Bison Illustrated December 2015

DECEMBER 2015

THE STORY OF A

WALK–ON Ten Student-Athletes Explain Their Long and Uncertain Journeys To The Division I Stage

COMPLIMENTARY

TABLE OF CONTENTS

feature

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THE STORY OF A WALK-0N North Dakota State University houses more than 400 studentathletes. More than half of these athletes are receiving some sort of scholarship to pay for their schooling, but not everyone is given a free ride. We speak to 10 student-athletes who have chosen the walk-on route as they explain the challenges they’ve faced.

90 PATTY VIVERITO The Missouri Valley Football Conference has had one commissioner in its history. For the first time, we speak to Patty Viverito about her conference and where it stacks up among the rest of the FCS.

96 PRAIRIE LEARNING CENTER Walt Odegaard is a member of the Bison Athletic Hall of Fame. He was instrumental in leading the Bison to their first national championship, but where he left his mark was with the underprivileged youth in North Dakota.

AT A GLANCE 26 Brock Russell

58 Lauren Reimers & Julia Luciano

30 Keaton Lausch

66 Max Casper

36 McKenzie Burke

74 Football Features

40 Beau Kashmark

106 Patrick Harrison

44 Deidre Hahn

112 Alternate Helmets

50 Paul Funk

118 Men’s Basketball Bench

54 Nick O’Brien

136 Swany Says

FOLLOW US

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ANDREA PEARSON

info@spotlightmediafargo.com

@bisonmag

bisonillustrated.com

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BISON ILLUSTRATED • D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 5

100 Andrea Pearson was inducted into the Bison Athletic Hall of Fame this September.

She stops by our office to talk about her decorated career and the impact she’s making in her professional life.

meet the

TEAM

MIKE

BRENT

MICHAEL

DANIELLE

ANDREW

LAURA

NATE

JOE

BOUGIE

SODA

PAUL

JESSE

RYAN

LYDIA

ERICA

TRACY

HEATHER

SARAH

TANK

PAUL

DECEMBER 2015 | VOLUME 10 ISSUE 5 Bison Illustrated is a free publication distributed monthly (12 times a year). Our mission is to help promote North Dakota State University Athletics, provide a quality and fun reading experience and to improve the way of life in our community.

The publication is mailed to homes across the US and has newsstand distribution throughout North Dakota and Minnesota.

PUBLISHER Spotlight Media PRESIDENT Mike Dragosavich ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Paul Bougie EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Andrew Jason EDITOR Joe Kerlin DESIGN/LAYOUT Ryan Koehler, Sarah Geiger, Soda Tran CONTRIBUTORS Josh Swanson, Joe Kerlin, Paul Bougie COPY EDITORS Erica Rapp, Nate Mickelberg, GENERAL MANAGER Brent Tehven MARKETING/SALES Tracy Nicholson, Paul Hoefer, Paul Bougie, Tank McNamara SOCIAL MEDIA Dani Wente PHOTOGRAPHY J. Alan Paul Photography, NDSU Athletics, Paul Flessland BUSINESS Heather Hemingway OPERATIONS MANAGER SPECIAL THANKS Ryan Perreault, Wes Offerman, Ryan Anderson, Jeff Schwartz, Colle en Heimstead WEB DEVELOPER Lydia Gilbertson, Dani Wente DELIVERY Mitch Rapp

FOR ADVERTISING CALL 701-478-SPOT (7768) or email info@spotlightmediafargo.com

Spotlightmedia Bison Illustrated is published monthly by Spotlight Media LLC. Print quantity exceeds 40,000 per issue. Printed in the U.S.A. Bison Illustrated does not necessarily endorse or agree with content of articles or advertising presented. Bison Illustrated assumes no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts or photographs. Bison Illustrated is NOT an official publication of North Dakota State University.

Send change of address information and other correspondence to: Spotlight Media LLC. 502 1st Ave N. First Floor Fargo ND, 58102 or info@spotlightmediafargo.com

EDITOR’S NOTE The athletic season doesn’t follow the traditional Mayan calendar, but either way, 2015 was a good year to be a fan.

Here are the most memorable moments of 2015.

2015: YEAR OF

THE FANS FROM THE EDITOR Joe Kerlin

joe@bisonillustrated.com

1/9

FRIDAY NIGHT PEP RALLY

he start of 2015 couldn’t have been better. In Frisco, Texas, ehm, I mean Fargo South, the night before the Championship game, Bison fans gathered in a hockey arena to get ready for NDSU’s fourth consecutive championship game.

The crowd of 8,000-plus was greeted by former Bison greats, athletic director Matt Larsen and president Dean Bresciani at the Allen Event Center.

It was thunderous and the atmosphere was hyped.

Some fans left thinking they were just at a rock concert, but that’s just how hard Bison Nation likes to party.

12

1/10

The Last 1:38 of the FCS Championship Game If Tre Roberson scoring at the 1:38 mark in the fourth quarter was the worst moment of the year, then what happened after will never be forgotten.

Carson Wentz led a six-play, 78-yard gamewinning drive in the biggest game of the year.

It was an emotional rollercoaster for the thousands of Bison fans at Toyota Stadium.

The 2014 FCS Championship was a day Bison fans will be telling their grandkids about.

3/10

bisonillustrated

for sports fans. The Bison faithful got their third taste of sweet victory at the Summit League basketball tournament this March.

Lawrence Alexander missed a free throw and South Dakota State raced up the court.

Deondre Parks missed an unbalanced three and the loose ball was corralled on the floor as the final buzzer sounded.

Pandemonium ensued. As only a court storm could create, the Bison fans who made the trip to Sioux Fall, S.D., joined the basketball team at center court to celebrate Cinderella being crowned conference champion.

3/20

#dexterwerner

Summit League Championship Court Storm

Storming the court is near the top of every bucket list

BISON ILLUSTRATED • D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 5

@bisonmag

For those who watched the NCAA Tournament from home and scrolling through Twitter, Dexter

@joebisonmag

Werner’s performance against Gonzaga took over the Internet.

Werner’s powerful presence in the paint and his willingness to go against the much taller post players on Gonzaga made him a cult hero. He had a career-high of 22 points while becoming a fan favorite among the college basketball watching community.

The performance was a surprise for Bison fans, too.

It was the Bismarck native coming out partly to not only Bison Nation but the rest of the country.

Basketball fans urged him to declare for the draft after his heroic performance in defeat, but luckily for Dave Richman and NDSU fans, Werner is back on the floor for the Bison for at least two more years. And he’s picked up exactly where he left off.

SINCERELY,

Joe Kerlin

SECOND

SEASON

TAILGATING FROM paul bougie CONTACT ME 701-478-7768 paulbougie@spotlightmediafargo.com

READING RECOMMENDATION: If you're near an audio-playing device, click play on "Thunderstruck" by AC/DC.

t is more than just a tent, patio heater, a good set of long undies and a cup of coffee with your favorite flavoring (Yes, I’m saying put something of the adult variety in your coffee to stay warm. That’s what grandpa taught me).

Tailgating in the second season is an art form.

The masters of this craft can tell the experienced tailgaters from those who just got their hang in a parking lot kit for the fist time.

So, allow me, a seasoned secondseason tailgater, give you tips to get you through the playoffs.

#1 Layers There are the masters who can get a Snorty Bison logo on every layer, and that’s great, but when you get to your first tent, it gets warm and you lose that early layer fast. As long as layers two, three and four have a logo, you are golden.

#2 The Right Layers Tailgating is a social thing. You don’t just get to the place you want to be and stay. There are many new friends who have warm areas that you can visit. The rookies hit the walkabout in full winter garb, looking like the kid dressed up in the movie A Christmas Story. Now the crazy ones, as some call them, who are out there in just a T-shirt, they’re not crazy. They know more new friends are just one tailgate spot away and head to another warm tent or bus.

#3 Food As the seasons change, so does food. Soups, chili and food that sticks to your bones in this kind of weather is what we all cook. Seek out these new and exciting cuisines that have been cooking in a crockpot since Tuesday. Trust me, it’s some good eating. Seriously. Do it.

Well, there you go. A couple of tips to make it a hot time in the old tailgate lot this December.

Go Bison,

Paul Bougie

BISON SHOTS

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BISON SHOTS

BISON SHOTS Senior wide receiver Zach Vraa hugs head coach Chris Klieman during Senior Day, November 21 at the Fargodome. It was the second Senior Day for the sixth-year senior who returned to the Bison football team after the NCAA granted him another year of eligibility for a medical hardship. Vraa only caught one pass for one yard in the game, but it was a memorable and acrobatic grab. His touchdown catch against Missouri State put Vraa alone at number one all-time in NDSU career receiving touchdowns. It was his 27th trip to the end zone in his Bison career.

Photo by Paul Flessland

DID WE MISS SOMETHING @ THE GAME Let us know and send us your pictures to joe@bisonillustrated.com 17

2015 sporting calendar DECEMBER

23 MEN’S BASKETBALL

8 WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

28 WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

vs. Grand Canyon (Fargo) 7 p.m.

11 MEN’S BASKETBALL at North Dakota (Grand Forks, N.D.) 7:30 p.m.

12 WOMEN’S BASKETBALL at North Dakota (Grand Forks, N.D.) 2 p.m.

13 WRESTLING

at South Dakota State (Brookings, S.D.) 4:30 p.m.

16 MEN’S BASKETBALL

vs. Montana State (Fargo) 7 p.m.

18 WOMEN’S BASKETBALL vs. North Carolina A&T (Wichita, Kan.) 4 p.m.

19 WOMEN’S BASKETBALL vs. Prairie View A&M (Wichita, Kan.) 12 p.m.

20 WRESTLING

vs. Reno Tournament of Champions (Reno, Nev.) All Day

21 MEN’S BASKETBALL vs. Idaho State (Logan, Utah) 6:30 p.m.

22 WOMEN’S BASKETBALL at NJIT (Newark, N.J.) 11 a.m.

22 MEN’S BASKETBALL

vs. UT Rio Grande Valley (Logan, Utah) 6:30 p.m.

at Utah State (Logan, Utah) 9 p.m.

vs. Cal State Fullerton (Fargo) 7 p.m.

29-30 WRESTLING vs. Midlands Championships (Evanston, Ill.) All Day

30 WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

at Omaha (Omaha, Neb.) 7 p.m.

30 MEN’S BASKETBALL

vs. Northland College (Wis.) (Fargo) 7 p.m.

JANUARY

13 MEN’S BASKETBALL

vs. South Dakota (Fargo) 7 p.m.

14 WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

vs. South Dakota (Fargo) 7 p.m.

SPORTING CALENDAR

DEC/JAN 15 WRESTLING

at Boise State (Boise, Idaho) 8 p.m.

15-16 WOMEN’S TRACK & FIELD National Pole Vault Summit (Reno, Nev.) TBA

15-16 MEN’S TRACK & FIELD National Pole Vault Summit (Reno, Nev.) TBA

Senior guard Kory Brown has started over 100 games in his Bison career. The guard averaged a career-high in points per game last year with 8.3 per contest.

3 WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

vs. South Dakota State (Fargo) 4 p.m.

3 MEN’S BASKETBALL vs. Denver (Fargo) 1 p.m.

7 MEN’S BASKETBALL vs. Omaha (Fargo) 7 p.m.

7 WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

at Denver (Denver, Colo.)

8 p.m.

9 WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

vs. Oral Roberts (Fargo) 7 p.m.

9 MEN’S BASKETBALL at Oral Roberts (Tulsa, Okla.)

7 p.m.

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THE STORY OF A WALK-ON

THE STORY OF A

WALK–ON

N

By Joe Kerlin

ot every student-athlete who decides to continue their athletic career at North Dakota State is showered with glory and given publicity after signing their letter of intent. For many of these student-athletes, embarking on the long journey of becoming a Division I athlete is riddled with risk and hours of work outside practice and the classroom. Overshadowed out of high school, they aren’t receiving any financial support from the athletic department. They’re doing this on their own terms.

These are the stories of the walk-ons.

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THE STORY OF A WALK-ON

who’s on scholarship?

Roster Size vs. Scholarship Limitation

= Scholarship Limitation

Definition - This is the number of scholarships each program gets. Equivalency sports have the option of distributing partial scholarships to as many as studentathletes as possible. For example, the softball team, theoretically, could have its 12 scholarships partially distributed throughout all 19 student-athletes on the roster.

HEAD-COUNT SPORTS

(Can’t give partial scholarships. Each scholarship is a full scholarship)

Sport

Roster Size

>WOMENS BASKETBALL

Scholarship Limitation 15

10 13

MENS BASKETBALL 15 12

VOLLEYBALL 17

EQUIVALENCY SPORTS

(Can give partial scholarships. Scholarships divided among players)

12

SOFTBALL 19 11.7

*BASEBALL 39

18

WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY/ 57 TRACK AND FIELD MEN’S CROSS COUNTRY/ 57 TRACK AND FIELD

12.6 14

SOCCER 26

63

^FOOTBALL 107

6

WOMEN’S GOLF 7 4.5

MEN’S GOLF 10 WRESTLING 38

KEY:

9.9

* = Limit 27 student athletes on athletic aid

^ = Limit 85 student athletes on athletic aid

> = Women’s basketball have 9 student athletes on scholarhsip 25

THE STORY OF A WALK-ON

BROCK

RUSSELL Bio SPORT - Football POSITION - Offensive Guard HEIGHT - 6’2” WEIGHT - 270 CLASS - Senior HOMETOWN - Mandan, North Dakota HIGH SCHOOL - Mandan High School

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THE STORY OF A WALK-ON

FOOTBALL

PREPARING FOR LIFE Off The Gridiron

By Joe Kerlin Photo By J. Alan Paul Photography

Brock Russell’s journey to NDSU stands out compared, to his teammates who were recruited heavily and given scholarships right out of high school. What’s even more unique has been his loyalty to a program that’s never given him a start because he knows the experience of being a college football player is greater than playing on Saturdays.

I

magine a hot summer day in Fargo. The sun reflects off cars in the parking lot and the Dacotah Field bleachers, while the boiling heat from the artificial turf creates sweltering heat.

The humidity makes you wonder where you put your snorkel, and the sweat from your pores open from just the thought of going outside.

It’s around dinner time, and the sun is still producing enough heat to make you wish you were in the middle of a lake. But oh, you’re nowhere near relaxation.

For NDSU football players, this scene is at the foundation of four national championships. The pain of conditioning matters, and with the help of Jim Kramer and his grueling summer regimen, every football player is preparing for a long playoff run. It all begins in June, on Dacotah Field, running until your legs weigh a thousand pounds.

“Get those knees up!” walk-on Brock Russell remembers hearing during the summer of 2012, in the midst of his first conditioning session with Kramer and his new teammates.

The Bison were coming off their first FCS National Championship and five months later, they were back at it, putting in the extra sprints to make sure they’d be back in Frisco, Texas, the following January.

Russell had just transferred to NDSU from Bemidji State. He’s a North Dakota native, former Shrine Bowl participant in 2010 and was a 2011 graduate of Mandan High School. He was the first football player in four years from his high school to try his hand at college football.

Russell saw most of his football offers flood in from Division II and Division III schools in the area, including Minnesota State University Moorhead and the University of Mary in Bismarck. During his senior year, he decided he would follow his outdoorsman blood to Bemidji State to continue his football career.

“I didn’t know what college football was like at the time,” said the senior offensive lineman. “I had no idea what to expect.”

What Russell said he wanted was a greater experience. He wanted an opportunity to grow and become the best player he could be, while receiving the best coaching possible.

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THE STORY OF A WALK-ON

And who knows? Maybe contend for a Division II title with the Beavers.

Bemidji. “(I) didn’t hear back from him for a while so I thought maybe it wasn’t going to happen.”

What he found was disappointment.

The coaching staff was bouncing around his roommate from Mandan from position to position. The final straw was when Russell tore his labrum while he was on scout team kickoff coverage, blocking with a padded shield he’d never used before.

Just days before Russell was going to sign his transfer paperwork to a school closer to his hometown — in Bismarck at the University of Mary — Coach Bohl gave him a call.

After spending the 2011 season on the sidelines, he knew that if he didn’t leave now, he would never find the college football experience he yearned for during his all-state days at Mandan.

“I contacted Coach (Tyler) Roehl because I knew he was an assistant coach and I contacted Coach (Craig) Bohl and I sent him an email,” Russell said. NDSU was one of the many schools he was interested in transferring to after that first fall in 28

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“Finally, one day I got a call from Coach Bohl, saying, ‘We have an open spot for you to walk-on,’” Russell said. He continued to reiterate what Bohl said, “It’s not going to be a bed of roses. It’s not going to be easy at all, but we have a spot for you to come in and try out and see what happens.”

Russell had no idea what he was getting himself into. But it was the experience he was looking for, and during those summer conditioning drills with Coach Kramer pushing him, he knew it was the motivation he needed to become the best he could be.

It would have been easy for his new teammates, fresh off an FCS title, to not welcome in their new comrade.

After all, Russell could have been perceived as a guy who wasn’t good enough to cut it at Division II, let alone Division I football. But Russell said his teammates were the complete opposite of what he walked into at Bemidji.

“The guys thought they were bigger than everybody else. They thought they were better than everybody,” Russell remembers. “They had this macho mentality, and NDSU, for how good they were, they were all welcoming here and trying to make me better. I instantly felt at home here.”

Russell had multiple hurdles to overcome. He was transitioning from the defensive to the offensive line. At 6’2”, he was also undersized, arriving at NDSU weighing 250 pounds.

Four years later, Russell is up to 275 pounds and has found his role on the team as a serviceman.

You won’t see him playing on the offensive line during the first quarter, but Russell is okay with that. He’s grinded it out and has created a bond with his brothers on the line.

“I might not take the amount of reps that they do on the offensive line or whatever, but we all do the same thing when it comes down to it,” Russell said. “So to see somebody you’ve been grinding with getting bigger, faster, stronger all summer, seeing them be successful for the school, is a big thing for me.

“I come from a family of hard work ethic and wake up every day and contribute to society and do something good. Getting an education, too, is what it comes down to.”

Russell’s father, TJ, is the president and CEO of Cloverdale Food Company in Mandan. He’s seen the benefit of hard work and grinding through the adversity that faces a senior football player who has never started a game in his career.

“I’ve had plenty of days where I’ve wanted to quit, but I’m sure everybody else has, too,” Russell said. “When I’m having a bad day, I’ll give them (parents) a call and they’ll say, ‘Hey, you don’t want to

do that.’ Or my coaches will tell me to give them a call, and I go up to the office and they’ll ask me, ‘Is that how you want your story to end?’

They’re right. If I walk out now, what will I do later in life?”

The hard-working mentality has carried over to the classroom, and Russell plans to graduate at the end of the fall semester with a degree in university studies.

His program has prepared him for life after football, just as the tireless summer conditioning and endless practices have strengthened his attitude while facing challenges.

Russell plans to go back to Mandan and work at Cloverdale for his father. But he doesn’t want the keys to the company. Russell said he’s more than ready to start at the bottom, like any other employee, bringing his lunch pale every day and working nine-to-five in the factory.

Russell’s impact on Bison football will never be reflected in the box score or record book, but his serviceman role is the lifeblood of a football program that’s on a historic stretch of success. Russell believes this experience has prepared him for the next challenge life throws his way. Whether that’s in the factory or running a business, he’ll always have the lessons learned during those long days of grinding on the football field to fall back on.

THE STORY OF A WALK-ON

Bio SPORT - Golf CLASS - Sophomore HOMETOWN - Fergus Falls, Minnesota HIGH SCHOOL - Fergus Falls High School

KEATON

LAUSCH

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THE STORY OF A WALK-ON

Swinging MEN’S GOLF

FOR SUCCESS Sophomore golfer Keaton Lausch earned his spot on the roster in 54 holes of golf. When he decided to take the risk of playing college golf, his spot wasn’t guaranteed.

Choosing to continue the dream and become a walk-on was a swing of faith for the biology major from Fergus Falls, Minn. Lausch’s swing connected without error, and now he’s on his way to becoming a leader on the golf team for the next three years.

The Interview WERE YOU GOING TO NDSU ALREADY BEFORE DECIDING TO WALK ON TO THE GOLF TEAM? “I hadn’t set a college yet. I was still trying to decide if I wanted to play golf or if I wanted to just go to school or do whatever. I talked to Coach (Steve) Kennedy a little bit, and he kind of persuaded me to come here and to give golf a try.”

SO WHAT WAS THE DECIDING FACTOR IN YOU COMING HERE? “He (Coach Kennedy) asked me to come up to Fargo and have a visit in his office before I came. So I came up, and we had a long talk about the opportunities and everything that I was going to get here and the chances I had to make the team.

When I left the meeting, I pretty much decided that I was going to give it a try and he was really welcoming and it felt like NDSU was going to be a really good place.”

BUT YOU WERE FOR SURE ON THE ROSTER, RIGHT? “Nope.”

WHAT WAS THE TRYOUT PROCESS LIKE? “He allowed, I think it was myself and three other guys, the chance to qualify. It was just a 54-hole deal, and the low score after that made the team.”

DO YOU CARRY THAT CHIP ON YOUR SHOULDER AFTER LITERALLY PLAYING YOUR WAY ONTO THE TEAM? “Yeah. When I first came here, I felt like I was out of place and I didn’t really belong there. But as time went on, I started playing better, and people were thinking maybe I can play and it just gave me a little more confidence being a walk-on and not having any scholarship money.

It does add a little chip on your shoulder.”

HOW DID THE TEAM RECEIVE YOU LAST YEAR AFTER YOU MADE THE TEAM AS A WALK-ON? “I actually knew quite a few of them from playing high school golf and stuff. They were very welcoming of having me on the team.”

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THE STORY OF A WALK-ON

WHAT’S GONE INTO THE IMPROVEMENT OF YOUR GOLF SCORES FROM YOUR FIRST YEAR TO NOW?

with them before and I’m just not a rookie anymore, which is definitely good.”

“I worked super hard in the Dactoah Field Bubble last winter. I worked with my swing coach and stuff like that a little bit. We got in a good groove and I played fairly well in the spring and then I worked again, timeless and countless hours this summer and then tried to carry it over to the fall.”

WHAT CAN YOU TAKE AWAY FROM YOUR FIRST TOP-10 FINISH YOU HAD AT WHISTLING STRAITS INTERCOLLEGIATE IN OCTOBER?

HOW HAS YOUR APPROACH CHANGED? “I know a little bit more what to expect. I know how college tournaments are set up, how courses are set up, I know how long they’re going to be. I know a lot of kids that I’m playing with because I played

“It just gave me confidence that I was four or five shots away. I could’ve shaved a few off here and I could’ve shaved a few off there. I could’ve won this golf tournament. It just gave me expectations and confidence that I do belong here and I can win.”

WITHOUT LOOKING AT ANY FILM, HOW DO YOU GO BACK AND IMPROVE ON THOSE SHOTS YOU MISSED? “We keep stats and everything, so we know how many fairways we

hit a round, how many greens in regulation and how many putts. We do keep stats like that, but you pretty much just have to go and replay it in your head and think about what you could’ve done differently here. Maybe approach your shot differently. You have to spend a little time post-round and hope you turn it around the next round and make fewer mistakes.”

WHAT ARE YOUR EXPECTATIONS FOR THE SPRING SEASON WHEN YOU GET GOING AGAIN IN FEBRUARY? “I want to play the best golf I can and help my team out the best way that I can and try to get us to a conference championship. But I mean, for the most part, just try to lower that stroke average and look for my first collegiate win.”

Accolades TOTAL ROUNDS – 28 TOTAL EVENTS – 10 AVERAGE SCORE – 77.54 LOWEST ROUND – 68 (UNO INVITATIONAL, SEPT. 14, 2015) TOP 10 FINISHES – 1 (WHISTLING STRAIGHTS INTERCOLLEGIATE, OCT. 13, 2015)

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THE STORY OF A WALK-ON

McKenzie

burke Bio SPORT - Volleyball POSITION - Outside Hitter HEIGHT - 5’11” CLASS - Redshirt Freshman HOMETOWN - Osceola, Wisconsin HIGH SCHOOL - Osceola High School

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THE STORY OF A WALK-ON

VOLLEYBALL

FINDING HER PLACE

In History

Photo By J. Alan Paul Photography

It’s hard to stand out in a city of more than 200,000 people.

McKenzie Burke already made her mark in a town of 2,000 during high school, with her acrobatic leaps and spikes in the volleyball gym.

Today, the redshirt freshman is trying to go from forgettable walk-on to memorable star. The Bison may have the right team next year to make this dream a reality.

I

n the small town of Osceola, Wis., high school sports reign supreme. Tucked along the border of Minnesota and Wisconsin, Osceola is an hour drive from Minneapolis.

Sports figures who are engrained in the memories of most of the town locals aren’t professionals. They’re athletes with decorated careers at Osceola High School, home of the Chieftains.

Women’s volleyball player McKenzie Burke is somewhat of a hometown hero. She was your prototypical three-sport star at Osceola. Burke was a three-year starter on the varsity volleyball and basketball teams and a four-year starter on the softball team. She was a two-year captain for the Chieftains volleyball team and was a first-team allconference player in her junior and senior seasons.

At 5-foot-11-inches, Burke’s hard to forget in a town of 2,000.

Today, the redshirt freshman has yet to make a name for herself in Fargo.

After receiving offers from several Division II schools in Minnesota, Iowa and Wisconsin, Burke knew she had the skills that would translate well to the Division I game. She was in for a surprise, though, when she joined Kari Thompson’s team as a walk-on.

“Coach T (Thompson) was pretty good friends with my club team coach,” Burke said. “We communicated really well and she asked me to come for a visit, I did, loved it, and it was really easy and simple.”

Burke arrived before the 2014 season along with four other freshmen.

It was anything but simple. Coach Thompson recruited Burke as a middle blocker but decided to move her to the outside.

“It’s like an infielder going to the outfield,” said Burke.

Burke spent countless hours in the gym last season adjusting to her new position. Although, she knew she wouldn’t get the opportunity to show her progress during a match. Being a walk-on, she had her doubts if she’d ever be able to get on the court and contribute to the team.

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THE STORY OF A WALK-ON

Career Stats SETS PLAYED - 24 MATCHES PLAYED - 10 KILLS - 11 TOTAL BLOCKS - 4 POINTS - 14

“In high school, I played all three years starting varsity, I played all the time, and I was starting on my club team,” Burke said. “Coming in here and not getting a chance to be on the court my first year, it definitely sucked.”

What helped Burke get through her redshirt season were her teammates. The scholarship athletes could’ve easily ignored her and treated her as another practice player. On the contrary, Burke said she was received by her teammate just like any other player on scholarship.

Burke has played in 24 sets through 10 matches this season and has 11 kills. It was no bed of roses for the

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BISON ILLUSTRATED • D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 5

walk-on entering her first year of eligibility.

“In the preseason, I thought, ‘Oh my gosh. This is absolutely out of my range. What am I doing here?’”

Burke said. “But, after I got over that bump, I was like, this is why I’m here.”

Burke attributes her confidence to why she has made the successful leap to big-time college volleyball from the small-town high school game. Her advice for other walkons is something she’s had to remind herself of since getting to NDSU. “Don’t look at yourself as being an underdog compared to every other freshmen that’s coming in with you that is on scholarship,” Brurke said.

She related her advice to what she went through. “There’s a reason why she (Thompson) recruited me.

There’s something that she saw and I have to believe that every time that I go out there, whether that’s in practice or I get a chance to get into the game.”

Burke is still considered a walk-on and has yet to earn any of the 12 scholarships the volleyball team is given every year.

However, she is receiving financial help through academic scholarships. She’s studying exercise science and has just applied for the professional program. She said she’s hoping for a future in the medical field, but doesn’t have a preference yet.

As for being remembered as a standout athlete at NDSU, Burke said that’s eventually the goal.

“I want to be approached by a person that watched me play and say, ‘Hey, you were a part of that 2016, 2017 team that really made a difference and made an impact on this community,’” Burke said. “I want to make a difference. With the little campers that we have, be a person to look up to, show them that they can do this just as much as I can.”

The NDSU volleyball program will only lose one senior from the 2015 team, which means the future is bright for next year. The challenge will be hanging in the balance next fall, and who knows, 2016 might be Burke and the volleyball’s team best chance to make their mark in the history books.

THE STORY OF A WALK-ON

Bio SPORT - Track and Field EVENTS - Jumps CLASS - Senior HOMETOWN - Barrett, Minnesota HIGH SCHOOL - West Central Area High School

BEAU

KASHMARK

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THE STORY OF A WALK-ON

MEN’S TRACK & FIELD

LAst Minute CHANGE FOR THE BETTER Forget about NDSU. Beau Kashmark was close to never running track for the rest of his life.

The senior from Barrett, Minn., was almost a junior college basketball player before an NDSU coach saw him and knew he’d be a great fit for the Bison. Unfortunately, Kashmark would have to walk-on and earn his keep on the competitive Bison track and field roster.

The Interview WHAT’S BARRETT, MINNESOTA LIKE? “It’s a small town where literally everybody knows everybody and it’s got a small hometown community feel to it. (Population) right around 400. My high school I went to, West Central Area, is actually made up of Barrett and three or four other surrounding towns.”

HOW MANY GUYS WERE ON YOUR TRACK AND FIELD TEAM? “Maybe like 20. Not very many.”

YOU BROKE YOUR SCHOOL’S RECORD IN BLOCK SHOTS. WERE YOU A GOOD BASKETBALL PLAYER? “Yeah, I was decent. I was actually going to go play basketball until I decided to go here. I was all signed up and ready to go play at Fergus Community College, which is about a half hour from Barrett.”

WHEN DID NDSU FIRST CONTACT YOU? “It was my senior year, the meet before state, the section meet. I was at MSUM (Minnesota State University Moorhead), their track and the jumpers coach (Eric

Hanenberger) at the time for the Bison was there and he saw me jump.

I didn’t talk to him that day, but he talked to one of my coaches and gave him, my coach, his number and I talked to him a couple days after that and that was the first I heard from him. That’s what ultimately made me change my mind. I hadn’t even applied at NDSU yet.”

BEING SET ON A JUNIOR COLLEGE AND THEN GOING DIVISION I IS A BIG JUMP, WHAT WAS THAT CHANGE OF MINDSET LIKE? “I just thought it was so cool that they were even talking to me. I didn’t know much about the recruiting process so I didn’t even realize it, at the time it was so late. I was just pretty much flattered they were talking to me and I had to make the decision between junior college and Division I and I picked Division I.”

HOW MUCH DID YOU KNOW ABOUT NDSU’S TRACK AND FIELD TEAM BEFORE YOU CAME? “I knew their football team was good and I knew they were Division I in everything, but I didn’t know that the track team was strong, no.”

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THE STORY OF A WALK-ON

Career Stats HIGH JUMP – 2 meters (6.56 feet) LONG JUMP – 6.33 meters (20.77 feet) TRIPLE JUMP – 13.57 meters (44.52 feet)

WHAT MADE THE BIGGEST IMPRESSION ON YOU RIGHT AWAY WHEN YOU GOT HERE?

DID YOU EVER HAVE A MOMENT WHERE YOU THOUGHT IT MIGHT BE TOO MUCH FOR YOU?

“Probably seeing the weight room in the old BSA (Bison Sports Arena).

That was crazy to me because our weight room at our high school was nothing compared to that, obviously. So when I saw that, they had 20 different platforms with NDSU logos all over them and what not, that was pretty cool.”

“Not really, no. It was definitely hard work, but once I decided to do it, I wasn’t going to quit.”

WHAT WAS IT LIKE COMPETING AGAINST YOUR DIVISION I TEAMMATES FOR THE FIRST TIME? “(Laughs) It was definitely eyeopening because basically during all my high school meets, I was the winner in high-jump, usually jumping around six feet and that’s what the opening height was in college and all these guys on the team are state title winners and all that. It was a big change.”

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ARE YOU ON SCHOLARSHIP? “I did last spring. That was my first semester getting on there.

It was pretty cool to finally get a scholarship after walking on and not even knowing you’re going to make the team and all that.”

WAS GOING INTO MECHANICAL ENGINEERING ALWAYS A PART OF THE PLAN EVEN IF YOU WERE GOING TO JUNIOR COLLEGE? “I was originally going to junior college and then ideally I would’ve transferred here or somewhere to get into engineering school.

It just worked out that they had

engineering at NDSU and I could start getting into the program right away.”

WHAT’S YOUR PLAN WITH YOUR ENGINEERING DEGREE? “I don’t know yet, I need to find a job still. I could graduate this fall, but I’m going to go the full year just because I have eligibility left.”

THE WOMEN DO IT ALL THE TIME. DO THEY PUSH YOU GUYS DURING PRACTICE? “I think it helps. A lot of the times the jumpers practice with the girls, we get pretty close with them and it’s good to see them do so well. It pushes us to try and match them.

It kind of sucks when they win indoor and we don’t, then they have something to brag about. But no, it’s a good relationship I think.”

THE STORY OF A WALK-ON

DEIDRE

HAHN

Bio SPORT - Track and Field EVENTS - Multi-Events/Sprints CLASS - Indoor- Sophomore Outdoor- Junior HOMETOWN - Warroad, Minnesota HIGH SCHOOL - Warroad High School

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THE STORY OF A WALK-ON

WOMEN’S TRACK & FIELD

WALKING HER WAY ON TO THE

Record Book Photo By J. Alan Paul Photography

The women’s track and field program has been the most dominant team in the Summit League since joining the conference in 2008. The championship banners don’t lie. Fourteen combined indoor and outdoor championships over the past eight years tell you everything you need to know about the competitors NDSU attracts to its program.

So it’s a surprise to hear one of their rising stars walked on to the program in 2013. From nearly quitting the sport she loves to calling it her escape from a busy 19-credit class schedule, Deidre Hahn tells us her story.

T

here’s no “I” in team, but there is in “Deidre.”

As a senior, Deidre Hahn was the lone representative from her school at the Minnesota State High School Track and Field meet. She won individual state titles in the long jump and high jump and placed second in the 200-meter and third in the 100-meter dash.

Hahn single-handedly carried Warroad to a first place tie at the women’s Class A state track and field meet with 42 points. To go along with a state banner, she also has her name beside 10 Warroad school records.

What’s surprising is that after a decorated high school career, Hahn walked on at NDSU. It was such a shock that most of her teammates didn’t even know.

During her freshman season, she finished fourth in the high jump and placed sixth in the heptathlon in the Summit League Outdoor Championship meet. After one year

on campus, NDSU stepped to the plate and started paying for most of her education while she pursued her degree in pharmacy.

Hahn was home in Warroad after her first year of college. One day she received a letter from NDSU. “I thought I was being drug tested or something,” laughed the third-year multi-event competitor. “I guess I didn’t even care anymore because I was enjoying track so much that I didn’t care if I got a scholarship or not. So when I got a letter in June saying that I was being awarded a scholarship amount, I was super excited.”

Hahn and her parents were ecstatic, especially after the journey she went through.

Hahn said she almost decided against running track in college to pursue her dream job in pharmacy, a field of work she shadowed while in high school.

“NDSU called me. I came for a couple short visits and I don’t know, it wasn’t that I didn’t like NDSU, I just thought I wanted to be done with track after high school,” Hahn said, explaining how her performance in the state track meet sparked more

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THE STORY OF A WALK-ON of an interest in the sport. “I called Ryun (Godfrey) and asked if I could still run and he’s like, ‘Yeah, we have a spot for you.’”

When Hahn first arrived at NDSU, she said she didn’t know where a small school runner like herself was going to stack up against Division I competition. It also didn’t help that she had to deal with an injury most of the season and take a redshirt her first indoor season.

But it only made her stronger, Hahn said.

“I think I improved as an athlete, but maybe it’s the mental part that, ‘You’re not going to win this race,’” Hahn said, explaining the hump she had to conquer before finding success in college. “You should hope that you are, but there are always other athletes out there that are better than you.”

And the notion that there’s always someone better than her is what motivates Hahn, along with the unyielding support from other athletes on the women’s track team.

So what’s next for Hahn?

She doesn’t really know and laughed because women’s head coach Stevie Keller told her to write down her goals at the beginning of the season. When asked, Hahn paused and she glanced at the Top 10 list of record holders on the wall in the main entrance of the Shelly Ellig Indoor Track Facility and said, “It would be cool to get my name on the Top 10 list at a couple more events.”

Hahn’s name is already beside the best in NDSU history in the 60-meter indoor event, even though she’s only been eligible for

Career Bests 60-METER - 7.72 sec.

100-METER - 12.58 sec.

200-METER - 24.47 sec.

400-METER - 55.43 sec.

800-METER - 2:22.76 min.

60-METER HURDLES - 9.54 sec.

100-METER HURDLES - 16.28 sec.

HIGH JUMP - 1.62 meters (5.31 feet) LONG JUMP - 5.39 meters (17.68 feet) SHOT PUT - 8.23 meters (27 feet) JAVELIN - 24.5 meters (80.38 feet) PENTATHLON - 3,148 points HEPTATHLON - 4,655 points

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one season. Aside from having the seventh fastest 60, she was also a part of an elite relay team.

Hahn, along with Morgan Milbrath, Melissa Kitching and Ashley Heinze ran in the 4x400meter outdoor relay during the NCAA West Preliminaries in Austin, Texas last May. The group ran the fourth-fastest 4x400 relay time in NDSU history with Hahn as the anchor, the spot traditionally reserved for the fastest runner.

“I was definitely the underdog,” admits Hahn, who hadn’t run a 400-meter race since ninth grade.

“I’ve never been more nervous in my life for some of those races. Like when we ran at Notre Dame, I thought that was a lot of pressure but when we got down to Texas, the atmosphere is pretty unbelievable down there.”

THE STORY OF A WALK-ON

NDSU finished fourth in their heat and was eliminated from moving on.

But the learning experience was one Hahn won’t forget approaching her sophomore indoor season.

“I mean, my ultimate goal would be to someday, or one of these years – or all of them – would be to make it to regionals in an individual event,” Hahn adds.

However the season ends for Hahn, she knows her teammates will be there for support. After all, the tightly knit Bison have won 14 out of a possible 16 indoor and outdoor championships since joining the Summit League.

The Bison won’t need Hahn to carry them single-handedly to a championship, but Keller and Hahn’s teammates know she will play an integral role for three more years.

Accolades SUMMIT LEAGUE INDOOR CHAMPION IN THE 4X400 RELAY NCAA WEST PRELIMINARY ROUNDS OUTDOOR QUALIFIER IN THE 4X400 RELAY USTFCCCA ALL-ACADEMIC HONOREE SHELLY ELLIG INDOOR TRACK & FIELD FACILITY WOMEN’S 4X400 RELAY RECORD HOLDER SEVENTH FASTEST INDOOR 60-METER IN SCHOOL HISTORY FOURTH AND SEVENTH FASTEST INDOOR 4X400 RELAY TEAM IN SCHOOL HISTORY TENTH FASTEST OUTDOOR 100-METER IN SCHOOL HISTORY

Deidre Hahn races her way to the finish line in the 400-meter dash during the Thundering Herd Classic.

NINTH FASTEST OUTDOOR 4X100 IN SCHOOL HISTORY FOURTH AND 10TH FASTEST OUTDOOR 4X400 IN SCHOOL HISTORY FIFTH FASTEST OUTDOOR DISTANCE MEDLEY RELAY IN SCHOOL HISTORY

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baseball

OVERCOMING THE

“Small School” Label Senior Paul Funk hit .500 during his sophomore season of high school.

That same year, he was the first-ever high school player to record a hit at Target Field during the state championship game. On paper, he was a top candidate to receive a Division I scholarship after high school. But there was a problem: he was from a small school.

Funk was overlooked, but that didn’t discourage his confidence when he walked on at NDSU. Now, the senior is receiving a partial scholarship and has been a rock at shortstop for the Bison.

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The Interview WHAT WERE SOME OF THE CHALLENGES YOU ENCOUNTERED IN THE RECRUITING PROCESS? “I’m from a really tiny town in Minnesota (Sebeka) so it was pretty hard to get exposure to college coaches. I had to go to different showcases to get my name out there.

I had opportunities for scholarships at smaller schools, but I always wanted to go to a Division I place.”

you really have to be more active in getting yourself recruited because the coaches aren’t showing up at your games.”

WHEN DID YOU FIRST HEAR FROM NDSU? “I think it was after my junior year I was getting contacted and they invited me to a camp up here. It was just another way they were able to see me perform and analyze if I would be a good fit for the program.”

WHAT WERE THESE SHOWCASES YOU WENT TO?

SO IT WAS A SHOWCASE OR MORE OF AN INSTRUCTIONAL THING?

“Coaches from all kinds of colleges come in and test your speed, arm strength and all that kind of stuff.

They grade you out and if they’re interested, they have your contact information and it’s recruiting that way.”

“It’s supposed to be an instructional camp for hitters and defense. But a large part of it is allowing the coaches to be able to see what the players in the camp can do.”

WHY WOULD A COACH FAVOR SOMEONE FROM A LARGER HIGH SCHOOL THAN A SMALLER ONE? “I mean they’re playing against overall better competition on a daily basis so it’s easier for the college recruiters to think their skills are more transferable to the college game. If you’re from a smaller school,

WHAT WAS YOUR REACTION OF THE CAMPUS WHEN YOU WERE UP HERE FOR THE CAMP? “Actually, it was during the winter so we were inside the old BSA (Bison Sports Arena). Being from a small school, all the facilities seemed extremely nice and I thought I definitely could see myself attending NDSU and playing here for four years.”

THE STORY OF A WALK-ON

PAUL

FUNK

Bio SPORT: Baseball POSITION: Infielder HEIGHT: 6’0’’ WEIGHT: 180 BAT: Left THROW: Right CLASS: Senior HOMETOWN: Sebeka, Minnesota HIGHSCHOOL: Sebeka High School

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Career Stats GAMES PLAYED – 100 GAMES STARTED – 70 BATTING AVERAGE – .248 HITS – 57 RUNS – 31 FIELDING PERCENTAGE – 95%

SO AFTER THE CAMP, WHAT WAS THE RECRUITING PROCESS LIKE FOR YOU THAT ENDED WITH YOU WALKING ON?

WHAT WERE SOME CHALLENGES YOU FACED BEING A WALK-ON HERE THAT FIRST FALL?

“After the camp, we were dismissed and a couple of the coaches came over and talked to me and they liked the way I played. They wanted to stay in touch. There was a lot of communication over email and making sure everything would work academically and deciding whether or not this is what I wanted to do to continue my education and play baseball.”

“I don’t think there was really anything. We all had the same chance to play. Nobody was treated differently if they were on scholarship or not. It just came down to out-competing the other guys and just trying to help the team win.”

WHY DECLINE A SCHOLARSHIP SOMEWHERE ELSE AND WALK-ON HERE?

“Yeah. I earned one for my senior year now. It helps to reinforce that if you work toward something hard enough, you’ll eventually get it.”

“It wasn’t too difficult for me because I was pretty set on going to a Division I place. I knew I could play at this level.”

DID YOU EVER GET PUT ON SCHOLARSHIP?

TOD BROWN PLAYS A LOT OF MIDDLE INFIELDERS ON THIS TEAM. WHAT MAKES YOU STAND OUT? “I don’t know if I stand apart from them. Like you said, there are

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so many guys that are capable of playing and I feel I deserve to play. I feel like I have a little more experience than a lot of the other guys and that really helps at the college level because it’s a taxing season mentally. Being able to handle those ups and downs makes it a little easier.”

WHAT’S IT GOING TO TAKE TO GET THE BISON BACK INTO THE NCAA TOURNAMENT? “We just have to keep working hard and sticking together as a team and have everyone doing their roles. I feel like we have pretty good team chemistry this year that will eventually help us down the road and hopefully we can have a pretty good season, which I’m anticipating.”

THE STORY OF A WALK-ON

Nick

O'brien Bio SPORT - Wrestling HEIGHT - 5’6” WEIGHT - 133 CLASS - Redshirt Freshman HOMETOWN - Plymouth, Minnesota HIGH SCHOOL - Wayzata High School

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THE STORY OF A WALK-ON

WRESTLING

THROWN IN

The Fire

Photo By Paul Flessland

Imagine a successful high school career ending without a scholarship offer from a Division I school. Now, imagine walking on to a Top 25 program and being thrown into varsity duty your first year of eligibility. That’s been the story of Nick O’Brien so far during his wrestling career. He catches us up on his journey to the Division I mat and where he plans on going next.

T

he 2013 Bison wrestling recruiting class was ranked the fourth best in the country according to Intermat. Roger Kish and the NDSU program were ahead of five traditional collegiate powers such as Ohio State, Penn State, Iowa, Minnesota and Oklahoma State.

These five schools have made up the last 27 NCAA team wrestling championships.

The number four ranking on Intermat not only caught the attention of college wrestling fanatics in Fargo and across the nation, it showed high school standouts that something special was brewing at NDSU. Qualifying for the Minnesota Class AAA wrestling state tournament five times should be enough to get a wrestler enough exposure to land a Division I scholarship. But for Nick O’Brien, his five appearances at state was only enough to land him a handful of Division II and Division III offers out of Wayzata High School.

O’Brien compiled a high school record of 194-42 and wasn’t just going to go to any college throwing

scholarship money his way to come wrestle for their school. The classroom has and always will be his top priority.

O’Brien was fortunate enough to have his high school, which houses around 3,300 students, offer an introductory course in engineering.

Also, his high school coach had a connection with a head coach from a school known for its engineering program.

Tim Hartung was the head coach at Wayzata High School during O’Brien’s time as a Trojan. Hartung was a decorated wrestler at the University of Minnesota and still holds the longest winning streak in school history at 58.

Hartung remained at Minnesota after his wrestling career to coach.

He left in 2004 to help revamp the Wayzata High School program that had been struggling to stay on par with other Class AAA programs.

“We have a ton of kids, but no one wrestles at Wayzata, which is dumb,” O’Brien said. “He (Hartung) put us through hard workouts. I got a little experience before I came to school with what it could be like.”

O’Brien said he fell in love with NDSU while I on a recruiting trip his junior year. The school offered

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the Bison this season. But a knee injury this offseason has restricted his practice time and he’s yet to see the mat this season.

Career RECORD - 24-12 PINS - 8 TOURNAMENT WINS - 4

a strong engineering program and it would be somewhat of a homecoming for his father, John, who went to school here for two years. He also noticed the recruiting class that came in before the 2013 season was stacked with talent.

The gap is generally wider when it comes to the practice regiment from high school to college. Wrestling for a coach with Division I chops prepared O’Brien for his decision to walk on to the Bison wrestling program.

O’Brien said he got a taste of Kish’s tough workouts while under the tutelage of another Golden Gopher wrestler. The only difference in college was a number of practice partners O’Brien can wrestle against.

Success came fairly quickly for the walk-on. O’Brien was one of the most successful redshirts in the Bison program, wrestling in seven tournaments last year. He won three tournaments, wrestling unattached in the 133-pound weight class.

“It’s also a D-I program that’s up-and-coming with a lot of good recruits that came in the year before me,” O’Brien said. He spent his first season at NDSU as a redshirt. “I was excited for good practice partners and then a chance to be on the varsity, which is decent for a good program.”

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O’Brien wrestled well last season, but starting for the varsity team wasn’t in the plans, at least not as early as this season.

Junior Justin Scherkenbach was projected to return as the starter at the 133-pound weight division for

With the rest of the 133-pound wrestlers redshirting, Kish gave the varsity spot to O’Brien.

“Scary,” is the word O’Brien used to describe his new starting role. And you can’t blame him. He’s already had to wrestle the No. 11 and No. 12 wrestlers in the country at the 133-pound weight division. It’s been a tall order for the walk-on.

But to the surprise of anyone except O’Brien, he hung tough and has compiled a record of 7-4 through the Bison Open this season. He took home the championship in his weight class at the Bison Open this November.

“I’m here by choice and I’m here working really hard,” O’Brien said.

“Maybe it will also play into getting a scholarship down the road. I’m going to keep plugging away.”

O’Brien will keep his nose to the grindstone while he fills in for Scherkenbach, who expects to return in early December. The tightly-knit Bison wrestling team has also made it easier for the walk-on.

O’Brien has been thrown into a tough situation this season but has handled it with the maturity rarely seen by a redshirt freshman. Kish has found a star in the making, and only O’Brien can control where his story ends at NDSU.

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JUlia

Luciano

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Lauren

Reimers

THE STORY OF A WALK-ON

SOFTBALL

COME FOR

THE ATMOSPHERE

Stay for the Team

Photos By Paul Flessland Additional Reporting by Nate Mickelberg

For two freshmen softball players, they won’t be traveling with the team on road trips in 2016. They’ll hang back in Fargo, maturing their skills and sharpening their abilities in the batting cage and under the roof of the Sports Bubble. Julia Luciano and Lauren Reimers have chosen the route less traveled at NDSU. They’re both walk-ons and will use this season as an opportunity to show they can play for a program that’s been the poster child of success in mid-major softball.

T

he attitude that resonates around the entire spectrum of NDSU Athletics is the equal treatment of every athlete. From the star player to the bench warmer and from the fullscholarship athlete to the walk-on, everybody donning a Bison jersey is treated the same.

Through their first fall camp at NDSU, it’s been made clear to freshmen walk-on softball players Julia Luciano and Lauren Reimers that they have as good of shot at playing as the rest of the studentathletes on the team.

“Nobody treats us differently. I don’t even think everyone on the team knows, actually,” Luciano said. “Here, you’re a teammate. It doesn’t matter to other people what you are.”

Luciano is a walk-on shortstop on the Bison softball team. She was a five-year starting shortstop at Eastview High School in Apple Valley, Minn.

Luciano didn’t look to NDSU as last resort to playing Division I softball.

She had the opportunity to go south and play at Bucknell and Florida International, but she couldn’t resist

the family-like culture of the NDSU softball team up north in Fargo.

“I picked NDSU because of the atmosphere here and the kind of program that these coaches have built,” Luciano said. “And how we all take care of each other and we push each other to work so hard. That’s a huge difference transitioning from high school to college ball is that in high school there are a couple people on your team who want to work hard and push each other, but here, it’s every single person.”

Luciano calls NDSU “a blue collared program” with how hard her teammates work.

The Bison softball team knows the reward that comes when the time is put in during the offseason. They’ve won the past two Summit League tournaments and have won six of the last seven. NDSU cracked the Top 25 for the first time last season earning the 24th ranking at the end of the regular season by ESPN.com and were 21st in the final USA Today poll.

Fellow freshman walk-on Reimers chose NDSU because it would make her into the player she knows she can become. Reimers had offers from other Division II and Division III schools, but ultimately she came to NDSU for the coaching and a chance to play at the highest level collegiately.

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Accolades

Bio Sport – Softball Height – 5’7’’ Position – Shortstop Bats – Left Throws – Right Hometown – Morris, Minnesota High School – Morris AreaChokio-Alberta High School

MINNESOTA CLASS AA ALLSTATE PERFORMER IN 2014 FOUR-YEAR STARTER THREE-TIME ALL-WEST CENTRAL CONFERENCE SELECTION EARNED WEST CENTRAL CONFERENCE MVP HONORS IN 2014 2014 SCHOOL SINGLE-SEASON RECORDS WITH 11 HOME RUNS AND .598 BATTING AVERAGE 1.146 SLUGGING PERCENTAGE AND COLLECTED 43 RBI Like Luciano, Reimers had a decorated softball career in Minnesota. The Morris native was a three-time all-conference selection and holds her high school’s record in single season home runs with 11 and batting average, hitting an unimaginable .598 her junior year.

Reimers agreed with Luciano’s assessment of how she was received by her coaches and teammates this fall coming in without a scholarship.

“I think it’s just more like, everyone here has to prove themselves for what they are,” Reimers said.

The challenge will come in the spring when Luciano and Reimers will stay behind in Fargo as the team travels.

Staying motivated will be their number one focus, but when they see the success of the team, it will urge them to work harder than ever before.

The NCAA restricts softball teams to 12 scholarships per year. Softball is considered an equivalency sport,

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Accolades PLAYED THIRD BASE, SHORTSTOP, SECOND BASE, CATCHER AND THE OUTFIELD FIVE-TIME LETTER WINNER AND STARTER HIT .414 AS A JUNIOR .581 ON-BASE PERCENTAGE EARNED MVP HONORS AT 2012 USSSA (UNITED STATE SPECIALTY SPORTS ASSOCIATION) MIDWEST WORLD SERIES

Bio SPORT – Softball HEIGHT – 5’4’’ POSITION – Third/Second Base BATS – Right THROWS – Right HOMETOWN – Eagan, Minnesota HIGH SCHOOL – Eastview High School

which means they’re free to distribute partial scholarships and spread the 12 full-scholarships they’re given to more than 12 student-athletes.

Neither Reimers nor Luciano have been given any sort of athletic scholarship this season but are receiving scholarship money through their work in the classroom.

Luciano plans on pursuing her degree in mechanical engineering while Reimers plan on studying biochemistry and molecular biology.

With the Dacotah Field Sports Bubble fully inflated and the frigid months arriving, walk-ons Luciano and Reimers will embark on their first winter in Fargo.

The 2016 season will most likely pass without both players on the field, but it will give them something to look forward to in 2017.

And most importantly, their attitudes won’t change as both plan on sticking out the rest of their softball careers at NDSU, scholarship or not.

* * *

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THE STORY OF A WALK-ON

MAX

CASPER Bio SPORT - Baseball POSITION - Volunteer Assistant Coach HEIGHT - 5’10” WEIGHT - 170 HOMETOWN - Circle Pines, Minnesota HIGH SCHOOL - St. Thomas Academy

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THE STORY OF A WALK-ON

Chipped SHOULDER baseball - Coach

Photo By Paul Flessland

Bison baseball volunteer assistant coach almost never played Division I baseball because he was constantly getting overlooked because of his 5’10 frame. But he never gave up on the game he loved and turned a life of never going to college into a four-year starting shortstop at NDSU. Max Casper played in his fifth season professionally this summer and is back this school year to coach the game he loves at the university that gave him his chance to prove he could play at college’s highest level.

Soft Toss: The Interveiw HOW DID YOU LAND IN FARGO? “I had a couple Division III offers … Otherwise, it was don’t go to college and get a job, or go play Division II baseball type of thing.

Then, I was in a senior All-Star tournament, the Lions All-Star Game, my senior year and I had a pretty good weekend and Monday morning I had a bunch of different calls from a bunch of different schools, junior colleges that were interested and North Dakota State was one of them so I stayed in contact with them quite a bit more than some of the other ones. They wanted me to come up and they knew we were looking for infielders. It was all real late, but it was fun. … I don’t think I committed until – and I know you can ask Coach Brown this, too because I got him all worked up and worried about it – I don’t think I committed until August 18 maybe and school started the 23rd.”

WHICH PLAYERS WERE RECRUITING YOU? “John Straka* was one of them. I ended up rooming with him for three years. He probably called me more than Coach Pearson did, trying to get me to come up. He was excited to have me interested in coming up and playing for four years. I played against him forever.” *John Straka went 22-11 in his career at NDSU and ended with a career ERA of 2.56. He holds or shares eight different school pitching records.

WHY DID YOU GET YOUR SHOT? “When I came in, they kind of said the plan for me was to sit for two years and probably play my junior and senior years because we had another kid coming in from junior college. He’s been drafted, real good. And he was going to play shortstop, switch-

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THE STORY OF A WALK-ON

College

Career Stats YEAR 2009 2010 2011 2012 TOTAL

GAMES 42 52 54 60 208

BATTING AVG. .301 .302 .267 .300 .292

hitter, the whole works.

Things didn’t work out with him, that home-sick kind of thing and ended up leaving school in November and dropped out and was just gone. So I went in for my meeting in the fall and he said you’ve proved to us you’re ready for a role this year, you’re right with him, and when he dropped out, they called me back in and they

62

RUNS 17 29 24 29 99

HITS 44 52 48 61 205

FIELDING % .960 .941 .979 .949 .956

were like, ‘Well, the job is yours. Take it and run with it, separate yourself and don’t leave any doubt for anybody else.’”

WHAT’S THE TREATMENT LIKE OF SCHOLARSHIP ATHLETES COMPARED TO NONSCHOLARSHIP ATHLETES? “It really doesn’t matter if you’re getting any scholarship money,

BISON ILLUSTRATED • D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 5

THE STORY OF A WALK-ON

Professional Career Stats YEAR 2012 2013 2014 2015

GAMES 19 69 94 78

if you’re not getting any scholarship money. If you beat a guy out, you’re going to play.

It works. It’s worked out in the past and it’s worked out now, and I would expect it to continue to work out for us.”

that’s smarter, that has more accolades or whatever. But, there’s no excuse for somebody working harder than you. I still use that as I’m playing now.

I’m still 5’10’’, 170 pounds, and there’s not much to me.”

WHAT’S YOUR ADVICE FOR OTHER WALK-ONS?

WHEN DID YOU KNOW YOU WANTED TO COACH?

“Just always play with that chip on your shoulder. There’s always going to be somebody bigger, always going to be somebody faster, stronger, that hits for more power, that hits from the other side,

“I would say my first offseason.

There was nothing for me to really do and I was just lifting and whatever, and it felt like there was something empty when it came to the college baseball season. I wanted to

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BATTING AVG. .208 .231 .257 .193 .

RUNS 3 31 54 22

HITS 10 54 88 45

FIELDING % .981 .980 .977 .981

start giving back to the game early enough and I was able to do the student assistant (at NDSU) because I hadn’t graduated yet.”

WHAT’S YOUR END GAME WITH COACHING? “I’d like to coach at the highest level I can. At the highest level I can coach at, the best school I can coach at. If you offered me the job at Texas tomorrow, would I say no to it? Absolutely not.”

FOOTBALL RECEIVERS

SE

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Blan

or F s ket

The

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graphy erlin

By Joe K Alan Paul Photo .

J y Photo b

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FOOTBALL RECEIVERS

Zach Vraa and RJ Urzendowski aren’t putting up career numbers this season, but they are providing the Bison offense with something much more valuable.

Their presence has helped the development of freshman quarterback Easton Stick and has allowed the offense to keep scoring at an elite rate.

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FOOTBALL RECEIVERS

The wide receiving group at NDSU is an interesting one to dissect. On one side, you have a sixth-year senior who appears to have the range of Mister Fantastic and plays the game with a smoothness as if opponents are moving in slow motion.

On the other side, you have a sophomore that played a role in two of the three biggest plays of the season last year when he was only 18 years old. For a freshman to step in under the lights of the Fargodome and produce at the Division I level just doesn’t happen.

Lightening doesn’t strike twice, but it seems to have done just that with an addition of another freshman this season filling up his very own highlight real.

The former, Zach Vraa, is going down in school history as the best wide receiver to take the field at NDSU. Statistically, you can glance at any category. His name is next to it in the record books. There isn’t much flash or breathtaking explosiveness anymore, he’s another level of playing the position. It’s his preciseness. The clean, crisp route running to complement the hands that are as soft as a foam pit. The one way to describe his play is the biggest compliment you can give a football player – the game looks too easy for him.

The ladder, RJ Urzendowski, burst onto the scene as a freshman in 2014 and built his resume for big plays early and often. He already has the charisma and moxie of a sixth year senior at the age of 19.

Yet, he’s as reliable as anybody when the ball is up for grabs. He entered the Bison program last year 72

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with astronomical high school stats and with more chemistry with the quarterback than anybody, which has undoubtedly helped ease the transition from back-up to starter for redshirt freshman quarterback Easton Stick.

The aforementioned freshman wide receiver, Darius Shepherd, has been the biggest offensive surprise for the Bison this season. Few players on the team came in with the pedigree of Shepherd. His father played at the University of Missouri and a grandfather that played in the NBA. The big-play gene has carried over to the grandson, which has helped him become a dangerous third receiver. Just ask Northern Iowa when Shepherd made two heroic touchdown grabs in the second half.

What’s misleading about these three is that the stats aren’t going to make you stop whatever you’re doing and drool over your keyboard.

They’re good, but they’re not as inflated as some of the top talent in the FCS. Urzendowski leads the group with 40 grabs through 11 games and has collected 586 yards. Vraa, who lit up the single season record book during the 2013 season, is still under 500 yards this year.

ZACH

#82

VRAA

2015 STATS Games - 11 Receptions - 31 Yards - 407 Touchdowns - 4

Career STATS Career Games - 54 Receptions - 186 Yards - 2,854 Touchdowns - 27

FOOTBALL RECEIVERS

Shepherd has battled a sore shoulder during his first campaign, but his 421 yards is good enough for second on the team and his 14.9 yards per reception proves his big-play ability.

“If you look around the landscape there are a lot more freshman playing in college football,” wide receivers coach Atif Austin said.

“They’re coming out of high school a little more ready to play. But, I think more than anything, it’s the confidence level.”

There’s no shortage of confidence among the wide receivers at NDSU, and obviously, losing one of the top passers in the FCS in Carson Wentz has hurt the statistical production of players like Vraa and Urzendowski.

But it’s the clutch moments when the stars shine the most.

During Stick’s first start against Indiana State, the game was tied at 14 in the third quarter. Stick bootlegged to the right and was scrambling for his life. It was at that moment Urzendowski was able to shake free from his defender in the end zone, giving Stick a wide enough window to deliver the eventual game-winning touchdown pass to his old high school teammate.

The Omaha connection struck twice more the following week. Stick faked the read option, pulled up and lobbed a pass into the waiting hands of Urzendowski to give the Bison the lead. Later in the third quarter with the Bison up one, Stick delivered a strike to Urzendowski on a slant route. The sophomore turned upfield and took the ball 77 yards to the house.

Finally, back home against Western Illinois, Vraa made his most athletic 74

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catch of his career over Leatherneck defender Riggs Baxter. Vraa leaped for the Stick pass down the sideline, came back and plucked the ball just before it hit Baxter in the back of the head. The play set the tone for the rest of the game. Vraa turned it up field giving the Bison their first points during a 59-7 route. It was his only catch of the game.

Vraa and Urzendowski have caught 22 passes from Stick through five games, but they’ve made them matter, accounting for six touchdowns.

The injury to Wentz may have hurt the potential of the VraaUrzendowski duo, and slightly stunted the growth of Shepherd, but the role their playing now is more important.

It’s hard to imagine a better situation for Stick to come into with Vraa and Urzendowski as security blankets.

With playoffs looming, Vraa and Urzendowski will have to make their presence felt even more. And for two football players that have been through the wars, this won’t be anything new for the dynamic duo at receiver.

RJ

#16

Urzendowski

2015 STATS Games - 11 Receptions - 40 Yards - 586 Touchdowns - 6

Career STATS Career Games - 27 Receptions - 72 Yards - 1,212 Touchdowns - 11

FOOTBALL LINEBACKER

THE BASH FUL

BACKER (KEYWORD

= BASH )

A new leader has emerged on the Bison defense. Even if fans and teammates saw it coming from a mile away, Nick DeLuca has reassured the pundits he’s the next man in the middle of the destruction caused by the Bison defense.

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FOOTBALL LINEBACKER

“I’m not a big media guy. It’s not my favorite thing to do,” the 6-foot-3-inch junior middle linebacker for NDSU said while making his rounds at football Media Day in August.

He’s a bit camera shy, too, as he forces a smile for a photographer in the corner of the room. He even laughs, embarrassed when asked to flex his muscles for the camera. He has all the mannerisms off the field of a reserve linebacker, hoping to get through the media meet-and-greet without somebody sticking a microphone in his face.

But it’s too late for Nick DeLuca. He already made a loud announcement to Bison Nation and his team that he’s here to stay in Fargo after starting down the stretch during FCS playoffs last season. You’re lucky if you get a couple sentences out of the Omaha, Neb., native.

Although, on the football field, his play is as loud and clear as Richard Sherman’s interviews, and DeLuca’s play screams: I’m the next great Bison middle linebacker.

Now, those aren’t his words, yet. The Bison middle linebacker position has been glamorized thanks to DeLuca’s predecessors. Joe Mays, Ramon Humber, Preston Evans, Grant Olson and Carlton Littlejohn have all played the position for the Bison over the past 10 seasons. Talk about being in the right neighborhood.

Defensive coordinator Matt Entz said DeLuca’s aware of the shoes he’s filling.

“I think Nick is perpetually trying to chase perfection a little bit because he understands the history and tradition that’s associated with the Bison middle linebacker,” Entz said. “He’s doing a good job. I keep telling him they’re his own shoes so make your own shoes.

Wear your own shoes out there, you don’t have to fill in anybody’s shoes, and he is.”

DeLuca is slowly chipping away at his own bust among the linebacking Mount Rushmore at NDSU. He registered a career-high of 20 tackles against Southern Illinois on Halloween night. It was the most tackles in a single game from a Bison since 2012, when Olson had 29 against Wofford.

DeLuca leads the team in tackles this

year with 96, 39 of them solo bringdowns.

“I think, athletically, we all knew he was unbelievably gifted,” Entz said.

“You talk about a guy that was a 245-pound guy who is a 6’3’’ individual that may have some of the best hands on the team, pound for pound maybe the fastest guy on the team, great tackler.”

DeLuca showed his ball-hawking skills in his first start last year at South Dakota. He intercepted Kevin Earl and recorded 12 tackles. It was quite the debut for the then-sophomore who would eventually be thrust into the starting lineup after Travis Beck tore his Achilles.

He’s the rare combination of speed and strength. It’s what makes him so valuable as a Cover 2 middle linebacker who needs to sink back through the middle of the field in pass coverage. His quickness is similar to Littlejohn’s, but he’s as physical as Olson.

“Coach Kramer has done an unbelievable job with him in the

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FOOTBALL LINEBACKER

nick

#49

deluca 2015 STATS Starts - 11 Tackles - 96

Solo Tackles - 39 Tackles for Loss - 5.5 Sacks - 3 Forced Fumbles - 1 Interceptions - 1

Career STATS Starts - 16 Tackles - 190 Solo Tackles - 81 Tackles for Loss - 9 Sacks - 3 Forced Fumbles - 1 Interceptions - 4

weight room,” Entz said. “The number one thing when you have a big player like that is that you’re worried he’s going to get stiff or get too big. … As long as he can maintain what he’s doing and continue to move from point A to point B, I like how he’s playing.”

This season also introduced two new outside linebackers, MJ Stumpf and Pierre Gee-Tucker, starting next to DeLuca.

Entz said that although the three are individuals and their growth reflects that, the comfortability with each other is getting better and better with each passing week.

The numbers support Entz’s claim as the Bison are second in the conference in yards allowed, only yielding 291 yards per game.

“I think our guys rally around him. They know 49 is playing fast, there’s a comfort level out there so we have to keep him playing the way he can.”

As quiet as DeLuca is when the camera is on, his teammates say he turns it up the volume knob on the field.

Entz said he’s not your prototypical vocal leader because he does most of his leading with his play. But senior defensive tackle Brian Schaetz likes what he has seen from the man behind him.

“He’s very vocal in situations,” Schaetz said. “He came into a role that was hard. It’s hard to play linebacker, I mean, they’re telling the defense what to do. We’re trained bears, pretty much. If they screw up, we all screw up.”

DeLuca has screwed up very little this season. The Bison defense is as stout as ever after introducing many new numbers and faces to Bison Nation this year.

Maybe one day DeLuca will flex for the camera. For now, he doesn’t mind keeping his head down and letting all of his big hits on unsuspecting ball carriers do the talking.

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FOOTBALL DEFENSIVE LINEMEN

, s t t u b g n i k ic k & s e m a n taking

n u f g n vi ha

lin

By Joe Ker hotography Alan Paul P Photo by J.

The defensive line is the epicenter for physical play on every football team. The Bison defensive line has the strength and grit to go blow-for-blow with any offensive line in the country, but what makes these big bellied bruisers attractive is the way they go about their business.

Brian Schaetz Senior

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Nate Tanguay Sophomore

FOOTBALL DEFENSIVE LINEMEN

Alley Cats The Bison defensive line position group isn’t very good at holding the rough and tough perception of football players off the field. Nose guard Nate Tanguay is one job away from becoming the next big New York Times movie critic while defensive tackle Brian Schaetz is more likely to crack a joke within minutes of meeting him than he is of telling you how much he can squat.

This attitude ripples through the position group so much that they started calling themselves the Alley Cats around the same time NDSU started winning national championships. That’s no coincidence.

Defensive tackles coach Nick Goeser is in his sixth year at NDSU and he said he doesn’t mind the shenanigans off the field as long as his players are producing. And they are. The Bison have only allowed one running back to go over 100 yards on them this season.

“There’s not a lot of arrogance in that room,” Goeser said after the Bison drubbed Western Illinois 59-7. “All those guys in that room are good friends. All those guys, when they’re not on the practice field, a lot of those guys are hanging out with each other.”

Brian Schaetz In the middle of it all on and off the field is the lone senior, Schaetz.

He came in as a walk-on with four other defensive tackles in 2011. He’s the only one remaining from that recruiting class.

Goeser noted his toughness out of high school and how his desire to work has made him a staple in the starting lineup since Leevon Perry went down with a knee injury in 2012 and it continued again before the 2014 season.

“He’s played with a chip on his shoulder,” Goeser said. “I give him a lot of credit. He could’ve gone to some other places where maybe financially it would have been a lot easier, but he worked hard and he’s built himself up to be a tremendous person and really a tremendous player for us.”

Schaetz plays mainly the three technique, lining up between offensive guards and tackles. Goeser says he has the best combination of athleticism and strength, which has led to his seven and a half tackles for loss this season.

Nate Tanguay From the first day of camp in 2013, Goeser could see they had a potential star in Tanguay. His toughness and physicality at six feet four inches and

brian

#61

schaetz 2015 STATS Games Played - 11 Tackles - 23 Tackles for loss - 7.5 Sacks - 3.5

Career STATS Games Played - 55 Tackles - 113 Tackles for loss - 18 Sacks - 7

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FOOTBALL DEFENSIVE LINEMEN

285 pounds was put on hold for Bison Nation that first year.

Tanguay was uncaged for the first time against Iowa State last year, starting his first game as a redshirt freshman.

He started at the nose, generally lining up on either side of the center.

This position makes him susceptible to double-teams that he takes on with great fury. Goeser credits his violence at the point of attacks to why he’s found success so early in his career.

But where he’s made the biggest improvement, says Goeser, is his enhanced mental approach to playing defense.

“He studies film and he knows what offenses are going to do before the ball is snapped and that allows him to make some plays,” Goeser said.

“He’s come to a point now where the game is starting to slow down and it’s starting to be a lot easier for him.”

Tanguay collected 12 tackles in the first game of the season against Montana, which has attracted more double-teams than ever for the sophomore.

Defensive coordinator Matt Entz noted another growth spurt from Tanguay.

“He’s become a true leader of the group right now. One of those guys you always hear in the background getting guys going, even at practice getting on some guys,” Entz said. “That’s a real positive for us right now.”

Bison Pride As the season has progressed, more and more defensive linemen have become a part of the defensive line

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rotation. Redshirt freshman Aaron Steidl has emerged as an impactful back up for the Bison to go along with sophomores Grant Morgan and Bryce Messner.

Against Western Illinois, junior Austin Farnlof, who has had an injury-riddled career, made his first career unassisted tackle during the fourth quarter. The Bison were already up 52 points and most of the crowd had filed out to their cars, but the Bison bench erupted.

The celebration for Farnlof was led by Tanguay and Schaetz, among many other defensive starters that were taken out of the game.

Nate

#99

tanguay 2015 STATS Games Played - 11 Tackles - 38 Tackles for loss - 3.5

“That’s what we hope Bison Pride and Bison football is all about,” Goeser said.

“We don’t care if it’s a first string guy or fifth string guy making plays. We hope everybody is genuinely excited for that young man.”

Sacks - 1.5

Make no mistake about the intensity of Division I football. The defensive line position group has found the rare formula of competing at a high level while having fun and slapping backs along the way.

Tackles - 76

“That’s what Bison Pride is all about – a genuine appreciation for everybody and I hope my group has that and I hope we continue that and it’s certainly great to see and it’s great to see that other people see that, too.”

Career STATS Games Played - 27 Tackles for loss - 8.5 Sacks - 4.5

patty viverito

Interview by Joe Kerlin Photos Courtesy of the Missouri Valley Conference

COMMISSIONING the Best

T

here’s something to be said about the Missouri Valley Football Conference only having one conference commissioner in league history. With her football chops and 24 years of experience, Patty Viverito has changed the perception of the MVFC from forgettable Midwest 1-AA football conference to an FCS powerhouse. The MVFC had six teams in the FCS Top 25 for 21 weeks in a row while playing the toughest schedules in the nation. We spoke with Viverito about the challenge of having too many good programs beating each other up week after week.

This interview was conducted November 3.

Patty Viverito’s answers have been edited and condensed for clarity.

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Patty Viverito visits the NDSU football offices inside the Fargodome after the Bison won the 2013 Missouri Valley Football Conference Championship.

What has the Missouri Valley Football Conference been doing to help these 10 institutions?

“I think it’s fair to say that the biggest and most important step we took as a league is when we brought the Dakotas into the league. North Dakota State, South Dakota State and the more recent addition in South Dakota have all elevated the league in a really important way. Some of that has to do with resources that the schools bring. Some of it has to do with just the rivalries and the interest that’s created when you have such great teams and a lot of time built into those rivalries.”

Six teams in the Top 25 all year; what does the Missouri Valley have that the other conferences in the FCS lack? “(Laughs) Really good teams (laughs). We’re on a pretty impressive run here. It wasn’t that long ago that we looked enviously on the CAA and some other leagues that were getting more teams than us into the postseason and we felt a little disrespected. We went ahead and did some really terrific non-conference scheduling and came up with really important wins and we really proved how good this league is in recent years and especially last year. We’re continuing on this year.”

patty viverito

MISSOURI VALLEY FOOTBALL GRIDIRON POWER INDEX RANKING (Through November 18)

Missouri Valley Football Conference - 1 North Dakota St. - 1 Illinois St. - 3 South Dakota St. - 4 Northern Iowa - 7 Youngstown St. - 17 Western Illinois - 21 South Dakota - 28 Southern Illinois - 36 Indiana St. - 38 Missouri St. - 99

MISSOURI VALLEY STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE RANKING (Through October 31)

Western Illinois - 1 South Dakota St. - 5 Missouri St. - 11 Northern Iowa - 12 Indiana St. - 16 North Dakota St. - 17 Illinois St. - 22T Southern Illinois - 22T Youngstown St. - 28 South Dakota - 31

Does attrition during conference play worry you about not getting as many teams as possible into the playoffs?

“We are beating each other up. I think the difference this year from last year is that we’re nine deep this year. We got nine playoff caliber teams and they’re not all going to get in because it’s simple mathematics that tells you they’re not all going to have winning records in the conference. We have a bunch of these teams sitting at 4-4, and really a credit to the poll makers that they still recognize that these are tournament and playoff caliber teams and are still ranking them.

They deserved to be ranked.”

the respect has been proven with five teams getting in the playoffs in 2014.

“How about the teams going and proving it? The teams get in and go out and win. That’s what’s really important, not that they just got in.

There have been a lot of conferences that have snuck in teams that were above and beyond what they were expecting and anticipating, and maybe even deserving, then they fall on their faces and don’t advance in the playoffs. They get exposed rather than gain exposure.”

Has that carried over into this year?

“I think it’s carried over into the rankings and the respect that we’re given. But again, I’m not sure there has been a team, in fact, I almost guarantee there’s never been a team who has got into the playoffs with a 6-5 record and that may happen this year. That might actually have to happen this year because we could very well have a team or two with that record that has multiple Top 25, even Top 10 wins.”

Do you talk to the people on the playoff committee about that? What’s their criteria for a playoff team? The strength of schedule? Win-

loss record? GPI (Gridiron Power Index)?

“It’s not that simple, and a part of the problem is that there’s not a lot of opportunity for crossover competition, or out-of-conference competition. It’s an 11-game season and you only have three opportunities and most of our teams are playing at least one FBS game, those wins are hard to come by, maybe not so for the Bison (laughs), but for most teams they’re pretty hard to come by. Now, we’re faced with the challenges of even scheduling those games.

There are fewer and fewer of those teams that are willing to play our top teams because they have won. We’ll see how that plays out. The Big Ten’s policy about not scheduling FCS teams makes us very nervous. We don’t think that’s good for the good of the game and certainly not good for the Missouri Valley Football Conference. Our teams have shown if we can’t schedule them then we’ll go schedule Oregon (laughs). There’s certainly no fear in our teams playing anybody.”

Is scheduling nine conference games something you’ll look at down the road?

87

patty viverito “No. No, it’s suicide. Like, what would we possibly gain from that? We’ve had that conversation… because it seems so logical, ‘Ten teams, play a nine-game schedule, round-robin.’

That’s all fine and dandy theoretically, but if you don’t give our teams an opportunity to win out of conference, all the selection committee has to look at is all of us beating each other up.

Look at this year as an example. It would only hurt us when it comes to postseason play.”

CREDENTIALS 31st season as Missouri Valley Football Conference Commissioner 24th season as Senior Associate Commissioner at the Missouri Valley Conference Helped merge all-female Gateway Conference with Missouri Valley for Gateway Football Conference in 1992 2001 and 2009 NCAA Women’s Final Four Tournament Director 2015 recipient of the Mel Narol Medallion for her service to NASO and the officiating community 1996 selected as NACWAA (National Association of Collegiate Women Athletic Administrators) Administrator of the Year

The college football landscape is in a unique position with autonomy being granted to the “Power 5” conferences and the gap between them and the “Next 5” and FCS conferences is widening. Could you see a situation where the college football landscape is drastically different in the next five years with the Power 5 breaking away and the Next 5 and FCS conferences merging?

Recipient of Professional Service Achievement Alumni Awards from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and Northern Illinois University

“A couple of things are in play here.

First of all, the Power 5 conferences all have long-term media rights agreements, some with their own networks and some of them even have conference rules that say if a team leaves, they leave their media right behind. Like, they have put golden handcuffs on the teams that are in the Power 5 and I see very little movement during the current television contract until those play out and we’re probably talking eight to 10 years. I think there’s a lot of stability at the top, and I don’t see much motivation to change the way they operate given NCAA granting them autonomy. They control all the football revenues through the college football playoffs, so there’s not much incentive for them to break away. The only thing that might change that is if the legal landscape changes the way we do business in a dramatic way. And even the most recent legal decisions have really supported the collegiate educational model. Those court cases are far from being resolved so I think until both are resolved, and it might go to the Supreme Court, it’s hard to make any reliable predictions because that could change everything. That being said, I don’t see anything out of the landscape that’s triggering

Women’s Basketball Coaches Association Board

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SERVED AS THE CHAIR OF …

NCAA Committee for Women’s Athletics Olympic Sport Liaison Committee FCS Subcommittee of CCA NCAA Recruiting Task Force NCAA Women’s Division I Basketball and Issues Committees NACWAA Board (two terms) NACDA Board National Association of Sports Officials (NASO) Board (two terms) NCAA Basketball Officiating Improvement Committees (multiple terms) NCAA Football Academic Working Group (multiple terms) NCAA Work/Life Balance Task Force (multiple terms)

SERVED ON …

NCAA Executive Committee NCAA Council Division I Women’s Basketball Committee Collegiate Commissioners Association (CCA) Executive Committee Bachelor's degree in marketing from Northern Illinois Master’s in sports management from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst

major shifts like we’ve experienced a couple years ago. What I think has happened is, they (Power 5) have separated themselves so dramatically from everybody else, and especially the Next 5, in a way that puts those five conferences in a really difficult situation because they don’t have the means to keep up and there’s probably no turning back either. They’re in a tough spot. I wouldn’t want to be

wearing their shoes at this point in time. I think they’re in a tough spot.”

I guess what got me thinking was the decision of the Power 5 to require cost-ofattendance and just seeing the trickle-down effect of that ruling last January.

What was your reaction when NDSU athletic director Matt Larsen told you NDSU is going

patty viverito with some schools anteing up for cost-of-attendance.”

It was announced in October that Judy MacLeod would become the first female FBS conference commissioner 30 years after you were one of the first females to be a conference commissioner.

“I’ve known Judy for a long time.

She was in the Missouri Valley when Tulsa was in the league, so I’ve had the pleasure of working with her and she’s a terrific administrator and a good friend. I wish her well.

And she’s absolutely totally capable of running that conference and she’s got the football chops, time on the men’s basketball committee and she’s paid her dues, and I think it’s going to be great. We’re going to have a female in the room with the FBS conferences now. We got a lot of women in the FCS room when it comes to the commissioners meetings and that’s changed pretty dramatically just over the last couple of years.”

What’s allowed for that shift to happen?

to implement full cost-ofattendance?

“I know that it’s going to cause some angst within the league and within the subdivision. I don’t know how much of a game-changer that is. I don’t know. I thought it was interesting that several individual institutions, who are pretty predominant, came out immediately after that and said, ‘We’re not following suit.’ So it didn’t create this avalanche of change that I think some people might have anticipated.

But when you got Montana State and schools in the Colonial and CAA saying, ‘It doesn’t change what we’re doing.’ Then we had schools in our own league say, ‘It’s fine, and it’s not going to change the way we do business.’ I think that the next two recruiting cycles, depending how it plays out and depending on how much of a difference maker it is, may change the way FCS operates. But for most of the FCS, I don’t think cost-ofattendance is in their budgets.”

What’s changed within the conference since NDSU joined eight years ago?

“I would say it’s become the standard bearer, not just for the Missouri Valley Football Conference but for the entire FCS. They’re the envy of this subdivision and for very good reason. Not just because they win – and they win a lot and they win with class – but they’ve got this incredible fan base that again, it’s really the envy of the subdivision.

But what that’s done in our league is opened eyes in a way that causes other teams to want to emulate them – both on and off the field. We had a bunch of sellouts this year across the league. That was really unheard of five years ago. And it’s become almost commonplace for our teams to sell out the big games now. That’s really encouraging. We also have a lot of schools that are investing a lot of money in their programs with facilities and again, with coaching staffs, as you’ve already mentioned

“Presidents became comfortable hiring women and that’s what gave me the opportunity. It was back in the mid-80s and there were a bunch of football schools looking for a home because the Missouri Valley had dropped football at the time. We were in the Gateway, a women’s league at the time, and I had ten presidents who were really comfortable working with me and said, ‘Let Patty run the football league.’ If they’d gone out looking for a football commissioner and just opened it up as an open search, that might not have been an opportunity I would have been given because there were no female football commissioners at the time. I’d like to think my being in this position for a long time and having some success has given some credibility to a women’s ability to run a football league.

So some would say you’re somewhat of a trailblazer? “(Laughs) Blaze away.”

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WALT ODEGAARD

PRAIRIE LEARNING

CENTER FROM ONE GENERATION OF BISON TO THE NEXT

by Joe Kerlin

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T

he last thing Walt Odegaard wanted to be called was Mr. Odegaard.

Not because he denied authority or because he thought Odegaard was two syllables too long, he just wanted to connect with the troubled kids he spent the majority of his life helping.

Walt’s heart was bigger than his 5’11 frame and his attitude off the field seemed to surprise people who saw him power through offensive lineman on his way to All-American honors while at NDSU. His accomplishments will forever be enshrined in the Bison Hall of Fame, but the impact on every life he encountered would mean something much greater than a plaque on the wall.

As irony would have it, one of the most punishing players on the 1965 national championship team that delivered NDSU its first title in school history was described to be “as gentle as a teddy bear” by one of the first employees.

Walt was a big man for his generation, but his dream was even bigger: establish his own getaway for underprivileged youth in the state. That heart molded him into a football star.

The Prairie Learning Center was created with the premise of being a youth sanctuary: a safe place where kids dealt the life equivalent of a two and seven off-suit can learn in a controlled environment. These kids don’t have much. A drug addict mother or a deadbeat father, maybe both of their parents are

WALT ODEGAARD together if they’re lucky enough. The bottom line, most of the 40 kids housed at PLC arrive with a one-way ticket to a life of crime and hardship.

But Walt had a different attitude and a plan. This wasn’t going to be the place he previously worked at when he supervised at Thistledew Camp in Togo, Minn., or the Youth Corrections Center in Mandan, N.D. He saw potential behind the trouble-faced kids, and that vision led him to create PLC with one of his former colleagues at Thistledew and closest friends, Dennis Hanson.

Located 261 miles away from the east entrance of the Fargodome off a dusty dirt road just west of Highway 31, PLC is where Odegaard’s convictions were practiced daily.

PLC houses up to 40 boys at a time with no prison bars and locked cells. Its strength is its mission of rehabilitation.

The boys choose to go and stay for an average of six months and are educated and given a proper chance at a real future in the real world.

“We try to have them get back on the right track so they can become good citizens and make a living for themselves,” explains office manager Leona Koch. She’s the only remaining employee at PLC since Walt and Hanson opened its doors. Koch says she still remembers when her church group was first introduced to Walt’s vision 25 years ago.

Walt and Hanson were looking for a spot for their youth camp and that’s when they stumbled into Raleigh, N.D., through an old connection at the YCC. Father Joe Deichert was the chaplain there and brought the men 60 miles south to check out an abandoned private high school. The hallways and classrooms of St. Gertrude High School were to become the location of Walt’s big dream.

PLC opened its doors on Sept. 11, 1991, after receiving its license through the state’s human service office.

Once the asepsis was removed and renovation was complete, beds started filling up at PLC, said Koch. Soon eight beds weren’t enough, and as soon as they reached 16, they were applying for a license for 32. Suddenly, the number reached 50.

Walt was the facility administrator until his retirement in 1994.

“He was connected,” Koch said. “His motto was: walk and talk with the boys. He wanted to make sure that they felt needed. They felt they were important and that was just his method of helping them.”

Dave Marion took over the administrative position as the executive director at PLC in 1998, something that never would have happened if Walt didn’t offer Marion a position on the PLC team after his decorated career on the football field at NDSU. Marion grew up the son of a chief parole officer in Bismarck and was well aware of the other side of the justice system when hope was lost in preventing criminal behavior. He knew he needed to help the youth if he wanted to make an impact. That’s why he jumped at the opportunity to join Walt and the staff at PLC in 1992.

“He never lied and there was something in Walt’s delivery,” the former Bison offensive lineman, Marion, said. “Talking about how he 93

WALT ODEGAARD through the care of every employee at PLC, especially his protégé and fellow Bison football player, Marion.

“At the end of the day I know what we’re creating down there. We make a huge impact with kids and families,” said Marion. “I can go to sleep at night.

It’s not that I don’t worry about stuff, but I know that we’ve given our best.

We got our people that we need in place that are going to deliver their best day in and day out. We make a huge impact.”

was going to help kids. How he was going to help families in the state of North Dakota and some missing links within our systems.”

found an elderly laundry lady on the ground in the laundry room who had apparently had a fainting spell while on the job.

“I say he was my mentor at the beginning,” Koch said. “He tried to be the father figure for awhile that the kids didn’t have before they came in.”

At PLC, these kids were given the chance to be normal. It was a chance to be intertwined with real life and get out of the poor and toxic environment they grew up absorbing.

Koch says the culture hasn’t changed since Walt’s departure and his death in 2006, five days after PLC’s 15th birthday.

Maybe the key is its rural-ness. Both Koch and Marion seem to agree that with no locks on the doors (state mandate), nature acts as the gates. The environment is an important piece of bringing the boys together and it allows time for the staff to connect with them on a personal basis.

Hanson, or “Pops” as the boys used to call him, loved taking the boys crosscountry skiing and snowshoeing, said Koch. They became a sort of family, the sort that boys never had a real chance of attaining since entering this world.

“They acted like they were the meanest kids in the world,” Koch said about most of the boys that arrive. “But if somebody would get hurt, they would be right there.”

Koch tells the story of the second boy they had at the camp. He saw Pops fall from a ladder and quickly went to his aid before running to find help. She also mentions the time one of the boys 94

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Pops has moved on from PLC and is now living in Sandstone, Minn., with his wife. He still makes an annual visit during an open house and sometimes during deer hunting season.

Walt has been gone for nearly 10 years now, but his presence is still felt

We talk a lot about Bison Pride and the importance of the herd is what an individual does that’s best for the herd, usually shown through a selfless decision. PLC mirrors that sentiment: Be driven, and do what’s best for the community, to not only strengthen yourself but to strengthen the culture.

And the culture at PLC can be read on the wall: “Every child has an opportunity to succeed.”

And at PLC, that opportunity Walt dreamt about is becoming a reality for the boys every day.

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About Prairie Learning Center prairielearningcenter.org 7785 St. Gertrude Ave, Raleigh, N.D.

ANDREA PEARSON

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WHERE ANDREA PEARSON

ARE THEY

NOW?

ANDREA PEARSON: TRACK & FIELD HALL OF FAMER

By Joe Kerlin | Photo by Paul Flessland

NOT JUST A TRACK ATHLETE For this former women’s track and field champion, Bison Pride wasn’t just applied for her five years of school at NDSU. Andrea Pearson is now living her daily life as a counselor and coach with the same amount of respect and passion she used on the track during the 1990s.

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n the fall of 2013, Andrea Pearson joined many of her fellow track and field athletes who once wore the letters N-D-S-U on their race bibs to honor their coach. Former women’s head track and field and cross-country coach Jerry Gores was inducted to the Bison Athletic Hall of Fame after coaching at NDSU for 13 years.

Gores led the Bison to 18 North Central Conference championships and is credited with establishing the dominance in women’s track and field that is still seen today.

Pearson was one of Gores foundational stars.

“Every coach I’ve had means something different,” Pearson said.

“They all have their own talents and abilities and coaching styles.”

Fast-forward two years and all the natural talent and abilities of Pearson granted her own piece

of immortality in the Bison Athletic Hall of Fame. Pearson was among the five athletes enshrined in the Hall of Fame this year. She was honored along with track and field athlete Jason Breitzman.

“Stevie Keller gave me a call, which is great because I actually competed with him while I was here so it was a really personal connection,” Pearson said about finding out she made the hall of fame. “Coach Gores had already known and he said, ‘I’ve been waiting for you to call.’ He was so excited.”

Pearson is a no-doubt-about-it hall of famer. The proverbial “first ballot hall of fame” type athlete. She won the 1996 NCAA Division II Indoor high jump champion and was an eighttime Division II All-American.

“I’m just a track and field athlete,” Pearson said when asked about being among the transcendent talent on the

ANDREA PEARSON stage. Wrestler George Thompson, women’s basketball player Jayne Gust and Nikki Gregg rounded out the strong 2015 hall of fame class.

Today, Pearson resides in the small town of Cameron, Wis. Pearson, her husband Preston and her two kids Jacob (11) and Lauren (8) moved to the town of 1,700 five years ago.

Before the move, Pearson was back in her and Preston’s hometown of Hutchinson, Minn. The two high school sweethearts attended school at NDSU together and moved to the cities after a coaching position opened up for Pearson at her old high school.

“It was really wild,” Pearson said.

“Coaching is my main passion. If I can’t compete then the next thing I would choose to do is coach.”

After the move to Cameron, Pearson quit coaching for a few years to play her role as mom. She also got a job at the middle school where she is

Record Book - Ranks fifth all-time with jump of 5-feet, 9-1/4 inches at the 1998 NCAA indoor track & field championships - Outdoors, listed at fourth with jump of 5-feet, 9-1/4 inches at the 1998 NCC outdoor track & field championships

ANDREA PEARSON a counselor. She received her master’s in psychology from St. Cloud State University.

“School counseling and coaching are a lot alike because you’re helping kids get through whatever situation they’re struggling at, whether it’s academics, social difficulties or just a friendship problem,” Pearson said. “You get to know a lot of kids. You get to know a lot of personal stories and it’s great just because how coaches all have their different skills, each kid comes with their own talents and struggles, so it’s fun to help them focus on what talents they have to overcome whatever struggle they’re dealing with. Every kid is different absolutely.”

Today, Pearson is back in teaching mode, coaching the seventh-grade volleyball team. She now calls herself a “mom slash coach” because her youngest, Lauren, comes to practice and gets an opportunity to be around the team environment.

“She just loves being in the gym and the atmosphere, the girls, and she’s our little team mascot,”

Pearson said. Like mother, like daughter.

The atmosphere and the team concept is what Pearson fell in love with at NDSU. Bison Pride shines through anytime she gets to talk about being a part of a women’s track team that won four NCC championships while she was there.

“Bison Pride is really about being part of that family and being the one small Bison among the Herd,” Pearson said.

“And taking that Bison Pride is doing the best you can for you, but you’re really ultimately helping the entire team and so that transfers to life. You’re always looking to do your best.

You want to do what’s best for you, which is what’s best for your team, your group, your student, your athletes or whatever you’re involved in.”

Pearson is living proof what happens when Bison Pride is applied in every walk of life.

The former high jumper doesn’t compete anymore but with her intoxicating attitude, she’s made the seamless jump from decorated athlete to mom slash coach.

Nat ional Accolades

Conference Accolades Four-time North Central Conference track & field champion Won the 1995 and 1996 NCC indoor high jump crowns Won the 1995 and 1998 NCC outdoor high jump Member of two NCC indoor track & field championship teams and a pair of NCC outdoor championship teams

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1996 NCAA Division II Indoor high jump champion Two-time CoSIDA College Division Academic All-America® earning first team honors in 1998 and third team in 1997 1998 NCAA Woman of the Year state winner 1998 NDSU Albrecht Presidential Trophy recipient Three-time United States Track Coaches Association (USTCA) All-Academic team selection Eight-time NCAA Division II Track & Field All-American overall NCAA indoor - third in 1995, first in 1996, tied for fifth in 1997 and second in 1998 NCAA outdoor - seventh in 1995, third in 1996, tied for fifth in 1997 and third in 1998

PATRICK HARRISON

GET TO

KNOW PATRICK HARRISON

B

ison women’s basketball assistant coach Patrick Harrison’s fashion sense rivals men’s basketball head coach Dave Richman. But don’t let his style fool you. Harrison was born to be a coach. Growing up the son of a high school coach, teaching comes naturally, and his personable communication style makes him the perfect fit for Maren Walseth’s team. But who is the second year assistant?

We sat down with him as he reveals his deepest passion (hint: they’re on his feet).

Photo by J. Alan Paul Photography

QUICK FACTS Hometown Wichita, Kansas Alma Mater Friends University of Central Kansas (Psychology) Additional Education Master’s at Wichita State University (Sports Management) Graduate assistant on the first Wichita State team to advance to the NCAA Tournament 104

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PATRICK HARRISON

Q& A Bison Illustrated: Patrick Harrison:

BI: PH:

BI:

PH:

Where are you from?

“Wichita, Kansas. I moved around the state a lot.

Both of my parents are educators. My dad was a coach. He moved around a lot to different jobs and moved all around Kansas, but my home is Wichita.”

Where did you play your college ball?

“I played junior college basketball at Hesston College in Kansas, it’s a Division II junior college.

I got hurt with four concussions between my freshman and sophomore year. I say I was too athletic, but really, people got bigger.

I had to quit my career earlier than I wanted to, but I knew one of the coaches there on the women’s side that had a daughter I went to school with. So I asked if I could volunteer when I was down there, and it worked out. I knew I wanted to coach. I didn’t know it would be on the women’s side.”

What were you doing at Friends University to remain in the coaching field while getting your degree?

“I was a student assistant.

That was my official title, but I was pretty much full-time junior varsity head coach. I was also the recruiting coordinator.”

Coaching Timeline

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college and I’m in the real workforce, I’ve needed some cash so I sold quite a few. But I would say, since I’ve had a job again over the last four years, I would say triple digits.”

Was coaching always the plan being a coach’s kid?

“When you grow up and you’re sweeping floors and turning on clocks and airing up basketballs in the summer, it’s just one of those things you get to see all the behind the scenes, and it’s what you love doing. It’s the sweat equity.

I love the interaction with the kids. I saw with coaching, the impact you can have. Obviously, my dad loves the appreciation he gets from the kids who come back and tell stories about the good and bad times they had together.

I think that’s what really makes a career, and it was exciting for me and I wanted to be a part of that.”

BI: PH:

What’s your favorite pair?

“Growing up as an ‘80s kid, I loved Michael Jordan.

I’ve fallen off a little bit because it’s saturated. I can’t believe I’m talking shoes right now. I’m a huge Air Max guy. Probably my favorite pair I’m going to keep on ice right now is my Nike Air Stab Special Edition Runnin’ and Gunnin’. It’s black and infrared, it’s pretty sweet.”

BI:

Would you say your sneaker game has translated to your dress shoe game?

“Oh, absolutely. I was a big old school guy. Like Al Green, and Teddy Pendergrass music-wise, so kind of the gators and the smooth colors and pastels, that just traded off onto me. I got three or four pairs of gators.”

PH:

Have you ever stepped outside the game and tried anything else?

“I’ve had some other jobs.

I worked repossession for a little bit. I was changing locks and dealing with that stuff. I’ve done retail.

I’m a huge shoe guy, a bit of a sneaker head, so I’ve worked at Foot Locker and Champs. But it all comes back to being on the floor. I love the interaction with kids.”

How many pairs of shoes do you own?

“When I was graduating college, I was up to about 130. Since I graduated

2014-Present NDSU, assistant

2013-14 Hastings College, assistant 105

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BI:

That was more shoe talk than I was expecting.

“Sneakers have been really good for me because it’s one way to connect with kids, too. A lot of kids you recruit obviously in basketball it’s very evident, especially in the girls game.

Everybody loves shoes.”

PH:

BI:

You’re one of the most active coaches on social media. Why do you use it so often when others don’t?

“I think it’s our duty to give a little behind the scenes look at our program.

Obviously, it helps with the recruiting aspect, but also I think it’s just my personality. I’m pretty extroverted anyway. But I think, as coaches, we

PH:

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always want to share our experiences and share our coaching styles with our kids and everybody else.

But I think the big thing is: what can we share with the rest of the community - with people we don’t even know throughout the country - that we can bond with and share our experiences?”

BI:

“I hate it when people do that to me, but it’s funny when I do it.”

Who’s your favorite person to follow on Twitter?

“I have a bunch of sneaker stuff, so when they come out and are released, I know what’s happening.

There are four or five coaches I love. As soon as they tweet, it’s just pure gold. Mike Dunlap, who’s the head coach of Loyola Marymount out in LA, is really good.”

Had you ever been to North Dakota before coming here?

“Nope, it’s my first time.

I traveled around a lot, obviously, being a coach and my family traveled.

I’ve been to Montana.

I have family from Montana. So I’ve been up to the northern Midwest, I guess that’s what you’d call it.”

What’s the biggest misconception of North Dakota?

“I think that it’s probably that we’re not up to date or there aren't things to do, especially in Fargo. I can’t speak for the rest of the state, but Fargo is an awesome spot, especially as a young professional or college kid. It’s awesome.

We have 30,000 college students in the area, we have a booming population, you have places to eat, things to do all the time. I’ve been really impressed.

Obviously, the people are wonderful. I’ve been lucky enough, too, because the weather has been really good.”

Like the photos of somebody sleeping at the airport during a road trip?

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2009-11 Pratt Community College, assistant coach and student success specialist

Seven players signed in this recruiting class. Have you ever seen one this big?

“Ironically, Maren’s (Walseth) last year at Penn State, they had a sevenperson recruiting class.

We didn’t intentionally do that, but it was how things worked out with our classes. It made the most sense, and I feel like, at every position, we have really quality pieces.

The local kids are huge.

We decided (that) for our program to improve and get to the level we want to get to, we have to take care of business at home, and that’s right within North Dakota and surrounding areas in Minnesota and South Dakota.”

This is the most hype I can remember for a women’s basketball signing class.

“I love hype. Just have to make sure the kids come in and bust their tails.”

2007-09 Friends University-Kansas, recruiting coordinator

Harvest Bowl Helmets

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harvest bowl helmets

A FRESH LOOK:

By Joe Kerlin Photo by Paul Flessland

T

he NDSU football team wore their agricultural pride on their heads during the Harvest Bowl game against Western Illinois November 7. It was the first time since 1998 that the football team made a dramatic helmet change and the first time in school history they wore green helmets.

The matte green helmets complemented with a matte yellow facemask gave NDSU a look never before seen by Bison fans.

“We went through a couple different logo variations to see sizes and which particular one we wanted,” Director of Football Operations Brian Gordon said. “We settled on our current logo and we looked at a couple different 111

harvest bowl helmets

POLL QUESTION: Do you like NDSU’s new alternate helmets?

5%

95% YES

NO

THE PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN...

THEY LIKE WHAT THEY SEE variations for stripes and the wheat from the university seal look the best.”

Gordon said he and the NDSU administrative staff played around with the idea of alternate helmets for the past couple of years. Official plans to incorporate an alternate helmet this season started in the spring when a group of donors approached NDSU about funding the project.

“We didn’t want to do it early in the season,” Gordon said. “It was good to have a tie in to the Harvest Bowl, agricultural and that’s the reason why we went with the design that we did.”

Head football coach Chris Klieman looked to his left during his Monday press conference after the helmets were revealed and thought that they were “pretty cool.”

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harvest bowl helmets

CLASSIC LOGO The new alternate helmet honors NDSU’s univeristy seal using a wheat spike running through the back spine of the helmet.

Klieman also thought this could help during the recruiting process.

“Everybody has an alternate something,” Klieman said.

“Guys (recruits) are asking. I also understand there’s a ton of great traditions here that I don’t want to adjust and change, but I visited with a number of former players and they understand as well that guys like this kind of stuff.”

The cost per helmet ranges anywhere from $200-325, said Gordon. He also said the Bison could wear them later this season or never again.

Bison Nation will have to “stay tuned.”

As for the current players, Klieman knew they were excited for something different on their heads. “Late in the season, it’s good to give them something other than a candy bar for a reward for a tackle for loss.”

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BENCH PARTY

BENCH

PARTY

By Joe Ke rlin Photo By J. Alan Pa ul Photograp hy

(From left to right) Khy Kabellis, Brian Ishola, Spencer Eliason and Evan Wesenberg 116

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BENCH PARTY

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ith eight minutes remaining in the second half of the Summit League championship game, for the first time in the building’s history the Denny Sanford Premier Arena was experiencing the high drama only conference basketball tournament can provide.

No one expected the Bison to be in this game. With the team ranked fifth in the preseason and with a gutted rotation, many felt first-year head coach Dave Richman was in for a setback and a year spent in rebuilding mode. This thought process quickly

vanished when NDSU took home a share of the regular season title.

put the Bison up six, 46-40, with 7:55 left in the game.

The team that was supposed to take back the title was on the other side of the court. Everything was bending South Dakota State’s way. They had the hottest shooters, the most dominant big man in the entire tournament and thousands of fans filling the Premier Center. The biggest storyline of the season was about to reach its climax.

The Premier Center was silenced.

SDSU fans dropped into their seats while a thunderous roar came from the small contingent of Bison fans in the north student section. The Bison bench went bananas. They’d been waiting for this moment, said freshman forward Spencer Eliason. LA’s bucket brought Eliason and his teammates to their feet, and then came the moment he and his benchmates were waiting for. The celebration.

Lawrence Alexander, the Bison’s lone senior and unquestioned leader, was about to morph from Summit League Player of the Year into Summit League tournament legend.

LA dribbled, pulled up and buried his fifth three-pointer of the night during a game with more offensive deficiencies than a baseball game in February. LA

Eliason froze. He fell back stiffer than the basketball floorboards under his feet. He fell faint, into the waiting arms of reserve guards Matt Kourouma and Trey Miller.

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WHOO

E WE ARANCIN! D GOIN

The antics of benches during basketball games have caught the attention of highlight shows across the country.

Eliason’s fainting celebration was highlighted on ESPN’s “SportsCenter” after the game.

“I just got excited, I could have fallen straight on my butt.

Luckily they caught me.”

Eliason said.

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“I think it’s important to have a really awesome bench that gets the team fired up,” said Eliason, who took a redshirt year last season. “We did watch film on bench celebrations.

We took it seriously.”

The loose and fun attitude from the bench seemed to resonate with the seven players that saw regular minutes

!

in the rotation last season for the Bison. No one expected them to win the conference so they were enjoying the ride.

This year a new crop of bench players will be relied on to keep the loose and fun energy. Eliason expects to play a lot of minutes this year in the post.

The redshirt freshman hails from Chadron, Neb., and hopes to complement senior Chris Kading and junior Dexter Werner in the paint.

“It was big for me to get a year of working out, especially with Coach (Jason) Miller and Coach (Eric) Henderson,” explained Eliason before the first exhibition game. “I think we’re getting really comfortable, and we’ll definitely be ready for the season.”

There will be questions surrounding Bison basketball this season, but mostly they’ll be on the court. As for the bench, they’ll miss their biggest cheerleader, but know there’s a young player waiting in the wings to provide the energy NDSU will need as they go for a three-peat as Summit League champions.

GAMEDAY SIGHTS

WESTERN ILLINOIS

TAILGATING Photos by Paul Flessland

SPOTTED

BISON BILL

Bill, from Harvey, N.D., would like to see some of the pictures he’s taken with Bison fans this year. He’s hard to miss in the crowded lots at tailgating, wearing his buffalo robe he got from Hensen’s Fur & Leather before last season.

Bill is an NDSU alum and started going to school in Fargo during the 1969 football season. The Bison would win their third championship that season under the tutelage of Ron Erhardt.

“All the way, PJ, all the way. Blood makes the grass grow,” Bill said, reciting the popular cheers and saying around Bison Nation in the early 1970s.

With his Bison helmet he’s had since 2012 and his buffalo robe, Bill has become one of the many mane attractions at NDSU football tailgating.

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GAMEDAY SIGHTS

TIGIRLILY

SPOTTED

Over the past six months, North Dakota’s favorite country singing duo, Tigirlily, have been competing in the Nash Next Challenge.

In October, they announced via Facebook they’ve cracked the Top 10 among thousands of contestants.

With one challenge remaining, we caught-up with the Kendra and Krista at, where else, Bison tailgating, to see how what the final challenge is and what they thought of their first Bison football tailgate.

Bison Illustrated: Tell me a little bit about this Nash Next Challenge that you’re a part of.

Kendra: We’re in this national contest called Nash Next and we made it into the Top 10 out of thousands of contestants and we have one challenge left. This challenge involves animation in the music video so we are in the process of doing that right now and then voting and we’ll see who wins. The Top 10 get to go on a tour so we’re excited about that.

BI: Is animation something you guys have dabbled into before?

Krista: It’s a completely new idea for us because they gave us an animation team out of a college in Florida and we get to go back and forth and work ideas and we’re really, really excited about the idea we’re filming next week. We’re going back and forth with the animation team, but we’re excited about the theme of it, but we can’t reveal it yet, but it’s pretty exciting.

BI: Do you guys make it to Bison games often?

Krista: This is my third one ever, so not very many, but we’re from Hazen, N.D. and we’re the Hazen Bison. “Once a Bison, always a Bison.”

Kendra: This is actually our first time tailgating today.

So we’ve had the whole Bison tailgating experience.

It’s been awesome. We got to eat candied bacon.

Krista: What more could you want?

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GAMEDAY SIGHTS

MISSOURI STATE

TAILGATING

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SENIORS 2015

THANK YOU

SENIORS

4 FCS NATIONAL TITLES

5 MVFC TITLES

67-5 CAREER RECORD

#8 DARIUS ANDERSON

36-4 MVFC RECORD

#80 NATE MOODY

Darius Anderson is a walk-on transfer that has split time at wide receiver and running back during his career at NDSU.

Nate Moody started in the first FCS National Championship for the Bison at wide receiver and has bounced back from a knee injury to finish his senior season strong.

#61 BRIAN SCHAETZ

#67 BROCK RUSSELL

Former walk-on Brian Schaetz is a two-year starter for the Bison at defensive tackle and has played in over 55 games.

Former walk-on and transfer Brock Russell has only played a few games in his career, but he has played a valuable role on the scout team.

#11 CARSON WENTZ Carson Wentz will go down as one of the best quarterbacks in NDSU history and holds the school records in single-season passing yards, touchdowns, completions and attempts.

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#30 JEDRE CYR Jedre Cyr has been the prototypical, tough-nosed, run-blocking fullback that found the end zone for the first time in his career against Northern Iowa.

SENIORS 2015

#5 JORDAN CHAMPION

#19 BEN LECOMPTE

Jordan Champion is a twoyear starting cornerback for the Bison and has been one of the most physical players making 150 career tackles.

Ben LeCompte is one of the best punters in Bison history and owns the conference record averaging 44.5 yards per punt.

#54 JEREMY KELLY

#88 LUKE ALBERS

Jeremy Kelly transferred to NDSU his junior year and has started every game at right guard since.

Luke Albers has played over 39 games at tight end for the Bison and has five career touchdown receptions.

#59 JOE HAEG Former walk-on Joe Haeg has started on the offensive line since his freshman season in 2012. He was a first-team AllAmerican in 2014.

#6 CJ SMITH CJ Smith is a three-year starter at cornerback and has been among the conference leaders in passes defended for the past two seasons.

#46 ANDREW BONNET Andrew Bonnet has played an integral role on the Bison offense as a tight end and fullback, playing over 50 games in his career.

#82 ZACH VRAA Zach Vraa will go down as one of the best wide receivers in school history and owns career records in receptions, yards and touchdowns.

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WORD SEARCH

WORD SEARCH

S WORD D TO FIN

BROCK RUSSELL MCKENZIE BURKE DEIDRE HAHN PAUL FUNK NICK OBRIEN

MAX CASPER JULIA LUCIANO LAUREN REIMERS ZACH VRAA NICK DELUCA

BRIAN SCHAETZ PATTY VIVERITO PATRICK HARRISON ODEGAARD ANDREA PEARSON

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BISON CROSSING

Bison Crossing

Down

This Bison cross country 1.Championship runner won the Summit League meet this fall.

Jenni _______ is the only senior 2. on the Bison volleyball team.

Bison football player 4. Which wears number 16?

This women’s soccer player won 5. the Summit League Goalkeeper of the Year. _______ Zillmer is the only 7. returning wrestler to be named an All-American last season.t The Bison football team has won 9. the ________ ________ Football Conference for five consecutive years.

Across Dave ______ is the head coach The Bison men’s basketball 13. for the men’s basketball team? 3. team defeated this team for their first win of the season.

CAN U O Taylor _______ leads the Bison Y 6. women’s basketball team in ANSWERS IT! three-pointers this season.

O D How many regular season home 8. games did the Bison football team play this season? ________ plays nose guard 10. Nate for the Bison football team?

Who was the first Bison football 11. player to run for over 100 yards in a single game this season? women’s soccer player won the 12. This Summit League Freshman of the Year.

This women’s soccer player won the 14.

Summit League Offensive Player of the Year. volleyball assistant coach played 15. This for the Bison from 2008-2011. orner! c t f e l RS in 1. Erin Teschuck 2. Fassbender 3. UC Davis 4. RJ Urzendowski 5. Sierra Bonham 6. Thunstedt 7. Hayden 8. Six 9. Missouri Valley 10. Tanguay 11. Easton Stick 12. Britney Monteon 13. Richman 14. Lauren Miller 15. Jenny Lopez

WE

SEE ANS

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SOUTHERN STYLE

bison I

t’s official. Bison Pride is alive and well in Southeastern Conference territory.

Thanks to the Carolina alumni group, the Bison following has extended its reach into the heart of college football country.

Mark Miller and David Johnson began their watch party tradition in Charlotte, N.C., at Jocks and Jills Sports Grille in 2011 when the Bison played Minnesota in Minneapolis. Then they congregated once again to watch the Bison finish their Cinderella run by winning their first FCS National Championship.

This October, joined by six

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other NDSU alums now calling North Carolina home, they made the trip up to Terra Haute, Ind., to host their second tailgating party with Bison Team Makers.

The 10-hour drive was worth the experience, said Johnson, a 1984 NDSU graduate. He said he and Miller – a 2000 alum – have been living vicariously through YouTube and other online outlets to get their information about their beloved Bison football program.

“We all got families and things we have to do, but we all share that passion and love for our alma mater and the Bison athletics,

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BY JOE KERLIN PHOTOS BY DAVE SAMSON, THE FORUM

and I think that’s fun,” Johnson said.

The Charlotte alumni group was greeted by more than 200 Bison faithful who made the trip to Indiana to see quarterback Easton Stick’s debut. The Gold Star Marching Band came through, along with NDSU President Dean Bresciani, and they even got to meet the new – at least for them – athletic director Matt Larsen and his family. Miller also noted the Bison Media Blog, the guys they’ve been following to keep

tabs on their favorite team, hosted their pregame show at tailgating.

Miller and Johnson brought the alumni group from Charlotte to Youngstown State in 2013, which was only a seven-hour drive compared to the 10 hours it took to get to Terra Haute.

But there’s never regret.

“Well, part of it is the fact that we haven’t had a Bison game in the Southeast since the 2006 game against Georgia Southern,” Miller said. “Obviously through the success the team has had, not only on the field but on the basketball court, the national exposure has increased our brand recognition, and it’s got the alumni reinvigorated.”

Johnson said the following of Bison fans has grown outside of the alumni community thanks in part to the inclusive watch parties hosted at Jocks and Jills every Bison football Saturday. Upward of 25 regulars visit the bar and grill every game day, some driving up to two hours to watch the games.

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Team Maker Executive Director Pat Simmers flew to Charlotte this past February with the four FCS Championship trophies to meet with alumni in the greater Charlotte area. The event was held at Jocks and Jills, the only Team Maker sponsor east of the Mississippi.

“It struck such a cord with my neighbor who isn’t even an alum, he joined Team Makers on the spot,” Johnson said. “I don’t know if it was just his passion for liking football or it was just the stories that Pat and Ken (Zetocha) were telling him.

It got him all fired up. Now, next year he wants to come to Fargo with me to a game at the Fargodome.”

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Johnson said people at high school football games are recognizing his NDSU gear.

They tell him, “I love the way you guys play football.”

He even has a member of his church flashing him the Bison horns while he takes communion.

The Bison brand is growing and growing thanks in large part to the success of the football team. But with alumni groups such as the one in Charlotte, the banner of success carried by Bison Nation is reaching areas of the country unimaginable five years ago.

“We all got families and things we have to do, but we all share that passion and love for our alma mater and the Bison athletics, and I think that’s fun.”

- David Johnson

SWANY SAYS

swany says CULTURE DRIVES GREAT RESULTS FOLLOW

@swany8

I

came across the title of this column, "Culture Drives Great Results," in a Forbes article on leadership while scrolling though Twitter. It’s from Jack Welch, the former CEO of General Electric. It got me thinking about the special culture we have at North Dakota State and how our culture – what we call Bison Pride – drives our great results. In the interview, Welch, one of the most accomplished business leaders of the 20th century, explained the importance of culture. “Great cultures deliver great numbers. Great numbers don’t deliver great cultures.” Amen, brother. You don’t have to be the CEO of General Electric to know that Welch is right. The foundation of any thriving organization, be it a business or championship athletic team, is a great culture. Culture is the horse that drives the cart.

How so? Simple question – do you like going to work every morning? If you answered yes, it’s probably not as much the money you make, as it is the great environment and culture you work in and the people you work with. There’s a chemistry there, a sense that the sum is greater than its parts with everyone pushing towards a common set of goals.

Nobody cares who gets the credit, so long as the job is done and done right.

Conversely, we all know people who make a lot of money who are miserable at their job. Maybe you’re one of them. Ask yourself why. The reason likely has much to do with the culture where you work.

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BY JOSHUA A. SWANSON *Swanson is a native of Maddock, N.D., a proud NDSU alum and a life-long Bison fan.

People pushing in different directions, selfishness permeating the ranks and management that fosters the dysfunction.

Nobody likes going to work at that kind of place.

That’s why culture is much more than the latest buzzword in organizational leadership and business circles. According to another recent Forbes article, culture is one of the top-five factors people consider when weighing a job offer. One of the things that impresses me most about Bison Nation is our culture – Bison Pride.

As much as anything else, the culture of our university and athletic teams, that Bison Pride has played a role in our championship pursuits. You cannot sustain the type of excellence NDSU has without having a great culture from the top down to the bottom up. Our success would collapse under its own weight if coaches, players, administrators and boosters became entitled, complacent and started taking all the credit or figured winning was a birthright rather than the byproduct of hard work and sacrifice. But that hasn’t happened.

Every Sunday morning, like many of you, I watch the Bison Football Show with Chris Klieman. One of my favorite segments is the “New Crop of Bison” feature where they interview one of the true or redshirt freshmen. Without fail, something these guys always mention is the team chemistry and culture. After the Missouri State game, the player being interviewed talked about how, when he was transitioning to the college game, his

SWANY SAYS

former high school teammates already playing college sports told him it wasn’t the same because it lacked chemistry and togetherness. This player said the best thing about being a Bison, though, was that this team, contrary to what his high school teammates reported about their schools, was even closer than his high school team.

Where does that come from? The coaches. The seniors and team leaders.

Lettermen from years gone by. Our supporters. All of you. It’s a wellestablished culture that has become part of our DNA. Another part of the Bison Football Show is the “Bison Hot Seat,” where Jeremy Jorgenson, the show’s host, asks a key contributor on the team questions ranging from what drives you crazy about your roommates, to what’s the best thing about the NDSU coaching staff. To a man, when asked about their coaches, the players, with all sincerity, describe how open, caring and approachable the coaches and staff are. That’s a powerful testimony to the culture inside the NDSU locker room.

You don’t win multiple championships without that sort of culture. Here’s another quote, maybe my favorite from this season so far. The Bison had just beaten Youngstown State on the road after trailing by 14 points in the fourth quarter, for a hard-fought, comeback win. Easton Stick, the freshman quarterback from Omaha, Neb., was being interviewed and was asked about the win. Stick, who led the game-winning drive and scored the game-winning touchdown, has emerged onto the scene following a seasonending wrist injury to NFL prospect and fan favorite Carson Wentz. But, like Wentz and Brock Jensen before him, Stick didn’t talk about himself. It was all about the team. The team, the team, the team. “This team, I’m just so proud to be a Bison,” began Stick. Okay, you’ve got my ear, freshman. What he said next cemented in my mind why this Bison team is on the road to another big postseason. “This team is a tough bunch of dudes, and there is no quit in

Easton Stick scores the go-ahead touchdown with 35 seconds left in the fourth quarter against Youngstown State. The Bison overcame a 14-point deficit in the fourth quarter and would go on to win their last five games in the Missouri Valley Football Conference with the freshman Stick at the helm.

anybody in that locker room, and that is something we really pride ourselves on.”

Like I said – or, I guess like Welch said – great culture drives great results. Your freshman quarterback is preaching about the team. That wasn’t an accident. This mentality is how you win four (going on five) straight national championships, how our teams qualify for postseason tournaments, such as March Madness, year after year, and why ESPN routinely visits campus.

It’s part and parcel of how our players fill the lists of conference honor rolls and go on to success after their days wearing the green and yellow are over.

It’s a culture about the team, not the individual player. The opposite side of the coin from the Bison comeback and team focus was visible in Youngstown State’s ensuing meltdown, where their head coach, Bo Pelini, selfishly berated officials for what was a correct pass interference call. The result speaks for itself. NDSU won a fifth consecutive Missouri Valley Football Conference championship. The Penguins are sitting at home during the playoffs again, having missed the postseason every year since 2006, and it’s not because they don’t have the talent.

This culture – Bison Pride – is infectious.

The great things going on at NDSU, athletically and academically, have

been a catalyst for our communities, region and state for many decades, but especially since we made the decision to move to Division I. The renaissance in Fargo and our state had a tremendous assist from an entrepreneurial and progressive spirit launched, in part, by the attitude of NDSU graduates and supporters who have decided to stay here or in Bismarck, Williston and everywhere in between, rather than bolting for the bigger cities as many past graduates did. As a result, while our numbers might not be quite as big, our lights are starting to shine just as bright.

Our university has taken on that spirit, that Bison Pride and vice versa, our athletic teams have taken on the spirit of our university. It’s one in the same. Rare do you find a university community operating so in sync. Our fans see it, the university lives it, and our communities and the greater region have adopted it. There is this sense that if we commit ourselves to a task, we will accomplish it. Everyone reading this article, you know what Bison Pride is. You are not only part of Bison Pride, you are Bison Pride. As we say, the strength of the Herd is the Bison and the strength of the Bison is the Herd.

That culture has and will continue to drive our results. Everyone up for the kickoff, the march is on!

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POP QUIZ

What’s the best Christmas gift you’ve ever received?

What did you get your parents last year?

What’s your favorite activity to do in the winter?

A family trip to Florida.

I gave my mom a Trollbead (it’s Norwegian) and my dad a blown up picture for his office from our last family vacation.

Sledding.

A shotgun from my parents when I was 16.

A new toaster oven.

Close call between hunting and snowboarding.

I have received many great gifts to which I am very thankful, but the best one I have received so far would have to be my waffle iron. I’m a huge fan of waffles and I have used it more times than I can count.

Last year, I got my parents a gift card to a nice Italian restaurant in downtown St. Louis., Mo.

I love wrapping up in a lot of blankets and playing video games or watching movies. Oh, and trying to make different eggnog recipes and testing which ones I like.

Cash.

NDSU sweatshirts, I think.

Play basketball.

Probably my first Nerf gun when I was little.

We did a family gift of a cruise in the Caribbean.

Go somewhere warm.

Ann Govig

TRACK AND FIELD

Ann Govig transferred to North Dakota State after spending her freshman season at St. Olaf. The Bismarck native competes in the pentathlon during the indoor season and the heptathlon during the outdoor season. She placed fourth in the heptathlon during the Summit League Outdoor Championships last spring.

Nate Moody

FOOTBALL

Nate Moody is a senior wide receiver from Dickinson, N.D. He started in the 2011 FCS Championship game as a true freshman. He has two career touchdowns, both coming during the 2012 season. He redshirted last year due to a knee injury, but is back this season in the regular rotation.

Clay Ream

WRESTLING

Clay Ream is a redshirt sophomore from Wentzville, Mo. Last year, he qualified for the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships where he went 2-2. He was the 2015 NCAA West Region/Western Wrestling Conference champion at 149 pounds. He won the 149-pound weight division at the Daktronics Open this year.

Emily Spier Emily Spier is a junior forward from Buffalo, Minn. She played 29 games last season and averaged a career-high 17.2 minutes a game. This season, she’s averaging 29.8 minutes, 10.8 points and 5.3 rebounds per game.

BASKETBALL BROCK LARSON

TRACK AND FIELD 140

Brock Larson is a senior from Fargo South High School. He competes in multiple events including the indoor heptathlon and the outdoor decathlon. He was an all-Summit League performer in the heptathlon last winter, finishing third in the conference with a career-high 4,805 points.

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Apple cider or hot chocolate?

What’s the number one thing on your Christmas list this year?

Hot chocolate.

New headphones.

Hot chocolate.

An extreme action videocamera.

This is a tough one, but if it is a super-rich and chocolatey hot chocolate, I’m going with the hot chocolate. However, eggnog blows both choices out of the water.

This year I am really hoping for a cookbook or two, even just some recipes. I know how to cook like 6 not-from-a-box meals and thinking I need a little more variety.

Apple cider.

Big t-shirt quilt of all my high school shirts.

Coffee

A new Nerf gun.