Five Bison Named to STATS FCS Preseason All-America Team

FARGO, N.D. - The Missouri Valley Football Conference led the FCS with 17 selections to the STATS Preseason All-America Team on Monday, July 31, including five selections from North Dakota State.

NDSU long snapper James Fisher and linebacker Nick DeLuca were named to the first team, defensive end Greg Menard and safety Tre Dempsey made the second team, and safety Robbie Grimsley was named to the third team.

Fisher and Dempsey were second team STATS FCS All-Americans last year, Grimsley and Menard made the All-MVFC first team, and DeLuca is returning for a fifth season after being limited to three games last year due to injury.

North Dakota State, picked to win a seventh straight Missouri Valley Football Conference title, returns 16 starters from last year's team that went 12-2 with an appearance in the NCAA semifinals.

2017 STATS FCS PRESEASON ALL-AMERICA TEAM
FIRST TEAM
OFFENSE
QB – Jeremiah Briscoe, senior, 6-3, 220, Sam Houston State
RB – Chase Edmonds, senior, 5-9, 210, Fordham
RB – Elijah Ibitokun-Hanks, junior, 5-9, 199, Albany
FB – Joe Protheroe, senior, 6-0, 225, Cal Poly
WR – Justin Watson, senior, 6-3, 210, Penn                
WR – Jake Wieneke, senior, 6-4, 215, South Dakota State
TE – Dallas Goedert, senior, 6-5, 250, South Dakota State
OL – Justin Lea, senior, 6-4, 290, Jacksonville State
OL – Jacob Ohnesorge, senior, 6-3, 285, South Dakota State
OL – Brandon Parker, senior, 6-7, 299, North Carolina A&T
OL – Timon Parris, senior, 6-5, 310, Stony Brook
OL – Aaron Stinnie, senior, 6-5, 290, James Madison
DEFENSE
DL – Pat Afriyie, senior, 6-2, 235, Colgate
DL – Anthony Ellis, senior, 6-1, 245, Charleston Southern
DL – P.J. Hall, senior, 6-1, 280, Sam Houston State
DL – Darius Jackson, senior, 6-3, 237, Jacksonville State
LB – Nick DeLuca, senior, 6-3, 248, North Dakota State
LB – Darius Leonard, senior, 6-3, 220, South Carolina State
LB – Christian Rozeboom, sophomore, 6-2, 220, South Dakota State
LB – Brett Taylor, senior, 6-2, 230, Western Illinois
DB – Mike Basile, senior, 6-1, 200, Monmouth
DB – Marlon Bridges, sophomore, 6-1, 210, Jacksonville State
DB – Cole Reyes, senior, 6-2, 215, North Dakota
DB – Rob Rolle, senior, 6-0, 190, Villanova
SPECIAL TEAMS
PK – Lane Clark, senior, 5-11, 170, Tennessee State
P – Ian Berryman, junior, 6-0, 205, Western Carolina
LS – James Fisher, senior, 6-2, 216, North Dakota State
KR – John Santiago, junior, 5-9, 180, North Dakota
PR – Khris Gardin, senior, 5-7, 165, North Carolina A&T
AP – John Lovett, senior, 6-3, 225, Princeton

SECOND TEAM
OFFENSE
QB – Gage Gubrud, junior, 6-2, 195, Eastern Washington
RB – Corey Avery, senior, 5-10, 190, Sam Houston State
RB – Detrez Newsome, senior, 5-10, 210, Western Carolina
FB – Anthony Manzo-Lewis, senior, 6-2, 245, Albany
WR – Emmanuel Butler, senior, 6-3, 210, Northern Arizona
WR – Kamron Lewis, junior, 6-4, 195, Saint Francis
WR – Troy Pelletier, senior, 6-3, 205, Lehigh
TE – Andrew Vollert, senior, 6-5, 245, Weber State
OL – Daniel Cooney, junior, 6-8, 315, San Diego
OL – Ben Huss, senior, 6-2, 307, Duquesne
OL – Jacob Judd, senior, 6-3, 300, Western Illinois
OL – Stockton Mallet, senior, 6-3, 307, Central Arkansas
OL – Skyler Phillips, senior, 6-2, 322, Idaho State
DEFENSE
DL – Andrew Ankrah, senior, 6-4, 234, James Madison
DL – Miles Brown, junior, 6-1, 310, Wofford
DL – Kurt Holuba, senior, 6-4, 270, Princeton
DL – Greg Menard, senior, 6-2, 239, North Dakota State
DL – Ebenezer Ogundeko, senior, 6-3, 255, Tennessee State
LB – Solomon Brown, junior, 6-1, 220, Charleston Southern
LB – Garrett Dolan, senior, 6-2, 240, Houston Baptist
LB – Jared Farley, senior, 5-11, 221, Northern Iowa
LB – Shaheed Salmon, senior, 6-1, 226, Samford
DB – Tre Dempsey, senior, 5-10, 179, North Dakota State
DB – Kahlid Hagens, senior, 6-3, 200, UT Martin
DB – Davontae Harris, senior, 6-0, 200, Illinois State
DB – Tremon Smith, senior, 6-0, 186, Central Arkansas
DB – Kailik Williams, senior, 5-11, 185, The Citadel
SPECIAL TEAMS
PK – Griffin Trau, junior, 5-8, 180, Richmond
P – Keith Wrzuszczak, senior, 5-11, 202, Eastern Kentucky
LS – Hunter Winstead, senior, 6-0, 240, Liberty
KR – Shane Simpson, sophomore, 5-9, 185, Towson
PR – Londell Lee, senior, 6-2, 210, UT Martin
AP – Harold Cooper, senior, 5-9, 183, Rhode Island

THIRD TEAM
OFFENSE
QB – Taryn Christion, junior, 6-2, 215, South Dakota State
QB – Devlin Hodges, junior, 6-1, 213, Samford
RB – Dom Bragalone, junior, 5-11, 215, Lehigh
RB – Anthony Philyaw, senior, 6-1, 205, Howard
RB – Deontez Thompson, sophomore, 6-0, 200, Richmond
FB – Kane Louscher, senior, 6-2, 245, South Dakota State
WR – Yedidiah Louis, senior, 5-8, 187, Sam Houston State
WR – Patrick Smith, senior, 6-0, 190, Tennessee State
TE – Jonathan Kloosterman, senior, 6-3, 245, James Madison
OL – Frank Cirone, senior, 6-3, 280, Charleston Southern
OL – Jamil Demby, senior, 6-5, 310, Maine
OL – Chris Durant, senior, 6-4, 310, William & Mary
OL – Justin Spencer, senior, 6-5, 305, Youngstown State
OL – Tyler Tezeno, senior, 6-4, 317, Sam Houston State
DEFENSE
DL – Abdullah Anderson, senior, 6-4, 295, Bucknell
DL – Keontre Anderson, senior, 6-3, 240, Jackson State
DL – Jonathan Petersen, senior, 6-1, 230, San Diego
DL – Jay-Tee Tiuli, senior, 6-4, 315, Eastern Washington
DL – Juwan Wells, junior, 6-2, 255, Liberty
LB – Mac Bignell, senior, 6-1, 205, Montana State
LB – George Odum, senior, 6-2, 190, Central Arkansas
LB – Chad Meredith, senior, 6-4, 244, Southeast Missouri
LB – Dale Warren, junior, 6-0, 215, Chattanooga
DB – Raven Greene, senior, 6-0, 200, James Madison
DB – Robbie Grimsley, junior, 6-0, 183, North Dakota State
DB – Danny Johnson, senior, 5-10, 195, Southern
DB – Taron Johnson, senior, 6-0, 180, Weber State
DB – Omari Williams, senior, 6-1, 190, Samford
SPECIAL TEAMS
PK – Alex Probert, sophomore, 5-9, 170, Liberty
P – Jacob DeMaio, senior, 6-5, 205, Weber State
LS – Danny Garza, senior, 6-0, 230, Houston Baptist
KR – Deion Holliman, senior, 5-9, 188, Missouri State
PR – Terry Wallen, senior, 5-11, 182, Drake
AP – Justice Shelton-Mosley, junior, 5-10, 195, Harvard

UMC Football Picked to Finish 16th in NSIC Preseason Coaches' Poll

CROOKSTON, Minn. – The University of Minnesota Crookston football team was picked to finish 16^thin the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) Preseason Coaches’ Poll released Mon., July 31 by the conference office. The Golden Eagles were slotted eighth in the NSIC North standings.

Minnesota State University, Mankato was selected as the overall and south division preseason favorite in the NSIC for 2017. They had four first-place votes and 213 points overall. They were four points ahead of University of Minnesota Duluth, who actually garnered more first-place votes at seven. The Bulldogs were the league’s top-choice in the north division. Defending Mineral Water Bowl Champion Bemidji State University was picked third at 184 points. They had two first-place votes.

Bemidji State quarterback Jordan Hein and Minnesota State University Moorhead wide receiver Damon Gibson were selected NSIC North Division Preseason Co-Offensive Players of the Year. BSU’s Gunner Olszewski was named NSIC North Division Preseason Defensive Player of the Year. University of Sioux Falls running back Max Mickey was selected as the NSIC South Division Preseason Offensive Player of the Year, while Minnesota State defensive end Evan Perrizo was named as the NSIC South Division Preseason Defensive Player of the Year.

The University of Minnesota Crookston enters their first season under Head Coach Mark Dufner, a long-time assistant coach for the Golden Eagles, in 2017. Dufner will look to put the U of M Crookston on a positive trajectory after going 0-11 last season. The Golden Eagles will have new coordinators on both sides of the ball with returning staff member Levi Bullerman taking over as defensive coordinator and returning staff member Dave Volk sharing the offensive coordinator duties with new addition Michael Orts.

On the offensive side of the ball, the U of M Crookston will look to the program’s all-time leading receiver Adam Connette (Sr., WR, Corona, Calif.), an NSIC Player to Watch. Connette will look to put a stamp on an already great career as he heads into his senior season. Last season, he had 72 catches for 760 yards with five touchdowns.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Golden Eagles look to Ali Alkhatib (R-Jr., LB, Rosemount, Minn.), who is also an NSIC Player to Watch. The Rosemount-native was second on the team with 77 tackles last season. He led the team with 11 tackles for loss and added one sack on the year.

Minnesota Crookston will kick off the 2017 season Thurs., Aug. 31 at 4 p.m. against Upper Iowa University at Ed Widseth Field. The Golden Eagles will host six games at Ed Widseth Field this season. They will play a second Thursday night game Sept. 14 at 7 p.m. against Wayne State College. The game will be the “NSIC Thursday Night Game of the Week” on Midco Sports Network. The Golden Eagles will host Bemidji State University for homecoming Sept. 30. They will also have home games against MSU Moorhead, Minot State University and Northern State University.  

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

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

Coaching changes at UMC

Friskop Named Head Men's and Women's Golf Coach

CROOKSTON, Minn. – The University of Minnesota Crookston athletic department has announced Bryant Friskop as head golf coach. Friskop will take over leadership of both the men’s and women’s golf programs and will continue his duties as assistant women’s basketball coach, a position he has held for the past two seasons.

“We are very excited to name Bryant Friskop as head men’s and women’s golf coach at Minnesota Crookston,” said Director of Athletics Stephanie Helgeson. “We are very appreciative of the work that Jason Tangquist and Bryan Beamish did for both programs, but due to recent NCAA legislation changes we had to make shifts in our department. I have been very impressed with the work Bryant has done for our women’s basketball program and know that we will see the same work ethic and leadership put toward our golf programs."

Friskop started his role as assistant coach for the U of M Crookston women’s basketball team prior to the 2015-16 season. In his two seasons, Friskop has helped the Golden Eagles to a pair of NSIC/Sanford Health Quarterfinal appearances. During the 2015-16 season, Minnesota Crookston reached a school-record 18 wins, which included a school-record 14 conference wins. In his time with U of M Crookston, the Golden Eagles have had three players earn All-NSIC honors, including All-NSIC First Team selections Alexa Thielman and Katrina Nordick.

“I would like to thank Stephanie Helgeson, Mike Roysland, and the search committee for giving me this opportunity to be the head men’s and women’s golf coach as well as remain a part of the women’s basketball staff,” Friskop said. “I’ve had an incredible two years at U of M Crookston and I’m more than excited to have the opportunity to continue to work with the wonderful student-athletes that we have at our university.”

Friskop came to U of M Crookston from down the road at University of North Dakota, where he served in various capacities with the women's basketball program over four years. Friskop worked as a student manager during the 2014-15 season, where he was responsible for taking bench statistics and also helped with game film and exchange for the team where he filmed all home games for the 2011-12 and 2012-13 seasons. He also assisted in daily practices, took part in staff meetings, set up the equipment for the team, helped with the practice squad, and opponent scouting.

Prior to serving as manager, Friskop was a member of the practice squad for the UND women's basketball team, playing against UND's squad in practice, getting them ready for upcoming games. During his time at North Dakota, he worked under legendary UND coach Gene Roebuck, who led North Dakota to three National Championships and over 600 wins. He also worked under Travis Brewster, who led the team to a 2014 Big Sky Championship and an NCAA First Round appearance in 2014.

Prior to transferring to UND, Friskop played college basketball for one year at Concordia College Moorhead.

The Wahpeton, N.D. native earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Kinesiology from UND in 2014 with a minor in athletic coaching. He earned his Master of Science degree in Kinesiology from North Dakota in 2017. He currently resides in Grand Forks, N.D. 

Tangquist will continue his role as associate athletic director/compliance coordinator. Tangquist’s move from men’s golf after 18 seasons comes due to NCAA legislation that passed in 2015 requiring schools to have a full-time compliance administrator without coaching duties. The legislation has an effective date of fall 2018. Tangquist’s time as head men’s golf coach was highlighted by an NSIC Championship in 2002 and two NCAA Division II Super Regional appearances as a team in 2003 and 2006. In addition, Tangquist helped Branden Schwartz to an individual NSIC title in 2002 and to a seventh-place finish at the 2005 NCAA Super Regional. 

Bryan Beamish will continue in his role as assistant men’s basketball coach. In addition, Beamish will assist Friskop with the golf programs. 

Minnesota Crookston Announces Krayton Nash as Head Tennis Coach and Assistant Men's Basketball Coach

CROOKSTON, Minn. – The University of Minnesota Crookston athletic department announced Krayton Nash as head women’s tennis coach and assistant men’s basketball coach. Nash has been a coach at the high school, prep school and collegiate level for the last 14 years.

“We are excited to welcome Krayton Nash to the University of Minnesota Crookston,” said Director of Athletics Stephanie Helgeson. “We believe Krayton will bring great stability and energy to the U of M Crookston tennis program and will be a great addition to Coach Weisse’s coaching staff for the men’s basketball team.”

Nash comes to U of M Crookston from St. John’s Northwestern Military Academy, where he was most recently the associate director and head basketball coach of the Post Graduate Leadership Program for the last five seasons. During his time at St. John’s Northwestern Military Academy, Nash recruited and placed 31 players into colleges to play basketball with 15 playing at the NCAA Division I level.

“I want to thank Director of Athletics Stephanie Helgeson and Coach Weisse for this amazing opportunity,” Nash said. “I look forward to becoming a part of the Crookston community and having the privilege of working with the Golden Eagles tennis program and men’s basketball team every day.”

“We are excited to welcome Krayton to our men’s basketball family,” said Head Men’s Basketball Coach Dan Weisse. “I have known Krayton for over 15 years. We have the same basketball family tree and we have very similar basketball minds. I believe Krayton will be able to come in and hit the ground running from day one. He already knows and understands our system because he ran it when he was a player and ran it as a coach. Above all, he is a loyal and trustworthy person that our players will be able to relate to and enjoy being around. I can’t wait to introduce him to our players and am excited to get started working with him.”

Prior to arriving at St. John’s Northwestern Military Academy, Nash spent nine seasons as an assistant coach at the collegiate level instrumental in amassing an overall record of 163-79. His most recent stop was an assistant men’s basketball coach at Cardinal Stritch University, a NAIA school in Milwaukee, Wis. During his time with the Wolves the team went 78-25 overall. He helped the team to a pair of top 10 national rankings and three-straight NAIA Division II Tournaments, with the team reaching the NAIA Elite 8 during the 2011-12 season. He had a significant role in recruiting and developing the team that would later go on to win the 2013 NAIA Men’s Basketball National Championship.

From 2007-2009, Nash was an assistant at Concordia University-Chicago, an NCAA Division III school.  Upon his arrival, Nash helped increase the teams win totals each year, doubling the Cougar’s win total in his last year there. In addition, his team finished first in the conference in rebounding that season.

In the 2004-07 seasons, Nash served as an assistant varsity and head junior varsity coach at Carroll College (now Carroll University). He helped guide to the most successful period of competition in the history of the men’s basketball program. During his tenure, the team went 54-23. They achieved the program’s first ever national rankings, while winning the 2006-2007 Midwest Conference Championship. They made Carroll’s first two NCAA Division III Tournament appearances and reached the Sweet 16 in the 2006-2007 tournament.

His first college coaching job came at his alma mater University of Wisconsin-Platteville during the 2003-04 season. Nash helped the Pioneers to a runner-up finish at the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Tournament.

Nash played at the college level at Wisconsin-Platteville, where he was a member of former University of Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan’s 1999 NCAA Division III National Championship squad. Nash earned his Bachelor of Science in industrial technology management from Wisconsin-Platteville in 2004. He obtained his Master of Education in health education from Carroll University in 2012. Nash was enshrined in the Wisconsin-Platteville Athletic Hall of Fame in May of 2015 along with the entire 1999 championship team.

Nash, a native of Mequon, Wis., has also held a variety of administrative positions in education including as a transfer counselor at Cardinal Stritch and Concordia-Chicago. He also worked for the Mequon/Thiensville School District in a variety of roles. He plans to reside in Crookston.

Nash joins a men’s basketball staff that includes Coach Weisse and Assistant Coach Bryan Beamish, both of whom are entering their fourth season with the U of M Crookston.

“I put a lot of trust and responsibility on our coaches and I am very fortunate to have two great coach in Krayton and Bryan that will give all they can to help our players become better on and off of the basketball floor,” Weisse said.