Bison Illustrated November 2016

BISON ILLUSTRATED NOVEMBER 2016

November 2016

THE

IS

!

E R HE

Matt Larsen introduces the final piece of the Division I puzzle: The Sanford Health Athletic Complex SCHEELS Center.

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Bison Hoops Nate Tanguay King Frazier

TABLE OF CONTENTS

FEATURE

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WELCOME HOME, BISON NATION North Dakota State University is ready to introduce the Sanford Health Athletic Complex to Bison Nation. We go behind the scenes inside the SHAC to show what makes this a first-class Division I facility, for not only the studentathletes but for the coaches and athletics staff.

82 BISON HOOPS The Bison men’s and women’s basketball teams gear up for another season. Read about what you should know heading into the 2016-17 season.

104 ACTION STAR IN THE TRENCHES WHAT’S INSIDE 32

Lobby

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Wrestling Wing

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SCHEELS Center

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Student Lounge

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Basketball Practice Facility

58

Academic Center

40

Locker Rooms

68

Darren Kruse

42

Weight Room

74

SHAC Timeline

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Fueling Station

78

Stadium Comparison

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Training Room

94

Brian Gordon

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Therapy Pools

98

Gold Star Marching Band

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Coaches Offices

110

King Frazier

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Administrative Offices

130

Swany Says

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B ISO N ILLUST R ATED • NOV EMBER 2 016

116 WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

FOLLOW US

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Junior defensive tackle Nate Tanguay is an enormous human with a large presence on the field. His personality off the gridiron is even bigger.

Former women’s volleyball player Angie (Converse) Grove returned to Fargo during homecoming week to be enshrined in the Bison Athletic Hall of Fame.

MEET THE

TEAM MIKE

BOUGIE

Meet Spotlight Media’s Other Magazines

ANDREW

Design & Living Magazine

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TRACY

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2016 People’s Choice Awards: The Results The people have spoken and the results are in. After three weeks of nominations and two weeks of voting, Design & Living reveals the results in 39 home industry categories. Meet the deserving winners and nominees of our second annual People’s Choice Awards.

Fargo INC! SARAH

LUCAS

JENNY

PAUL

HEATHER

NATE

RYLEE

LAURA

TANK

BRITTNEY

DEVIN

ETHAN

PAUL

SAM

BRADY

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Queue the Johnny Cash because Mickey Quinn’s been everywhere, man. The president and CEO of Fargo-based specialty retailer Vanity has spent time at five different companies in six different cities during her 30-plus-year retail career, and with her cross-country experience has come a unique understanding of what it takes to be a leader in a constantly changing industry.

Fargo Monthly You can’t complain about saving a little extra dough when you’re out to eat, right? This month, Fargo Monthly visited 30 bars and restaurants in Fargo-Moorhead to show you a number of quality dishes that you can get one heck of a deal on.

From lunch specials and half-priced appetizers to discounted pizzas, we discovered a wide variety of specials for every day of the week.

NOVEMBER 2016 | VOLUME 11 ISSUE 4 Bison Illustrated is a free publication distributed monthly (12 times a year). Our mission is to help promote North Dakota State University Athletics, provide a quality and fun reading experience and to improve the way of life in our community. The publication is mailed to homes across the US and has newsstand distribution throughout North Dakota and Minnesota.

PUBLISHER Spotlight Media PRESIDENT Mike Dragosavich ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Paul Bougie EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Andrew Jason EDITOR Joe Kerlin DESIGN/LAYOUT Ryan Koehler, Sarah Geiger, Brittney Richter CONTRIBUTORS Josh Swanson, Joe Kerlin, Paul Bougie, Ethan Mickelson COPY EDITORS Erica Rapp, Ethan Mickelson, Devin Joubert MARKETING/SALES Tracy Nicholson, Paul Hoefer, Paul Bougie, Tank McNamara, Jenny Johnson, Lucas Albers PHOTOGRAPHY J. Alan Paul Photography, Paul Flessland BUSINESS OPERATIONS Heather Hemingway MANAGER SPECIAL THANKS Ryan Perreault, Wes Offerman, Ryan Anderson, Jeff Schwartz, Colleen Heimstead, NDSU Athletics DELIVERY Mitch Rapp, Hal Ecker, Nolan Kaml

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. 15 Broadway N, Suite 500 Fargo ND, 58102 or info@spotlightmediafargo.com

EDITORIALS

EDITOR’S NOTE

Home

Is Where The SHAC Is FROM JOE KERLIN

joe@bisonillustrated.com

ene Taylor was gleaming. It was two weeks before Christmas, the temperature outside in Fargo was beginning its winter chill but the North Dakota State athletic director’s office was hot with excitement. News of the Bison Sports Arena renovation approval from the North Dakota legislature was circulating like a wildfire.

G

News that was literally a decade in the making had finally circled back to NDSU at the end of the 2013 calendar year. The Sanford Health Athletic Complex was on its way.

I had a chance to sit in Taylor’s office a couple days after the SHAC approval to have him help us hash out the 2014 January Bison Illustrated, which was about the new facility coming to NDSU. It was the most excited I’d ever seen him, as we sat in his cozy office at the round table that had been through thick and thin during the Division I transition. The entire staff had an extra bounce in their step. Taylor told me then this was the final step in the Division I transition and was going to bring NDSU up to speed.

His feelings haven’t change since, as

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bisonillustrated

Yes. It’s here. After two-plus years of construction, the Sanford Health Athletic Complex is complete. Bison Nation is coming home.

@bisonmag

@joebisonmag

he now goes to work in Iowa City, Iowa.

“We had so many great things that we were able to accomplish collectively,” Taylor said this past September from his office at the University of Iowa. “I think the building itself was so long coming and people looked at it and talked about it, and it took so long to get the financial position…but that, to me, is the final piece of the puzzle for the transition.”

Taylor spent 13 years as the director of athletics at North Dakota State and it’s impossible to mention any of the exciting developments at NDSU without Taylor’s name first. He would marvel at the facility now as the renovation is ready for public eyes.

Current AD Matt Larsen has kept the momentum going at NDSU with the implementation of costof-attendance and a football game

inside a Major League Baseball venue. But right now, he’s excited to welcome the Bison home at the SHAC.

SINCERELY,

Joe Kerlin

BOUGIE’S NOTE

Bison Family FROM PAUL BOUGIE

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

amily–to each and every one of us it has a different meaning. Most of us have traditional families with a mom, dad and maybe brothers and sisters. Then there are single parent homes, and some homes with two moms or two dads. The definition of family is always evolving.

F

We have heard the words from various people that NDSU has a Bison family. Now, for some, they do not realize that Bison family is a real thing, but there have been so many times I have witnessed what the Bison family is.

A few years ago, I saw the entire Festival Concert Hall filled with friends, coaches and some players for the service of Bill Silver. I was moved. More recently, I was at the prayer service for Paul Morlock, a church filled with family, friends and wonderful stories about Paul that included many parents who had kids growing up that had to answer the question, “Dad, what’s a pecker head?” Oh yes, there were a lot of stories, mostly

light-hearted, celebrating the life of Paul Morlock.

The day of the funeral, the church filled with friends, including the NDSU football team, coaches and administrators because one of the football players had lost his father, Chase Morlock. I, for the most part, kept it together having known Paul, Jean and Chase for 15-plus years.

At the end of the service, there is a marching order, acolytes, priests, family and a casket.

But not this time as a large part of the Morlock family got up, led by football head coach Chris Klieman and the players, they all hugged Jean, Chase and the family. That shows that group of men, the Bison football team, are just as much a part of the Morlock family as anyone else in that church.

So when you hear the phrase, Bison family. There is truly a bond that makes it a family without any kind of birth or marriage. So take a moment, each of you, to make a call, send a text, indulge in FaceTime, Tweet a direct message, Facebook, shoot an email to family or to whoever you consider your Bison family.

SINCERELY,

Paul Bougie

BISON SHOTS

BISON SHOTS Photos Submitted

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ison and Minnesota Vikings fans were in quite the pickle on Sunday, October 23.

The Vikings were riding high after a 5-0 start to the season and took their undefeated record into Philadelphia where former Bison quarterback Carson Wentz was looking to get back in the win column after two straight losses. Bison fans from across the country showed up to Lincoln Financial Stadium in droves to support their favorite player and team. Yellow Bison Wentz jerseys littered the stadium along with Bison Nation flags. Check out the photos these fans sent us.

DID WE MISS SOMETHING? Let us know and send us your pictures:

joe@bisonillustrated.com

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Gubernatorial candidate and friend of Carson Wentz Doug Burgum made it out to Philadelphia to watch the Eagles play the Minnesota Vikings.

Joel Honeyman bought tickets and a hotel room in Philadelphia for the Vikings game before the season started. Turns out, the hotel they were staying at was the same place the Eagles were the night before the game. Honeyman and his sons Jackson (left) and Grant (right) ran into Wentz for this awesome photo opportunity.

BISON SHOTS

Dallas Dockter and his family went to Philadelphia to show their support for Carson Wentz and proudly flashed their Bison Pride.

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SHAC WELCOME HOME, BISON NATION

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SHAC WELCOME HOME, BISON NATION

WELCOME Director of Athletics Matt Larsen hit his two-year anniversary at North Dakota State University this October. He can’t wait to throw a party and unwrap the scoreboard for you inside the Sanford Health Athletic Complex SCHEELS Center.

HOME

BISON NATION The new Sanford Health Athletic Complex - SCHEELS Center has arrived.

Written by Joe Kerlin Photos by Paul Flessland

D Photo by J. Alan Paul Photography

ecember 11, 2013, was a historic day for North Dakota State University.

On this day, the NDSU men’s basketball team became the second team in Summit League history to beat a program out of the Atlantic Coast Conference, when a 26-point performance from Marshall Bjorklund propelled the Herd to a 73-69 victory over Notre Dame. As you can imagine, the celebration inside the visitor’s locker room at Purcell Pavilion in South Bend, Indiana was pure pandemonium. But it was historic for another reason. Saul Phillips, then head coach of the Bison, had learned earlier that day the North Dakota legislature unanimously approved the renovation of the Bison Sports Arena. After years and years of waiting for something to happen while staring at blueprints of the final Division I step, former Director of Athletics Gene Taylor and former President Joe Chapman’s dream was finally realized. The Sanford Health Athletic Complex was about to become a reality. The basketball team was buzzing with excitement, too. Carlin Dupree, then a freshman, remembers it like it was yesterday. “It was something special,” said Dupree, now a senior, ready for his last season in a Bison uniform. The SHAC is opening this month marking the official end to the Division I transition. Men’s basketball, women’s basketball, wrestling, every other athletic program, and Bison Nation, welcome to your new home.

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SHAC ENTRANCE OF CHAMPIONS

ENTRANCE OF

CHAMPIONS The new south and north entrance will keep the Bison and fans warm.

Front Porch

T

here will be a pair of entrances for Bison fans on game day. The south entrance is connected to the parking lot and will see more traffic. For this, NDSU has decided to keep their main ticket office on the south end. There will be three offices behind the glass. Football tickets will continue to be sold at the Fargodome for the rest of the year. A small but important feature of the entrances will have that the Bison Sports Arena didn’t have is the double doors in the entrances. The double doors will allow heat to remain in the building. During the BSA days, the temperature in the arena would drop noticeably due to door traffic.

In the south lobby, the Bison Athletic Hall of Fame will be on display along with the five FCS National Championship trophies.

Advent, a design company out of Tennessee, will have Bison art pieces decorated along the bare walls.

fun fact Advent has sent over some of the branding NDSU will put on the walls inside the SHAC. This one of former Bison basketball player Ben Woodside will take Bison fans back to the time the senior hit the game-winning shot of the 2009 Summit League Tournament to send NDSU to its first NCAA Tournament.

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SHAC ENTRANCE OF CHAMPIONS

“NDSU’s success and our region’s vitality mean the success of Sanford – all boats rise together. Investing in academic institutions allows us to collaborate with other fine organizations that have the same goals of bettering our communities by looking to the future. Athletic venues provide an economic impact to area schools and the community.

The students who graduate from these local educational institutions go on to become active members of our community’s workforce. They become our future employees, and those who become part of our Sanford family are our future medical professionals and leaders.”

- Paul Richard, Sanford Fargo Executive Vice President

fun fact The main ticket box office will be to the right of the south entrance. The staff moves in later this month, but football sales will still be in the Fargodome.

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SHAC WELCOME TO MY HOUSE

“It is good for our brand to be associated with a first-class university. We are proud of our partnership with NDSU and SCHEELS.” - Steve Scheel, SCHEELS CEO

WELCOME TO MY The basketball and wrestling teams have a new stage to perform on.

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HOUSE

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Brand New Stage

I

f there was ever a crown jewel for a crown jewel, NDSU has found it with the SCHEELS Center inside the Sanford Health Athletic Complex. Over 5,700 Bison fans can pack in during game day in the comfort of the Herd’s new home.

The old wooden bleacher seating is a thing of the past, much like the Bison Sports Arena, as NDSU will roll out retractable folding seats with a comfortable cushion for fans to sit and lean back on. The concourse will wrap around threefourths of the arena from the southwest to northwest corners. There isn’t a bad view from there, either, even if you choose to gaze down upon the court from where the old banners in the BSA used to hang. The court is a couple feet lower, but brand new for the Bison to play basketball and wrestle on. There are additional practice courts to the east side and half a court on the north and south end. The retractable bleacher seats will allow the men’s and women’s teams to practice at the same time.

WHAT A TIME TO BE ASHAC BISONWELCOME EASTERNTO WASHINGTON MY HOUSE

fun fact Underneath the new retractable seats are two more basketball courts for the basketball teams to practice on when the Nodak Basketball Performance Center is in use.

fun fact The video display on the east and west side will measure 7 feet high by 18 feet wide. The end display on the north and south will be 7 feet high by 9 feet wide. The video displays will feature a 6-millimeter pixel pitch screen.

fun fact The court is actually two feet lower than the original court at the Bison Sports Arena.

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WELCOME TO MY HOUSE

COACH TAKES

SHAC WELCOME TO MY HOUSE

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“Everyone wants to talk about it from a recruiting standpoint and certainly we’re excited to show this to our recruits, our prospects and their family, but for me, our returning guys, to what they’ve been through the past couple of years, to be all under one roof. We’ve been lifting weights here, playing our games in South Fargo, practicing in one place, our coaches’ offices were in another, and for everything to be under one roof, for academics, to the fueling station, practice facility, arena, locker room, strength and conditioning area, it’s just really nice. It’s nice to have those guys come up during the day and hang out, visit a little bit, continue to build those relationships with our returning guys.

And then again, I think the exciting part comes here on November 2nd when we cut the ribbon and then on November 11, for us to showcase it to Bison Nation.”

– Dave Richman Men’s basketball coach

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“Everybody had a great attitude and really made the most of the situation, but having everything under one roof, as coach Richman alluded to, is so efficient for our student-athletes. We can tell they have more time to get in the gym when they’re not crisscrossing campus three different times to do different things. And I think that’s really the most important part. From a recruiting standpoint, it’s obviously helpful and it’s a great conversation piece. People do want to come up, check it out and see it. And that’s fantastic for the longevity of the program. But I’m really excited for the fans in Fargo and Bison Nation to be able to come and experience a first-class facility in a very similar location, so I think it’s an all-around fantastic addition for us in something that we understand that we are blessed to have and a lot of folks made this possible and our student-athletes are reminded every single day.”

– Maren Walseth Women’s basketball coach

SHAC A PLACE TO CALL THEIR OWN

A PLACE THEIR TO

CALL OWN

NDSU basketball programs no longer have to bounce around Fargo to get shots up.

FACILITY RACE

O

ne of the biggest commodities in today’s college athletics is practice space. For too long, Bison basketball teams that won Division II national championships and qualified for the “Big Dance” have been sharing practice space with other programs. The Nodak Mutual Basketball Performance Center is going to change all of that.

The facility, which is connected to the basketball locker rooms on the southwest end of the SHAC, is the most notable change from the old BSA.

It was the first phase of the renovation project that crews worked on and the first to be completed. This facility has three full-length basketball courts, one going east to west and two going north to south and is outfitted with six basketball hoops and two scoreboards.

There is a curtain in the ceiling, too.

This will allow the practice facility to be used by both men’s and women’s teams if the SCHEELS Center court is occupied. One of the unique features is the crow’s nest on the north end.

This perch is used to film practices and is only steps away from the coaches’ offices.

fun fact With the way players’ class schedules worked, there won’t be any crossover for men’s and women’s basketball practice this semester. There is a curtain divider down the middle of the court if both practices need to run at the same time.

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“It’s been really nice for women’s basketball because they spent most of their time at the BBF (Bentson Bunker Fieldhouse) last year. They’ve been here now for three months and it’s a huge benefit for them.

Everything is full go, everything is operational from the sound system to the scoreboard to all the lighting so it’s good to go.” - Matt Larsen, director of athletics

SHAC A PLACE TO CALL THEIR OWN

“Nodak Mutual Insurance Company has a longstanding tradition of providing outstanding products and services to the people of North Dakota. NDSU also has a long-standing tradition of excellence in both academics and athletics.

When the opportunity was presented to us to become a partner with NDSU in the construction of the Nodak Mutual Basketball Performance Center, we were excited to be part of something that will be around for the students and athletics to enjoy for many more years.”

- Jim Alexander, Nodak Mutual Insurance CEO

fast facts • The Nodak Mutual Basketball Performance Center was the first completed portion of the renovation, hosting its first men’s basketball practice on November 12, 2015.

• This practice facility has three full-length basketball courts with six baskets.

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SHAC NORTHERN COMFORT

NORTHERN

COMFORT New locker rooms introduce a welcoming space for student-athletes. housing CHAMPIONS

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he locker rooms are located on the first floor near where they once stood at the Bison Sports Arena. There are seven team locker rooms. Baseball, softball, men’s and women’s track and soccer have locker stalls, individual showers, and a lounge. The men’s and women’s golf teams have a locker room too, but no lounge area. The lounge area consists of a couple NDSU branded coaches and a television. There is also seating along the desk attached to the wall. Lest we forget, the most important feature in the new locker rooms is the auxiliary cord (sorry iPhone 7 users) that will allow teams to play whatever they want through the speakers in the locker room.

There are also four locker rooms for opposing teams. They are located farther north down the hall so teams can access the SCHEELS Center from the northwest corner of the gymnasium.

fast facts • Baseball, softball, men’s and women’s track and field and soccer will have locker room setups like photos shown here.

Golf will be down the hall and won’t have a lounge.

• Each locker room will have a speaker system and an aux cord for student-athletes to play their pregame playlists before competitions.

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“Each locker room has their own lounge space, we’ve gotten them some furniture and a TV up on the wall. ...

Everyone has an iPod jack in it, individual speaker system.

So they can utilize it and do all their stuff right there.”

- Matt Larsen

SHAC NORTHERN COMFORT

fast fact Each locker room comes with individual showers, tall lockers with a lock pad to secure valuables and a lounge area for student-athletes to hang out in between practices.

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SHAC WHERE CHAMPIONSHIPS ARE BUILT

fun fact NDSU budgeted $180,000 for the weight room and training area.

WHERE CHAMPIONSHIPS ARE

BUILT

The new weight room will allow more student-athletes to get their pump on during workouts.

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All About Efficiency

I

t’s all about the design. That was Strength and Conditioning Coordinator Jim Kramer’s number one concern when NDSU Athletics allowed him to design the weight room of his dreams. The weight room is a part of the west addition of the SHAC. It’s on the first floor and tucked far enough away in the building where it doesn’t distract the administrative offices like it did in the BSA. The turf and lifting areas are divided by a wall that allows for plenty of room for multiple sports programs to exercise at once. It also helps efficiency, so student-athletes aren’t waiting around for a lift or space to stretch. The turf area extends 60 yards and is made from a sponge-like material that is softer than the surface at the Fargodome. NDSU purchased 26 weight racks a couple years ago from Power Lift. They are the only pieces of old weight equipment in the new space. The dumbbells and other machines are brand new. The SHAC provided the area for Kramer’s dream weight room, but as he would say, it’s time to get back to work.

SHAC WHERE CHAMPIONSHIPS ARE BUILT

fast facts • There are no platforms next to the 26 weight racks, which will provide a safer training area. They’re built in-ground and made to last long, but they can be replaced fairly easily.

• Besides the weight racks, every other piece of equipment in the SHAC weight room is brand new and branded toward NDSU specifically.

“Basically Jim (Kramer) and Jason (Miller) came up with a layout plan and we incorporated everything except the platform because now it’s a part of the floor, with nicer look. A lot of places have the platforms that sit on top, so we just decided to have it in the ground. And it’s also something you won’t trip over.

It’s designed to last a while but the good thing is if it starts to wear, you can cut them out and put new ones in.”

- Todd Phelps, deputy director of athletics 43

SHAC FUELING THE ELITE DIVISION I ATHLETE

FUELING

THE

ELITE

DIVISION I ATHLETE NDSU’s state-of-the-art fueling station will enhance the returns from a hard workout.

FUELING CHAMPIONS

T

he Gate City Bank fueling station will be one of the last things finished inside the SHAC. In the meantime, student-athletes will take food and beverages from the lobby area of the weight room. Fresh produce is always stocked, along with fixings for sandwiches and sports and recovery drinks. Eventually, the fueling station will have all the appliances needed to prepare pre and post workout food. It’s Matt Larsen’s goal to hire a full-time nutritionist to run the fueling station and educate student-athletes on what they should or shouldn’t put into their bodies. The nutritionist will have an office connected to the fueling station and will be responsible for stocking the kitchen.

Right now, various assistant coaches are responsible for keeping the fueling station running smoothly. Now, I know what you’re thinking: how can NDSU afford a separate cafeteria and is it allowed under NCAA rules?

Yes, the NCAA passed a rule a couple years ago to provide additional “snacks” for student-athletes. Coca-Cola won the bid to hydrate the SHAC, so they will provide beverages while the food comes from the advantageous trade deals NDSU has with various providers in the Fargo area.

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SHAC FUELING THE ELITE DIVISION I ATHLETE

“Now we’re allowed to not only just provide a meal plan, we can provide unlimited meals. ... Yogurt, banana, string cheese, whatever it is.

At our level, there aren’t a lot of FCS programs that have this nice of a fueling station. It’s nice.”

- Matt Larsen

fast facts • The fueling station wasn’t in the original plans for the SHAC. After the renovation began, Larsen and the strength and conditioning staff decided to make it happen.

• Coca-Cola won the bid for the beverages provided inside the SHAC. That means athletes will be using Powerade to rehydrate and get their electrolytes.

fun fact The fueling station isn’t complete yet, but Gate City Bank has sponsored the area for the mini cafeteria inside the SHAC.

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SHAC TREATING THE HERD

“It’s huge. We’ve always had ice baths, but we’ve never had three hydro tubs like we have, then you add the two almost exact replica doctor exam rooms like they have at Sanford, plus the full x-ray machine. It’s something that we, as sports medicine, you dream of having all this in one setting.”

- Scott Woken, associate director of athletics, internal operations

fun fact NDSU has four full-time trainers monitoring student-athletes in the therapy pool and treatment area. They also have a handful of graduate assistants.

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SHAC TREATING THE HERD

TREATING THE HERD The trainers’ room will be more expansive than ever to accommodate Bison athletes IN-HOUSE TREATMENT

T

he training area inside the SHAC will conveniently be located on the first floor, just west of the student lounge and north of the weight room.

The training area is split into four sections. The first is the general rehab area where Kinesio balls and other therapeutic equipment are located. Just over a short wall is a set of 10 training tables where student-athletes can be examined, massaged or rehabbed. In the corner of that room are three rooms, two are used as doctor examination rooms and one X-ray room. Sanford will operate the machine for NDSU on Mondays and Wednesdays. The radiologist running the machine will come to the SHAC twice a week for the first couple of months until NDSU finds what works best.

X-ray machines aren’t cheap, but the cost will help save time for injured student-athletes looking to get back on the field. The east wall is filled with five offices for the four full-time trainers and one office for the graduate assistants.

fun fact • NDSU will have its own X-ray machine in the training room. Sanford owns and operates it, and they will have a radiologist working the machine on Mondays and Wednesdays.

• There are 10 treatment tables, two examination rooms and five trainer offices in the athletic training area.

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SHAC NEW AGED RECOVERY SYSTEM

“Anytime you do anything in water, you really lessen the amount of weight that you’re putting on your joints.

Anytime you can walk, run, jog, tread water, you are working the muscles just as hard, and you’re getting correct mechanics, but you’re not putting the stress on the injured joint.”

- Scott Woken

NEWAGE

RECOVERY T

NO DIVING

SYSTEM NDSU’s new therapy pools will bring the training staff to new heights.

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he therapy pools, located in between the trainers’ room and the weight room, are the biggest examples of how far NDSU has come in Division I athletics. Gone are the days of silver bucket ice baths.

Now, NDSU has three separate pools that each serve an important purpose for NDSU studentathletes. The far north pool is the cold tub. It stays at 46 degrees from top to bottom and the jets allow the water to circulate around the student-athlete. The hot pool is a little smaller and works in a similar way.

The water temperature remains around 104 degrees.

The biggest advancement is the underwater treadmill on the east side of the room. There, student-athletes and trainers can rehabilitate injuries and exercise with resistance on muscles and joints. For example, if you’re running with the water level chest high, you’re only putting 30 percent of your body weight on your feet while running. There’s also a deep pool next to the treadmill for student-athletes to tread in before getting on the treadmill.

SHAC NEW AGED RECOVERY SYSTEM

fun fact • The cold pool stays at 46 degrees. The hot pool remains at 104 degrees. • Student-athletes will do intervals in the cold and hot pool. For example, these athletes spent 10 minutes in the cold pool, 10 minutes in the hot pool and then ended with 10 more minutes in the cold pool to help them recover.

fun fact There are two cameras in the exercise pool watching the student-athlete on the underwater treadmill. One angle is straight on and the other is filming from the side for the trainer to take notes.

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SHAC ONE BIG BISON FAMILY

ONE

BIG

BISON FAMILY Finally, most of the Bison programs are together with plenty of space to accommodate.

TOGETHER AGAIN

T

he NDSU coaches moved back into the SHAC at the end of July. Every head coach, with the exception of the football and volleyball coaches will be housed in the newly renovated facility. The offices are on the second floor in the west wing of the facility, above the weight room. Coaches line the far west with windows peering out over Dacotah Field.

From south to the north the offices will begin with Dave 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. There are also two boardrooms for coaches to have meetings with their staffs or student-athletes.

fast fact There’s three main conference room in the offices at the SHAC. Two on the administrative end and one where the coaches are, but, each basketball program has a mini war room on each end of the office.

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“I think the biggest thing is, too, is everybody having their own space. In the BSA that wasn’t the case, you had multiple people grouped up in one workspace, to have their own workspace now and the ability to meet with student-athletes, meeting people as they come in, it’s just a better setup all the way.”

– Matt Larsen

SHAC ONE BIG BISON FAMILY

fast fact Every Bison program except for football and volleyball will be housed in the SHAC.

fun fact The break room/kitchen area leads to the deck that overlooks the Nodak Mutual Basketball Performance Center.

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SHAC UNDER ONE ROOF

UNDER ONE

I ROOF

NDSU’s productivity is higher than ever with everyone back in the same building.

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PERMANENT HOME

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t was a long two years for the administrative staff at NDSU Athletics while they went to work every day somewhere other than on campus. In fact, they were nearly three miles away from any facility, classroom or student-athlete. All that changed July 25 when the administrative office phase of renovation was completed. It’s been over two months and only minor details remain from the administrative staff having everything they need from an office. The administrative offices are located above the main entrance on the second floor, extending to the west. The admin offices will be on the left when entering the office wing of the Sanford Health Athletic Complex. Just around the corner is the main boardroom where administrative meetings are held with the whole staff. Further down the hallway are the admin offices. Director of Athletics Matt Larsen’s office will be on the southwest corner. His office and many others have tables for in-office meetings.

SHAC UNDER ONE ROOF • The administrative staff moved into their new offices July 25.

• Director of Athletic Matt Larsen has his own bathroom in his office.

fast facts

• If you’re looking at the SHAC entrance from the south, the administrative offices are the on second floor behind the glass. Larsen’s is the farthest on the left.

“This has been great. I mean, now having everyone under one roof is much more functional for coaches and for all of our staff.

Instead of driving in your car to get across town to a meeting to see somebody elses now everybody is here under one roof. So that’s been nice, and really, now you have access to student-athletes and being on campus and the vibe of being on campus. We’ve been here now for just about two months and it’s a lot more efficient with a better setup and better access to people.”

– Matt Larsen

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SHAC PINNING DOWN A NEW UPGRADE

PINNING

DOWN A

NEW

UPGRADE NDSU wrestling returns to campus and will have their own wing.

Wrestling Hideaway

M

uch like the Bison Sports Arena, the wrestling room is tucked away in the far northwest corner on of the Sanford Health Athletic Complex. The practice mat is joined in the room by a cardio and light lifting area. Across the hall is the wrestling team’s locker room, secluded from the rest of the locker rooms on the first floor next to the student lounge. The wrestling locker room is bigger than the facilities on the first floor and the space will have a cozy lounge where the couches and desks will sit. The wrestling practice area is about the same size as it was in the BSA and a few feet wider than it was in the temporary home off 19th Avenue. The new wrestling room will be much brighter and air circulation will improve tenfold with ceiling fans hanging from the rafters. The Wall of Champions isn’t finished yet, but the far west wall will honor past champions and AllAmericans throughout Bison wrestling history.

fast fact The wrestling room was ready for the team to move in on October 21. Bison wrestling will host the first official event inside the SCHEELS Center on November 6.

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SHAC PINNING DOWN A NEW UPGRADE

fast fact With the weight room located downstairs, the wrestling team recycled some of the old equipment into their cardio space so they can condition without leaving the practice area.

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SHAC STUDENT-ATHLETE HANG OUT

STUDENT-

ATHLETE

HANG OUT The student lounge will be at the center of all that’s happening at NDSU Athletics.

CENTRALIZED

T

he best place for student-athletes to kick their feet up and relax is the new student lounge. This area will have an atrium-like high ceiling that spans two floors. Along the zigzagging carpet is an array of seating for studentathletes to enjoy before and after workouts.

The lounge is the central hub for studentathletes across most sports. On the east end of the room are seven team locker rooms, to the southwest is the weight room, to the west is the trainer’s room and up the staircase is the academic center. Traffic hasn’t been quite as high with the locker rooms still taking shape, but just under a hundred athletes can fit in the lounge at one time. TVs will hang from the wall for student-athletes to watch their favorite shows and converse in Bison Pride with other NDSU Athletic programs.

fast fact Most of the foundation that the student lounge sits on is where the old pool was in the Bison Sports Arena. The atrium style look in the lounge give this area a unique feel compared to everywhere else in the building.

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“It’s been good early returns, it’s been nice to have the staff over here, it’s interesting though, because the building isn’t’ fully open yet. They’re not seeing the traffic that I think, when the building is open and the locker rooms are being utilized, then you’ll start to see more regular traffic and those things.”

– Matt Larsen

fast fact • The student lounge will separate the locker rooms from the weight room and training room. • The student-athlete lounge will have several couches, love seats and televisions for Bison athletes to relax in between workouts and study halls.

SHAC HITTING THE BOOKS

HITTING

THE BOOKS New study areas will allow student-athletes to focus on their education without leaving the building.

Cram Session

T

he academic center is one of the new features the SHAC will provide that the Bison Sports Arena did not. The BSA had a study area, but it was more makeshift than anything. In fact, most colleges do it this way, but not NDSU, with the introduction of the Academic Center that sits on the west side of the building on the second floor looking over Dacotah Field.

The academic center provides various types of styles for every kind of learner. If athletes prefer a dark space to study, there’s a room for them that’s dimly lit by several lamps.

If they like to stand up or exercise while reading, there’s a kinesthetic room. There’s also a computer cluster if the student-athlete doesn’t have a laptop. ACE tutoring will still take place in the West Dining Center, but NDSU has three of its full-time academic counselors housed in the academic center if any questions come up regarding eligibility, graduation progress or class scheduling.

fast fact The kinesthetic study space will allow student-athletes to study in a variety of different ways. They can walk and read on the treadmill or keep their core working while sitting on a kinesio ball.

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“We’re here with the athletes so it’s easier for them to come see us. They don’t have to trek across campus. That’s an advantage; it’s easier for us to find them. It’s also easier for the coaches to find all of us.”

– Kelli Layman, associate director of athletic academics

SHAC HITTING THE BOOKS

fast fact • The academic center has six offices for its four full-time staff members and four graduate assistants. There are nine study rooms, including the computer cluster that has 12 computers and a printer. • The academic center is open to the general student population and can hold up to 50 students at a time. The academic center is open 7:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fridays.

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SHAC GETTING AROUND THE SHAC

GETTING AROUND

THE

SHAC

The two-floor concourse will make getting around the new arena easier than ever.

TAKE A WALK

T

he concourse will allow fans to maneuver freely inside the SHAC without being in the way of the action. The first and second level concourse wraps around from the southwest end of the arena through the east end, ending at the northeast wing of the facility.

Concession stands and vendors will be scattered along the inside wall on the first floor and outside wall on the second. There will be an elevator in the southeast corner for fans to use on game days. There are two main stairways on the southwest and northwest corners of the arena.

fast fact • There are four restrooms on the second floor along the concourse and four downstairs. The family restroom is located in the southeast corner. There is also an additional men’s and women’s restroom in the lobby.

• NDSU Campus Dining purchased most of the vendor areas along the concourse in the SCHEELS Center.

• There are three built-in concession stands along the first-floor concourse.

There will also be vendors located on the second-floor concourse, including the NDSU Bookstore.

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SHAC EQUIPPING THE NEW GENERATION ATHLETES

EQUIPPING

THE

NEW

GENERATION OF

ATHLETES

The new equipment room is bigger and more efficient for staff and athletes alike.

All About Efficiency

N

DSU Athletics equipment staff got their opportunity to move into the newly renovated SHAC on October 24. Although the new space won’t be fully operational for another month, enough is done where the majority of the laundry and equipment services can be handled just down the hallway from the student-athletes’ locker rooms. Located in the far northwest corner on the first floor, the equipment room is in the same general area but now has extra space for storage. The staff will have additional dryers and washers, and a new feature called the locker wall. These lockers are given to every student-athlete housed in the SHAC and will be used to pick up clean gear for the day’s workout or practice. Over the next few weeks, the equipment staff will begin hauling most of their equipment from the Bentson Bunker Fieldhouse to the SHAC where it will remain for the time being.

fast fact • There are 264 green individual lockers where student-athletes will pick up whatever they need for the day at practice.

• The BSA only had three washers and two dryers. The SHAC will have five washers and dryers located across from each other to improve laundry efficiency.

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SHAC GROUND CONTROL TO MAJOR TOM

GROUND CONTROL TO MAJOR

TOM

The brand new control room will boost the Bison game day experience.

TriCaster 8000

T

he TriCaster 8000 sounds like something NASA would launch into space. But the only thing this piece of equipment will be launching into the stratosphere is the NDSU fan experience. The Tricaster will allow Ryan Nelson, the multimedia coordinator, to handle everything that’s being sent to the video board such as different camera feeds, graphics and video packages. The whole video board system costs over $200,000 to outfit, including the cables that run back and forth from the control room to video boards and scorers table that sit across the arena. Nelson’s goal is to make the fan experience at a Bison basketball game or wrestling match like a football game at the Fargodome. What the new control room and its technology will allow NDSU to do is focus on the video board production and fan engagement while MidCo handles the broadcast feed with their producers.

fast fact • The NDSU Athletics multimedia department went through eight days of training to learn the new video system. Three days with the graphics program, a day with the engineers, a day with the manufacturer and three days with Daktronics.

• The video control crew will run 10 deep. Four camera operators out in the arena and a crew in the control room making sure the video is running smoothly.

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SHAC GROUND CONTROL TO MAJOR TOM

“With our games on TV through MidCo, we have the ability to focus solely on being a fan engagement type of production.

We can completely dedicate what we do to what is on the video board, to make that fan experience even better versus finding that happy medium between producing a web stream and producing a video board production.”

– Ryan Nelson, multimedia coordinator

fast fact The scoreboard wasn’t in the original renovation plans. Matt Larsen added it to the agenda once he came in and secured a new center-hanging video board on June 2, 2016.

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KRUSING THROUGH THE SHAC RENOVATION

Krusing THROUGH THE

SHAC RENOVATION Go inside the SHAC renovation with the man that was in charge of it all, Darren Kruse Interview by Joe Kerlin Photos by Tiffany Swanson and Andrew Jason

D

arren Kruse is a project manager at Gast Construction and he was chosen to oversee the Sanford Health Athletic Complex and SCHEELS Center renovation. Every day since Gast won the contracting bid in 2013, Kruse has worked closely with site superintendent Don Berhagen by his side. We’ve followed the progress of the SHAC closely through Kruse’s eyes over the years so we caught up with him one final time to give us the lowdown on how this $50 million renovation was possible.

NOTE: This interview took place on October 17 and has been condensed for print.

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Darren Kruse

Don Bernhagen

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KRUSING THROUGH THE SHAC RENOVATION

The Interview

BISON ILLUSTRATED: Overall, how would you say the renovation went?

DARREN KRUSE: From our side, it went long, but it’s been a long process. We’re going to finish right when we said we were going to.

It’s been a complex project because we’re taking a very old building, gutting the whole thing almost and building an all new inside and additions on all four sides. We have some new construction and some old construction renovation. Renovations always seem to take longer than new construction because not only do you have to deconstruct, then you have to construct afterward.

what was going to be required to hold up all those new foundations because that pool was so old and it leaked for so many years. Once we demolished the pool itself, until that time, they weren’t able to go in and test the soils. It was a bit of a process and we had to punch some holes in some walls to get their rig in there to do borings. We ended up having to put helical piers in there. I don’t know how many they put down in there, maybe 20, 25 of them and they had to drive a big track hole in there and screw those things into the ground basically. That was a unique experience and I don’t know

Have you done anything like this in the past?

Not me personally, but Gast has done pretty large renovations before.

One example would be, not quite to the scale of the SHAC, but we did a large renovation and additions at Concordia College at their Offutt School of Business. We’ve also done some large renovations at MSUM. What was an example of those unseen delays that happen during the renovation?

The pool was a bit of a delay. I don’t think the design team exactly knew 70

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if anything could be attributed to one person. It was just an unseen condition that no one really knew about until we got to that actual point of the demo, but we were able to find, collectively with the design team, a solution and got it installed and kept moving on.

The locker rooms are in the same general area. Did you keep some of the piping down there?

No, the old locker rooms and all that were demolished and knocked down.

Every bit of concrete slab on the ground was torn up and replaced. It was all pretty well gutted. About the

The old Bison Sports Arena pool had been leaking for years.

This caused a bit of a delay when digging up the old foundation and laying a new surface.

KRUSING THROUGH THE SHAC RENOVATION

The blueprints were on display for everybody to read throughout the process. Trying to read them was basically like looking at a book in a foreign language.

only things that stayed were parts of the second floor and that existing stadium seating, below the old press box. That’s really the only thing that stayed.

What’s left to be done now that we’re less than two weeks from opening this bad boy up?

We’re finishing up some carpet and the Terrazzo flooring in the entrances. There’s some paint and things like that but that’s really about it. We’re doing some display cases down the corridor 1020, it’s down by the basketball locker rooms. It’s really kind of the finishing touches.

What’s it been like to work with Matt Larsen and Todd Phelps on this project?

Matt and Todd have been great, NDSU overall has been really good.

There are times where we get through some difficult situations but it’s a difficult project so it takes a lot of people to all be on the same page to make it work. Overall, I mean it’s been really good. It’s a really good project for us to have on our resume and for me to have on my resume as a project manager. I can look back in 20, 30 years from now and it’s still there and being used.

winding down, we’re at four to eight finishing up. I think we’re down to four. We have a lot of subcontractors working under our contract too. So maybe at the peak of construction, there were easily 100 workers inside the building at any one time. That’s mechanical, plumbing, electrical, general contracting and our subs.

When did this process start for you?

We bid this project in September of 2013, and then we started doing some planning with initial planning and scheduling talks with the architect and owner back in October and November of 2013. It’s getting close to three years of having my fingers in the project.

How many guys have you been rolling out there overall?

As the general contractor, the most we had was 12 or 14, now we’ve been 72

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Thanks for all your help Darren. It’s been fun to watch this renovation unfold over the last two and a half years.

I can’t emphasize enough how much teamwork is a part of the process.

I know when you and I talk, you can’t talk to everybody to get the information, but that’s one of my big mantras is working as a team.

We couldn’t do what we’ve done with this project if it wasn’t for Don Bernhagen, my superintendent.

He’s the one on site every day and handling all the day-to-day problems and he and I talk multiple times. I always tell him, he and I are a team on this. Overall, we had a really good group of contractors out there.

* * *

SHAC TIMELINE

SCHEELS Center

SHAC TIMELINE Written by Joe Kerlin Photos by Paul Flessland

A

fter 31 months and countless mini-milestones at the renovation site, the Sanford Health Athletic Complex is finally complete. The last step in NDSU’s transition to Division I is finished, and we were there every step of the way to document the progress the construction crews were making on a monthly basis.

TIMELINE

A new concourse was built inside the SHAC that runs along the south, east and north side of the building.

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December 2013

April 2014

May 2015

The North Dakota legislature put its final approval on the renovation.

The renovation begins at the site of the old Bison Sports Arena with the addition on the southwest end and inside.

The old basketball arena concrete is excavated. The concrete for the first phase of the project, the weight room and practice facility, was finished.

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SHAC TIMELINE

Nodak Mutual Basketball Performance Center

East Addition

October 2015

November 12, 2015

December 2015

The Nodak Mutual Basketball Performance Center is completed.

The NDSU men’s and women’s basketball teams have their first practice in the SHAC. Their locker rooms are also finished.

The east addition is enclosed entirely with glass as work inside continues into its second winter.

Continued...

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SHAC TIMELINE

The therapy pools are actually located where the old Bison Sports Arena pool was. Old tile from the pool can still be found in the basement.

Weight Room Therapy Pools

January 2016

May 2016

June 2016

The rest of the new concrete inside the SHAC is poured.

The SCHEELS Center’s surface was the final phase for finished flooring.

The seating inside the SCHEELS Center begins its installation.

The weight room is completed and the strength and conditioning department move into their new home.

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SHAC TIMELINE

South End

The original administrative offices were on the first floor at the Bison Sports Arena. Now they are located on the second floor, above the south entrance

South Entrance

July 2016

August 2016

November 2, 2016

The second-floor administration and coaches offices wing is complete and NDSU Athletics staff moves back into the building after two years.

The basketball court begins the installation process. Three weeks later, the main court and three practice courts were finished.

Second-year Director of Athletics Matt Larsen cuts the ribbon signifying the SHAC is officially open for business.

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SHAC STADIUM COMPARISON

SHAC Stadium Comparison

FACILITIES SCHOOL LOCATION ON-CAMPUS BUILT Sanford Health Athletic Complex

Frost Arena

FARGO

BROOKINGS, S.D.

COST

2016

$50 MILLION

1973

$3.37 MILLION

YES

2016

$66 MILLION

YES YES

Sanford Coyote Sports Center

VERMILLION, S.D.

Baxter Arena

OMAHA, NEB.

YES

2015

$81.6 MILLION

Magness Arena

DENVER, COLO.

YES

1999

$75 MILLION

Hilliard Gates Sports Center

FORT WAYNE, IND.

YES

1981

N/A

Indiana Farmers Coliseum

INDIANAPOLIS, IND.

NO

1939

$63 MILLION

($19.6 million in 2016)

*Renovation

Mabee Center

Western Hall

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TULSA, OKLA.

YES

1972

MACOMB, ILL.

YES

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$11 MILLION

($80-$100 million in 2016)

N/A

SHAC STADIUM COMPARISON

T

FYI

he Sanford Health Athletic Complex will do more than make fans happy, it will also surge NDSU near the front of the facility race among other college basketball programs. Here’s where the SHAC will stand compared to the other eight schools in the Summit League.

BOWL CAPACITY SEATING 5,700

YES

The need for both a practice facility and game arena is growing among Division I basketball programs.

PRACTICE FACILITY YES

100% PRIVATELY FUNDED:

YES

6,500

NO

NO

YES

6,000

YES

YES

NO

7,500

YES

NO

NO

did you know?

The original Bison Sports Arena was built at an initial cost of $3.1 million in 1970 and included $1.75 million in stateappropriated funds.

Today, the BSA would’ve cost $19.1 to build in 2015.

did you know?

7,200

YES

NO

NO

2,300

NO

YES

N/A

6,800

NO

NO

NO

11,300

YES

NO

NO

5,139

NO

NO

N/A

Sanford dished South Dakota $20 million for their new facility.

did you know?

Indiana Farmers Coliseum, the home of IUPUI basketball, was built as part of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal through the Works Progress Administration.

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MENS BASKETBALL KEEPING THE BALL ROLLING

Paul Miller

Guard Junior Waukesha, Wis. 2015-16 25 Starts 15.3 Points/Game 4.8 Rebounds/Game 41.1 Three-point percentage

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Keeping the Ball

Rolling

By Joe Kerlin Photos By J. Alan Paul Photography

D

ave Richman and the men’s basketball team are coming off their fourthstraight appearance in the Summit League Tournament championship. Most of the team is back and Richman has the men ready for another push to the top of the Summit.

Dave Richman

Third year as head coach 15th year at NDSU Most wins by a first-year head coach in NDSU history (23, 2015-16) 2015 Summit League Coach of the Year 43 wins over his first two seasons as head coach Been on coaching staff for four consecutive Summit League Championship game appearances

MENS BASKETBALL KEEPING THE BALL ROLLING

Nonconference Slate The men’s basketball team will play 13 nonconference games this season with five coming at the new home for Bison basketball, the Sanford Health Athletic Complex and SCHEELS Center. They will open this season against Arkansas State, a Sun Belt conference opponent who the Bison beat on Paul Miller’s buzzer beater last season. They will head to North Carolina in mid-November to play in the High Point Tournament before clashing with their most predominant team on their schedule.

“We’re going to face one of the best teams in the country in Xavier later in November and then turn around right before Christmas and go play an Arkansas team that can make you look bad in a hurry,” head coach Dave Richman said.

Xavier was picked to finish second in the Big East this season. The last high-major team NDSU defeated was Oklahoma in the 2014 NCAA Tournament. The Bison lost to Illinois by six points and by 20 against Iowa State last year.

“Those games always highlight (the schedule) and those games are fun and the venues are great,” Richman said. “As we continue to build, there’s an expectation within our program that those are games that we want to compete and be successful in. Those are our standards and expectations.”

10 Facts About the Men’s Basketball Team

1.

The Bison have lost two home games over the past three seasons.

2.

3.

The Bison return six of its top seven scorers from last year.

The Bison won eight of its last nine Summit League tournament games.

4.

The Bison will introduce two new assistant coaches this year: Kyan Brown and Will Veasley

Continued...

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Carlin Dupree Guard Senior Milwaukee, Wis. 2015-16 17 Starts 8.2 Point/game 40 Steals 45.7 Field-goal percentage

MENS BASKETBALL KEEPING THE BALL ROLLING

Returning a Loaded Roster The Bison return six of its top seven scorers from last season. Paul Miller led the way in scoring last year with A.J. Jacobson close behind him.

Jacobson played all 33 games last year, but has been dealing with a torn ligament in his hand this preseason and his status is unknown for the season-opener November 11.

“(Injuries) have limited us and some certain things we can do in practice, but I think, in the grand scheme of things, to get some guys some experience and some reps with the top group will be great,” Richman said.

The Bison will have two seniors in Carlin Dupree and Dexter Werner this year. Bismarck, N.D. native Werner averaged a career-high 22 minutes last season, played in every game, and led the Bison in rebounds and block shots.

Dupree returns for his senior season after a brief stint away from the Bison last winter. As a junior, Dupree led the team in steals in only 27 games. Dupree will be joined at the point guard position by sophomore Khy Kabellis.

Richman said he’s expecting Kabellis and Dylan Miller to pick up where they left off after their successful freshmen season. * * *

5.

Veasley started in the 2010 National Championship game for Butler when they lost to Duke.

6.

The Summit League finished with the highest RPI ever in 2015-16.

7.

The Summit Leagues RPI ranked 11th in the nation. That was higher than the Missouri Valley and Mountain West Conference.

8.

A record amount of men’s basketball season tickets were sold this year.

9.

A minimum of 21 men’s basketball games can be watched on TV or the WatchESPN app.

10.

NDSU ranked 23rd in the country last year for the fewest turnovers per game (10.5).

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Dexter Werner Forward Senior Bismarck, N.D. 2015-16 33 Games 8.4 Points/Game 6.7 Rebounds/Game 49.8 Field-goal percentage

WOMENS BASKETBALL KEEPING THE BALL ROLLING

Taylor Thunstedt Guard Junior Spicer, Minn.

2015-16 29 Starts 17 Points/Game 39.3 Three-point Percentage 3.14 Assists/Game

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Back on the Radar

By Joe Kerlin Photo By J. Alan Paul Photography

T

he women’s basketball team failed to qualify for the Summit League Tournament last season, but head coach Maren Walseth said that won’t deter her squad this winter. The Bison are ready to make their comeback.

Maren Walseth

Third-year as head coach Third-year at NDSU 2014-15 team finished sixth in the Summit League, the highest since 2011-12 Beat the Jackrabbits for the first time since 2010-11 and the first time at home since 2004-05 Coached three different All-Summit League student-athletes in two seasons

WOMENS BASKETBALL KEEPING THE BALL ROLLING

Insulted With the return of Oral Roberts to the Summit League two years ago, only the top eight of the nine teams in the conference qualify for the end of the year tournament. During Maren Walseth’s first year at NDSU, the Bison finished sixth and comfortably made the league tournament with a 7-9 conference record. Last year, the Bison were less fortunate. They only won two league games and stayed in Fargo during the Summit League tournament in Sioux Falls, S.D. “It was an insult to not be a part of the Summit League tournament last year,” Walseth said. “They took that very personally and so that’s part of the motivation and part of the driving force, but also, I hold them to a high standard in doing the very best we can in situations that we are in. They have soaked that up.”

The Bison will be put to the test early in the nonconference portion of the schedule. They will play the Atlantic 10’s UMass followed by Big East’s Providence to start the road schedule. They will play their second home game of the season with Pac-12 opponent Colorado coming to the Sanford Health Athletic Complex and SCHEELS Center just before Thanksgiving.

Thunstedt Blossoming

Junior Taylor Thunstedt will be on the radar of opposing coaches all season long. The point guard was named an honorable mention AllSummit League last year and was

10 Facts About the Women’s Basketball Team

1.

Taylor Thunstedt ranks sixth all-time in 3-point field goals made with 137.

She’s only a junior.

2.

Taylor Thunstedt was second in the Summit League in points per game last year at 17.

3.

Senior Brianna Jones was sixth in the Summit League last year in rebounds per game at 7.7.

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Brianna Jones Forward Senior Indianapolis, Ind. 2015-16 27 Starts 6.9 Points/Game 7.7 Rebounds/Game 41.4 Field-goal Percentage

WOMENS BASKETBALL KEEPING THE BALL ROLLING marked as a preseason All-Summit League team member this fall.

“I really enjoy her on and off the court,” Walseth said. “She sees herself as a point guard and somebody who wants to lead her team on and off the court, and for those reasons, her teammates really respect her and voted her as a junior captain this year.”

Thunstedt played in all but one game during her freshman season in 201415. She was named to the Summit League All-Newcomer Team and averaged 8.6 points per contest. She started every game last year during her sophomore campaign and raised her average to 17 points per game. She became a lethal threat behind the arc, making 82 three-pointers.

Thunstedt had shoulder surgery this offseason, but Walseth said she’s back to 100 percent.

“We were able to do a lot of film work with her and show her other ways, and other opportunities to be a playmaker for herself and for her teammates,” Walseth said, seeing the injury as an opportunity to get better. “The thing I love about her the most is that dog, the grit, and the hustle attitude that she has. She’s a competitor through and through, and she’ll do whatever it takes for us to be successful.” * * *

4.

After missing the Summit League Tournament last year, NDSU was picked to finish seventh this year.

5.

6.

7.

The Bison return four of their Top 6 scorers from last season.

The Bison have six freshmen on their roster to begin the season.

The Bison introduced two new assistants to their staff this year: Ryan Martin and Morgan Paige.

8.

The Bison had their first official practice at the Nodak Mutual Basketball Performance Center on October 3.

9.

10.

The Bison posted a 3.46 GPA last spring.

The Bison will play their first game in the Sanford Health Athletic Complex and SCHEELS Center November 12 against Dickinson State.

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Emily Spier

Forward Senior Buffalo, Minn.

2015-16 25 Starts 9.4 Points/Game 6 Rebounds/Game 43.2 Field-goal Percentage

BRIAN GORDON SAYS FAREWELL

S Y A S BG

L L E W E R FA

By Ethan Mickelson Photo by Christian Dudzik

N

othing was certain for Brian Gordon, director of football operations and equipment services, when he first accepted his position with North Dakota State University almost 12 years ago.

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Brian Gordon served as the director of football operations for six years and equipment director for 12 years.

Leaving his alma mater, the University of South Florida in Tampa Bay, Florida, where he earned bachelor’s degrees in political science and criminology, Gordon and his wife, Marie, headed north in 2005 to begin their new life in Fargo.

Bison Athletics program, and even gain a new nickname, “BG,” given to him by former Bison and NFL football player Craig Dahl, which replaced his old “Flash” nickname he had acquired in Florida.

Today, after 11-plus seasons with the Bison, Gordon will be taking another leap of faith as he prepares for his new position as the associate commissioner for football with the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) in Richmond, Virginia. Leaving unprecedented success, Gordon will face uncertainty once again.

At the start of his career, the Bison were still a Division II program and hadn’t yet achieved the stampeding momentum that would eventually propel The Herd to five-straight national championships. The Fargodome wasn’t filled with the deafening roar of fans packed shoulder-to-shoulder and Gordon struggled to supply Bison athletes with the necessary equipment, not yet enjoying the perks of being a Division I program.

This time around, there are a few mistakes Gordon won’t be making.

When he moved to Fargo, his wife Marie sold her car so they didn’t have to drive two up from Florida.

This practical decision would eventually force Gordon to share a car with his wife for six months because the only time he had available to make it to a dealership was the day after game day, Sunday, when everyone was in church and businesses were closed.

Acclimating to the strange rules of his new home wouldn’t be the only speed bump on Gordon’s career path. Along the way, he would gain new responsibilities, learn how to meet the ever-changing equipment needs of athletes, successfully evolve with the quickly growing

Growing Pains

“From 2005 to now, it’s a night and day difference,” Gordon said while preparing for the Missouri State game, his last road trip with the football team. “We grew from a Division II to a Division I school, so just with budgets and the way we operated changed and evolved.”

“We played Montana State in September 2005, and you’d think it’d be warm but we played out there and I think it was 30 degrees.

Players said ‘we need cold gear.’

Well we don’t have cold gear,” Gordon said. “At a Division II level, the institution doesn’t provide everything athletes need. It’s a

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BRIAN GORDON SAYS FAREWELL

job you can every day and that’s kind of how I’ve gone about these past years.”

A Seat at the Big Table

Drawing on his experience at NDSU, Gordon will be overseeing football from the conference level at the CAA, developing conference schedules, overseeing officials, dealing with policies and procedures, and handling strategic tasks like increasing media coverage and monitoring developments in the world of college football.

“I will be working on the conference side, not the institution side. It’s a seat at the big table,” said Gordon.

Gordon’s football operation responsibilities included team travel, tying loose ends while on the road or at home and being the liaison for visiting teams and the officiating crew. different world from Division II to I, all of that little stuff has evolved over the years because we need to be better prepared and better prepare our student athletes.

Things are always evolving, either you’re green and growing or ripe and dying”

we end up, who knows? I think being nationally competitive like we are across several sports, I see that trend continuing. We’re in great shape. I think, across the board, we have great staff in place, great student athletes and a great school, so it’s going to continue.”

Being part of a winning team is not all just fun and games. For Gordon, winning means he must work even harder.

Gordon’s passion for his job has given him the energy to deal with mountains of logistical duties, such as preparing uniforms, booking hotels, flights, making travel arrangements and handling all the little details so that everything runs smoothly on game day and every day in-between.

“I can definitely say winning and championships are incredibly special. We’re all competitors, we like to win, so obviously being with a successful program makes the day go better, but on the other hand, that’s a double-edged sword because it brings the pressure to win. We (NDSU) have incredible expectations to meet here.”

“I don’t know if there is a ceiling on what we can accomplish. Where

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“You hear everyone say it but I honestly believe that NDSU and Fargo is a very special place. This program, the history with former players, current players, our staff, it’s that Bison Pride feeling that you can’t really define. You come to work and you want to do the best

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While he prepares for his career move, Gordon has been looping in his replacements on his dayto-day responsibilities, ensuring none of the numerous tasks fall through the cracks once he’s gone.

His position with NDSU will be restructured and split up among Hank Jacobs, director of recruiting, Paul Wixo, director of equipment services (Olympic sports), Colin Bailey, director of event operations and Nathan Bjoralt, director of equipment services (football).

Cornerstones of Success

Looking back at his time with the Bison, it’s not the winning that he will remember, but the relationships built and memories made with past and present members of The Herd.

“You know how cool it was to win a national championship. And it’s like, yeah it was, but then I’m thinking we have recruiting coming up and spring ball, and this and this. I’ve had some time to sit back and reflect and the last five years have been a run, and even before that. It’s a whole experience itself, that’s partly why it’s hard to leave.”

Gordon said it’s hard to leave his staff. And with the amount of respect he has for athletic director

Matt Larsen and head football coach Chris Klieman, the decision to leave wasn’t made without the utmost certainty.

Just like Gordon, leaving the prodigious NDSU family is a challenge that every staff member at a university has to face when a professional opportunity arises.

Gene Taylor, former athletic director and a cornerstone of Gordon’s career, was one such leader who migrated beyond the Great Plains to begin a new career.

“Gene Taylor was a huge influence,” Gordon said. “He hired me, to begin with, in 2005, and we worked together for nine plus years before he left for Iowa. I consider him a mentor and a great friend. There are a lot of other people on staff at NDSU that I’ve known the whole time I’ve been here, there are too many to count, that meant a lot to me during my time at NDSU.” Gordon said he was also blessed to have a great staff that was willing to help when his focus turned toward the operational side of the football program.

“I’ve had great staff, people like Nathan, student managers, equipment assistants and football staff, especially past head and assistant coaches. Coach Klieman has been fantastic as a head coach.

The hardest part about making this move is that you develop a lot of relationships, and that’s just within the department. There’s a great social network here and the Fargo community is great. I love our fan base. It’s one of those things that’s hard, but this is a fantastic job move for me.”

Even though his new career will send him more than a thousand miles away, it’s clear Gordon’s heart is still with The Herd when he refers to NDSU’s football team as “we.”

“This doesn’t happen, the success we’ve had, the relationships we have, it doesn’t necessarily happen everywhere. It’s ingrained in me, I will always cherish Fargo. It will always be special to me and my family.”

* * *

END

GOLD STAR MARCHING BAND MARCHING TOWARD VICTORY

MARCHING TOWARD

VICTORY

By Ethan Mickelson Photos By Tanner Wallace

W

hile the Bison football team recuperates during halftime, another team takes their place on the turf in their uniforms and shining instruments. The Gold Star Marching Band (GSMB) takes a collective breath before bursting into the first note, setting into motion all of their hard work.

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GOLD STAR MARCHING BAND MARCHING TOWARD VICTORY

Top 5 Oldest Bands in the Missouri Valley Football Conference The Panthers (Northern Iowa) Founded in 1890 The Pride of the Dakotas (SDSU) Founded in 1902 The Gold Star (NDSU) Founded in 1903 The Marching Leathernecks (Western Illinois) Founded in 1904 The Pride Marching Band (Missouri St.) Founded in 1908

Just like any team, performing is a small fraction of the time put in by the band’s student musicians. All the game day pomp and circumstance begins early in the morning with repetition and anticipation. Atop his tall conductor’s podium, the man behind the band, Director Dr. Sigurd Johnson, shouts directions into a microphone as the morphing crowd spells out “BISON.” “It’s a muscle memory thing and it’s a visual thing, so we try to get as much practice in the Fargodome as we can,” explained Johnson. “But we hope that we’ve done it enough that even if we’re not on a home field, we are still able to do it.”

History in the Making

With nine years of experience directing the GSMB, muscle memory is exactly how Dr. Johnson sculpts the lines of his marching students.

Directing the century-old band, one of the oldest in the nation, Dr. Johnson controls the reins to a historic program that first started as a small “Cadet Band” of just 14 members in 1903.

At the helm of the infant program was Clarence Simeon Putman, a local Fargo doctor, who grew the program with his dynamic leadership. After earning 100 percent ratings for three consecutive years from a Washington 100

official, the military band was awarded a gold star, inspiring Putman to coin the band’s new name.

The iconic name seems to be the only noticeable remnant left of Putnam’s directorship after all these years.

However, the growth and expansion of the program initiated by Putnam continues today under Dr. Johnson with involvement at about 200 members.

“For my nine years, we’ve been anywhere from about 160 to 220 members, with an average of 180,” said Dr. Johnson. “I like the 200 range, that’s a good round number for me.

The gold standard we use to determine what a healthy college band’s numbers are is one percent of the student population, so technically we should be around 145. On that ranking, we’re a good, healthy band.”

A Change of Pace

Sharing the same anniversary as Dr. Johnson, the GSMB uniforms have seen almost a decade of use, with over half that time being national championship years.

“We’ve had a very active season, especially since the Bison football team has been winning so many games,” Dr. Johnson explained.

“Our season has gone essentially

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from the middle of August to the middle of January for the past five championship years. There have probably been about six different uniform styles for the band, from the inception where they wore very military style, to more contemporary in the last 30 to 35 years. We want the students to feel really good about their look, and we work hard at that.”

Even though there hasn’t been a recent update to the band’s uniforms, the current style retains modern aspects such as the tall plume and lightweight material made of cotton and nylon blend instead of the heavy wool uniforms of the past. The band’s new look is accompanied by a focus on incorporating dance into drill performances.

“The show that we’re doing currently is a dance show, and we had someone from the theatre program come over and choreograph about a minute or two of dance for us. Contemporary marching bands move a lot more than we used to, students are less afraid to do something like that. “ “When I started, the first dance we ever did was ‘The Thriller’ dance, which was a lot of fun. That kind of broke the ice for us,” said Dr. Johnson, “And we’ve had some kind of dance in every season since I’ve been here. The

GOLD STAR MARCHING BAND MARCHING TOWARD VICTORY

GSMB Member Bio

Austin Hart Pharmacy major Freshman Saxophone Langdon, N.D. Favorite song to perform - "Hey Baby" “My sister is a member of the band and she told me it was a great way to meet new people. It's a worthwhile time commitment that I plan on continuing."

Lane Flaten

Taylor Peterson

Music Education major Senior Drum Major Blaine, Minn.

Favorite song to perform - "In Heaven There Is No Beer"

Music Performance major Senior Trombone St. Paul, Minn.

Favorite song to perform - "In Heaven There Is No Beer"

“We're just a big, dysfunctional family. There's a lot of freshman members this year who came in knowing exactly how to work with each other, which doesn't always happen."

“We learn how to be leaders, it is a class and we learn as we go."

the staff of the University of Memphis Marching Band. He spent four years teaching and performing in Norway, and continues to teach percussion at the International Music Camp at the International Peace Gardens each summer.

Another essential member of the team is drumline instructor, Dr. Nick Meyers, who is also the director of bands/percussion and assistant professor of music at Valley City State University.

students don’t even think twice about it anymore, which is really nice.”

To help understand and plan how each band member will move during the complex performance, Dr. Johnson utilizes technology to further perfect the band’s iconic drill performances.

“You can do a lot with computer animation when you’re designing the drill. That’s been going on for quite a while,” Dr. Johnson said. “When I first started, we did it all on paper with pencil and you wrote in everybody.

Now, I would say about 99 percent of marching band directors in this country do it all on computers because 102

you can animate it, you can have your uniform on stage, views all the way from flat to like you’re in a drone, so you can really see how everything is going to look. It’s pretty amazing, but it makes for a lot of little extra things to learn.”

Band Leadership

Prior to his current position as Director of Athletic Bands and Associate Professor of Music, Dr. Johnson was director of bands and percussion at Valley City State University, director of bands and instrumental music at Rust College in Holly Springs, Miss., and as a percussion arranger and instructor on

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Finally, the true voice of the band, the instruments and the musicians behind them include; piccolo, clarinet, alto/tenor saxophone, mellophone, trumpet, trombone, baritone, sousaphone, drumline, snare, tenor, bass drum, cymbals, front ensemble, color guard and twirlers.

In addition to performing at Bison football games, the GSMB also performs a stand-alone show called “Sounds of the Gridiron.” The show takes place on November 6 at 2 p.m. in the Fargodome and is a taste of all the classic warm up songs and victory ballads played throughout the year.

* * *

NATE TANGUAY ACTION STAR IN THE TRENCHES

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NATE TANGUAY ACTION STAR IN THE TRENCHES

Action Star in the Trenches

By Joe Kerlin Photos by J. Alan Paul Photography

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Defensive Tackle Junior 38 Starts 109 Tackles 14.5 Tackles for Loss 6 Sacks

y

#9

te Tan a g N ua

9

ate Tanguay will never have the gaudy stats or a record-breaking sack performance. His role in the “Code Green” defense goes much deeper than the box score.

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NATE TANGUAY ACTION STAR IN THE TRENCHES

To the naked eye, number 99 on the Bison defensive line looks like someone you would find in an action movie. He’d play the enforcer, the guy who brings the muscle when the protagonist is in a jam and needs someone to bring the heavy guns for backup. He’s not an Arnold Schwarzenegger or Sylvester Stallone, but plays someone with the responsibility of protecting stars like Tom Cruise, Jason Statham or Daniel Craig.

Nate Tanguay is a team player along the defensive line in a sense.

Simply put, he has an edge you wouldn’t want to mess with or be anywhere near his path when the main character is in a pickle.

One by one, Missouri Valley Football Conference offensive linemen are learning the painful day at the office they’re in for when lining up across Tanguay in the trenches. But the guy you see on the field is someone his teammates don’t relate to in the locker room or before team meetings.

Tanguay, the bruiser, at least on the field, is more likely to talk shop about the latest movie trailer and 106

“I’m ticked off because I’m getting triple teamed, but it’s a good feeling because it’s helping everyone else out.”

Nate Tanguay bust your chops than intimidate you with a deep voice and nononsense attitude.

Tanguay’s roommate knows him better than anyone and laughed when Tanguay’s tough-guy game day persona was inquired about.

“I would say he’s a huge softie,” chuckled junior linebacker Matt Plank, who has lived with Tanguay for three years.

Anyone who has watched a Bison game over the last three years would describe Tanguay’s performance on the field as nowhere near soft. He started every game since entering the starting lineup against Iowa State in 2014, which was his redshirt

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freshman season. He’s clogged the middle of the line-of-scrimmage for opponents week after week, playing either the three-technique or lining up across the center in the nose tackle position. Tanguay even earned an honorable mention spot on the All-MVFC team in 2015.

“He’s one of those guys who’s joking around, but once the whistle is blown and the ball is snapped, it’s all seriousness,” sophomore Aaron Steidl said about his fellow defensive tackle. “In the meeting room, he’ll come in listening to music and he’ll say, ‘Hey, have you watched this movie yet’ or ‘Have you seen this trailer yet?’ And all of a sudden coach comes in to watch film and he won’t say a word for two hours.”

NATE TANGUAY ACTION STAR IN THE TRENCHES

Defensive tackle coach Nick Goeser also sees that focus in the film room. Before last season’s playoff run, he noted Tanguay’s emerging brilliance while watching tape.

The junior has been said to have a knack for recognizing opponent’s formations and making fortuitous improvisations before and during plays that result in big plays for the Bison defense.

The Bison were leading Missouri State 10-3 toward the end of the second quarter when Tanguay left his mark on NDSU’s first conference road game of the season. Bears quarterback Brodie Lambert dropped back to pass on 3rd-and-21 from his own 25.

Tanguay bull-rushed his way through the Missouri State guard and while the two linemen were engaged, Tanguay swung his left arm toward the throwing arm of Lambert. Tanguay got his paw on the ball, it tumbled to the turf, NDSU fell on it and the Bison offense was back in business.

“He watches enough film for everyone on the team from looking at backfield sets and he’s figuring out what the coverages are,” Steidl said. “And I don’t know 108

why he needs to know that but he’s figuring out where guys are and where the fits are. I think his biggest asset is that.”

Tanguay would say his biggest asset to the team is drawing as many double-teams as possible. The disruption he creates when blocked one-on-one almost guarantees he sees more than one opposing player trying to contain him on nearly every play, and in some situations, it takes three blockers.

“I’m ticked off because I’m getting triple teamed, but it’s a good feeling because it’s helping everyone else out,” Tanguay said. “I guess you could say, we’re the best team players because that’s what our job is.”

A team player—the exact role he would play in an action movie. But Tanguay’s movie genre preference isn’t what you’d think. The six-foot, four-inch, 290-pound movie buff would rather cuddle up with his favorite movie, “Definitely, Maybe” or “The Holiday.”

“He goes through thousands of them,” Plank said. “I’ll come home from the library or something and

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he’ll be watching some romantic comedy like ‘Good Luck Chuck.’”

“I do, I love them,” Tanguay said with a smile about his rom-com preference. “I’m not even gonna lie, I get into it.”

Hence the “softie” description from Tanguay’s roommate Plank. But the linebacker knows where his bread is buttered.

“We always joke the defensive line makes all our tackles for us,” Plank said. “They take all the blocks. I mean, Nate Tanguay in the middle is taking up double teams all the time so I’m roaming free making tackles.”

NDSU’s action star along the defensive line isn’t your classic stat-sheet filling player. Tanguay fills his thankless role at a high level and ensures the Hollywoodesque “Bison Dynasty” blockbuster remains a college football box office hit. * * *

KING FRAZIER KING’S REPUBLIC

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KING FRAZIER KING’S REPUBLIC

King’s

Republic

By Joe Kerlin Photos by J. Alan Paul Photography

K

ng Fraz i K Running Back Senior 38 Games Played 439 Attempts 2,327 Yards 22 Touchdowns 51 Longest Run 5.3 Yards/Carry

r ie

#22

ing Frazier, the running back transfer from Nebraska, has quietly marched his way into becoming one of the Top 15 rushers of all-time at North Dakota State.

Alone, this is a remarkable feat, but what makes it more eye-popping is that he’s only taking 33 percent of the team’s carries this season.

The Greenwood, Missouri native is producing meanwhile staying selfless, knowing the plethora of talent in the Bison backfield.

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KING FRAZIER KING’S REPUBLIC

Photo By Christian Dudzik King Frazier had an impressive homecoming against Missouri State on October 8. The senior running back, who went to high school at Lee’s Summit—four and a half hours north of Springfield, Missouri—had his best game of the season. With around 40 friends and family members in the crowd, Frazier gashed the Bears’ defense for 126 yards and two touchdowns.

It was Frazier’s first 100-yard performance of the season. After the game, he admitted he was 112

playing with a heavy heart while his running back partner and fellow senior Chase Morlock was back in Moorhead, Minnesota, with his ailing father.

Brothers, that’s exactly what Frazier and the pool of running backs at NDSU have become under offensive coordinator Tim Polasek and head coach Chris Klieman.

“Any time one of our brothers go down or can’t come on the trip for some family issues or whatever the reason is, we all hurt,” Frazier said after the game. “I just felt like I had to step my game up to another level for him and for what he’s going through back home right now.”

The Bison rushing attack is averaging the most yards per carry in the Missouri Valley Football Conference. Unlike Bison teams in the past where one or two backs are carrying the load, it’s a total team effort led by Frazier.

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The running back that was once the * * *

number two junior Judo fighter in the country is averaging 5.2 yards per carry this season. Frazier was tabbed as a preseason All-Missouri Valley Football Conference running back and is playing like one. The only problem is finding enough handoffs for Frazier to take with Lance Dunn, Morlock and Easton Stick’s playmaking ability beside him.

“No, not really,” Frazier said before the season when asked about if he needs to validate the preseason accolade. “We all know what we need to do to get the job done and at the end of the day, as long as we come out victorious, that’s the end goal.”

“I love King,” Dunn said after the drubbing of

KING FRAZIER KING’S REPUBLIC

Missouri State. The sophomore has taken off this season while Bruce Anderson heals an ankle injury and Morlock handles other offensive responsibilities.

Frazier and Dunn have not only built a bond on the field, they’ve gotten much closer off the gridiron. The two enjoy each other’s company off the field, whether it’s playing video games or doing literally anything other than football. Dunn said he was 114

intimidated at first with Frazier’s 212-pound emotionless stature, but once the two warmed up to each other, they prefer each other’s company away from the game that’s brought them together.

“I feel like we, as a running back group, we’ve been close since day one,” said Dunn, whose mother passed away when he was 9 years old. “I think that’s what makes us so strong. It’s like a family and we all play for each other like brothers.”

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Klieman said he didn’t know if this team could get any closer, but Paul Morlock’s death may have done just that. With Frazier leading the charge and the bond he and all the running backs have created over the past two seasons, the position group is closer and running better than ever.

* * *

WHERE ARE THEY NOW? ANGIE GROVE

WHERE

? NOW?

ARE THEY

HOMECOMING fora Great Interview by Joe Kerlin Photos by Paul Flessland, Joe Kerlin, NDSU Athletics

A

ngie (Converse) Grove was one of the most dangerous middlehitters in volleyball across the North Central Conference back in the early 1990s. The Alexandria, Minnesota native made her return to NDSU during homecoming week when she was finally inducted into the Bison Athletic Hall of Fame. We caught up with Grove after the weekend’s festivities to ask what it was like to be back in Bison territory.

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WHERE ARE THEY NOW? ANGIE GROVE

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WHERE ARE THEY NOW? ANGIE GROVE

“I was really excited. It’s just a huge honor. You feel like you’re maybe getting old (laughs). It was a welcomed honor, there’s no doubt, because it’s a prestigious group.”

-Angie Grove

THE INTERVIEW Bison Illustrated: You’re from just down the road in Alexandria, Minnesota so was coming to NDSU an easy choice for you?

Angie Grove: It became easy, but I don’t know if it was because of the location as much as it was the coaches and the school. As soon as I went there and came back, I said, “I think that’s where I belong.” It’s interesting when people give the reasons for going to certain colleges but I can’t say it was a specific thing other than the coaches there and environment and what the culture was like.

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You joined during a successful stretch for the program. Did that make it harder to adjust?

That’s probably another reason why I wanted to go to NDSU too. They were getting really good at the time and it was kind of fun to hear that they were in the Elite 8, going for the Final Four, and that sounded great to me. I just thought the adjustment from being a high schooler to a freshman in college, it was relearning how to work hard. Learn at a different level of how much harder it is, and how much faster the game is. Just the learning curb was the adjustment.

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What was your reaction when you found out you were getting inducted into the Bison Athletic Hall of Fame?

I was really excited. It’s just a huge honor. You feel like you’re maybe getting old (laughs).

It was a welcomed honor, there’s no doubt, because it’s a prestigious group.

Any old teammates join you for the Hall of Fame ceremony?

Yeah, most of them were there at the banquet. Julie (Sherman) Pasche, she teaches at the college (NDSU). Trisha (Reichl) Cyr and Tammy Anderson were my teammates and Amy

Johnson. They were the only three from my year and then, Julie Sherman, her and I played three of my four years. It was fun to see a bunch of them.

There are so many events during that weekend. Which one was the highlight for you and your family?

It was so much fun. It’s really neat how they have so many things set up for the inductees for the whole weekend.

Everything from the parade to the social

hour, but I gotta say, the football game was really fun because my family was able to go down on the field. They came with and that was a really cool experience. We had not been in there yet.

All we ever hear is how hard it is to get tickets‌ I would say, when people ask me, that game was so much fun and tailgating was super amazing, so it was all fun and that was a really, really cool part.

It was like a huge party, just a huge celebration.

What kind of work do

WHERE ARE THEY NOW? ANGIE GROVE

NDSU Accomplishments 1992, 1993 - AVCA Division II All-American 1992, 1993 - ASICS/Volleyball All-American 1992 - NCAA Division II National all-tournament 1992 - MVP NCAA Division II North Central Regional 1991, 1992, 1993 - All-North Central Conference selection 4th Most Kills in NDSU History (1,775) 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993 - North Central Conference Champion 1990, 1991, 1992 - NCAA North Central Region Champs 1990 - National Runner-Up

you do being a national account manager for Ascensia Diabetes Care?

I basically work with and manage care of health plans, and I negotiate and contract with them to include our products‌ as one of the products

that they offer to their members or to patients.

Ultimately, I show them what we have and I try to negotiate with them about why they should have our product available to patients.

WHERE ARE THEY NOW? ANGIE GROVE

You started in the hotel industry right out of college. How did that happen?

I had worked at Tharaldson Enterprises when I was finishing my last year of college and maybe the summer before too. I was at one of the local hotels there and they gave me different exposure to parts in the hotel industry, and then I ended up staying with them when I graduated college. I got into the management development group toward the end of college then I moved right away into their Bloomington, Minnesota, Mall of America brand new property right when

I graduated so I was operations manager there.

What do you miss most about Fargo?

I love Fargo. Throughout my career, I’ve been here back and forth for as much as work as for social. As a matter of fact, I ended up sitting next to one of my account managers at the football game that I used to manage. It happened that his season tickets were right next to us so it was kind of cool to bump into him and I bumped into a lot of people when I was there too. I would just say the people. I know it’s such a general answer but it’s just such a neat area

WHERE ARE THEY NOW? ANGIE GROVE

where you can have access to a ton of shopping or anything fun you’d want to do, sports, shopping all that fun stuff. It seems like a small town, but it’s not.

What is Bison Pride to you?

I think of the pride of this small state in the Midwest and the accomplishments that the teams there and the sports and the community are able to deliver on. A lot of people, when they hear North Dakota, I don’t think they really know it exists.

I’ve got colleagues all over the nation and, most of the time, North Dakota isn’t on their radar. But it’s just gotten to be so much because of the university there and that, to me, is the pride of North Dakota. I just think that’s the neatest thing that it’s this rural state and they’re able to develop these great programs for studentathletes that not only excel at athletics but go on to do great things in their careers for the world.

How do you apply what you learned as a Bison in your life after college?

I think as far as my career, what NDSU, athletics and being a student-athlete taught me that you can do whatever you want.

You can do anything as long as you don’t quit. I laugh because some of my past teammates will often talk about this disease of not quitting (laughs). Maybe we should learn to quit certain things whether it’s “Geez, I’ve been in this job too long, what’s next?” I just think it’s that attitude of not quitting in athletics.

What about you as a person and your family?

The way we raise our kids to be independent because that’s what being at NDSU taught me, too, that I could be independent.

Not within the team, but independent when you go off to college and being able to survive.

Your kids (Jackson, 12th Grade; Ella, 9th Grade; Grayson, 5th

Grade) joined you in Fargo during the Hall of Fame weekend. What did they think of NDSU? When we got back from the game, Grayson goes, “I can see myself being a Bison.” And I said, “You keep seeing yourself being a Bison and you can be one.” That’s just great for a 10-year-old, it was cute because that’s what he’s thinking about. * * *

122

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6:00 PM

YOU

TEAM MAKERS TOAST TO THE DONORS

Team Makers

Junior wrestler Mitch Friedman jokes that even though he’s five feet, seven inches, endowments made it possible for him to receive an athletics scholarship.

Toast to the

Donors

The 15th Annual North Dakota State University Endowment Recognition Luncheon

By Joe Kerlin Photos by Paul Flessland

O

n October 14, Bison Nation gathered on the second floor in the Fargodome to celebrate the fans that have given the most to NDSU Athletics.

It was also a great opportunity for these fans to meet and speak with the Bison student-athletes who are receiving their support through endowments.

Endowments are the gifts that go toward supporting student-athlete scholarships. NDSU celebrated these endowments at the 15th annual recognition luncheon.

The number of endowments given to NDSU Athletics has grown to over 160, according to Director of Athletics Matt Larsen.

“Talking to a lot of people across the country, there aren’t a lot of programs that are having that sort 128

of success,” Larsen said about the number of endowments.

Most of the student-athletes receiving a scholarship through endowments were at the luncheon, including junior women’s golf athlete Natalie Roth. She along with junior wrestler Mitch Friedman gave speeches to the crowd of over 100.

NDSU graduate and endowment sponsor Sherri Schmidt followed the student-athletes on stage.

The afternoon ended with NDSU graduate and Harvest Bowl Committee Chair Ken Bertsch reminding the crowd about the upcoming Harvest Bowl, Saturday, November 5.

For more information on endowments and ways to become a donor to NDSU Athletics, go to ndsuathleticfund.com.

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TEAM MAKERS TOAST TO THE DONORS

Junior golfer Natalie Roth thanks all the Bison supporters in the crowd for their generous endowment gifts.

129

SWANY SAYS

swany says YEARS IN THE

MAKING The SHAC gives NDSU one of the premier facilities in mid-major hoops FOLLOW @swany8

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

t took awhile to matriculate, but after years of planning, fundraising and probably even a little praying, North Dakota State basketball and wrestling finally has a new home.

No more just a design, concept or fancy drawing on poster board, the Bison Sports Arena, the old airplane hangar on the corner of University Drive and 17th Avenue North, has undergone a dramatic renovation. This month, NDSU christens the crown jewel of the Summit League, the Sanford Health Athletic Complex/SCHEELS Center, aka, the “SHAC.” The SHAC gives NDSU the best arena in their league, and, perhaps, one of the grandest facilities in all of midmajor basketball.

I

“When I took the job in ’92 they told me they were going to do this,” chuckled Tom Billeter, who coached NDSU basketball from 1992-97, and is now the head coach at Augustana University in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. “I told probably 100 recruits this building was going to be built.”

Photos by Brent Tehven 130

From its sleek, glass facade running several stories high along the building’s eastern exterior overlooking University Drive, to the state-of-the-art practice facility bookending the complex’s southwest corner, it’s like trading in that beat up, old rambler your parents got you in high school that

B ISO N ILLUST R ATED • NOV EMBER 2 016

had what they called “character”– code word for cassette player and working breaks–for a Mercedes.

Goodbye to the days of making sure recruits don’t see the locker rooms at the BSA and hello to parading recruits and their parents through every nook and cranny at the SHAC, replete with everything from an athlete nutrition bar to an upscale players’ lounge and study area. Any disadvantage the Bison battled in recruiting because of their facilities becomes an instantaneous advantage over their competitors, particularly against the league’s other perennial powerhouse, South Dakota State.

Saul Phillips, who led the Bison to two of their three NCAA Tournament appearances, including the upset win over Oklahoma in March Madness in 2014, explained how the BSA presented its own unique set of challenges.

“Tim Miles brings in Mike Tveidt for a visit, and he says whatever you do, do not let him see the locker room,” began Phillips. Miles ushered the Bison into Division I and, after coaching NDSU, moved on to Colorado State before landing at the University of Nebraska. The Bison ended up getting Tveidt, the sharp-shooting forward from Pierre, South Dakota, who would be an all-conference performer.

“The whole visit, Tveidt’s like, can I see the locker room, can I see the locker room. We ran him all over the place. Tveidt commits.

seasons, I think we have some good things going now, we want to keep feeding it,” Richman said. It’s the most successful stretch in program history as the Bison have piled up 93 wins during that span.

The Bison are picked to finish third in the conference this year, returning four starters in juniors Paul Miller and A.J. Jacobson and sophomores Khy Kabellis and Dylan Miller. The Bison also have the league’s best sixth man in senior Dexter Werner, and senior guard Carlin Dupree made strides in his playmaking ability and defense and is poised for a strong season.

“We’ve witnessed how the Fargodome has created a home field advantage that rivals any place in all of college football. Bison football has become an event, more than a football game.

That must be the aim for the SHAC.” His first day on campus, he says ‘can I get changed, I want to shoot a little bit.’ ‘Sure, I’ll show you the locker room,’ [an assistant coach] opens the door, says too late sucker, pushes him in,” laughed Phillips, who himself left Fargo for Ohio University after guiding the Bison to the Round of 32 in 2014.

The new arena is also a first true “home court” for Bison head coach, David Richman, who was an assistant under Miles and Phillips.

In his first two years, Richman and the Bison played at the SCHEELS Arena on the south side of Fargo while the BSA was being turned into the SHAC. In one of the most impressive stats in college basketball, NDSU was an incredible 26-1 at their temporary home.

“With the success that we’ve had, our brand is expanding a little bit,”

said Richman after announcing this year’s recruiting class last April. While the SHAC is part of that, Richman cautioned that it won’t change NDSU’s approach or culture. “You add the renovation to the arena, those things are making us more appealing on the front side, getting us into some conversations. But at the end of the day, we want to make sure they understand what it’s about to be part of our culture and fit in here.”

The Bison are one of a handful of teams in mid-major basketball that have four straight 20-win seasons.

Remarkably, NDSU has played in the Summit League Tournament championship game each of the last four seasons, winning it twice to advance to the NCAA Tournament. “Our program is at an all-time high, four straight 20-win

The SHAC should only add to NDSU’s success, just as improvements to the Fargodome and football facilities have elevated the Bison football program. Now, it’s up to the fans, to Bison Nation, to do their part and support this team. Great teams have great fans. We’ve witnessed how the Fargodome has created a home field advantage that rivals any place in all of college football. Bison football has become an event, more than a football game. That must be the aim for the SHAC. Between the team’s recent success, a strong nucleus of experienced players returning, and, to top it off, a new arena, the Bison are well positioned to vault into the upper echelon of mid-major basketball programs and stay there—a perennial contender not just to make the NCAA Tournament, but to win a game or two in March Madness. It’s a long, long ways from having to hide locker rooms from recruits.

“For the fans out there that haven’t had a chance to walk in here yet, the bottom line is that it’s unbelievable,” said Phillips. From an idea to a reality, it’s a new day for Bison basketball, a day that was years in the making. “I was here through 65 different meetings about what this was going to look like. This was an idea, man, just an idea. It’s kind of weird to walk around here and say it came true.”

Everyone up for the tip-off, the march is on!

* * * 131

WHAT A TIME TO BE A BISON CARSON WENTZ

WHAT A TIME TO BE A BISON CARSON WENTZ

BISON CROSSING

Bison Crossing BAND

EDITION 1

2

3

4

5

6

7 8 9 10

11

12

13

Across

3.

What is the musical term that instructs the band to play as softly as possible?

What is term for a contrapuntal composition in which a short melody or phrase is introduced by one part of the band and successively taken up by others and developed by interweaving the parts?

9.

11.

12.

The opposite of flat.

Who was the founding director of NDSU’s Gold Star Marching

Band?

What is the name for a group of five performers?

Down

1.

2.

Who is the current director of the Gold Star Marching Band?

What do you call the tension that results from the combination of two disharmonious notes?

What is the musical term that indicates a gradual decrease in volume in a musical passage?

What is the brass instrument similar to the orchestral French horn, played mainly in military and college marching bands?

8.

10.

What is the name for one or more singers performing without any accompaniment?

What is the term for this musical element that uses simultaneous tones or chords to produce a pleasant sound?

13.

What is the simultaneous sounding of the same note by two or more performers called?

ANSWERS 8. Acappella 9. Minor 10. Harmony 11. Clarence Putnam 12. Quintet 13. Unisom

5.

7.

4.

6.

1. Sigurd Johnson 2. Dissonance 3. Reed 4. Decrescendo 5. Pianississimo 6. Mellophone 7. Fugue

What is the thin strip of material, which vibrates to produce a sound on a musical instrument such as clarinet, saxophone, oboe, etc.?

SEE

THE O T S R E W ANS

LEFT! 135

BISON WORD SEARCH

WORD SEARCH

S WORD D TO FIN

SHAC JIM KRAMER ANGIE GROVE DAVE RICHMAN MAREN WALSETH THERAPY POOLS

SIGURD JOHNSON BRIAN GORDON NATE TANGUAY KING FRAZIER ENDOWMENTS

DARREN KRUSE WEIGHT ROOM PAUL MILLER TAYLOR THUNSTEDT GOLD STAR

137

5

139 ANSWERS: 1. NDSU logo missing from seat 2. Number ‘5’ on seat is flipped 3. Cup holder is filled in 4. ‘D’ and ‘R’ switched on sign 5. Ceiling tile moved

SPOT THE

DIFFERENCES ORIGINAL SPOT THE DIFFERENCE

POP QUIZ

POPQUIZ

WITH NDSU ATHLETES

What’s your favorite side dish at Thanksgiving dinner?

What’s your favorite thing to do when taking a study break?

If you were to get the lucky end of a turkey’s wishbone, what would you wish for?

Jenny Guibert

This junior from Rochester, Minnesota, finished among NDSU’s top six runners at every meet last season. She had a season high this year running a mile in just 05:03.27.

Stuffing, for sure.

Play truth or dare with my roommates.

That my roommates would let me have a cat.

Mashed potatoes with gravy, of course.

Complain about having homework.

I’d wish for a qualified presidential candidate.

Mashed potatoes…with extra gravy!

Watch ONE episode on Netflix or cook something tasty!

Cross Country

Matt Plank

The junior linebacker from Gardner, Kansas, was the secondleading special teams tackler with 14 on kickoff duty. So far this season, he’s made 35 tackles in the first seven games while filling in for an injured Nick DeLuca.

Football

Autumn Muckenhirn

The senior from Naperville, Illinois, plays forward and scored her first goal of 2016 during her first appearance of the season against Northern Iowa. She has played in 10 games this year for the Bison.

Plane tickets!

Soccer

Mitch Friedman

WRESTLING

Mitch Friedman is junior from Oconto Falls, Wisconsin. He was selected to the first team Academic All-Big 12 Wrestling last year and finished with a record of 15-11 wrestling at 141 and 149 pounds. He’s the president of the StudentAthlete Advisory Council.

Thanksgiving is a tough holiday for wrestlers, but I always keep my weight in check to have some of my mom’s Chicken and Rice Casserole.

I like to talk with good friends or go get a snack.

That the food I just ate doesn’t weigh as much as I think it’s going to.

Hannah Butzlaff

SOCCER 140

Despite being sidelined with an injury last season, this midfielder from White Bear Lake, Minnesota, has played in all 17 games this year and has scored two goals. She was named to The Summit League Fall Academic Honor Roll as a Distinguished Scholar last year.

B ISO N ILLUST R ATED • NOV EMBER 2 016

My favorite side dish is mashed potatoes and gravy.

My favorite thing to do for a study break is eat ice cream while watching a TV show.

The ability to eat whatever I want and never gain weight.

What app on your phone do you use the most and why?

I think Snapchat, because I like watching people’s stories to see what they’re up to and I also enjoy sending and receiving pictures. I’m a big fan of pictures!

Find Friends. Nate Tanguay is constantly getting lost.

Who is your most intimidating coach and why?

I would have to say Justin (St. Clair) because I know him the least and I have a hard time reading him...

Plus, he coaches the throwers so I know they could all easily beat me up.

I’d say, Coach (Tim) Polasek because half the time I can’t tell if he’s yelling at me or telling me good job.

Instagram! I love photography.

Coach Karli (Kopietz) because she has a really BIG dog.

Facebook. I’ve been using it less though, because of the flood of political posts.

Coach (Roger) Kish. He’s a Detroit Lions fan and anyone that can admit that with a straight face has to be pretty scary.

Snapchat, because I think the voice filters are hilarious.

Jim (Robbins) because he’s very intimidating and never stops talking.

SPORTS CALENDAR

SPORTS CALENDAR

BER M E V O N 2016

13 Women’s Volleyball vs.

25 Women’s Basketball at Cal

2 Men’s Track and Field

Denver (Senior Day)(Fargo) 1 p.m.

Poly (San Luis Obispo, Calif.)

4 p.m.

Dakota Classic (Fargo) 1 p.m.

13 Men’s Basketball vs.

26 Women’s Basketball vs.

Concordia Moorhead (Exhibition)(Fargo) 7 p.m.

Minnesota Morris (Fargo) 5 p.m.

Central Michigan (San Luis Obispo, Calif.) 4p.m.

Carolina A&T (Greensboro, N.C.)

3 Women’s Basketball vs.

14 Women’s Basketball at

27

Bemidji State (Exhibition) (Fargo) 7 p.m.

UMass (Amherst, Mass.) 6 p.m.

16 Women’s Basketball at

3 Women’s Golf Rainbow

Providence (Providence, R.I.) 11 a.m.

November 2 Men’s Basketball vs.

Men’s Basketball at Missouri State (Springfield, Mo.) 3 p.m.

29 Men’s Basketball at

2 Men’s Basketball at North 3 Women’s Basketball at Milwaukee (Milwaukee, Wis.) 3 Men’s Track and Field Dakota Classic Heptathlon (Fargo) 10 a.m.

Xavier (Cincinnati, Ohio) 5:30 p.m.

4 Wrestling at Dragon Open

TBA (Denver, Colo.) TBA

30 Women’s Basketball vs.

18 Men’s Basketball vs. Navy

Western Michigan (Fargo) 7 p.m.

4 Wrestling vs. Indiana

Wayne (Fort Wayne, Ind.) 7 p.m.

5 Women’s Volleyball at

19 Wrestling at Finn

IUPUI (Indianapolis, Ind.) 6 p.m.

Grinaker Open (Moorhead, Minn.) All Day

5 Football at Youngstown

19 Women’s Cross Country

State (Harvest Bowl)(Fargo) 2:30 p.m.

NCAA Championships (Terre Haute, Ind.) 10 a.m.

6 Wrestling vs. Iowa State

19 Men’s Cross Country

(Fargo) 2 p.m.

NCAA Championships (Terre Haute, Ind.) 11 a.m.

Wahine Invitational (Oahu, Hawaii - Leilehua)

4 Women’s Volleyball at Fort

10 Women’s Volleyball vs.

18-19 Women’s Volleyball at (High Point, N.C.) 3 p.m.

South Dakota state (ROTC/ Bison Rewards Double Points Night)(Fargo) 7 p.m.

19 Football at South Dakota

11 Women’s Cross Country

Greensboro (High Point, N.C.) 11:30 a.m.

NCAA Midwest Regional (Iowa City, Iowa) 11 a.m.

11 Men’s Cross Country NCAA Midwest Regional

11 Men’s Basketball vs.

Arkansas State (Fargo) 7 p.m.

12 Women’s Basketball vs.

(Vermillion, S.D.) 2 p.m.

(Edwardsville, Ill.) 1 p.m.

4 Wrestling at SIU Edwardsville (Edwardsville, Ill.) 2:30 p.m.

5 Women’s Basketball 2 Wrestling at Northwestern (Evanston, Ill.) 7 p.m.

at Oakland (Mich.)

(Rochester, Mich.) 6 p.m.

2 Women’s Track and Field Dakota Classic (Fargo) 1 p.m.

19 Men’s Basketball vs. UNC 20 Wrestling at Oklahoma (Norman, Okla.) 2 p.m.

20 Women’s Volleyball at TBA (Denver, Colo.) TBA

20 Men’s Basketball at High

Dickinson State (Fargo) 7p.m.

Point (High Point, N.C.) 11:30 a.m.

12 Wrestling vs. Bison Open

22 Women’s Basketball vs.

(Sheels Arena)(Fargo) All Day

Colorado (Fargo) 5 p.m.

12 Football vs. Indiana State

22 Men’s Basketball vs.

(Fargo) 2:30 p.m.

Waldorf (Fargo) 8 p.m.

142

DECEMBER

(Moorhead, Minn.) 9 a.m.

B ISO N ILLUST R ATED • NOV EMBER 2 016

Paul Miller, junior guard from Waukesha, Wisconsin led the team last season scoring 15.3 points per game. While a knee injury had him sidelined for six games in 2015, he’s sure to be among the top scorer again this year.