MUSTANG MINUTES By Dave Rebstock
Morningside sports highlights
Larsen is national runner-up in track
Monte Larsen capped a brilliant junior track campaign when he finished second in the 800-meters at the 2011 National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Outdoor Track & Field National Championships. Larsen had a time of 1 minute, 50.28 seconds, which topped his own school record of 1:50.6 from this year’s Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) Championships. His time at the GPAC Championships erased the former school record of 1:51.03 that was set by current Mustang head coach Dave Nash 1990. Larsen earned NAIA All-America honors with his runner-up finish in the 800-meters. He also earned All-America honors at this year’s NAIA Indoor National Championships with a second-place finish in the 600-meters and by anchoring the Mustangs to a runner-up finish in the 3200-meter relay. The other members of the Mustangs’ All-America relay team were Brian Gesink, Garret Ehlers and John Harris. The Mustangs also received an All-American performance from Jessica Hudelson at this year’s NAIA Outdoor Nationals when she finished fifth in the 1500-meters with a school-record time of 4:31.78 to shatter the former Morningside standard of 4:35.25 by Gina DeWitt 1995. Hudelson was the GPAC champion in the 1500-meters during the outdoor season and the 800-meters during the indoor season. Morningside’s other GPAC champions were Larsen in the indoor 600-meters and the outdoor 800-meters and Breanna Mathes in the outdoor 800-meters.
Women’s basketball team makes Final Four
The women’s basketball team came within a minute of reaching the NAIA Division II National Championship Game when the Mustangs held an 81-80 lead against eventual champion Northwestern with just 52.9 seconds left in the national tournament semifinals. Morningside eventually lost 86-81 to finish another banner campaign. The Mustangs, NAIA II National Champions in 2004, 2005 and 2009, bowed out with a 29-6 record for their eighth straight 20-win season and their ninth consecutive appearance in the national tournament. The Mustangs’ leader was senior guard Tanaeya Worden, who averaged a team-high 16.1 points, 4.3 assists and 2.8 steals per game en route to first-team All-America honors. Worden and Emily Christen were each named to the all-national tournament team, while Chelsie Trask was named an honorable mention All-American.
Young talent displayed in golf and tennis
The Mustangs’ Cameron Oakley made the All-GPAC Women’s Golf Team as a freshman, while freshman Austin Grundy and sophomore Reid Rosen each made the All-GPAC Men’s Tennis Team. Grundy’s first-year exploits were especially impressive, as he fashioned a 13-5 record at No. 1 singles.
Wrestling team takes GPAC Championship
The wrestling program rose to the top this winter when the Mustangs captured their first-ever GPAC Championship and went on to win the NAIA North Region crown as well. The two titles garnered GPAC and NAIA North Region Coach of the Year honors for Tim Jager, who led the Mustangs to a 10-3-1 dual record. The Mustangs crowned three GPAC champions in Drew Smith, Joe
Sievert and Brian Block. Block made the Mustangs’ best showing at the NAIA National Championships with a fifth-place finish in the 174-lb. division to earn All-America honors. Smith and Ben Knight also earned All-America status with sixth-place finishes in the 141and 165-lb. divisions.
Men’s basketball team finishes strong
The men’s basketball team went on a late-season surge to get fans fired up for next year. The Mustangs won seven of their last 10 games to finish with a record of 15-17, and they graduated only one player from their regular rotation. The top player was junior center Garth Hamilton, who led the team with averages of 12.9 points and 6.4 rebounds per game en route to first-team All-GPAC honors, while sophomore point guard Trent Miller was the GPAC leader with averages of 4.7 assists and 2.1 steals per game.
Softball team returns to nationals
The softball team went 46-11 this spring to set a school record for victories. The Mustangs won both the GPAC regular season and post-season tournament championships on their way to a third consecutive appearance in the NAIA Softball National Championship tourney. Morningside blasted a school-record 75 home runs and was led by Erin Bohlmann and Kirsten Dargy, who each slugged 14 homers to tie a school record previously set by Mindi (Prince) Sauer 1998. Bohlmann also made news when she was named a Capital One First-Team Academic All-American. Bohlmann, Kylie Helmink, Jordan Johnson, Mackenzie Neely and Emma Remy were all first-team All-GPAC selections, and the freshman Remy was also the GPAC Pitcher of the Year. Neely was named a second-team All-American after she led the Mustangs with a .393 batting average and 54 RBIs.
Longtime coach retires
One of the longest coaching careers in Morningside history came to an end with the conclusion of the 2011 baseball season when Jim Scholten retired after 28 seasons at the helm. Scholten piloted Morningside to a 631-615-4 record, including a 31-21 mark this spring. Travis Hanson was this year’s NAIA national leader with 44 stolen bases. He was joined on the All-GPAC first team by Steven Aschinger, Bill Meacham and A.J. Staiert. The Mustangs’ new head coach will be Brian Drent 1996, a first-team All-North Central Conference center fielder for Morningside in 1993, who led Sioux City North High School to a Class 4A state championship in 2009. Monte Larsen earned NAIA All-America honors in three events during the indoor and outdoor track seasons. Photo by Dr. Gene Knudsen 1971.
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