MN Lynx Players Name To All-WNBA Teams

MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL - The WNBA today announced that Lynx guard Lindsay Whalen and forward Maya Moore were selected to the All-WNBA First Team, while guard Seimone Augustus earned All-WNBA Second Team honors. This season is the third time in Whalen’s 10-year career she’s earned All-WNBA First Team honors, the first for Moore and the fourth time Augustus has been named to the All-WNBA Second Team. This year marks the first time in franchise history the Lynx have had two representatives selected to the All-WNBA First Team.

Moore, 24, finished second in MVP voting this season after averaging career highs in points (18.5 ppg, 3rd in WNBA), rebounds (6.2 rpg, 15th), field goal percentage (.509, 10th) and three-point percentage (.453, T-1st). She became the first player in WNBA history to lead the league in both made three-pointers (72) and three-point accuracy. Moore was named Western Conference Player of the Month twice (August, September) and Western Conference Player of the Week three times (Aug. 12, Aug. 26, Sept. 16). She posted two 30+ point games.

Whalen, 31, had perhaps the best season of her career, averaging a career-best 14.9 points, 5.8 assists (3rd in WNBA) and 4.4 rebounds per game. She dished out a career-high and franchise-record-tying 14 assists on September 4 against Los Angeles, and with her 25-point, 11-assist effort against Tulsa on July 13 became the first player in WNBA history with two 25+ point/10+ assist games in a career. Whalen notched her 4,000th career point on September 7 in Seattle, becoming the just the second player in WNBA history with 4,000+ points, 1,500+ assists and 1,000+ rebounds in a career (Becky Hammon).

Augustus, 29, had another stellar season for Minnesota, averaging 16.3 points on a career-best 51.6% shooting. She poured in 20+ points in eight games, including scoring a season-high 29 against Tulsa on August 16. She became the fourth fastest player to reach the 4,000 point plateau in a career (Taurasi, Pondexter and Jackson), one of just 19 players in league history to accomplish the feat. The longest tenured member of the Lynx and already the franchise leader in scoring (4188), Augustus surpassed Katie Smith as the franchise leader in games played this season.

Single-game tickets for the Western Conference Finals start at just $21. Playoff strips, which include tickets to all potential postseason home games, are also available for purchase for as low as $131, a discount of as much as 25% from the single-game price. Playoff tickets are available by calling the Lynx at 612-673-8400 or by visiting lynxbasketball.com/lynxtix.

North Star Football Conference Players of the Week

(September 24, 2013) The North Star Football Conference has announced the Players of the Week for last week’s games.

East Division

Offensive Player of the Week – Dezmond Berndt (Pillager HS) gained 167 yards on 16 carries and scored 3 touchdowns in a 39-18 win over Bagley.

Offensive Player of the Week – Jake Skansberg (Bagley HS) had 4 receptions for 162 yards against Pillager.  Three of the catches were for touchdowns including ones for 31 yards, 39 yards and 71 yards.  The Flyers fell to Pillager 18-39.

Defensive Player of the Week – Tyler Jablonski (Blackduck HS) had 15 tackles (7 solo and 8 assists), 2 tackles for a loss and one forced fumble in an overtime loss to Prairie Valley 14-20.

Special Teams Player of the Week – Brandon Mager (Pine River-Backus) The enior wide receiver returned a kickoff for 85 yards and a touchdown in Pine River-Backus’s win over Cass Lake-Bena.

West Division

Offensive Player of the Week – Matt Tangen (Frazee HS) was 6 for 11 passing for 98 yards and a touchdown in the Hornets 34-15 win over Lake Park-Audubon.

Defensive Player of the Week – Cory Wokasch (Frazee HS) recorded 4 solo tackles for a loss, 2 sacks, a fumble recovery and one additional solo tackle against Lake Park-Audubon.

UND picked 2nd in inaugural NCHC preseason poll

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – The University of North Dakota was ranked No. 2 in the first annual National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) preseason media poll released today at NCHC Media Day at Target Center.

North Dakota received five first-place votes and 109 points, totals topped only by preseason league favorite Miami, which garnered seven first-place votes and 115 points. St. Cloud State received the remaining four first-place votes and was picked to finish third.

Denver, Western Michigan, Minnesota Duluth, Colorado College and Nebraska Omaha were ranked fourth through eighth, respectively.

UND, entering its 10^th season under head coach Dave Hakstol, returns 18 letterwinners from last year’s team that went 22-13-7 (14-7-7 WCHA) and advanced to the NCAA West Region championship game. UND joins the new NCHC having won a league-record 15 Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) regular season titles, as well as an additional 11 WCHA playoff titles.

Sophomore Rocco Grimaldi (40 GP, 13-23--36) and junior Mark MacMillan (42 GP, 13-12-25) are the team’s top returning scorers, while senior Dillon Simpson (42 GP, 5-19—24), junior Nick Mattson (38 GP, 3-12—15) and sophomore Jordan Schmaltz (42 GP, 3-9—12) anchor the defensive unit.

UND also returns a pair of letterwinners between the pipes in senior Clarke Saunders (13-9-4, 2.29, .917) and sophomore Zane Gothberg (9-4-3, 2.46, .920).

UND opens the season Oct. 6 with a home exhibition game against Manitoba. The regular season begins Oct. 11-12 against non-conference opponent Vermont and UND makes its NCHC debut Oct. 18-19 at Miami.

NCHC Preseason Poll

1. Miami (7) 115

2. North Dakota (5) 109

3. St. Cloud State (4) 99

4. Denver 66

5. Western Michigan 61

6. Minnesota Duluth 43

7. Colorado College 42

8. Nebraska Omaha 41

North Star Conference Selects Players of the Week

(September 17, 2013) The North Star Football Conference has announced the Player of the Week award winners for last week’s efforts.

East Division

Offensive Player of the Week – Henry Krecklau, from Pine River-Backus, rushed for 127 yards and scored 4 touchdowns in a win over Walker-Hackensack-Akeley.  Henry also added one completion in two attempts for 24 yards for the game.

Defensive Player of the Week – Dylan Dexter, from Blackduck, was involved in 17 tackles (9 solo and 8 assists) along with a fumble recovery in the Drakes 27-18 win over Pillager.

West Division

Offensive Player of the Week – Mason Swegarden, from Lake Park-Audubon, went 4 for 7 passing for 151 yards and 2 touchdowns and also recorded 8 carries for 89 yards and a touchdown with a 2 point conversion in a tough, hard fought win over Fertile-Beltrami.

Offensive Player of the Week – Bob Bjorge, from Mahnomen, carried the ball for 119 yards on only 6 carries and scored 2 touchdowns in the win over Frazee as Mahnomen moved to 3-0 on the season.

Defensive Player of the Week – Nathan Hanson, from Mahnomen, had 6 tackles, one interception, and forced a fumble that led to a touchdown.  Nathan was all over the field from his safety position in the win over Frazee.

Other outstanding performances for the week were turned in by:  Dezmond Berndt (Pillager), Cooper Jedlicka (Blackduck), Lucas Culkins (Bagley), Garret Malstrom (Frazee) and Jonah Lange (Lake Park-Audubon).

Lynx Forward Maya Moore Named Western Conference Player of the Month

MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL - The WNBA today named Minnesota Lynx forward Maya Moore its Western Conference Player of the Month for September. This is the second consecutive month that Moore has earned the monthly honor, previously being named the Western Conference Player of the Month in August. The award marks the fifth time in franchise history a Lynx player has been named Player of the Month, with Lindsay Whalen (August 2011), Seimone Augustus (July 2011) and Rebekkah Brunson (June 2011) also having previously received the award.

Moore continued her hot play in September, averaging 18.0 points (on 52.3% shooting), 5.4 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.8 steals in five September contests as the Lynx secured the best record in the WNBA for the third consecutive season. She topped the 20-point mark three times, including posting her fourth double-double of the season in the regular season finale against Chicago. Thanks in part to Moore’s play, Minnesota became just the third team in WNBA history to string together three consecutive 25+ win seasons (Houston, 1998-2000; Los Angeles 2000-02).

Highlights from Moore’s month include:

- September 4 vs. Los Angeles: Scored 11 of her 20 points in the fourth quarter of Minnesota’s win over the Sparks. She finished an efficient 6-for-11 from the floor, including 2-for-4 from three-point range.

- September 10 at Seattle: Swiped a season-high five steals as the Lynx clinched the top seed in the Western Conference with a win over the Storm. She added a game-high 20 points on 7-for-10 shooting, 2-for-3 from beyond the arc.

- September 14 vs. Chicago: Posted her third 20+ point/10+ rebound/5+ assist game and fourth double-double of the season with 22 points, 11 rebounds and six assists

Playing in her third WNBA season, Moore wrapped up the regular season leading the league in both three-point accuracy (.453) and three-pointers made (72), becoming the first player in WNBA history to accomplish the feat. Moore averaged career-highs in points (18.5, third in WNBA), field goal percentage (.509, 10th in WNBA), free throw accuracy (.882, 7th in WNBA) and three-point percentage. She also finished the year sixth in steals (1.74 spg), 15th in rebounding (6.2 rpg) and T-16th in assists (3.0 apg).

The Western Conference Semifinals open up this Friday at Target Center as the Lynx host the Seattle Storm. Single-game tickets for the first round of the playoffs are on sale now and range from $16 ($11 for season ticket members and $13 for groups of 10 or more) to $195 ($170 for season ticket members). Playoff strips, which include tickets to all potential postseason home games, are also available for purchase for as low as $131, a discount of as much as 25% from the single-game price. Single-game prices are subject to change per market demand. Playoff tickets are available by calling the Lynx at 612-673-8400 or by visiting lynxbasketball.com/lynxtix.

UMC's Sheetz nets Hole-in-One at Lake Elmo Invitational

LAKE ELMO, Minn. - University of Minnesota Crookston sophomore women’s golfer Katie Sheetz (Grand Rapids, Minn.) shot a hole-in-one on the 155-yard par-three hole 13 at the Holiday Inn & Suites Lake Elmo Invitational hosted by Concordia University, St. Paul at Tartan Park Golf Course in Lake Elmo, Minn. The Golden Eagles finished 15th in the tournament but were led by Sheetz, who carded an 84 and an 82 in the two-round tournament to finish in a tie for 25th.

15 teams competed in the tournament with University of Central Oklahoma taking home the team crown after shooting a team score of 608 over the two days. Central Oklahoma was led by Bethany Darrough, who placed first with a two-over par score of 146 and Taylor Neidy, who placed in second. NSIC schools Augustana College (S.D.), Concordia-St. Paul, Minnesota State University, Upper Iowa University, Southwest Minnesota State University, St. Cloud State University, University of Sioux Falls, Winona State University, Bemidji State University and Minnesota State University Moorhead also competed in the deep tournament field. The field also included Missouri Western State University, University of Nebraska-Kearney and
Delaware State University.

In addition to Sheetz, freshman Baillee Hauser (Raymond, Minn.) tured in a 189 for the two rounds to finish tied for 79th. Jacy Christenson (Sr., Shoreview, Minn.) turned in a 196 over the two days while Rikki Roscoe (So., Big Stone City, S.D.) carded a 211. Kelly Gustofson (Sr., Hermantown, Minn.) rounded things out with a 239.

The Golden Eagles return to action at the Mustang Invite in Marshall, Minn., Sept. 21-22.

MSHSL Clay Target League

Minneapolis/Saint Paul - The Minnesota State High School Clay Target League (MSHSCTL) announced that 800 participating student athletes from 33 high school teams are participating in the 2013 Fall League in September and October at shooting ranges throughout Minnesota.

"Last year we had about 200 student athletes from 11 teams participate in the Fall League," said Jim Sable, Executive Director of the MSHSCTL. "With a 400% growth in the number of student athletes from last year that will be trapshooting this fall, we continue to see how much the schools, coaches and students enjoy a sport they will participate in for a lifetime."

114 high school teams representing 195 schools and 3,400 student athletes participated in the 2013 MSHSCTL Spring League thanks to the support of schools, hundreds of volunteer coaches, and 57 shooting ranges.

The Minnesota State High School Clay Target League attracts student athletes to participate in shooting sports while creating a "virtual" competition among high schools throughout Minnesota. Shooting practices and competition are conducted at a shooting range near the school's location. A true team scoring system is used in three shooting performance categories - top score, top 50% performer's average score and overall team average score. The numbers of athletes on a team are used to define the conferences that teams compete within. Scores are submitted and compared with other school's performances to determine the earned points for a team and then posted on the League's website.

The Minnesota State High School Clay Target League is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation and the independent provider of shooting sports as an extracurricular co-ed activity to high schools for students in grades six through 12 who have earned their Firearms Safety Certification. The Minnesota State High school Clay Target League has three priorities - safety, fun and marksmanship - in that order.

For more information about the Minnesota State High School Clay Target League, visit
www.mnclaytarget.com.

Lynx Forward Maya Moore Named Western Conference Player of the Week

MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL - The WNBA today named Minnesota Lynx forward Maya Moore its Western Conference Player of the Week for games played Monday, September 9 through Sunday, September 15. This is Moore’s second consecutive Player of the Week award, third of the season and fifth of her career.

Moore started off the week with a game-high 20 points on 7-for-10 shooting, including 2-for-3 from beyond the arc, as Minnesota clinched the top seed in the Western Conference with a 73-60 win over Seattle. She also swiped five steals, the most in a game by a Lynx player this season. Two days later, Moore tallied 17 points on 8-for-15 shooting in Minnesota’s 85-84 loss in Los Angeles. She closed out the week in Minnesota’s season finale on Saturday, scoring 22 points, including 13 in the first quarter, as the Lynx secured homecourt throughout the playoffs with a 79-66 win over Chicago. Moore added 11 rebounds and six assists, her fourth double-double of the season and fourth career 20+ point, 10+ rebound, 5+ assist game. She also finished 4-for-6 from three-point range, her 13th game of the season with 3+ three-pointers.

Moore wrapped up this season first in both three-point accuracy (.453) and three-pointers made (72), becoming the first player in WNBA history to accomplish the feat. She was also third in the WNBA in scoring (18.5 ppg), sixth in steals (1.74 spg), seventh in free throw accuracy (.882), 10th in field goal accuracy (.509), 15th in rebounding (6.2 rpg) and T-16th in assists (3.0 apg).

Washington’s Ivory Latta was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week.

After Saturday’s win over Chicago, the Minnesota Lynx wrapped up the 2013 regular season with the best record in the WNBA for the third consecutive season. Minnesota (26-8) became just the third team in WNBA history to string together three straight 25+ win seasons (Houston, 1998-2000; Los Angeles, 2000-02), and enters the postseason seeking to become just the third team in league history to reach the Finals in three consecutive seasons. The Lynx open up the Western Conference Semifinals on Friday, playing host to the Seattle Storm at Target Center (8 p.m. tip).

Single-game tickets for the Western Conference Semifinals range from $16 ($11 for season ticket members and $13 for groups of 10 or more) to $195 ($170 for season ticket members). Playoff strips, which include tickets to all potential postseason home games, are also available for purchase for as low as $131, a discount of as much as 25% from the single-game price. Single-game prices are subject to change per market demand.

MN Lynx Sign Seimone Augustus to Multi-Year Contract Extension

MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL - The Minnesota Lynx today announced the team has signed guard Seimone Augustus to a multi-year contract extension. Per team policy, terms of the deals were not released.

“We are thrilled to have extended the contract of one of the league’s premier scorers and a cornerstone for our franchise over the last eight years,” said Lynx Executive Vice President Roger Griffith. “Throughout her Lynx career, Seimone has been an integral piece of the development of our franchise, setting club records for scoring, field goals and games played. She’s considered one of the game’s most dangerous players with the ball in her hands and we are extremely excited that she will be continuing her career in a Lynx uniform.”

Playing in her eighth WNBA season (all with the Lynx), Augustus holds career averages of 18.7 points and 3.6 rebounds per game. She is already one of the most decorated players in franchise history, holding team records in games played (223), points (4,174), field goals (1,666) and minutes (6,985). A three-time All-Star and two-time Olympic gold medalist, Augustus was instrumental in Minnesota’s championship run in 2011, earning WNBA Finals MVP honors after averaging 24.7 points during the three-game Lynx sweep over Atlanta.
This season, Augustus is averaging 16.3 points (10th in the WNBA) on a career-best 51.6% shooting (8th), including averaging 17.8 points on 51.1% shooting since the All-Star break. She has posted eight 20+ point performances, including scoring a season-high 29 points on August 16 vs. Tulsa. Earlier this season she became the fourth fastest player in WNBA history to reach 4,000 points -- only Lauren Jackson, Cappie Pondexter and Diana Taurasi reached the mark faster.

With Augustus leading the way, the Lynx are a WNBA-best 79-22 since the start of the 2011 season, just two wins shy of matching Los Angeles (81, 2000-02) for the most wins in a three-year span on WNBA history. This past week Minnesota became just the third team in WNBA history to string together three consecutive 25+ win seasons (Houston, 1998-2000; Los Angeles, 2000-02).

The 2013 Lynx playoffs presented by Medica Individual and Family Plans kick off on Thursday, September 20 as Minnesota hosts the Seattle Storm at Target Center (8 p.m. tip). Single-game tickets for the Western Conference Semifinals, as well as playoff strips which include tickets to all potential playoff home games, are available now by calling the Lynx at 612-673-8400 or by visiting lynxbasketball.com/lynxtix.

NDSU Men’s Basketball 2013-14 Schedule

FARGO, N.D. – The North Dakota State men’s basketball program will play a 2013-14 schedule that features at least 12 opponents who took part in a postseason tournament a season ago, NDSU head coach Saul Phillips announced Wednesday, Sept. 11.

Ohio State, Notre Dame, Saint Mary’s (CA) and Southern Mississippi highlight a challenging non-conference slate for the Bison. Ohio State advanced to the Elite 8 of the NCAA Tournament in 2013, while Notre Dame and Saint Mary’s each played in the NCAA Second Round. Southern Miss was a 2013 NIT quarterfinalist.

“This is one of the more challenging schedules we’ve put together at NDSU,” said Phillips. “Potentially over half of our games will be against teams that made the postseason last year.”

In all, the Bison are guaranteed 15 games against teams who played in the postseason in 2013.

The contests at Notre Dame (Dec. 11) and Ohio State (Dec. 14) are part of the 2013 Gotham Classic, as well as a road game at Bryant on Dec. 7 and a home contest against Delaware on Dec. 16.

NDSU opens the season with an exhibition game against Concordia Moorhead in the Bison Sports Arena on Oct. 30. Viterbo comes to Fargo on Nov. 8 for the regular season opener.

The Bison will travel to Moraga, Calif., on Nov. 14 to take on a Saint Mary’s squad that went 28-7 last season and defeated Middle Tennessee State in the NCAA Tournament First Four.

NDSU hosts 2013 NIT quarterfinalist Southern Miss on Nov. 18 before road games at Western Michigan on Nov. 20 and North Dakota on Nov. 24. Western Michigan advanced to the semifinals of the College Basketball Invitational last season after a first-round, overtime win over the Bison.

NDSU will take part in the 47th annual Cable Car Classic hosted by Santa Clara University on Nov. 29-30 in Santa Clara, Calif. The Bison will take on the host Broncos on Nov. 29 and then either Rider or Rice on Nov. 30.

Home games against Valley City State (Dec. 2) and Towson (Dec. 21) and a road contest at Utah Valley University on Dec. 23 will wrap up 2013 for the Bison. One final home game with Mayville State on Jan. 4 fills out the non-conference portion of the schedule.

NDSU opens Summit League action at Fort Wayne on Jan. 9. All league schools will play 14 conference games in 2014, with the departures of Oakland and Kansas City and the addition of Denver, who advanced to the second round of the NIT last season.

The Summit League Championship will run Mar. 8-11 in Sioux Falls, S.D. With Omaha not yet eligible to compete as part of its transition to Division I, the regular season league champion will receive a bye into the semifinals of the seven-team field.

 

Date          Opponent                                               Location                                 Time                           

Oct. 30      Concordia Moorhead (Exh.)            Fargo, N.D.                                 7 p.m.

Nov. 8       Viterbo                                                    Fargo, N.D.                           7 p.m.

Nov. 14     Saint Mary’s (CA)                                 Moraga, Calif.                        TBA

Nov. 18     Southern Mississippi                         Fargo, N.D.                                7 p.m.

Nov. 20     Western Michigan                               Kalamazoo, Mich.                   6 p.m. (CT)

Nov. 24     North Dakota                                         Grand Forks, N.D.                 5 p.m.                        

Nov. 29     Santa Clara ^                                          Santa Clara, Calif.               10 p.m. (CT)

Nov. 30     Rice / Rider ^                                         Santa Clara, Calif.               8 p.m./10 p.m. (CT)

Dec. 2        Valley City State                                  Fargo, N.D.                           7 p.m.

Dec. 7        Bryant #                                                   Smithfield, R.I.                 12 p.m. (CT)

Dec. 11     Notre Dame #                                       South Bend, Ind.                   6 p.m. (CT)               

Dec. 14     Ohio State #                                           Columbus, Ohio                  7:15 p.m. (CT)

Dec. 16     Delaware #                                        Fargo,N.D.                      7pm                                        

Dec. 21     Towson                                                    Fargo, N.D.                        7 p.m.                        

Dec. 23     Utah Valley                                             Orem, Utah                         8 p.m. (CT)

Jan. 4         Mayville State                                      Fargo, N.D.                           TBA

Jan. 9         Fort Wayne *                                         Fort Wayne, Ind.                 TBA

Jan. 11      IUPUI *                                                    Indianapolis, Ind.               TBA

Jan. 16      Omaha *                                                  Fargo, N.D.                         7 p.m.

Jan. 18      Western Illinois *                               Fargo, N.D.                             TBA

Jan. 25      South Dakota State *                         Brookings, S.D.                       4 p.m.                        

Jan. 30      South Dakota *                                     Vermillion, S.D.                   7 p.m.                        

Feb. 1        Denver *                                                 Denver, Colo.                     5 p.m. (CT)

Feb. 6        IUPUI *                                                    Fargo, N.D.                       7 p.m.                        

Feb. 8        Fort Wayne *                                        Fargo, N.D.                           4 p.m.                        

Feb. 13     Western Illinois *                                 Macomb, Ill.                           TBA

Feb. 15     Omaha *                                                  Omaha, Neb.                       4 p.m.                        

Feb. 22     South Dakota State *                         Fargo, N.D.                              TBA

Feb. 27     South Dakota *                                     Fargo, N.D.                           7 p.m.

Mar. 1       Denver *                                                 Fargo, N.D.                          7 p.m.

Mar. 8-9   Summit League Quarterfinals         Sioux Falls, S.D.                                                        

Mar. 10     Summit League Semifinal                 Sioux Falls, S.D.                                                        

Mar. 11     Summit League Championship       Sioux Falls, S.D.                                                        

 

^ 47th Annual Cable Car Classic (Santa Clara, Calif.)

# Gotham Classic

* Summit League game