SCSU Battles Augie for Trip to Elite 8
March 16, 2010 | Live Stats 
Mankato, Minn. - For the fifth year in a row the NSIC will send a men's basketball team to the NCAA Division II Elight 8 in Springfield, Mass., March 24, 25 and 27. The only question will be if Augustana College (20-6) or St. Cloud State (22-5) will represent the league. That will be determined tonight at the Taylor Center in Mankato, Minn. where the Vikings and Huskies will square off at 7:00 p.m. in the NCAA Central Regional Championship game. The two teams split during the regular season with both home teams winning. The Huskies are riding a five game win streak, including an NSIC Tournament Championship while the Viking are on a two game high. 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. The winner of tonight's game will take on the winner of the Midwestern State (26-2)/Central Missouri State (23-3) game on Wednesday, March 24th at 11:00 a.m.
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 Baseball Weekly Release No. 6
March 15, 2010 | Full Release 
NSIC Player of the Week
#10 Tyler Erickson
SS, 5-9, 160, Jr.,
Alexandria, Minn.
Jefferson HS
Minnesota Duluth
Tyler Erickson got off to a hot start in UMD's Florida spring trip, going a combined 9-for-12 (.750) at the plate in the team’s first four games. He had two games with three or more hits, including a 4-for-4 performance in the Bulldogs' first game of a doubleheader sweep against Wayne State (Mich.), on Sunday March 14. Erickson was also a perfect 6-for-6 in stolen base attempts while not registering a strike out.
NSIC Pitcher of the Week
#22 Bret Mitchell
RHP, 6-2, 185, Jr., R/R
Lakeville, Minn.
Iowa Central CC
Minnesota State
Bret Mitchell tossed a nine-inning complete game and earned first career shut-out as Minnesota State downed Ashland 4-0 March 9th in Florida. He scattered four hits and walked one batter while striking out 11.
NSIC Tennis Weekly Release No. 6
March 15, 2010 | Full Release
NSIC Player of the Week
Jacquelyn Doll
Senior
St. Cloud, Minn.
Staples-Motley HS
St. Cloud State
Jacquelyn Doll enjoyed an impressive run during the Huskies’ recent spring break trip to Florida on March 9-13. Doll was 5-0 at #1 singles play during the trip and she was 4-1 in action at #1 doubles on the trip. Doll posted wins at #1 singles over opponents from Stonehill, Palm Beach Atlantic, Ohio Dominican, St. Ambrose and St. Thomas Aquinas. Her lone loss in action at #1 doubles was against Palm Beach Atlantic. On the season, Doll is 12-1 at #1 singles play and she is 11-2 at #1 doubles play. The Huskies are now 10-3 on the season. This marks the second time this season Doll has been named NSIC Tennis Player of the Week.
NSIC Women's Softball Weekly Release No. 5
March 15, 2010 | NSIC Release
NSIC Player of the Week
#11 Samantha Hildebrandt
Outfielder, So.
Cottage Grove, Minn.
Park HS
Winona State
Samantha Hildebrandt batted .700 (7-10) with six runs scored, a double, two home runs and six RBI last week. She had a 1.400 slugging percentage, a .727 on base percentage and stole a base. In the game with West Chester University, Hildebrant came up with a pinch-hit three-run homer to give the Warriors the victory. She also added a two-run home in win over Belmont Abbey College, NC.
NSIC Pitcher of the Week
#22 Stacey Struzynski
RHP, Jr.
Homewood, Ill.
Homewood-Flossmoor HS
Winona State
Stacey Struzynski went 2-0 on the week as she started a game and came in relief in another. On the week she pitched 10.1 innings allowing no runs on no hits, walking five and striking out 14. Struzynski tossed a seven-inning no-hitter against No. 16 Bloomsburg and did not allow a hit in three and a third innings of relief against Post University, CT. This marks the second week in a row Struzynski has been named NSIC Pitcher of the Week.
SCSU Stops Minnesota State - Advances to Region Championship
March 14, 2010 | Box Score
Nate Phillips comes up big off the bench in win. Photo courtesy of Sport Pix
Mankato, Minn. - In a battle between NSIC foes, the No. 16-ranked St. Cloud State men’s basketball team put together a late game surge against No. 8 Minnesota State University Mankato to earn a school record 27th victory of the season with an 83-71 win in the semifinal round of the NCAA Central Regional tournament Sunday night. The Huskies will now make their fourth regional championship appearance when they take the No. 3-seeded Augustana College Vikings at 7 p.m. Tuesday night in the Taylor Center. St. Cloud State last won a regional championship when they defeated Ferris State 77-69 in 1987. Augustana College was a 95-84 winner over Mesa State in the earlier semifinal.
After splitting the two regular season matchups against the Mavericks, St. Cloud State-the NSIC conference tournament champions, gave Minnesota State (25-5) - the NSIC regular season champions, their biggest point-loss of the season.
The rush for the school record in wins started after a back and forth second half of the play as the Huskies sat in a 71-68 lead with 3:07 to go in the game. St. Cloud State then outscored the Mavericks 11-3 in the final three minutes to claim the coveted victory.
St. Cloud State had a balanced attack all night long with four players scoring in double figures, as the Huskies shot nearly 48 percent from the field.
Sophomore Josh Ortmann was lights out from beyond the three point line; making 4-of-5 three’s to give him 16 points in the game.
Junior Nate Phillips had the biggest game of his career off the bench for St. Cloud State, scoring six points, grabbing five rebounds and recording four steals on the night.
"Went I get an opportunity, I want to do whatever I can to help the team out," Phillips said. " I just came in and did what I had to do."
Senior captain Matt Schneck recorded his 20th double-double of the season with a game-high 21 points and 14 rebounds, while junior captain Taylor Witt poured in 14 and sophomore Brett Putz scored 13.
After early foul trouble in the first half, St. Cloud State’s bench play came up big to help take a 37-31 lead into halftime, before helping with the final Husky run in the closing minutes.
Putz scored a team-high 10 points in the half and junior Nate Phillips grabbed four rebounds and recorded a pair of steals. Freshman Tim Bergstrasser (St. Cloud) had a big first half on the boards for the Huskies with six of the St. Cloud State’s 30 rebounds in the half. St. Cloud State went on to out-rebound the Mavericks 48-39 in the game while scoring 17 points off of Minnesota State turnovers.
The solid bench play began after the Huskies started the game making three of 10 shots from the field and had two starters sit early with two fouls a piece in the first four minutes of the game but St. Cloud State did not falter, tying the game up at 12-12 after a Witt three point play the hard way at the 13:19 mark.
The Mavericks answered with a 5-0 run in the next three minutes to take the lead back at 17-12, but just over a minute later the Huskies trailed 17-16 and were in the bonus at the free throw line for the final nine minutes of the first half.
Then Ortmann took back the Husky lead for the first time since leading 2-0 in the opening moments with a moving jumper off the left wing to make it a 20-18 game, as the Huskies did not give up the lead the rest of the game. Ortmann then followed it with a three pointer moments later to take a five point lead and his three was followed by another three from Putz to take a commanding 26-18 lead.
With the team’s fifth straight win, it also marks the most wins in a St. Cloud State post season in school history, as the Huskies went 3-0 in the NSIC tournament and claimed a win in the first two rounds of Central Regional play.
Text Courtesy of SCSU Sports Information.
Augie Scores 60 in 2nd Half to Down Mesa State 95-84
March 14, 2010 | Box Score
Mankato, Minn. - The Augustana men’s basketball overcame an early shooting slump to defeat Mesa State 95-84 Sunday night in the NCAA Central Regional semifinal in Mankato, Minn. With the victory, the Vikings set a school record for victories with 24 and advance to the NCAA Central Region final for the second staright season.
In Saturday’s opening round, the Vikings opened a large lead early against New Mexico Highlands by shooting over 59 percent in the opening half. Tonight, the Vikings came out sluggish, with Mesa State disrupting the Vikings’ offensive rhythm, holding them to 11 made field goals on 32 attempts (34.4 percent) in the first half.
Mesa State’s Mike Dominguez, who led all scorers with 41 points, scored 22 in the first half. His two free throws with 1:17 to play in the first half gave Mesa State its largest lead of the half at 41-33. However, a layup by Derrick De Zeeuw cut the Maverick halftime lead to six at 41-35.
Despite cold shooting, Augie kept the game close by maintaining a sizeable rebound margin. For the second straight game, the Vikings outrebounded their opponent by a double digit margin. Augie collected 55 caroms to Mesa State’s 37, and 19 Vikings offensive boards contributed to 18 second chance points.
Early in the second half, Jordan Dalton was called for a technical foul, and Dominguez converted two free throws and scored a layup on the possession to give Mesa State its largest lead at 47-37 with 17:42 to play.
But as they had done the previous night, the Vikings were able to find some offensive rhythm and put together a substantial scoring run to put the game almost out of reach. Over the next 13:21, the Vikings outscored the Mavericks 45-17 to increase the Augustana advantage to 18 with 4:21 remaining. Cameron McCaffrey scored 11 of his team-high 18 points during the run, as the Vikings shot 13-of-24 (54 percent), including 6-of-9 from three-point range, and were 9-of-10 from the foul line. Conversely, the Viking defense forced five Maverick turnovers and held them to 30 percent from the field (6-of-20).
Mesa State put together one final run of its own. A three-point field goal by Brian Kenshalo capped a 20-8 run that brought the Mavericks within six at 90-84 with 48 seconds to play, but the Vikings converted 5-of-6 free throws and held Mesa State scoreless the rest of the way for the 95-84 victory.
Cody Schilling scored 17, while David Foster tallied 15. Nathan Truex finished the night with 14 points and 9 rebounds.
The Vikings will face St. Cloud State in Tuesday night’s regional final. The game is scheduled to tip at 7 p.m. in Mankato, Minn.
Text Courtesy of Augustana Sports Information Office
NCAA Wrestling Championships
Sherer & Eggers National Champions
Grimm Named Coach of the Year
March 12-13, 2010 | NCAA Site | PDF Release
Omaha, Neb. (Sapp Fieldhouse) - The NSIC crowned two National Champions and had four teams in the top seven at the NCAA National Wrestling Championship held at Sapp Fieldhouse on the campus of the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Augustana's Jay Sherer won at 141 pounds while Upper Iowa's Travis Egger won at 165 pounds. Augustana finished second in the team standings with 72 points while Upper Iowa was tied for third with 67. Minnesota State was sixth with 52.5 points followed by St. Cloud State at 44.5. Overall the NSIC had 20 All-Americans (finish in top eight) with two national champions, three national runners-up and two third place finishers. Following the Championships, Upper Iowa Head Coach Heath Grimm was named the NCAA Division II Coach of the Year as voted upon by his peers. The honor marks the second time Grimm has been named Coach of the Year, the first came after the National Runner Up finish of 2002. Minnesota State's Travis Elg was awarded the Gorrarian Award for the most falls in the least amount of time.
Upper Iowa's Eggers National Champion at 165 pounds
Omaha, Neb. –Travis Eggers finished off his career at Upper Iowa on a high note as he defeated Josh Shields of Mercyhurst College 8-3 to win the 165 pound National Championship. Eggers becomes the second UIU wrestler to earn a NCAA DII national title and 13th overall at the university.
Eggers gained control early as he took down Shields twenty seconds into the match. The match was almost over at that point as Eggers nearly pinned Shields, but settled for a 5-0 lead. Shields would score his three points on escapes while Eggers took down Shields again at the 1:43 mark of the second period. The third period was scoreless and with 2:25 of ride time Eggers came away with the 8-3 win.
Augustana's Sherer National Champion at 141 pounds
Omaha, Neb. – At 141 pounds Augustana’s Jay Sherer became the first NSIC National Wrestling Champion of the season as he defeated Mario Morgan of Nebraska Omaha 3-1 in sudden victory. After a scoreless first period Sherer got an escape at 1:48 to make it 1-0. Morgan got an escape at 1:45 of period three to complete the scoring in regulation at 1-1. In the sudden victory period Sherer took down Morgan near the edge of the mat with one second remaining to win the National Championship and finish his season at 31-10. Morgan finished at 40-4.
SCSU's Miller win Pentathlon National Championship
March 13, 2010 | Results
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Heather Miller is a NATIONAL CHAMPION! The St. Cloud State senior from Sun Prairie, Wis., capped an outstanding indoor season by winning the 2010 NCAA Division II National Pentathlon Championship Saturday afternoon in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Miller scored a national and school record 3,993 points to win the title. The second place competitor, Lindsay Lettow of Central Missouri State University tallied 3,924 points. Miller was in fourth place heading into the final two events, and moved into first following the long jump. Her mark of 19-4 ¾ was the best jump of the day by any of the competitors and vaulted her into first place.
“It feels pretty good,” said Miller,. “It was a battle and the other two girls at the top are amazing. I ran my best race ever in the 60 meter hurdles and that was exciting.”
Miller becomes the third female track star in St. Cloud State history to win a national title, following in the footsteps of GiGi DesLauriers (indoor high jump, 1992) and Marie Sherwood (outdoor javelin, 1982).
In addition to setting a national and school record, Miller set a school record in the 60 meter hurdles with her time of 8.70. She also ran a personal record 2:18.74 in the 800 meters.
The National Title culminates several honors already earned by the nursing major. Miller is the 2010 Central Region Female Field Athlete of the Year, the 2010 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) Field Athlete of the Year, and a two-time NSIC pentathlon champion. In the national championship, she broke her own record of 3,910 points which she set in the NSIC championships, and established the NSIC record.
The National Title also marks her fourth All-American honor at the indoor championships over the last two seasons. Last night she won her third All-American honor with a fourth place finish in the long jump. In 2009 she earned All-American honors in the indoor long jump and triple jump, and placed tenth in the pentathlon.
Teammate Danielle Luhmann (Rushford) captured her first All-American honor this afternoon as she placed sixth in the high jump with a mark of 5-7 ¼. Luhmann, a sophomore won her first NSIC indoor title in the high jump just a few weeks ago.
Miller’s Marks in the Pentathlon:
3,993 total points (National and School Record)
60 meter hurdles: 8.70 (School Record)
High jump: 5-4 ½
Shot put: 35-0 ¼
Long jump: 19-4 ¾
800 meters: 2:18.74 (Personal Record)
Minnesota State's Mokaya Wins 800M National Championship
March 13, 2010 | Results
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. –Minnesota State's Denise Mokaya won the men's 800M run today in a time of 1:51.55 to edge out Neson Mwangi of Queens (N.C.) by 0:00.17 to win his first National Championship. The Ngong, Kenya native and four time All-American dropped his time 0:00.35 seconds from the preliminary run yesterday and nearly half a second off his best time of the year (1:52.01 at the ISU Open - 2/11/10). Mokaya is the sixth Minnesota State men’s trackster to win an indoor national championship and second to do so in the 800-meter run. The only other Maverick to win the 800-meter National Champion was former Maverick Dale Bahr in 1992.
Minnesota State sophomore Dan Novak finished second in the pole vault competition for the second straight year. The second-year Maverick vaulted 16’11”, besting last year’s showing of 16’10 3/4”.
Bemidji State's Zac Preble finished second in the nation in the men's heptathlon as he amassed 5294 points. Darius Walker of Central Missouri won the event with 5377.
NSU's Madden Win National Championship in Weight Throw
March 12, 2010 | Results
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – After back-to-back runner-up finishes in the indoor weight throw and the outdoor hammer throw last season, Northern State University's Amanda Madden (Sr., Herried, S.D./Herried HS) broke through in spectacular fashion on Friday at the 2010 NCAA National Indoor Championships, winning the weight throw with a lifetime best and NSU school record throw of 19.81 meters (65-00 feet). This marks the NSIC's fourth weight throw National Championship.
The Indoor Track & Field Championships will continue through Saturday (Read More).
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 / US Bank All-Sports Award Standings (Through Winter Season)
March 9, 2010
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St. Paul, Minn. - Minnesota State University, Mankato moved to the top spot in the NSIC / U.S. Bank All-Sports Award competition following the winter sports season. The Mavericks moved from second place after winner the men's basketball and men's indoor track & field championships. Augustana College hopped up from third to second after they took home the women's indoor track & field championship as well as finishing second in wrestling, tied for second in women's basketball, and third in men's basketball and men's indoor track & field. Minnesota Duluth, the leader after the fall sports, dropped to third place.
Points are awarded by giving the winner of each title in a conference-sponsored championship points totaling the number of teams in that sport plus one. The next place finisher receives points totaling the number of teams less the number of places from first place. Ties at any level shall result in the totaling of points and distributed equally. The points for the indoor/outdoor track & field season are divided in half for the indoor and outdoor seasons. The NSIC All-Sports Award is presented annually at the NSIC Hall of Fame Banquet in July. Minnesota State won the award last year.
| RK | School | Points |
| 1. | Minnesota State | 90.5 |
| 2. | Augustana | 88.5 |
| 3. | Minnesota Duluth | 71.5 |
| 4. | St. Cloud State | 64 |
| 5. | Winona State | 63.5 |
| 6. | Wayne State | 58.25 |
| 7. | Concordia-St. Paul | 55 |
| 8. | U-Mary | 53.5 |
| 9. | MSU Moorhead | 48 |
| 10. | Northern State | 47.5 |
| 11. | Bemidji State | 36.75 |
| 12. | SMSU | 35.5 |
| 13. | Upper Iowa | 28.5 |
| 14. | Minnesota, Crookston | 10.5 |
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)
Northern Sun Showcase #3 Available Online
The third installment of the Northern Sun Showcase features the University of Mary's Men's Basketball team; a look at the Life in Balance of Northern State University's Yvonne Freese; highlights from the Minnesota State at Upper Iowa Wrestling dual; as well as a peek inside the Concordia Dome at SeaFoam Stadium. All that and much more. Dont Miss It!
The fourth installment 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.
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.
