Bison Illustrated March 2020

Y O UR F R O N T-R O W SE AT T O T HE CR A Z IE S T MON T H IN NDSU AT HLE T I C S .

MARCH MANIA

MARCH 2020

C O M P L I M E N TA RY

CONTENTS

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COVER STORY 12

MARCH MANIA

NDSU Athletics is always buzzing, regardless of the weather outside.

While some may point to the football season as the busiest time for athletics, that may not be entirely true. There is no question football season is as exciting and robust as any on campus, but the month of March offers forth a jam-packed calendar.

From conference tournaments to NCAA Championships, March is the craziest month for NDSU, its student-athletes, coaches and administration. Take a seat and behold the madness of March.

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03/2020

48

60

FEATURES 52

48

43

37

RECURRING

GAME FACES

6 Editor's Note

One of the most expressive groups on campus, we asked NDSU softball to put on their best game faces.

58 Team Makers

NDSU SOFTBALL

60 Athletics Calendar

Sophomore pitcher Paige Vargas wants to help guide Bison softball back to the top of the Summit League mountain again.

56 Pop Quiz 62 Swany Says

BISON BASEBALL

One of the nation’s stingiest pitchers, NDSU sophomore Max Loven eyes success in year two.

MEN’S GOLF

As Bison golf’s lone senior, Andrew Israelson is striving to go out on top.

Men’s Basketball Women’s Basketball Wrestling Men’s Track & Field Women’s Track & Field

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A recounting Of Unconfirmed reports

i

FROM NOLAN P. SCHMIDT

I never knew the true meaning of “March Madness” until I began editing this magazine. Yes, the men’s and women’s basketball teams play their conference tournament in early March for the right to play on in the NCAA Tournament. Yet, there is so much more to this month at NDSU. Wrestling, track & field, softball, baseball and golf are all in full swing this month. Both wrestling and track & field (indoor) compete in their postseason in March as well.

this by first driving to Tulsa, Oklahoma (just over 800 miles) and stop in Sioux Falls on the way back to Fargo to cover the remainder of the conference basketball tournament.

I learned firsthand just how busy the month of March was last year.

I do everything I can to make it out to every NDSU sporting event, even if that means working 65 hours a week (as Michael Scott once said: “I don’t get paid by the hour anymore, I get paid by the year.”).

The first half of the drive went by quickly. I was of the impression that Interstate 29 took me straight to Tulsa, so I was not using a map or anything. For those who have taken this drive before, you’ll know that you actually hop on Interstate 35 in Omaha which takes you to Tulsa faster. I did not do that, I stayed on I-29.

So last year, I decided I would cover both the Big 12 Wrestling Championships and the Summit League Tournament. I would do

To make a long story short, it was not until I reached Kansas City that I pondered “why am in Missouri? I’m going to Oklahoma.”

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The wrestling tournament begins on a Saturday and ends Sunday evening. I took that Friday off of work, woke up at 3 a.m. and took off on the near 13-hour drive for Tulsa. Was I crazy for attempting to do it in one day? Yes.

FROM THE EDITOR Now, you can still get to Tulsa from I-29, but it forces you to take a few state highways in Kansas to get there. For those who have never driven ion the backroads of Kansas, I would not recommend it (no offense to those fine Kansas natives).

Anyway, after getting turned around a few times in Kansas, I made it to Tulsa after around 14 hours on the road.

Over the next two days, I covered probably close to 20 hours of Big 12 wrestling.

By Sunday, NDSU had two wrestlers in the Big 12 finals.

Meanwhile, NDSU basketball was getting set to play Oral Roberts at the Summit League Tournament. That result would determine if I would head to Sioux Falls that night or head home the following day.

Obviously, the NDSU men ended up beating Oral Roberts about halfway through the final session of the Big 12 finals. I swiftly booked a hotel in Sioux Falls before Andrew Fogarty’s match at 165 pounds.

Following Fogarty’s match, I packed up and hit the road with half a tank of gas. It was around 9 p.m. Sioux Falls is nine hours from Tulsa.

Again, I must say this because it is so vital to the story: I am a psychopath.

As I took the correct way back to Sioux Falls, I noticed I was running low on gas.

My gas light came on while driving in the middle of nowhere in Kansas at 10:30 p.m. 20 miles worth was left in the car. I pulled up my phone map and did not see a gas station anywhere.

Needless to say, expletives were uttered along with this phrase:

“I’m going to die on the side of the road in Kansas.”

Luckily, I was able to find a gas station in Yates Center, Kansas (oddly enough, it was a Jumpstart) with three miles left in the tank. I drove through the night only stopping for gas and once in Sioux City, Iowa, at around 4 a.m.

Arriving in Sioux Falls at around 6 a.m., I sat in the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center parking lot and napped until I could check into my hotel. Upon checking into my hotel at 9 a.m. I crashed and woke up in time to get to NDSU’s semifinal tilt with Western Illinois that evening.

The following day, the Bison beat Omaha to win the Summit League title and a berth in the NCAA Tournament. I drove back to Fargo that night and was at my desk at 7 a.m. the next morning. It was almost as if nothing had happened over the past five days.

In total (including the ensuing NCAA Tournament run), I traveled through 14 different states last March. It gave me a great appreciation for the travel NDSU studentathletes, coaches and staff go through in a given season (especially track & field, softball, golf and baseball).

Would I do it again though?

Absolutely. Why? Because that’s the madness of March, it just comes with the territory.

It also helps if you’re a little mad yourself...

MARCH 2020 | VOLUME 15 ISSUE 3 Bison Illustrated is a free publication distributed monthly (8 times a year).

Our mission is to help promote North Dakota State University Athletics, provide a quality and fun reading experience and to improve the way of life in our community. The publication is mailed to homes across the US and has newsstand distribution throughout North Dakota and Minnesota.

Publisher Mike Dragosavich Drago@SpotlightMediaFargo.com EDITORIAL Editorial Director Alexandra Martin Alexandra@SpotlightMediaFargo.com Editor Nolan P. Schmidt Graphic Designer Kim Cowles Photographer Kayleigh Omang Photography@SpotlightMediaFargo.com Contributors Josh Swanson INTERACTIVE Business Development Manager Nick Schommer nickschommer@spotlightmediafargo.com Digital Marketing Strategist Tommy Uhlir Inbound Marketing Specialist Kirsten Lund Videography Director Patrick Thompson Videographer Laura Alexander Executive Sales Assistant Kellen Feeney Graphic Designer Ben Buchanan ADVERTISING Associate Sales Director Neil Keltgen Neil@SpotlightMediaFargo.com Senior Sales Executive Paul Hoefer Paul@SpotlightMediaFargo.com Sales Executives Zach Olson Zach@SpotlightMediaFargo.com Matt Becker Matt@SpotlightMediaFargo.com Client Relations Jenny Johnson clientrelations@spotlightmediafargo.com Marketing Designer Christy German ADMINISTRATION VP of Human Resources Colleen Dreyer Account Strategist Cassie Wiste Controller Jay Borland DISTRIBUTION Delivery Bruce Crummy, John Stuber, Craig Sheets

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By Nolan P. Schmidt Feature Photo By Kayleigh Omang NDSU Athletics is always buzzing, regardless of the weather outside.

While some may point to the football season as the busiest time for athletics, that may not be entirely true. There is no question football season is as exciting and robust as any on campus, but the month of March offers forth a jam-packed calendar. From conference tournaments to NCAA Championships, March is the craziest month for NDSU, its student-athletes, coaches and administration. Take a seat and behold the madness of March.

13

W I T H A N E V ER - S HI F T I N G R O L E, J UN IOR C A M E R O N H U N T ER C O N T I N U E S T O BE ON E O F B I S O N B A S K E T B A L L’ S M O S T V I TAL P I E CE S .

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Photos By Carrie Snyder, Ryan Workman and Xavier Bonner

G

reat basketball teams are built on many different things.

First and foremost, the team must have the talent, both on their roster and on their coaching staff. Next, a team must strive to consistently improve regardless of how talented they are. Chemistry plays a vital role in the success of a basketball team as well.

Within all of that, specific players carve out roles for themselves.

Truly great basketball players and teams are willing to sacrifice individual accolades or glory for team success. Finding that role can be difficult for many players as they look to find a way to utilize all of their talents adequately.

North Dakota State men’s basketball has many of the qualities that make a great basketball team. They have the talent, they have the chemistry and they have the drive to improve and succeed. It’s what has made them one of the top teams in the Summit League in 2019-20.

On top of that, none of them care who gets the credit for the team’s successes. Each player and coach has their role and they stick to it.

Thanks to the veteran nature of this year’s team, many players have been in the same role for multiple years.

But not Cameron Hunter. Due to circumstances out of his control, the junior has been forced to take on a new role each of his three seasons on campus. For most players, that would be frustrating and perhaps debilitating at times. Yet, Hunter’s growth on and off the floor has never been impeded. He continues to be one of the most vital assets for Dave Richman on a nightly basis.

As a redshirt freshman, Hunter was thrust into action almost immediately. A shake-up on the Bison roster led to the team not having a point guard in 2017-18. Hunter stepped in and played in all 32 games for the Bison, starting 21 of them. He completed the season on the Summit League’s All-Newcomer Team by averaging 10 points per game and shooting 47 percent from long range.

Last season, NDSU added a junior college point guard to its ranks

in Vinnie Shahid. Hunter was moved from starter to bench player.

He played in only 23 games and was hampered by a nagging wrist injury. That injury caused him to miss 11 games in 2018-19. However, Hunter was still solid, averaging seven points per game and shooting 40 percent from deep.

“It’s all about moving on. There are going to be some hard times and some adverse times,” Hunter said of his mindset following last season’s frustration. “Whatever I can do next to help not only myself but this program, that is what I try to keep my mindset at.”

Now, in his junior season, Hunter has found himself another new role. That role is one of being a sparkplug of energy for the Bison off the bench. He has elevated his play on the defensive end which paves the way for success offensively. Hunter has scored in double figures eight times in 2019-20, including a 20-point takeover against Purdue Fort Wayne on February 1.

Hunter was known for his defense in high school and he has stated in the past that it helped him get to NDSU in the first place.

While the rest of the Bison roster is pretty much set in their role on the team, Hunter’s is always changing. For him, it’s all about providing whatever is needed for the team.

“I do talk to coach every year and all I ask him is ‘what can I do to help this team the best way I can?’,” Hunter said of establishing his role on the team. “He sits down and explains it to me and what he wants from me and I try to execute it to the best of my ability. It’s all about doing whatever it takes.”

It is that attitude that has made Cameron Hunter such an important piece to the 2019-20 Bison, who are looking to make a return trip to the NCAA Tournament this season. However, many are expecting the Bison to return which is a far cry from a year ago.

Hunter says the team has not once changed their mindset despite the team’s expectations changing radically.

“Our mindset has kind of been the same as last year. We still have that chip on our shoulder, we’re still hungry and we still feel like we 15

“When that big game comes, we’ve all dreamt about it and put in the work to be ready for that moment. We just have to keep that chip on our shoulder and never be satisfied.”

- CAMERON HUNTER

left more out there than we should have last year,” he said. “We come every day ready to work, ready to get better. We have to know that even though it says we’re number one on paper, we still believe there is more for us to do and prove.”

Along with enhanced expectations come a more engaged fanbase. Bison basketball fans are as loyal as they come, but there is renewed sense of energy inside the Scheel Center these days. For Hunter and the Bison, there is nothing better than a big, engaged crowd.

“It’s big time. We feed off their energy, especially at home games,” Hunter said of Bison fans. “When they are there and they’re loud and getting into it, that makes us play better. Fans are a big part and we love seeing the SHAC packed.”

Anyone who watches this year’s Bison team will see Hunter’s defensive ability. Not only is he often tasked with guarding the opposition’s best guard, but he routinely frustrates his opponent thanks to his physicality and pesky defensive ability. While Hunter is one of the driving forces on defense for NDSU, the Bison as a team have a renewed sense of energy defensively.

Statistically speaking, North Dakota State is the best defensive team in the Summit League. The Bison are only giving up 66.3 points to opponents this season, the best mark in the conference.

They are also holding opponents to just 43 percent shooting.

Hunter says defensive improvement was a key focus before the season.

“In the summer, we talked about our defense a lot. Last year, we thought we could have pressured teams a lot more and play a lot better defense overall. This summer, we all kind of had a talk,

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especially with the guards about pressuring a little more and focusing a lot more on our gaps and help,” Hunter said of the team’s attitude towards defense. “When we took the trip to Puerto Rico, we got to experiment with things on defense. From the summer, we’ve come a long way and we’re actually putting what we learned into action. We’re priding ourselves on defense.”

All of NDSU’s success so far this season will be moot at the Summit League Tournament. It is always the three most important and competitive games of the season for the Bison. Not only that, but any team can win on any given night in Sioux Falls. There is no better evidence of this than Western Illinois, an eight seed beating South Dakota State, a one seed in last year’s tournament. Hunter believes the Bison are ready for the moment and expects them to be at their peak in Sioux Falls.

NDSU MEN'S BASKETBALL IN MARCH - 10 North Central Conference Championships - 4 Summit League Championships - 4 NCAA Tournament appearances - 2 NCAA Tournament victories

“That’s what I like about this team a lot. We’re all a lot of basketball players in a sense where maybe we weren’t highly recruited coming out of high school or this or that,” Hunter said. “So when that big game comes, we’ve all dreamt about it and put in the work to be ready for that moment. We just have to keep that chip on our shoulder and never be satisfied, honestly.”

In the end, great college basketball teams are defined by what they do in March. There are plenty of elements that help make a team great, but anything can happen in March. In 2019-20, it’s hard to deny that Bison men’s basketball has greatness inside of them.

They have the talent, work ethic and chemistry to thrive in Sioux Falls.

With players like Cameron Hunter providing much-needed services off the bench, the Bison are certainly primed to shine this March.

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Photos By Nolan P. Schmidt

AGENT OF CHANGE

TRUE FRESHMAN RYAN COBBINS IS HELPING BUILD THE FOUNDATION FOR THE FUTURE OF BISON WOMEN’S BASKETBALL.

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L

ooking and living in the past can have a negative and positive impact on a person or a group of people. On the one hand, looking back on the past can drum up bad memories or open old wounds. Yet, the most positive thing that can occur from looking to the past is the ability to learn. We can look back on a moment or series of moments in our lives and learn what we can do differently. In that sense, we are all offered the ability to positively impact our own future because of our past.

The past decade for North Dakota State women’s basketball can be summed up by plenty of adjectives. Some may be crasser depending on whom you are speaking with, but “tumultuous” may be the best way to term it all. Coming into this season, they had not won over 10 games in a season since 2014-15. The Bison women had not had an over .500 record since 2010. Perhaps most importantly, they have not won a Summit League Tournament game since March 8, 2009, a 46-43 win over Western Illinois.

Ryan Cobbins was in grade school the last time North Dakota State won a conference tournament game. Now, as a true freshman for the Bison, she is looking to snap that decade long streak. Along with a new head coach Jory Collins and a revived interest in the program, the Bison women are on the fast track to Summit League success.

Cobbins came to Fargo late in the recruiting process. In fact, she did not plan on attending North Dakota State before Jory Collins was hired as head coach. Once Collins became the head man in Fargo, he immediately contacted Cobbins. With a staff full of familiar names, Cobbins decided to finally make a visit to campus.

“I wasn’t even planning on coming to any of the Dakota schools. I wasn’t even interested in taking a visit. Jory had recruited a girl from my high school my freshman year and we kind of already had a connection,” Cobbins said. “Brooke [Costley] worked with my AAU team so everything was in line for me to have a good fit here. Once I got to campus, I got a really good feel and was confident that this was going to be my home.”

The Kansas City native says knowing the staff from previous experiences has helped her transition to Division I college athletics.

“Having those two and even Dylan [Geissert] being from Kansas City as well it’s basically a home away from home. I have Kansas natives here with me so it made the transition a lot easier,” she said.

On the floor, that transition has gone rather smoothly for Cobbins, who immediately asserted herself as one of NDSU’s best players.

Her natural scoring ability and athleticism translated perfectly to the college game. Not to mention, Cobbins does not carry herself like a freshman. She has the confidence and swagger of an upperclassman while on the floor.

“Being so young, I didn’t feel any pressure because I really had nothing to lose. I just wanted to contribute the best that I can,” Cobbins said of her mindset coming into year one in Fargo. “Doing what Jory [Collins] asks of me night in and night out is really the most important thing.”

The entire roster has bought into what Jory Collins wants to implement. That is a hard-nosed brand of basketball with hard work and grit as the backbone of the program. It is those qualities that have pushed the Bison women forward in just one season under Collins. Casual spectators and die-hard fans of the program could see something special was brewing from game one of this season.

Cobbins has seen direct results from the Collins way too. She is averaging just a shade under 10 points per game and scored in double figures in her first five collegiate games. Cobbins was the first player in the Division I era to do that. In total, she has scored in double figures 15 times this season including a career-high 22 points against North Dakota on January 19.

But upon talking to Cobbins you’ll learn she is not concerned with individual glory. She wants to help build this program into the future. Cobbins and the Bison are already well on their way to doing that. This season, NDSU eclipsed its conference win mark from the previous season in early February. Cobbins believes the team’s competitive spirit has led to steady improvement in 2020.

“Our competitive nature has increased a whole bunch. Based on previous years, I think being competitive and knowing we are capable of winning and finishing games is something I’ve seen amongst our team,” she said. “Even from previous years, we’re working harder than ever and we have someone who sees the vision. To be instilled with that kind of confidence is really a booster to where we want to be.”

While the women continue to improve on the floor, the fan engagement with the program has steadily increased as well.

Bison fans are beginning to rally around this renewed program and the SHAC’s attendance numbers showcase that.

“The energy at home games has been absolutely amazing. Being 19

We’re working harder than ever and we have someone who sees the vision. To be instilled with that kind of confidence is really a booster to where we want to be.”

- Ryan Cobbins

able to feed off the crowd and having a good crowd around any sport is always a huge motivation. They help us out a lot,” Cobbins said.

However, for Cobbins and the rest of the roster, there is still one more beast they want off their back. That is ending the drought of Summit League Tournament victories which stretches over a decade. The Bison know they can compete with anyone in the conference come March, but Cobbins says the program’s postseason dry spell is a motivating factor.

“Previous seasons have been a huge motivation for us. Knowing that we haven’t won a conference tournament game since 2009.

To learn that statistic really helped to open our eyes and showed us that we are more than capable of winning,” she said. “Keeping that in the back of our mind is going to take us a long way.”

How do the Bison women do that though? Cobbins says that the end goal must always be in the back of the team’s mind. “We have to keep the end in mind. We still have a long way to go and we know that,” she said. “Staying motivated, staying locked in during practice, getting after loose balls and doing the little things will get us to the big things.”

The past decade for NDSU women’s basketball may not have yielded the proper results. Yet, those results cannot be erased from the record, but it can provide a learning opportunity for the 2019-20 Bison women. They are looking to prove their doubters wrong by building a strong foundation for this program to stand upon.

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Given what we have seen already, they are well on their way to returning to what they once were. Much of that is thanks to the incredible job Jory Collins has done in just one year at the helm. It does require buy-in from the players though too and it seems that has occurred as well.

Only a freshman, Ryan Cobbins will be one of the many pillars in the future of this program. What we have seen from her so far may only be a sampling of successes to come for her and Bison women’s basketball.

The future is now.

NDSU WOMEN'S BASKETBALL IN MARCH - 10 Conference Championships (All in North Central Conference) - 5 National Championships (1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996)

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Photos By Nolan P. Schmidt

EYEING EYEING THE BIG STAGE

SOPHOMORE HEAV Y WEIGHT BRANDON METZ HAS HIS SIGHTS SET ON THE PODIUM THIS MARCH.

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B

randon Metz lives for the big moments on the mat. Whether it was his illustrious high school career at West Fargo High School or his career at North Dakota State, he has seemed to step up when it matters most. One can look to his match last season against 11th ranked heavyweight Tate Orndorff as evidence. Metz, who was unranked going into the match used his patented move, a double underhook takedown, to get Orndorff in near fall criteria. With Orndorff’s shoulder blades on the mat, the ref blew the whistle, Metz had pinned the mighty heavyweight from Utah Valley.

said. “That goes a long way and I’ve been training harder. When you trust your training, it makes things a lot easier on the mat.”

There are countless other instances that showcases just how much potential Brandon Metz has. So, it came as a surprise to many when Metz bowed out of last year’s Big 12 Tournament, losing his first two matches in Tulsa. Not only were many forecasting a potential podium finish for Metz, but his performance in Tulsa dashed his chances of competing on the national stage.

“It’s all about finding things to work on. Every match, you’ll find different things you need to work on and get better at, I know that for a fact. Each match, there is something I didn’t like or something I need to work on where I can get in the room the following week and work on it,” Metz said. “That’s just how it is until March. Nothing really matters until March when you step out on the mat, but this stuff matters because it is important to get better each day. It won’t matter in March if you’re not improving constantly.”

While his finish to 2019 was frustrating, Metz says he used it as motivation to improve coming into 2019-20.

“My mindset was really being focused on improving in a number of different areas. I was really frustrated with how my season ended last year. I thought there were some signs of good things, but I know my potential and I know I didn’t reach it last year,” Metz said.

“The whole offseason I used that as motivation and changing my wrestling, not just my wrestling but my body as well. Going into it every day, I want to work as hard as I possibly can because I don’t want to have that same feeling in March that I did last year.”

Being aggressive at the point of attack is not the only thing Metz has worked to improve over the course of the year. Head coach Roger Kish often says that the regular season provides the building blocks to succeed in the postseason. Because of this, Bison wrestlers, Metz included, must be constantly improving as the season moves along. Not doing so could lead to stagnation and may lead to poor results come conference tournament time.

While skill is vital in succeeding on the mat, one cannot underestimate the role confidence plays into a wrestler’s success.

A lack of confidence in your own ability can lead to hesitant behavior on the mat. Obviously, that directly impacts the win-loss column for the student-athlete. For Metz, confidence and pride can be found in his love for the Fargo area. A local product from West Fargo, Metz strives to make the community proud of him and their Bison wrestling program.

And improve he has. To date, Metz is one of the most daunting forces at 285 pounds in the Big 12. He has notched 20 wins in 2019-20 including four of those by fall. It is Metz’s commitment to offensive aggressiveness that has guided him to success as the postseason draws closer.

“It’s an awesome role,” Metz said of having the “hometown kid” distinction. “Me and Jared [Franek], personally, we both love it and we love being from here and representing NDSU. Having our friends, family and everyone around us supporting us so closely, it drives us that much more. We want to do well for our city, our area and North Dakota State.”

“Last year, I was a little stagnant and wrestled a lot of close matches and I wasn’t getting my own stuff. This year, I feel like I’m going into matches more confident in my ability to do my stuff,” he

Roger Kish’s group has plenty to be confident about as they head to Tulsa for the Big 12 Championships in early March. The Bison have picked up some impressive dual victories in 2020 and have 23

Nothing really matters until March when you step out on the mat, but this stuff matters because it is important to get better each day. It won’t matter in March if you’re not improving constantly.”

- Brandon Metz

made school history in the process. Perhaps the biggest is the team’s win over Oklahoma on January 24. It was the first time North Dakota State had defeated the Big 12 giant in their tenure in the conference. The Bison have also had big conference wins over Utah Valley, Northern Colorado, South Dakota State, Air Force and Fresno State.

“There have been people who are not even super connected to wrestling that have said they are going to be there and they want to watch me wrestle,” Metz said of NCAAs in Minneapolis. “That is so cool to have friends tell you that. It makes it that much bigger of a deal, I think.”

“It boosts our confidence all around. Even for guys that might be under .500 wrestlers, I think they see that,” Metz said of beating bigname opponents in duals. “When they’re competing in this room each day and see that, they learn that they can wrestle with the best, no matter who they are. It’s a great thing.”

Brandon Metz is built for moments like the Big 12 Championships.

He understands the magnitude of each bout in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Metz also knows what failure looks like at that tournament. With all of that in mind and an eye on the podium, you might be silly to stand in Brandon Metz’s way.

With the Big 12 Championships on the horizon, Metz has some goals in mind heading into the postseason. Not surprisingly, they involve performing better than last year when down in Tulsa.

“My goal is to keep improving every day until Big 12s. The goal is to end up on top of the podium and hopefully not be NDSU’s first Big 12 Champion, but be up there with other teammates as Big 12 Champions,” Metz said. NDSU has never had a Big 12 wrestling champion, but a litany of runner-ups, including current 165-pounder Andrew Fogarty. “I think that’s the goal for everyone.”

Beyond the conference tournament, Metz wants to be competing at the NCAA Championships this year as well. With the tournament taking place at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis this season, many Bison wrestlers are excited about wrestling in a tournament that big so close to home. In Metz’s case, it is just a hop, skip and jump from West Fargo.

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NDSU WRESTLING IN MARCH Division I - 2 Conference Championships (All In Western Wrestling Conference) - Fourth Place Finish at Big 12 Championships in 2017 (Highest finish in Big 12 era) - 7 Big 12 runner-ups Division II - 17 Conference Championships (All in North Central Conference) - 4 National Championships (1988, 1998, 2000, 2001) - 30 Individual National Champions (21 student-athletes) 25

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Keep up with the Herd Know what’s happening with NDSU athletics. From Bison football to basketball and everything in between, we deliver action packed issues throughout the year, including our popular big football issue.

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Photos By Richard Svaleson

SUSTAINING SUCCESS

JUNIOR ALEX TALLEY IS ANOTHER GREAT IN THE LONG LINE OF BISON MEN’S THROWERS 27

Nationals has always been the goal. I didn’t quite make the cut last year and I really want to be in the group that gets to go this year.”

I

- Alex Talley

t seems as though there is no such thing as a drop off of talent within the North Dakota State track & field program. Year after year, talented (and young) student-athletes rise to the top of the Summit League pack in their respective events. The end result has been seven indoor conference team titles for the Bison.

The throws program may be the best illustration of this constant stream of talent. It seems as though that each year, throws coach Justin St. Clair is guiding new faces to school records, personal bests and trips to the national meet. While that is certainly a testament to just how good of coach St. Clair is, it also showcases the true potentials of his student-athletes.

Alex Talley is one of those throwers St. Clair has brought to the cusp of greatness in previous seasons. Now a junior, Talley has the national meet in mind as his indoor season winds down. Currently, Talley is right on the cut of making the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships in both the shot put and weight throw.

“Nationals has always been the goal. I didn’t quite make the cut last year and I really want to be in the group that gets to go this year.

As a team, we have a lot of talented guys that are right on the line,” Talley said. “We really need to buckle down these last few weeks and hit some PRs and be able to punch that ticket to nationals.”

The evidence of Talley’s greatness was on full display in his sophomore season. He was the Summit League runner-up in the shot put and took third in the weight throw last indoor season.

While he missed the national meet, he finished the indoor season in the top 30 in the country in both events. He followed that up by making nationals in the shot put and hammer throw during the outdoor season.

Now in his fourth year (including redshirt) in the throws program, Talley has become one of the leaders on the men’s side.

“As a team, I’ve really tried to step up as a leader and try to lead some of the younger guys. They’re putting up some pretty stellar performances for how old they are,” Talley said. “For me personally, learning the form, understanding all the changes and implementing them into the throw. It’s always hard to make a change halfway through the year and it takes time to be able to really get it.”

Talley wants to pass on that knowledge because that was done

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with him. Learning under great throwers like national champion Payton Otterdahl, Alex Renner and Steffan Stroh was invaluable to Talley. He wants to return the favor to the younger guys this season.

“In science, they use the quote ‘stand on the shoulders of giants’ quite frequently. That is definitely true here in my case. The amount I have learned from Alex Renner, Steffan Stroh and Payton Otterdahl is immeasurable almost. I can’t really put it into words how much they taught me and how much they showed me,” Talley said of the Bison greats. “It was more than just throwing too. In life, they taught me how to get through college and all these different things. They really made their mark on me. I try to pass that on to the next group.”

Part of this pride stems from Talley’s West Fargo roots. He takes immense pride in being a Bison and setting a good example.

“There is a lot of pride in it. Growing up here, you always looked up to the Bison as huge role models and huge figures. When you become one, you become that for the younger generation. I want to do well for people who are looking up to me. It means a lot to me,” he said.

Throughout his junior season, Talley has captured wins in the weight throw in five of the six meets he has competed in. In the shot put, he has not finished outside the top 10 yet this year, including four runner-up finishes.

Part of that constant success is sustainability. Talley, who is second all-time in NDSU indoor history in both weight throw and shot put, says creating habits has guided him to greatness.

“We have a very talented throws coach in Justin St. Clair. He is amazing, but he puts the ball in our court a lot. He’ll put a lot of stuff on us like doing extra stuff when he is not around and he preaches that he can only make us do so much and we have to do the rest on our own,” he said. “That really comes down to the seniors to teach the younger generations that accountability. As soon as you get into the habit of doing something, it becomes like second nature to you. Once you get those habits, you have to keep them going.”

In a sport where every attempt matters, Alex Talley is making the most of them all. Thanks to guidance from past Bison throwers, he is now becoming one of the school’s greats. The only ticket left to punch is for the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships.

NDSU MEN'S TRACK & FIELD IN MARCH - 7 Summit League Championships - 17 North Central Conference Championships - 5 individual national champions (three student-athletes)

STRIVING FOR MORE I

AFTER A RUN TO INDOOR NATIONALS LAST SEASON, SENIOR SHELBY GUNNELLS WANTS MORE THIS MARCH.

n the grand scheme of things, there are more important things than throwing to Shelby Gunnells. The senior is a geology major and hopes to one day become a professor at the university level. Upon returning from North Dakota State’s meet in Nashville, Tennessee, Gunnells immediately hopped on a flight to San Diego, California. Why? To attend an academic conference. Safe to say, the Solon, Iowa, native is poised for success in life outside of throwing.

Gunnells has competed in all but one of NDSU’s indoor meets this season. She did not finish outside the top three in the shot put once. In the weight throw, she has also finished third or higher in each of NDSU’s six regular-season meets.

But throwing is still at the forefront of her mind despite what may lie in her professional future.

“Last year, the goal going into nationals was to make the finals. I was able to do that which was really exciting. However, I had not thought about being the one person that made the finals that did not make the podium. So that has been a lot of motivation for me this season,” Gunnells said about her goals for this year. “You always want the season to go as long as possible so hitting good marks is important too just so I have the opportunity to throw at the Olympic Trials or something like that too.”

Gunnells competed on the national stage last season, placing ninth in the shot put at the national meet. Following a redshirt season during the outdoor slate, Gunnells set her sights on a return trip to nationals. However, it was not her form that needed improving, it was her mental approach to throwing.

“I’ve seen my biggest improvements in my mindset while competing. There have obviously been some technical cues that have improved as well as my overall strength,” Gunnells said. “I would say being able to compete and reach my peak level in a meet setting has been really important for me.”

It also helps that Gunnells is surrounded by equally talented teammates. While Gunnells is currently in the top ten in the country in the shot put, teammate Akealy Moton is in the top five. Gunnells, who also competes in the weight throw, is one of the best in the Summit League along with fellow senior Maddy Nilles and junior Amy Herrington.

“We take a lot of pride in our throwing program since it has been at a top-level for a few years now. We just want to keep that tradition going and when you have teammates that are also performing really well, it’s just more motivation as an individual,” Gunnells said.

“Keeping up with them means there is an improvement in one way or another. “ That pride for the throws program shines through on the women’s side. The women’s half of the throws program has seen tremendous success over the past decade. With a litany of Bison throwers performing on the national level, Gunnells defers all credit to coach Justin St. Clair.

“I’d have to give all the credit to our coach, Justin St. Clair. He does a tremendous job of preparing us and when to peak at the correct time. It’s about people buying into the system too,” Gunnells said.

“That is really important, just to do the little things correctly and now that we’ve had people perform at that level, it’s easier for the younger people to know what that looks like and how to emulate that.”

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Good finishes are important when building for the postseason.

However, it is success in March that every track & field studentathlete strives for the most. Gunnells is no different.

Now a senior leader for fellow throwers, Gunnells is also one to guide the next generation of Bison throwers. In her mind, much of that is making sure everyone is doing the little things properly, especially in March.

“Especially during this time of the year where we’re trying to peak, that’s when all the little things start to come into play. Not just practice and lifting, but eating well, getting rest and things like that,” she said. “In terms of helping others, it’s all about communicating those sorts of things as well as being an example for others as well.”

2020 will be a bit different for Shelby Gunnells. She will compete in both the indoor and outdoor seasons this year. Last year’s redshirt season altered the way she trains and sets goals. Now, she is excited about the prospect of competing all year for NDSU. “That is going to be something new for me this year because I redshirted outdoor last season. So, I was working under the mindset of just peaking during this one meet and then I have a whole season to prepare for,” she said. “This year is a little different and the focus is on indoor nationals. After that, it will be about taking a few days to step away from throwing to reset the mind and set new goals. Then, I’ll start going after those.”

For now, though, Shelby Gunnells has her eyes set on indoor nationals in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Still motivated by missing the podium last season, Gunnells is determined to be standing on it this year for North Dakota State. Based on the evidence, there is no denying her a spot on that podium this season.

NDSU WOMEN'S TRACK & FIELD IN MARCH - 16 North Central Conference Championships - 12 Summit League Championships - 11 individual national champions (nine student-athletes)

You always want the season to go as long as possible so hitting good marks is important too just so I have the opportunity to throw at the Olympic Trials or something like that too.�

- Shelby Gunnells

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March mania by the map

How many miles are covered in the month of March for postseason tournaments?

Look no further.

Men’s and women’s track & field

- Fargo to Fort Wayne, Indiana (site of 2020 Summit League Indoor Championships) - 803 miles - Fargo to Albuquerque, New Mexico (site of 2020 NCAA Indoor Championships) - 1,237 miles

men’s and women’s basketball

- Fargo to Sioux Falls, South Dakota (site of 2020 Summit League Basketball Championships) - 243 miles

wrestling

- Fargo to Tulsa, Oklahoma (site of 2020 Big 12 Wrestling Championships) - 801 miles - Fargo to Minneapolis, Minnesota (site of 2020 NCAA Wrestling Championships) - 234 miles 32

BISON ILLUSTRATED M a r c h 2 0 2 0

Total Distance 3,318 miles Passing through 16 total states

herd

trivia

march mania edition

question2

true or false question1 The Bison men’s basketball team traveled to these two states to compete in last year’s NCAA Tournament.

A. Ohio and South Dakota B. South Dakota and South Carolina C. Ohio and South Carolina D. None of the Above

Before the 2020 tournament, senior wrestler Andrew Fogarty was a two-time Big 12 runner-up at 165 pounds.

Akealy Moton was the Summit League Indoor runner-up in the shot put last season. What did she throw?

A. 55-02.25 B. 58-03.23 C. 57-05.17 D. None of the Above

A. First B. Second C. Fourth D. Fifth

1. C 2. True 3. A 4. B 5. True

question3

Junior distance runner Alex Bartholomay finished at which position in last year’s indoor mile at the conference meet?

answers

question4

question5

true or false The Bison women’s basketball program has captured five national titles in the month of March in its illustrious history.

THE FINAL APPROACH AS BISON GOLF’S LONE SENIOR, ANDREW ISRAELSON IS STRIVING TO GO OUT ON TOP.

By Nolan P. Schmidt Photo By Kayleigh Omang 37

I’d trade anything right now to win the conference as a team.

Just since we have gone through some adversity this year and I think winning the conference would mean the world to me.”

- Andrew Israelson

F

rom top to bottom, it’s hard to find many weak points in Andrew Israelson. On the golf course, he has been a mainstay for Steve Kennedy and the Bison since his freshman year. He is a threetime member of the All-Summit League Team, two of those distinctions being on the conference’s first team.

Israelson still holds the school record for the lowest 18hole round shooting a 64 in 2017.

Yet, there is more to Andrew Israelson than just golf. It’s true that the game has made him a household name to those who follow Bison athletics, but it is what he has done off the course that is equally impressive. Israelson is a three-time member of the Summit League’s Academic Honor Roll.

Looking at the body of work on paper and it’s really hard to find holes in Andrew Israelson. It’s because there really is no distinguishable weakness in anything he does, at least not one that is detrimental to his performance on and off the course. The senior will likely go down as one of the best Bison golfers to walk through campus when his collegiate career wraps up in early May. While it’s hard for the normal person to pinpoint any weak points in Andrew Israelson as a golfer, he has been able to self-assess himself over his time in Fargo. The Staples, Minnesota, native says it is his commitment to the mental side of golf that has improved most as a Bison.

“My game has really grown from a mental standpoint. I really haven’t changed my game over the course of my college career playing-wise, but mentally you learn a lot more patience. You mature and become more grown-up almost. You understand that there will be hardships and falls during a round and you understand you have to bounce back,” Israelson said. “It’s been a lot easier for me to bounce back these last two years compared to when I was a freshman or sophomore. You have to learn to let things go and that the most important shot is the next shot.”

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As the lone senior on this year’s team, Israelson has seen his leadership ability shift slightly in his final year. Bison golf saw some shake-ups in the roster after their fall season, providing a host of adversity to the current team as spring approached. While it was a challenge to overcome that adversity, Israelson says he believes this year’s group is something special from a chemistry standpoint.

“Golf is unique in the aspect of it being an individual sport, but for us, in college with a team dynamic, it’s really something special. You play as a team in high school, but it’s more of an individual sport, you’re working for yourself. Once you get to college, it’s really a team atmosphere and you’re with your guys day in and day out working out, practicing and they’re really pushing you to get better,” he said.

“It’s usually kind of easy to be that veteran on a collegiate golf team, but this year has been different. We’ve had some shake-ups with our team, some events happening, some guys leaving the team. It was really important to get our guys to buy into the culture of Bison golf even more. We came together and have kept working and it’s really important that we’re a close-knit group of guys. In the long run and we’ll find out eventually, but that adversity will help us be more competitive on the golf course.”

Another challenge that goes unnoticed by many is the way the collegiate golf season sets up for NDSU. They play a fall slate of tournaments before hitting a mini-offseason in the winter. They will then play their spring schedule in which the conference tournament is played. Following the collegiate season comes perhaps the most vital aspect of player development, the summer.

In that sense, one cannot truly say golf has a true offseason.

Israelson sees that as an advantage and not a challenge.

“I really enjoy how golf is split up. We do kind of have three seasons in a sense and I kind of look at it backward. I look at it as a summer season first and that, in my opinion, is more important from an individual standpoint. That gets you to grow your game and the fall season is a time to see that growth play out. You also get to see how the team is shaping up compared to the year before but at

how the team is shaping up compared to the year before but at the same time, it’s not as crucial as when you come to the spring,” Israelson said. “Obviously, that is the most important part of the collegiate season. We could have a really poor fall and play really great in the spring and it makes up for everything. I really enjoy golf because of that because in high school you just get that one season. Once you come to college you get to see your growth from one season to the next not just one year to the next.”

Israelson picked up where he left off in this year’s fall schedule.

He did not finish outside the top 20 in all four of NDSU’s fall tournaments. His score to par steadily improved over those four tournaments as well. At NDSU’s final two tournaments of the fall, the senior shot a one-under and four-under respectively. Both of those scores were good for a top-ten finish and a top-five finish for Israelson.

This early success in the fall can be chalked up to the fantastic summer Israelson had. He captured victories in a few summer tournaments and made it past the first round of US Open local qualifying. Where did his motivation come from? A poor taste in his mouth following last year’s spring season.

Israelson tied for the individual Summit League championship last season in Newton, Kansas. While it officially says he tied for the win a playoff determined that he was not the conference’s outright winner. That stinging loss helped Israelson improve ahead of his senior season.

“It left me with a bad taste in my mouth, but in golf, I think that is a really good thing. I had the best summer of my career in golf this year and I think that shows how much of a learning experience losing can be. Although I did tie for first, I ended up losing in the playoff to move on. That stung at that moment and it took me about a week to get over, but it was probably the best thing that could have happened to me,” Israelson said. “It made me want to work that much harder. Two weeks after that I made it through the first round of US Open local qualifying and I had a couple wins in the summer too. That really pushed me to keep working and grinding on my game. Hopefully, that keeps showing up.”

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Israelson knows how sweet an individual championship would feel after last year’s result. However, he also knows how it feels to win a team conference championship, which the Bison won back in 2018. In his mind, he would give anything to capture a team title rather than individual accolades.

“I’d trade anything right now to win the conference as a team. Just since we have gone through some adversity this year and I think winning the conference would mean the world to me. Our team is looking really good to have something special coming up in a few months,” he said. “Winning individually would be a goal as well, but overall it’s way more fun to win as a team. I can say from experience that I’d trade anything for a team championship any day of the week.”

At a surface level, it does not seem that Andrew Israelson has any discernible weakness on the golf course. Upon talking with him, you’ll learn that is not the case and his game has plenty of room for improvement. Given his already impressive body of work at NDSU, his final stretch as a Bison may be one of the most remarkable the program has ever seen.

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Your online store for NDSU Bison gear.

By Nolan P. Schmidt Feature Photos By Kayleigh Omang Action Photo By Nolan P. Schmidt

HUNGRY FOR MORE One of the nation's stingiest pitchers, NDSU sophomore Max Loven eyes success in year two.

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T

raditionally, the game of baseball has been defined by its hardest throwers.

Long ago, Nolan Ryan was one of the most dominant pitchers in the game with a fastball that was sometimes clocked at over 100 miles per hour. Then, there was Randy Johnson, one of the greatest pitchers of all time, who routinely threw triple digits. In more recent times, Max Scherzer, Justin Verlander and Jacob DeGrom have all captured Cy Young Awards throwing fastballs in the mid to upper 90s.

By no means is pitch speed an adequate barometer by which to judge any pitcher. There are some pitchers who throw fast that struggle with control and finding the strike zone. Throwing fast does not make you invincible on the mound, but to be fair, it does not hurt.

Sophomore Max Loven is the antithesis of everything described above. Loven does not throw hard and he admits he has never really been able to throw hard. However, whatever he lacks in velocity, he more than makes up for with control and a true command of the strike zone. This was on full display in 2019 where Loven showcased that he is one of 44

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“We have enough talent and everything we need to be one of the top teams in the league.”

- Max Loven

the best pitchers in the Summit League, as just a freshman.

Before the 2019 season, no one outside of Bison baseball knew who Max Loven was.

He was just a true freshman pitcher from Brooklyn Park, Minnesota. Loven himself did not know how he would factor into the NDSU staff in 2019. He expected to see some spot relief time here and there but was anticipating a developmental season.

In 2020, everyone knows who Max Loven is and everyone in the Summit League is on alert.

“It’s just confidence. I always tried to have confidence in myself, but as you see more success, it’s easier to have confidence and envision yourself having more success,” Loven said of his success in 2019 and how he plans to thrive in 2020.

That success in 2019 translated to one of the stingiest seasons in recent NDSU baseball history. Loven pitched 88.2 innings as a true freshman, making 13 appearances, all as the Bison starter. By year’s end, Loven won four games and compiled 75 strikeouts, a .240 opponent batting average and an impressive 2.74 ERA. That ERA mark was second-best in the conference. On top of that, Loven’s control is what dazzled so many, only walking 15 batters in 2019.

Loven was named the conference’s First

Team and Newcomer of the Year. He was also named a Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-American.

Those individual awards are dazzling and are surely a sign of things to come for Max Loven. However, he is more concerned with team performance. North Dakota State offered forth a very young team in 2019 with just four seniors on the roster.

In 2020, the Bison are another year older and Loven believes that will benefit the team moving forward.

“With a lot of newcomers, people coming back or junior college transfers who are juniors or seniors, we just have a lot more confidence and experience,” Loven said of the team’s growth from this season to last.

“We know what it’s like and we’ve all done it before and went through it.”

As far as how he continues to improve in 2020, Loven says relying on control is vital.

While he is not the hardest of throwers, his control is unparalleled. Loven believes that will carry him a long way this season.

“I always like to improve on a little bit of everything. I didn’t throw the fastest last year, but that really has to do with my control,” he said. “Being able to locate my offspeed pitches more specifically and getting a better feel with those was big.”

The obstacle the Bison must face like they 46

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do each season is the travel in their nonconference slate. NDSU did not practice or play outside until their first game of the season. In 2020, the Bison made trips to Hawaii, California, Florida and Colorado, spanning four time zones. That aggressive travel schedule can take its toll on anyone, but Loven believes the Bison are used to it.

“Obviously, we don’t practice outside before our first game. That is the first time we practice and play outside which is kind of a challenge,” Loven said. “With the time differences with long travel days, you’re always just a little bit tired. Usually, we do just fine with that and overcome any of the challenges.”

While the non-conference schedule is vital to building a team over the course of a season, the Summit League slate is where it matters most. In 2019, the Bison went 15-15 in conference play. Of those 15 conference losses, six of them were by one run. NDSU missed the Summit League Tournament by one game last season. This year, Loven and the Bison are focused on finishing games strong.

“The only thing I think about is that we missed the Summit League Tournament by one game. This year, the only thing we’re trying to do is make sure we get to the tournament,” Loven said of his goals for 2020. “Once we get there, we’re going to do our best and try to be the Summit League

champions.”

Since NDSU did not make the conference tournament last season, they are using that as motivation in 2020. The Bison are eager to compete in the conference and get back to the top of the Summit League.

Loven believes NDSU has the tools to be conference champions this season too.

“We had a lot of games last year where we can look back at games we should have won or something would have gone differently. This year, we are focused on being consistent all the time and not having those slip-ups that we had a lot of last year,” he said. “If we just clean that up and we’re more consistent throughout the course of the year, we have enough talent and everything we need to be one of the top teams in the league.”

Max Loven may not throw hard like Nolan Ryan or Jacob DeGrom, but he has showcased that speed does not always kill. In the sophomore’s case, it is an abundance of control and confidence that has made him one of the conference’s best pitchers. While Loven is a student-athlete to watch in 2020 he is concerned with other things.

Like his teammates around him, Max Loven is hungry for Summit League success this season.

The New Ace Sophomore pitcher Paige Vargas wants to help guide Bison softball back to the top of the Summit League mountain again in 2020.

By Nolan P. Schmidt Feature Photos By Kayleigh Omang

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N

orth Dakota State has dominated the Summit League softball scene since joining the conference.

Much of their success, which includes 12 conference titles, can be chalked up to NDSU’s dominance inside the circle. It seems that year after year when an outgoing NDSU senior leaves, Summit League opponents breath a sigh of relief. A new era begins.

The last three years in Bison softball illustrate that perfectly. First, there was Jacquelyn Sertic, one of the best to ever pitch for Darren Mueller. A multiple-time Summit League Pitcher of the Year who currently has the thirdmost strikeouts in school history. She graduated following the 2018 season.

A collective breath was exhaled by the rest of the Summit League.

But then, there was KK Leddy. She only turned in one of the most impressive seasons in school history last year.

Leddy was named the Summit League Pitcher of the Year while the Bison captured another conference title. She graduated after last season.

Yet another massive exhale by the Summit League. This time, that exhale was followed by a gasp.

They forgot about Paige Vargas. A freshman, who helped clinch the Summit League Tournament title with her unreal double-header performance against South Dakota. Many forget that NDSU had their backs against the wall on that Saturday in May. The true freshman threw a shutout in game one and held the Coyotes off in game two.

She was named the tournament’s MVP and the conference’s Freshman of the Year.

It was that performance last postseason that gave Vargas the confidence boost she needed heading into her sophomore season. “It definitely proved what I was capable of. Even though I was good in the Summit League Tournament, this fall showed me that I could still improve, everyone can still improve,” Vargas

said. “That was definitely a confidence booster for me though. Seeing all the hard work that we did in the fall and spring with traveling, that moment we won was just so rewarding. It was my favorite moment of 2019 by far.”

With her help, the Bison went to the NCAA Tournament, playing in the Minneapolis Regional. A stage of that magnitude can be too big for some, but not Paige Vargas.

“I was afraid I was going to be really stressed out and intimidated by all the hype. Growing up, I’ve always watched the NCAA Tournament and it was crazy to think I was there playing in it.

I actually felt very calm and I wanted to enjoy the experience and stay in the moment and be present,” she said. “It was just really cool to think that if you work as hard as we do, you can have those moments and not everyone can say that. It was really special and it makes you want to work harder to get even further.”

That is not to say Vargas was picture perfect coming into the 2020 season.

She keyed in on some aspects of her pitching that will help her last longer.

With the long grind of the softball season, it is important for pitchers to be well-conditioned. Vargas and her fellow pitchers have focused on that early in the season.

“The biggest thing was learning how to keep going. Last year, once we hit the postseason, we had already been playing for three months and were tired by then. Learning how to keep playing for another month or so was big,” she said.

“One of the things Allie [Walljasper] has helped us with is conditioning.

We’ve been running a lot, so that will help us not get so tired by the end of the season to help us keep going. So I’m really excited to see where that takes us.

Learning how to stay at the top of our game as the season goes on is big.”

Compared to previous years, the Bison pitchers field a relatively young group.

There is not a single senior on the roster with Vargas having the most game experience as a Bison. While that experience will surely make her the ace 49

It was just really cool to think that if you work as hard as we do, you can have those moments and not everyone can say that.

It was really special and it makes you want to work harder to get even further."

- Paige Vargas

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of the staff, Vargas believes all of the pitchers have complementary skills and traits that benefit the group.

“We all carry ourselves very well. We all have different things that we’re great at too. I might be good at one thing, Kara [O’Byrne] another thing, Mac [Schulz] and Lainey [Lyle] other things,” Vargas said. O’Byrne was great in a spot starter role in 2019. Schulz is a transfer from Washington while Lyle is one of six true freshmen on the roster. “Our main focus is to work as a team because you never know when someone will have to step up. It’s not necessarily a leadership thing, it’s more of a team within a team type of thing. That is one of our goals, to work together and try not to separate each other. As long as we do that, we’ll be really good.”

Vargas comes off a freshman season where she won 17 games (to just five losses) in 146.1 innings of work. In those innings, she struck out 111 batters and had a stingy 3.87 ERA. While all of those stats made her one of the best pitchers in the conference from a numbers perspective, Vargas wants to continue to develop. One must keep in mind that she is still just a sophomore.

“I want to keep improving each day.

There is always going to be something that isn’t quite right every day. Learning how to fix it and move on from that.

My goal is to try and stay in the present because now that I’m getting older, time is moving faster and I want to stay in the moment and enjoy it, Vargas said of her goals this season. “As a team, I think one of the things we’ve said is to learn and grow each day. We have a young team this year, but the newbies have done a really good job of adjusting and learning what Bison culture is all about. If we do what we’re supposed to do and take care of ourselves, I think we’re capable

of a lot of things. We lost a lot of great seniors, but we lost seven and I think we gained seven, so it’s the same amount.

They’ll fill the holes really well wherever they are.”

One thing that has Vargas excited is traveling back to her home state of California to compete. Over spring break in early March, the Bison will play in three tournaments in Fresno and Los Angeles. Both of those locations are within driving distance from Vargas’ hometown of Mission Viejo. So her parents and other family members will be able to watch her play softball for NDSU. “I’m super excited because my parents are going to come and I have a lot of friends and other family members coming. Since it’s during spring break, we’ll be there for a whole week and it’s pretty close to where I’m from.

I’ll definitely enjoy the sunshine and the warmth too,” Vargas said. “When we were at Stanford last year, that is not close to where I’m from so going somewhere that my parents can come is big. I appreciate that Darren [Mueller] likes to go to places where the players are from. So that’s really exciting.”

The secret may be out about Paige Vargas after her postseason performance last year. Vargas is bound to be a star in the circle for Bison softball and will surely add her name to an impressive list of pitchers NDSU has had in the Division I era.

While the Summit League holds its breath, waiting for NDSU to fall off, Paige Vargas and the Bison are pushing forward to the top of the conference mountain.

Kayleigh Omang

We asked senior outfielder Madyson Camacho to put on her best game faces.

...the look she gives the dugout when she coasts into third with a stand-up triple.

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...when she overruns a fly ball.

...when she lays down the perfect squeeze.

...when she gets called out even though she knows she was safe.

...when coach gives her the sign to steal second.

...when it’s midnight at a hotel in Texas and Steph decides to start quoting her favorite Adam Sandler movies.

...when Darren [Mueller] tells an awful joke.

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Not to be outdone, we had fellow senior outfielder Stephanie Soriano give her best in-game reactions to these moments.

...the rally face.

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...when she makes a diving catch.

...when she leads off an inning with a base hit.

...when Mady says she can beat her in a dance battle.

...the look she gives the umpire when she strikes out looking despite the last pitch being way outside.

...the fly ball with the sun in her eyes face.

...when coach is waving her around third and into home, knowing it’ll be a bang-bang play.

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POpQUIZ WITH NDSU ATHLETES

On a scale of 1-10, how lucky do you think you are?

If you could use one word to describe your sense of style, what would it be?

10, just look at how awesome my teammates are ;)

Comfy

I would have to say 9 because I think that I’m pretty lucky

Fly/Hip

7

Comfortable

5

Exquisite

8 - I feel very lucky to be apart of the NDSU Bison Nation!

But I couldn’t put 10 because I have been unlucky here and there.

Simple.

Alexis Thomas Thomas, the Middleton, Wisconsin, native has shown tremendous promise in her near three years in Fargo. In her true freshman season, she finished with an impressive 77.29 stroke average. She followed that up with a 79.23 average last year which included a first-round 69 at last year’s Red Rocks Invitational. That is the 12th best round in school history.

WOMEN’S GOLF

Luke Weber

WRESTLING

The redshirt junior placed sixth at the Big 12 Tournament at 157 pounds a year ago, despite being injured for most of the tournament. For all intents and purposes, Weber should have been an NCAA qualifier in 2019, but a lack of at-large bids at his weight class halted the chance. This season, Kish has moved Weber through different weight classes with Weber wrestling at 157, 165 and 174 pounds this season.

Avery Wysong

SOFTBALL

Wysong has inherited catcher duties from senior Maddie Hansen in 2020. Wysong started in two games last year and made nine total appearances behind the plate.

Despite limited time in 2019, she did not make an error in 18 fielding chances while also driving one run in. She will continue to be a pivotal asset for Darren Mueller for years to come as Wysong is just a sophomore in 2020.

Blake Tritch The senior will serve as a valuable right-handed arm for Tod Brown and Bison baseball in 2020. Tritch made 10 appearances in 2019 and finished the season with a 1-0 record and a 3.15 ERA. In the 20 innings he pitched, Tritch gave up only 17 hits while fanning 16 batters.

BASEBALL

Connor Wendel

MEN’S TRACK & FIELD 56

Wendel has been a staple in the hurdles for NDSU in his three years of competition. He was the Summit League champion in the 400m hurdles last outdoor season and won the event at three other meets last season. In his junior season this year, Wendel captured a victory in the 600m at the Jack Johnson Classic in early February.

He is also a member of NDSU’s indoor 4x400m relay team.

BISON ILLUSTRATED M r r c h 2 0 2 0

Which teammate is the best roommate on the road?

Is a hot dog a sandwich?

What genre of music do you love, but everyone else hates?

For sure Maddie [Herzog], we’re definitely the most immature on the team and like to think we’re good at dancing

Yes, that way when someone asks you what you had for lunch you can say, a sandwich, sounds way healthier

Sad songs, love getting in the feels

That’s a tough question, but I would have to say it would be between the babyface assassin Andrew Fogarty or Jaden Van Maanen.

I would say that a hot dog is a sandwich if you compare it to a sub or something similar so I think that it could fall into the same category.

The genre of music that I love to listen to that everyone else hates would be some slow country.

It’s hard to pick just one roommate but I would say Mady Camacho

No

Country

Hunter Koep. You’d never guess but by day he’s a baseball player, but a ninja by night.

Yes, it has 3 parts to it. A top bun, a bottom bun and food in the middle.

Country seems to be a very hit or miss genre with the team.

This year I’ve had a different roommate on each trip. So I would have to say it is Jacob Richter who graduated last year.

Kinda. When I think of a sandwich I think of two pieces of bread with meat and cheese between. But a hot dog is served with bread so I could agree it’s a sandwich.

I listen to all genres of music. If I had to pick one I love that I think others hate it would be EDM. Even though I know a lot of people who also enjoy it.

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TEAM MAKERS

Last year’s Team Makers Lynn Dorn Women’s Classic.

This year will mark the 25th anniversary of the outing.

Team Makers Golf Outings Are Back!

Check out the full list of Team Makers golf outings for 2020, including two special outings this summer.

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A

s the school year winds down, so does Bison athletics. When the Bison are not playing and competing during the year, Team Makers looks for other ways to engage their members (and potential members). Much of this done through the very popular golf outings Team Makers holds throughout the summer.

These outings occur all over North Dakota and Minnesota and feature prominent figures in NDSU athletics.

outing is sure to attract Team Makers and the countless alumni in the area.

This year, Team Makers is offering two special outings. Their first outing of the summer will be held in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, marking the first time the group has hosted a golf outing in the Twin Cities area. Taking place at the beautiful Bent Creek Golf Club, the

Online registration for all eight Bison Golf Opens will be available at ndsuathleticfund.com/events

Later in the summer, Team Makers will host the 25th annual Lynn Dorn women’s classic right here in Fargo at Edgewood Golf Course. This milestone showcases just how popular the Team Makers golf outings are and how their longevity contributes to the success of Team Makers. The Lynn Dorn women’s classic is slated to take place on August 5.

Team Makers Golf Outings 2020 Twin Cities Open Presented By SCHEELS Monday, June 1 Bent Creek Golf Club 14490 Valley View Rd Eden Prairie, MN 55344

Detroit Lakes Open Thursday, June 11 Detroit Country Club 24591 Co Hwy 22 Detroit Lakes, MN 56501

Hawley Open Monday, June 22 Hawley Golf Course 301 Hwy. 10 Hawley, MN 56549

Devils Lake Open Thursday, June 25 Creel Bay Golf Course 515 Country Club Rd Devils Lake, ND 58301

Wahpeton Open Thursday, July 30 Bois de Sioux Golf Course 1305 R J Hughes Dr Wahpeton, ND 58075

25th Annual Lynn Dorn Women’s Classic Wednesday, August 5 Edgewood Golf Course 19 Golf Course Rd Fargo, ND 58102

Edgewood Open Wednesday, August 12 Edgewood Golf Course 19 Golf Course Rd Fargo, ND 58102

Fargo Open Monday, September 14 Fargo Country Club 509 26th Ave S Fargo, ND 58103

march

athletics calendar 3/1

3/7

Softball

Women’s Basketball

vs Louisiana Tech Sam Houston State Bearkat Invitational Huntsville, Texas 10 a.m.

The Summit League Tournament Sioux Falls, S.D.

3/7 Wrestling

3/3 Baseball at Minnesota Minneapolis, Minn.

6 p.m.

3/6 Softball vs BYU Fresno State Bulldog Classic Fresno, Calif.

2:30 p.m. PT

3/6 Baseball

Big 12 Championships Tulsa, Okla.

3/7 Softball vs UC Davis Fresno State Bulldog Classic Fresno, Calif.

11:30 a.m. PT

3/7 Baseball at Northern Colorado Greeley, Colo.

1 p.m.

at Northern Colorado Greeley, Colo.

3 p.m.

3/7

3/6

at Northern Colorado Greeley, Colo.

5 p.m.

Softball at Fresno State Fresno State Bulldog Classic Fresno, Calif.

7:30 p.m. PT

3/7 Men’s Basketball The Summit League Tournament Sioux Falls, S.D.

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Baseball

3/8 Men’s Basketball The Summit League Tournament Sioux Falls, S.D.

3/8 Women’s Basketball The Summit League Tournament Sioux Falls, S.D.

3/8 Wrestling Big 12 Championships Tulsa, Okla.

3/8 Softball vs East Carolina Fresno State Bulldog Classic Fresno, Calif.

9 a.m. PT

3/8 Baseball at Northern Colorado Greeley, Colo.

1 p.m.

3/9 Men’s Basketball The Summit League Tournament Sioux Falls, S.D.

3/9 Women’s Basketball

3/10 Women’s Basketball The Summit League Tournament Sioux Falls, S.D.

3/10 Women’s Golf Jackrabbit Invitational Las Vegas, Nev. (Boulder Creek GC)

3/12 Women’s Golf Lady Thunderbird Invitational St. George, Utah (Sunbrook GC)

3/13 Women’s Golf Lady Thunderbird Invitational St. George, Utah (Sunbrook GC)

The Summit League Tournament Sioux Falls, S.D.

3/13

3/9

GCU Invitational Phoenix, Ariz. (GCU Championship)

Women’s Golf Jackrabbit Invitational Las Vegas, Nev. (Boulder Creek GC)

3/10 Men’s Basketball The Summit League Tournament Sioux Falls, S.D.

Men’s Golf

3/13 Men’s And Women’s Track & Field NCAA Indoor Championships Albuquerque, N.M.

3/15

3/19

3/21

Baseball

Wrestling

Wrestling

at Omaha Omaha, Neb. 12 p.m.

NCAA Championships Minneapolis, Minn.

NCAA Championships Minneapolis, Minn.

3/20

3/21

Wrestling

Softball

NCAA Championships Minneapolis, Minn.

at BYU BYU Round Robin Provo, Utah 1 p.m. MT

3/15 Softball vs Iowa State LMU Tournament Los Angeles, Calif.

2:45 p.m. PT

3/16 Softball

3/13 Baseball at Omaha Omaha, Neb. 4 p.m.

3/14 Men’s And Women’s Track & Field NCAA Indoor Championships Albuquerque, N.M.

3/14 Men’s Golf GCU Invitational Phoenix, Ariz. (GCU Championship)

3/14 Softball vs Wagner College LMU Tournament Los Angeles, Calif.

8 a.m. PT

3/14 Baseball at Omaha Omaha, Neb. 2 p.m.

3/15 Softball vs Idaho State LMU Tournament Los Angeles, Calif.

10:15 a.m. PT

vs Wagner College LMU Tournament Los Angeles, Calif.

8 a.m. PT LMU Tournament Los Angeles, Calif.

8 a.m. PT

3/16 Softball vs CSUN LMU Tournament Los Angeles, Calif.

12:30 p.m. PT

3/17 Softball vs Harvard LMU Triangular Los Angeles, Calif.

10 a.m. PT

3/20 Women’s Golf Hawkeye-El Tigre Invitational Puerto Vallarta, Mexico (El Tigre GC)

3/20 Men’s And Women’s Track & Field Baldy Castillo Invitational Tempe, Ariz.

3/20 Softball

3/21 Baseball at Oral Roberts Tulsa, Okla.

2 p.m.

3/22 Baseball at Oral Roberts Tulsa, Okla.

1 p.m.

3/27

vs Montana BYU Round Robin Provo, Utah 2 p.m. MT

Baseball

3/20

3/28

Softball

at Purdue Fort Wayne Fort Wayne, Ind. 2 p.m.

Softball

at BYU BYU Round Robin Provo, Utah 5 p.m. MT

at South Dakota State Brookings, S.D. 12 p.m.

3/20

Men’s Golf

at Loyola Marymount LMU Triangular Los Angeles, Calif.

12:15 p.m. PT

Baseball

Seahawk Intercollegiate Wilmington, N.C. (CC of Landfall)

3/17

3/21

Softball

Men’s And Women’s Track & Field

at South Dakota State Brookings, S.D. 11 a.m.

3/17 Softball

Baseball at Creighton Omaha, Neb. 6:30 p.m.

3/19 Women’s Golf Hawkeye-El Tigre Invitational Puerto Vallarta, Mexico (El Tigre GC)

at Oral Roberts Tulsa, Okla.

6 p.m.

Baldy Castillo Invitational Tempe, Ariz.

3/21 Women’s Golf Hawkeye-El Tigre Invitational Puerto Vallarta, Mexico (El Tigre GC)

3/29

3/29

3/29 Baseball at Purdue Fort Wayne Fort Wayne, Ind. 12 p.m.

3/30 Men’s Golf Seahawk Intercollegiate Wilmington, N.C. (CC of Landfall) 61

SWANY SAYS Why Not North Dakota State: Bison Can Be The Next Gonzaga

W

alter Isaacson is one of America’s best historians and authors.

You’ll never read a book of his and walk away disappointed.

I keep a handful of pageturners on my shelves at Vogel Law Firm in downtown Fargo, to share with colleagues who ask about books. I’m an unabashed book nerd, and, for the record, a good beer aficionado, that’s working on four or five books at any given time. Libby loves the fact we keep books piled up all over our house.

So what in the name of Isaacson or Einstein do books have to do with the Bison? Well, dear reader, I’m glad you asked. A few years ago, Isaacson wrote a bestselling biography on Steve Jobs, aptly named “Steve Jobs.” If you haven’t read it yet, do yourself a favor and grab it. We could use many words

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jerk, myopic, hard-charging and leader.

Jobs revolutionized not only technology, but the way we live our lives with the smartphone. In fact, he changed the way, and how, we view the world. Once Jobs had an idea for something, whether it was iTunes or the iPhone, katy bar the door, batten down the hatches and get the hell out of the way, because it was getting done.

A familiar refrain from his youth, to his early days at Apple, and his second stint at the company, the one where we got iTunes, MacBook, iPhone, etc., were folks telling Jobs that he was foolish, out of his mind and whatever he had in mind wouldn’t work. Jobs would barrel through anyway, corporate niceties and tactfulness be damned, saying things like his oft-repeated quote, “The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.”

Amen, brother. Let’s talk about being bold and changing the world, or at least the landscape of college basketball. With that in mind, I ask you this. Why not us, why not North Dakota State?

If you had told anyone even remotely connected with NDSU, or college

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

to describe football, in the early 2000s that by 2020, the Bison Football team would have roads wins at Iowa, Kansas State, Iowa State, Kansas, Colorado State and Minnesota, would have hosted ESPN’s College GameDay twice and SportsCenter once, be traveling to Oregon for what college football experts are already billing as one of the most intriguing games of the year, and would have won eight FCS titles in nine years, they would have told you that you were crazy. Good thing Gene Taylor, Craig Bohl, Joe Chapman, Matt Larsen, Chris Klieman, Dean Bresciani, Pat Simmers and Matt Entz didn’t listen to the limitations others placed on them.

NDSU Football turned itself into one of the premier college football programs in the sport.

Now, what if we, as a fan base, who travel thousands of miles to watch the Bison football team play, invested and committed to our basketball program with the same passion and fervor? After all, this is a team that’s made the NCAA Tournament three times in the last six seasons, won two games in March Madness (Oklahoma ’14 and North Carolina Central ’19), and has appeared in four of the last six Summit League Tournament championship games. For good measure, this team also has road wins against Wisconsin, Marquette and Notre Dame since moving to Division I. There are bona fide mid-major hoops studs on these teams that went on to play professional ball, guys like Ben Woodside, Brett Winkelman, Taylor Braun, Trayvonn Wright, Lawrence Alexander and Dexter Werner. There are today’s electric playmakers in Tyson Ward and Vinnie Shahid, who could carry this team back to the NCAA Tournament this month. There’s a lot to

cheer for.

Notwithstanding, let’s call a duck a duck. Our fan base has been lackluster in supporting the basketball program, more content to cry about leg space at an arena (which must be addressed) than putting our collective drive into a program that has the potential to be one of the top college hoops destinations in mid-major basketball. Just think, what if we supported basketball like we do Bison Football. What if we filled the Scheels Center like we do the Fargodome, students brought the same energy they bring to the Dome to the SHAC and we made it one big family-friendly party? I’ll tell you what would happen.

ESPN would be in Fargo several times each winter covering Bison hoops and telling the story of how 5,700 fans turn that place into one of the loudest, most exciting environments in college hoops.

Think I’m wrong? ESPN has been to the Fargodome multiple times every year for the last decade for football, brought its two biggest shows to Fargo, and its personalities regularly gush over the Bison on their platforms ranging from Twitter to television.

Don’t tell me this can’t be done. Don’t find a way to say “no,” we can’t do that because you’re lazy, or don’t believe.

We’re NDSU. Let me say that again.

We. Are. The. Bison. The Strength of the Bison is the Herd. Nobody can tell us we can’t do something because we have done it! We’ve gone from a regional Division II school to a nationally recognized DI research institution. If we can do it for football, you’re damn right we can do it for basketball. The only ones in our way are us.

If we packed the Scheels Center with 5,700 every home game, we’d be the next Gonzaga within the decade. The Bison would be making March Madness on an annual basis, ranked in the Top 25 poll consistently – like Gonzaga – and we’d hit critical mass, just like the football program. We’d start attracting recruits the basketball equivalent of Jabril Cox, Trey Lance, Christian Watson and Dillon Radunz.

Gonzaga plays in a 6,000-seat arena in Spokane, Washington. The Bulldogs are in the West Coast Conference, not the Big Ten, SEC or ACC. Their undergraduate enrollment is 5,119 students. They’re currently slated as a number 1 seed in March Madness, made the Final Four in 2017 and have been in the Elite Eight three times since 2015.

Spokane isn’t any nicer than Fargo. I’ve

been there. It rains a lot, it’s not super warm and literally has one of the worst crime rates in America, with its residents having a one in 13 chance of becoming a victim of either violent or property crime. Yet, they’ve made 20 straight NCAA Tournaments, winning at least one game in 17 of those trips.

How did Gonzaga do it? They have incredibly passionate fan support, for starters. Those 5,119 students, and fans from the local area, fill the McCarthey Athletic Center for every game. It became cool to cheer for the Bulldogs.

They became a story, outside of Blue Blood Drive, without any of those inherent advantages, were upstart winning games, knocking off the big boys and doing it with some style.

Element Fargo We believe that travelers deserve more than a place to stay.

They need a place to thrive.

They were easy to cheer for because they weren’t Duke, Kansas, North Carolina or Kentucky. Wouldn’t you know, guess who came calling for the Zags. ESPN did. Then CBS showed up. On any given night in the winter, you can flip on your TV and see them running up and down the court with flare to a packed house. In the last 20 years, Gonzaga refused to accept any limitations imposed by outsiders.

Now they’re a top 10 college basketball program year after year.

If a program like Gonzaga can do it, so can NDSU. In terms of mid-major basketball, this program and team, its players and coaches, have done their part. We are a sleeping giant, and as fans, it’s time we woke up and did our part. I guarantee you this, fellow fans, and Bison students, if we fill the Scheels Center, before long, NDSU will be right there where Gonzaga is. When that happens, in addition to our annual trips to Frisco every January, we’ll have somewhere warm to fly to and drink all of their beers, in March.

Make a splash and jump into our refreshing, all natural saline pool, a healthier, and more Ecofriendly alternative to chlorine.

Work out in the dedicated lap lane or relax in the whirlpool or dry sauna. On sunny days our Nana wall opens up into the patio to create a refreshing indoor / outdoor experience.

Let’s take a page from Job’s book and be crazy enough to change the college basketball world.

Everybody up for the tip-off, the March is on!

925 19th Avenue East West Fargo, ND 58078 701 478 5333 elementfargo.com

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