2019-20 Class B All-State Girls Basketball Team

First Team

• Avery Broughton, Corsica-Stickney, 5-11, fr., forward

• Hilary Albrecht, Howard, 5-9, sr., guard

• Caelyn Valandra-Prue, White River, 5-9, jr., guard-forward

• Ady Dwight, Langford Area, 6-0, sr., center

• Alayna Benike, Castlewood, 5-11, jr., forward

• Cameryn Logan, Ethan, 5-10, jr., center

Second Team

• Morgan Edelman, Menno, 5-7, jr., guard

• Halle Heinz, Ipswich, 5-5, jr., guard

• Zoey Wohlleber, Waubay-Summit, 5-6, so., guard

• Kennedy Leiferman, Kimball-White Lake, 5-11, jr., guard-forward

• Lavin Bendt, Kadoka Area, 5-10, sr., forward-center

• Kaycee Groves, Faith, 5-10, so., guard-forward

Third Team

• Julia Weber, Bridgewater-Emery, 5-7, so., guard

• Morgan Huber, Hanson, 5-9, sr., guard

• Rachel Fiedler, Herreid-Selby Area, 5-9, jr., guard

• Brooke Niederbaumer, Faulkton Area, 5-11, sr., forward-center

• Nora O’Malley, Irene-Wakonda, 5-8, so., guard-forward

• Kennadi Buchholz, De Smet, 6-0, so., center

• Malloy O’Malley, Irene-Wakonda, 5-6, sr., guard-forward

Minnesota Wild head coach Bill Guerin has announced the addition of forward Adam Beckman and Damien Giroux. The deals are both for three years and are entry level deals. Beckman is 18-years-old and recorded 107 points in 63 games with the Spokane Chiefs of the Western Hockey League this season. He was selected in the 3^rd round 75^th overall in the 2019 draft. Giroux is 20 years old and recorded 75 points and a plus 34 rating in 61 games with the Sagniaw Spirit of the Ontario Hockey League. He also served as team captain. He was selected in the fifth round, 155 overall in the 2018 NHL draft.   

The Minnesota Vikings made three huge moves Monday to begin the NFL free agency period.  First, the Vikings came to terms with quarterback Kirk Cousins on a two-year contract extension.  Cousins was entering the last year of a three year deal this year and was due $29.5 million in base salary.  His new deal is worth $66 million over two years including $61 million guaranteed and drops his cap hit down from $29 million to $10 million this year. 

The Vikings also placed the franchise tag on safety Anthony Harris, just minutes before the deadline.  Each team gets one franchise tag a year, and binds a player set to become a unrestricted free agent to the team should conditions be met.  That includes Harris earning the average amount of the top three paid players at his position next season.

Finally, the Vikings traded star wide receiver Stefon Diggs to the Buffalo Bills for a slew of draft picks.  Buffalo will get an often disgruntled Diggs, who is a star wide receiver in his own right and just 26 years old, while Minnesota will get a first, fifth and sixth round pick in 2020 and a fourth round pick in 2021.  The Vikings also sent a 2020 seventh round pick to Buffalo. 

The North Star Athletic Association is issuing a "pause" in all conference activities until March 30. This hiatus includes all in-season spring sports as well as out-of-season sport activities.  No organized practices will be allowed during that time period.  Teams currently participating on their spring trips will be allowed to complete their schedules at this time. 

"This is an extremely fluid situation and we continue to closely monitor current developments, trends, and mandates, which may dictate changes in our plan moving forward", stated North Star Commissioner Cory Anderson. "We are in regular communication with the NAIA regarding decisions they will make at the national level and the possible impact it may have on our student-athletes."

"We have a large footprint and our spring sports cover five states (Nebraska, Iowa, Wisconsin, South Dakota & North Dakota) which obviously requires dealing with a myriad of agencies. Our desire is to discuss the best course of action moving forward in the short-term and to provide time to consider long-term steps."

At the request of Governor Noem, the remainder of the SDHSAA Class B Girls Basketball tournament is postponed. In addition, all SDHSAA state basketball tournaments for next weekend, along with the Visual Arts competition, are also postponed. The Student Council Convention, all Region music contests, and All-State Band scheduled for later this month are cancelled. 

The NCAA announced Thursday it has canceled all its post-season basketball tournaments.  That includes the popular March Madness tournament as well as the Division II basketball tournament Northern was scheduled to take part in. 

Summit League Commissioner Tom Douple announced the suspension of regular season competitions for all league members on their campuses through March 30. This suspension is effective immediately.

"With the continued spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19), we will continue to put the safety and well-being of our student-athletes, coaches, administrators, and fans at the forefront of our league's collective decision making," Douple said. "This is a fluid situation, and this is the right precaution to take at this time. We will continue to provide timely updates on the status of spring sports competitions when those are available."

The Summit League strongly encourages its members to use the preventative actions outlined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (www.cdc.gov). 

Based on the latest developments and the continued spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19), the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) has announced the suspension of all athletic activities for each of its 16-member institutions. All NSIC contests are suspended immediately, while any non-conference competitions already travelled to are left to institutional discretion up to March 16, at which time all athletic activities must cease.

The league will continue to monitor and evaluate the situation and will make a determination on the remainder of the academic year later this month. 

Presentation College Saints Football is pleased to announce the 2020 Football campaign.

The Saints will play five home games and six road contests in the tenth season of Saints Football.

The Saints open the season with a trip to Iowa to take on the Northwestern College Red Raiders. The Saints home opener is slated for Sept. 5 against the Jimmies of Jamestown.

The Saints continue at home against Oklahoma Panhandle State for a midweek game on Sept. 10.  

The Saints have back-to-back road trip, taking on Division III UW-Stout on Sept. 19. The Saints will face Waldorf University on Sept. 26.

Returning to Swisher field, the Saints host Dickinson State on Oct. 3. The Saints travel to Valley City State on Oct. 10, before traveling to Dakota State on Oct. 17.

Mayville State comes to town on Oct. 24 before hosting Waldorf University for the final home game on Oct. 31. The Saints will conclude the regular season on Nov. 7, travelling to Dickinson State.

"Our schedule this season is challenging and provides us with the opportunity to compete against multiple ranked teams," said head coach Steve Heimann.

For everything Saints Football, be sure to check out pcsaints.com or @PCSaintsFootball on Twitter.   

2020 Saints Football

August 29            @Northwestern College               4PM

September 5      University of Jamestown              6PM
September 10    Oklahoma Panhandle State         7PM

September 19    @UW-Stout                                       TBD

September 26    @Waldorf University*                   1PM

October 3            Dickinson State University*       12PM

October 10          @Valley City State*                        1PM

October 17          @Dakota State University*          1PM

October 24          Mayville State University*          1PM

October 31          Waldorf University*                      1PM

November 7       @Dickinson State University*     2PM (MST)

The remainder of the NAIA DII Men’s Basketball National Championships at the Sanford Pentagon will be limited to teams, essential staff members and immediate family of the student-athletes. This decision is made in conjunction with the state of South Dakota and the city of Sioux Falls.

“Our first priority is the health and safety of the student-athletes, teams and fans at the Sanford Sports Complex, and we can all play a role in containing the COVID-19 virus,” said Bill Gassen, chief administrative officer at Sanford Health. “We know this is disappointing for the fans of all the teams, but our role as a health care leader is to protect the community.”

“By limiting the public’s exposure to large gatherings of people, our hope is to slow the spread of COVID-19 in our community,” said Mayor Paul TenHaken. “Thank you to Sanford and the NAIA for the proactive steps they are taking in this effort while still affording these teams the opportunity to compete.”

“We are taking swift action to address this situation at the state level,” said Gov. Kristi Noem. “It’s also important to remember that we all play a role in preventing the virus’ spread. When possible, staying home should be a priority.”

The tournament began Wednesday morning and runs through Tuesday, March 17.
 

Northern State University head men’s basketball coach Saul Phillips announced today the promotion of Jared Swanson to associate head coach. Swanson joined the NSU coaching staff as an assistant in the summer of 2019.

“Jared has certainly earned this promotion over the course of this year,” explained Phillips. “He has been instrumental in our transition to NSU as a coaching staff. He is a big part of this year’s NSIC Overall and Tournament Championships.”

In the last month, the Wolves have won their third straight NSIC Overall and Tournament Championships posting a 26-6 record thus far in 2019-20. Three Wolves earned NSIC All-Conference honors this season, with Parker Fox being named the NSIC Defensive Player of the Year. Northern will make their third straight NCAA Central Region Tournament appearance on Saturday, opening versus Missouri Southern at 8:30 p.m. on Maryville.

“I am very thankful to Coach Phillips, Athletic Director Josh Moon, and President Dr. Tim Downs, for this promotion and their support,” noted Swanson. “I feel extremely fortunate to be a part of such a great basketball program and university. My family loves being a part of the Northern State community, and I want to keep working hard to ensure future success, both on and off the court.”

Swanson was previously an assistant for Phillips at both North Dakota State University and Ohio University. In ten years at the Division I level, Swanson has mentored/developed 21 All-Conference award-winning student-athletes, including five all-first team honorees, three freshman of the year, and one conference player of the year.

Swanson most recently spent that last five seasons at Ohio University as an Assistant Coach (2017-19), and prior to that as the Director of Men’s Basketball Operations (2014-17).  In 2015-16, the Bobcats produced the second biggest turnaround in program history, going 23-12 overall with a trip to the CBI semifinals.

Prior to his time at OU, Swanson spent one season at San Jose State and two seasons at North Dakota State as the Director of Men’s Basketball Operations. The Bison went 41-24 in his two seasons, earning a berth into the College Basketball Invitational each year.

Swanson began his collegiate coaching career as a graduate assistant at Boise State University. The Broncos went 22-13 overall and advanced to the semifinal round of the CBI. From 2008-10, Swanson spent time as an assistant coach at Heritage High School in Vancouver, Washington and as the head coach at Payson High School in Payson, Arizona.  Before starting his coaching career, Swanson played four seasons of professional basketball in Australia, garnering two League-MVP awards, while leading the league in scoring two years.

He is a 2003 graduate of Concordia College with a bachelor’s degree in Social Studies Education, and 2011 graduate of Idaho State University with a master’s degree in Physical Education in Athletic Administration. Swanson played collegiately at Fergus Falls Community College where he was an all-state and all-region selection, as well as the 2000 Fergus Falls Student-Athlete of the Year. Swanson moved on to the University of North Dakota and then to Concordia College. He closed out his college career as a MIAC first team selection for the Cobbers.

Jared and his wife, Jessica, have two sons, Jett and Nash, and one daughter, Luna.

The Day County sheriff’s office has suspended the search for Richard “Butch” Carpenter, a Waverly man last seen Match 8^th at Bitter Lake in Waubay.  The Day County sheriff’s office reported the news in a statement read by former Day County Emergency manager Wes Williams…

The SDHSAA is aware of the COVID-19 cases reported in South Dakota this afternoon. All of our post-season events remain on as scheduled. We will continue to work with state departments to monitor the situation, and encourage people to follow CDC recommendations regarding hygiene, personal space, and staying home if you are sick. 

Attached are the standings for men's city league basketball 2nd half...

Link.

The Class AA boys basketball state tournament bracket has been released.  To see the parings follow this link.

The Class B girls basketball state tournament bracket has been released.  To see the pariings follow this link.

Minnesota Vikings defensive end Everson Griffen has voided the last three years of his current contract with the team.  Griffen exercised a clause in his contract allowing him to opt out if he had six sacks while playing 57 percent of the defensive snaps in 2019.  

Griffen had until February 25th to exercise the option, but apparently has already chosen to do so.  This move will make him an unrestricted free agent and free up $13 million in cap space for the cap strapped Minnesota Vikings.  The team will take on $800,000 in dead money from the deal.  

It is possible Griffen could return to the Vikings but with a restructed deal worth less money.  

The Harlem Globetrotters “Pushing the Limits” World Tour travels to Aberdeen in just under two months; scheduled for April 1 at 7 p.m. in the Barnett Center’s Wachs Arena. Northern State Athletics is proud to announce a one-of-a-kind ticket promotion in conjunction with the Wolves final home basketball games of the regular season.

For each Harlem Globetrotters ticket purchase from February 18-20, the purchasers will receive an entry to win four free tickets to the Wolves final weekend of the regular season versus UMary and Minot State. Tickets must be purchased in the Barnett Center main office between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. to be eligible for entry. The winner will be announced Friday, February 21 on the Northern State Athletics Facebook Page.

Both courtside and general admission tickets are available and priced at $66.50 and $33.50, respectively. Checks should be made payable to the NSU Foundation. NSU faculty, staff, and students will also receive a $10.00 discount per general admission ticket. In addition to the main show, a Magic Pass Pre-Show Event will be offered. This event begins 90 minutes prior to show time and ends 60 minutes prior to show time. Customers must purchase a Magic Pass ticket, for $19.00, in addition to their game ticket. No group discounts will be offered for the Magic Passes.

The Northern State men’s and women’s basketball teams close out their regular season home schedule at 5:30 and 7:30 p.m. on Friday versus the Marauders and 4 and 6 p.m. on Saturday against the Beavers.

The Minnesota Wild have made a move before the NHL trade deadline.  The Wild sent forward Jason Zucker to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for 25-year-old left wing Alex Galchenyuk, defenseman Calen Addison and a conditional first round pick in 2020.  Galchenyuk is a Milwaukee Wisconsin native and has tallied 17 points in 45 games for the Penguins while Addison is a 19-year-old native of Brandon Manitoba and has recorded 43 points in 39 games for the Lethbridge Hurricanes of the Western Hockey League this season.  If Pittsburgh fails to make the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs they will not be obligated to send their first round pick to Minnesota this upcoming draft. 

The Minnesota Twins are part of a three team deal including star pitchers and MVP players.  The principle teams in the trade are the Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers.  The Red Sox have sent 2018 AL MVP Mookie Betts to the Dodgers along with left handed starter David Price.  In exchange, Los Angeles will get outfielder Alex Verdugo from Boston.  The Twins are involved by getting right handed starter Kenta Maeda from Los Angeles and will send pitching prospect Brusdar Graterol to Boston.  Maeda started 37 games last year for LA and went 10-8 in those starts with a  4.04 ERA and 153.2 innings pitched. 

The Timberwolves are reportedly part of a huge four team deal that will completely reshape the roster.  This is reportedly the largest trade in the NBA since 2000, involving 12 players. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojanorowski, the Houston Rockets receive forwards Robert Covington and Jordan Bell from Minnesota and the Golden State Warriors 2024 second round draft pick.  The Atlanta Hawks receive center’s Clint Capela and Nene from Houston.  The Timberwolves receive from Denver guard Malik Beasley, forwards Juancho Hernangomez, and Jared Vanderbilt and from Atlanta guard Evan Turner and Atlanta’s first round draft pick, via the Nets.  Denver receives from Minnesota guard Shabazz Napier, forward Keita Bates-Diop and Noah Vonleh and from Houston guard Gerald Green and the Rockets first round pick.    

Former NBA and Los Angeles Lakers great Kobe Bryant died Sunday along with eight other people, including his 13-year-old daughter Giana in a helicopter accident.  He was 41-years-old.  Bryant and his daughter were heading to the Maba Sports Academy in Thousands Oaks California where Kobe was expected to coach Gianna.  The helicopter had been flying in foggy conditions, considered dangerous enough local police agencies grounded their helicopter.  56-year-old John Altobelli, a longtime orange coast college basketball coach, his wife and daughter were also killed in the crash.  Bryant played 20 NBA seasons, all for the LA Lakers, retiring in 2016.  He won five NBA championships, one MVP in 2008 and two Olympic gold medals for team USA.  He leaves behind his wife Vanessa and three other daughters. 

Valley City State (N.D.) was the North Star Athletic Association softball coaches’ favorite to repeat the league title, the 2020 softball preseason poll was announced Monday afternoon by the conference office.

The Vikings collected four first-place votes and tallied 59 points to claim the top spot in the preseason poll. VCSU had a historic 2019 season with an astounding 54-5 overall record, which include a trip to the NAIA World Series. Valley City State breezed through the North Star conference season with an impressive 26-2 record and rolled to their conference postseason tournament title.

Bellevue (Neb.) picked up three first-place votes and earned 57 points to place second. The Bruins also qualified for the NAIA Softball National Tournament Opening Round, falling short to Houston-Victoria (Texas) and Avila (Mo.). BU finished their 2019 season with an overall record of 44-20 and 23-5 record in NSAA.

Mayville State (N.D.) recorded its final first-place vote and totaled 49 points to finish third. Dickinson State (N.D.) was tabbed to finish fourth with 43 points.

Viterbo (Wis.) edged Waldorf (Iowa) 28-26 to secure the No. 5 spot in the coaches’ preseason poll. Dakota State was seventh with 17 points, followed by Presentation (S.D.) eighth with nine points.
Points were awarded on an 8-1 basis in the conference coaches’ preseason poll.

The North Star conference softball season officially starts on March 14-15 between Dickinson State and Waldorf in Tucson, Ariz. with a four-game series. The rest of the NSAA conference members will start league play on March 21-22 (schedule: Presentation at Viterbo; Dakota State at Valley City State and Bellevue at Mayville State).

Most of the softball conference schedule will be played on the weekend (Saturday-Sunday) with a four-game series. The traveling partners (BU-DaSU, VU-WU, DiSU-PC and VCSU-MSU) will play a doubleheader on the middle of the week during the regular-season.

The NSAA Softball conference tournament will be held in Valley City, N.D. on April 30 through May 3.

There is one automatic bid to the NAIA Softball National Tournament Opening round, with 10 different sites with four teams each competing in a double-elimination tournament on May 11-13. The winner of the postseason conference tournament will earn the automatic bid to the national tournament.

The NAIA Softball World Series take place in Columbus, Ga. on May 21-27.

Below is the complete 2019 NSAA Softball Coaches’ Preseason Poll:
2020 North Star Athletic Association Softball Preseason Poll
Rank School Points
1 Valley City State (N.D.) (4) 59
2 Bellevue (Neb.) (3) 57
3 Mayville State (N.D.) (1) 49
4 Dickinson State (N.D.) 43
5 Viterbo (Wis.) 28
6 Waldorf (Iowa) 26
7 Dakota State (S.D.) 17
8 Presentation (S.D.) 9
*First-place votes in parenthesis

A former Big Ten football player has been hired as the new assistant coach for Northern State University Football.
 
Donnell Kirkwood will coach the running backs for the Wolves. Kirkwood played for the University of Minnesota from 2010 to 2015, winning honors including the Paul Giel Award, Offensive Back of the Year and Offensive Player of the Year. He led the Gophers with 926 yards rushing and six touchdowns in his sophomore campaign.
 
"Coach Kirkwood is a home run hire and a tremendous addition to our coaching staff," said NSU Wolves Head Football Coach Mike Schmidt. "He is a ball of energy who will create strong, lasting relationships with our players. He's a great coach and a perfect fit for our football program."
 
Originally from Delray Beach, Fla., Kirkwood most recently worked for River Bend Education Center in Minneapolis. There, he served as a youth physical education and health teacher for elementary and middle school students. Kirkwood earned a Bachelor of Science in Youth Studies from the University of Minnesota in December 2013.
 
His coaching experience includes serving as running backs coach for Minnesota's Southwest High School from 2015 to 2019, along with special teams coordinator and defensive backs coach in 2019. Kirkwood also had internships on the coaching staffs of Andover and DeLaSalle high schools in Minnesota.
 
"I would like to thank Coach Schmidt for the opportunity to be a part of his staff," Kirkwood said. "It's a great opportunity to be under a head coach who believes and values hard work. I love that about him and the excitement he brings. I'm excited to share my knowledge with this team and pick the brains of many of the great coaches on this staff."  
 

The Presentation College Winter Dome is now available to the public for walking purposes. The hours of availability for the community will be Monday through Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. beginning Tuesday, January 7 and ending, Friday, April 17. Hours and holiday closures will be posted on the outside of the Dome.

Tennis shoes only, and no pets please.

If there are any other times in which you would like to rent the Dome, Strode, or other facility, for your group or team needs, please contact Krista Christianson at 605-229-8395 or Krista.Christianson@presentation.edu

Former NBA Commissioner David Stern passed away Wednesday at the age of 77.  He had been hospitalized since December 12^th after suffering a brain hemorrhage.  Stern oversaw the NBA for 30 years and is the longest serving commissioner in league history.  Under Stern’s leadership the NBA grew beyond its popularity in the United States and became a global brand grossing more than $5 billion a year.  Stern had worked in the NBA for at least two decades before becoming commissioner.  He stepped down as commissioner in 2014 and was replaced by the current commissioner Adam Silver.