Northern Today_Nov-2018

NORTHERN TODAY 14 FALL 2018 Wolves Recap One of the largest turf projects in the summer of 2018 brought a new full-sized game field for Wolves soccer and practice field for Wolves football, in addition to a state-of-the-art pavilion between them. NSU also inducted five former students (Melissa Gamble, Noelle Hall, Baron Blanchard, Eric Longhenry and Dale McElhany) and one team (1969 football) into the Athletics Hall of Fame over Gypsy Days weekend. Following the annual Alumni Twilight Roe Granger meet, the Wolves men and women won the Dakota State Herb Blakely Invite. Top finishers from the race were Paige Larson for the women and Riccardo Done for the men. The two teams then took on the Roy Griak Invite and the Jimmie Invite before hosting the NSIC Preview meet on Oct. 20 from Lee Park. In their final home meet before the NSIC Championships, the Wolves finished second on the women’s side and fourth on the men’s. The Wolves went on to finish seventh (women) and eighth (men) in the NSIC Championships. The NCAA Central Region meet was then scheduled for Nov. 17 in Joplin, Mo. The Wolves tallied wins over Minot State (42-16), Concordia-St. Paul (35-28), UMary (28-23) and Minnesota Crookston (27-0). The shutout win over the Golden Eagles was the first for the Wolves since the 2015 season. Hunter Trautman led the team with 2,659 yards passing in his first full season at the snap. He tallied 24 touchdowns, averaging 241.7 yards per game. Freshman receivers Dakota Larson and Jacob Streit were a one-two punch for the NSU offense, with 881 and 689 receiving yards respectively. The pair combined for 13 touchdowns on the year. Larson went on to earn NSIC Offensive Newcomer of the Year honors. Senior Noah MacPherson led the Wolves defense with 84 total tackles, as well as 9.0 sacks and 14.5 tackles for a loss. Seven Wolves were honored on the NSIC All-Conference teams, including a Newcomer of the Year nod for Dakota Larson. Noah MacPherson was named to the first team, while Larson, Hunter Trautman, Jacob Streit and Jacob Wiedrich were named to the second team. Alex Gray and Drew Fahrman grabbed honorable mention awards. The Northern State University athletic department opened the 2018 academic year with brand new facilities all over campus, including the Athletic and Recreation Fields, which became the new home for Wolves soccer and football. 2018 FALL Cross Country Football The 2018 cross country teams opened the season under new direction with head coach Patrick Heckroth and assistant coach Livia Mahaffie. The Northern State football team concluded the 2018 season with a 4-7 record overall and 3-4 mark in the NSIC North. Riccardo Done (jr.) passes an MSU Moorhead runner at the Northern State NSIC Preview Meet. Hunter Trautman (so.) drops back for a pass in the Wolves’ “gold rush” game vs. St. Cloud State. ► ►