DRAGON ATHLETICS
Dragon TALES
DRAGON TALES
By Larry Scott, MSU Moorhead Sports Information Director
Having put the wraps on the winter sports campaign, Minnesota State Moorhead turns its full attention to emerging spring sports and keeps an anxious eye on the weather as well. The Dragon softball team is scheduled to face University of Mary March 25 at Bismarck, ND while Dragon men and women plan to launch the 2008 outdoor track season at St. Thomas March 29. Another sure sign of spring? MSUM plans to launch spring football drills April 3.
MSUM MEMOS. . . . . JEFF TESCH, a national receiving champion and All-American at MSU Moorhead in 1977, is a finalist for the head football coaching post at St. Cloud State. Tesch has been head coach at Bemidji State since 1996. . . . . MSU Moorhead presidential candidates begin their visits of campus this week. . . . . Winona State stretched the losing streak of Minnesota State Moorhead to six straight with a 6-3 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference triumph in a Sunday women's tennis matinee at St. Cloud. MSUM, 2-8 overall and 2-2 in the NSIC, faces Southwest Minnesota State on Thursday at St. Cloud. . . . . Minnesota State Moorhead sophomore ANN GUSEWELLE picked up a second All-American certificate on Friday with a fifth place finish in the 100 yard breaststroke with a 1:04.83 clocking at the 2008 NCAA II Women's Swimming and Diving Championships at Columbia, MO. Gusewelle and 200 yard medley relay teammates BARBIE BROOKS, KARENA KING and AMY RONESS also earned All-American honors on Thursday for a sixth place finish with a time of 1:47.28. MSU Moorhead placed 25th with 40 points. . . . . MSUM crowned two All-Americans and placed 13th in the women’s competition at last week’s 2008 NCAA Division II Indoor Track and Field Championships at Mankato. ASHLEY ROEMER produced a pair of All-American performances and placed second in the high jump, 5-7, and sixth in the 800 meters, 2:13.78. JENNIFER HENSEL earned All-American honors and tied for third in the women's pole vault, 12-9 ½, while MATT JAHNKE placed 13th in the men's pole vault. . . . . MSU Moorhead 174-pound junior TYLER TUBBS earned All-American honors for a seventh place finish at the 2008 NCAA Division II National Wrestling Championships at Cedar Rapids, IA last weekend. Tubbs defeated Jesse Feinsod of New Mexico Highlands 6-5 in the seventh place match. MSUM placed 27th with 5.5 team points. . . . . Tubbs was named to the 2007-08 NCAA Division II Wrestling Coaches Association All-Academic first team while KELLY JANKE and DUSTIN NAGEL were second team selections. EVAN FORDE, JON SWART and TALLEN WALD earned honorable mention. The Dragons ranked seventh nationally with a composite grade point average of 3.22. . . . . CASEY PRESTON tops the Dragon batting chart after 10 games with a .344 average, followed by KARI SAGEHORN, .333, and CASEY LINDSETH, .280. Preston leads the club in total bases, 15, while Sagehorn has the early RBI lead with five. JULIE VANCURA (3-2, 1.66 ERA) and Sagehorn (2-2, 1.74) provide a solid starting tandem. MSUM has fashioned a sparkling field percentage of .979 with only six errors in 10 games. KATIE HOWLAND leads the team with four stolen bases in five attempts. MSUM, 5-5 overall, returns to action March 25 at University of Mary. . . . MSUM has unveiled a new athletic website designed by TOM CHALLEY. . . . . The next Dragon Fire luncheon is scheduled for Wednesday, March 26, at Courtyard by Marriott in Moorhead. . . . . Dragon basketball games are broadcast over ESPN Radio 1660 AM. STEVE d’EUSTACHIO returns as play-by-play announcer. All Dragon games are also available on the World Wide Web at www.msumdragons.com. . .
