Bison Illustrated January 2019

J A N UA RY 2 0 1 8

C O M P L E M E N TA RY

Ahead Of The Game T H E W O M E N O F N D S U AT H L E T I C S

CONTENTS

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COVER STORY 20

AHEAD OF THE GAME

With National Girls and Women in Sports Day fast approaching in early February, Bison Illustrated sits down and honors some of the phenomenal women student-athletes, coaches and administration at NDSU. They, along with every woman at NDSU, help take Bison athletics to new heights each and every day.

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01/2019

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FEATURES 54

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The Lopez Sisters Maren Walseth

PHIL OSTLIE

8 Editor’s Note

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WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

Part of one of the most memorable eras in Bison basketball, Brett Winkelman traveled the world before coming back to Fargo.

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17 How Well Do You Know Your Teammate

GAME FACES

We ask the Bison men’s basketball team to give us their facial expressions when these events occur on the hardwood.

Rylee Nudell Vanessa Anderson

RECURRING

NDSU football helps a family in need when one former Bison passes on.

Kelby Anderson Emma Groom

73 18 Pop Quiz

58 Athletics Calendar 73 The Ross Report 76 Slaubaugh’s Scoop 78 Swany Says

TEAM MAKERS

We chat with new Team Makers President Chris Haugrud and what his plans are for 2019.

NDSU Athletics Administration National Girls And Women In Sports Day

FIND US ONLINE

@bisonmag

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facebook.com/bisonillustrated

BISON ILLUSTRATED j a n u a r y 2 0 1 9

bisonillustrated

bisonillustrated.com

info@spotlightmediafargo.com

nolan@spotlightmediafargo.com

the new year ahead FROM NOLAN P. SCHMIDT

I

I've never ascribed to the idea of "New Year, New Me".

While I have no problem with those who do, I've always felt it should not take a new year to change something about yourself.

Sure, it may seem like the right time to change, a "fresh" start for most.

However, the date and year are just numbers in the end.

Inward reflection and selfassessment should be done throughout the year and not just when a new one begins.

Feel free to take that philosophical advice at your own discretion. I usually charge for such nuggets as the one above, but for you, the faithful reader of Bison Illustrated, I shall make this one exception. That slice of thought is on the house.

For me, part of my reflection and self-assessment has been how we can improve and make this magazine as pristine as possible. I believe Bison Illustrated has a lot of forward momentum right now (I could be totally delusional too). People are reading our magazine, either online or in print. Folks are 8

BISON ILLUSTRATED j a n u a r y 2 0 1 9

also listening to our podcast, as they anxiously await the next installment of "How will Swany and Nolan veer off the rails?". Our social media is blowing up and we have some new video ventures that I'm extremely excited about.

So, the question remains, where do we go from here?

I've come to the conclusion that in order to improve this magazine and continue this perceived momentum, we need to take some risks.

We need to be bold and impactful in the way we tell stories. That means we will be exploring topics we've never explored before and we'll be trying new things visually that you may have never seen.

Bison Illustrated will always be for you, the Bison fan, and that will never change.

However, we want to tell stories people can relate to, something they can grasp onto and hold, even if they are not a Bison fan. I want everyone to be impacted by Bison Illustrated.

FROM THE EDITOR

Will these ideas always be a home run? No. In fact, we may swing and miss at a few or even get hit by the pitch. If that occurs, I'll proudly take the responsibility. I just know I'm not doing my job properly if we're not exploring new ideas and themes.

That being said, it starts with this issue. Dating back to the days of Joe Kerlin, Bison Illustrated has wanted to do an issue about all the great women in NDSU athletics.

That is a challenging feat and it can be both properly and improperly executed. The last thing I wanted to do was leave anyone out, because no woman student-athlete, coach or administrator deserves that—it'd be a complete disservice. So, we came up with a nice wrinkle in order to pull this issue off the way we wanted.

As you read through the cover story where we spotlight some individual student-athletes, coaches and folks in administration, you'll see a banner on the bottom of each page. Every woman in NDSU athletics, whether that be an athlete, coach or administrator is listed throughout those banners.

In that way, we recognize

everyone, because they deserve the recognition. At NDSU, it's all about the team, and every single woman in NDSU athletics takes their department, program or team to new heights every day. I believe we properly conveyed that message in this edition.

With that, I feel this issue has the potential to have a lot of impact. The cover is powerful, the content is robust and the reach could be endless as time wears on.

That is how we continue to rise and improve at Bison Illustrated. Issues like this are perfect for the Bison fan but are also accessible to those who may not be a member of the NDSU faithful.

It's not a "New Year, New Me" approach here. We will still do the things you love, but we're going to create more things for you to love in 2019. If we do not continue to evolve as a magazine, we'll just be running in place and we will not do that.

We're running forward...

JANUARY 2019 | VOLUME 13 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.

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Editorial Director Andrew Jason Andrew@SpotlightMediaFargo.com

Editor Nolan P. Schmidt Art Director Sarah Geiger Designer Sarah Stauner Creative Director Simon Andrys Director of Photography Hillary Ehlen Photographer J. Alan Paul Photography Videographer Patrick Thompson Contributors Josh Swanson, Dan Slaubaugh, Ross Uglem Copy Editors Nolan P. Schmidt Social Media & PR Coordinator Ariel Holbrook Web Editor Jessica Kuehn Digital Marketing Specialist Tommy Uhlir ADVERTISING

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jaxon L DO HOW WEL OW YOU KN

brown uld What wo ? y jaxon sa

W

e put junior defensive backs Dom Davis and Tre Fort to the test to see if they knew fellow junior and special teams maven Jaxon Brown.

THE QUESTIONS

1. Which cartoon character do you identify with the most?

2. If you could switch jersey numbers with one teammate who would it be?

3. Your favorite junk food is...

4. Your signature dish to cook at home is...

JAXON BROWN

Arnold from Hey Arnold!

Dimitri Williams – I always loved #4 because of Brett Favre and it was my high school number.

Cosmic brownies

Chicken Alfredo

DOM DAVIS

Dexter

SpongeBob SquarePants

Dom Davis

Dimitri Williams

Reese’s

Burger King Whopper

Ramen noodles

Ramen

South Dakota State

5. The most physical opponent you’ve played this season was...

Youngstown State

Youngstown State

6. If you were a superhero, what would your superhero name be?

J-Breeze (obvious super speed power)

Captain SuperBrown

Peculiar

Goofy

7. Describe your personality in one word...

TRE FORT

Winner

Yazzberry Purp

Visionary

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POpQUIZ WITH NDSU ATHLETES

What is your New Year’s resolution?

Which course are you looking forward to the most in Spring semester?

Cameron Hunter

MEN'S BASKETBALL

Hunter has established himself as a long range threat for the Bison. The Olathe, Kansas, native shot a high 42 percent from deep last season.

Hunter played in six games this season before suffering a fractured left wrist. He is expected to be out for six weeks, but should be set to return in the thick of Summit League play for the Bison.

Continue to be great in all aspects of my life!

All of them

trey lance Lance, a true freshman quarterback may become the heir apparent to Easton Stick in 2019. The Marshall, Minnesota, native landed on the Bison scene with a rushing touchdown against North Alabama. He also appeared in the victory over South Dakota, scoring a rushing touchdown in that game as well.

Get back to reading more.

I don’t have a super exciting spring semester, so I guess I’d have to say my sociology course.

My New Year's resolution is to smile more, worry less and drink more water.

The class that I am looking forward to is my music appreciation class, it's something new and fun.

To not take life too seriously

Computational Methods in Experimental Psychology

To build a mobile app!

Web Scripting Languages

FOOTBALL

Madyson Camacho

SOFTBALL

Camacho, now a junior, played in all 62 games for NDSU softball in her freshman season in center field and played in 50 of NDSU's 53 games last season. She has also become a perennial speedster on the basepaths. To this point in her career, Camacho has stolen 29 bases in her time as a Bison. The Homeland, California, native also boosted her batting average by 46 points from her freshman to sophomore seasons.

Klara Lyon Lyon sat out much of last year due to injury, but was able to win two pole vault events at the two meets she competed in.

In her sophomore season in 2016-17, she finished seventh in the pole vault at the Summit League Indoor Championships.

She holds the sixth best pole vault mark in NDSU's history for indoor competition.

WOMEN'S TRACK & FIELD

Camryn Roadley

WOMEN'S GOLF

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The junior has made a strong impact on the women's golf team so far in 2018-19.

Throughout the team's fall schedule, she thrived, placing in the top-20 in three straight tournaments. Though she competed as an individual at the Battle at Old Works in September, she placed eighth. She was also NDSU's top finisher in the team's final fall tournament, the Pat Lesser-Harbottle Invitational where she finished 19th overall.

BISON ILLUSTRATED j a n u a r y 2 0 1 9

The best dancer on your team is...

What skill have you always wanted to learn?

Which fictional character do you find yourself quoting the most?

Tied between Deng, Tyson and Biggs (Odell Wilson)

How to play the piano

SpongeBob

Saybein Clark

Play guitar or piano

Michael Scott (The Office)

3-way tie between Katie Shoultz, Stephanie Soriano and myself, but not to toot my own horn, I would beat them in a dance battle.

I would love to learn how to play the piano, my brother is so musically inclined it's something I admire and would love to learn.

I find my self quoting a character from Shrek named Butter Pants who says "I love you daddy"

Maggie Schwarzkopf

Learn another language or sign language

Michael Scott from The Office

Definitely Sierra Bennion

Parallel parking (even though I somehow passed it in my driver's test!)

Viola from She's the Man

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By NOLAN P. SCHMIDT

With National Girls and Women in Sports Day fast approaching in early February, Bison Illustrated sits down and honors some of the phenomenal women studentathletes, coaches and administration at NDSU. They, along with every woman at NDSU, help take Bison athletics to new heights each and every day.

Photos By HILLARY EHLEN

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overcome those snags and thrive, but it can take some time.

Sophomore distance runner Kelby Anderson has shined brightly in her short time in Fargo.

When making the transition from high school to collegiate competition, there are sure to be some growing pains in some respects. Regardless of the

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omen in ndsu athletics

student-athlete, it's a brand new level of competition, one that is far greater than high school athletics. As an incoming freshman, that can be intimidating at times, the pressure to perform in the field of competition and, more importantly, in the classroom. Most can

Administration • Pat Fredrickson

Kelby Anderson has seemingly dodged all of those snags. She came to Fargo last year not knowing what to expect as a distance runner in cross country and track & field. Needless to say, she became a force to be reckoned with almost immediately. Anderson has continued to dominate in her sophomore season as indoor track season is in a fever pitch.

"I think that a lot of it has to do with our training," Anderson said about her success so far at NDSU. "I feel like I’m doing a lot more miles and a lot more deliberate miles than I did in high school. That has to do with me growing as an athlete and I think part of it is I’m so close with my teammates. It makes going to practice easier, and it’s easier to work hard when you’re motivated by your teammates."

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for the podium to her time at NDSU last season.

Throughout her freshman season, Anderson was the top Bison finisher in five of her six races in cross country.

This included a thirdplace finish at the Summit League Championships.

She was named the Summit League Newcomer of the Championships after that performance. Anderson was a first-team All-Summit League selection at season's end, too. Among her top finishes were a victory at UND's Ron Pynn Classic and a runner-up finish at the Bison Open, her first collegiate race.

Thanks to her performances throughout her freshman season, Anderson was named NDSU's Female Rookie of the Year across all sports. However, she was not done there.

Anderson is a graduate of Bismarck Century High School, a hotbed for successful Bison athletes in the past. As a senior for the Patriots, she was the state's runner-up in the 1600m and 3200m run. She immediately translated that prowess

This season, Anderson was the Bison's top finisher in every single race. She also did not finish below fourth in any regular season race.

Anderson won the Bison Open and defended her Ron Pynn Classic title as well.

Perhaps most impressive was Anderson's postseason results. She was the runner-up at the Summit League Championships and finished ninth out of more than 230 runners at the

• Colleen Heimstead • Alyson Vander Steen

• Dr. Ann Burnett • Linda Gangelhoff

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NCAA Midwest Regional.

Her 20:42.6 was the sixth fastest 6K in school history.

Her postseason accolades included being named AllRegion by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.

So, with all of that success in only two seasons, where does Kelby Anderson go from here? Surely, improvement is no small task, and neither is setting goals for the track season, as well as her two remaining cross country seasons. "I think just continuing to work hard in practice and I know that in practice, we always talk about doing the little things," Anderson said about improvement. "Making sure you’re always doing your core, rolling out, doing all your rehab stuff. I think that’s a big part of continuing to grow."

However, Anderson and the distance girls do train differently as they transition from cross country season to track time. While it is subtle in thought, it is not as simple in practice. "When we train for cross country, we do our faster stuff on grass surfaces because that’s what we’re racing on," Anderson said. She ran in three indoor meets last season and redshirted the outdoor season. She won the 1500m at the NDSU Tune-Up last season as an unattached redshirt. "We do longer

• Helena Johnston • Nancy Erickson

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"It just felt like home and everything kind of clicked, the coaches were very nice all the people I talked to were super nice. It just felt like a good place where I wanted to spend four years.” - Kelby Anderson repeats because our races are generally longer. Then in track, we generally run our faster stuff on the indoor and outdoor track. We usually do more strides during track season."

For Anderson, and all track & field or cross country athletes, it can become challenging to balance academics. The NDSU track team is immersed in their sport for nine, sometimes 10 months out of the year.

While it can become hard to strike a balance in your first few years in college, Anderson has seemed to find it already. Many will not find that surprising, though. "I think it’s super important to stay organized.

I have to write everything in a planner and just kind of stay ahead of things because that makes it so much easier when you know what you need to get done before you leave," she said. Anderson is a nursing major at North Dakota State. "It also helps that my roommate is also in nursing, so she helps me if

• Margie Trickle

I forget something, so that’s cool in that aspect. Definitely staying organized and staying on top of stuff."

The Bismarck native was named to the All-Summit League Academic Team at the end of this most recent cross country season.

While Anderson is a North Dakota native, she had no idea the kind of atmosphere NDSU had.

When she visited the school in her recruitment, she was immediately hooked on Fargo. "On my recruiting visit, one of the girls took me to a dorm of other teammates. For some reason, it just kind of felt like home," she said. "That’s kind of the reason I came here: it just felt like home and everything kind of clicked, the coaches were very nice all the people I talked to were super nice.

It just felt like a good place where I wanted to spend four years."

It also helps that NDSU's track & field and cross

Academics • Kelli Layman

country programs have been dominant since their inception. The Bison women are still on a monumental run of Summit League track dominance. They have won 22 straight conference championships between the indoor and outdoor seasons.

Anderson quantifies how that tradition is upheld fairly simply. "I would say dedication because I feel like we’re all dedicated to school, we’re all dedicated to our sport, we all come to practice and work hard even if it’s outside and negative degree weather to run. We all just do our part and we’re a team in that aspect," she said.

There is no question that Kelby Anderson is dedicated.

It has shown through with her results in two short years in Fargo. With her success so far, it's not too crazy to assume that she will be a national force next year and beyond. Kelby Anderson will continue to set the pace and expectation for Bison cross country and track & field.

• Ashley Harris • Sara Parman

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Junior hooper Rylee Nudell is living out her Bison dream.

• Regina Schimek • Jordan Solheim

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• Stephanie Waletzko

Cheer Team

Development

• Verona Winkler

• Stefanie Kelly

When looking at the criteria that make up a model studentathlete, it's a twofold approach. First, they must excel in the classroom and put their academics at the forefront of their lives.

Secondly, not only are they successful within the field of competition, but they also uphold the values of their institution in everything they do. In that sense, junior Rylee Nudell is the model Bison student-athlete.

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If you were to ask her, that's all she has ever wanted to be.

"For me, it was because it was close to home, and growing up, I had always wanted to be a Bison," the Buffalo, North Dakota, native said in regards to her choosing NDSU to further her academic and athletic career.

"I had seen the culture they were building on, and I’ve always wanted to be a part of that."

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she set the state's all-time scoring and rebounding mark. Her 3,458 points and 1,761 rebounds have yet to be surpassed by another North Dakota player. Given those marks, it's no surprise she caught Walseth's attention.

Conveniently, Nudell had her eyes on North Dakota State long before she became a prep hoops legend.

There are other reasons for student-athletes to come to NDSU, according to Nudell.

The women's basketball roster has a diverse group of young women who hail from all areas of the globe.

In fact, some have come from different countries to compete on the hardwood for the Bison.

Nudell committed to Maren Walseth and the Bison after one of the most lucrative high school careers North Dakota has ever seen. At Maple Valley High School,

"For Cirkeline [Rimdal] or Michelle [Gaislerova], coming from overseas, when they came or the coaches were talking to them, they realized the culture, the size of the college. I mean, Raquel [Terrar van Gool] came here because of what the schooling offered her; she wants to be an engineer," said Nudell when asked why student-athletes travel from all corners of the globe to come to NDSU. "That had a little bit to do with it, so it’s what the university offers

Facilities and Event Operations

• Kate Kanieski

• Maggie Duggan

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along with the culture and the same things I saw in it."

It has certainly worked out for Nudell and the Bison women's team. Currently, they field one of the most cohesive and solid cores of NDSU hoopsters. With only one senior on the roster,

Marketing and Fan Engagement

Nutrition

• Arianna Karsky

• Samantha Fuhrmann

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"We’ve had to rely on each other and hold each other accountable. No matter what the previous day had in store for us, we have to come and bring the energy and think of it as a whole new day." - Rylee Nudell Nudell and her junior class have become the leaders on and off the floor. It is also apparent that the lady Bison have plenty of fun when they step onto the court with one another. This is a direct result of how close of friends each of these girls is with one another. In other words, they have bought into Walseth's culture.

"The upperclassmen are the people that have to set that standard and talk to the underclassmen. Tell them to push through things and let them know where we were at one time and that it's going to get easier, it’s going to get better," she said about buying into the team and being a leader. "Be there to

Sports Medicine • Ashley Hool

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encourage them whether it’s basketball, school, and then everything will get easier from there. It’s about getting past that breaking point."

That is not to say adversity has been absent. Each season sees faces come and go and different ebbs and flows as the long season wears on.

This season, the women's team has been forced to play with only eight girls on a game to game basis due to injuries to some vital assets. However, Nudell and the rest of the Bison look to one another to stay energized and work through the various obstacles during the season. "It is really hard, but right now there are only eight of us that can play, so

• Trisha Shannon • Jenny Swenson

we’ve had to rely on each other and hold each other accountable," she said. "No matter what the previous day had in store for us, we have to come and bring the energy and think of it as a whole new day."

Nudell has been a needed presence for the Bison since her freshman season in 2016.

She played in 30 and 29 games respectively in each of her first two seasons in Fargo. Of those 59 games, she started 54 of them. So far in 2018-19, she has started in every game for NDSU. She has also been successful in those games, consistently making an impact for the Bison.

• Stephanie Wittman • Kathleen Gallais

In her first two seasons, she shot a scorching 50 percent from the field and a wildly efficient 37 percent from long range. In turn, she averaged close to 10 points per game for NDSU last year. She has continued that efficient play so far this season, hovering near 10 points per game so far.

Regardless of if the ball falls through the net or not, Nudell continues to have the same mindset offensively: it is one of visualization.

"I honestly try not to think about it, if the ball is going through the rim or if the ball isn’t," Nudell said. "I just think of all the times I have seen it go through the rim when I shoot it. I visualize it going through the rim, so I try to just keep going whether it is or whether it isn’t."

All of that pales in comparison to Nudell's academic accomplishments.

In her two seasons, she has been named to the Summit League Academic Honor Roll. Also, she was on the Commissioner's List of Academic Excellence last season. She is sure to be a

• Meghan Smith

member of those lists as her junior season concludes. She is also on the NDSU StudentAthlete Advisory Council (SAAC).

All of these academic accolades stem from a passion for her major, elementary education. Her mother, Rhonda, is a fifthgrade teacher in Valley City, which is only 26 short miles from Buffalo. Rylee frequently returns to Buffalo and is a recurring guest in her mother's classroom in Valley City. In fact, she was heading back Mrs. Nudell's class after our interview and photoshoot with her.

impression in her time at NDSU. Not only has she been valuable for the Bison on the floor, but off it as well. Her commitment to being a true student-athlete is a model for fellow NDSU student-athletes and even student-athletes from other universities. While she will no doubt have an impact after her days at NDSU, she continues to be an exemplary Bison student-athlete.

It's clear that Rylee Nudell has made a tremendous

Nudell grew up wanting to be a Bison, and she conquered that goal. She strives to be the best she can be each day, and she has clearly done that so far.

Therefore, she is truly living her Bison dream every single day.

Ticket Office

Women’s Basketball

• Kaye Ternes

• Maren Walseth

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• Morgan Paige • Emily Mehr

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• Reagan Heun • Sofija Zivaljevic

fact, they rarely play courses within several hundred miles of North Dakota. There is no shortage of excuses that could be made.

Emma Groom and NDSU golf do not make excuses; they execute. There is no better evidence than their conference championship a year ago.

Senior golfer Emma Groom remains locked in while playing in the most unlikely of golf locations.

Groom, a senior from Eden Prairie, Minnesota, shined in what was her junior season in 2017-18. She ranked third on the Bison roster in stroke average last season, which was 11th best in the Summit League. She carried over that strong performance into the 2018 fall slate for the Bison.

She finished in the top 15 in three of the Bison's four tournaments. Groom was also a top-five finisher twice, placing third at the Omaha Invitational and second at Battle at Old Works.

There are plenty of forces working against North Dakota State golf. First, the weather, with what seems like nine months of winter,

golfers are forced indoors almost year-round. The Bison golfers did not have an outdoor practice until after they captured the Summit League Conference crown last year. Second, the travel: they never play a tournament in Fargo. In

Success in the game of golf has a lot to do with mindset.

How do you mentally handle yourself for a full 18-hole round? For most, it ends in shattered putters, curse words and plenty of balls in the drink. As for Groom, the mental facet of her game could not be stronger in principle and practice.

• Sarah Jacobson • Cirkeline Rimdal

• Macey Kvilvang • Rylee Nudell

• Michelle Gaislerova • Tyrah Spencer

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"Mentally one of the biggest things is just to stay in the moment and never get ahead of yourself. I like to try and focus on one shot at a time," she said. "When I get to a hole, I’m not thinking about the previous hole or the shot I had. I’m just thinking about the one shot I have and stay in the moment.

You can’t control what’s going to happen necessarily, so keeping a level head is important too."

Much of Groom's ascension as a golfer has to do with coach Matt Johnson. She says Johnson saw plenty of potential in her as a player and was willing to take a chance. That belief alone pushed her to new heights.

"Coming in as a freshman, I wasn’t necessarily fully developed as a golfer, but he believed in me and saw a lot of potential. He helped me to get there both with a few physical things in my swing, but then also the biggest thing is the mental game," she said. "He really helped with the way I approach golf. Him believing in me is another thing; you always do well when a head coach or a role model believes in you."

However, Johnson was not the only source of

• Marina Fernandez • Raquel Terrer van Gool

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inspiration and guidance.

Only one year younger, Groom relied heavily on the now-graduated Natalie Roth.

Roth, a three-time Summit League first team selection, also won the conference's Women's Golfer of the Year award last season. Aside from Amy Anderson, Roth is perhaps the best women's golfer in school history. She has since moved into the professional ranks. With that level of talent in the class above her, Groom looked up to Roth in several aspects. "She was always very consistent, which I always admired. Every golfer wants to be consistent, and she was really good at that, always able to post those low numbers and rarely had those high rounds," she said.

"Her mental approach was

very strong, that was always something that I looked up to and her confidence in her game and the rest of the team was always strong."

Women’s Cross Country/Track & Field

• Maddie Van Beek • Riley Dolezal

Confidence in her team, as Groom describes, is something she wants to adopt heading into her final spring in Fargo. Groom is the only senior on the roster, but with three juniors and sophomores, she knows the girls on the team well. While it can be hard to be a "leader" in an individual sport like golf, Groom has found some ways.

"For golf, it’s a very individual sport. Sometimes it’s lonely out there because you can’t walk with your teammates. We do hand signals and everything,

which is kind of nice because we have these little things that kind of bring us together. We play back to back, but we’re not in the same group, but if someone makes a birdie, we can throw up the horns and what not," she said. "As far as the leadership thing, I try to be a leader by encouraging and leading by example.

Everyone on our team is pretty much alike. We get along really well so our team vibe is really good. We know we all want to do our best and if we do that, we can be a really good team together. Even though golf is a pretty individual sport, I think our team does a good job of knowing if we push ourselves and each other to do our best, we can do well as a team."

Another obstacle golfers face, as alluded to, is the travel. In order to compete in the fall and spring, they have to travel to faraway venues.

Much of this is due to the poor playing conditions in Fargo, especially during the wintertime. While Groom had an adjustment phase with the travel, she finds the tools offered to her by NDSU athletics to be incredibly helpful. "Coming in as a freshman, it was pretty overwhelming because you come from high school where it’s demanding, but not that demanding. Then you get to college and you’re traveling and practicing and trying to learn all these new things and you’re in a

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"When I get to a hole, I’m not thinking about the previous hole or the shot I had.

I’m just thinking about the one shot I have and stay in the moment." - Emma Groom whole new city. It’s definitely difficult at first; I was probably more stressed with that my freshman year," she said. "The athletic program gives you so many options to help you study or talk to an advisor or just even setting up all your classes. They basically help me organize things and then I also started writing lists of things I need to get done before we travel. Time management is a huge thing I’ve learned here at NDSU because when you travel, it’s difficult. You have to talk to your teachers and create those good relationships so they know that I’ll be gone, but that I do care about this class."

an individual. Not only that, but the Bison women had a very successful fall as a team.

They finished in the top three in three of their four fall tournaments. Meaning that the team has plenty of momentum heading into their first tournament in February. Groom and her teammates have their sights set on another Summit League title.

think really trying to step up as that senior and encourage everyone and play my best and see where that takes us.

It would be really cool to win conference again because we have the talent to do it; we just need to come together and do it."

to visit, there were such good relationships with the coach and the teammates that were already there and my teammates now," she said.

"Obviously, the weather isn’t ideal for golf, but we do get to travel to warm places which is fun. The people, it’s such an inviting environment."

Despite the travel and having to practice inside, Groom has still been successful as

"I want to make little improvements every day, get better every day. I think my biggest goal for the team would be to win conference again. That’s a big goal and not an easy task; it wasn’t last year, but we did it," she said. "Our team has so many solid individuals and when each individual plays well, we can be a solid team. I

With all the factors pushing against North Dakota State golf, the question remains, "Why NDSU?" Why would a student-athlete want to come to Fargo to golf? It seems relatively backward in some respects. Groom has a multitude of reasons that do not involve individual glory.

"The biggest thing is the people and the environment.

I had heard so many good things from family friends or people that had already gone to NDSU. When I did come

Mother Nature may work against Bison golf in many respects. However, North Dakota State women's golf does not care. Emma Groom does not care. They both have seen tremendous success on the golf course.

In the most unlikely of golf locales, there is an evergrowing fervor for the game. Emma Groom and the Bison golfers are moving the program forward because of that passion to play.

• Katie Bye • Brynnan Covington

• Jen Dufner • Alaysia Freetly

• Peyton Frolek • Mackenzie Holkesvig

• Alliana Houfek • Kayla Huhnerkoch

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Bison softball's Vanessa Anderson thrives in the underdog role.

• Mikayla Koenig • Melina Kuerschner

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• Annika Rotvold • Erin Valgardson

NDSU softball flies under the radar on most occasions. It seems odd that a team that has only had three losing seasons since 2002 is so widely underreported in the mainstream Fargo media and beyond. Not only that, they have dominated the Summit League, winning it's conference tournament five years running. Darren Mueller and company have also had major regional victories over national softball powerhouses Oklahoma and Mississippi State the last two seasons.

Shouldn't that have perked up some eyes and ears about NDSU softball? Not necessarily, as they still remain a relative unknown in the community.

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For senior first baseman Vanessa Anderson, she is okay with being the underdog. In fact, she'd prefer to not be doing an interview or photoshoot with us. On this late November day, she didn't have much of a choice.

"I love it. I love being the underdog, I love nobody talking about us. We play the game because we love to play and we love to compete.

It’s not about the show and

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being individuals, it’s about being a team. So I love that everything we do is centered around us being a team and having no games at home, playing on the field we play on, practicing inside. We take pride in that when we go and play top level teams that practice outside year round," the senior said. "You use that as the chip on your shoulder, sort of blue-collar mentality that we can win against teams that have way more than we do. We’re going to work that much harder to beat those big schools or programs that have more than us. I love the fact that we don’t get a lot of attention. Personally, I don’t like a ton of attention and talking doing all that sort of stuff, I just like to focus on what I’m doing."

However, NDSU softball has been able to gain some positive momentum and attention thanks to their newly renovated ballpark.

What was formerly Ellig Field has since been renamed Tharaldson Park.

Anderson has been at NDSU throughout the update and seen Ellig Field at its worst.

Now in her final year, she and her teammates will be the first to play in the newly renovated park.

like that and to have people invested that much in our program because of what has been done before us. It makes you excited and really ready to work hard and compete for the upcoming season."

"I'm so excited. I was a part of the transition, so when I

came in my freshman year we had wooden dugouts, the metal screen and backstop," she said regarding the new park. "We got to have a little bit of a taste of it last year, but now it’s fully complete, the outfield padding, the new scoreboard, it’s exhilarating to play in an atmosphere

• Kaia Beil • Kylee Bergantine

• Demara Bumgardner • Bailey Cowling

• Bailey DeMar • Macy Denzer

Softball, like other winter and spring sports at NDSU,

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"I think when you come on campus you fall in love with the team and the coaching staff. I knew that when I was looking to go to school somewhere I was looking for someplace that would be my second home." is forced to spend a lion's share of their season on the road. Due to winter weather conditions in Fargo, Tharaldson Park is rendered unplayable until spring.

However, the NDSU softball season begins in February, meaning that they must find road contests for almost two full months. For this 2019 team, they will not play their first home game until midApril.

For Anderson, an exercise science major, it can be hard to focus on academics when she is constantly on the road. While Anderson admits that she struggled with the balance in her freshman season, she has since found a nice routine.

"There is definitely a learning curve. You just kind of have to prioritize, you know how much work that you’re going to have to put in for sports and coming in as a freshman, you might not

• Jocelyn Dinius • Blythe Ehrmantraut

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know how much work you have to put in academically," she said. "Every major is different and every student is different, but for me, it kind of comes as academics and then softball and then sleeping and eating and then everything else in life. If you have your priorities straight, it makes it a lot easier."

Despite spending most of their season on the road, Bison softball has been able to be consistently dominant in the win-loss column. They have also routed the Summit League in the time Anderson has been on campus. NDSU has won the last five Summit League Tournaments and has gone a staggering 10-1 in Summit League Tournament games in Anderson's career.

However, Anderson and NDSU softball know that each year is a new one and streaks can be broken at any time.

• Izzy Ferrozzo • Hannah Frost

"I guess when you start each year, last year is last year, yesterday’s home runs aren’t going to win today’s games.

You can’t necessarily think about that because every team in the conference is going to be new. They’ll have a new freshman or they’re going to have athletes that are going from sophomores to juniors that are developing just like our kids," she said. "I don’t think you can really look back on what’s happened, you can only move forward, just because we won, that means they are going to work that much harder and try to beat us. We have to stay very uncomfortable and continue to make ourselves better otherwise, it’s really easy to lose. No one wants to lose especially against rivals and especially in conference."

is. They feature a vast array of players who have played alongside one another for several seasons. The Bison also have six seniors on this year's roster. "It’s just like a big family, now with our senior class growing with a transfer and a redshirt and just the players below us, we’ve played with them for several years," Anderson said. "You kind of know everyone’s tendencies, their personality and so that helps a lot. We lost a lot from last year, we lost five seniors and so there will be big holes people need to step up in to. I think that our team chemistry if we can have that, everything on the field will take care of itself."

Part of the dominant run for NDSU softball has to be how closely knit this team

Anderson knows that chemistry and camaraderie do not always lead to wins.

Though the Bison have won regional games the last two seasons, they are hungry for more. The senior provided

• Rhaeghn Gripentrog • Shelby Gunnells

• Paige Harris • Katie Heilman

some insight into how they can take that next step in postseason play. "If we can get ourselves and our team to click earlier in the year, instead of just clicking the last few games in the season.

Playing as a team and once we get that going, our lineup will bounce off of each other," she said. "We have a lot of great athletes that hit for a lot of power, we have we really fast kids, they can do a lot of damage on the offensive side. If we can come together and play as a team and continue to grind every game out because everything is important."

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year left. I have to help the program and what will come behind me because I will not be here next year. It’s both sides on and off the field, just helping my teammates and if I focus on that and the team, everything will fall into place and happen."

"My goal is just to try and be consistent right away.

Sometimes you have great games, sometimes you don’t and trending towards peaking at the end of the year. You want to peak at the end of the year, but I would love to play at a consistently high level for the whole entire year. For me, that’s focusing on my job and enjoying every game and enjoying every moment," Anderson said. "I’m a senior this year, so a lot of it will be leadership on and off the field, making sure that even though we’re practicing and we’re competing, playing, I’m also prepping my teammates for when I’m gone. The first baseman that is practicing with me every day, I’m helping her and teaching her as much as I can. I’m pushing my teammates during practice and during batting practice.

It’s all the little things. Yes, performance is important for the upcoming season, but it’s also that I have one

"I think when you come on campus you fall in love with the team and the coaching staff. I knew that when I was looking to go to school somewhere I was looking for someplace that would be my second home," she said. "I felt

Vanessa Anderson may be okay with being the underdog in the world of softball. She and the rest of her team will continue to be dark horses in Fargo and beyond. However, do not be mistaken by Bison softball.

While they may be the underdog on the diamond or otherwise, they have the body of work to compete with any softball program in the country. For just a little underdog school in Fargo, that's pretty impressive.

• Amy Herrington • Lexi Jordheim

• Jenna Kes • Keyawna Larson

• Kelsey Laufenberg • Rachel Lee

• Amanda Levin • Josie Lilja

From an individual perspective, Anderson knows she needs to take some big steps forward in 2019. Not only on the field but also as a leader in the dugout. As one of six seniors, she feels it is her duty to groom the person coming in for her next season. From a statistical perspective, Anderson was one of NDSU's best offensive players last season. She has raised her batting average each of her three seasons, including a .269 average last year. The Rochester, Minnesota, native has also hit 22 home runs and has 75 RBIs in her Bison career. Her most notable performance last season was in the regional win over Mississippi State where she hit a home run and had a triple with two runs batted in.

NDSU softball is one of the few programs that draw in recruits and players from around the country.

Currently, the Bison have players from six different states. Surely Darren Mueller plays a part in that, but Anderson sees it a little differently when asked the simple question of "Why NDSU?".

like I was family right away, I love my teammates, they’re my best friends, my closest friends, I do everything with them. I think that the huge aspect of camaraderie and being teammates and being family is what gets people from California to come and stay in the snow. A lot of the faraway kids fall in love with the Midwest feel and all of that kind of stuff. They just want to be here."

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Jen and Kelly Lopez have success on their minds after their first season together as Bison volleyball coaches.

In 2008, if you were to tell Jen and Kelly Lopez, who were Bison volleyball players at the time, that they would be coaching in the NDSU volleyball program in 2018, they might call you crazy. Each Lopez sister had different plans for the future, Kelly in the world of strength and conditioning coaching and Jen in teaching and high school coaching.

However, sometimes the stars align in such a way that remarkable things can occur.

In the case of Jen and Kelly Lopez, they aligned in a way that both are now coaches for Bison volleyball, Jen the head coach and Kelly an assistant.

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• Klara Lyon • JeAnna Miller

• Daejha Moss • Akealy Moton

“I think the biggest thing is we were so used to playing with each other that we could feed off each other, and it was the little non-verbal cues that made us successful as players,” said Jen Lopez in regards to coaching with her sister. 2018 was her second season as head coach for NDSU volleyball. “So finding our way, for me, as a coach, to interact with her and learn her tendencies and how we were going to go about commenting or giving feedback or encouraging, was a little bit of a process. It was fun figuring it out and reigniting that same bond we had as players as coaches now.”

Kelly, who was previously

• Maddy Nilles • Tiana Pfaff

working as the associate director of sports performance at Boise State, came back to Fargo to coach alongside her sister. 2018 was her first season on the bench for the Bison. “For me, we’re both pretty strong personalities at times,” she said about the give and take with her sister. “Kind of understanding when I needed to be the calm to her storm or if she was a little bit more on the reserved side, then it was maybe my time to step in and attack things and take over those conversations.”

When asked to give herself a self-assessment after her first season, Lopez was quick to point out the adjustments she had to make.

“It was definitely a learning experience that’s for sure.

It went better than I think I ever anticipated as far as just feeling a little more comfortable or at ease. There were definitely moments where I kind of had to take the strength coach and my personality and my coaching style and go, ‘Okay, these guys don’t need someone to jump down their throat; they need someone to kind of coddle or rub their back and let them know that things are okay,’” she said.

“I think that was the fun part. Coaching is coaching at the end of the day, and it was just fun being in that atmosphere again. The BBF is just a special place and it made it really easy.”

• Bailey Retzlaff • Ayoe Roebel

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On the other hand, her boss, Jen, was asked to give her sister a performance review after year one. Needless to say, Kelly seemed to have thrived. “The biggest thing for me and knowing this program is having the staff in place to touch on the aspects of the kids and have that person that is really good at building relationships and understanding needs of kids in order to get them to be the best and perform the best,” she said. “For Kel, that’s definitely an area that she excels at, so it’s awesome to see that your mentor and someone you’ve looked up to for so many years and to see her step into a role that you know she can do so well in.

Being her boss, it’s kind of fun to see that whole process and how it evolved in just a little bit of a different way.”

For the outsider, it would appear difficult to turn off the “sister” dynamic and turn on the “coach/ competitor” dynamic for the Lopez sisters. However, they use their playing days together as a guide to move past sisterhood when match time comes. “For us, the professional side of things, we understand what all of this is about, and so being sisters and having that family aspect, we get each other in a different way, but at the end of the day, this is our job,” Jen said. “We’re trying to perform to the best of our abilities to help mentor and coach and groom our players to be better

• Kennedi Sand • Ansley Schug

• Maggie Schwarzkopf • Kaitlyn Smith

• Katelyn Tschida • Maea Wall

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“We definitely have those kids that are bought in and have that wide-eyed mentality where they’re willing to learn or do whatever it is you ask.” - Jen Lopez

student-athletes. At the end of the day, we know what our goal is and what we’re here to do. So regardless of the conflicts that may arise and the challenges we face, we’re here to our job.”

Kelly looks to their playing days for how they handle match days. She also credits fellow assistant coach Drew Davis for balancing the two sisters out. “Looking back when we did play together, I don’t think we approached going into those matches as players and now as coaches any differently,” she said.

“We’re both very focused and I kind of go and get that vibe when Jen needs her time or her moments just to kind of collect her thoughts and mentally prep for the game. I kind of do the same thing. Luckily, we have Drew in the middle that keeps us both at bay, and he brings a lot of lightness to our group of three. I think that helps us out a lot.”

of the greats. Kelly was a two-time Summit League Defensive Player of the Year, and Jen was an All-Summit League performer and Summit League Tournament MVP in 2011. Through the years of 2005 to 2011, when the Lopez sisters were on campus, the Bison won three Summit League Tournament titles. However, the two played with one another in 2008 and 2009, where the Bison captured a regular season conference title each year.

From a playing perspective, the Lopez sisters are two

With the offseason approaching this spring, the current Bison volleyball team has plenty to be excited about. They lose only one senior, and while the departure of McKenzie Burke is a huge loss, the Bison return the rest of their roster, a roster that has copious amounts of experience from top to bottom. This is due to NDSU having to play several sophomores and true freshmen in 2018. It seems as though they will be a seasoned group come fall

• Larkin Walter • Lindsay Wangerin

• Lexy Wittmayer • Kari Wolfe

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2019.

“The fun part, and we’ve talked a lot about this, is that this spring is an exciting time for this program. We have a lot of young kids, and we didn’t have as many on the roster last spring because we had graduated so many,” said Jen. “For us to come into this spring and really be able to strip back everything in this program that we know we want to better at and now we have the individuals to do so and build it back up is kind of our focus. We have kids in the right place and staff in the right place to allow us the opportunity to do that, and I know it’s something we’re really excited about. To be able to train, teach, mentor and develop leadership and all of the aspects that fit into and make a great program, we’re excited to be able to this spring with the returners.”

Kelly shares in the sentiments of her sister. She sees the excitement in girls’ eyes, which she says excites

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the coaching staff. “Spring is the biggest time for growth, not only in the weight room for our girls but obviously on the court too. Us as a staff, I think our biggest thing is just going to be culture. We have a lot of really great programs at NDSU: football, track & field and softball in particular have something going on within their cultures and their programs that our kids are going to continue to learn from,” she said. “I think taking some pages out of those program’s notebooks and figuring out how we can apply it to our sport. We have the kids in place. During our meetings, the kids are excited, they can’t wait for spring and they almost wish it was tomorrow.

That’s been an encouraging part because I don’t think that’s necessarily always been the way.”

If you go and watch NDSU volleyball, the first thing you will notice is how committed the players are to the coaching staff. For only a second-year coach to have her entire team bought into the culture and mindset, it says something about Jen Lopez. Both the Lopez sisters are in agreement that their girls are bought in. “We definitely have those kids that are bought in and have that wide-eyed mentality where they’re willing to learn or do whatever it is you ask. For us, that’s the exciting part because whatever we bring to the table for them, they’re willing to do and they’re willing to try and they want to do it because it’s something that they choose,” said Jen. “With a lot of things, it starts from the top down, the excitement

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AHE “For me, having gone away in a different role and coming back, I’m just that much more grateful for everything. Everything is just heightened, so whether

Jen had to pause and think before answering the question. It’s clear that NDSU means so much to both of them. “I went into teaching thinking I was going to shape lives and make all these impressions upon young kids and coach at a high school level. There are things that come along throughout your career and things you learn from and grow from, and NDSU was that opportunity for me,” she said. “I think just the cherry on top was the fact that we do have so much invested here, both of us do.

kelly • NDSU volleyball player from 2005-2009 • Two-time Summit League Defensive Player of the Year in 2008 and 2009

• Assistant strength and conditioning coach at NDSU from 2012 to 2014

• Associate director of sports performance at Boise State from 2014 to 2018

• Named NDSU volleyball assistant coach in January 2018

Women’s Golf • Alex Schmid

• Sierra Bennion • Lexi Geolat

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For Jen and Kelly Lopez, coming back to NDSU was important to them. Any coach across any sport wants to be involved in their alma mater in some capacity. The Lopez sisters had different paths in mind as they departed North Dakota State as student-athletes. Yet, here they are, ushering in a new, exciting era of Bison volleyball. The two sisters reflected on how important being at NDSU is to them.

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You know the ME staff, you know N IN ATHLE the people who have been around and are a part of the programs, the fans, the community support, coaches from other teams, coaches that you played against when you were a player and the familiarity of it. It’s a special place, and you can go anywhere to coach, but I think it’s a little more special being from somewhere that means so much when this is home. I think it makes it a little bit different.”

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it’s the fans at the games that are still coming to our matches from when I first started playing here in 2005 to meeting a lot of our boosters and donors and understanding finer details of what our Team Makers do to provide scholarships,” Kelly said. “I was one of those kids, and just what our admin and strength and conditioning team goes through. It means a lot to give back to a community that provided so much for me, but for her too.”

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we create on a daily basis for them and what we’re trying to do to better the program, we have to be just as invested as they do.

They need the models and someone who is showing them the way. There are things we’re continuing to learn ourselves, but they’re willing to go along with that and they want it just as bad as we do, if not more.”

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The Lopez sisters are here to stay. They have instilled a fresh perspective and culture into the program they grew up in. In such a small sample size, it’s sometimes hard to properly assess how well a coach is doing. Jen and Kelly Lopez are invested, their players are invested and they are all passionate about moving Bison volleyball forward. Those facts alone make the Lopez sisters a budding coaching tandem at North Dakota State.

jen • NDSU volleyball player from 2008-2011 • Three-time All-Summit League selection • Summit League Setter, Player of the Year and Tournament MVP in 2011

• Head volleyball coach at Oak Grove Lutheran High School in 2013-14

• Assistant coach at West Fargo Sheyenne in 2014-15 • Assistant coach at NDSU from 2015 to May 2017 • Named head coach of NDSU volleyball in October 2017

• Emma Groom • Maddie Herzog

• Katelyn Martin • Taylor McCorkle

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Head women's basketball coach Maren Walseth has instilled her same passion and fire into her team.

Maren Walseth has seen and experienced it all in the realm of basketball.

As a player, she was a twotime All-Big Ten performer at Penn State and had professional stints with the WNBA's Sacramento Monarchs, Washington Monarchs and also overseas in France. Her coaching marks are perhaps even

more impressive, as she was an assistant at the United States Naval Academy and her alma mater before taking the head job in Fargo in 2014.

• Camryn Roadley • Alexis Thomas

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Thanks to these experiences as both a player and coach, she knows what it takes to create a successful program.

She also knows what good team culture looks like. For Walseth, her team's culture is built upon passion and vigor for the game, two qualities she herself ascribes

• Karli Kopietz

• Adalie Schmidt • Aly Cole

• Claire Grazzini • Monica Polgar

to. However, like anything in the game, it's a process, but it seems as though Walseth has her team on the same page from a culture standpoint.

Some of those installation tactics were formulated while Walseth was at Penn State as an assistant under coach Coquese Washington.

Washington's basketball lineage can be traced back to her days as a player and later, an assistant at Notre Dame under coach Muffet McGraw. McGraw has been the head coach in South Bend since 1987 and has 807 career wins to her name.

When Washington and Walseth were together in Happy Valley, the Lady Lions won the Big Ten three times.

Walseth reflected on some of the lessons she took away from Washington and her time at Penn State.

"Initially, when you go from being an assistant coach to a head coach, the only thing you’re 100 percent confident in is the actual basketball and the x’s and o’s. You’ve done everything else, but in an assistant role, the basketball is kind of what you hang your hat on. Figuring out how to balance a budget, managing a staff of studentathletes, managers, that’s all new to you," she said.

lot of the on-court basketball stuff that we had run at Penn State or that we’ve talked through. That was the initial thing that I brought with me. It kind of transitioned into our own style of play, our own calls that are based on our personnel and our league. It then kind of transitioned into how she mentored her staff, how she implemented leadership training, captains training, things like that."

Another item Walseth took away from Penn State was the importance of culture.

While that is often seen as a buzzword in sports, it is an incredibly important one, nevertheless. Creating a culture for Walseth is a dayto-day process. However, if you watch NDSU's women's team, you will see that they have bought into Walseth's system. They are on board with the Bison culture, just like Walseth and her staff.

"So right off the bat, it was very easy for me to bring a

"It’s challenging and honestly, an everyday concerted, intentional effort. It starts with getting the right kids that have the same or similar values.

We don’t all have to be the exact same person but have similar values on our staff and players in the program.

It’s part of the discipline and desire to work hard for a common goal, and that’s physical work but it’s also

• Hanna Norman • Lauren Featherstone

• Roxy Roemer • Marian Taiwo

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“As far as women’s athletics has come, there are so many inequalities.

We have to balance that."

- Maren Walseth

a conversation. What do you value here? What can you add to this? You need to care about her more than you care about yourself, are you into that? It’s a lot of conversations that build the communication, the trust, that makes you say, ‘Okay, now I’m bought in,’" Walseth said about creating a culture and cohesiveness within a program.

"A lot of it happens over the spring and summer with the

maturity of Rylee [Nudell]’s class. To go from being sophomores and, 'We’ll do everything the coaches say,' to now, 'We’re juniors and I need to hold the expectation.

I, as a student-athlete, need to challenge my teammates.

It’s not the coaches telling us this anymore, it’s us taking ownership and taking the reins.' I told them at the end of the summer that I could physically feel the difference, I could feel the shift over the summer from me and

• DeAnna LeMire • Laura Powell

• Holly Enderle • Lauryn Roszak

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“I told them at the end of the summer that I could physically feel the difference, I could feel the shift over the summer from me and our staff being the support to being able to take a step back and hold a standard and expectations and not be a cheerleader." - Maren Walseth our staff being the support to being able to take a step back and hold a standard and expectations and not be a cheerleader."

Installing a consistent mindset for your team does not come without a fair share of growing pains. It's no different for the women's basketball program and Walseth specifically. "As a coach, there is adversity that myself or my staff have to face and work through, and you need to handle that. At the same time, you need to be able to demonstrate it and understand it towards a young player, and those can be very different. In the world of instant gratification and social media, players are

accustomed to hearing how awesome they are all the time. If you’re not, you put a filter on it and you make it look awesome," she said.

"From that, it’s important that if we didn’t get the outcome we wanted, we still highlight the growth that we’ve had or the positives.

Whether it’s a run the team put together or an individual effort offensively or defensively because that is what our society thrives on. We have to play into that, not in a false way, not in an “everything is always wonderful” because it’s not.

If we don’t acknowledge the good things and the growths and the steps forward, we’re just making it harder, and it’s already hard."

• Danielle Algera • Sydney Johnson

• Mariah Haberle • Mallory Fenske

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However, when adversity does strike the lady Bison, Walseth is quick to credit her players and assistants for picking her up in times of negativity. "For myself, I can handle adversity a little bit more negatively because it’s me and I’m in control of myself and I know what I mean by things," she said. "When you’re communicating with another adult or a student-athlete, you don’t always know how they take things in. As much as the staff and players are looking to me, I don’t know if they know it, but I’m looking to them as well."

astute basketball knowledge to adapt, whether that be in recruiting, offensive sets or overall scheme. "The game has evolved, and there’s probably a handful of reasons for that. If you look at the NBA and the WNBA, each year has more and more international players and the international game has always been very different than the men’s or women’s collegiate game," she said.

"When you have that influx of style of play and talent level, the game is going to change and be more fluid, more of a shooters game, more up-tempo and less of a brute strength game. A lot of it can be attributed to how AAU is played. AAU, at least on the women’s side, most AAU programs play more games than they practice. So some of the technical skills, some of the nuances, some of the set plays that were more common in the 90s and 2000s, they don’t do that in practice. So it is more of a fluid game."

With a constantly evolving game, Walseth uses her

The Bison have had an influx of European talent on their team as well. With five international players,

• Malley O’Brien • Daniella Jasper

• Dani Stuber • Malana Vachon

their own style of play has become more fluid as well.

While Walseth says they have not made a concerted effort to recruit international girls, it's clear it has helped the Bison on the court. She says they have adjusted their offensive scheme to give their players multiple options to score, rather than running set plays. "I like to be able to coach our players to be basketball players.

Personally, I don’t know if I would have been a very good player right now. I like the physicality of it, but I don’t know if I would have flourished in the game necessarily. I had a 15-foot range and that was about it, but I do like where the game is," she said. "I think it’s fun to watch. Women’s basketball often gets critiqued for the athleticism or not having the dunks or having some of the wow moves, but when you allow players to play freely, you get some of that. You get more of the individuality and their style of play and the flash that sometimes you don’t get in a banger, grind it out game."

Not only has the game of

basketball changed, but women’s athletics has seen steady growth over the course of Walseth's coaching career. From where it was, there has been significant progress made. However, over the course of the last 20 years, Walseth has one moment she believes pushed women’s athletics to the stratosphere. "When I think back, the 1999 World Cup when Brandi Chastain tore off her uniform, that was a big moment for women’s athletics. It showed we don’t have to be as modest as we think we should because men’s athletics is not that way," she said. "That moment allowed someone like the Williams sisters to be the personalities that they are. Now, they might’ve done it anyway, but it makes it more acceptable, in women’s basketball, the growth of the WNBA and the starting of the WNBA and how they went about that. More recently, just the coaches and athletes, mainly professionals, who speak to the inequalities and the growth in their individual sports. I don’t know if there’s one thing, but certainly, the

• Brookelyn Dew • Grace Sundberg

• Ellen Schneider • Nicola De Pape

media has helped it."

That is not to say there's no room for growth.

Walseth quickly indicated that we cannot have the conversation about growth without pointing out shortcomings, too. "There is also a caveat because as far as women’s athletics has come, there are so many inequalities. We have to balance that. We’ve come a long way for basketball, there is a solid professional basketball league for women in the United States, that’s fantastic. But they are so underpaid that the conversation has to have both pieces to it," she said.

"My ears perk up when we talk about the positives, to

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make sure we understand we have not arrived and there are still ways to grow. At the same time, we’ve come a long way."

That is as profound a statement as any from Maren Walseth. Sure, she has done a successful job at NDSU in creating a culture within the women's basketball program. Her girls have bought into it every day. However, just like women's athletics as a whole, there is always room for growth and progression.

For Maren Walseth, Bison women's hoops and women's athletics, the future and potential is incredibly bright.

• Maddie Burnstein

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POSITION WITH NDSU ATHLETICS Senior Associate Director of Athletics - Senior Woman Administrator

YEARS WORKING AT NDSU

13

Describe your duties in your position with NDSU athletics.

I am responsible for all facets of NCAA, conference and institutional compliance for NDSU Athletics. Together with Director of Compliance, Clyde Prestwood, and campus departments such as Financial Aid, the Office of Admission, Registration & Records, Customer Account Services and Athletics Academic Advising, we ensure NCAA compliance for 16 sports and approximately 400 student-athletes.

What is the best thing about working with NDSU and NDSU athletics?

The people. Our coaches, staff and student-athletes have character, integrity, pride and the passion to succeed.

Softball • Gerice Olson

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• Melissa Chmielewski • Haley Heintzman

• Madyson Camacho • Julia Luciano

• Cara Beatty • KK Leddy

POSITION WITH NDSU ATHLETICS Assistant Director of Athletics Marketing and Fan Engagement

MONTHS WORKING AT NDSU

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5

Describe your duties in your position with NDSU athletics.

In-game production of home events, social media, graphic design and marketing of NDSU of athletics.

What is the best thing about working with NDSU and NDSU athletics?

Working with a group of people that wants to see you grow professionally and succeed in your role within the department. Also, seeing the student-athlete success, the students are the reason we all have jobs.

• Lauren Reimers • Avery Wysong

• Paige Vargas • Kara O’Byrne

• Stephanie Soriano • Nicole Licea

• Vanessa Anderson • Zoe Stavrou

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POSITION WITH NDSU ATHLETICS Senior Associate Director of Athletics - Business

YEARS WORKING AT NDSU

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Describe your duties in your position with NDSU athletics.

I am responsible for all business operations of the Athletics Department in a manner that reflects the philosophy and objectives of the department and the university.

What is the best thing about working with NDSU and NDSU athletics?

I love coming to work every day because of the outstanding staff that I work with; they are very bright and positive people!

• Montana DeCamp • Katie Shoultz

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• Maddie Hansen • Morgan Olson

• Cameryn Maykut • Sam Koehn

POSITION WITH NDSU ATHLETICS Assistant Director of Facilities and Operations

YEARS WORKING AT NDSU

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2.5

Describe your duties in your position with NDSU athletics.

I handle the scheduling of all athletic facilities for our teams and outside groups. I also oversee the planning and executing of any event (sports and non-sports related) in the Scheels Center.

What is the best thing about working with NDSU and NDSU athletics?

I like the atmosphere that is within the athletic department the best. Often times, it feels like one big family which makes working the weekends and long hours bearable.

Volleyball • Jennifer Lopez

• Kelly Lopez • Jessica Jorgensen

• Kirstin Tidd • Allie Mauch

• Ally Murphy • McKenzie Burke

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POSITION WITH NDSU ATHLETICS Administrative Assistant Team Makers/Men’s and Women’s Basketball and Golf

YEARS WORKING AT NDSU

12

Describe your duties in your position with NDSU athletics.

I provide administrative support for Team Makers Club and men’s and women’s basketball and golf and other “duties as assigned”.

What is the best thing about working with NDSU and NDSU athletics?

The people, hands down...day in and day out not only do I get to work with the best athletic staff in the business I also get to interact with the best fans in the country!

POSITION WITH NDSU ATHLETICS Administrative Assistant

YEARS WORKING AT NDSU

32

Describe your duties in your position with NDSU athletics.

I am the receptionist in the SHAC and also support Baseball, Wrestling, Men’s and Women’s Track & Field, Soccer and Development.

What is the best thing about working with NDSU and NDSU athletics?

I have been very fortunate to work with great people. The atmosphere here is always upbeat.

• Alex Erickson • Abbi Klos

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• Bella Lien • Emily Halverson

• Maggie Steffen • Paige Schaffer

• Kaylee Hanger • Alexis Bachmeier

POSITION WITH NDSU ATHLETICS Administrative Assistant - Football

YEARS WORKING AT NDSU

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Describe your duties in your position with NDSU athletics.

Provide administrative support to the Bison football program.

What is the best thing about working with NDSU and NDSU athletics?

Proud tradition of a successful program where you are working towards a common goal as a Bison family.

POSITION WITH NDSU ATHLETICS Assistant To The Director of Athletics

YEARS WORKING AT NDSU

24

Describe your duties in your position with NDSU athletics.

To provide comprehensive administrative and organizational support for the Director of Athletics and the Deputy Director of Athletics. Also provide accounting support and manage the human resource functions for the Athletic Department.

What is the best thing about working with NDSU and NDSU athletics?

First and foremost the people and the fact that there is always something interesting going on.

• Kalli Hegerle

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National

Girls and Women In Sports Day February 7 will mark the 32nd anniversary of the annual celebration honoring the accomplishments of women and girls in sports.

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eginning in 1987, National Girls and Women in Sports Day was originally intended to honor volleyball great Flo Hyman. Signed into proclamation by then-President Ronald Reagan, the day has since evolved to honor all women across all sports. Not only are their achievements recognized, but also the positive influence on sports participation, the progress made since Title IX was passed and the continued struggle for equality for women in sports.

The theme for this year’s date will be “Play Fair, Play Title IX”. It is meant to recognize the ongoing efforts for equality for women in sports. While Title IX legislation, passed in 1972, has provided new and exciting avenues for girls and women in sports, there is still progress to be made. There are still schools in the United States that do not provide equal opportunities for girls and women to participate in sports.

Learn more

ngwsd.org

Title IX is only a 37-word law, while short, it has been as impactful as any law. Its verbiage is as follows: “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.”

While the law is simple enough in nature, there are still schools across the country who do not uphold Title IX standards.

One of the goals of National Girls and Women in Sports Day is to educate the public as well as academic and athletic departments in the details of Title IX legislation. This education is critical to the proper enforcement of Title IX and is vital in ensuring everyone, in every American community, is offered the same opportunities when it comes to athletics.

womenssportsfoundation.org

At the collegiate level, the NCAA holds institutions to Title IX standards. There are three aspects of Title IX that are applied to athletics.

The first being participation, meaning both women and men are afforded equal athletics opportunities (that does not mean institutions must have identical men’s and women’s sports). The final two portions are scholarships and other benefits such as equipment, travel, locker rooms, etc.

While all of the above sections are practiced and upheld at North Dakota State, the same cannot be said for other institutions across the United States. That is one of the many reasons why National Girls and Women in Sports Day is so important. Some of the greatest American athletes were females, and to limit the opportunities for a potentially great athlete simply based on gender goes against everything America is.

In that sense, Title IX represents America and its commitment to democracy and equality. Educate yourself on Title IX and National Girls and Women in Sports Day to make sure your community is providing equal opportunities to every athlete.

ndsu.edu Search “Title IX”

By ROSS UGLEM | Photos Provided By CHAD STARK AND OSTLIE FAMILY

strong BISON

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Current and former NDSU football players lend a helping hand when tragedy struck a fellow Bison’s family.

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ormer Bison football player Phil Ostlie was shopping for a grill and a big screen TV, the two essentials for any new home, when he last spoke to his wife Brenda. The two were finally empty-nesters, ready to close on a house early in the following week to move closer to their children in Colorado.

Brenda was away on business and on her way back to Denver. When Brenda got to the airport, Phil never arrived to pick her up. He passed away on August 26th due to complications from a heart attack.

The family was devastated. The plans to move to Colorado were ultimately scrapped. Their Fargo home had already been sold. All of their worldly possessions from 30 years of marriage were in a semi truck on its way to Denver. That truck was summarily

turned around and unloaded into storage on the morning of the funeral.

Things were looking very bleak, even overwhelming.

That’s when the Bison family stepped in.

First to the plate was the Bison Football Players Association. The BFPA is a nonprofit organization run by former NDSU players, that includes only former NDSU players. They have a fund set aside for a “brother in need.”

Phil was a member of the BFPA and had contributed to the group in the past. It, of course, made sense to Brenda that they would contribute the amount that they have set aside for each “incident,” which the organization did. They started by picking up the tab for a short-term rental home so the Ostlie family didn’t have to be in a hotel.

When their maximum gift was not

Our family certainly qualifies as “the broken” right now. Eleven weeks ago, our husband, father and former Bison tight end Phil Ostlie died unexpectedly as we were moving on to a new adventure in Colorado. The 13 men in this photo walked with our broken family on November 4th when they helped me move into this unexpected next chapter, back in Fargo. While the community will remember them as part of the most successful era in NDSU football history, my family will hold them in a much higher regard—as those who rose to the call of lifting our family out of the pit of despair Thank you for demonstrating the real meaning of Bison family. - Brenda Ostlie and family

spent, the BFPA offered to cover as many of the funeral costs as possible.

For legal purposes, the Association needed an invoice to put against the donation they were making.

“It was humbling to accept the gift. But it made sense. Phil was a part of the organization. I just never thought I’d be on the receiving end,” said Brenda.

When it was clear that there were going to be expenses above and beyond that gift to the funeral, things started to happen that blew Brenda and her family away.

Phil Ostlie’s teammates wrote personal checks to cover the rest of the costs for the Ostlie family.

“I just had no words. I couldn’t believe their selflessness. That gesture was a big step forward on my road to healing.

It was such a bright contrast to my unimaginable sorrow; an incredible blessing from the Bison family,” Brenda said.

A lot of these efforts were spearheaded

by Phil’s teammate, Bison legend and local businessman Chad Stark, who played with Phil for three seasons.

football, was a star in hockey, which is crazy. He made the hockey team because his friends were saying, he said ‘I’m gonna play.’ The only skates that were available were figure skates. So he made the hockey team on figure skates. That’s the kind of athlete he was.”

The Starks and the Ostlies went to church together, tailgated together, fished and golf together. Chad always considered Phil a part of the Bison family and remembers him as a member of the BFPA.

In talking about Phil, you could see Chad’s eyes light up a little.

“We always say the Bison circle around the weakest Bison to help protect. That’s the analogy you’d use for the Ostlie family,” Chad said, as he explained what went into providing support for the family.

“Phil was an icon in Moorhead,” he said.

“Such a natural athlete. Was a star in

After the funeral and the events surrounding it were over, Phil and

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Brenda’s daughters urged Brenda to stay in Fargo around her support group. She obliged. This, of course, meant that three double garages’ worth of stuff was going to have to get put back into a house of some kind.

Chad Stark reached out to NDSU’s Director of Football Operations Hank Jacobs to see if the family could get a little assistance. Relatives were no longer in town, and while Brenda and her friends were capable of moving, it would have been a long and arduous process.

“These 13 strong young men showed up to help, the day after a game no less. I remember Phil’s post-game day ritual.

It typically involved a very necessary couch and a television remote zeroed in on NFL. These 13 guys gave up their Sunday, their rest day, and had three enormous storage units loaded and

"The Bison circle around the weakest Bison to help protect."

- Chad Stark

unloaded at my new house in less than three hours,” Brenda explained.

“These guys had no idea who I was or who Phil was. I doubt they’d ever even heard his name before. The only reason they showed up is because he wore the same green and gold jersey. It was one thing when the BFPA stepped in—that’s what they do. It was another thing when Phil’s teammates stepped in; it’s understandable—they experienced a lot together. But when you think about these guys standing in the gap for somebody they’ve never met, they win more than football games. They win my heart.”

Zach Willis, Josh Babicz, Bryan Nohava, Jackson Hankey, Zach Kubas, Joe Schreiber, Jake Kubas, Lane Tucker, Ben Hecht Austin Avery, Matt Biegler, Josh Howieson and Jalen Sundell all pitched in.

“Stuff like this probably doesn’t happen every weekend, but as far as one of our kids volunteering, it happens at least once a week where no one picks up on it.

Our kids go out in the community, and they give back. A lot of them just do it because Chase Morlock’s senior year, he

stood up and said, ‘if you do anything, just make sure you give back to the community,’” explained Coach Jacobs.

Bison Pride is a term that gets thrown around a lot. It’s on flags, t-shirts and tailgating rigs. It was the subject of my first column in this very magazine.

Bison Pride is ultimately what Chad Stark felt after all of this was over, and he sums everything up quite nicely: “The bulk of the work was done by the 13 incredible individuals from the team.

It certainly brought Brenda to tears. It’s not about wins and losses with these guys; the culture is all about family and how you can help one another. They were so appreciative of what they’d done, and me, too,” said Stark. “As a former player that’s what you want to see, and as a parent, too. I’m a parent now just as much as a former player, and I want to see kids coming in the program that are becoming young men. That’s still what we’re doing there; the culture of discipline and dedication along with the selflessness that the program has built is incredible. It’s a credit to the coaches, and it’s a credit to the administration getting the right people in making that possible.”

january

athletics calendar 1/2 Men’s Basketball

1/10 Men’s Basketball

at Omaha Omaha, Neb. 7 p.m.

vs Western Illinois Fargo, N.D. 7 p.m.

1/5 Football

1/11 Women’s Basketball

vs Eastern Washington FCS National Championship Frisco, Texas 11 a.m.

vs Western Illinois Fargo, N.D. 7 p.m.

1/6 Men’s Basketball vs Dickinson State Fargo, N.D. 2 p.m.

1/6 Women’s Basketball at Omaha Omaha, Neb. 2 p.m.

1/9 Wrestling vs Iowa State Fargo, N.D. 7 p.m.

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1/12 Men’s and Women’s Track & Field Thundering Herd Classic Fargo, N.D.

1/12 Wrestling vs Pitt Fargo, N.D. 4 p.m.

1/16 Men’s Basketball at Denver Denver, Colo.

8 p.m. CT

DAVID RICHMAN

1/23 Women’s Basketball at South Dakota State Brookings, S.D. 7 p.m.

1/24 Wrestling at Central Michigan Mount Pleasant, Mich.

6 p.m.

1/24 Men’s Basketball 1/17 Women’s Basketball at Denver Denver, Colo.

8 p.m.

1/19 Men’s and Women’s Track & Field

at South Dakota State Brookings, S.D. 7 p.m.

1/26 Men’s and Women’s Track & Field Mark Colligan Memorial Lincoln, Neb.

Alumni Cup Team Challenge Fargo, N.D.

1/26 Women’s Basketball

1/19 Men’s Basketball

at Oral Roberts Tulsa, Okla.

2 p.m.

vs North Dakota Fargo, N.D. 2 p.m.

1/20 Women’s Basketball vs North Dakota Fargo, N.D. 1 p.m.

1/26 Men’s Basketball at Oral Roberts Tulsa, Okla.

7 p.m.

1/27 Wrestling vs Northern Colorado Fargo, N.D. 2 p.m.

1/30 Women’s Basketball vs Waldorf Fargo, N.D. 6 p.m.

Hillary Ehlen

We asked sophomore big man Rocky Kreuser to give us his reactions to these hardwood events.

When he knows he was open on the roll, but Vinnie Shahid didn't hit him with the pass...

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When he skies to dunk on a wimpy defender...

When he is about to set a bone-jarring screen on an unsuspecting opponent...

When an opponent is throwing elbows down low...

The look he gives Jared Samuelson after he hits a few triples in a row...

When he swats an opponent's shot into the crowd...

When he knows his triple is bottoms...

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Hillary Ehlen

Fellow Twin Cities metro resident Jordan Horn is known for his expressions on the floor.

We asked him to give us a few.

When he gets called for a charge, but it was definitely a block...

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If he ever saw Chris Quayle break out his victory dance...

When he crosses an opponent and he falls to the floor...

The look he gives Tyson Ward after a miscommunication on defense, leading to an easy lay-up...

When he knows he has the hot hand...

When Coach Richman, looking upset, signals him over during a stoppage in play...

The victory face...

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Where Are They Now? Full Circle Hoops great Brett Winkelman traveled around the world before returning to Fargo to fulfill his professional goals.

BY Nolan P. Schmidt FEATURE PHOTO BY Hillary Ehlen

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Many people quantify sports through "eras". They recall a string of events, athletes or coaches that rekindle thoughts of that point in history. An easy example would be recalling Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls or Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant for the Los Angeles Lakers. If you were to speak to fans of those franchises about those eras, their brains would be flooded with memories of dominance on the hardwood.

From the perspective of a North Dakota State hoops fan, those instances are the same. Yet, the Bison basketball era with the most memories tagged to it would be 2004 to 2009, as the program was working their way into Division I competition.

For most Bison

fans, many will recall the remarkable run in 2008-09.

A run that culminated in a Summit League tournament championship, the school's first NCAA Tournament berth and the match-up with hoops powerhouse Kansas in that tournament.

Names like Woodside and Moormann will be a few of the first athletes mentioned from that era of NDSU basketball. Another will surely be Brett Winkelman, who despite playing alongside fellow Bison greats like Ben Woodside etched his own name in NDSU's history books. So much so, that Winkelman is long considered to be

one of the best to ever lace it up in Fargo. However, you will quickly learn that Brett Winkelman will not be defined by the game of basketball, and that is the way he wants it.

One of the most highly touted prospects out of the state of Minnesota, Winkelman was just one of the vital pieces in an electric recruiting class put together by then head coach Tim Miles. While Miles was the head coach in Fargo for three of Winkelman's five years on campus, a slight adjustment came when Miles took the head job at Colorado State in 2007. He has since moved to the Big Ten, coaching at Nebraska since 2012.

However, thanks to an established coaching staff, Bison basketball was in safe hands with new head coach Saul Phillips, who was Miles' lead assistant.

"Transitioning coaches from one to another was really quite seamless because each coach worked under the previous coach so they had that system. That’s what they really understood, the game of basketball through

that system and each one tweaked that and brought in their own flavor to the mix," Winkelman said when reflecting on the transition from Miles to Phillips. "It was an easy transition because we had such a close group, a family atmosphere and you see that today because Dave (Richman) really preaches the family, a Bison family.

Saul, for us, in our later years in my class, he really understood us well and knew how to coach us and I think that is what Richman took away from his years working with Saul."

This all came in an era of Bison basketball where the program was just making the transition to Division I competition. Despite the jump up, North Dakota State was able to compete at an extremely high level.

In Winkelman's redshirt freshman season, the Bison traveled to the Kohl Center to face Big Ten opponent Wisconsin. They came out of Madison with a 62-55 win.

The Badgers were ranked 15th in the country at the time. The Bison followed that up with a win over Marquette the following

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year. The Golden Eagles were a top ten team in the country at the time. North Dakota State was also able to bring the Big 12 to the Bison Sports Arena, welcoming Kansas State that same season.

For Winkelman, it was those games that serve as cornerstones of Bison basketball even to this day.

"We honestly had nothing to lose, we were a bunch of teenagers going in there playing against a big school like that. Not to say we snuck up on them, but we were playing carefree and having fun with it," Winkelman said in regards to the Wisconsin game in 2006. "The next year, my sophomore year when we played Marquette, we had Andre Smith, he was a senior and he really played strong and so he was a solid core. But again, it was just a bunch of young guys that didn’t have anything to lose. When we started transitioning forward, we started to realize that we can compete, those two wins specifically, opened up our eyes to say we’re not a midmajor playing against a high major, we’re two basketball teams. We started to realize how special our group was and we were able to start competing at a very high level. So teams that had something to lose started

to literally fear coming into Fargo and playing us on our home court. It’s fun because some of those early games set the stage, kind of the cornerstones if you will."

“

We started to realize how special our group was and we were able to start competing at a very high level.

“

That 2006-07 season saw the Bison win 20 games.

While that was Tim Miles' final season in Fargo, it laid the groundwork for things to come. In their first season under Saul Phillips in 2007-08, the Bison went a disappointing 16-13 in the win-loss column. However, during that offseason, the now veteran Bison core learned something about themselves. Winkelman believes this is what birthed a now historical run in his senior season.

"The group of guys we played with for four or five years, we really took pride in the fact that we were trailblazers in the Division I basketball program. Not to say we were feeling our way through it the first two years, but we had a younger team and there was a point in time where we started losing a lot of close games," Winkelman said. "Eventually we looked at each other and

said we were better than this and it was really about a confidence level. The word we used was “swagger” so we would go into places and when people would come into our house, we’d play with swagger. People would argue that is borderline arrogant or cocky, but to really play as an athlete with confidence, controlled confidence, that was the key for us turning the corner.

We were able to win those close games and we knew we could beat anybody on any given day. When we started playing that way with that confidence, swagger as we called it, we started seeing the results, especially our senior season."

That swagger led to a 26-7 overall record in 2008-09.

Perhaps more importantly, the Bison won the Summit League Tournament over Oakland thanks to a game-winner from Ben Woodside. It would lead the Bison to their first NCAA Tournament berth in school history. While they eventually lost to Kansas in that tournament, many

will remember that 200809 team as one of the best NDSU basketball teams ever.

Winkelman was one of the primary reasons the Bison got to where they did that season and in previous seasons. He averaged double figures in each of his four seasons in Fargo. This included an incredible 19.2 and 18.6 points per game in his junior and senior seasons respectively. His 1,962 career points as a Bison is still the second-best mark in school history. He only sits behind teammate Ben Woodside in that category. On top of that, he averaged at least 6.8 rebounds per game, finishing his Bison career with 874 total rebounds, a school record. Perhaps most impressive was the fact that Winkelman finished his NDSU career shooting 51 percent from the field. He attributes that incredible efficiency to the overall talent of the team around him.

"We had such a capable team, there were so many

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threats to a defense, you can’t key off any one or two or three or even four players.

There are five players on the court and a solid bench that comes in and even the bench players they have to respect," he said. "When you’re a defender playing against us, looking over your shoulder literally and figuratively, you get those opportunities. We moved the ball so well and the coaches gave our group a long leash to let the game come to us and we were able to react and we really keyed off each other well. We really knew what each other was thinking before we did it, so it’s really about having such a good team across the board."

After graduating, Winkelman began his career in professional basketball.

While he knew it would not last a lifetime, he was happy to travel the world for a few years. He played for professional teams in Italy, Poland and Brazil. "I was

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excited for the opportunity to play overseas and see the world. Italy was the first place I went to and that was fun just because Italy has such a cultural history that was very fun to immerse myself in," he said. "From there, I transitioned up to Poland not really sure what to expect, but the team up there in Poland had such a solid team and they had a state of the art stadium to play in, we went to the championship game and so it was very fun. They also didn’t have soccer there and so we were the big ticket in town. It was a smaller city, similar to Fargo so it had that mentality from the fanbase. I then moved down to Brazil, I had gotten married over that summer so I brought my wife with me to Brazil."

It was that season in Brazil that Winkelman and his wife figured would be his last. He had a multitude of reasons to continue playing, but it just did not sit right after agreeing to play for a fourth season. "I thought

I would wait to hear what offers I would get and then make the decision. Honestly, I made the decision to play another year, I picked up the phone, dialed my agent and I just had this sinking feeling.

I told my wife I didn’t have peace about this, so it was really just a feel," he said. "I really didn’t have the passion anymore and I knew once I lost the passion, then it’s not worth putting so much effort and putting the rest of my life on hold. At some point, I wanted to start a family, but I didn’t necessarily think that was the reason, it was just a sense of peace, making the decision not to. I didn’t want to start my career later in my life because I knew that I would have a promising career, so I wanted to start pursuing those options and then they started to fall into place. It started to make more sense to step into a role here in the working world."

That new passion for Winkelman would be finding something in industrial engineering. He had majored in that at North Dakota State and was eager to set

basketball aside for a new career. Luckily, the city of Fargo was waiting for Winkelman and his wife.

"Dorothy said it best 'There is no place like home.' I’ve spoken to a lot of teammates and friends who have played overseas and almost all of them have the same feeling, it’s fun for a time, but it’s not home," he said. "The feeling I had when I came back home to Fargo was just one of content and it’s really a great place to live. It’s great to be somewhere, but when you’re living out of a suitcase for month after month, you’re ready to come home to family and what you’re used to. Coming back to Fargo just felt great."

After returning to Fargo, Winkelman decided to go back to school to receive his MBA at NDSU. On top of that, he landed in a fantastic career position at Fargo Assembly Company. "When I came back from overseas I had industrial engineering, so I had stepped into a management in training role and I was trained into a plant manager role," he said.

"Fargo Assembly Company

was expanding, we built a new plant and I was a plant manager there for three and a half years and then from there, the previous owner had said he was ready to retire."

“

The feeling I had when I came back home to Fargo was just one of content and it’s really a great place to live.

“

Given the circumstances, Fargo Assembly Company was sold to a global company, ECI. However, Winkelman was made President of Fargo Assembly Company. He now oversees the operation in Fargo and reports to the larger company, ECI. Winkelman and his wife also started a family when they returned to Fargo. They are parents to two boys. While Winkelman would like to see them play basketball, he knows that may not be the case in the end. "I will put the opportunity in front of them, but I won’t push them towards it. Truthfully, if either one of my sons said they have a different interest, I just want them to be passionate about something," he said. "That is something I have learned along the journey is if you don’t have the passion, you need to be ready to find something else. Basketball, I was passionate about it

for so long, I started to lose that passion, so I wanted to leave with a little bit of that desire and want to compete.

I started to lose that, so I transitioned away. If my two sons do not have that passion for basketball, I’ll just help them find what they are passionate about. That being said, it would be fun to see them in a Bison uniform some day."

In his new role at Fargo Assembly Company, Winkelman finds common ground with basketball of all things. He credits his experiences overseas in helping him identify with employees, many of which are new Americans.

"Basketball, the success at NDSU set up my professional career overseas. Opening up my eyes culturally to the world was such an invaluable lesson that I took away from the game of basketball. Not just seeing that there is a bigger world out there, but when I came back too. Now I lead a company of 950 people and there is a very diverse background of people," he said. "A lot of people are refugees, new Americans coming from overseas. To be honest, I relate very much to a lot of these people coming

over here. It’s their first time in the United States, they can’t speak English and it's the first time maybe they’ve worked in their lives, it can be intimidating. I recognize that because when I went grocery shopping in Poland, I had to point and cross my fingers I was eating something I should be eating.

To be able to understand and relate culturally, everybody tends to view the world through their eyes and to be able to step back and see that there are different perspectives to the world, has really set me up to appreciate the differences.

It’s helped me to be able to work in a global world."

In that sense, the game of basketball has come full circle for Brett Winkelman.

He was a phenomenal player, to the point that it brought him around the world.

However, the points he scored at NDSU and beyond pale in comparison to the things he learned about the world overseas. In turn, those lessons have made him better at his true passion and have made him a better man. Brett Winkelman is not defined by basketball, but by the experiences basketball provided him. Those life lessons overseas have shaped him into who he is today.

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TEAM MAKERS

Team Makers looks to grow membership in 2019.

W

ith a new year approaching, Team Makers embarks on another eventfilled campaign in 2019. Along with the new year comes a new membership year with a new President as well. Chris Haugrud was ushered in as the newest President of the organization that provides scholarships and aid to North Dakota State student-athletes. Team Makers' goal has never changed, and that is to provide student-athletes with the tools to succeed as a Bison.

However, Haugrud has his own vision in mind for what Team Makers will become. Mainly, he wants to see it grow.

To do this, Haugrud has adjusted Team Makers' overall model. They want more members, not more dollars. So much so that Haugrud wants Team Makers to have 1,000 new members in five years.

Given the constant growth of NDSU athletics, it is not that far-fetched to believe that Team Makers could eclipse that number, too.

It will come with challenges, though.

Haugrud and the rest of the Team Makers Executive Board is always tasked with breaking down one common misconception. Many see Team Makers as an "NDSU alumni-only" organization or even a "male" only club. That is and

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has never been the case with Team Makers. It will certainly take some hard work and effort to bust that myth, but it's on the top of Chris Haugrud's priority list. He just wants to see Team Makers grow exponentially in his term, whether that be by NDSU alumni or not.

We sat down with Haugrud to talk about his plans and vision for Team Makers throughout his term.

What is your plan for Team Makers? In other words, where do you want to take Team Makers in your term?

The goal is to switch our model of more dollars to more members. 200 new members per year for the next five years is what we are shooting for.

One common misnomer about Team Makers is that you have to be an NDSU graduate. What are some barriers you want to break down in your term so those misnomers no longer exist?

We have fought this misnomer for as long as I have been involved. We as Team Makers must continue to change the perception that you do not have to be a graduate, be male and have a lot of money. You can join Team Makers for as little as $100 per year.

Here are some highlights from Team Makers’ most recent Executive Committee meeting on December 11, 2018: • Approved the 2019 budget.

• Event planning at satellite locations in Arizona, Sioux Falls and the Twin Cities area.

• Team Makers helped host an event before the men’s basketball game at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on December 1. More than 200 Bison fans flooded to Erik the Red across the street from the stadium to watch Bison football against Montana State. Then, they walked over to the stadium to cheer on NDSU basketball.

• Brief discussion about possible events in the future. This includes events at NDSU’s Target Field football game next year and the game in Delaware on September 14, 2019.

• Ideas were thrown around about hosting an event inside the SHAC. Details are still being worked out, but it would likely involve attendees being given a tour of the facility.

Meet The Team Makers Executive Board For 2019 • President - Chris Haugrud • Vice President - Craig Sandstrom • At Large - Eric Dodds • At Large - Jayne Gust • At Large - Mark Sellin • At Large - Sherri Schmidt • At Large - Todd Kadrmas • Secretary/Treasurer - Terry Ludlum • Past President - Kris Bakkegard • Gaming Chairman - Dr. David Glatt • Investment Chairman - Bruce Grubb

Nolan P. Schmidt

Team Makers Wanted

Team Makers Executive Committee Meeting (Abbreviated Version)

1 3

2 1. Past President Kris Bakkegard discusses marketing committee notes at a Team Makers Executive Committee meeting. 2. New Team Makers President Chris Haugrud. 3. Team Makers Executive Director Pat Simmers addresses the crowd of Team Makers at their annual meeting.

I know part of your vision for Team Makers is creating more satellite “chapters” in different states. Tell us a little about that aspect of your vision…

I have been traveling to watch sites in Arizona and Sioux Falls to organize new fund drive teams. In order to grow, we need to foster new areas to find new members to paint the nation gold.

Team Makers' goal, first and foremost, is to provide scholarships to NDSU student-athletes. How do you sustain yourselves so that can continue to be the case?

Team Makers is a non-profit organization committed to raising scholarship money, cost of attendance and program excellence for studentathletes and assisting them in earning

degrees for a successful future. We are currently pursuing many out of the box ideas to keep the trend of giving the athletes everything they need to be a great student-athlete. The most important part is the academics. These athletes averaged a 3.35 GPA in the fall of last year alone.

If you had to craft a “sales pitch” for those on the fence about joining Team Makers, what would your pitch be?

With the impact of NDSU athletics on the community, as a business owner, why would you not be a Team Maker? If you are a citizen in this community, why would you not help to produce these great student-athletes? Especially since many of them are staying in this area after graduation.

the ross

Report

Uglem is a native of Northwood, North Dakota, and covers NDSU basketball and football for Bison Report, a division of 247 Sports.

BY ross uglem

in good hands Klieman leaves NDSU to Entz better than he found it.

It almost seems impossible that someone could improve upon everything that Craig Bohl did for North Dakota State football. Coach Bohl arrived in 2003 to an NDSU program making the move to Division I and a program that had gone just 2-8 in Division II. Bohl turned around the program immediately with two consecutive 8-3 campaigns. NDSU wasn’t used to losing in football, and Bohl quickly eliminated it.

The former defensive coordinator at Nebraska soon elevated North Dakota State to the top of the FCS. NDSU had 10-1 seasons in 2006 and 2007 and likely would have challenged for the FCS championship if North Dakota State had been eligible for the playoffs.

After very rough sledding in NDSU’s first two playoff eligible seasons, Bohl

PHOTO BY Hillary Ehlen

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the ross

Report

had a four-year run in which he went 14-1 in the playoffs, leading to winning three National Championships. Bohl also started NDSU’s dominance over the FBS. North Dakota State defeated Ball State, Minnesota, Central Michigan, Kansas, Minnesota again, Colorado State and Kansas State, all on the road, in Bohl’s time with NDSU. Then on a cold winter night after a playoff win, Bohl was gone. Bruce Feldman reported that the head coach was leaving for Wyoming to take up the same position. The players found out on social media. It was a mess.

NDSU AD Gene Taylor made an

expedited decision to call defensive coordinator Chris Klieman up the ranks of head coach. Klieman had only been with the program since 2011 and had one season of head coaching experience.

It was a losing season at the Division III level no less.

Taylor said in the press conference introducing Klieman to his new job as Kansas State’s head coach that when he hired Klieman, he reminded him, “If you go 8-3 here and make the playoffs, that’s a bad season.” Klieman understood and promised more championships.

Here we are in 2018, and Klieman has delivered on that promise three times. If North Dakota State advances on to win the national championship in Frisco in January, he’ll exceed Bohl in that way.

Win or lose, though, somehow Klieman has left this place even better than he found it.

The wins and losses are about the same.

While those are how success in football is ultimately measured, there are also ways that you can see where Klieman has actually elevated Bohl’s program, which he now hands over to Matt Entz.

The easiest place to look is kind of in my domain: recruiting. It’s no secret that I work for 247 Sports’ BisonReport. Since Klieman took over the program and elevated Hank Jacobs to be in charge of his recruiting efforts, the Bison have secured commitments from Ben Ellefson over Purdue, Sean Engel and Lane Tucker over Wyoming, Dillon Radunz over Missouri, Trey Lance over Boise

State, Sam Moore over Iowa and Noah Gindorff over Minnesota.

As of this writing, North Dakota State has five three-star athletes committed, including one player who chose NDSU over, oddly enough, Kansas State. If I’d have told you that in 2003 during the first few Craig Bohl seasons, you’d want me checked for a head injury.

NDSU is in a position now with their product on the field that FBS teams will hardly schedule them any more. What used to be a year-to-year occurrence did not happen in 2017 or 2018 and won’t occur again until their matchup with Oregon in 2020. Klieman and Bohl basically have the big boys running scared.

Maybe more than anything, Klieman

elevated the program simply by succeeding. It sounds simplistic, but just by winning and keeping a good thing going, Klieman transformed Craig Bohl’s Division I NDSU program into Bison football.

Just because NDSU’s incredible streak of national championships technically stopped when Klieman was the head coach in 2016 doesn’t mean it was some ultimate failure. In fact, the success he maintained is kind of unprecedented.

Bohl’s two 10-1 teams headed by Walker, Mays and Dahl ultimately required 6-5, 3-8 and 7-4 seasons to rebuild. Klieman and his crew (which included Entz in a big way) went from Jensen, Crockett, Jirik and Dudzik to Stick, Anderson, DeLuca and Grimsley without anything but a single James Madison hiccup.

Bison football doesn’t belong to Bohl, just as it doesn’t truly belong to Klieman.

It’s now a culture that survives almost on its own. The athletic department has ownership. The players have ownership.

The fans have ownership. The coaches, of course, have ownership, but everyone has a stake in the team’s success.

Matt Entz now takes over a program that has proven it can win no matter who the head man is. That certainly doesn’t make Entz superfluous. Whether the Bison succeed or don’t over the next decade is going to have a lot to do with the decisions he makes and the quality of his leadership. He’s set up for success, though. North Dakota State is now the most well-oiled machine in college football.

slaubaugh's

scoop

Klieman's Lasting Impact

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BY DAN SLAUBAUGH Slaubaugh is a Bismarck, N.D., native and is currently a senior at North Dakota State University. Slaubaugh has spent time as an intern for NDSU athletics.

I caught up with former Bison Tre’ Dempsey to discuss the impact Chris Klieman had on him and the North Dakota State football program.

Former North Dakota State head football coach Chris Klieman is now the head honcho at Kansas State University after a phenomenal run in Fargo.

After the news broke that Klieman was named head coach at K-State, I caught up with former free safety Tre’ Dempsey to discuss what Klieman meant to North Dakota State, what kind of person K-State is getting, what’s next for the Bison and much more.

Dempsey had no shortage of accolades in his time as a Bison. He made 44 consecutive starts at free safety over his final three seasons, was a twotime FCS All-America first team pick by the American Football Coaches Association, was tied for second in NDSU history with 16 career interceptions and finished fifth with 42 career passes defended.

And the thing he’d tell you he’s most proud of: he was part of five Missouri Valley Football Conference championship teams and four NCAA national championships.

Now, the interview...

Tre’, you were part of three national championships with Klieman. How would you describe your experience playing under him at NDSU? “Great question, Dan. I was actually a part of four championships with Klieman – three with him as head coach and one as defensive coordinator – where he coached the defensive backs before he became head coach. My freshman year, I redshirted – he was my guy. Taught me the game in extreme detail and held me accountable for all my actions, good and bad, which helped me become a man. I respect Coach Klieman so much as a person, coach and father figure.

How much did Klieman help your development as a defensive back?

Klieman helped my career tremendously. When I watched film with him, I was paying so much more attention to the details. And those small details added up and took me from a good young, raw player to a great disciplined, mature player and leader.

During your college career, you dealt with a coaching change after Craig Bohl left for Wyoming in 2013. That was

a momentous time period for NDSU football, but one that the Bison drove through thanks to the leadership of Klieman. How confident are you that NDSU can overcome another coaching change and continue to thrive?

When Coach Bohl left in 2013, I was just a youngin’ in the program and didn’t even know what it meant to be a Bison.

But through that experience, I learned that the culture we have at NDSU was created before I was even born. I talk to the older guys, and the same discussions I have with my teammates, I have with them – even though they are sometimes 40 years older than me. NDSU will be fine. We’ve been working hard here for centuries now and won’t stop because we lost a great coach.

What do you have to say to those who question whether Klieman can make the jump from the FCS level to a Power 5 FBS program?

Well, I’d tell people who don’t think he can coach Power 5 to check his resume. Whether he was the defensive coordinator or head coach, every time he’s played a Power 5 at NDSU, he’s won. And after that, I’d say that the guy is just a football genius. I’ve witnessed him outsmart many coaches, and I’ve seen some of the schemes coaches run at Power 5 schools, and some of them are

garbage; their athletes save them half the time from looking stupid. So when you give him these Power 5 athletes with his knowledge of the game, watch out.

If you were speaking to Kansas State fans, how would you describe the coach they’re getting?

K-State is getting a hard-working coach who hates to lose more than he loves to win. Everybody can’t understand that, but winners do, and that’s what Klieman is. He is a great man off the field and a good person at heart. He’s genuinely a good person and wants to help players become great as much as he can. Just a natural born leader.

One final question, Tre’. Personally, what kind of effect did Klieman have on your life?

Klieman was a second father figure in my life. I call his kids “my brothers” and his wife “mom.” He helped me become a man along with the Bison, and that’s something I’ll always respect him for. He also gave me the knowledge I needed to become a playmaker and All-American.

If he ever called me needing anything, I’d do it. No questions asked.

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SWANY SAYS

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

entz is the right man for the job

I

championships. Four of the six won at least two national championships.

In total, the Bison have 11 national titles between 1983 and 2017, and, of course, are playing for their seventh championship in eight years on January 5 against Eastern Washington in Frisco, Texas. NDSU plays in the toughest conference in the FCS, the Missouri Valley Football Conference. The Bison have won a remarkable eight straight conference championships. In those 78

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eight years going back to 2011, NDSU has the most wins in college football, posting an unprecedented 111–8 record that includes six national titles, going on seven. Some programs talk about tradition and history. NDSU has a championship pedigree with few, if any, equals in college football.

Into that history and tradition steps Matt Entz, the program’s next head football coach. Entz has been a Bison since 2014 when he was named NDSU’s defensive coordinator. In those five years, Entz’s “Code Green” defense has been one of the most dominating units in the FCS. The Bison have allowed less than 14 points per game each season since Entz arrived and consistently rank in the Top 5 for a myriad of defensive statistics, including scoring defense and total defense. “I am unbelievably excited

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n the 39 years since 1979, there have been six head football coaches at North Dakota State. Of those six, five won national

to get going and start the process of becoming the next head football coach at NDSU,” said Entz, a native of Waterloo, Iowa, who began his coaching career at Illinois College in 1998.

This will be Entz’s first head coaching job. He’s proved his mettle after spending 21 years as an assistant coach, with 15 of those coming as a defensive coordinator and eight spent as an associate head coach in two programs.

“Having watched Matt as the defensive coordinator for the past five years, I knew he possessed the qualities to be the head football coach at North Dakota State: leadership, integrity, toughness and a sincere appreciation for the history and tradition of Bison football,” explained Matt Larsen, NDSU director of athletics. The image from Entz’s introductory press conference as the new head coach was a memorable one as he sat flanked by Larsen and NDSU president Dean Bresciani. The image speaks volumes, conveying the dual messages of unity and confidence, reverberating across the college football landscape. Any hope the rest of the FCS harbored that NDSU might lose a step was quickly put to rest. The Bison aren’t going anywhere.

“Whether it's our student-athletes,

our coaches, our university's administration or our fans, it's hard to imagine a candidate who would have the breadth of support with which I know Matt will be greeted as our new head coach,” said Bresciani. Like Bresciani, the praise was quick, and unanimous, from a trio of former Bison defenders – Kyle Emanuel, Nick DeLuca and Chris Board – all coached by Entz, all playing in the NFL. “Coach Entz is a class act individual who guys will love playing for,” said Emanuel, a linebacker in his fourth season with the Los Angeles Chargers.

Emanuel won the Buck Buchanan Award as the best defensive

player in the FCS under Entz. “He understands the traditions of NDSU and how special of a place it is. He was hands down one of my favorite coaches and does an unbelievable job mentoring and teaching his players. Any college football player would be lucky to call him their head coach.”

DeLuca agreed. In his first season with the Jacksonville Jaguars, DeLuca said the future is bright under Entz. “He cares about you as a person. This is an exciting time and the future is bright for Bison football under the direction of Coach Entz.” Board chimed in via

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Twitter with the “Horns Up” emoji and a hearty congratulations.

For his part, Entz not only understands the importance of NDSU’s culture and rich history; he’s lived it. He’s breathed it. He’s walked the walk. Go back and watch his interview after last year’s 17–13 win over James Madison in the national championship behind the end zone stands at Toyota Stadium during the celebration. The guy is a Bison’s Bison, an NDSU guy through-and-through. Like Emanuel and DeLuca testified, Entz cares about this university, this program and its players – past and present. During his introductory press conference, listen to the emotion in his voice as Entz described the program, what being a Bison means to him and in thanking his family, wife Brenda and sons Kellen and Konner who 80

BISON ILLUSTRATED j a n u a r y 2 0 1 9

watched nearby from the first row.

“I believe in who we are,” began Entz, in explaining his approach.

“The things that made our football program special will not change.”

For many reasons, being the head coach at North Dakota State is one of the most coveted jobs in college football and unquestionably the best job in the FCS. We take our football seriously here. It’s a big part of this region’s collective identity and a tremendous source of pride.

The Bison enjoy support at a level greater than most FBS programs, including our neighbors to the east.

The fan base is recognized as one of the best in college football.Here’s how Kellis Robinett described it.

Robinett is a writer for The Wichita Eagle newspaper in Wichita, Kansas. He was in town to cover the South Dakota State semifinal game and provide his readers a

glimpse into what NDSU is all about. “Everything about North Dakota State, from the sellout crowds to the sprawling tailgate scene, screams big-time football.”

Robinett is right. This is big-time football, and we’ve got the right man as our next head coach.

Bison Illustrated congratulates President Bresciani and Mr. Larsen, and their staffs, on a tremendous process that culminated in the hiring of Matt Entz as our next head football coach. We extend our best wishes and congratulations to Coach Entz and his family. As we’re fond of saying, “The strength of the Herd is the Bison, and the strength of the Bison is the Herd.” We got the right Bison leading our Herd. The future is bright for NDSU. Everybody up for the kickoff, the march is on!