SPORTS FEEVER – JUNE 13, 2019

Welcome to another Sports Feever Column.  Next weeks column will be the last of the Minnesota State High School League spring sports tournaments.  The state baseball championship will be played on Thursday, June 20 at Target Field.
After covering the state golf tournament in Jordan on Wednesday, I filed a report on the radio and updated the website with the story and pictures and cruised to Target Field to watch the Twins game.  I must be bad luck because the Twins had four errors and didn’t play well.  Berrios didn’t have his best stuff and the bats were silent until the last two innings when the game became pretty exciting.   Even if the game wasn’t the best of the year, it was still worth going to.  I went by myself and my wife said to me – “Your going by yourself?” I loved it.  I got to watch the game without being interrupted (anybody that has ever gone with four kids knows what I am talking about.  I had a hot dog and a beer and it was 70 degrees at game time.  It was perfect.   I ran into former Crookston School District Orchestra instructor Val Buchmeier and chatted for a few minutes.  It was great to catch up with Mr. Buchmeier and it keeps my streak of running into somebody I know well at Twins game going.

The game got me excited to broadcast the Sacred Heart Eagle baseball games at State on Thursday and Friday and hopefully next Thursday too!  I honestly think Sacred Heart has a great chance at playing in the championship game.  We will see.  You can hear the games on KROX.

Enjoy another column and the rest of the summer.

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The University of Minnesota Crookston Teambackers will host the 29th Annual Golf Classic at Minakwa Golf Course Friday, July 19. Registration starts at 9 a.m. with a shotgun start set for 10 a.m. Proceeds from this year’s Golf Classic fundraiser will support the new indoor golf practice facility.

Cost is $100 per golfer and includes entry gift, green fees, endless lunch, and much more. Teams of five golfers must have a combined handicap of 60 or more.

Sign up a team or register as an individual and a team will be assigned to you. The winning team will be presented with the Altru Cup sponsored by Altru. For more information, contact Derek Martin at 218-281-8436 or email derekm@umn.edu with questions or to register.

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Congratulations to Warroad Softball coach Terry Sadler on his induction into the Minnesota Fastpitch Coaches’ Association Hall of Fame.
Terry is a heckuva coach and a great guy.  As part of his honor, he was able to throw out the first pitch for the MFCA Senior All/star Series with Park Rapids catcher Kylee Pachel.

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The has been a few coach hirings in the area over the past week –

Blake Karass has been hired as the Sacred Heart Girls Basketball coach.  Blake is the Activities Director and had a committee make the decision.  He said they had six new girls out for their first summer league games and that will be big as they try to create some depth for the program.

Dave Vetsch has been hired as the new Perham High School wrestling coach.

Laura Fay has been hired as the Thief River Falls High School Girls Basketball coach.

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Perham High School is hands down the best high school, athletically speaking in northwest Minnesota.  They have won section titles in the following sports this year –
Boys Cross Country
Girls Cross Country
Football
Wrestling
Boys Basketball
Baseball
Boys Track
Girls Track

They were section runners-up in boys tennis.

They won state titles in boys and girls cross country and made it to the state semi-finals in football, wrestling, and boys basketball.

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A little Twins and MLB baseball tidbit for you-
Eades, a 27-year-old rookie pitcher for the Minnesota Twins, made his first Major League Baseball appearance on Saturday and is wearing the number 80.  He is the first Minnesota Twin and the first player in the history of Major League Baseball to wear the number.

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The Sacred Heart Eagle Baseball team is competing in the Minnesota State High School League Class A Baseball tournament Thursday and Friday.

TEAMS IN STATE TOURNEY-  All teams were #1 seeds in their section tournament except Sacred Heart (even though they were the favorites according to most)
Section 1 – Hayfield  (Beat out Spring Grove and Southland)
Section 2 – BOLD (Beat out Springfield, Mankato Loyola)
Section 3 – Kerkoven-Murdock-Sundberg (Beat out Minneota, Lac qui Parle Valley)
Section 4 – Randolph (Beat out Liberty Classical Academy, Goodhue)
Section 5 – Sebeka (Beat out Hinkley-Finlayson, Menahga, Braham, and Nevis)
Section 6 – New York Mills (Beat out Border West, Belgrade Brooten Elrosa)
Section 7 – Southridge (Beat out Ely and Carlton)
Section 8 – Sacred Heart

The two-time Section 8A champion Sacred Heart Eagles Baseball team will play the #3 seed Hayfield (who is making their first state baseball tournament) in the first round of the Minnesota State High School League State Baseball tournament.  Hayfield will likely throw Easton Fritcher in the game.  He is 9-0 and has pitched 51 innings, with 69 strikeouts, and an ERA of 1.10.  Pitching seems to be the strength of Hayfield with three solid pitchers.  Offensively, Fritcher leads the way with a .382 batting average and 29 hits.
Sacred Heart will likely go with Brenden Bethke who is 6-1 on the year and has pitched 41.33 innings and has 66 strikeouts and an ERA of 0.68!!  We are thinking we will see an old fashioned pitchers duel in game one!

The Eagles first round game is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 13 in Jordan.
KROX Radio will have all the Sacred Heart games from the state tournament on KROX Radio (1260 AM/105.7FM), online by clicking on the Listen Live in the top right of the website – you can also use the same link for your phone, on the free KROX app (download the free app in the Google Play or Apple App stores), or listen on Alexa (Listen to K-R-O-X in Crookston).

The tournament schedule and bracket are listed below.

THURSDAY, JUNE 13 –
Game 1 – #1 seed BOLD vs Sebeka at 10:00 a.m.
Game 2 – #4 seed Randolph vs #5 Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg at 12:30 p.m.
Game 3 – #2 seed New York Mills vs South Ridge High School at 3:00 p.m.
Game 4 – #3 seed Hayfield vs Sacred Heart at 5:30 p.m.  (On KROX Radio)

FRIDAY, JUNE 14
Semi-finals at Jordan
12:00 p.m. – Game 1 winner vs Game 2 winner
2:30 p.m. – Game 3 winner vs Game 4 winner
5:00 p.m. – Third-place game (loser of two games listed above)

Consolation round at Chaska –
10:00 a.m. – Loser game 1 vs Loser game 2
12:30 p.m. – Loser game 3 vs Loser game 4
3:00 p.m. – Consolation championship (winner of two games above)

THURSDAY, JUNE 20 at Target Field in Minneapolis
10:00 a.m. – State Class A Championship game

FOR THE TOURNAMENT BRACKET, CLICK HERE

The Minnesota State High School League’s Baseball State Tournament played annually since 1947, begins this week at four championship-round locations. The Class A tournament is played at the Mini Met in Jordan and the Class AA tournament is in St. Cloud. The Class AAA field plays at Siebert Field on the University of Minnesota Campus and Class AAAA is at CHS Field in downtown St. Paul. Championship games in each of the four enrollment classes are scheduled for Thursday, June 20 at Target Field. In the event of inclement weather, the make-up date for championship games at Target Field is Friday, June 21.

The Schedule

Class A
Thursday, June 13  At Mini Met, Jordan
Quarterfinals
Sebeka (18-7) vs. No. 1 BOLD (17-5), 10 a.m.
No. 5 Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg (20-2) vs. No. 4 Randolph (21-2), 12:30 p.m.
South Ridge (20-6) vs. No. 2 New York Mills (19-4), 3 p.m.
Sacred Heart (13-8) vs. No. 3 Hayfield (22-2), 5:30 p.m.

Friday, June 14
At Chaska Athletic Park
Consolation semifinals — 10 a.m., 12:30 p.m.
Consolation final — 3 p.m.

At Mini Met, Jordan
Championship semifinals — Noon, 2:30 p.m.
Third place — 5 p.m.

Thursday, June 20, at Target Field
Championship — 10 a.m.

Class AA
Thursday, June 13  At Dick Putz Field, St. Cloud
Quarterfinals
Glencoe-Silver Lake (19-5) vs. No. 1 Marshall School, Duluth (23-1), 10 a.m.
No. 5 Paynesville Area (21-2) vs. No. 4 Perham (22-2), 12:30 p.m.
La Crescent-Hokah (21-5) vs. No. 2 Minnehaha Academy (18-4), 3 p.m.
St. Peter (19-5) vs. No. 3 Foley (24-3), 5:30 p.m.

Friday, June 14
At Joe Faber Field, St. Cloud
Consolation semifinals — 10 a.m., 12:30 p.m.
Consolation final — 3 p.m.

At Dick Putz Field, St. Cloud
Championship semifinals — Noon, 2:30 p.m.
Third place — 5 p.m.

Thursday, June 20, at Target Field
Championship — 1 p.m.

Class AAA
Thursday, June 13  At Siebert Field, University of Minnesota
Quarterfinals
Duluth Denfeld (16-9) vs. No. 1 Monticello (18-5), 10 a.m.
No. 5 Benilde-St. Margaret’s (14-9) vs. No. 4 Marshall (17-10), 12:30 p.m.
Austin (14-8) vs. No. 2 Hill-Murray (17-8), 3 p.m.
Little Falls (13-9) vs. No. 3 St. Thomas Academy (18-9), 5:30 p.m.

Friday, June 14
At University of Northwestern
Consolation semifinals — 10 a.m., 12:30 p.m.
Consolation final — 3 p.m.

At Siebert Field, University of Minnesota
Championship semifinals — Noon, 2:30 p.m.
Third place — 5 p.m.

Thursday, June 20, at Target Field
Championship — 4 p.m.

Class AAAA
Friday, June 14  At CHS Field, St. Paul

Quarterfinals
Eden Prairie (17-7) vs. No. 1 Stillwater (22-2), 10 a.m.
No. 5 East Ridge (18-6) vs. No. 4 Mounds View (18-6), 12:30 p.m.
New Prague (16-8) vs. No. 2 Blaine (21-3), 3 p.m.
Rogers (11-13) vs. No. 3 Hopkins (18-6), 5:30 p.m.

Saturday, June 15

At University of Northwestern
Consolation semifinals — 10 a.m., 12:30 p.m.
Consolation final — 3 p.m.

At CHS Field, St. Paul
Championship semifinals — Noon, 2:30 p.m.
Third place — 5 p.m.

Thursday, June 20, at Target Field
Championship — 7 p.m.

Official Tournament Ball: Wilson A1010 BHS1-SST
Tickets:
Mini Met, $10 adult; $6 student.
St. Cloud, $10 adult; $6 student.
CHS Field and Siebert Field, $11 adult; $7 student.
Target Field, $12 adult; $8 student.

2019 Tournament Preview

Class A
Sebeka is making its fourth state tournament appearance and first since 2010. Senior catcher Noah Stevens leads the Trojans with a .414 batting average. BOLD is in the state tournament for the fourth time since 2012. The Warriors are holding opponents to a .188 batting average. Fifteen of BOLD’s 17 players were on the Warriors’ football team that was the state runner-up last fall. Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg returns for the first time since 2000. The Royals are paced by senior outfielder Dylan Rudningen who is batting .429.Randolph is making its state tournament debut. Senior infielder Andrew Wenstrom leads the Rockets with a .395 batting average. South Ridge placed fourth in the eight-team field in 2018. Junior pitchers Riley Kinsley and Mason Lane are a combined 12-1. New York Mills returns for the first time since 2014 when the Eagles had a run of four consecutive trips. Junior pitchers Logan Small and Caden Roberts have a combined 115 strikeouts. Sacred Heart is making its second consecutive state tournament appearance and fourth overall. Sacred Heart began the season with five freshman starting because of injuries sustained to players in basketball and wrestling. Hayfield is making is state tournament debut. The Vikings’ Easton Fritcher, a freshman pitcher, tossed a no-hitter in early May.

Class AA
Glencoe-Silver Lake, a Class AA runner-up in 2007, is back for the sixth time. Senior infielder/pitcher Chandler Glaser has 12 home runs. Marshall School, Duluth, was the runner-up in 2018, losing to Maple Lake in the championship game. The Hilltoppers bat .414 as a team and hold opponents to a .137 clip. Paynesville Area returns for the third time in the past four seasons. Junior pitcher Grady Fuchs is 7-1 with 87 strikeouts. Perham is making its ninth state tournament appearance and first since 2013. Sophomore pitcher Noah Rooney is 6-1 with 83 strikeouts and junior infielder Maddux Kovash is batting .438. La Crescent-Hokah is making its first appearance as this co-op. Senior infielder Sam Wieser is batting .438 for the Lancers. Minnehaha Academy is a seemingly annual entrant in the state tournament. The Redhawks, a two-time Class AA champion, is making its fifth consecutive appearance. Senior shortstop Noah Dehne is batting .358 with four homers for Minnehaha Academy, which won the consolation final in 2018. St. Peter is ending a state tournament dryspell that extends to 1982. Senior outfielder Hunter Wilmes hits .419 for the Saints. Foley came through the losers’ bracket and had to defeat Pierz twice in the Section 6AA tournament to reach the state tournament for the first time. The Falcons have a team ERA of 1.97.

Class AAA
Duluth Denfeld’s last three games have been against Grand Rapids. The first was a loss, and five says later, the Hunters defeated the Thunderhawks twice in the Section 7AAA final to earn a berth in the state tournament for the first time since 1954. The Hunters had also lost to Grand Rapids in the regular season finale. Monticello, the top seed, is making its state tournament debut. The Magic bat .343 as a team. Junior outfielder Jason Axelberg was selected the defensive MVP of the Mississippi 8 Conference. Benilde-St. Margaret’s, the No. 5 seed returns for the third time and first since 2016. Senior Matthew Hensberry leads the Red Knights with 23 RBIs. Marshall returns for the third time since 2015. The Tigers are powered by senior outfielder Andrew Mulso, who is batting .333. Austin was a longtime baseball power in the 1940’s, ‘50’s and ’60’s, but is making its first appearance this season since 1990. Senior infielder Riley Wempner paces the Packers at a .413 clip. Hill-Murray is the No. 2 seed after qualifying for the first time since 2012. Senior Jack Schwartz leads the Pioneers from the mound and the outfield. For the 15^th time, Little Falls is in the state tournament. Travis Wenzel powers the Flyers with a .448 average. First-year head coach Matt Kelly has led St. Thomas Academy to the state tournament. The Cadets had to defeat South St. Paul twice in the Section 3AAA tournament to advance. Junior infielder Judd Fenlon is batting .486.

Class AAAA
Eden Prairie is a three-time state champion in 11 previous state tournament trips. Senior catcher Joey Danielson powers the Eagles with a .419 average. Top-ranked Stillwater is the defending big-school champion. Senior pitchers Drew Gilbert and Will Frisch, drafted earlier this month, by the Twins are the Ponies’ one-two punch from the mound and the plate. East Ridge is making its state tournament debut. The Raptors’ quarterfinal opponent is No. 4 seed Mounds View, a two-time state champion in eight tournament appearances. During the Suburban East Conference schedule, the teams split two games. The only other state tournament trip for New Prague was in 1980. Junior Luke Tupy is 6-0 with 81 strikeouts for the Trojans. Blaine placed fourth in the eight-team field in 2018. Junior infielder Bryce Nelson leads the Bengals with a .414 batting average. Rogers is also making its state tournament debut. The Royals’ Easton Miller, a junior infielder, is batting .432. Hopkins has two runner-up finishes in eight previous state tournament trips. Junior pitcher Miles Halligan is undefeated with 68 strikeouts.

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The Minnesota State High School League Track and Field meet was held this past weekend in St. Paul at Hamline University.  Crookston had two participants and there were several local athletes and athletes with local ties that competed.  How they all finished is listed below –

Emma Borowicz of Crookston finished 8th place in the 300 hurdles
Noah Kiel finished 11th in the 100 prelims and 14th in the 200 prelims

Jacob Lindemann of Roseau was 3rd in the discus with a throw of 155-4.
Mason Miller of Ada-Borup was 4th in the discus and 8th in the shot put.
Tyson Mahar of East Grand Forks finished 4th in the 3200 meters
The East Grand Forks Green Wave 4×100 girls relay team finished 5th.
Mini Jallah of East Grand Forks finished 6th in the 200 and 9th in the 100 meters.
Isaac Durand of West Marshall finished 7th in the 300 hurdles.
Danae Stenzel of Clearbrook-Gonvick finished 8th in the discus
Karley Motschenbacher of Park Christian was 2nd in the long jump, 3rd in the 200 and 4th in the 100.  Karley is the daughter of former UMC Football player Casey Motschenbacher.

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The Class AA Boys and Girls Golf tournament was held at the Ridges at Sand Creek Golf Course in Jordan on Tuesday and Wednesday.  The Detroit Lakes Boys finished second place and the Detroit Lakes Girls team finished third place.
It was pretty cool to see Crookston High School’s Dani Boyle golf at state this year.  Dani, like most golfers, ran out of gas physically and mentally by the end of the second round.  It is about 6,500 yards for the boys and over 5,100 for the girls.  It is a tough course with varying terrain and it takes a toll on the golfers after three straight days on the course.  Walking the course is about 8 miles each day.
Dani finished in a tie for 52nd place and will look to make a return trip next year.

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Congratulations to the Badger-Greenbush-Middle River Gators on their state runner-up finish at the Minnesota State Class A Softball tournament in Mankato.  BGMR, the #5 seed, beat #4 seed Waterville-Elysian-Morristown 4-2 in the first round.  They beat #1 seed New York Mills 8-4 in the semi-finals and lost to #3 seed Edgerton/Southwest Minnesota Christian 4-1 in the championship.  What a performance by the Gators!!!   For their efforts, they had three players named to the State All-Tournament team and they are – Mariah Christian, Lauren Kvien and Ella Heggedal.

We would also like to congratulate the Thief River Falls Prowlers on their Minnesota State Class AA Softball tournament fourth-place finish.  TRF, the #4 seed, beat #5 Le Sueur-Henderson 4-3 in the first round.  The Prowlers lost to #1 seed Norwood-Young America 9-5 in the semi-finals and lost to #3 Pipestone 4-3 in the third-place game. TRF had Alexa Rogalla named to the State Class AA all-tournament team.

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Here are the results from the Red Lake Falls Summer Volleyball tournaments – 

RLF 18’s Tournament held on Sunday, June 9th
1st – KCC
2nd – TRF
3rd – Fertile-Beltrami
4th – Thunderbirds
5th – Climax-Fisher
6th – Red Lake Falls
7th – Northern Freeze
8th – RLCC

16’s Summer Volleyball Tournament held on Saturday, June 8.
1st – East Grand Forks
2nd – Fertile-Beltrami Red
3rd – Fertile-Beltrami Blue
4th – Thunderbirds
5th – Red Lake Falls Purple
6th – RLCC
7th – Freeze
8th – Red Lake Falls Gold

RLF 12’s Tournament held on Monday, June 10th (PM)
1st – EGF
2nd – Northern Freeze 11’s
3rd – Roseau White
4th – Northern Freeze 12’s
5th – Roseau Green
6th – Red Lake Falls 6th
7th – Red Lake Falls 5th
8th – Thunderbirds
9th – RLCC
10th – Climax-Fisher

RLF 10’s Tournament held on Monday, June 10th (AM)
1st – Roseau White
2nd- KCC
3rd – Roseau Green
4th – Red Lake Falls Gold
5th – Thunderbirds
6th – RLCC
7th – EGF
8th – RLF Purple
9th – Northern Freeze

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The University of Minnesota Crookston men’s basketball program announced the addition of Aidan Evans (F/C, 6-8 205, Sioux Falls, S.D./Roosevelt H.S.) to a National Letter of Intent. Evans is the seventh signee for the Golden Eagles during the current recruiting cycle.

Aidan Evans (F/C, 6-8 205, Sioux Falls, S.D./Roosevelt H.S.)
Evans helped Sioux Falls Roosevelt H.S. to the State Tournament Consolation Championship during the 2018-19 season. He played his senior year for Sioux Falls Roosevelt H.S., after moving to Sioux Falls, S.D., from Austin, Texas. Prior to moving, Evans competed for James Bowie H.S., in Austin, Texas. Sioux Falls, S.D., is the hometown of his father Jeff Evans. Evans played AAU basketball for Urban ASAK Elite in the summer of 2018. He helped his AAU team to the George McClellan Invitational title in 2018. Evans helped Sioux Falls Roosevelt H.S., to a No. 5 ranking in the state. Evans had 17 points in a win over Mitchell H.S. He had 11 points in a State Tournament game against Sioux Falls O’Gorman H.S. Evans is ranked 16^th in the Prep Hoops Dakotas Top 150. He is the second-ranked player over 6-5. He was selected for a post-season all-star game.  “I’m pleased to welcome Aidan to the Golden Eagle basketball family,” said Head Coach Dan Weisse. “I was really impressed with Aidan and his family on his visit. Aidan will provide our team some depth in the post. I feel like he will continue to keep getting better year in and year out. Aidan’s size, matched with his shooting ability will be a great fit for what we are looking for. Aidan will have to put on some weight and hit the weight room, but his commitment to be the best player he can be, his commitment to his teammates, and his mindset will serve him well. I am looking forward to watching him grow as a person and a player.”
He is the son of Jeff and Yasmin Evans. Evans was born Feb. 10, 2001. He is undecided on his major. His grandparents Doug and Gloria Evans created a pioneering family exercise program called “Fun & Fitness” that aired on KELO-TV in Sioux Falls from 1961-71. It was seen all over South Dakota and large parts of North Dakota, Minnesota, and Iowa. Doug Evans is a member of the South Dakota Sports Hall of Fame. His mother Yasmin is originally from Guyana. He has two brothers and one sister. His sister is originally from China, and his younger brother is originally from Ethiopia.

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The NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel approved moving the 3-point line to the international basketball distance of 22 feet, 1¾ inches in men’s basketball. The rule will be effective for the 2019-20 season in Division I. Due to the potential financial impact of placing a new line on courts, the new 3-point line will go into effect for the 2020-21 season in Divisions II and III.
Men’s Basketball Rules Committee members recommended the change after receiving positive feedback from the annual rules survey from coaches whose teams competed in the 2018 and 2019 National Invitation Tournament, where the international 3-point distance was used on an experimental basis.

The committee cited the following rationale for extending the line:
-Making the lane more available for dribble/drive plays from the perimeter.
-Slowing the trend of the 3-point shot becoming too prevalent in men’s college basketball by making the shot a bit more challenging, while at the same time keeping the shot an integral part of the game.
-Assisting in offensive spacing by requiring the defense to cover more of the court.

Teams in the 2019 NIT averaged 23.1 field goal attempts in the tournament from behind the arc, compared with 22.8 3-point attempts in the 2018-19 regular season. The 3-point shooting percentage of teams in the 2019 NIT was 33%, compared with their regular season average of 35.2%.
When the line was moved before the 2008-09 season, the distance went from 19 feet, 9 inches to 20 feet, 9 inches. The percentage of 3-point shots made during that season compared with the previous season declined from 35.2% to 34.4%. The percentage of made 3-point field goals steadily increased back to 35.2% in Division I by the 2017-18 season.

Shot clock reset
The panel also approved resetting the shot clock at 20 seconds after a field goal attempt hits the rim and the offensive team rebounds the ball in the frontcourt. The change is being made to enhance the pace of the game. The committee decided a full 30-second shot clock is not needed because the offensive team is already in the frontcourt after securing the rebound. This was an experimental rule in the 2019 NIT, as well.

Other proposals
The panel approved a proposal where players will be assessed a technical foul should they use derogatory language about an opponent’s race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, gender, gender expression, gender identify, sexual orientation or disability.

Coaches will be allowed to call live-ball timeouts in the last two minutes of the second half and the last two minutes of any overtime periods. Previously, coaches weren’t allowed to call any live-ball timeouts during the game.

In the last two minutes of the second half or the last two minutes of any overtime, instant replay review can be conducted if a basket interference or goaltending call has been made.

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The NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel approved resetting the shot clock in women’s basketball to 20 seconds after an attempted field goal hits the rim and the offensive team rebounds the ball in the frontcourt. The rule is effective for the 2019-20 season in all three divisions.
NCAA Women’s Basketball Rules Committee members made the proposal in an effort to continue to enhance the pace of the game. It reasoned that a full 30-second shot clock is not needed since the offensive team is already in the frontcourt after securing the rebound.
Also, when the shot clock is below 20 seconds, it will reset to 20 seconds when the defensive team commits a single personal foul or when the ball is intentionally kicked or hit with a fist in the offensive team’s frontcourt. When the shot clock is at 20 seconds or above, it will not be reset in these situations.

Conduct
The panel approved a rule that if a player receives one technical foul and one unsportsmanlike foul in the same game, the player would be ejected. This rule is effective for the 2019-20 season.
Also, the offended team will be awarded the ball for a throw-in at the division line when the opponents have been assessed a player/substitute or bench technical foul when play resumes.
Another change allows referees to address any acts of misconduct, provided the official is already at the monitor to review for an unsportsmanlike or contact disqualifying foul.

Experimental rule
NCAA Women’s Basketball Rules Committee members previously approved an experimental rule to use the international 3-point line for postseason events, excluding the NCAA championships in each division.
Committee members, who met last month in Indianapolis, want to examine whether moving the line back to the distance of 22 feet, 1¾ inches will enhance the game. The current women’s 3-point line sits at 20 feet, 9 inches.
Last season in Division I, teams made an average of 6.05 3-point field goals and attempted 19.13 shots from beyond the line per game. Both are all-time highs in Division I. Teams made 31.6% of their shots from 3-point range, which was a slight dip from the 31.9% in the 2017-18 season.
Division II and Division III teams also had all-time highs in 3-point field goals attempted and made last season. In Division II, teams made 6.14 3-point shots per game on 19.44 attempts. In Division III, the averages were 5.53 and 18.7, respectively. Division II players shot 31.6% from 3-point range, while those in Division III made 29.5% of their attempts.

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The University of Minnesota Crookston had 25 student-athletes named to the 2019 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) Spring All-Academic Team. The Golden Eagles have had 25 or more student-athletes earn NSIC Spring All-Academic in the last four seasons. The honor was announced by the NSIC conference office Thurs., May 16.
UMC was represented by 12 baseball players, three men’s golfers, eight softball players, and two women’s tennis student-athletes.  The Golden Eagles had 12 student-athletes named to the NSIC All-Academic Team of Excellence.

The baseball team was represented by Nate Albrecht (Sr., Wahpeton, N.D.), Graeme Cherry (Jr., Millarville, Alberta), Jordan Deadwyler (Sr., Jacksonville, Fla.), Griffin Fussy (So., Ham Lake, Minn.), Jayden Grover (Jr., Cooperstown, N.D.), Reed Hjelle (Sr., East Grand Forks, Minn.), Aaron Hollcraft (Sr., Crookston, Minn.), Eli Jung (So., Dickinson, N.D.), Jonathan Lund (Sr., Tolna, N.D.), Zach Rustad (Sr., Blaine, Minn.), Adam Shykes (So., Duluth, Minn.), and Ben Thoma (So., Clearbrook, Minn.). The 14 honorees is up for 10 during the 2018 season. Albrecht, Hollcraft, Lund, Thoma, and Deadwyler were named to the NSIC All-Academic Team of Excellence.

The softball team placed eight on the all-academic team including; Rocky Bjorge (Sr., Prior Lake, Minn.), Mikayla Jones (Sr., Huxley, Iowa), Tavia Lawson (So., Hawley, Minn.), Maggie Morales (Sr., Tucson, Ariz.), Paige Pitlick (Jr., Jordan, Minn.), Samantha Proctor (Jr., Champlin, Minn.), Sam Rarick (Sr., East Grand Forks, Minn.), and Mika Rodriguez (Jr., Laveen, Ariz.). The eight honorees matches the team total for 2018. Jones, Lawson, Morales, and Pitlick were selected to the NSIC All-Academic Team of Excellence.

The men’s golf team was represented by Connor Humble (So., Rosemount, Minn.), Ethan Johnson (Sr., Roseau, Minn.), and Ben Koisti (Sr., Lake Norden, S.D.), while the women’s tennis team had Hannah Zhao (Sr., Guangzhou, China), and Reanne Erickson (Sr., Fargo, N.D.) earn the accolade. Johnson, Koisti, and Zhao were named to the NSIC All-Academic Team of Excellence.

The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference had 749 student-athletes earn NSIC All-Academic honors for the 2019 spring athletic season; 391 student-athletes were named to the NSIC All-Academic Team of Excellence, while 358 earned NSIC All-Academic Team honors. To be eligible for the NSIC All-Academic Team of Excellence, a student-athlete must have a 3.60 cumulative GPA or higher, while NSIC All-Academic Team members must have a 3.20 cumulative GPA or higher.

Additionally, the student-athlete must be a member of the varsity traveling team, have reached sophomore athletic and academic standing at her/his institution (true freshmen, red-shirt freshmen and ineligible athletic transfers are not eligible) and must have completed at least one full academic year at that institution.

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The University of Minnesota athletic department and the Gopher Hockey program, in conjunction with the Big Ten Conference, have announced the Maroon & Gold’s full schedule for the 2019-20 campaign — the 99th season of Gopher Hockey.

Highlighting the 2019-20 slate is one of the strongest home schedules in program history with Minnesota hosting all six Big Ten opponents (Notre Dame, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Penn State, Wisconsin) along with nonconference foes in North Dakota, Minnesota Duluth, Minnesota State, Bemidji State, St. Cloud State and Niagara.

The Maroon & Gold kick off the regular-season home schedule against Niagara (Oct. 18-19) before opening a home-and-home series with Minnesota Duluth (Oct. 25). The Big Ten schedule begins for Minnesota against Notre Dame (Nov. 1-2) before three-straight home series against Penn State (Nov. 15-16), Wisconsin (Nov. 22-23) and North Dakota (Nov. 28-29). The historic rivalry with North Dakota kicks off an entertaining Thanksgiving weekend for the University of Minnesota as Gopher Hockey hosts the Fighting Hawks on Thursday-Friday before Gopher Football hosts Wisconsin on Saturday at TCF Bank Stadium.

The Mariucci Classic returns to the Gopher Hockey schedule (Dec. 28-29) with an all-Minnesota lineup as Minnesota hosts Bemidji State while Minnesota State and St. Cloud State will also face off. Matchups for the tournament finale will be determined following Friday’s action.

The Gophers remaining home slate includes Ohio State (Jan. 24-25), Michigan State (Feb. 7-8) and the regular-season home finale series with Michigan (Feb. 28-29).

Minnesota’s road schedule for the 2019-20 season starts at Colorado College (Oct. 11-12) before ending a home-and-home at Minnesota Duluth (Oct. 26). The Gophers’ first Big Ten road series takes them to Michigan (Nov. 8-9) before closing out the first half at Ohio State (Dec. 6-7). The Maroon & Gold return to the road at Michigan State (Jan. 10-11), at Wisconsin (Jan. 31-Feb. 1), at Notre Dame (Feb. 14-15) and at Penn State (Feb. 21-22).

The Gophers will also host a pair of exhibition games during the 2019-20 campaign with Mount Royal University visiting 3M Arena at Mariucci on Sunday, Oct. 6 while the U.S. Under-18 Team comes to campus on Friday, Jan. 17.

Gopher Hockey fans can now lock in their current season tickets for the upcoming 2019-20 season as renewals are available. Fans with existing season tickets can visitgophersports.com/tickets, and if they have not done so already, link their account with the new Paciolan ticketing solution. Season ticket holders will continue to enjoy numerous benefits, including the Gopher Loyalty Program. Additionally, Gopher Hockey season tickets will start at $500 for the 2019-20 season – the lowest price for season tickets since 1999-2000.

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The Minnesota Wild have announced the Third Annual Minnesota Wild Leadership Summit, presented by West Bend Mutual Insurance, will be held on Monday, June 24 from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Roy Wilkins Auditorium in Saint Paul.

High school hockey captains and their coaches from around the State of Hockey can attend the Leadership Summit. This event is a great opportunity for hockey captains and coaches to learn from a wide-ranging, inspiring and influential group of leaders. Attendees will also have the opportunity to tour TRIA Rink at Treasure Island Center and get a behind the scenes look at the Minnesota Wild locker room, training and medical facilities. Coaches can register their teams at wild.com/leadership.

A dynamic variety of leadership experts are scheduled to speak at this year’s event, including: Glen Andresen (Executive Director of Minnesota Hockey); Bruce Boudreau (Minnesota Wild Head Coach); Hannah Brandt (University of Minnesota national champion, Olympic gold medalist and Minnesota Whitecaps); Natalie Darwitz (Hamline University Women’s Hockey Coach); Kevin King (University of Minnesota Teaching Specialist, Sport Management, and Leadership Development Consultant); Karson Kuhlman (former University of Minnesota Duluth men’s hockey captain); Matt Majka (Minnesota Wild President); Paul Martin (former NHL player and Shine a Ligh7 Foundation); Kelly Pannek (University of Minnesota national champion and Olympic gold medalist); Troy Pearson (Executive Director – Positive Coaching Alliance); Scott Sandelin (University of Minnesota Duluth Men’s Hockey Coach); Sam Smith (Prouty Project Vice President); Mike Snee (Executive Director of College Hockey, Inc.) and more.

Teams attending the Minnesota Wild Leadership Summit are asked to bring non-perishable food items to benefit Second Harvest Heartland. Teams that bring a donation will be entered into a drawing to win a suite to the Minnesota Wild preseason game on Sunday, Sept. 29. One boys team and one girls team will win a suite. Teams are also encouraged to bring water from their home rink as part of the Wild’s “This Is Our Ice” campaign. Teams will add their water to a collection station at Roy Wilkins Auditorium. Water collected at the Leadership Summit will become part of the Xcel Energy Center ice for the 2019-20 season.

Wild.com Host Ryan Carter, a former White Bear Lake High School hockey captain, Minnesota Wild player and Stanley Cup champion, will emcee the Summit. FOX Sports North broadcasters Kevin Gorg and Audra Martin will host roundtable discussions during the event.

Teams traveling to the Wild Leadership Summit from outstate Minnesota may receive a discounted room rate at the Hampton Inn & Suites located at 200 7th Street West in downtown Saint Paul on Sunday, June 23. The hotel is one block from Xcel Energy Center and Roy Wilkins Auditorium.

The Minnesota Wild Leadership Summit is a free event supported by Minnesota Hockey, the Minnesota State High School League, the Minnesota Boys and Girls Hockey Coaches Associations, the Positive Coaching Alliance, the NHL and NHLPA. The schedule and speakers for the Leadership Summit are subject to change.

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Minnesota State earned the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) All-Sports Award for the sixth time since joining the league in 2008 and for the second year in a row.  The Mavericks amassed 198 points to finish 11.5 points ahead of second place Augustana University.  MSU has now earned the all-sports award in 2008-09, 2009-10, 2012-13, 2013-14, 2017-18 and 2018-19. Augustana, Minnesota Duluth, Minnesota State and Winona State remain the only institutions to earn the award in its 20-year history.

Since 2017-18, the NSIC recognizes an overall champion along with a men’s and a women’s champion. Minnesota State also earned the men’s award as it scored 90.5 points while Augustana earned the women’s award by scoring 112 points.  The Mavericks and Vikings will be presented their awards on Tuesday, July 9 at the NSIC Hall of Fame Banquet in Lakeville, Minnesota.

Minnesota State won four regular-season titles during the 2018-19 academic year, including co-football,  men’s indoor track & field, women’s golf, and men’s outdoor track & field.

The NSIC All Sports Award is calculated by awarding the winner of each conference-sponsored championship points totaling the number of teams in that sport plus one. The next place finisher receives points totaling the number of teams less the number of places from first place. Ties in the standings at any level result in the totaling of points and equal distribution.

2018-19 NSIC All Sports Competition – Overall Final Standings

Rk	School	Points	LY
1	MSU-Mankato (18)	198	1
2	Augustana (18)	186.5	2
3	Sioux Falls (17)	149	4
4	MN Duluth (14)	148.5	5
5	Winona State (14)	134.5	3
6	U of Mary (16)	133.5	7
7	St. Cloud State (14)	132.5	6
8	Northern State (15)	112	8
9	Concordia-St. Paul (15)	109.5	9
10	MSU Moorhead (16)	105.5	11
11	Minot State (16)	79	12
12	Wayne State (13)	77.5	10
13	Bemidji State (13)	76.5	15
14	SMSU (16)	76	13
15	Upper Iowa (12)	62	14
16	UMC (10)	27.5	16
	# of NSIC sports sponsored in ()

Past NSIC All-Sports Award Winners
1999-00    Minnesota Duluth
2000-01    Minnesota Duluth
2001-02    Minnesota Duluth
2002-03    Minnesota Duluth
2003-04    Minnesota Duluth
2004-05    Winona State
2005-06    Winona State
2006-07    Winona State
2007-08    Winona State
2008-09    Minnesota State
2009-10    Minnesota State
2010-11    Augustana
2011-12    Augustana
2012-13    Minnesota State
2013-14    Minnesota State
2014-15    Augustana
2015-16    Augustana
2016-17    Augustana
2017-18    Minnesota State (O+M) – Augustana (W)
2018-19    Minnesota State (O+M) – Augustana (W)

2018-19 NSIC Team Champs
Men’s Cross Country	Sioux Falls
Women’s Cross Country	University of Mary
Football	Minnesota State & UMD
Women’s Soccer	Bemidji State
Volleyball	Northern State & UMD
Men’s Basketball	Northern State
Women’s Basketball	MSU Moorhead
Men’s Indoor Track & Field	Minnesota State
Women’s Indoor Track & Field	University of Mary
Women’s Swimming & Diving	St. Cloud State
Wrestling	St. Cloud State
Baseball	Augustana
Softball	Winona State
Men’s Golf	Winona State
Women’s Golf	Minnesota State
Men’s Outdoor Track & Field	Minnesota State
Women’s Outdoor Track & Field	University of Mary
Women’s Tennis	Augustana

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Warroad will be hosting the Warwick Workout Advanced Skills Basketball camp July 15-16.

The Warwick Workout Advanced Offensive Skills Camp is designed for players looking to enhance and expand their skill set. Warwick Workout trainers will work with players to excel in their respective positions through progression based teaching and repetition.
Camp Features
· Perimeter moves currently used in college & NBA
· Shooting instruction and development
· Footwork and shot preparation
· Creating space to score
· Finishing at the rim
· Advanced ball handling concepts

Session 1 – 3-7th Grade Boys/Girls
Session 2 – 8-12th Grade Boys/Girls

For more information on the camp and the registration form, CLICK HERE.

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The Hawley Nugget Booster Club is hosting a 3-on-3 basketball tournament –

The Nugget Summer Jam will be held on Saturday, June 1 at the Hawley High School, Elementary and Field House gyms.

Cost is $80 per team. Early Bird Registration is $72 and due by May 1, 2019.  Teams will not be guaranteed for registration after May 17, 2019.

There will be a 3 game guarantee and team sizes are limited to a 5 player max for girls and boys grades 3 through 8. As part of the registration process, you will be asked to rank your team from 1-3, with 3 being high and 1 being low. We encourage honesty as this will help us in preparation of our brackets and fair play! Grade level should be chosen based on 2018-2019 school year.

T-shirts and concessions will be available for purchase.

There will be no trainer on site, please bring first aid supplies for your team.

Contact Nathan Stoa or Kirsti Fleming with questions.

This registration session will allow you to complete contact information, sign up for participation, and submit payment.

Please read through each page carefully to ensure that all information is provided accurately.

To complete registration through their secure website, CLICK HERE.

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Pirate Hoops Summer Skills and Drills 2019
For Crookston Pirate Basketball players (girls and boys) grades 2-12 (next year’s grade)
Where: CHS gym
When:  Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday
Time:   Next year’s  7th-12th graders at 7:30-9:00 am
Next year’s  2nd – 6th graders at 9:00-10:00 a.m.

CLICK HERE FOR THE JUNE 7th grade through 12th-grade CALENDAR

CLICK HERE FOR THE JUNE – 2nd grade through 6th-grade CALENDAR

Cost:  7th-12th graders is $40
2nd – 6th graders is $25

Attend all or as many as you are able to.  (Make checks to Pirate Basketball)

Send to:
Pirate  Hoops
Crookston High School   Attn: Greg Garmen
402 Fisher Ave.
Crookston, MN 56716

Keep top portion

Name________________________________________________________

Phone________________________________________________________

School attended(circle):    CHS    HES    Cathedral    Our Saviors       Home School

I understand that Crookston High School and the Summer Basketball Academy staff will not be held responsible for injuries of loss of personal property while the above athlete is attending the academy.  I authorize the directors to secure any emergency treatment deemed necessary.  The staff will not be held responsible for payment for this emergency treatment.  Any hospital or doctor fees that are a result of injury will be the responsibility of the parent or guardian.  I also acknowledge that the above athlete is physically ready for the activity of the basketball academy.

Signature of parent/guardian_________________________________________

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The Christian Laettner Basketball Academy will be conducting a youth basketball clinic in Pillager June 24-26 at Pillager High School.
4th-8th grade 9 am – noon (co-ed)
9th-12th grade 1 pm – 4 pm (co-ed)
Cost is $125, including a water bottle
Register Online at www.theclba.com

Christian Laettner is a retired NBA 13-year veteran whose hall-of-fame career for the Duke Blue Devils is widely regarded as one of the greatest in National Collegiate Athletic Association history. Coach Laettner will provide a fun, learning environment for the committed basketball player looking to improve their game, with a focus on skill development, striving to help players improve their ball handling, and passing, while increasing their understanding of offensive and defensive concepts. There will be great attention to detail on the core fundamentals of the game. Players, nowadays, love to dribble, dribble, dribble the ball. With that in mind, the teaching point this academy will stress the most is “catch the ball, save your dribble-and look to pass first!”. This concept is often overlooked in today’s game with the younger players – so the coaches will stress how ball movement is a key ingredient to a players game and offensive efficiency!

For the Camp form and for more information, CLICK HERE.

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The University of Minnesota Crookston men’s basketball program will again offer camp options this summer. The Golden Eagles will host an Offensive Skills Day Camp from June 17-20 from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. The camps will be held at the University of Minnesota Crookston Wellness Center this year due to the remodeling of Lysaker Gymnasium, which will include new bleachers and a refurbished floor. This will be the sixth annual camp.

The Offensive Skills Day Camp for boys and girls for grades 5-12. Each camper will receive a t-shirt and a camp ball. On the last day, all campers for the Offensive Skills Camp will also receive a pizza party.
The camp will develop campers skills through drill work, contests, and games. They will receive instruction and interaction with coaching staff and players.

The cost is $60 per camper. If you have any questions contact Assistant Coach Bryan Beamish at 218-281-8431 or bbeamish@crk.umn.edu. You can fill out the attached registration form (click here for the form) and send form and payment to:

UMC Basketball
142 Sports Center
2900 University Ave.
Crookston, MN  56716

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JOKES

A cabbie picks up a Nun.

She gets into the cab, and notices that the driver is VERY handsome.

The cab driver also won’t stop staring at her.

She asks him why he is staring.

He replies: “I have a question to ask you but I don’t want to offend you.”

She answers: “My son, you cannot offend me. When you’re as old as I am and have been a nun as long as I have, you get a chance to see and hear just about everything. I’m sure that there’s nothing you could say or ask that I would find offensive.”

“Well, I’ve always had a fantasy to have a nun kiss me.”

She responds: “Well, let’s see what we can do about that: #1, you have to be single and #2, you must be Catholic.”

The cab driver is very excited and says: “Yes, I’m single and Catholic!”

“OK” the nun says. “Pull into the next alley.”

The nun fulfills his fantasy, with a kiss that would make a hooker blush.

But when they get back on the road, the cab driver starts crying.

“My dear child,” says the nun, “why are you crying?”

“Forgive me but I’ve sinned. I lied and I must confess, I’m married and I’m Jewish.”

The nun says, “That’s OK. My name is Kevin and I’m going to a Halloween party.”

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