UMC's Smith Named NSIC Defensive Player of the Year

BURNSVILLE, Minn. – University of Minnesota Crookston forward Gable Smith (R-Jr., F, Lodi, Wis.) was selected as the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) Defensive Player of the Year as announced by the league office on the afternoon of Thurs., Feb. 22.

Smith is the first player in school history to earn NSIC Defensive Player of the Year honors. The Golden Eagles have earned NSIC Specialty Awards in back-to-back seasons as Smith joins Harrison Cleary (So., G, Oak Creek, Wis.), who was named NSIC Freshman of the Year during the 2016-17 campaign. Minnesota Crookston has had three players in school history earn NSIC Specialty Awards with Cleary, Smith and Bryce Cummings, who was named NSIC Newcomer of the Year during the 2006-07 season.

Smith is a first-time honoree by the league, he joins Cleary on the All-NSIC teams, as Cleary became the first player since the 2002-03 season for Minnesota Crookston to be named All-NSIC First Team.

Smith led all of NCAA Division II in blocked shots for the 2017-18 season with 109 during his junior season. His mark was second in all of NCAA basketball, regardless of division, behind Ajdin Penava of Marshall University, who has 114 blocks on the 2017-18 campaign. Smith currently is ahead of University of Texas freshman sensation Mohamed Bamba, who has 106 blocks. Smith had 11 games with five or more blocks including a school-record nine blocked shots against Northern State University. He also tallied eight blocks against Upper Iowa University and Augustana University. Smith finished season third in the league with 46 steals. In addition, he led the league in conference play with 38 steals. Smith also notched a team-high 6.7 rebounds per game and tallied 8.0 points per game.

Smith was one of five specialty award winners in the NSIC.  Tyler Rudolph of Minot State University was selected as NSIC Player of the Year. Joe Smoldt of Upper Iowa University was picked as the NSIC Freshman of the Year, while Trevon Evans of University of Sioux Falls was selected as the NSIC Newcomer of the Year. Paul Sather of Northern State University earned NSIC Coach of the Year accolades.

First Team		Pos.	Ht.	Yr.	School	Hometown
23	Jordan Spencer	G	6’2	Sr.	Augustana	Milton Keynes, England
0	Harrison Cleary	G	6’1	So.	Minnesota Crookston	Oak Creek, Wis.
10	Charlie Brown	G	6’1	Sr.	Minnesota State	Joplin, Mo.
25	Kevin Krieger	G	6’6	So.	Minnesota State	Plainfield, Ill.
24	Tyler Rudolph	F	6’6	Sr.	Minot State	Bismarck, N.D.
0	Ian Smith	G	5’10	Jr.	Northern State	Champlin Park, Minn.
4	Trevon Evans	G	6’0	Jr.	Sioux Falls	Wichita, Kan.
3	Ryan Bruggeman	G	6’0	Jr.	SMSU	Pelican Rapids, Minn.
24	Jon Averkamp	F/C	6’6	Sr.	St. Cloud State	Germantown, Wis.
20	Gage Davis	F/G	6’4	Jr.	St. Cloud State	Bolingbrook, Ill.
Second Team		Pos.	Ht.	Yr.	School	Hometown
10	Brandon Myer	F	6’7	So.	Minnesota Duluth	Superior, Wis.
3	Tanner Kretchman	G	6’0	Sr.	MSU Moorhead	Fargo, N.D.
11	Luis Ricci Maia	G	5’11	Sr.	Minot State	Franca, Sao Paulo, Brazil
35	Logan Doyle	P	6’8	Sr.	Northern State	Alexandria, Minn.
22	Darin Peterka	G	6’3	Sr.	Northern State	Miller, S.D.
11	DJ Pollard	G	6’3	Sr.	Northern State	St Louis Park, Minn.
23	Drew Guebert	F	6’9	Jr.	Sioux Falls	Apple Valley, Minn.
35	Carter Kirk	C	6’8	Sr.	SMSU	Mountain Lake, Minn.
3	Carson Parker	G	6’3	Sr.	Upper Iowa	New Hartford, Iowa
10	Caleb Wagner	G	6’1	So.	Winona State	Muskego, Wis.
Honorable Mention		Pos.	Ht.	Yr.	School	Hometown
3	John Warren	G	6’5	Jr.	Augustana	Hopkins, Minn.
12	Sharif Black	G	6’1	Sr.	Bemidji State	Detroit , Mich.
40	Sean Smith	F	6’8	Jr.	St. Cloud State	Seville, Spain
1	Kendall Jacks	F	6’4	Jr.	Wayne State	Bettendorf, Iowa
30	Tommy Gathje	C	6’8	Jr.	Winona State	Bloomington, Minn.