UND Names Dance/Cheer Coach

GRAND FORKS, N.D. – University of North Dakota Director of Athletics Brian Faison announced today that Breanna Linert (pronounced ‘LINN-ert’) has been named head coach of UND’s cheer and dance teams. Her appointment begins immediately.

Linert will oversee three components of the UND spirit squad: football/basketball/volleyball cheer, hockey cheer, and the UND dance team. A 2011 graduate of UND with a bachelor’s degree in marketing, Linert was a member of UND’s football and basketball cheer teams from 2006-08. She currently serves as Executive Assistant for the UND Alumni Association and Foundation and has also spent the past year as assistant cheerleading coach at Red River High School in Grand Forks.

“We are excited to have Breanna take over the leadership of these programs,” said Faison. “Our spirit groups do a great job of supporting our teams and enhancing the atmosphere at our athletics events and will continue to do so under Breanna’s direction.”

Linert served as Universal Cheerleaders Association (UCA)/Universal Dance Association (UDA) Camp Manager in 2008 and was a Northern Elite All-Stars Competitive Co-Ed cheerleader from 2001 to 2004. She is UCA Stunting and American Association of Cheerleading Coaches & Administrators (AACCA) certified, and has completed the North Dakota Cheer Coaches Association (NDCCA) Sports First Aid Course.

“It is an honor to be involved with the UND Cheer and Dance program again,” said Linert. “Cheering at UND was one of the highlights of my collegiate career and I am excited to give back to the University through this position.”

Linert replaces Amber Eberhardt, who stepped down earlier this year after eight years at UND, including seven as head coach, in order to spend more time with her family.

“We want to thank Amber for her eight years of service to the UND cheer program,” said Faison. “She played a key role in the program’s development and improvement. Breanna was on the team when Amber coached, which we think will be important for continuity and pride in the program as we continue to improve and move into the future.”

The football, basketball and volleyball cheer and dance team have been finalized for next year. Hockey cheer team tryouts will take place in the fall.

UMC football signing

The University of Minnesota Crookston football program announced the addition of Kalil Wilson (DB, 5-9 170, Oahu, Hawai’i) to its 2013 recruiting class joining the 27 players that have inked on National Signing Day and in the following months. Wilson signs an Offer of Admission to join the team becoming the fifth player the Golden Eagles have signed to an Offer of Admission.

“We are excited to add Kalil to our 2013 football recruiting class,” said UMC head coach Paul Miller. “We believe he will be another nice addition to our football program.”

Wilson brings the UMC signing class to 28 overall and is the fifth defensive back the Golden Eagles have brought in five defensive backs so far in the 2013 recruiting class. Wilson is the eighth signee that the Golden Eagles have brought in who is originally from the state of Hawai’i. He is the first player to have ties to Virginia that UMC has brought in with this recruiting class.

The student-athletes listed as having signed National Letters of Intent or Offers of Admission to play at University of Minnesota Crookston have been verified by the UMC Compliance Office once they sign the National Letter of Intent and financial aid agreement or once the student-athlete has accepted an Offer of Admission from UMC.

The University of Minnesota, Crookston put up their best record in quite some time with a 2-9 mark in Paul Miller's first year as head coach of the program. The Golden Eagles picked up their first two conference victories in four years with wins over Southwest Minnesota State University and a thrilling last-second victory over University of Mary.

UMC baseball signing

The University of Minnesota, Crookston Golden Eagle baseball program today announced the signing of Brandon Kresl (Crookston, Minn.) to an Institutional Letter of Intent for the 2013-2014 season.

A 6-1, 190 lb. first baseman from Crookston High School, Kresl was named First Team All-Great Northern Conference as a junior. He also had his team’s highest batting average that same year.

“We are excited that Brandon has decided to attend the University of Minnesota Crookston and be a part of our baseball program,” says Golden Eagle Head Coach Chris Vito. “He is a strong, hard- working young man with his best baseball ahead of him. We are also excited to have a local player stay home and play for us.”

Kresl intends to major in business management at the University of Minnesota Crookston. His emphasis will be in entrepreneurship and small business management. He will also minor in coaching. Brandon is the son of Bill and Janel Kresl.

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

UND Hockey ranked Seventh in Final Nation Polls

GRAND FORKS, N.D. – The University of North Dakota finished the 2012-13 college hockey season ranked No. 7 in the final USCHO.com and USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine polls, which were released today.

UND (22-13-7) advanced to the NCAA West Region championship game, where it lost to eventual national champion Yale. It was UND’s 11^th consecutive appearance in the NCAA postseason tournament, the longest active streak in the nation.

Yale was the top-ranked team in both polls, with Quinnipiac, Massachusetts-Lowell and St. Cloud State ranking second through fourth, respectively.

UND will begin play as a National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) member next season. Five of the league’s eight teams were ranked in the final USCHO poll, while four were ranked in the final USA Today poll.

USCHO.com Division I Men’s Poll

Rk. School (1^st place) Record Pts. PR

1. Yale (47) 22-12-3 993 15

2. Quinnipiac (3) 30-8-5 951 1

3. Massachusetts-Lowell 28-11-2 894 3

4. St. Cloud State 25-16-1 837 9

5. Miami 25-12-5 757 5

6. Minnesota 26-9-5 752 2

7. North Dakota 22-13-7 647 7

8. Notre Dame 25-13-3 610 4

9. Boston College 22-12-4 579 6

10. Union 22-13-5 567 13

11. New Hampshire 20-12-7 539 10

12. Wisconsin 22-13-7 430 8

13. Minnesota State 24-14-3 418 11

14. Denver 20-14-5 349 12

15. Niagara 23-10-5 298 14

16. Western Michigan 19-11-8 270 16

17. Boston University 21-16-2 180 17

18. Providence 17-14-7 139 18

19. Canisius 19-19-5 92 20

20. Michigan 18-19-3 66 19

Others receiving votes: Rensselaer 57, Brown 32, Colorado College 20, Nebraska Omaha 13, Robert Morris 7, Ferris State 2, Ohio State 1.

USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Poll

Rk. School (1^st place) Record Pts. PR

1. Yale (34) 22-12-3 510 4

2. Quinnipiac 30-8-5 476 1

3. Massachusetts-Lowell 28-11-2 436 2

4. St. Cloud State 25-16-1 404 3

5. Minnesota 26-9-5 352 5

6. Miami 25-12-5 336 6

7. North Dakota 22-13-7 270 7

8. Boston College 22-12-4 248 9

9. Notre Dame 25-13-5 236 8

10. Union 22-13-5 226 10

11. New Hampshire 20-12-7 218 11

12. Minnesota State 24-14-3 126 12

13. Wisconsin 22-13-7 112 13

14. Denver 20-14-5 74 14

15. Niagara 23-10-5 42 15

 

Others receiving votes: Western Michigan 8, Boston University 4, Rensselaer 2.

UMC Football Announces 2013 Slate

CROOKSTON, Minn. – The University of Minnesota Crookston football team officially released their 2013 football schedule Mon. April 15 as announced by UMC head coach Paul Miller and Golden Eagle athletic director Stephanie Helgeson.

The 2013 slate features six games to be played at home at Ed Widseth Field while the Golden Eagles will hit the road for five Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference games next season. UMC is coming off a 2-9 season last year in Paul Miller’s first season at the helm. The Golden Eagles are set to return six starters on offense and seven starters on defense. UMC returns three All-NSIC Honorable Mention selections as Jeremy Kelly (Jr., OL, Somerset, Wis.), Tevin Kellum (Sr., DB, Detroit, Mich.) and Ricky Jacobs (Sr., LB, Junction City, Kan.) are all set to return to the fray for 2013.

UMC will open the season at home at Ed Widseth Field with a Friday night battle Sept. 6 against Upper Iowa University. The game will commence at 6 p.m. and will pit the North Division of the NSIC versus the South Division as will be the case for UMC’s first four games of the season. The Golden Eagles and Peacocks last met Oct. 8, 2011 in Crookston with Upper Iowa winning a close one 31-21. Upper Iowa went 2-9 last season.

The next weekend, UMC will head to 2012 NCAA Division II playoff participant Minnesota State University, Mankato for a road contest Sat., Sept. 14. The time is still to be determined. Minnesota State is currently under the leadership of Interim Head Coach Aaron Keen, the 2012 Division II National Coach of the Year according to American Football Monthly. The two schools last played in Mankato, Minn. Sept. 17, 2011 with the Mavericks winning 42-0 over the Golden Eagles. Minnesota State finished the 2012 season as the NSIC Champion after going 11-0 overall.

UMC will return home Sat., Sept. 21 to face Wayne State College (Neb.) at 1 p.m. at Ed Widseth Field. The Golden Eagles and Wildcats last played Sept. 10, 2011 in Crookston, Minn. with Wayne State coming up on the winning end 35-24. The Wildcats finished the 2012 season with a 6-5 mark.

The Golden Eagles will hit the road the next weekend to round out the NSIC South portion of their schedule with a meeting Sat., Sept. 28 against the University of Sioux Falls at 1 p.m. It will serve as the first meeting between the two new NSIC opponents. Sioux Falls went 9-2 in their first season as a member of the NSIC in 2012.

UMC will return the following weekend for their Homecoming Sat., Oct. 5 at 1 p.m. against Bemidji State University. The day will begin with a soccer game against University of Sioux Falls at 11 a.m. Saturday. The Golden Eagle volleyball team will play following the football game at 4 p.m. at Lysaker Gymnasium versus Minnesota State University, Mankato. The UMC football team fell to Bemidji State last season 35-2 in Bemidji, Minn. The Golden Eagles did win their homecoming game last season as they ended a 39-game NSIC losing streak with a 33-28 win over Southwest Minnesota State University.

The game against the Beavers will be the 10th edition of the Battle for the Hub Cap Trophy between BSU and UMC. The two teams developed a traveling trophy in 2004, a Hubcap, to signify their Highway 2 rivalry. Bemidji State went 7-4 last season.

Sat., Oct. 12 UMC will head to St. Cloud State University for a NSIC North road battle. The game is set for 1 p.m. in St. Cloud, Minn. St. Cloud State beat the Golden Eagles at Ed Widseth Field last season 36-24. St. Cloud State finished the 2012 season with a 7-4 record.

The Golden Eagles will host Minnesota State University, Moorhead Sat., Oct. 19 at 1 p.m. in the second annual “Red River Valley Showdown” Presented by State Farm Insurance. The Dragons brought home the State Farm Traveling Trophy last season with a 35-13 win over the Golden Eagles in Moorhead, Minn. MSU Moorhead was 1-10 last season overall.

Sat., Oct. 26, the Golden Eagles will host another home game as Minot State University comes to town for a 1 p.m. showdown at Ed Widseth Field. UMC fell to Minot State last season 38-14 in Minot, N.D. in the Beavers’ first season in the NSIC. Minot State went 3-8 in 2012.

Sun., Nov. 2, the Golden Eagles will hit the road for a meeting against University of Minnesota Duluth at 1 p.m. UMD won last seasons’ meeting 38-14 at Ed Widseth Field. The Bulldogs will enter their first season under new head coach Curt Wiese in 2013. The Bulldogs went 10-1 last season.

UMC will conclude their home slate Sat., Nov. 9 at 1 p.m. versus Northern State University at Ed Widseth Field. The game will serve as “Senior Day” for the Golden Eagles. Northern State defeated UMC 52-20 in Aberdeen, S.D. last season.

The Golden Eagles’ schedule will conclude Sat., Nov. 16 against the University of Mary at 1 p.m. in Bismarck, N.D. UMC defeated the Marauders in a thrilling game last season at the Alerus Center in Grand Forks, N.D. as Richard Haley scored a game-winning extra point with no time on the clock to send the UMC seniors off with a win. U-Mary went 4-7 last season.

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.

The University of Minnesota Crookston is an NCAA Division II Institution and a member of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC). The Golden Eagle Equestrian team is a member of the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA).

2013 UMC Football Schedule

Sept. 6 Upper Iowa 6 p.m. Ed Widseth Field (Crookston, Minn.)

Sept. 14 at Minnesota State TBD Mankato, Minn.

Sept. 21 Wayne State 1 p.m. Ed Widseth Field (Crookston, Minn.)

Sept. 28 at Sioux Falls 1 p.m. Sioux Falls, S.D.

Oct. 5 Bemidji State 1 p.m. Ed Widseth Field (Crookston, Minn.) *Homecoming

Oct. 12 at St. Cloud State 1 p.m. St. Cloud, Minn.

Oct. 19 MSU Moorhead 1 p.m. Ed Widseth Field (Crookston, Minn.)

Oct. 26 Minot State 1 p.m. Ed Widseth Field (Crookston, Minn.)

Nov. 2 at Minnesota Duluth 1 p.m. Duluth, Minn.

Nov. 9 Northern State 1 p.m. Ed Widseth Field (Crookston, Minn.)

Nov. 16 at U-Mary 1 p.m. Bismarck, N.D.

UND Hockey Player Signs with NHL's Kings

GRAND FORKS, N.D. – University of North Dakota junior defenseman Derek Forbort has elected to forgo his final year of eligibility and has agreed to a three-year entry level contract with the National Hockey League’s Los Angeles Kings.

A first-round draft pick (15^th overall) of the Kings in 2010, Forbort is a native of Duluth, Minn. He collected six goals and 39 assists in 115 career games at North Dakota and had a career plus/minus rating of +33. In 2012-13, he played in all 42 games and achieved career highs in points (17) and goals (4).

As a sophomore in 2011-12, Forbort recorded two goals and 11 assists in 35 games and earned WCHA Final Five All-Tournament Team and All-WCHA Academic Team honors.

In 2010-11, Forbort helped lead UND to a berth in the NCAA Frozen Four and was named the team’s rookie of the year after leading all WCHA rookie defensemen with a +21 rating. He also added 15 assists in his 38 games.

Forbort also represented the United States at the 2011 and 2012 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championships, helping the U.S. win the bronze medal in 2011.

Forbort is UND’s third player to sign an NHL contract since the conclusion of the 2012-13 season, joining seniors Danny Kristo (Montreal) and Andrew MacWilliam (Toronto).

Forbort’s Career Statistics (Overall)

Year GP G A Pts. Pen. PPG SHG GWG +/-

2010-11 38 0 15 15 13/26 0 0 0 +21

2011-12 35 2 11 13 14/28 1 0 0 +1

2012-13 42 4 13 17 13/26 2 0 0 +11

Totals 115 6 39 45 40/80 3 0 0 +33

Forbort’s Career Statistics (WCHA)

Year GP G A Pts. Pen. PPG SHG GWG +/-

2010-11 24 0 11 11 7/14 0 0 0 +15

2011-12 24 0 6 6 13/26 0 0 0 -1

2012-13 28 4 8 12 10/20 2 0 0 +8

Totals 76 4 25 29 30/60 2 0 0 +22

Win a Game-Worn T-Wolves Jersey

Minneapolis/St. Paul – The Minnesota Timberwolves FastBreak Foundation will host a jersey auction after the Saturday, April 13 Phoenix game. Fans attending the game will get an opportunity to bid on the jerseys that will be worn by the Wolves players during that game. The winning jersey bidders will also get their jersey signed and their photo taken with the player.

At the completion of the game, fans will be invited to the lower bowl of the Target Center to participate in the post-game jersey auction. Rod Johnson, Timberwolves public address announcer and professional auctioneer, will serve as auctioneer with assistance from team mascot Crunch.

When a jersey has a winning bid and the payment process is finalized, the winning bidder will be escorted backstage to meet the player, get their jersey autographed and have their photo taken. All purchases will be a tax deductible donation to the Timberwolves FastBreak Foundation.

This is a unique opportunity for fans to get closer to their favorite players and to support the Minnesota Timberwolves FastBreak Foundation.

Norman Co Baseball raffle

The Norman County Wildcats along with Lee Bros. Sales are again selling raffle tickets this spring. Each ticket is $10 and you receive a $10 car wash, $25 service discount, and you are entered into a regional drawing for a 2013 Chevy Malibu/Traverse or a deluxe entertainment package. With the $25 service discount, you can use one ticket per vehicle. ALL money raised goes directly to the Norman County Wildcats Baseball Team! If you are interested in purchasing raffle tickets, contact any baseball player, Coach Gullingsrud, Coach Lutkemeier, Coach Schmitz or Lee Bros.

NDSU Wrestlng Honors

OREM, Utah – The Western Wrestling Conference announced its postseason award winners for the 2012-13 season on Thursday. The league's head coaches selected North Dakota State 125-pound senior Trent Sprenkle as the unanimous WWC Wrestler of Year, Air Force 125-pound freshman Josh Martinez as the WWC Freshman of the Year, and North Dakota State head coach Roger Kish was chosen by his peers as the WWC Coach of the Year.

The Wrestler of the Year and Freshman of the Year awards were voted on by the league’s head coaches this past week, while the Coach of the Year balloting was determined after the NCAA West Regional/WWC Tournament.

NDSU 133-pounder Josh Rodriguez placed third in the balloting for WWC Freshman of the Year.

 

Wrestler of the Year: North Dakota State – Trent Sprenkle, Sr., 125 lbs., Billings, Mont. (Billings HS)

Sprenkle had a stellar senior season that he capped off with a fifth-place finish at the NCAA Championships. The NDSU senior had arguably the biggest upset victory of the tournament when he defeated the former two-time NCAA Champion and three-time NCAA finalist Matt McDonough of Iowa in the round of 12. The ninth-seeded Sprenkle went an impressive 6-2 at nationals, which included wins over the three-seed McDonough and the five-seed Jarrod Garnett of Virginia Tech in the fifth-place bout.

The Billings, Mont., native won his second consecutive West Regional/WWC Tournament title at 125 pounds and went an impressive 34-6 on the season. Sprenkle also went 16-2 in duals on the year, registered 10 pins, and went 12-4 versus ranked opponents, including five wins over top-10 opponents.

Sprenkle became NDSU’s highest ever nationally ranked wrestler as he was ranked as high as No. 4 during the season.

The three-time NCAA qualifier was named the WWC’s Most Outstanding Wrestler at the NCAA West Regional and will leave North Dakota State second all-time in wins with 109 career victories.

Coach of the Year: Roger Kish (North Dakota State)

Kish, who just completed his second season as NDSU’s head coach, was named the 2012-13 WWC Coach of the Year. The honor is Kish’s first during his tenure at North Dakota State. This year, Kish led his team to its first regular season conference title with a perfect 5-0 league mark. He also led the Bison to a second place finish at the West Regional/WWC Tournament a month ago as NDSU (76) finished just three points back of Wyoming (79).

Kish led his 2012-13 club to a 10-8 overall record and had his team nationally ranked in the NWCA/USA Today Division I Team Coaches Poll during the season as the Bison knocked off three ranked schools (No. 14 Wyoming, No. 24 Boise State, No. 25 Old Dominion). He also helped the Bison qualify four wrestlers to the NCAA Championships and coached NDSU’s first All-American since the school jumped up to the Division I level in Sprenkle.

UMC Football Adds Six Student-Athletes to 2013 Recruiting Class

CROOKSTON, Minn.- The University of Minnesota, Crookston football program announced the additions of six student-athletes to its 2013 recruiting class joining the 21 players they inked on National Signing Day.

 

Joining the class are three high school players who signed National Letters of Intent; Forrest Dunivin (WR, 6-4 195, Las Flores, Calif.), Tyman Hayashi (OL, 6-0 270, Kalihi, Hawai’i) and Louie Olmedo (LB, 6-0 220, San Diego, Calif.). In addition, the Golden Eagles have added one junior college transfer to the class in D’Lorian Jordan (ATH, 5-7 170, Detroit, Mich.). UMC also added two players who signed an Offer of Admission to play for the Golden Eagles; Caleb Banks (DL, 5-11 225, Stephen, Minn.) and Jake Neubauer (OL, 6-1 260, Bismarck, N.D.).

“We have signed some additional kids that we feel will be very valuable parts of our program as we move into the future,” said head coach Paul Miller. “These are six additions along with the 21 people we have previously announced as members of our signing class that we are very excited about.”

The new signees bring the total to 27 student-athletes who will join the Golden Eagles for the 2013 football season. The most represented state in the recruiting class is California with nine signees while Hawai’i is close behind with seven. Five Minnesotans were also signed to be a part of the class while the signing of Jordan gives the Golden Eagles one signee from Michigan and the signing of Neubauer gives UMC one signee from North Dakota joining Colorado and Wisconsin as other states represented by the new signees. UMC went global in this recruiting class also adding signees from Canada and Australia.

The most recruited position for the Golden Eagles this recruiting season has been offensive line where they will be adding six newcomers. UMC is bringing in four defensive backs, three quarterbacks and three wide receivers.

 

The 27 signees include 14 on the offensive side and nine on the defensive side and also includes four athletes.

The student-athletes listed today as having signed National Letters of Intent or Offers of Admission to play at University of Minnesota, Crookston have been verified by the UMC Compliance Office once they sign the National Letter of Intent and financial aid agreement or once the student-athlete has accepted an Offer of Admission from UMC.

The University of Minnesota, Crookston put up their best record in quite some time with a 2-9 mark in Paul Miller’s first year as head coach of the program. The Golden Eagles picked up their first two conference victories in four years with wins over Southwest Minnesota State University and a thrilling last-second victory over University of Mary.

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