Northern Sun Showcase #4 Airs on FS North This Weekend
The fourth installment of the Northern Sun Showcase is set to air on Fox Sports Net North on Friday, March 19th at 6:00 p.m. as well as Saturday, March 20th at 1:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. The Showcase will review the men's and women's basketball seasons; recap the NSIC and NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships; spotlight the NCAA Wrestling National Championships; and feature a look at a student-athlete supporting his team and community. That and much, much more. Don't Miss It!
SCSU's Miller Named USTFCCCA Field Athlete of the Year
March 17, 2010 | USTFCCCA Release 
NEW ORLEANS – St. Cloud State’s Heather Miller, Saint Augustine’s Josh Scott, Ashland’s Kurt Roberts, and Seattle Pacific’s Jessica Pixler were recognized by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) as recipients of National Athlete of the Year Awards as chosen by the nation’s coaches for the indoor track & field season in Division II.
Miller, a senior from Sun Prairie, Wis., won the women’s pentathlon NCAA national title with a NSIC conference record, St. Cloud State record, and meet record of 3,993 points. Miller also earned All-America honors in two other events, placing fourth at the NCAA meet in the long jump and fifth in the triple jump. Earlier in the season, Miller also claimed NSIC titles in four events, including the 60-meter hurdles, to score a total of 51½ points at the conference meet.
SCSU Triumphs in Overtime Over Augie 84-75
Huskies Advance to Elite 8
March 16, 2010 | Box Score
Mankato, Minn. - For the second time in school history the St. Cloud State men’s basketball team will be playing in the NCAA Elite Eight after beating Augustana College 84-75 in overtime in the NCAA Central Regional Championship Tuesday night in the Taylor Center. The Huskies (28-5) were able to cut down the nets for the second time this season as they outscored the Vikings 18-9 in overtime, including the final 11 points to make it to the Elite Eight for the first time since the 1986-87 season. St. Cloud State will next play Midwestern State Wednesday, March 24 in Springfield, Mass. with the game time to be announced. To listen to the post-game press conference click here.
Junior Andrew Bernstetter (St. Joseph) picked the right time to shine for St. Cloud as he scored his first points of the game with a put pack to bring the score to 75-73 in favor of the Vikings with 2:28 to go in overtime.
He then took the Husky lead back for good with a devastating three pointer just before the final minute to take a 76-75 lead.
After two Husky free throws, junior Nate Phillips (Rosemount) had a break-away layup, as he was out in front of the pack on a defensive rebound to seal the victory.
St. Cloud State went on to make 8-of-10 free throws in the extra five minutes after shooting 17-for-29 in the first 40 minutes.
Senior captain Matt Schneck (Whitefish Bay, Wis.) recorded his 21st double-double of the season with 19 points and 19 rebounds to lead all Husky players in points and all players in rebounds. For his effort in the tournament, Schneck was named the NCAA Central Regional Most Valuable Player.
The Huskies were down 75-71 with 2:44 to go in the game, but like all season long the team responded after the Bernstetter put-back.
Junior Josh Ortman (Buffalo) was named to the All-Regional team, after posting a 17 point night, going 7-for-11 from the field. Junior captain Taylor Witt (Morris) finished strong down the stretch to score 16 points, while making 8-for-11 from the field.
Sophomore Brett Putz (Forest City, Iowa) rounded out the double-digit scorers for St. Cloud State with 13 points on another stellar 4-for-6 night from the three-point line.
As a team the Huskies shot 45.6 percent from the field on a 26-for-57 night of shooting.
In a back and forth regional championship game down the stretch, the Huskies scored three points on three straight plays to take a 58-53 with 5:22 in the second half but the Vikings responded with a 6-0 run to take the lead back and once again both teams were tied at 60-60 with three minutes to go.
Just over four minutes later the score was still in a standstill at 63-63. The Vikings then drew a foul as Lee Stephens went to the free throw line and made one of two to take a one point lead. After a St. Cloud State timeout with 44.2 seconds to go junior Taylor Witt (Morris) nailed a clutch jumper to take the lead back with 30.8 seconds left.
The Vikings then turned the ball over on a drive to the basket early in the shot clock to give the ball back to the Huskies with 19.9 seconds to go. Schneck stepped to the line and made one of two free throws to take a two point lead.
David Foster of Augustana then took the ball the length of the court for a layup to setup overtime at 66 points a piece.
The Huskies trailed 6-0 early but went on a 7-0 run to take their first lead of the night at the 15:59 mark and it was signs of things to come in the first half, as both teams battled back and forth through three lead changes and two ties, as the Vikings took a 28-26 lead into halftime.
The fourth seeded Huskies defeated fifth seeded Metro State and top seed Minnesota State to earn their spot in tonight's game. Augustana, the third seed, downed the sixth seed of N.M. Highlands and the second seed of Mesa State on their road to the finals. SCSU will take on Midwestern State (TX) (31-2) on Wednesday, March 24th at 11:00 a.m. in Springfield, Mass.
All Tournament team:
Cameron McCaffrey (Augie)
Josh Ortmann (SCSU)
Cody Schilling (Augie)
Mike Dominguez (MSC)
And the Most Outstanding Player of the Tournament as voted on by the media in attendance Matt Schneck – (SCSU)
Fort Lewis Edges CU in NCAA Central Region Championship
March 15, 2010 | Box Score | Season Wrap Up PDF
Durango, Colo. - The Golden Bears (26-6) were smothered by a Fort Lewis College (33-3) defense and were knocked out of title contention Monday night in Durango, Colo., 73-64. The loss finishes Concordia’s season in the Sweet Sixteen round of play and advances the Skyhawks to the Elite Eight. The Golden Bears fought back in the second half of play but came up short of the Central Region trophy to a Skyhawk team that showed control of the ball and composure on their home court.
The Golden Bears fought back from a 32-23 halftime deficit, opening with a 7-0 run and taking a 43-42 lead by the 12 minute mark. The teams contended for the lead until the waning minutes, the Skyhawks breaking a 60-60 tie with an 8-0 run to leave just over a minute to play.
The Golden Bears sunk just one field goal in the final 3:37 of play after they tied the game 60-60. Fort Lewis, on the other hand, was zoned in with 5-of-6 field goals and 13 free throws in the last 7 minutes of the game. FLC applied full court pressure to slow down the nation’s #3 offense and force CU into 17 turnovers. The team also had the supportive influence of 1,875 screaming fans to give FLC an undefeated home season.
Junior Maurika Hickman (G, Minneapolis, Minn.) gave the Golden Bears multiple boosts before finishing as the team’s leading scorer with 16 points. One of the top three free throw shooters in the nation, Hickman stepped to the line and single-handedly scored 7 straight points with 5-of-5 charity shots and a three-pointer to draw CU to within a point, 18-17 in the first half. She canned another three-pointer to stop a Skyhawks run in the second half.
Concordia’s biggest momentum shift was at the midpoint of the second half when they went on an 8-0 run to lead the game 53-47. Jineen Williams (G, Jr., Racine, Wis.) took the ball coast-to-coast and successfully layed a ball in over two defenders and got the whistle to complete a three-point play to highlight the run.
Fort Lewis’ Laura Haugen then turned the tide of the game with what could possibly have been the most important two shots of her career, both from beyond the arc. The hits were the finale of an 11-0 FLC run that relinquished Concordia’s lead for the final time, 58-53. Despite the Golden Bears tying the game after this mark, they were stalled in the final minutes for the loss, having lost some composure as they went to the final minutes with a deficit.
Hickman was the game’s leading scorer with 18 points. Williams was close behind with 15 and eight rebounds. Jamie Jones (F, Sr., Mounds View, Minn.) had 13 points and three assists. Center Gillian Bjerke (Sr., Detroit Lakes, Minn.) had the potential to be a game-changer for CU, but her court time was stymied by fouls and she finished with 10 points. CU shot 36.1% from the field and, due to a tough full court press, had 17 turnovers. For the first time this season, they lost a game when winning on the boards, which they did by a 43-37 margin.
Fort Lewis College was held to just 40.7% shooting but had a number of players shine in the game. Guard Abby Jackson connected on four three-pointers on her way to 17 points. Katie Mackey had 15 points and tournament MVP Allison Rosel had a tremendous 12-point, 17-rebound game.
The Golden Bears wrap up their successful season with a 26-6 record. They were the NSIC’s regular season champion (17-3)and were ranked in the national poll for over half of the year. The Golden Bears had six players see the final game of their careers tonight, graduating Jamie Jones, Kali Olstad, Gwen Young, Gillian Bjerke, Chanica Hall and Ashley Viehauser.
Text Courtesy of CU Sports Information
NSIC Radio Spotlight Week 20
March 9, 2010
Week 20 Northern Sun Spotlight Radio Show
Guests: CU Baseball Coach Mark McKenzie & UMC Chancellor Dr. Charles Casey
http://www.northernsun.org/radio/10_03_09_NSIC_Radio_WEEK_20.wma
NSIC Myles Brand All-Academic with Distinction Award
February 10, 2010 | Full Release } NCAA News Article
St. Paul, Minn. - Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) Commissioner Butch Raymond is proud to announce the formation of the NSIC Myles Brand All-Academic with Distinction Award. The honor, named for the late NCAA President Dr. Myles Brand, is bestowed to senior NSIC student-athletes who have a cumulative grade point average of 3.75 or higher, are exhausting their eligibility and are on track to graduate. Each student-athlete will be recognized by the NSIC with a certificate of achievement and a wrist watch. Furthermore, each institution is highly encouraged to have these student-athletes be publicly recognized at a home athletic event. A total of 72 student-athletes from the NSIC’s 14 institutions will receive the award in its inaugural year.
“The NSIC is excited to have this opportunity to honor an elite group of our student-athletes for their accomplishments. We feel very privileged to name the award after Dr. Brand in recognition of his strong support and the continued emphasis he placed on academics in the ‘Life in Balance’ theme of Division II,” said Raymond.
Dr. Myles N. Brand, visionary leader, educator and reformer, served as the President of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) from 2003-2009. He passed away in September 2009 at the age of 67 after a battle with pancreatic cancer. Brand presided over passage of the most comprehensive academic reform package for intercollegiate athletics in recent history – a package that refocused the attention of student-athletes, coaches and administrators on the education of student-athletes. Brand also changed the national dialog on college sports to emphasize the educational value of athletics participation and the integration of intercollegiate athletics with the academic mission of higher education. His impact on Division II ran deep by implementing an identity campaign and a strategic-positioning platform tied to specific divisional attributes. He challenged Division II to continue its game-environment and community-engagement focus, and improve academic success rates. (Click for student-athlete listings)
NSIC TO SOLICIT POTENTIAL NEW MEMBERS FOR EXPANSION
Sept. 22, 2009 | Full
Release
St. Paul, Minn. - The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) Board of Directors met on Monday, September 21, 2009 and voted to consider expanding to 16 institutions in the 2012-2013 academic year. They have requested NSIC Commissioner Butch Raymond to solicit potential new members immediately. Those institutions wishing to be considered for NSIC membership must submit a letter of interest to the conference office by June 1, 2010.
The NSIC is a 14-team, 17-sport, NCAA Division II Conference with teams located in Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota.
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