Bison Illustrated August 2016

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BISON ILLUSTRATED AUGUST 2016

_ _ _ _ _ _ EW THE N E C I _ O _ V _ _ __ August 2016

lhane Meet Jeff Cpuage 24 on

PLUS ess SHAC Progr Page 40 t Step Soccer’s Nex Page 62 Southern Charleston Page 80

TABLE OF CONTENTS

FEATURE

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THE NEW VOICE Jeff Culhane has been hired as the new play-by-play radio voice for NDSU Bison football and basketball. Get to know Jeff before the season kicks off and get to know the broadcasting history of this Mitchell, S.D. native.

31 FRESH LOOK There are a ton of new things coming to NDSU this year. Meet the new coaches, facilities, media outlets and amenities that are coming to NDSU this fall.

58 FALL PREVIEWS

WHAT’S INSIDE 22

Bison Shots

98

How Well Do You Know

58

Volleyball

100

Academic Achievements

62

Soccer

104

What’s on the Grill?

66

Men’s Golf

114

Bizon Nation at Zorbaz

70

Women’s Golf

121

Bison Word Search

74

Football

122

Team Makers

80

Charleston Southern

124

Swany Says

85

Football Schedule

126

Pop Quiz

FOLLOW US

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90 WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

info@spotlightmediafargo.com

@bisonmag

bisonillustrated.com

facebook.com/bisonillustrated

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We spoke with the head coaches for the men’s and women’s golf team, soccer, volleyball and football team before the season begins to see what we should keep our eye on this fall.

Former Bison and FM RedHawks Mike Peschel catches us up on his life. Believe it or not, this retired pro is still lacing up his spikes after all these years.

IN MEMORIAM MICHAEL BUCHANAN

MB

MICHAEL In Memoriam Spotlight Media suffered a significant loss July 16, 2016.

Michael Buchanan, Bison superfan, colleague, and, most importantly, a great friend, passed away peacefully in his sleep.

Although the loss hit many of us differently, the memories that have flooded our thoughts and prayers encompass everything that Michael was: a good-hearted soul who lit up every room into which he stepped. He never failed to make us smile and feel like we were important to him in one way or another.

For many of us at Spotlight Media, whenever Michael took a step out of the elevator and rushed to greet us with the big news of the day, we couldn’t help but put down whatever we were doing to soak in the joy of his presence.

Michael’s Halloween costumes were always the best, and no one could ever love the Bison as much as he did. And man, he could sure dance with the best of ‘em.

Michael affected us all in different ways. With a big and contagious smile, hard high-five and enthusiastic hug, he could turn your day around with the bat of an eye.

We would like to send our sincerest condolences to the Buchanan family and to the people who Michael touched throughout his short 34 years with us. Rest easy, old friend.

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MEET THE

TEAM AUGUST 2016 | VOLUME 11 ISSUE 1

MIKE

BRENT

BOUGIE

Bison Illustrated is a free publication distributed monthly (12 times a year). Our mission is to help promote North Dakota State University Athletics, provide a quality and fun reading experience and to improve the way of life in our community. The publication is mailed to homes across the US and has newsstand distribution throughout North Dakota and Minnesota.

PUBLISHER Spotlight Media PRESIDENT Mike Dragosavich MICHAEL

RYAN

NICOLE

ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Paul Bougie EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Andrew Jason EDITOR Joe Kerlin DESIGN/LAYOUT Ryan Koehler, Sarah Geiger, Brittney Richter

TRACY

ERICA

JESSE

CONTRIBUTORS Josh Swanson, Joe Kerlin, Paul Bougie, Andrew Jason COPY EDITORS Erica Rapp, Lauren Wilson GENERAL MANAGER Brent Tehven

ANDREW

JOE

SARAH

MARKETING/SALES Tracy Nicholson, Paul Hoefer, Paul Bougie, Tank McNamara, Jenny Johnson PHOTOGRAPHY J. Alan Paul Photography, NDSU Athletics, Joe Kerlin, Laura Cramer BUSINESS OPERATIONS Heather Hemingway MANAGER

PAUL

HEATHER

NATE

SPECIAL THANKS Ryan Perreault, Wes Offerman, Ryan Anderson, Jeff Schwartz, Colleen Heimstead, NDSU Athletics DELIVERY Mitch Rapp, Hal Ecker, Nolan Kaml

LAURA

LAUREN

TANK

BRITTNEY

RYLEE

JENNY

LEARN MORE

SAM

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Check out spotlightmedia.com

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

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

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

EDITORIALS

EDITOR’S NOTE

TOUGH FOOTBALL SCHEDULE BEGINS WITHOUT CUPCAKES FROM JOE KERLIN

joe@bisonillustrated.com

hen Montana’s Joey Counts surged his way into the end zone at WashingtonGrizzly Stadium to give Montana the lead with two seconds left in the opening game of the 2015 Bison football season, it was a reality check.

NDSU’s the king of the mountain.

Every week, a new team will fight tooth and nail to dethrone them.

Whether it’s the opening game, homecoming or Senior Night, every game against the five-time FCS Champs will be the opposing team’s Super Bowl. So the Bison better bring it, and we understand this now after four years of defending titles.

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The Missouri Valley Football Conference has built a reputation for being the toughest conference throughout the FCS landscape.

The conference has proven its supremacy with guaranteeing at least four playoff teams over the past few seasons and claiming five spots last year. Today, pundits are entertaining the idea that six teams could slip in this year.

NDSU doesn’t open its MVFC schedule until the first day of October. This makes the month

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bisonillustrated

of September that much more important. The only caveat, while the Bison attempt to get its ducks in a row before the conference schedule, they’ll be squaring off against two of the best in the FCS and a program that found itself in the Rose Bowl last season.

Charleston Southern is hungry.

NDSU will open the season against a team that went 0-11 the same year the Bison won its first FCS title.

The Buccaneers have risen from the FCS grave and has pumped life into a school with a short football pedigree. The program is coming off their first playoff appearance last season and their first taste of postseason disappointment at the hands of eventual FCS runner-up Jacksonville State.

Two weeks later, NDSU will have a date with a program that’s hungrier than ever after missing the playoffs last season for the first time since 2011. The Eagles of Eastern Washington roll into Fargo to face its first of two MVFC opponents of the season.

The hype surrounding this game in Fargo will be at an all-time high for a nonconference opponent.

Brock Jensen’s (phantom) fumble in 2010 will be at the forefront of fans’ minds. Will the Bison seek its revenge?

The first three games of the football season will be the toughest nonconference stretch over the past halfdecade. NDSU’s performance will tell us where this season is going.

@bisonmag

@joebisonmag

But, the discussion about the biggest nonconference test begins and ends with Iowa. The Bison will bring its five-game FBS winning-streak into Kinnick Stadium to round out the pre-MVFC schedule. Unlike the 2013 beating of Big 12’s Kansas State, Big Ten powerhouse Iowa won’t let the Bison sneak up on them in their house.

NDSU will have two games, like Iowa, under their belt before the best in the Midwest face off September 17. Iowa will be returning its quarterback and has a talented group of running backs behind him to support a loaded offense.

Iowa is back in the hunt for a Big Ten championship, and with the four-team playoff format in the FBS, if Iowa were to fall to NDSU, there’s no chance they’ll claim one of the four spots they just missed out on last season.

The first three games on the football schedule will be the toughest yet for the five-time champs. It will either play out as the perfect primer before the grueling MVFC trek or a stumbling block for a team returning heaps of talent. We’ll have to wait for August 27 to see, but either way, it’s going to be another fun ride in 2016.

SINCERELY,

Joe Kerlin

BOUGIE’S NOTE

TAILGATE SEASON FROM PAUL BOUGIE

Editor’s Note: Turn on AC/DC’s “Thunderstruck” while reading to properly set the mood.

es, I know there is still a lot of summer left, and there is still time for jet skies, tube rides, parties and a great time at the lake. Not to mention the festivities at bars and restaurants with The Front Fenders. But now is the time when one season blends into another, summer overlaps into tailgating season.

tailgate with fresh meat straight from the NDSU Meat Lab.

…Err, I mean, football season.

That’s it for now, Bison Nation.

Fire up the grills and get that cooler packed. It’s tailgating season! …I mean, football season!

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Practices have begun. The crafty older veterans and fresh new faces are beginning to mesh as a team over two-a-day practices.

There are new assistant coaches, a new voice to be heard over the radio and new tailgate recipes that should be in the final stages of perfection.

So, head coach Chris Klieman, we are ready to see the 2016 Bison football team at 6:30 p.m., August 27. Rob Sobolik, we are ready to see the new video boards in the Fargodome. Eric Berg and David Newman, I know you guys are ready to supply my

You read that correctly. You can purchase your meats right on campus at NDSU. You remember Shepperd Arena? That place isn’t home to live cattle and pigs anymore. The guys over at the NDSU Meat Lab feed and process their own animals for you to put on your grill. Of course, the money is put for a good cause. I would highly recommend you check them out before Charleston Southern comes to town.

* * *

SINCERELY,

Paul Bougie

BISON SHOTS

BISON SHOTS Photo by J. Alan Paul Photography

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DSU Director of Communications Ryan Perreault stares up at the new video display board that will hang above midcourt at SCHEELS Center inside the Sanford Health Athletic Complex. The displays facing the sidelines of the arena will measure approximately 7 feet high by 18 feet wide. The end displays will measure 7 feet high by 9 feet wide. The corners will measure 7 feet high by 2 feet wide. Each of the displays will feature a 6-millimeter pixel pitch. Daktronics designed, manufactured and installed the video board, and NDSU will receive digital content produced and delivered by Daktronics Creative Services.

DID WE MISS SOMETHING?

Let us know and send us your pictures: joe@bisonillustrated.com

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BISON SHOTS

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NEW BROADCASTER JEFF CULHANE

THE NEW

VOICE

By Joe Kerlin Photos By J. Alan Paul Photography, WVU Athletics

J

eff Culhane is either taking on the most desirable radio broadcasting job in the country or one of the least desirable. On the one hand, he’s getting the opportunity to broadcast big-time college football for the five-time champion Bison. But, on the other side of the coin, he’s replacing one of the most beloved characters around NDSU Athletics in Scott Miller.

Culhane is approaching the former as a great opportunity for his career, but at the same time, acknowledges the latter by knowing there has been a specific level of excellence Miller set as the “Voice of the Bison.”

Culhane will begin his journey in Fargo on August 1 when “The Bison” 1660 AM launches on airwaves throughout Fargo. He’ll host a two-hour daily show with Director of Sales and Broadcasting Jeremy Jorgenson called The Insiders. He’s also the same man you will hear describing Bison football games on the radio, in your car, combine or at home every Saturday.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

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NEW BROADCASTER JEFF CULHANE

RAPID FIRE

Worst on-air experience?

It was my first job, and I was at the University of South Dakota, at media day, and I forgot the guy’s name who I was talking to because I was so new to it and I didn’t know the guys yet. I was doing the interview, and he was an offensive lineman at USD. His name was Nick Bleak, and I called him Travis. I said, “Travis, thanks for your time.” He looked at me and goes, “My name is Nick.”

How long does it take you to prep for a game?

I think what it’s going to be for me is that week-by-week will be interesting from the standpoint of, Sunday, you’ll probably get away from it, watch the Vikings, take a day off with the family. Monday, you’re right back into it. I think the talk show will help in that regard because we talk about it every day.

Pregame rituals?

A fist pound is always my thing. I always give my guys a fist pound, guys in the back of the studio fist pounds and say, “Let’s have some fun.”

People you look up to in the industry?

Sean (McDonough) is one of those guys. Kevin Harlan is another guy that I think is just fantastic. Greg Sharp at Nebraska is a friend but also, he’s so good at doing all the little things correct and all his big play calls give you goose bumps.

Most memorable call?

Without a doubt, it’s the UCONNCincinnati game this last March.

Kevin Johnson from Cincinnati hit a three with 0.8 seconds to play, and the ball got knocked away momentarily so there was a brief period of time Cincinnati was celebrating, they thought the game was over, and going back to watching the film now, Jalen Adams positioned himself because he knew he had to give it a heave. He gave himself a chance because he got his shoulders set ahead of time and got a great pass on the inbound where he could catch, one, two and crank and yep.

The Conversation

Bison Illustrated: What did you do in college at Dakota Wesleyan?

Jeff Culhane: I played four years of college football, one year of college baseball. I started out as a quarterback and then I moved over to defense and played free safety, outside linebacker, and my one year of baseball–I was on the team, but didn’t really play–I was a pitcher. My family has always been around radio. When I was a kid, my dad was actually the analyst for high school boy’s basketball games in Mitchell (S.D.). I was tagging along with him and in a radio booth from age 5. It got me started. My uncle has been in broadcasting his entire career.

He was always a guy on the side that was on the air, and I’d hear him, and as I got older and got more interested in being a part of the business, he was a guy that I would talk to and bounce ideas off of, and he’d bounce ideas off of me. I started in radio at age 14 in Mitchell.

Wait, 14? What were you doing for them at that age?

I was doing weekend radio shifts at an oldie station in town and basically just doing news, weather and sports, cueing up oldie songs. I started in sports broadcasting when I was 18 and was asked to do what my dad did– be the color analyst for the Mitchell High School boy’s basketball. A year out of high school where I played high school basketball. It was a blast. I got more involved in play-by-play and continued to do that. I called a bunch of different sports.

I don’t have a broadcasting degree.

I have a business degree with a management and marketing emphasis and minor in computers. I didn’t go to Syracuse or Northwestern or Brown. I didn’t go to any of those places. I think it was my junior year in college when I started to figure out what was going to happen after school and that’s when I hooked up with my uncle and ended up working with him with the University of South Dakota and started calling games in Yankton and Vermillion.

So in the end, it was never really a question whether you would or wouldn’t get into radio broadcasting?

The big thing that I was trying to figure out was if I needed to go to Syracuse or Northwestern and do grad school and get a graduate degree.

I asked all the radio guys at South Dakota, and they all told me the same thing, “You already have what those guys don’t have, on-air experience.” So I started working and grinding away,

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NEW BROADCASTER JEFF CULHANE

baseball primarily. I filled in for the spring football game in 2014.

Called men’s basketball games out there if we had a (scheduling) conflict with football. So for me, it’s always been about making that jump and getting that opportunity, and when I found out the NDSU job opened, it was immediately such an enticing opportunity because of not only what has happened the last five years here, but I grew up in Mitchell, S.D., so North Dakota State was always–as far as a Division II and the NCC–they were always the benchmark, 13 national championships, eight of them in Division II. The brand was already developed and it’s taken off to another level. I get that question a lot where people are like, “You were at Nebraska, West Virginia, why this place? What’s the thought process behind North Dakota State?” I think the answer is that North Dakota State is a national brand, even though it’s got the FCS moniker and a mid-major basketball program in the Summit League, from a broadcaster’s perspective, what we have setup, with the football network and with what Jeremy Jorgenson and the university have put together, it’s better than some of the Power 5 schools.

BACKGROUND CHECK

South Dakota 2005-2007 University of Nebraska 2007-13 West Virginia University 2013-16

How did the hiring process go down?

full-time sales, sports talk shows and play-by-play, everything that you would learn and do at a radio station, I did with my first job out of college.

What lessons have you learned during your unorthodox journey that younger broadcasters should know?

If you really have a passion for sports and you want to be a guy that’s on the air, it’s just a matter of doing it, and continuing to do it and getting reps, and putting yourself out there a little bit. Do some things you’re not as comfortable doing just to gain some experience and learn about all the phases of business. At the end of the day, you can only be

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yourself. And I think that’s one thing that a lot of young announcers are maybe dealing with. You’re trying to find who you are as an announcer, and sometimes people do a little too much, and maybe aren’t being who they are, and you can tell when a guy is trying to do a little too much when you listen to them.

Why is NDSU the right job for you right now?

My goal has always been to be a play-by-play guy at a school, and call the university’s football and men’s basketball teams. At West Virginia, I was hosting our pre and postgame shows for football and then playby-play for women’s basketball and

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I found out about it in mid-to-late March. The process was a quick one. Again, Jeremy Jorgenson, the university, it was really well put together, very transparent, very honest. I believe when I found out about it, the deadline was the end of April, for applications on the form, and by the end of April, it was down to either the final five or the final two finalists. They were moving through the process well. From that standpoint, it was great, because there was very little waiting around, wondering what’s going on.

You were also brought in to re-brand 1660 AM. Have you ever helped launch a station like this?

Actually, in South Dakota, we developed a radio network for the University of South Dakota back in 2006. I think we put together

NEW BROADCASTER JEFF CULHANE

five, six stations around the state and got them on board with USD and Coyote football in the fall. We sold it, produced it, put it together, but as far as the actual launching of a radio station, no, this is a new endeavor.

Why tune into 1660 AM? I think the pitch is, if you’re a Bison fan or a sports talk fan who’s been looking for a little bit more; that’s been looking for that local feel and connection to talk Bison sports and talk Bison athletics on a day-by-day basis, we’ve got that for you and we’re going to produce and provide some new and exciting programming for people. We’re going to do some out-of-the-box things that fans will enjoy. It’s going to center on, just like when I was at Nebraska with Sports Nightly talking Husker football a lot, it’s going to be very similar to that where it’s Bison football, it’s Bison men’s basketball. It’ll branch out and we’ll do different things with some of the Olympic sports as well. For the

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first time, we’re going to put NDSU baseball on in the spring, so that’s going to happen, softball is a huge deal. Some different things in the fall, following volleyball, soccer, wrestling, so it’s a little bit more of what I think is being done now. There’s more options, a couple of daily talk shows where we’ll focus on NDSU but we’ll talk everything. It won’t just be NDSU all the time. It’ll be a sports talk show where we talk about Bison football in August, fall reports, looking around the Missouri Valley, talking NFL, talking Vikings, if the Twins somehow figure it out here in the second half.

We could talk Twins in the stretch run.

all the way to signing day into spring ball, and then you move into summer time and it’s everything we can find.

I think the term I have heard from people within the athletic department, and I would agree with it completely.

I think North Dakota State looks at itself like a mini Nebraska in some respects, with the success, the fan base following, the passion and what has really developed over the last 10 years or so. I think it’s going to be very similar to some of that stuff that I have done and been a part of before with Nebraska and the Cornhuskers and feeding that hunger I would say for Bison fans out there with what we’re going to bring them.

What do you think the ratio will be of Bison to other sports related topics?

I’m sure just about everyone you’ve met has brought up Scott Miller in one-way or another to you. How’s the fan reception been?

I think everybody knows our bread will be buttered with NDSU football in the fall and almost all year round.

Whether we’re talking about the season, we move and basketball starts, talk hoops, then there’s recruiting and

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People have been great. The people I’ve talked to have been really great.

I was at a get together over at Choice Financial a couple of weeks ago. Erv

NEW BROADCASTER JEFF CULHANE

Inniger was there, so I talked to Erv and I met him. We talked to some other people. Everyone was great, talking about Scott and replacing him, and doing whatever we need to do to continue on with his excellence, how he set the standard here. When I was hired, it was sort of a bittersweet moment for a lot of people because the sadness of not having Scottie around anymore, but also, in a way, excited for the future of it, and what we’re going to do and how we’re going to continue to try and provide them the excellence he did with the headset on.

How do you properly follow in the footsteps of a legend like Scott Miller?

The only thing I can do is to be me and do what I’ve always done with ball games and how I’ve called games in the past and provide listeners and fans with my style. Scott’s phrase, of course, is “My, oh, my,” I think that certainly needs to stay with him.

There could be a time somewhere,

potentially, where you throw that out there in honor of him. But I think that’s something that is what people attach with Scottie. That’s his to keep, I believe.

When do you start the process of familiarizing yourself with a new program you’ll be covering?

It’s already begun. I’ve already been watching film from last season. Over the Fourth of July, I was in the office watching the national championship game from a year ago. I watched the Youngstown State game from last season, South Dakota State, the Richmond game, I watched the Northern Iowa playoff game from last year. I’ve already begun calling games in my head with this football team so it’s all of that the learning, the transitioning has already begun.

When I was in West Virginia, that transition was very unique and challenging due to the rights agreement that went down there with the old network to ING. I didn’t arrive

in Morgantown until the Monday of game week in 2013. I was on the air Saturday. So I’m pretty familiar with the transition side and having to get ready and prepared. Thankfully, I have a few more days this time around to get ready for August 27.

So you don’t feel pressured to be ready with your 1980s Bison football stats?

Not yet (laughs). I think for me, what I do early on will probably be more so about what’s happening with the action on the field and it’s going to be great working with Phil Hansen and Jeremy Jorgenson, and I’ll certainly lean on those guys for some of that other stuff, but I will obviously make myself extremely aware of the ins and outs of the program and all those things to be ready to discuss that stuff, and on a daily basis with a talk show as well with people.

Ready to have some fun?

Yeah, absolutely. * * *

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FRESH LOOK

FRESH

LOOK W

elcome back, Bison fans, to the greatest time of the year. Football is in the air, soccer is starting to sizzle and the student-athletes at North Dakota State are back on campus, preparing for another unpredictable season of NDSU Athletics.

The last time we saw you, the Bison track and field team was burning through the Summit League, the softball team was storming toward another NCAA Tournament and that old itch for football was slowly creeping back. But before we dive into the upcoming action this fall, lets take a look at what’s new this year.

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FRESH LOOK BRYAN SHEPHERD

FRESH

LOOK

NEW FACES

By Joe Kerlin Photos by Laura Cramer

B

ryan Shepherd arrived at NDSU before the 2011 season. The defensive back from Olathe, Kan., transferred to Fargo after the NebraskaOmaha football program folded. He went on to play a key role on defense for the Bison during their first three FCS national championships. He played in all 15 games during the undefeated 2013 season and made six starts. He made 52 total tackles that season and was the team’s second-leading tackler on special teams with 14 stops.

Shepherd was invited to the Washington Redskin’s training camp in 2014 where he played in a couple preseason games before being let go. From there, he signed with the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League. He finished the season there and returned for camp last season. A shoulder injury sent him home the second day of training camp and he decided to retire.

He returned to NDSU to give coaching a shot. Chris Klieman didn’t have room on the staff for him so Shepherd contributed was an undergraduate student assistant role, helping then defensive assistant Joey Blackmore cut the tape in the coaches’ office. His dedication paid off when he was announced as the defensive assistant in February.

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______ Previous Stops

NDSU football (2011-13) NDSU volunteer coach (2015)

#24 Back in the gold ol days fasdfasdf afds fas asdf aasdfa - Bryan Shephard

Q&A BISON ILLUSTRATED: WHAT DOES A DEFENSIVE ASSISTANT DO? BRYAN SHEPHERD: It really involves getting the team ready for the upcoming opponent that we play. I’ll be breaking down the film over the last few games. Therefore, we have a pretty good idea of what they’re going to do going into the game on first down, second down and all that. I’ll be preparing the scouting reports. Just all the work people wouldn’t want to do; grunt work (laughs).

How has your experience In this defense helped you going into this process?

It’s allowed me to look at everything from a corner’s and a safety’s position, as far as when I’m telling a player something, I know exactly what that safety is doing and why he has to go there. Football is like a puzzle, so when you start figuring out where the pieces are at, and I’m able to tell where the safety is, where the corner is supposed to be, it makes it so much simpler to relate the game to the players.

Why was it an easy decision to come back here?

It was an easy decision as far as me wanting to be a college coach,

because it’s the perfect place for me to be at. I’m learning under great guys that have really taken me under their wing and shown me how to be a professional and the coaching, in terms of attacking the process. I mean, football, we knew how to get after it in the weights and everything, but now, it’s coaching, how they go about it and work the long hours, and what are they looking at in film, it was easy once I knew Coach Klieman would allow me to be here and be on the staff.

READ MORE

FRESH LOOK KODY MORGAN

FRESH

LOOK

NEW FACES

K

ody Morgan played college football at Division III Wisconsin-Stevens Point from 200811. The cornerback became a graduate assistant the following year before finishing his postgraduate work at the University of Mary in 2013. He then went back to Wisconsin and spent the next two seasons as defensive backs and defensive line coach at Wisconsin-Stout.

The Iola, Wis., native received the offensive quality control position at NDSU this February.

The defensive coach was swayed to come help an offense led by a man that was once his little league coach back home. Tim Polasek, a fellow Iola native, told Morgan about the opening on staff, and Morgan came to NDSU and interviewed.

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Previous Stops

KODY MORGAN 34

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Wisconsin-Stevens Point player (2008-11) Wisconsin-Steven Point graduate assistant (2012) University of Marry graduate assistant (2013) Wisconsin-Stout (2014-15)

Q&A BISON ILLUSTRATED: How is coaching and playing on the defensive side of the ball going to be beneficial to an offensive coaching position?

KODY MORGAN: I think I’ve provided different perspectives, which is interesting at times. Just coming from the defense and understanding the defense and a lot of things I have to do with film breakdown really lends itself nicely because I’ve been on the defensive side so I can picture what those guys are doing, and also lend some perspective to the guys coaching the offensive side of the ball all the time. “This is what I think they’re doing, guys.”

And I can give some input with that and take that and run with it.

Who has been jumping off the tape for you?

I think we have a lot of guys. With our running back position, it’s going to be really good, obviously with Easton Stick coming back, he’s improved a lot, between the Spring Ball process. The offensive line, I think we’re doing really well. Guys like Landon

Lechler have come a really long way, Austin Kuhnert; those guys are looking really, really good. RJ Urzendowski coming back and Darrius Shepherd is going to be good for our receiving corp. I think we’re pretty excited about all those guys. Our offensive staff will stay the same.

We’re really excited for this upcoming season and have talent everywhere.

What's Tim Polasek like in the coaches' office?

(Laughs) Tim is a great guy to work for. I knew what I was getting into when I came out here and from knowing him. He’s intense, but I think he does a great job of pushing everybody to be the best they can be.

That doesn’t change from where I’m at, to any other coaches, he’s going to get on you a little bit when things are maybe messed up and I made a mistake.

He pushes me every day to do a great job. That’s part of the reason there are five national championships in that trophy case. * * *

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FRESH LOOK JIM ROBBINS

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NEW FACES Photo By J. Alan Paul Photography

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im Robbins comes to NDSU with nearly 20 years of coaching experience under his belt.

He’s coached at nearly every level, including at Division I with Long Island University in New York where he was the head coach. He also spent three years as the top assistant at Rider University in Lawrenceville, N.J. Robbins has helped with the United States Girls’ Soccer National Team. He has also assisted with the Olympic Development Program for the past 19 years in Georgia and New York.

Robbins played college soccer at Lafayette College in Easton, Pa. His son Kyle will play there next year. Kyle and Robbin’s other son Damien will finish their high school careers at Shattuck-Saint Mary’s in Faribault, Minn. this year.

Robbins joined Mark Cook’s staff after two years of being the head coach at Long Island and joined the team just before their trip to Italy this spring.

______ Previous Stops

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Lafayette College player The Pennington School (high school) Rider University Oxford College of Emory University LaGrange College Long Island University

FRESH LOOK JIM ROBBINS

Photos Courtesy of LIU Athletics

Q&A BISON ILLUSTRATED: You’re coming from a very populated area like New York, so what are your takeaways from being in Fargo for a few months now?

JIM ROBBINS: I like it. Like I told Mark (Cook) and everybody during the interview process, spending the last two years in Downtown Brooklyn, 7.5 million people, it’s not my thing. I did it because it was the right thing for me to do professionally at that point, to make the move from smaller Division III to sort of lower end Division I. But actually being there, living there, it’s not my things.

At my age, no. It’s (Fargo) lower key, has a lower speed and it’s everything I’m looking for.

Why is NDSU the right job for you?

For me, it’s looking for something that’s a little bigger, better program, a program that’s more established and more competitive than what I’m used to. I can comfortably say the bulk of my jobs all the way from when I started back in my 20s–at the high school level–have been major rebuilding jobs. Jobs that were 0-18 teams, 1-17 teams, and you’re starting from the bottom, you’re the conference doormat, trying to turn the program around and make it competitive and I’ve

enjoyed that, and I think I’ve had some good success with that but it’s a whole different animal when you’re taking a team that is at the top of the conference and is established and very competitive and trying to make that next push. That’s the part that excited me during the interview process. They are very ambitious.

Mark is very ambitious. The players are ambitious. They want to win the conference every year. They want to be in the NCAA Tournament every year. That’s what I want and it’s going to be a different challenge for me professionally and it’s going to challenge me a lot differently than what I’ve been challenged with in the last 20-something years of my career, taking a team in last to the middle of the pack, opposed to somebody who is at the top and pushing through.

Was going to Italy a good situation to come in to and get to know the coaching staff and team?

It was perfect for me because I didn’t know anybody. It was a chance to meet and get to know everybody personally, and ride the bus, hang out in the hotel, the excursion, Downtown Milan and you’re walking with some of the kids and you ask where they’re from, what position they play. Then we played a couple games there, and Mark left it as, it was funny, “You stand over there on the end of the bench. Me and Karli (Kopietz) are going to be running the game. We just want you to take notes.”

This was great. I was figuring out

names, where they were playing, so I took my notes and when I came back they asked my opinion of these kids.

“Is it the same as ours?” It worked out to be very good for me, just to get to know everybody, where they play, watch them work, see how they like to play, it was fantastic all the way around.

What did you learn watching them play that stuck out to you?

I was very impressed with the base level of play of the girls here. We always talk about technique, tactics, psychology, fitness, based on my experiences, I’ve had programs that are down here and you sort of had to clean them up technically and help them out tactically, and how to make decisions and really play the game.

Coming here, all of a sudden I’m like, “Wow, they are here. This is good.”

Now, it’s a little tweaking here and there, and you can give them the finer points to help them be successful.

Who is your favorite soccer club to watch?

My favorite team overall is always going to be Manchester United because of my New Jersey roots. I’m a Red Bulls MLS fan, I’m a big fan of Pep Guardiola. We’ll see how Jose Mourinho does. I like him better with Man United than I did when he’s with other people. I think he’s the best guy for our job right now. I say “ours” because I am a shareholder (laughs). * * *

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FRESH LOOK RADIO STATION

CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW?

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arlier this year, NDSU announced its new media rights agreements.

All radio coverage of the Bison has been moved to Radio FM Media properties, including a new station coming to Fargo, 1660 AM “The Bison.” Hear from the two men who will be responsible for making it your one-stop station for all the Bison coverage you need.

______ GET TO KNOW

JEREMY JORGENSON

JEREMY JORGENSON JEFF CULHANE

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Jeremy Jorgenson is the director of sales and broadcasting at NDSU Athletics. He led the charge in the search for the new radio play-byplay announcer for NDSU Athletics this spring. Jorgenson is responsible for media sales, the Bison Radio Network and all media rights contracts. Jorgenson, a former play-by-play announcer himself, was heard over the airwaves for the University of Montana before arriving at NDSU. He can be heard during every football broadcast with his updates from the sidelines.

JEFF CULHANE

Jeff Culhane was hired as the new radio play-by-play announcer for NDSU football and men’s basketball this spring. He is now the program director for 1660 AM “The Bison” for Radio FM Media, will call Bison football and men’s basketball game, and host a daily show from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on 1660 AM along with Jeremy Jorgenson.

FRESH LOOK RADIO STATION

Q&A

WITH JEREMY JORGENSON

FIND YOUR SIGNAL Bemidji, Minn. – KKWB – 102.5 FM Bismarck – KFYR 550 AM Bowman, N.D. – KPOK 1340 AM Detroit Lakes, Minn. – KDLB 94.5 FM Devils Lake, N.D. – KDVL – 102.5 FM Dickinson, N.D. – KZRX 92.1 FM Fargo – 107.9 FM the Fox, 1660 AM The Bison Fergus Falls, Minn. – KZCR 103.3 FM Fosston, Minn. – KKCO 96.7 FM Glenwood, Minn. – KMGK 107.1 FM Grafton, N.D. – KAUJ 100.9 FM Harvey, N.D. – KHND 1470 AM Jamestown, N.D. – KSJB 600 AM Minneapolis/St. Paul – KYCR 1440 AM Minot, N.D. – KHRT 1320 AM Park Rapids, Minn. – KXKK 92.5 FM Roseau, Minn. – KCAJ 102.1 FM Rugby, N.D. – KZZJ 1450 AM Wahpeton, N.D. – KBMW 1450 AM Williston, N.D. – KEYZ 660 AM

WHAT HAPPENED

At the end of the basketball season, NDSU’s media right with several broadcast companies expired. Although the TV-side of things didn’t change for Bison football, the radio side did.

On March 29, NDSU announced its agreement with Radio FM Media to broadcast its games on their airwaves. The agreement includes a rebranding of 1660 AM, which will now be known as “The Bison,” which will have exclusive NDSU Athletics content. This will include re-airing of games that will originally be broadcasted on 107.9 The Fox, two Bison-based talk shows and will broadcast women’s basketball and

Olympic Sports at NDSU, such as baseball and softball.

“Our team is excited to be part of Bison Athletics and we look forward to working with all the coaches, staff and teams at North Dakota State University,” said Jim Ingstad, owner of Radio FM Media. “Radio FM Media knows what a proud tradition that North Dakota State University has and we are thrilled to be part of that tradition.”

1660 AM “The Bison” is a 10,000-watt station. The signal will come in as clear as a whistle from as far out as an hour and a half from Fargo. All the shows will be downloadable online, for listening on your own schedule.

BISON ILLUSTRATED: The rebrand of the radio station launches August 1, I’m told.

JEREMY JORGENSON: Yep. What should we expect with that?

We’re going to do a lot of fun things. There will be a lot of talk shows that are just centered around the Bison, centered around college football in the fall, two talk shows daily and there will another person in the mix as well that we’re going through the hiring process on right now. We’re getting the staff together. We’re getting the programming schedule together.

There is going to be a few exciting elements as well that I think Bison fans are going to really like.

What did you feel this region was missing when it comes to Bison coverage on the radio?

Exclusive Bison talk. I think sports talk shows tend to be all over the board. They’re talking pro, they’re talking high school, they’re talking anything and everything out there; pop culture. We’ve never really had a show or station that concentrates on the Bison. This is a Bison town. It’s a college town. The fan base, we’ve seen how excited it is. How big it’s getting. They want to be fed, and I think exclusive Bison talk is something that we haven’t had around here that the bigger Power 5 schools have, where they’re constantly talking about this team. That’s what our shows are going to be about.

We’re going to be talking about the Bison. * * *

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FRESH LOOK SHAC UPDATE

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WELCOME TO MY HOUSE Photos By J. Alan Paul Photography

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he Sanford Health Athletic Complex is painfully close to completion.

With the administrative offices complete, along with the weight room and training room, only the main entrance and basketball court are left to be completed. Don’t worry, though, Bison Nation, the SHAC is still on pace to be ready for the men’s and women’s basketball opener, but in the meantime, let’s take a peek at what’s already completed.

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FRESH LOOK SHAC UPDATE

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WEIGHT ROOM

By the time you’re reading this, Director of Athletic Performance Jim Kramer and his staff will have moved all the weight room equipment into their new permanent space inside the SHAC. The training area will expand around 12,000 square feet, with, give-or-take, five to six thousand square feet for the stretching/speed training area and weight room.

The artificial turf extends 60 yard and is unlike anything NDSU Athletics has used before.

The sponge-like material will provide a softer surface than the turf inside the Fargodome and the old turf that was in the football stadium as recently as 2011.

In the weight room, the foundation is ready for Kramer and his staff to set the heavy racks along most of the surface area. There will be 26 heavy racks set with the free weights on the north and east end.

Before reaching the running and weight room area, there’s an entrance that separates the student-athlete lounge and strength and conditioning offices for the student-athletes to prepare for an upcoming workout. To the south, there’s a fueling station where NDSU, with the permission of the NCAA, can provide healthy recovery snacks and smoothies for its athletes.

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FRESH LOOK SHAC UPDATE

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WELCOME TO MY HOUSE

______ OFFICE AREA

This is the administrative and coaches office entrance on the second floor. If you ever make your way up to where the old weight room occupied the Bison Sports Arena, Nancy Erickson will greet you at the main reception desk. (There will eventually be a Bison logo on the wood behind Erickson.) To the left of the reception desk will be a hallway leading you to the administrative offices, and to the right will be all the coaches offices.

On the administrative side of the office area, the senior administrative staff will be along the south end of the SHAC, accompanied by windows that will overlook the parking lot and football practice field. Matt Larsen will be in the corner with windows on the south and west end. His office will include a meeting table, a couch and personal restroom with a shower.

On the coaches side, the offices begin on the northwest side the of the practice gym, where Dave Richman’s office is located so he can look into the gym and out into Dacotah Field. All the head coaches will have offices along the west side of the building, a floor above the weight room (the opposite of how the BSA was arranged). From south to the north, the offices will begin with Richman’s, Roger Kish, Tod Brown, Matt Johnson, Steve Kennedy, Mark Cook, Darren Mueller and ends with Maren Walseth’s office near the northwest end of the office floor of the building.

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FRESH LOOK SHAC UPDATE

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WELCOME TO MY HOUSE

______ TRAINING ROOM

The training room will be located just west of the study room and east of the weight room. It will be state-of-the-art with three therapeutic pools, office space and its own x-ray room.

As soon as you walk in from the weight room, there are three pools. The pool on the east end is the underwater treadmill. The longer pool on the north end will be cold and the south, smaller pool will be heated.

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FRESH LOOK SHAC UPDATE

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WELCOME TO MY HOUSE

______ TICKET OFFICE/ ENTRANCE

The main entrance still needs attention. But as you can see, this is what the layout will look like. The ticket offices on the right side of the entrance as you walk in will open in August. After the bye week after the Iowa game, Josh Hemingway and the rest of the football ticket staff will move into the SHAC, too.

The main doors you will see peering into the basketball stadium will be locked until fans start shuffling in for game time.

But on the left side of the atrium-style entrance, there will be a VIP room for fans to congregate. There will also be a shorter hallway that will act as a hall of fame-type area where NDSU will display the various trophies they have won over the years.

NDSU has reached out to Advent, a design and brand agency out of Tennessee, to design the look of the hall of fame area, as well as the endless amount of space on the walls near the entrance and ticket office.

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FRESH LOOK TAILGATING RIGS

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A PART OF THE TEAM

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Photos By Laura Cramer here’s a reason NDSU was ranked the 14th best place to tailgate before a college football game. The formula is simple: start with delicious food, a dash of good people and a handful of enthusiasm to create an unforgettable cocktail of memories that can be concocted just before a football game.

Most of the tailgating rules heading into the football season have remained unchanged, so let’s explain how to better your experience before the football team chases another victory.

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FRESH LOOK TAILGATING RIGS

______ THE RIG

Our friends over at Ultimate Transportation have been hooking up Bison fans with the best trailers for tailgating for the better part of five years. They hooked up NDSU Team Makers two years ago with an affordable 14-footer that you’ve seen at nearly every Bison Athletic event.

The demo you see in the parking lot at Ultimate Transportation is what you should expect when going all in on setting up your own tailgate.

The demo trailer is 8 by 19 feet. The best part is you can set it up in 15 minutes. Tim, or Penguin as most people know him, started his own tailgating group a few years ago and has hauled this thing everywhere.

With its pullout grill and widescreen TV with a satellite hook up, the rig is essentially what you want out of a tailgate.

Buying a trailer for tailgating is going to run you anywhere from three to $32,000. It all depends on the amenities added to your trailer.

For example, the layout to the right is a floor layout for 7-foot-9-inch-by16-foot trailer. As you can see this trailer has a door next to an awning door that swings open on the side.

There’s also room for a furnace and removable counter space for the tailgater. This layout is what you walk through with a dealer at Ultimate Transportation when buying your rig.

trailer dimensions 16’

7’- 9 1/4”

Getting the right graphics for your trailer is also a process you can go through at most dealers. But, whether it’s a Bison logo or wrap that extends around your rig, you need to check everything through NDSU Athletics for brand purposing.

Troy Goergen is your man for that. removable countertop

7’- 10” x 12”

rv door awning door

7’- 10”

If you’re reading this now, you’re probably a little too late to send a totally finished rig out into the tailgating lot for the Charleston Southern game. But if you hurry, you could have something to woo your friends with come playoff season.

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FRESH LOOK TEAM MAKERS

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NDSU Athletic Fund: How to Support

______

Annual Giving

Team Makers

Team Makers has existed since 1950. The group provides an outlet for communitybased support for NDSU Athletics. Many of you already give to Team Makers annually, so little has changed. The Team Makers fee is a great way to give to the athletic department you support and to ensure your season tickets remain with you as the demand rises. If you choose to participate in priority seating, 80 percent of your donation is tax-deductible. If you prefer not to participate in priority seating, 100 percent of your gift is taxdeductible.

Bison Pride Fund

Two Avenues to Giving

w

elcome to the new NDSU Athletics funding program/model. It’s been 12 years since the Bison started competing in Division I athletics and the success has come at an unprecedented rate. To complement that momentum created by the devoted studentathletes, coaches and administrators, the NDSU Athletic Fund was created to provide financial support to continue NDSU’s success we have grown accustomed to witnessing over the past decade. Let’s break it down piece by piece.

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The Bison Pride Fund is an additional way for fans to donate financial gifts to NDSU Athletics. NDSU Athletics is attempting to “Paint the Nation Gold” through the Bison Pride Fund, which is a popular option for fans without season tickets, but love seeing the Bison when they’re in their city. These gifts support scholarships, costof-attendance and program excellence that is dispersed among the over 400 student-athletes at NDSU. For every $50 donated, you receive a priority point.

These points go toward your ranking when fulfilling playoff and championship ticket requests, season ticket requests, single-game ticket opportunities, seat selection, tailgating and reserved parking.

Bison Athletics Excellence Fund Donating to the Bison Athletic Fund is an annual gift designated to a specific athletic team at NDSU. The head coach of the specific sport you’re giving to and the athletic director are the individuals responsible for the disbursement of your gift. These gifts are 100 percent tax deductible.

FRESH LOOK TEAM MAKERS

______ LEGACY Giving

Capital Projects

These are gifts that are used to fund new facilities or to renovate or upgrade existing facilities. These gifts can be pledged over multiple years or made on a one-time basis.

Endowments

These provide support for perpetuity for student scholarships, coaching

positions or program support.

Donors name the fund and develop the criteria that best matches their interest. This provides an opportunity to establish your own scholarship for a student-athlete every year. These are popular due to the 40 percent tax break you could potentially receive if you live in North Dakota.

Planned Giving

This is a way to give to support student-athletes or programs through your will or estate. There are many ways to make a significant charitable contribution to NDSU Athletics while protecting your personal and family situation through thoughtful planning.

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FRESH LOOK HERD AND HORNS

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Herd and Horns Offers New Space for Bison Fans Photos by Max Kurucar

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erd and Horns, located at 1414 12th Ave. N, Fargo, has some new activities for its patrons. With the expansion of a new game room, Herd and Horns expanded into the space next door that used to be an old coffee shop. Ranging from pool to dart tournaments to giant Jenga, the expansion was made to offer more opportunities for its customers. In fact, the new room will work closely with Bison Illustrated as Publisher Mike Dragosavich and General Manager Brent Tehven of Spotlight Media, Bison Illustrated’s parent company, are also co-owners of Herd and Horns.

“We’ve had such a tremendous response from the students and universities, we needed more space to accommodate them,” said Tehven. “Bison Illustrated has done a tremendous job in creating iconic images that we felt that there was no better place to showcase them than in a restaurant across from campus.”

The new space features many photos and covers from past Bison Illustrated issues. The same great menu and extensive tap list will be available in the new game room. In the future, there may be special discounts and events for Bison Illustrated subscribers. herdandhorns.com 701-551-7000 1414 12th Ave. N, Fargo

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Featuring plenty of seating, the new space features arcade games, dartboards, shuffle games, pool and other fun bar games.

The new space is also available to rent for private events.

The new space will work closely with Bison Illustrated and will feature the newest issue with copies available for pick up.

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FRESH LOOK FARGODOME

UPDATING THE DOME

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NEW

100'X 30'

NEW

22'X 20'

______ Chris Klieman's Take

Anything to enhance the fan experience here and I know that it will. That’s the new wave, everybody is getting these gigantic video boards and I don’t know what it’s going to look like but I’m excited to see it. I know the fans are excited to see it and so appreciative of the people behind getting those because it’s something that you’re always trying to upgrade, whether it’s your facilities or your team or whatever it may be, and I think the fans will love it.

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FRESH LOOK FARGODOME

W NE

22'X 20'

T

he Fargodome has been our cozy but intimidating home for Bison football since 1993.

With 22 losses in 23 seasons, the Fargodome has been a welcoming home for the NDSU football program and the 18,700 fans that pack the seats every Saturday. In 23 seasons, it’s no surprise the Fargodome has started to get dated. The video boards in the four corners of the stadium fail to provide the clearest view of the action on the field, but that’s all about to change in August when the Fargodome installs six new video boards to enhance the fan experience.

_____ WHAT’S ABOUT TO CHANGE North/South Video Board (2) 100’ x 30’ 10mm resolution *Behind video boards 24’ x 11’6’’ Corner Video Boards (4) 22’ x 20’ 10mm resolution

_ COST

Originally estimated to cost $9.5 million, the video board project bids came in at $7.5 million. Daktronics is the contractor for the video boards and marquee portion of the contract.

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VOLLEYBALL PREVIEW

THE LAST HURRAH

By Andrew Jason Photos by Laura Cramer

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VOLLEYBALL PREVIEW

(Left to right) Emily Minnick, Kari Thompson and Emily Miron hope to send the eight seniors out with a bang this season.

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ook at the upcoming schedule for the volleyball team and it might appear daunting.

However, Coach Kari Thompson and powerhouse duo Emily Minnick and Emily Miron, as well as the rest of the six other seniors, aren’t worried. In fact, they believe the challenging schedule is what they need to be ready for one last hurrah at the Summit League Tournament.

2015

Overall Record – 19-12 Conference Record – 10-6 Home Record – 8-3 Away Record – 5-8 Neutral Record – 6-1

Returning Seniors #2 Ali Moody #3 Emily Minnick #9 Monica Claxton #10 Hadley Steffen #11 Hannah Jessen #12 Emily Miron # 15 Morgan (Samec) Morgan # 17 Emily Milligan

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VOLLEYBALL PREVIEW

After falling to South Dakota in the Summit League Tournament last year, Thompson believes the 2016 season will be the big push for the volleyball team to go all the way. With eight seniors heading into this season, Thompson and the rest of the team are riding the coattails of those seniors.

“We tell those eight (seniors), ‘We go where they go,’” said Thompson.

“They’re a significant part. With eight, that’s half our team. Where they decide is where we’ll follow and go.

Those expectations are that we go out, we win and compete hard.”

Thankfully, the team won’t be hitting the road as much this year. The dozen home matches will be highlighted by the NDSU Classic tournament happening in September that will see Texas Tech, Northern Illinois and Bradley coming to Fargo. This is a huge perk for their season.

“Home matches are huge, especially in a venue like ours and in front of our home crowd,” said Thompson. “We play a challenging schedule but if you have to go on the road to play that challenging schedule, that’s going to

be even harder for preseason. To get some of those good matches at home is huge.”

In fact, the Bentson Bunker Fieldhouse has added a new amenity that will make volleyball matches that much better. For the first time in recent history, the BBF has air conditioning.

This will make the Fieldhouse an even better environment for the matches.

“Home games are so much fun,” said Minnick. “You can’t even begin to fathom how you feel when you’re out on the court. Bison Nation is so great. We just have a family type of environment here. I love playing in it.”

Thompson is hoping for that fan support to grow this year. With an average attendance of more than 700 people per game last year, NDSU volleyball already has a strong following, which is different than many schools.

“The fans have always been there,” said Thompson. “It’s such a good tradition and it has such strong support. It’s fun to be somewhere (where) volleyball

matters. There are a lot of places that I have friends at that that’s not the case.

That’s something that we remind them to not take it for granted.”

While their collegiate career is coming to a close, honorable mention allleague middle hitters Minnick and Miron’s volleyball career is most likely not coming to an end. Minnick, who graduates in December, is considering playing volleyball overseas before continuing her education with occupational therapy or school counseling. Miron is looking to switch things up next year by going to a school where she can play beach volleyball before going to grad school for physical therapy.

After four years together, it’s evident the coaches and players have become close. And, like all collegiate athletes, Minnick believes she is leaving a better person after spending so much time with Thompson.

“We used to be little saplings and then we grew into trees,” said Minnick. “And I think we’re still trees. I think we’re still grounded,” said Minnick. * * *

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SOCCER PREVIEW

WOMEN’S SOCCER’S NEXT STEP

By Joe Kerlin Photo by J. Alan Paul Photography

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SOCCER PREVIEW (Left to right) Lauren Miller and head coach Mark Cook hope this is the season the Bison will break through into the NCAA Tournament.

t

he NDSU women’s soccer team finished the 2015 season undefeated in the Summit League with seven wins and one tie.

They were denied a trip to the NCAA Tournament, however, when they fell to South Dakota State in the Summit League tournament championship match, 0-3. With those bad memories behind them, head coach Mark Cook and senior striker Lauren Miller are ready to complete the final step this season.

2015

Overall Record – 13-6-1 Conference Record – 7-0-1 Home Record – 6-1 Away Record – 5-5-1 Neutral Record – 2-0 Regular Season Summit League Champs Lost Summit League Championship

Returning goal scorers 1. #23 Lauren Miller (18) 2. #10 Amy Yang (5) 3. #20 Britney Monteon (4) 4. #2 Hanna Norman (2) T5. #4 Roxy Roemer (1) T5. #7 Olivia Norman (1) T5. #8 Holly Enderle (1) T5. #17 Brittany Mueller (1) T5. #14 Mallory Fenske (1)

Returning Assist Leaders (Assists) 1. #10 Amy Yang (9) T2. #23 Lauren Miller (5) T2. #20 Britney Monteon (5) T4. #4 Roxy Roemer (2) T4. #7 Olivia Norman (2)

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SOCCER PREVIEW

What Returns

Out of all the teams in the Summit League, none are more prepared than NDSU from last season to find glory in 2016. The Bison return Summit League Offensive Player of the Year Lauren Miller and Freshman of the Year Britney Monteon. Throw firstteam All-Summit League midfielder Amy Yang into the mix and no other team is as dangerous as the Bison on the attack.

“I think from having so many returning players, we know how we want to play. We know how we want to set up. We know we’re going to be able to score goals. We probably have the most dangerous forwards in the Summit, so we’re pretty confident that goals will happen,” head coach Mark Cook said. “But we want to make sure we’re putting zeros on the board from our opponents, too.”

The Bison return another firstteamer, Natalie Fenske, on defense to help support whoever wins the

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goalkeeper position. The Bison conceded 26 goals, 11 less than they scored, in 20 games last season.

Goalkeeper of the Year Sierra Bonham had a lot to do with the stifling defense, but she won’t return this year.

“We have two freshmen and a redshirt sophomore. We’re confident one of them will step up,” Cook said. “We want to make sure our goalkeepers aren’t giving up the soft goal, making any mental mistakes back there. As long as they’re consistent and do the job on a consistent basis, that will do the job. Leadership is another thing we’re looking for, someone who can verbally control the backline.”

The senior striker Miller isn’t worried about who will be in goal. She said all she’s concerned with is the team meshing this preseason so they can begin another successful stretch through the Summit League.

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“I don’t know about added pressure, but more motivation, I guess,” Miller said. “We’ve gotten so close in the last three years since I’ve been here, so that will push us to get through to the NCAA tournament. Last year, we lost so hopefully this year we can get through.”

Cook is confident the team will do just that this year, as long as they keep doing what made them successful last season.

“We know we have the talent in our locker room and so for us, it’s coming out every day and working hard, not putting pressure on ourselves because I think we’re going to be the favorite,” Cook said. “We just want to go out and play and play free.”

* * *

MEN’S GOLF PREVIEW

Senior Connor Holland returns this season after missing all of last season with an injury.

REDEMPTION TOUR

By Joe Kerlin

Photo By J. Alan Paul Photography

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MEN’S GOLF PREVIEW

n

ot much went right for the Bison men’s golf team a little less than a year ago. Prior to the beginning of the fall tournament schedule, its lone senior got injured and one of their two junior college transfers left the program due to factors that didn’t involve the team or NDSU in any way. It was a string of bad luck that NDSU couldn’t afford with an uphill battle already in place. NDSU fired its way through the spring and finished three spots higher in the Summit League than the preseason projections estimated. Now, Steve Kennedy and the crew are looking to keep the momentum going.

2015-16

NDSU Fall Kickoff – 1st Omaha Invitational – 11th USD Coyote Classic – 8th John Dallio Memorial – 10th Whistling Straits Intercollegiate – 8th ODU/OBX Collegiate – 10th Atchafalaya Intercollegiate – 6th Bob Sitton Invitational – 16th UC Irvine Anteater Invitational – 9th ORU Shootout – 4th Summit League Championships – 6th

Returning Golfers Jake Herdine, Sr. Connor Holland, RSr. Will Holmgren, So. Keaton Lausch, Jr. Alex Lobeck, Sr. Nick Myhre, Jr. Dax Wallet, So.

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Wide Open Race In Summit League

After finishing sixth in the Summit League last season, the popular sediment around the men’s golf team was more positive than you think.

Of the five golfers NDSU sent to the Championship tournament, every participant will return this season.

Nick Myhre was the top finisher for the Bison in the tournament and will return for his junior season along with the lone senior from last year’s team, Connor Holland, after redshirting due to an injury in 201516.

“I thought our guys really grew together,” head coach Steve Kennedy said. “I thought they became more of a team as we went along. They really gelled as far as friendships and (being) willing to play for each other.”

Top three golfers Myhre, Keaton Lausch and Alex Lobeck all averaged a 76 per round last year. And with the addition of Holland, who averaged a career-best 76.13 in 2014-15, the

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core of the team will put NDSU in a position to succeed this fall.

Kennedy said it helps that all four have played really well this summer.

Holland finished second in the NDGA Stroke Play Championship Open this July. Incoming freshman Andrew Isrealson won the Minnesota State Boy’s Class 2A championship in 2014 and won 20 more tournaments while at Staples-Motley High School.

“They’ve just been playing really well,” Kennedy said. “Keaton Lausch has had a good summer. Nick has had a good summer. Like I said, we’re excited to get the season going in the fall.”

Kennedy attributes the growth of his players partially because of the new short game facility that opened for the men’s and women’s golf teams last winter. The facility allowed the team to focus on every different variation of putts they could face during tournaments. It also helped them tremendously with their chipping, Kennedy said.

“They have keys (to the facility) also so they can get in and they go in on their own during their own time,” Kennedy said. “They have competitions over there. The loser has to lift more weights during weight training and things like that.

They just challenge each other.”

The Bison will begin their season at the UNO Invitational in Nebraska City, Neb. It’s a tournament NDSU should expect to do really well in or even win, Kennedy said. The Summit League is wide open this year and is essentially a nine-team race.

In the meantime, you can check out a handful of the Bison golfers later this summer. Most of them will play in the Pine to Palm Golf Tournament in Detroit Lakes, Minn., the second week in August. At the end of the month, the entire team will be at the Bobcat North Dakota Open played at the Fargo Country Club, NDSU’s home course. * * *

WOMEN’S GOLF PREVIEW

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Junior Natalie Roth has led the Bison for two-straight seasons with the lowest strokes per-round average.

By Joe Kerlin

WOMEN’S GOLF PREVIEW

T

The women’s golf team finished third last season and head coach Matt Johnson believes there is still room for improvement.

Returning the top three scorers from last year will be a good start for a women’s golf program that looks to reclaim the Summit League championship they last won in 2013.

2015-16

NDSU Fall Kickoff – 1st William & Mary Invitational – 11th South Dakota Coyote Classic – 1st Nebraska Chip-N Club Invitational – 8th Ron Moore Women’s Intercollegiate – T11th Rainbow Wahine Invitational – 5th GCU Spring Invitational – 1st SUU Pizza Hut Lady Thunderbird Invite – 4th ORU/SFA Spring Break Invite – T11th Kansas City Shootout – 9th Summit League Championship – T3rd

Returning Golfers Maggie Crippen, Sr. Emma Groom, So. Trisa Hutchinson, Jr. Natalie Roth, Jr. Alex Schmid, Sr.

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WOMEN’S GOLF PREVIEW

Women’s Team Deeper Than Ever

During her junior campaign, Shakopee, Minn., native Alex Schmid started finding her groove. She had finished her freshman season by averaging just over 81 per round. By the end of last season, that number was down to 77.7. Schmid fired a 74 in the third and final round of the Summit League championship to cap her season with an eighth-place finish at the conference tournament, just three spots away from ending the season with an All-Tournament Team nod.

“I wasn’t surprised at all,” head coach Matt Johnson said. “Alex has actually suffered from occasional inconsistency that will pop up once in a while. But she’s such a good ball striker and such a good player that if she can clean some of that stuff up, she would be such a good player.

She’s really worked on that hard toward the end of last spring, doing drills and working on the mental part of her game. I’m really hoping and expecting that this year she will start to eliminate those occasional poor

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rounds and improve even more.”

The Bison finished tied for third in the Summit League Championship meet in Nebraska. The Bison will return their top three golfers this season, including Natalie Roth who is entering her junior year.

Roth started shooting a team-best scoring average from the moment she came to NDSU. She averaged 75.5 strokes per round last season and was named to the All-Summit League Women’s Golf First Team.

But finished tied for 11th at the endof-the-year competition.

“We’ll continue to see progression with her,” Johnson said. “She’s not one to make a lot of changes with anything, not doing anything drastically different than she’s doing from last year. She’s just trying to play with what she’s got and be more consistent.”

Schmid and Roth are two good reasons to get excited about the prospects of NDSU making their second-ever run at a Summit League Championship, but Johnson likes

to point out another strength that he believes NDSU has lacked in the past. The team’s overall depth is what makes NDSU a real contender this season.

Along with Roth and Schmid, the top two scoring averages from last year, NDSU brings back sophomore Emma Groom, junior Trisa Hutchinson and senior Maggie Crippen. Johnson will also introduce three new freshmen into the mix this season.

“We don’t necessarily have any superstars, per se,” Johnson said.

“It’s just a balanced group. They are capable of shooting good scores and anyone who goes out there on any given day can be our leader. I think every year we get a little bit deeper and our number four and five players are better than they’ve ever been before.”

Over the past six seasons, NDSU has broken its team scoring average on five occasions. They’ll look to do more of the same this year in hopes of reclaiming the Summit League title. * * *

FOOTBALL PREVIEW

Senior running back King Frazier will look to replicate his 1,000-yard effort from last season.

DEPTH LEADS THE WAY

By Joe Kerlin

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FOOTBALL PREVIEW

t

he level of expectations for the Bison football team coming into the season has turned into the same narrative year after year: Can they defend the title, again? Will the loss of last year’s talent rear its ugly head? Over the past five seasons, the Bison football team has toppled any potential adversity and remained on top. And guess what? This team is constructed to do more of the same this season.

Let’s check out why.

2015

Overall Record – 13-2 Conference Record – 7-1 Home Record – 8-1 Away Record – 4-1 Neutral Record – 1-0

Returning Senior Starters (2015 starts)

#22 King Frazier, Running Back (13) #25 Chase Morlock, Running Back (4) #41 MJ Stumpf, Linebacker (15) #47 Pierre Gee-Tucker, Linebacker (14) #49 Nick DeLuca, Linebacker (15) #66 Zack Johnson, Offensive Guard (11) #70 Jack Plankers, Offensive Guard (2) #78 Landon Lechler, Offensive Tackle (15) #97 Brad Ambrosius, Defensive End (15)

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FOOTBALL PREVIEW

The Return of the Machines

The Bison offense has the most loaded running back position group in at least a decade. With 1,000-yard performer King Frazier back for his senior season, along with Moorheadnative and Swiss army knife, Chase Morlock leading “The Machines,” the only thing head coach Chris Klieman is worried about is getting them touches.

“This is the most depth we’ve had at running back with a number of guys that have had a lot of experience,” said Klieman. “That’s why they pay Coach (Tim) Polasek the big bucks for is trying to find ways to get multiple guys on the field.”

It doesn’t end with Frazier and Morlock. Bruce Anderson and Lance Dunn also return after receiving

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185 carries combined in 2015. The sophomores chiseled their own roles in the offense last year in unique ways.

Anderson’s burning, straightaway speed landed him as the primary kick returner. Klieman’s move paid off in the playoffs when Anderson took two kickoffs back for touchdowns in back-to-back playoff games against Montana and Northern Iowa. The 100-yard return against the Grizzlies all but sealed the game for the Bison, completing their journey for revenge against a team that upset them in the first game of the season.

The following week, Anderson’s touchdown shifted the momentum of the game when he took back the second-half opening kickoff for six to give NDSU its first lead. The Bison never looked back and defeated the Panthers 23-13.

After redshirting in 2014, the 2015 spring game was Dunn’s time to shine. He showed his ability against the second team defense, finding the end zone on a long run. That run got a lot of fans talking going into the season. Dunn found himself third on the depth chart and was able to rack up 127 yards through the first four games. Dunn was sidelined with a hamstring injury the next two weeks against Northern Iowa and South Dakota before returning to the rotation in the backfield. The flash Dunn showed in the spring game returned against Missouri State when he took a carry 60 yards for a touchdown. He also notched his first 100-yard game against the Bears.

“We have to find a way to get all four of those guys a decent amount of touches in different ways,” Klieman said. “I’m so excited for King Frazier in his senior season. I think a lot

FOOTBALL PREVIEW

of people saw how dynamic of a running back King could be the last half of the season. I think he is the leading guy coming in as far as getting a good chunk of the carries.”

Frazier will come in as the starter, just as he did 13 times last season for the Bison. He led the team in rushing with 1,184 yards, averaging 5.3 a pop.

because it’s hard to play 70 plays as a defensive lineman.”

Klieman said the emergence of Aaron Steidl, Stanley Jones, Caleb Butler and Grant Morgan last season will complement the returners nicely this season. He expects eight players to shift in and out from the defensive line this season.

Trench fight

Running back isn’t the only position the Bison won’t have to reload at this season. The defensive line loses one starter from last season in Brian Schaetz, but that’s it. The six or seven that found themselves in the rotation are all returning.

Three of the four starters from last season’s defense are returning.

Defensive tackle Nate Tanguay will enter his third season as a starter while Brad Ambrosius and Greg Menard enter their second season of crashing of the edge together for the Bison.

“It’s a great place to have depth,” Klieman said. “It’s the number one place you want to have depth

“We were playing eight there in 2012 and 2013, and then we didn’t have that luxury as much in 2014

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and 2015,” Klieman said. “Now some of these other guys are starting to emerge and we have two kids that we redshirted last year in Derrek Tuszka and Cole Karcz as well. We’ll see how they come along. We have a lot of guys there, which is a great problem to have.”

The defensive line, coached by Nick Goeser and Jamar Cain, will highlight a Bison defense that found its groove during the playoff run. The group was led by the run stuffing ability of tackle Tanguay. Defensive end Menard emerged as one of the most feared pass-rushers in the country.

The sophomore’s team-leading 14.5 tackles for loss and 10 sacks earned him third-team All-American honors

by STATS FCS. * * *

CHARLESTON SOUTHERN PREVIEW

Get to Know

By Joe Kerlin Photos Courtesy of CSU Sports

the ‘Bucs CHARLESTON SOUTHERN __________________ AUG. 27TH __________________ vs

Time: 6:30 p.m.

Location: Fargo TV: ESPN Fun Fact: Charleston Southern’s football program began in 1989 as a club and made the move to Division III in 1991. They moved to Division I with the rest of its athletic programs in 1993.

Recent History Current head coach Jamey Chadwell took

over the Charleston Southern program after the Buccaneers’ 5-6 campaign in 2012. Chadwell has led them to a 28-10 record over the past three seasons and has been able to retain most of his staff. The Bucs were Big South conference champions last year, for the second time in program history. They advanced to the FCS Playoff quarterfinals last year and lost to eventual FCS runner-up Jacksonville State 58-38. The Bucs football team has experienced the most success in program history over the last three years and far from the 0-11 team they rolled out during the 2011 season.

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National Rankings Total Defense

9th (292.0)

Rushing Defense

39th (147.1)

Passing Defense

4th (144.9)

Total Offense

72nd (359)

Rushing Offense

19th (215.3)

Passing Offense

108th (143.7)

Time of Possession

10th (33:12)

CHARLESTON SOUTHERN PREVIEW

OFFENSE Players to Watch: Running Back, #24

Darius Hammond, Sr. – 1,865 all-purpose yards, 856 rushing yards, nine touchdowns, 2nd team All-Big South Running Back, #27 Mike Holloway, Sr. – 926 all-purpose yards, 731 rushing yards, 13 touchdowns

The Scoop

According to fourth-year radio play-by-play man Kevin O’Rourke, the Bucs run an optionstyle offense, usually with the quarterback in the shotgun flanked left and right by running backs. O’Rourke said the running back position is the deepest and most talented group on offense led by seniors Darius Hammond and Mike Halloway, but they will rotate up to five backs per game.

The biggest question on the Bucs offense will be at the quarterback position. Redshirt junior Kyle Copeland is projected to start after appearing in relief of last year’s starter Austin Brown.

Copeland started two games his true freshman season in 2013, redshirted the 2014 season and appeared in nine games, starting two–including the Alabama game–in 2015. The Arp, Texas native is known more for his running ability than his throwing touch. Expect junior college transfer Robert Mitchell to take snaps behind center against the Bison, too. Mitchell provides more of a threat through the air and is more of a power runner than Copeland.

“If they have someone who can come in, which I think Kyle can do, manages the offense, makes plays when he needs to, there’s no reason they won’t end up where they were at the end of last season,” O’Rourke said. “If, say, Mitchell comes in and is that big time player, I think they have a legit shot at making a run at it (national championship).”

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CHARLESTON SOUTHERN PREVIEW

DEFENSE Players to Watch: Linebacker, #34

Solomon Brown, So. – 69 tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss, seven sacks, 2015 Big South Freshman of the Year Defensive Lineman, #8 Anthony Ellis, Jr. – 55 tackles, 18 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks, three fumble recoveries, 1st team All-Big South

the scoop

The defensive side of the ball is where Charleston Southern’s bread is buttered. The defense was in the Top 10 in total defense last year, and take away the 58 points dropped on them by Jacksonville State in the quarterfinals, they only allowed 13.75 points per game against FCS opponents.

This is defense led by a stout defensive line, specifically junior Anthony Ellis. O’Rourke said the Bucs will rotate up to nine defensive linemen per game out of their 3-4 base, which allows them to play an aggressive, blitzing style of defense. Sophomore Solomon Brown was the biggest beneficiary of that style last season playing behind or next to Ellis. The Big South Freshman of the Year will play next to two new linebackers that O’Rourke said the coaches are high on, in J.D. Sosebee and Bobby Ruff.

“I would say, outside of Anthony and Solomon, I don’t know if they have any great players in that group, but they’re all pretty good,” O’Rourke said. “They only lost four starters.”

One of the starters they lost that will have the biggest impact on this year’s defense is the loss of Malcolm Jackson, said O’Rourke. Jackson was a first-team All-Big South player and had a stint with the Atlanta Falcons in minicamp.

Jackson was a shutdown corner for the Bucs and will be replaced by senior Troy McGowens.

Solomon brown

Brown was named the 2015 Big South Freshman of the Year and will lead this year’s linebacker corp.

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2016

FOOTBALL SCHEDULE

FOOTBALL SCHEDULE

vs

EASTERN WASHINGTON

Players to Watch: Offense: Wide Receiver, Cooper

SEP. 10TH

Defense: Defensive End, Samson Ebukam, Sr. – 44 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, four sacks, third-team All-Big Sky

IOWA

Players to Watch: Offense: Quarterback,

SEP. 17TH

C.J. Beathard, Sr. – 1,809 passing yards, 17 touchdowns, 61.6% completion percentage Defense: Cornerback, Desmond King, Sr. – 72 tackles, eight interceptions, 21 passes defended, first team All-American, Big Ten Conference Defensive Back of the Year

vs ILLINOIS

Players to Watch: Offense: Wide Receiver,

Anthony Warrum, Sr. – 58 receptions, 1,290 receiving yards, 15 touchdowns, third team AllAmerican, first team All-Missouri Valley Defense: Safety, Alec Kocour, Jr. – 78 tackles, three interceptions, honorable mention All-Missouri Valley, missed last four games due to injury

only university in the nation with a research facility in a national wildlife refuge (Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge).

Date: 9/17 Time: 11 a.m.

Location: Iowa City, Iowa Fun Fact: Iowa was the first

public university in the country to admit men and women on an equal basis when it opened (1855). Also, it was the first state university to officially recognize the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender and Allied Union, in 1970.

STATE (homecoming)

OCT. 1ST

Fun Fact: EWU is the

Kupp, Sr. – 114 receptions, 1,642 receiving yards, 19 touchdowns, 2015 Walter Payton Award Winner

AT

Date: 9/10 Time: 2:30 p.m.

Location: Fargo

Date: 10/1 Time: 1 p.m.

Location: Fargo Fun Fact: The town of Normal, Ill., where Illinois State is located, named itself after the school because it was called a “normal school”–a school to train high school graduates to be teachers.

There’s supposedly a ghost of the school’s first librarian Angeline Vernon Milner in the old library building, Williams Hall.

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FOOTBALL SCHEDULE

AT MISSOURI

Date: 10/8 Time: 2 p.m.

Location: Springfield, Mo.

Players to Watch: Offense: Wide Receiver,

Fun Fact: Missouri State

STATE

OCT. 8TH

Malik Earl, Jr. – 31 receptions, 352 receiving yards, 11.4 yards/receptions, two touchdowns Defense: Linebacker, Dylan Cole, Sr. – 152 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, first team AllMissouri Valley

vs SOUTH

changed its name from Southwest Missouri State in 2005. Former Wal-Mart CEO and current Kansas City Royals owner David Glass went to Missouri State.

DAKOTA

STATE (DAKOTA MARKER)

OCT. 15TH

Players to Watch: Offense: Wide Receiver,

Fun Fact: Hobo Day is a 104-year-

AT western

Date: 10/22 Time: 6 p.m.

Location: Macomb, Ill.

Jake Wieneke, Jr. – 72 receptions, 1,472 receiving yards, 11 touchdowns, first team All-American, first team All-Missouri Valley Defense: Defensive Tackle, Cole Langer, Sr. – 43 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, second team All-Missouri Valley

illinois

Players to Watch: Offense: Quarterback,

OCT. 22ND

Trenton Norvell, Sr. – 2,110 passing yards, 13 touchdowns, 55.3% completion percentage, honorable mention All-Missouri Valley Defense: Linebacker, Brett Taylor, Jr. – 144 tackles, 17 tackles for loss, four fumbles recoveries, second team All-Missouri Valley

old celebration during homecoming week. Among the many events, there is something called the “One Month Club,” where the males grow out their beards and females grow out they leg hair for a month leading up to the celebration.

Fun Fact: Business Insider once

ranked Western Illinois as the 20th most dangerous college in America in 2012. The following year, burglaries dropped 25 percent on campus. On a lighter note, they have a live bulldog as their secondary mascot named Colonel Rock III.

AT Northern

Iowa

Players to Watch: Offense: Quarterback, Aaron

OCT. 29TH

Date: 10/15 Time: 2:30 p.m.

Location: Fargo

Bailey, Sr. – 1,334 rushing yards, 1,656 passing yards, 31 total touchdowns, second team All-Missouri Valley Defense: Defensive Line, Karter Schult, Sr. – 81 tackles, 22.5 tackles for loss, 14 sacks, second team AllAmerican, first team All-Missouri Valley

Date: 10/29 Time: 6 p.m.

Location: Cedar Falls, Iowa Fun Fact: Before

becoming a building on the campus of Northern Iowa, Central Hall housed orphans during the 1800s.

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FOOTBALL SCHEDULE

VS YOUNGSTOWN

STATE (HARVEST BOWL)

Players to Watch: Offense: Running

NOV. 5TH

Back, Jody Webb, Sr. – 857 rushing yards, 7 yards/carry, nine touchdowns, second team All-American Defense: Linebacker, Lee Wright, Jr. – 78 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, six sacks, second team All-Missouri Valley

VS

indiana state

Players to Watch: Offense: Wide

NOV. 12TH

Receiver, Robert Tonyan, Sr. – 40 receptions, 601 yards, 15 yards/reception, six touchdowns, honorable mention All-Missouri Valley Defense: Safety, Marcus Gray, Sr. – 75 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, two interceptions, two fumble recoveries

AT

SOUTH DAKOTA

Players to Watch: Offense: Running

NOV. 19TH

Back, Trevor Bouma, Sr. – 435 rushing yards, 6 yards/carry, six touchdowns, missed last five games of the season Defense: Safety, Tyson Graham, Sr. – 71 tackles, four interceptions, forced fumble, honorable mention All-Missouri Valley

Date: 11/5 Time: 2:30 p.m.

Location: Fargo

Fun Fact: Head football coach Bo

Pelini has one of the most famous parody Twitter accounts (@FauxPelini).

The account has over 237,000 followers. The account is notorious for asking schools if they offer a 401K plan after their head coach is fired.

Date: 11/12 Time: 2:30 p.m.

Location: Fargo

Fun Fact: The school hosts

a tricycle derby to kick off Homecoming week. Also, before nicknaming their school after a tree, Indiana State athletes were referred to as the “Fighting Teachers.”

Date: 11/19 Time: 2 p.m.

Location: Vermillion, S.D.

Fun Fact: 1939 Nobel Prize

winner in Physics for the invention of the cyclotron, Ernest Lawrence, received his bachelor’s degree at South Dakota. He also played a role in the Manhattan Project in the late 1930s and early 1940s.

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THE BASEBALL WITH LIFER MIKE WHERE ARE THEY NOW? MIKE PESCHEL

PESCHEL

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WHERE ARE THEY NOW? MIKE PESCHEL

Mike Peschel BASEBALL

A

By Joe Kerlin Photos by J. Alan Paul Photography

Hats in Hand North Dakota State (1998-2003) Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks (2003-2008) Moorhead Brewers (2008-Present) Concordia College (2014-Present)

t 37 years old, former Bison and FargoMoorhead RedHawks left-handed starting pitcher can still be found on a baseball diamond in the summer. The mortgage broker by day, amateur baseball player and husband by night, still loves the game more than ever before. We tracked down one of the top pitchers in NDSU history to answer the question: Where Are They Now?

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WHERE ARE THEY NOW? MIKE PESCHEL

NDSU ALL-TIME CHARTS Most Wins – 1st (24) Most Strikeouts – 1st (265) Most Complete Games – 1st (25) Most Shutouts – 2nd (5) Most Games Started – 4th (38) Most Innings Pitched – 4th (260) Most Hits Allowed – 5th (264) Most Earned Runs – 9th (106)

NDSU PITCHING CAREER YEAR

APPEARANCES

STARTS

W-L

ERA

INNINGS

STRIKEOUTS

1999 2000 2002 2003

10 13 9 14

8 9 9 12

3-3 8-2 7-1 6-4

4.41 3.25 1.40 5.31

51 74.2 58 76.1

42 82 65 76

T0TAL

46

38

24-10

3.67

260

265

Mike Peschel awoke in the warmth of his mid-July hotel room in Winnipeg with a jolt of pain stabbing through his back. The Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks starting pitcher attempted to get up but couldn’t. He lay there, staring at the ceiling while struggling to roll himself out of bed.

Less than 24 hours before, Peschel was four pitches away from finishing his pregame routine in the bullpen. It was the RedHawks’ first game after the all-star break and he was going to start on the mound against the Goldeyes.

His brother Jeremy had just joined the team as a replacement for the series because the RedHawks shortstop’s contract had just been bought out. He drove up with Peschel’s parents so they could watch the two boys play on the same team for the first time since high school. But before Peschel could take to

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the rubber at Shaw Park, he injured his back and was scratched from the start.

Peschel was past the point of tears from the pain. His frustration threshold had reached its limit. He was to the point of laughter as he lay, unwillingly frozen in his bed. Not even his father who had come to his room to help could do anything. “Don’t touch me,” Peschel said. The pain was so unbearable that any quick movement was out of the question. Ten minutes turned into 20, and then 30 minutes turned into 45. Then finally, the lefthander finally rolled his way onto the cool hotel floor.

The 28-year-old would spend the next 37 days confined to his bed. His stint on the disabled list lasted 43 days before he received a cortisone injection

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in his back to numb the pain. Upon his return five days later, he threw a complete game.

And just like that, it was another typical summer of professional independent baseball in 2007.

Peschel played for the RedHawks for the better part of six seasons from 2003-08. The left-hander dominated the strike zone with his different variations of curveballs and his mid-80s fastball. He wasn’t out there to blow anyone away. He was your typical lefty craftsman who used all 17 inches of home plate while methodically outpitching you rather than daring you to hit a mid-90s tailing two-seamer. He logged over 440 innings with this quiet, technical approach, making 67 starts, and

finished his career with a 36-17 record and 4.33 ERA. “Your game is going to be about making adjustments. You’re going to be more of a get-the-job-done guy, manage the inning, instead of trying to go out and dominate,” Peschel said about his time in independent ball.

“When you’re just out there trying to stay on the team every day, it’s more about doing what’s expected of you, don’t try to do too much.”

Before Peschel became a staple in the RedHawks pitching rotation, he was a Bison. He played at NDSU from 1998 to 2003, although, his college career began at University of Mary. He earned a starting spot at first base and was hitting out of the three-hole at the end of the fall ball season while at Mary. As great as that sounds in theory for an 18-yearold, Peschel wasn’t looking for a few at-bats during games and calling it a day. He wanted the ball and more control. So, he figured his future was on the pitching mound, but the coach told him he couldn’t make that happen until Peschel’s junior or senior year.

“Pitching is what I thought would lead to some sort of future and success,” Peschel said. “There’s nothing like the day when you’re pitching. Your arm feels good and it’s your turn. There’s nothing like being a baseball player on your day to pitch. Every play starts with you.

You have the ball. You decide what’s going to happen. The outcome of the game is in your hands.”

Peschel decided to follow his passion for pitching to NDSU in the spring of 1998 where he spent the season as a redshirt. Peschel spent his time hanging around the junior and senior pitchers on the team. He studied how they worked in training during bullpen sessions and how they prepared for upcoming starts.

He said this, more than anything, was one of the keys to his growth into becoming a college-level pitcher.

The following spring, Peschel made eight starts and led the Bison in innings pitched. The lefty was just finding his groove and the next season he was named the 2000 North Central Conference Pitcher of the Year.

The 2001 season was a setback for Peschel when he discovered he stretched his UCL. The UCL, or ulnar collateral ligament, is commonly known as the ligament that’s torn when a player has Tommy John surgery.

Luckily, Peschel avoided surgery but couldn’t pick up a baseball for nine months.

He returned for his junior season like a man on fire and pitched his finest season as a Bison. Peschel started nine games, completed seven of them, including two shutouts, and finished with a 7-1 record with a minuscule 1.40 ERA. He was again named North Central Conference Pitcher of the Year and awarded the Division II Comeback Player of the Year.

WHERE ARE THEY NOW? MIKE PESCHEL

FM REDHAWKS PITCHING CAREER YEAR

APPEARANCES

STARTS

W-L

ERA

INNINGS

STRIKEOUTS

2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

19 17 17 27 13 2

13 16 15 10 12 1

6-3 7-2 7-4 9-4 7-4 0-0

5.11 2.86 5.30 4.03 4.58 8.44

79.1 110 88.1 87 70.2 5.1

49 66 52 65 48 3

T0TAL

95

67

36-17

4.33

440.2

283

Peschel was born in Alexandria, Minn. but was raised in Wahpeton, N.D. since he was 2. His brother, Jeremy, is one year older and played his college ball at Valley City State. The smooth-handed shortstop now manages the Moorhead Brewers, an amateur baseball team he and Peschel play on to this day.

Although Peschel is one of the best pitchers in Bison history, his bat has been making the most noise today.

He’s hitting .421 and leads the Brewers in RBI this season and that’s after three surgeries on his elbow, shoulder and back. He says he doesn’t see the mound quite as often after he finally had surgery on his back he hurt in 2007.

The Brewers have only lost one game

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this season and are ranked number one in the state of Minnesota.

“We’re probably the oldest team in the state, and I would say for sure the oldest team in the state that’s experiencing success,” the 37-year-old Peschel said. “I’m at first base at 37 years old, Chris Coste plays second base. He’s 43 years old. My brother is 38 years old at shortstop and our third baseman is Derek Dorman and he’s 35, I believe.”

Both Peschels and Coste still have some pop left in their bats, but admit the team leans on its young pitching for its success. They’ve collected players from colleges across North Dakota and feature a healthy dose of former Bison players. Kyle Kingsley,

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Parker Trewin and even David Ernst threw for the Brewers before signing with an independent team in the new expansion Empire League in the Northeast.

“I have made some great relationships with former teammates and also guys who played for other teams in the conference, and we have gotten to know each other over the years playing amateur baseball,” Peschel said. “The Minnesota State Amateur Tournament is something that every baseball player and coach should make an effort to attend at least once. The atmosphere is spectacular and it is a chance for us older guys to compete in a game that ‘means something’ and still put our costumes on and play the game we all grew up loving and respecting.”

Off the baseball diamond, Peschel has been in the mortgage broker business since 2004. He moved to Minneapolis that year and started working in the city. This gig allowed him to travel with the RedHawks and pursue his childhood passion while building a career in between road trips.

“It allowed me to focus on baseball when I needed to but then not get behind financially, which a lot of minor league players unfortunately do,” Peschel said. “I told myself at a young age that I love baseball and I will give baseball everything I got.

If I got a chance to play for a minor league team in an organization, I would 100 percent focus on it, that doesn’t mean I didn’t focus on this because I did. I didn’t want to be 32 with nothing on my resume and no money in my pocket.”

Today, Peschel is in his fourth year with Lexstar Reality in Fargo. He’s working with sales and leasing on the commercial side of real estate. This involves helping a relocating business find a new property or finding open property for potential clients that may be looking to expand or move in the near future.

Lexstar Realty has begun its search for businesses to move to its new strip mall off Veterans and 40th Ave. S. in West Fargo called Veterans Square. The retail/office complex is over 30,000 square feet of retail,

19,000 square feet of office space and also features 51,000 square-foot restaurant pad. Veterans Square will be located across the street from West Fargo Sheyenne High School and is surrounded by single and multifamily housing.

Peschel got married this last November to his wife Brittany in Cancun, Mexico. The couple are expecting their first child this fall.

The exact day of their one year anniversary, November 12.

With an expanding family and more work coming in, Peschel says he’s still going to make time for baseball. He’s spent the last few years at Concordia coaching the pitchers under former Philly and current Brewers teammate Coste. And with the way Peschel has been hitting this year, his brother can’t be eager to fill his role in the lineup with a younger player.

Peschel is far removed from the lifestyle of an independent baseball player. With his back injury and RedHawks career in the rearview, he says he’s still enjoying the game more than ever before and more importantly, is having as much fun with the Brewers as he’s ever had in his life. * * *

HOW WELL DO YOU KNOW? OLIVIA NORMAN

LL HOW WEU DO YO KNOW?

Olivia

Norman? uld What wo ? y a s ia v li O

T

he women’s soccer team is filled with seniors this season that have spent a lot of time around each other. Let’s see how well midfielders Amy Yang and Bailey Lervick know forward Olivia Norman.

THE QUESTIONS

OLIVIA NORMAN’S ANSWERS

AMY YANG

BAILEY LERVICK

Pregame Steaks

Oatmeal

Ice cream

2. Who’s the best at taking penalty kicks on the team?

Amy Yang

Lauren Miller

Amy Yang +1

3. Are you more of a cat person or a dog person?

Cat Person

Dog

Cat person +1

4. What can’t you leave home without on a road trip?

My camera

1. What’s your favorite dish at the dining center?

Her lap desk to do homework on

Mechanical Engineering (medical field)

Engineering +1

Engineering +1

6. What’s your favorite NDSU sporting event to attend?

Wrestling

Wrestling +1

Wrestling +1

7. What’s the last movie you saw at the theater?

The Revenant

5. What career field are you getting into after college?

8. Who is better: Messi, Ronaldo or Neymar?

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Phone

BISO N ILLUST R ATED • AU G U ST 2 016

Finding Dory Messi +1

Messi

3-8

Finding Dory Ronaldo

4-8

3.37 COMBINED GRADE POINT AVERAGE

L

By Joe Kerlin

100

BISO N ILLUSTRATED • AU G U ST 2 016

NUMBER OF BISON HONORED ON SUMMIT LEAGUE COMMISSIONER’S LIST OF ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE

18

(3.21) (GPA)

6

(3.26)

5

(3.46)

2

(2.88)

LF LL GO BA ’S ET EN SK M BA ’S LL EN BA OM ET W SK BA ’S EN M LL BA SE BA T R O SP

ast year was another recordbreaking season in the classroom for NDSU student-athletes. NDSU set an all-time high with 138 honorees on the Summit League Commissioner’s List of Academic Excellence. To be named to the Commissioner’s List, student-athletes must carry a GPA of 3.0 after one year of eligibility. The football team also set a record with the amount of studentathletes on the Missouri Valley Football Conference honor role.

NUMBER OF STUDENT-ATHLETES

NDSU ATHLETES ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT

NDSU ATHLETES ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT

WRESTLING

3.16

GPA

5 ACADEMIC ALL-BIG 12

Football

3.02

GPA

71 MVFC HONOR ROLL

33

(3.64)

16

20

(3.6)

8

(3.26)

(3.65)

8

5

5

(3.63)

12

(3.54)

(3.53)

(3.37)

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101

TYLER JANGULA GOLF OUTING

TYLER JANGULA’S

GOLFOUTING O

By Joe Kerlin

ne and a half years after his death, former Bison football fullback Tyler Jangula’s legacy lives on through the support of Bison Nation and close loved ones.

Jangula’s sister Rheanda Axtman and former teammate Lee Vandel have organized the second annual Tyler Jangula Golf Tournament.

The golf tournament will take place the Friday before the football team’s first home game against Charleston

102

Southern on August 26. This year, the tournament has moved to the Maple River Golf Course in Mapleton, N.D.

Last year, between various companies and 96 participants, the Jangula Golf Tournament raised around $10,000 for the Tyler Jangula endowment.

There is a limit to the number of people who can participate in the golf outing. Vandal expects the limit to be around 36 teams of four golfers at the tournament.

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TYLER JANGULA GOLF OUTING

How to Sign Up When Friday, August 26 Where Maple River Golf Course (Mapleton, N.D.) Cost $100/person Register Rheanda: 701-770-3257, rheandajangula@hotmail.com Lee Vandal: 701-550-0104 Includes 18 holes of golf w/ cart Breakfast Meal at Herd & Horns

“There were a large number of people at the golf tournament and benefit for Tyler, which was no surprise. Tyler made an impact on people’s lives both on the field and off, and all across the region.”

– Steve Walker, Teammate (2004-07)

103

WHAT’S ON THE GRILL

What's on

the Grill?

T

his fall, we raid the NDSU Meat Lab with professor Eric Berg and associate professor David Newman to deliver you monthly, tasty ideas for your grill during the prime of tailgating season.

By Joe Kerlin Photos By Laura Cramer

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Make sure you stick your thermometer in the side of the meat when checking the temperature, not the top like we did for artsy reasons.

Featured Dish Beef Tri-Tip (Sirloin) Prep 1. Season generously with a carnivore rub* 2. Grill it until it reaches 135 degrees 3. Let it rest for 10 minutes 4. Slice against the grain like a brisket

Newman’s Take “(Tri-tip is) a really tender, very flavorful piece of beef. This typically was attached to a larger piece of meat that would have been slow cooked, more like a beef roast. But we found that by pulling the tri-tip off, we can slice it into really nice and tender steaks.” *Carnivore Rub Ingredients Carnivore Rub is considered a base seasoning. The NDSU Meat Lab has used the recipe for years and provides just enough saltiness to keep you coming back for more and keeps you close to the cooler.

• ¼ cup (heaped) + 1 Tbsp salt • 1 Tbsp (heaped) black pepper • 1 tsp granulated garlic

Newman’s Tips • Grilled asparagus goes with anything you make on the grill • Definitely goes well with red wine, but I like a good, aged bourbon • Don’t risk it. Always use a thermometer when grilling your meats so you achieve the perfect temperature

Berg’s Tips • Fried hash browns make a perfect side for the Tri-Tip • Generally, likes to wash it down with a red wine or lighter, sweeter beer, Grain Belt Premium for example • Grill in a Green Egg–it’s fool proof and the Meat Lab uses them almost exclusively

?

NDSU Meat Lab

Did you know you can purchase your favorite meats for tailgating right here on NDSU’s campus in Shepperd Arena?

They can even process your meat for you. Check out their menu inside the building’s entrance at 1350 Albrecht Blvd.

GRAIN DESIGNS GIVES BACK

Grain Designs owners Blain Mikkonen, Grant Koenig, Pat Bresnan and Phil Bruckbauer gave Paul Morlock (second in on left) and his family a new table.

Grain Designs

Gives Back

By Lauren Wilson Photos by Noah Kupcho

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B ISO N ILLUSTRATED • AU G U ST 2 016

W

e’re all excited for the NDSU football team to get back out on the field this fall, but few people are probably as ready as Moorhead native Paul Morlock. Morlock’s name is probably familiar to you and for good reason–his son is Bison running back Chase Morlock. Or, you might recognize his name because of the benefit that was held last January to support him and his family as he battles colorectal cancer. The community came out to show its support then and is once again showing its support to the Morlocks, but this time they made them dinner.

Back in April at Eco Chic Design Conference, Grain Designs owners Blain Mikkonen, Grant Koenig, Phil Bruckbauer, and Pat Bresnan gave the Fargo-Moorhead community the opportunity to give away a table.

“We’ve been so fortunate to work in this community and we’re super grateful for our customers and clients and business support,” Mikkonen said. “It’s just astronomical the support that we’ve received, and we’re really grateful to have that opportunity, so what better way to bring it full circle than to give back to the community that’s given to us.”

READ MORE

GRAIN DESIGNS GIVES BACK

The table Grain Designs donated to the Morlock family.

Anyone could submit a person that they thought was deserving of a custom-built table because of either their stewardship to the community or hardship they had suffered. One of Morlock’s neighbors was at the event and submitted his name. After looking through the submissions, they decided that the Morlocks were going to be the ones to get a new dining room table.

“It’s been a nice deal, they’re people we don’t know and the gestures that they’re doing with their company, it’s overwhelming what the people will do to support each other in this community,” Paul Morlock said. “We see it every single day and night on the news–someone is having a new benefit for whatever reason and the community just jumps in. It’s just a great community to be in.” * * * 108

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CARSON WENTZ HOMECOMING

CARSON’S

Homecoming

I

n July, Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz returned to Fargo, in partnership with SCHEELS, to meet and sign autographs for 450 lucky fans. The evening’s festivities took place at the Avalon Event Center in South Fargo.

Fans got the opportunity to meet Wentz, have him autograph one item and then take a picture with the soon-to-be NFL star. Wentz was joined by head coach Chis Klieman for a brief speech and Q&A session for fans to ask the newly-drafted quarterback questions. A similar event took place in Bismarck the day before.

Photos By Sam Stark

“It was a great event. SCHEELS does a phenomenal job putting it on and organizing it. Carson was his normal great self.

There had to be close to 500 people there with autographs and everybody got their picture taken then we did a Q&A and watched a couple videos. It’s so neat to see that many people in mid-July come out to honor a guy that was such a great player here and even a better person.”

– Chris Klieman, NDSU Football Coach 112

B ISO N ILLUST R ATED • AU G U ST 2 016

ZORBAZ BIZON NATION

ZORBAZ BIZON NATION

B

Photoz By Joe Kerlin

izon Nation took over Zorbaz for the afternoon on Friday, July 22 in Detroit Lakez, Minn.

Head coach Chriz Klieman waz joined by memberz of hiz ztaff at the popular Mexican and Pizza Joint in Lakez Country. Team Makerz Executive Director Pat Zimmerz, Director of Zalez and Broadcazting Jeremy Jorgenzon and the new radio broadcazter Jeff Culhane were alzo among the crowd of juzt under a hundred Bizon fanz. Of courze, no Bizon Nation party iz complete without appearancez by the five national championzhip trophiez. They were the ztarz of a cazual afternoon by the lake.

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BIZO N ILLUZ T R ATED • AU G U Z T 2 016

119 ANSWERS: 1. Z Missing from Zorbaz hat 2. Detroit Lakes missing from gold longsleeve 3. Sticker on metal piece of post 4. “Beer” missing from Blue Ribbon sign 5. Gold stripes missing from right sleeve on shirt

SPOT THE

5

DIFFERENCES

ORIGINAL SPOT THE DIFFERENCE

BISON WORD SEARCH

WORD SEARCH

S WORD D TO FIN

JEFF CULHANE BRYAN SHEPHERD KODY MORGAN JIM ROBBINS JEREMY JORGENSON

CHARLESTON SOUTHERN MIKE PESCHEL BEN NEWMAN CHASE MORLOCK TEAM MAKERS

SHAC EMILY MINNICK EMILY MIRON LAUREN MILLER KING FRAZIER

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122

B ISO N ILLUST R ATED • AU G U ST 2 016

President Terry Ludlum

Vice President Kris Bakkegard

Past President Paul Bougie

At-Large Chris Haugrud

At-Large Craig Sandstrom

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

H

Gaming Investment Alumni Committee Committee Association Chair Chair Director Ken Zetocha Bruce Grubb John Glover

Treasurer Ken Loken

ave you ever wondered how Team Makers really works? As an organization of over 4,000 devoted NDSU fans, we figured it’s best you know by simply looking at this flow chart. The graphic below is to help every fan, Team Maker or not, with questions on how the organization is run, how it is structured and how you can get your voice heard all the way up to the Director of Athletics himself.

Team Makers is made up of three main groups: the executive committee, the board of directors and members of Team Makers. Here’s how they work together.

By Joe Kerlin

ATHLETI C

Senior Associate Director Director of of Athletics Athletics Matt Larsen Pat Simmers

R ECT O R I D

$ TEAM MAKERS

KRIS BAKKEGARD DAN BRUNS SCOTT CRAMER STACEY CRAMER BRYAN DOMHOLT KYLE OURADNIK

SHIRLEY SOLBERG/ BETH LEAKE TIM HUGELEN PAT MCCLURE KRIS MICKELSON SANDY NIPSTAD BLAKE NITZKORSKI CRAIG SANDSTROM MARK SCHAFFER DAVE SWANSON

JARED HELLER JUSTIN HALVORSON JIM HAUSAUER MIKE GLASOE

DAVE ANDERSON LEO BLOTSKY RYAN BOHNSACK KENLEY JUST DOUG LEE DAN LENERTZ SHERRI SCHMIDT JEREMY ULMER DEAN ZADERAKA

JIM HAMBRICK/ KEN ZETOCHA

PAUL BOUGIE STEVE DAHL JOHN DIEHL TOD GANJE MARV HUCKLE CHET MILLER MITCH PARKER KEITH RINDY KEN SAMPSON DON ZERR OTHER KEN LOKEN ERIC JOHNSON JD SHOTWELL JAY BARTLEY JEFF BENTRIM JOHN/TRISHA CYR GREG GESTON PAUL JOHNSON JIM LOKEN CHAD STARK

STEVE WALKER/ JOSH SWANSON ROCKY BERTSCH TAYLOR CAVANAGH JORDAN COOK TODD KADRMAS JOEL OLSEN

Members of the Team Maker Board of Directors are put into groups that are led by board member captains who organize meetings and propose issues to the executive committee who meet once a month. Let’s say you’re a Team Maker who would like to propose a change. Instead of meeting every Thursday for luncheons, you think it would be best to move it to Friday. You would contact a member of the board and they would discuss the topic at their next board member meeting. If they agree, they can propose the change to the Executive Committee, who will vote to decide if changing the day of luncheon is worth making.

MAKING YOUR VOICE HEARD

*As of July 13, 2016

OVER 4,000 MEMBERS*

TEAM MAKERS MEMBERS

SHAWN DOBBERSTEIN TERRY GOEGER ROB ODNEY CY PUETZ FRED SCHLANSER MARK SELLIN

MIKE WHEELER TOM BOYER KEVIN DONNALLEY DENNY GILBERTSON MATT NESS CLYDE STAUS JOEL VETTEL TODD WAHL

TERRY LUDLUM ERIC DODDS BRUCE GRUBB RANDY L. HANSON CHRIS HAUGRUD SCOTT OLSON JOHN MARK

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

TEAM MAKERS

$

123

SWANY SAYS

swany says GET WELL SOON,

BISON TURF FOLLOW @swany8

his isn’t the obituary for the Bison Turf, it’s a “get well soon” note from tens of thousands of Bison fans that count the establishment as a home, a place to congregate, celebrate and commiserate life’s ups and downs over Turf mugs and Turf burgers throughout the years. It was with a heavy, depressed heart we watched as the surreal scene unfolded on our smart phones and computer screens on a late July afternoon, our Turf engulfed in the ugly crimson reds and oranges of spiraling flames.

When the fire was extinguished, there the iconic North Dakota State landmark stood, an ashen, charred shell of its former self.

T

Condolences and “say it ain’t so” messages instantaneously flooded Facebook and Twitter in realtime while the fire raged on. I was working on a legal brief at the kitchen island, my phone recharging near the sink, and that familiar “ping” of a mass group text message sounded. Must be chatter of who’s doing what this weekend. Or so I thought. After several minutes, annoyed by the pings, I got up to silence my phone only to have the text notifications land like an uppercut. It was 2:46 p.m. Seven devastating words. “Holy $&%^–the Turf is on fire!” It’s a sentiment many shared. You don’t need Photo by Laura Kramer 124

B ISO N ILLUST R ATED • AU G U ST 2 016

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

Shakespearean prose or Twain’s pen when those seven simple words sum things up. Holy $&%^, the Turf was on fire.

How many couples have had wedding photos taken inside the Turf? A step further, how many couples met each other or went on their first, second or third date at the Turf with bachelor and bachelorette parties later to follow?

Without exception, every bachelor party I’ve been to for friends with NDSU ties has marked the occasion with a stop at the Turf. How many generations of Bison fans gather at the Turf for graduation in May, for move-in weekend every August, before concerts at the Fargodome or for football weekends–grandparents, parents and children alike–sharing memories and making new ones?

Students and professors meet at the Turf for lunch and happy hour. We celebrate the beginning and end of semesters there. We raise glasses after big exams or class projects. We pre-and post-game for Bison football games in its friendly confines. It’s not uncommon for a new graduate’s first set of dishes to include half a dozen or more Turf mugs accumulated through the years.

Walking through its doors made us feel at ease every time, an oasis in a turbulent world. A lot of things have changed over the years, but coming back to the Turf never did.

The nostalgia inside its walls was our Fenway Park, our Wrigley Field. The bartenders and staff

SWANY SAYS

were masters of their craft and gave the Turf that feeling of familiarity and that feeling of home. My first trip to the Turf came in November 1990. I was eight years old. The Bison were playing Cal Poly at Dacotah Field in the NCAA Division II quarterfinals. Pa Swany brought my twin brother and myself there for lunch before the game. The Bison won 47-0. That year, NDSU won their eighth national championship.

Exactly 25 years later, in December 2015, after NDSU beat Northern Iowa in the NCAA FCS quarterfinals on the way to our 13th national championship, my brother, parents and our friends, along with their parents, gathered at the Turf to celebrate an epic 23-13 win over the Panthers. We pushed several tables together in the front side of the bar and man alive, did we have a great time. It was a memorable night that we still talk about, celebrating a huge football win along with our parents, creating an unforgettable life moment thanks in large part to the Turf. I hope to celebrate these same big life moments with my kids

when I become a parent, and I hope to celebrate them at the Turf.

Turf as just a place to get drink or a burger loses sight of its significance.

If social media is an indicator, your memories are filled with similar scenes and stories from the Turf.

As they say, if those walls could talk, the stories they could tell, the memories they could share. These are memories that neither time, nor any fire can destroy. The great Irish novelist and poet Oscar Wilde wrote, “Memory … is the diary that we all carry about with us.”

There are certain elements, certain themes that bind generations of Bison fans to each other, creating a shared experience that solidifies our bond.

There are certain parts of our own personal Bison stories that are the same. One of these was, and is, the Turf.

To view the Turf as just a bar is myopic.

To view the

For those of us that roamed North Dakota State’s classrooms, dormitories and buildings, the Turf was as big a part of our experience as Old Main, Dacotah Field, Fargodome, the Library or Stevens Auditorium (Gate City Bank Auditorium). It goes beyond the brick, wood and mortar of the building that housed the Turf.

While that building may have gone up in flames on July 22, 2016, what happened inside that building over the decades lives on and will carry over into the next building to house the Turf.

The phoenix will rise from the ashes. Even as the fire burned on consuming the structure, the Turf’s owner, Pete Sabo, told reporters, “Absolutely. I’ll rebuild.” For thousands of Bison fans, we hope so.

Get well soon, Turf, we can’t wait to see you again. We have plenty of new memories to make and life events to celebrate within your walls. Everyone up, and raise your glasses to the Bison Turf, the march is on!

*** 125

POP QUIZ

POPQUIZ

WITH NDSU ATHLETES

What musical artist would you most like to see perform at the Fargodome?

What was the last book you read for fun?

What is your spirit animal?

Why?

Dixie Chicks, hands down!

"Finding Faith in the Field" by Benjamin Duane Hylden

High school friends called me a baby lion because I was always energetic and moving around

Kenny Chesney

"Forgotten God" by Francis Chan

Probably a bear because they're always looking for food and so am I, and in their down time they're napping and I've mastered the art of napping

Taylor Swift (t-sweezy)

"Angels and Demons"

by Dan Brown

A panda... They get to lay and eat all day

Hippie Sabotage

"The Secret to Success"

by Eric Thomas

Panther because they are quiet and powerful

Trip Lee (Christian rapper) or Garth Brooks... again

"Rise" by Trip Lee. Everyone should read it!

Umm.. a horse not really sure why I just like horses

Hadley Steffen

Hadley Steffen is a senior outside hitter for the Bison from Grand Forks, N.D. She was the 2011 North Dakota Gatorade Player of the Year and has logged 79 matches through the first three years of her Bison career.

Volleyball

Chase Morlock

Football

Senior running back Chase Morlock skipped his redshirt season in 2013 to play meaningful snaps as the fourth-string running back.

The Moorhead native has seen his role expand year after year and finished last season with 10 touchdowns.

Genna Joyce

Senior defender Genna Joyce has logged 37 career starts for the Bison entering her final season. The Plymouth, Minn. native has dished out two assists in her career and has been an important member of the last line of defense.

Soccer

Eric Perkins

FOOTBALL

Senior wide receiver Eric Perkins was thrown into the fray his redshirt freshman year in 2013. Since then, he's found a role among the receiving corp and is the primary punt returner. He scored on a punt return against Montana in the playoffs last year.

Morgan Morgan

Morgan (Samec) Morgan got married this summer to Bison football player Grant Morgan.

The junior defensive specialist from New Hartford, Iowa has played in 73 matches in three years for the Bison.

VOLLEYBALL 126

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How do you stay cool during the hot summer days?

What’s your favorite thing to do at the lake?

Pool, lake, smoothies and popsicles

Going to the sandbar and tubing with friends

Lots of water and air conditioning, and hitting the lakes as often as I can.

My favorite thing to do at the lake is taking a pontoon ride around the edge of the lake as the sun sets with some friends while listening to country music.

I wish I could say the lake but honestly, it's inside the house with the A/C blasting

Just relaxing with good company

Swim at local pools

Go tubing

Eat ice cream!!

Hang out with my husband, family and friends! Playing yard games, paddle boarding and laying out is fun, too.