 8.

North Dakota State received all five available first-place votes for 25 points, South Dakota State was second with 17 points, Oakland was third with 16 points, Western Illinois fourth (15), Fort Wayne fifth (9) and Omaha sixth (8).

NDSU set a school record for wins going 40-20 overall and placed third in The Summit League with a 14-10 record last year under head coach Tod Brown, who is beginning his sixth season.

North Dakota State finished second at last year's Summit League tournament behind Oral Roberts, which has moved to the Southland Conference. NDSU is seeking its first NCAA tournament appearance since the 1969 College Division Midwest Regional.

Junior center fielder Tim Colwell is one of only three starting position players back from last year's team. A preseason All-America third team pick by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association, Colwell hit .381 with a school-record 93 hits and nine triples, 35 RBIs, a .438 on-base percentage, 12 stolen bases and 62 runs scored in 60 games.

NDSU returns two weekend starting pitchers in right-hander John Straka and David Ernst along with late reliever Simon Anderson and closer Kyle Kingsley. Straka was 7-4 with a 2.61 ERA and set school records with 92 strikeouts in 110 1/3 innings with three shutouts in 15 starts last year as opening day starter.

NDSU is scheduled to open the season Feb. 15-17 with a three-game series at Arkansas-Pine Bluff. The home opener is March 26 against Concordia Moorhead and the 30-game Summit League schedule begins April 5-7 with a four-game series at South Dakota State.

The top four teams in the regular-season standings will advance to the Summit League tournament May 23-25 at the Oakland University baseball field in Rochester, Mich., with the winner of the double-elimination bracket earning the league's automatic berth in the NCAA playoffs.

2013 Summit League Baseball Preseason Poll
Team (First-Place Votes)
Points
1. North Dakota State (5)
25
2. South Dakota State
17
3. Oakland (1)
16
4. Western Illinois
15
5. Fort Wayne
9
6. Omaha
8

UMC Hunt Seat Equestrian Hosts Home Shows This Weekend

CROOKSTON, Minn. – The University of Minnesota, Crookston hunt seat equestrian team will host their winter home show this weekend at the University Teaching and Outreach Center (UTOC). The show will begin at 11 a.m. Sat., Feb. 9 and continue Sun., Feb. 10 at 9 a.m. Competitors at the home show will include UMC, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, University of Wisconsin, River Falls, among others.

The Golden Eagles last hosted a home show Nov. 17 and 18 at UTOC. The Golden Eagles finished second as a team in the Saturday show and earned the team High Point Title in the Sunday show when they last hit the floor at UTOC. UMC was led in the competition by Sable Bettencourt (Fr., Cloquet, Minn.) who tied for the Reserve High Point Rider in the Sunday competition.

UMC also had wins in the competition from Angela Peterson (Sr., Detroit Lakes, Minn.) and Denise Thompson (Sr., Rochester, Minn.) in Intermediate Equitation over Fences. Amanda Overman (Jr., Lindenhurst, Ill.) picked up a win in the Novice Division of Equitation over Fences. Emily Steeley (Fr., Portsmouth, R.I.) had a victory in Open Equitation on the Flat. Chelsea Roetman (Jr., Owatonna, Minn.) had a big win in Open Equitation over Fences Sunday while Bettencourt picked up a victory in Novice Equitation on the Flat. The Golden Eagles also got victories from Tiffany Rask (Sr., Minneapolis, Minn.) and Sam Kramer (So., Corcoran, Minn.) in Novice Equitation on the Flat while Katherine Berg (Fr., Minnetonka, Minn.), Rachel Gaardsmoe (Fr., Petaluma, Calif.) and Paige Clark (Fr., Andover, Minn.) had wins in Walk Trot Canter.

The Golden Eagles will look to build off November’s performance at UTOC in this weekend’s home shows.

For more information, visit the Golden Eagle Athletics Web site at www.goldeneaglesports.com.

Follow the Golden Eagles on Facebook at Golden Eagle Sports and on Twitter at @UMCAthletics.

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

NDSU's Julson and Wyoming's McCulley Share WWC Weekly Award

Courtesy: NDSU Athletic Media Relations
February 05, 2013

North Dakota State University 174-pound sophomore Kurtis Julson (Inver Grove Heights, Minn./Simley HS) and University of Wyoming 157-pound sophomore Andy McCulley (Rock Springs, Wyo./Rock Springs HS) have been named Co-Western Wrestling Conference Wrestlers of the Week after both had outstanding performances on the mat last weekend. The conference award was announced Tuesday by the league.

Julson helped spark a Bison rally in their dual with No. 20 Northern Iowa on Sunday by posting a 3-2 decision over No. 19 Cody Caldwell of UNI.

Julson used a takedown with 33 seconds remaining in the third period to knock off the ranked Caldwell, 3-2. The NDSU sophomore's decision closed the NDSU deficit to 14-11 with three matches remaining, ultimately giving the 25th-ranked Bison a chance for their fourth win over a ranked opponent this season going into the heavyweight match.

McCulley got Wyoming off to a great start in UW's last dual versus Northern Colorado. He improved his record to 7-0 against conference opponents when he pinned UNC's Mitchell Polkowske just 48 seconds into their 157-pound match.

The pin was McCulley's team-leading 11th fall of the season, and his second pin of Polkowske this season The sophomore's win sparked a 21-0 run to begin the dual, and the 21st-ranked Cowboys eventually won their eighth dual of the year, 34-10.

Ranked 13th in the nation, McCulley now is 24-6 this season with 14 bonus-point victories.

The conference honor is both wrestlers' first of the season of first of their careers.

The Western Wrestling Conference, which is in its seventh year of competition, is comprised of six schools including the Air Force Academy, North Dakota State, Northern Colorado, South Dakota State, Utah Valley and Wyoming.

2012-13 WWC Wrestlers of the Week
Nov. 6 - Alfonso Hernandez (Wyoming)
Nov. 13 - Josh Wilson (Utah Valley)
Nov. 20 - Cole VonOhlen (Air Force)
Nov. 27 - Trent Sprenkle (North Dakota State)
Dec. 4 - Steven Monk (North Dakota State)
Dec. 11 - Brandon Richardson (Wyoming)
Dec. 18 - Tyler Cox (Wyoming)
Jan. 1 - Steven Monk (North Dakota State)
Jan. 8 - Cole VonOhlen (Air Force)
Jan. 15 - Trent Sprenkle (North Dakota State)
Jan. 22 - Dylan Hyder (AFA)/Jade Rauser (UVU)
Jan. 29 - Josh Martinez (Air Force)
Feb. 5 - Kurtis Julson (NDSU)/Andy McCulley (Wyoming)

UND Goalie Gothberg earns weekly WCHA honors

GRAND FORKS, N.D.University of North Dakota freshman goaltender Zane Gothberg has been named Red Baron Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) Rookie of the Week for his performance in last weekend’s series against Wisconsin, the league announced today.

Starting both games of a weekend series for the first time in his collegiate career, Gothberg stopped 50 of 52 shots as North Dakota claimed three of four WCHA points from the Badgers. On Friday, the Thief River Falls, Minn., native stopped 29 of 30 shots in a 1-1 overtime tie. He was perfect in the third period and overtime, when UND was outshot 10-4 and 4-0, respectively. On Saturday, Gothberg came within 6 minutes, 30 seconds, of his first career shutout and helped UND end a 5-game winless skid that was the program’s longest in a decade. He finished the night with 21 saves in a 4-1 victory.

For the weekend, Gothberg posted a miniscule 0.96 goals against average with a .962 save percentage and was named the game’s second star both nights.

In nine starts this season, Gothberg is 4-3-2 with a 2.62 goals against average and a .910 save percentage.

St. Cloud State senior forward Drew LeBlanc was named WCHA Offensive Player of the Week, while Denver sophomore goalie Juho Olkinuora was named WCHA Defensive Player of the Week.

UND (14-8-6, 9-5-6 WCHA) visits No. 14 Nebraska Omaha on Friday and Saturday. Saturday’s game will be played outdoors at TD Ameritrade Park, the home of the College World Series, in an outdoor doubleheader billed as the “Mutual of Omaha Battles on Ice.”

UND’s WCHA Players of the Week

Nov. 20: Danny Kristo (Offensive)

Dec. 11: Carter Rowney (Offensive)

Dec. 11: Rocco Grimaldi (co-Rookie)

Dec. 18: Corban Knight (Offensive)

Jan. 8: Corban Knight (co-Offensive)

Feb. 5: Zane Gothberg (Rookie)

NDSU Wrestling Remains in Top 25

The North Dakota State wrestling team remained at No. 25 in the latest USA Today/NWCA/AWN Division I Coaches Poll released on Tuesday.

This is the third week this season that the Bison have been ranked in the national top 25 in the coaches’ poll. NDSU was ranked No. 24 in late November and rejoined the rankings at No. 25 one week ago.

The Bison are currently in first place in the Western Wrestling Conference standings with three league duals remaining. NDSU has knocked off three ranked opponents this season in No. 14 Wyoming, No. 24 Boise State and No. 25 Old Dominion.

Junior Steven Monk is ranked sixth at 165 pounds by both Amateur Wrestling News and Intermat, and senior Trent Sprenkle is ninth at 125 pounds in both individual polls.

NDSU (7-8, 2-0 WWC) hosts two WWC duals in the Bison Sports Arena this weekend. The Bison host Utah Valley on Friday, Feb. 8, at 7 p.m. and Northern Colorado on Sunday, Feb. 10, at 2 p.m.

Rank
Team (First)
Points
Record
Previous
 
 
1
Oklahoma State (10)
400
13-0
2
 
 
2
Iowa
390
16-1
3
 
 
3
Penn State
379
9-1
1
 
 
4
Minnesota
371
12-2
4
 
 
5
Ohio State
360
10-2
5
 
 
6
Missouri
349
11-2
7
 
 
7
Virginia Tech
336
13-2
8
 
 
8
Illinois
334
6-4
6
 
 
9
Oregon State
318
8-3
9
 
 
10
Cornell
311
11-3
10
 
 
11
Virginia
299
13-3
11
 
 
12
Central Michigan
293
11-3
12
 
 
13
Nebraska
276
10-4
13
 
 
14
Bloomsburg
272
14-2
14
 
 
15
Pittsburgh
259
8-4
15
 
 
16
Edinboro
249
8-4
16
 
 
17
Purdue
242
13-5
18
 
 
18
Wisconsin
223
7-5
19
 
 
19
Michigan
222
8-5
17
 
 
20
Northern Iowa
207
8-3
20
 
 
21
Wyoming
205
8-4
21
 
 
22
Penn
182
5-3
23
 
 
23
Boise State
156
8-5
24
 
 
24
Oklahoma
132
6-7
22
 
 
25
North Dakota State
65
7-8
25
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Dropped out: None
Others receiving votes: Lehigh 49, Navy 36, Maryland 34, Iowa State 18, Rutgers 17, Air Force 16