As fall sports end, leagues and conferences honor Bison athletes/coaches
Newell Named Summit League Cross Country Coach of the Year
North Dakota State University’s Dennis Newell has been named the Summit League Coach of the Year for women’s cross country, the league office announced Thursday, Dec. 1.
Newell becomes the third NDSU coach to earn Summit League Cross Country Coach of the Year honors, joining three-time winner Ryun Godfrey (2011-13) and Andrew Carlson (2019).
In just his second season directing the Bison distance runners, Newell led The Herd to the Summit League team title by a 30-point margin. NDSU placed four runners in the top 10 and seven among the top 20 at the conference meet. The Bison women went on to earn the third-best NCAA Midwest Regional meet finish of the school’s Division I era.
NDSU has won five Summit League team championships in women’s cross country over the past 12 years.
NDSU Soccer’s Goaley Selected to United Soccer Coaches All-Region Team
North Dakota State soccer forward Paige Goaley was named to the 2022 United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division I Women’s All-West Region Team, announced the organization Wednesday.
Goaley, was named to the third team as a forward after a breakout season for the Bison, leading the team in goals after missing two full seasons due to injury. Goaley scored a team-high seven goals and 17 points this season in 20 games. The junior captain finished with over 1300 minutes on the pitch and also had three assists on the year.
The South St. Paul native recorded the fastest ever goal for the Bison as she scored just 37 seconds into her return in the season opener against Tarleton State in Louisiana. She also recorded four goals in Summit League play, including goals in three-straight games, and added another in the Summit League Championships.
Goaley becomes the third Bison in the Division I era to received United Soccer Coaches all-region honors, joining Lauren Miller and Amy Yang, who both received third team honors in 2015. It is the 14th overall all-region honor for the Bison in program history.
It is the third honor for Goaley this season, as she has already received All-Summit League Second Team and College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team honors.
Bison Women Summit League Indoor Track & Field Favorites; NDSU Men Picked 2nd
The North Dakota State University women were voted the conference favorites in The Summit League’s indoor track & field preseason poll, and the Bison men were picked to finish second in the league.
The Bison women received five of the nine first-place votes to edge South Dakota by one point in the preseason poll. South Dakota State was picked third on the women’s side.
The NDSU men tied with South Dakota for second in the poll, trailing South Dakota State in the men’s race.
NDSU’s Jodi Lipp, Nell Graham, Brandon Lewis and Jacob Rodin were each named to the league’s “Athletes to Watch” list for the indoor season.
The NDSU women have won 14 of the past 15 Summit League indoor titles, while the NDSU men have won nine indoor championships in 15 years.
NDSU’s Duttenhefer, Kopp, Menz on MVFC All-Newcomer Team
North Dakota State defensive tackle Jaxon Duttenhefer, linebacker Logan Kopp and defensive end Kole Menz were named to the Missouri Valley Football Conference All-Newcomer Team announced Tuesday, Nov. 29, as selected by a vote of the league’s head coaches, media and sports information directors.
Duttenhefer played all 11 games and was the third-leading tackler on the NDSU defensive line with 24 total tackles, 4.0 tackles for loss and 2.0 sacks plus three quarterback hurries and one forced fumble. He made a season-high five tackles in the win at Southern Illinois.
Kopp played in all 11 games including one start at linebacker in the win over Illinois State. He made a season-high seven tackles against Illinois State and North Carolina A&T and finished the regular season with 31 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and two interceptions. He made six tackles on special teams.
Menz appeared in all 11 games at defensive end and took on a more prominent role in the second half of the season due to injuries on the team. He has seven tackles including 1.5 tackles for loss and a half-sack.
Hamling Named TicketSmarter Summit League Peak Performer of the Week
Heaven Hamling has been named the TicketSmarter Summit League Women’s Basketball Peak Performer of the Week; the league office announced on Monday afternoon.
Hamling has helped the Bison start the season 6-0 for the first time since 2004. She averaged a team-high 22.3 points per game last week. Hamling also added a team-high 16 rebounds with 10 assists and seven steals to her stat line. The Grand Rapids, Minn., native shot 50.0 percent (22-44) from the field, 47.3 percent (9-19) from three and 87.5 percent (14-16) from the free throw line.
Hamling netted a career-high 39 points on 11-of-19 shooting from the field in the win over Nevada. Her 39 points rank as the third-most in a single game in NDSU history and her second career 30-point performance. She also added six rebounds, three steals and one assist against the Wolf Pack.
Hamling has scored 20 or more points in three games this season and surpassed the 1,000 career points mark over the weekend with 1,013, which includes one season at Stephen F. Austin State.
Hamling becomes the first NDSU player to win a Summit League Player of the Week award since Marena Whittle won the award on Jan. 25, 2016.
NDSU Lands Eight on All-Missouri Valley Football Conference Team
North Dakota State had eight players named to the All-Missouri Valley Football Conference Team announced Monday, Nov. 28, by the league office.
NDSU claimed eight spots on the all-conference first team, highlighted by Hunter Luepke’s dual selection as the first-team fullback and all-purpose player.
Other first-team honorees were offensive linemen Cody Mauch and Nash Jensen, defensive end Spencer Waege, linebacker James Kaczor, and safeties Dawson Weber and Michael Tutsie.
NDSU long snapper Hunter Brozio was named to the All-MVFC second team.
Three Bison players earned honorable mention – running back TaMerik Williams, defensive tackle Will Mostaert and return specialist Jayden Price.
NDSU’s Grace Link Named Academic All-League
North Dakota State sophomore distance runner Grace Link was voted to The Summit League’s Academic All-League Team for the 2022 cross country season, it was announced Wednesday.
Link (Plymouth, Minn. / Wayzata HS) was the top finisher for the Summit League champion Bison at the conference meet, taking individual runner-up honors. She was among NDSU’s top three finishers at every meet this season, and she placed in the top three overall at three meets.
Link owns a 3.85 cumulative grade point average. She ranks fourth-fastest in NDSU history for the cross country 6k.
NDSU Wrestling Climbs to No. 15, Highest NWCA Ranking in Div. 1 Era
The North Dakota State wrestling program climbed three spots this week in the latest NWCA Division I Wrestling Coaches Top 25 Poll, reaching its highest ranking in the Division I era at No. 15.
The previous high for the Bison was No. 18 last week, which was one spot up from No. 19 after week one. Previously, the Bison had never surpassed No. 19 in the NWCA Coaches Poll.
The Bison jumped up three more spots after an 18-13 victory over Binghamton last week. The Bison are 2-0 on the season after opening the year with a win at then No. 8 Nebraska, 20-16.
North Dakota State is slated to return to action on Friday, December 9, as the Bison welcome in No. 13 Minnesota to the Scheels Center.
Five Bison Earn All-Summit League Honors, Johnson Named Setter of the Year
The North Dakota State volleyball team earned five All-Summit League selections and Kelley Johnson was named the Setter of the Year, the league office announced on Wednesday.
Kelley Johnson led the way for NDSU earning Summit League Setter of the Year honors and a spot on the All-League First Team. Syra Tanchin, Ali Hinze and Michelle Artis also picked First Team recognition for the first time in their careers, while Ally Barth garnered a spot on the All-League Freshman Team.
Johnson has totaled a career-high 1,226 assists this season, which led the conference and ranks 12th in the nation. In Summit League play this season, she helped direct an offense that was positioned second in assists (13.05) and kills per set (14.11). The Eagan, Minn., native led the conference with 810 assists and averaged 11.10 assists per set in league play. Johnson also passed out 40 or more assists in 11 of 18 Summit League matches.
Hinze posted a career-high 404 kills this season and increased her career total to 1,010 over three seasons. In league play, Hinze was slotted third in total kills with 280 and averaged 3.84 per set. The Maple Grove, Minn., native reached double digits in kills in all 18 Summit League matches and 25 total times this season.
Tanchin also surpassed the 400 kills mark this season with a career-high 411. She has amassed 1,173 over four seasons. In conference play, Tanchin ranked fifth with 268 kills and averaged 3.67 per set. The St. Michael, Minn., native also totaled a career-high 12 double-doubles this season, including three straight to finish the regular season.
Three Bison Among Finalists for FCS Player of the Year Awards
North Dakota State has three players among the finalists for national player of the year honors in the Football Championship Subdivision. The finalists were announced Tuesday, Nov. 22, by Stats Perform.
NDSU fullback Hunter Luepke and left tackle Cody Mauch are finalists for the Walter Payton Award, presented annually to the top offensive player in the FCS, and Bison defensive end Spencer Waege is a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award, which goes to the defensive player of the year.
There are 30 finalists for each of the awards. A national media panel will select the winners with voting based on the regular season. The recipients will be announced at the FCS national awards banquet Jan. 7 in Frisco, Texas.
North Dakota State has had six previous finalists for the Walter Payton Award, including quarterback Trey Lance as the 2019 winner. Mauch is the only offensive lineman among this year’s finalists and the second all-time from NDSU joining Joe Haeg, who was 13th in the voting in 2015.
NDSU has had nine previous finalists for the Buck Buchanan Award. Defensive end Kyle Emanuel was the 2014 award recipient.