YEAR IN 2019-2020

NORTH DAKOTA STATE UNIVERSITY Review

ADVERSITY REVEALS TRUE CHARACTER

This statement has never rung truer than in describing the 2019-20 athletic and academic year for NDSU Athletics. With a global pandemic shutting down both the winter championships and spring seasons and students transitioning to online instruction this spring, I learned a lot about the character of our staff, coaches and student-athletes. In tough times, people look to leadership for how to respond. Our coaches and staff were great role models for our student- athletes in how to face adversity head-on and ultimately come out stronger in the end. Our student-athletes and coaches evolved during this time. They evolved their communication, their learning and instruction, and most importantly, their relationships. We WILL be stronger and more prepared when things return to normal.

Even with an abbreviated athletic year, Bison Athletics continued to excel at a high level in both conference and national competition. This year we brought home our 28th national championship, won five conference championships, qualified 11 individuals for NCAA tournaments in wrestling and track, and hosted more than 34,000 Bison fans at Target Field in Minneapolis. Once again, our student-athletes continued to excel in the classroom and set a new standard for future Bison to strive toward. For the third time in our Division I history, all athletic teams reached a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or greater while also achieving our highest overall student-athlete GPA of 3.56. More than 315 student-athletes scored a 3.0 GPA or better with 112 getting a perfect 4.0. Football’s Jackson Hankey continued our run of NCAA Elite 90 award winners, earning the distinction with the highest GPA of all participants at the FCS national championship.

Athletic facilities continue to be a priority as we look to finalize the last phase of Tharaldson Park for NDSU softball, renovate the outdoor track and break ground on a permanent indoor practice facility. These new and renovated spaces will have significant benefits to our programs in both practice and performance while continuing to separate NDSU from our competition.

These accomplishments and progress are a direct result of your investment in all areas of our athletics program. This past year we eclipsed $38 million in overall philanthropic support to Bison Athletics for the first time in our history. These gifts go directly to supporting our student-athletes, programs and continued success through capital investments, scholarship endowments and annual scholarship support. The power of Bison Nation has been witnessed on so many levels, but none more important than the financial support of our athletics program. This investment and belief in our program are the driving force behind our pursuit of excellence and the development of our student-athletes. As we celebrate this past year, we look to your continued support as we strive for new heights next year.

The following pages highlight what has been another exceptional year in NDSU Athletics. Please join us in recognizing all the athletic and academic accomplishments of 2019-20. Thank you in advance for your continued friendship, pride and financial support.

Go Bison!

Matt Larsen Director of Athletics facilities

NDSU Athletics continues to build for the future with three major projects all nearing their fundraising goals.

A new indoor practice facility on the site of the current grass practice fields south of the Sanford Health Athletic Complex will be a full 120 yards long and 60 yards wide with a 70-foot height clearance over the field. The indoor facility will open up to a second artificial turf field outdoors.

Phase III of construction is approaching for NDSU softball’s on-campus stadium, Tharaldson Park. Plans include an indoor hitting facility with hospitality space in addition to a new building for tickets, restrooms and concession stand.

NDSU also is planning a new outdoor track and field complex to open in time for the 2022 Summit League outdoor championships. The project will include replacement of the entire running track, bleachers and a scoring/timing system. football North Dakota State was the first Division I team since Yale  North Dakota State had eight All-Americans, including in 1894 to finish a season 16-0. The Bison won their eighth offensive linemen , Zack Johnson and FCS national championship in nine seasons and extended Cordell Volson; quarterback Lance; tight end Ben a 37-game winning streak, the third longest in Division I Ellefson; defensive end Derrek Tuszka; linebacker Jabril football history. NDSU also tied the school record with a Cox; and safety James Hendricks. 28-game home winning streak.  First-year head coach was named FCS Coach  A crowd of 34,544 was on hand at Target Field in of the Year by the Coaches Association. Minneapolis to watch the Bison defeat the Butler Bulldogs Previously the Bison’s defensive coordinator for five 57-10 in the season opener. It was the 10th largest crowd seasons, Entz became the first Division I head football all-time at an NDSU football game. coach to go 16-0 in his first season at the helm.

 Quarterback became the first freshman to  The Bison had 11 all-conference performers, including win the Walter Payton Award, which is presented annually Lance, who was voted Freshman of the Year and to the top offensive player in the Football Championship Newcomer of the Year, and he was the first freshman Subdivision. He also won the Jerry Rice Award, presented named the league’s Offensive Player of the Year. Tuszka to the top freshman FCS player. was named Defensive Player of the Year and Entz was named Coach of the Year as the Bison swept the league’s top individual honors.

Derrek Tuszka was a seventh-round draft pick of the in April. The Bison had two undrafted free agents agree to terms after the draft. signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars and Zack Johnson signed with the Green Bay Packers. VOLLEYBALL

 North Dakota State advanced to The Summit League tournament for the 12th time in program history, dropping a 3-1 decision to Omaha in the quarterfinals. The Bison finished with a 13-16 record overall, 8-8 in the league standings for fifth place during the regular season.

 NDSU outside hitter Syra Tanchin was named to The Summit League all-tournament team after she recorded 17 kills and a block against Omaha.

 Bison middle hitter Emily Halverson was named The Summit League Offensive Player of the Week on Nov. 19, while libero Kaylee Hanger was named the league’s Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 22.

 NDSU received the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Team Academic Award for the 2019 season. The Bison earned the award for the eighth consecutive year and the 20th time overall. SOCCER

 The 2019 season marked the 25th season of Bison women’s soccer. NDSU went 8-7-3 on the year, finishing with a winning record for the 18th time in program history.

 Senior goalkeeper Monica Polgar was named to the United Soccer Coaches Scholar All-Region Team and was selected to The Summit League Academic All-League Team. Polgar played every minute in the net for the Bison for a second straight year. Her 110 saves in 2019 were the third most in school history, while she finished her career with a school-record 21 shutouts.

 Senior Elyse Huber was named to the All-Summit League first team and Polgar earned second team honors. Freshmen Lavin Douglass and McKenna Strand were named to The Summit League All-Freshman Team.

 Huber tied a school record and set a Summit League record with four goals in a win over Eastern Washington. Huber finished the season ranked third in school history in shots on goal per game (2.35), tied for third in game- winning goals (5) and her 11 goals were tied for the sixth most in school history. WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY

 The Bison women captured the 2019 Summit League team championship on Nov. 2 at Rose Creek Golf Course in Fargo, winning the school’s first conference team title since 2013.

 Junior Kelby Anderson won The Summit League individual title to lead the NDSU charge at the conference meet, taking first place by a margin of 27 seconds. Bison freshman Kaleesa Houston earned Newcomer of the Championships as the top-finishing freshman in the league.

 Anderson recorded her second straight top-10 finish at the NCAA Midwest Regional on Nov. 15, finishing seventh out of more than 230 runners. Her performance was the third-best ever by a Bison at the Division I regional meet.

 As a team, the Bison women took 11th place at the NCAA Midwest Regional for the second-best regional finish in school history.

 NDSU captured the top Summit League awards for the 2019 women’s cross country season, with Anderson being named The Summit League Athlete of the Year and NDSU distance coach Andrew Carlson recognized as Coach of the Year. MEN’S CROSS COUNTRY

 The NDSU men’s cross country team took runner-up honors at The Summit League Championships held Nov. 2 in Fargo at Rose Creek Golf Course. It was the third straight runner-up team finish for the Bison.

 Junior Alex Bartholomay earned first-team All-Summit League honors with a seventh- place finish at the conference meet. He was the top runner for the Bison at five out of six meets on the season, and was voted to The Summit League Academic All-League Team.

 The Bison men earned the All-Academic Team award from the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) for the eighth consecutive year. The Bison posted a 3.46 cumulative grade point average for the 2019 season. men’s basketball

The Bison earned their fifth NCAA Tournament berth and fourth in the past seven seasons, sweeping The Summit League regular season and tournament championships.

NDSU improved to 12-3 at The Summit League Tournament in Sioux Falls over the past six years, beating Denver, Oral Roberts and North Dakota on the way to the title.

The Bison finished the season with an overall record of 25-8 and were ranked 19th in the final College Insider Mid- Major Poll.

Bison seniors Vinnie Shahid and Tyson Ward both earned NABC All-District and first-team All-Summit League honors. Ward also was named a Lou Henson Mid-Major All-American.

NDSU earned the NABC Team Academic Excellence Award for the seventh consecutive year. The Bison set a new program record with a 3.409 team GPA for the Spring 2020 semester.

For the third time in the past four seasons, NDSU men’s basketball led The Summit League in attendance. women’s basketball

Under first-year head coach Jory Collins, the Bison Gaislerova was named All-Summit League honorable went 11-19 overall and 7-9 in The Summit League. mention, while freshman Ryan Cobbins was named to NDSU defeated Denver 72-68 in The Summit League The Summit League All-Newcomer Team. Gaislerova quarterfinals, advancing to the tournament semifinals for led the Bison with 13.1 points per game, while Cobbins the first time since 2009. averaged 9.6 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game.

Junior Michelle Gaislerova was named to The Summit Junior Emily Dietz also averaged in double figures with League Academic All-League Team for the second straight 10.7 points per game, while leading NDSU with 7.3 season. Gaislerova became the first player in school rebounds per game. history to be named to the team for a second time.

In NDSU’s 74-53 win over Purdue Fort Wayne, Michelle Gaislerova set an NCAA Division I women’s basketball record by making her 72nd consecutive free throw. In the same game, she became the 34th player in program history to surpass 1,000 career points. wrestling

NDSU had six wrestlers qualify for the NCAA championship – 133 Cam Sykora, 141 Dylan Droegemueller, 157 Jared Franek, 165 Andrew Fogarty, 197 Cordell Eaton and 285 Brandon Metz. Sykora and Fogarty were four-time national qualifiers.

Sykora made history becoming the first Bison to win a Big 12 Conference individual championship. His title at 133 pounds and Fogarty’s runner-up finish at 165 pounds helped the Bison to a fifth-place finish at the Big 12 championships.

Sykora ranked in the top 10 nationally with seven technical falls and was named to the Division I All-America second team, while Franek and Fogarty were both honorable mentions.

NDSU finished the regular season with a 10-4 dual record, including a 6-2 mark against Big 12 teams. The Bison knocked off a nationally ranked opponent for the fourth straight season with a 28-13 victory over No. 21 Stanford in the Scheels Center.

Academically, Eaton was named the Big 12 Wrestling Scholar- Athlete of the Year. He joins Clay Ream as the only Bison to receive the honor. Eaton was a four-time selection to the Academic All-Big 12 wrestling team and led a group of 14 from NDSU named to the team in 2019-20.

NDSU ranked 10th nationally in the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) Division I Top 30 All-Academic team standings. men’s track and field

The Bison men captured their fourth indoor conference The NDSU men had the top group of shot putters in title in the past five seasons, scoring team points in all the NCAA, leading the entire nation with their four-man 17 events at The Summit League Championships. average of 63’ 6.75” (19.37m). NDSU was the only Even more impressively, the Bison scored at least five program in the country with four men over 60 feet team points in 15 of the 17 events contested. NDSU won in the shot put in 2020. by a 32-point margin over South Dakota State. Alex Talley, a junior from West Fargo, was the only athlete Men’s head coach Don Larson was named The Summit in the nation this year to qualify for the NCAA Indoor League Men’s Indoor Coach of the Year – the 18th Summit Championships in both throwing events. Talley was ranked League coaching honor of his career. fifth nationally in the weight throw and 15th in the shot put. He was joined at the national meet by sophomore Larson announced his retirement in late March, following Kristoffer Thomsen, who ranked seventh in the NCAA the cancellation of the 2020 outdoor season. In his 41-year in the shot put. career as head coach at NDSU, he led the Bison men to 59 conference team championships. women’s track and field

The NDSU women won their 13th consecutive Summit Associate head coach Justin St. Clair was named the League indoor championship and 25th straight team title USTFCCCA Midwest Region Women’s Assistant Coach of overall, including outdoor. The Bison captured nine of a the Year. It was the seventh regional honor in the past five possible 17 event titles at the indoor conference meet, years for St. Clair. The Bison women posted a dominant plus had the runner-up or third-place finisher in five of the showing at The Summit League Indoor Championships, other events. scoring 66 of a possible 78 team points in the two throwing events. NDSU senior thrower Shelby Gunnells was named the Summit League Indoor Field Athlete of the Year for the Sophomore Akealy Moton and seniors Gunnells and 2020 indoor season. She earned a No. 8 national ranking Maddy Nilles qualified to represent the Bison at the in the shot put and also ranked 51st in the country in the NCAA Indoor Championships in Albuquerque, New weight throw. Mexico, but the meet was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Moton was the top-ranked Bison entering the NDSU head coach Stevie Keller claimed The Summit meet at No. 4 in the NCAA in the shot put. League Women’s Indoor Track and Field Coach of the Year award for the sixth straight season. women’s golf

NDSU ranked third in The Summit League with a team scoring average of 298.4. Junior Taylor McCorkle led the Bison with a 76.2 stroke average, eighth best in school history, and junior Lexi Geolat was second on the team with a 76.4.

Six players on the 2019-20 squad rank in the top nine in school history in career stroke average. McCorkle is third in school history at 76.24, Alexis Thomas is fifth at 77.86, Sierra Bennion finished her career sixth at 78.26, and Camryn Roadley closed her career at ninth with a 79.27.

On back-to-back weeks during the fall season, the Bison shot rounds of 289 at the Coeur d’Alene Collegiate and the Battle at Old Works. It is the fourth-best score in school history.

NDSU had three tournaments with a score under 900 for three rounds, including the fifth-best score in school history with an 889 at the Coeur d’Alene Collegiate.

Roadley, Bennion, McCorkle, Thomas and Geolat were named All-American Scholars by the Women’s Golf Coaches Association. men’s golf

The Bison won the ODU/OBX Intercollegiate to finish the fall season. The Bison shot 826 over the three rounds, breaking the school record set earlier in the fall by 23 strokes. NDSU shot a 272 in the first round to set the 18-hole school record, while adding two rounds of 277. The three rounds are among the top four in school history.

Senior Andrew Israelson was named to The Summit League Academic All-League Team for the third straight season. Israelson finished the season with a 72.4 stroke average and is the only player in school history with multiple seasons with an average of 72.7 or lower.

Israelson and Brock Winter each shot a 66 at the ODU/OBX Intercollegiate. Israelson finished the tournament with a 207, tied for the third-best score in school history.

The Bison also added second place finishes at the Crusader Collegiate and the Ron Moore Invitational during the fall season. NDSU was 14 strokes under par in the third round of the Crusader Collegiate, the best score relative to par on the season. Head coach Darren Mueller reached career win No. 650 with the 6-0 shutout of Florida A&M on Feb. 15. Mueller has a 654-366 record overall in 19 seasons including 10 Summit League tournament championships and NCAA appearances. baseball

The Bison finished with an 8-9 record in a season cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic. NDSU won five of its final seven games, including the last two by 11-2 and 9-3 scores against Northern Colorado.

The Bison picked up a 7-4 win over Minnesota at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. Brock Anderson and Tucker Rohde each had a pair of hits, while Rohde drove in three runs in the victory over the Golden Gophers.

Rohde, Charley Hesse and Max Loven were all named to The Summit League Academic All-League Team. It was the second straight year Hesse was named to the team. The three Bison selections were the most in the league.

Hesse was named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District first team as a designated hitter He has a career .259 batting average in 62 games with 44 hits, including six doubles and a home run. softball

North Dakota State compiled a 7-16 record overall in a season cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Shortstop Montana DeCamp advanced to the round of 30 in the NCAA Senior CLASS Award. She became the fourth Bison softball player to receive the award joining former pitcher Jacquelyn Sertic (2018), second baseman Cheyenne Garcia (2016) and pitcher Krista Menke (2015).

Designated player Cara Beatty was named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District first team. DeCamp, third baseman Sam Koehn and pitcher Paige Vargas were named to the Summit League softball all-academic team.

The Bison had a dozen players recognized as Easton/ NFCA Scholar-Athletes by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association for the 2018-19 season. NDSU compiled a 3.59 team GPA to rank 11th in the nation. academics

The Bison took on the challenges of remote learning Women’s track and field had its ninth and tenth CoSIDA during the coronavirus pandemic of 2020 and turned Academic All-America accolades in the past eight years in record-high semester team GPAs in 11 of 14 sports, with Shelby Gunnells on the first team and Paige Harris including an impressive 3.897 by women’s golf and on the third team. Gunnells, who was selected to the 3.752 by women’s volleyball. prestigious Fulbright Scholar Program, was named Summit League Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year. NDSU distance runner Elliott Stone was named to the CoSIDA Academic All-America first team in men’s Football linebacker Jackson Hankey, a sophomore from track and field and cross country for the third straight Park River, North Dakota, was named the NCAA Elite 90 year. Stone earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical award winner representing the highest GPA at the national engineering with a 4.0 cumulative GPA and is pursuing a championship game. Hankey was a CoSIDA Academic master’s in business administration. All-America® second team honoree.

There was a record number of 4.0 GPAs in the spring For the first time in school history, NDSU earned the with 110 student-athletes achieving perfect marks. Summit League Institutional Academic Achievement In total, 320 student-athletes finished above 3.0 in the Award. The Bison had the league’s highest percentage of spring semester and 74 percent of student-athletes have eligible student-athletes taking 114 spots on the Summit cumulative GPAs of 3.0 or higher. League Commissioner’s List of Academic Excellence. community service

NDSU student-athletes go out of their way to give back to the Fargo-Moorhead community. The good deeds often happen without fanfare, but always make an impact for the various organizations and individuals they serve.

Among their many contributions in 2019-20, NDSU student-athletes collected food items and monetary donations for the Fargo Emergency Food Pantry, ran a successful toy drive benefiting the Ronald McDonald House and hosted a clinic for young female athletes in recognition of National Girls and Women in Sports Day. NDSU’s Ben Ellefson was selected to the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team in September for his service to the community. The award was given in a surprise presentation during a visit to a local elementary school, where Ellefson and a few Bison teammates joined a physical education class for flag football. NDSU does not discriminate in its programs and activities on the basis of age, color, gender expression/identity, genetic information, marital status, national origin, participation in lawful off-campus activity, physical or mental disability, pregnancy, public assistance status, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, spousal relationship to current employee, or veteran status, as applicable. Direct inquiries to: Vice Provost, Title IX/ADA Coordinator, Old Main 201, 701-231-7708, [email protected].