DRAGON ATHLETICS
Dragon TALES
DRAGON TALES
By Larry Scott, MSU Moorhead Sports Information Director
Minnesota State University Moorhead cross-country coaches have raised the bar for the Dragons this weekend, eyeing a sweep of both men and women’s titles at the 2007 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Championships at Westfield golf course in Winona. The meet begins at 10 a.m. on Saturday.
Dragon men are defending champs and both teams are ranked among the regional leaders. MSU Moorhead women are ranked 25th nationally and sixth in the NCAA Division II North Central Region by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. Dragon men are ranked ninth in the region. SCOTT EGEBERG (Valley City, ND) looms as a major favorite to capture the men’s individual title while ANNA VanWECHEL (Fergus Falls) is expected to make a spirited bid for the women’s crown.
MSUM MEMOS. . . . . MSUM inside linebacker JONATHAN MILLER is tied for fifth on the latest NCAA Division II national statistics for solo tackles, 6.6, and 13th for total tackles, 11.1. Quarterback DUSTIN LONG is 12th in total offense, 292.1, and 13th in yards gained passing, 267.4, while wide receiver JABARI TAYLOR is sixth in receptions per game, 7.4, and 13th for receiving yards, 97.7. . . . . MSU Moorhead women officially christen the 2007-08 swimming and diving season on Friday and Saturday, October 19-20, in a double dual against Northern Michigan University and host St. Cloud State University at Halenbeck Pool in St. Cloud. The meet begins at 6 p.m. on Friday and continues at noon on Saturday. . . . . The latest Dragon swimming and diving roster includes team members from nine states, including Minnesota, Texas, California, Oklahoma, Illinois, Nebraska, Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota. . . . . “Building on Success” is the theme for the 2007-08 season according to head coach TODD PETERS. The Dragons retain seven national qualifiers, including swimmers LAUREN BAALMAN, BARBIE BROOKS, ANNE GUSEWELLE and AMY RONESS and divers SARAH CHAUSSEE, KERIN HANSON and SARAH WILKER. . . . . Sophomore transfer student KAYLA KOENIG won both diving events with meet record scores at last weekend’s intra-squad swim affair. Koenig won the 1-Meter event with 218 points and the 3-Meter event with 238 points. . . . . Former Dragon point guard DAVE JOERGER is in his first season as assistant coach of the Memphis Grizzlies of the NBA. . . . . MSU Moorhead swept Upper Iowa 32-30, 30-12, 30-25, on Friday fell to Winona State 30-25, 30-20, 30-15 on Saturday and defeated Minnesota, Crookston 30-16, 30-17, 30-11 on Tuesday. MEGAN NORLING logged a club high 11 kills in the victory over the Peacocks, 12 in the loss to the Warriors and 11 against the Golden Eagles. . . . . JULIE VANCURA contributed 102 assists and 32 digs in the three matches. . . . . MSU Moorhead fell 1-0 in double overtime to Northern State and 3-0 to University of Mary on a NSIC weekend soccer homestand. Freshman ALISON WANNER was credited with 11 saves in a rock solid performance in goal against NSU. . . . . Basketball practice began officially at Minnesota State Moorhead on Monday, October 15, and wrestling drills started on Tuesday . . . . The Dragons are second behind defending champ Upper Iowa on the pre-season NSIC wrestling poll. UIU ranks first with 74 points, followed by MSU Moorhead (60), Northern State (58), Southwest State (23) and University of Mary (13). KELLY JANKE, 141, and ROCKIE STAVN, 165, rank first individually while TROY MacFARLAND, 133, SHANE WALTON, 157, JARRETT HALL, 174, and TYLER TUBBS, 184, are second. . . . . Alex Nemzek Hall will host the Beyond the Yellow Ribbon project for a second time on October 27-28. The program, to enhance the reintegration of returning reserve and guard veterans from Iraq, is directed by Captain AARON KRENZ, a former starting linebacker for the Dragons. . . . . Kyle Belmont, the starting strong safety at North Dakota State, is the brother of ex-Dragon quarterback SEAN BELMONT. . . . . The Dragons have unveiled a new athletic website designed by TOM CHALLEY. . . . . BRETT BEESON, the NCAA Division II Player of the Year and a national scoring champ at MSUM in 1995-96, continues to flourish in professional basketball abroad. Beeson put together a triple-double in just 28 minutes of play with 19 points, 11 boards and 10 assists last week for Archena, Spain. . . . . The next Dragon Fire luncheon is scheduled for Wednesday, October 24, at the Courtyard by Marriott in Moorhead. . . . . Dragon football games are broadcast over ESPN Radio 1660 AM. STEVE d’EUSTACHIO returns for his 10th season as play-by-play announcer while Mike Larson will provide commentary. All Dragon games are also available on the World Wide Web at www.msumdragons.com. . . . .
