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NORTHERN TODAY
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SPRING 2016
WRESTLING
The Northern State
University wrestling program
concluded the 2015-16
season at the NCAA National
Championships with NCAA
Runner-up and 2-time NCAA
All-American Joe Gomez.
Juniors Tyler Stenberg and Joe
Gomez, as well as sophomore
Blake Perryman advanced to
the second day of the NCAA
Super Region tournament.
Stenberg and Perryman
fought in true fourth matches
to advance to the NCAA
National Championships;
however, were unable to
garner victories. Gomez began
his exciting post-season run
going a perfect 4-0 to earn his
first NCAA Super Region III
Title. The Wolves 197-pounder
battled from the NCAA
National Championships,
reaching the title match after a
thrilling sudden death victory
over Jake Cramer of Tiffin.
Gomez faced off against 2-time
defending national champion
Romero Cotton, of Nebraska
Kearney, in the championship
bout and ultimately fell 4-1.
Gomez also was named a
finalist for the NCAA Elite 90
Award landing in the top-3
competitors in cumulative
GPA at the Championships.
The junior is the seventh
national runner-up in program
history and finished with a
30-4 record.
INDOOR TRACK
AND FIELD
The Northern State University
track and field program capped
off the 2015-16 indoor season with
a pair of competitors heading
to the NCAA National Indoor
Championships. Sasha Hovind and
Breann Jackson represented NSU
in the 5000m run and the weight
throw. It was the second straight
national indoor meet appearance
by Jackson and first for Hovind.
Jackson opened competition for
the Wolves, finishing fifth overall
with an 18.87m mark. The senior
earned her second straight NCAA
All-American honor and recorded
her highest NCAA finish of her
career. Northern then headed to
the track as Sasha Hovind was on
the hunt for her fifth All-American
honor of her career (cross country/
track and field). Hovind crushed
the Northern State school record,
finishing in 16:31.40 to finish eighth
overall. She was just 22.3 seconds
behind the leader and was the top
NSIC finisher in the event.
SOFTBALL
The Northern State University
softball team opened the 2016
season from the Rochester Dome
with a 3-1 record against some
difficult regional opponents. Senior
Kelsey Gale opened the season
with NSIC Player of the Week
honors. Gale went 7-for-14 with
two homeruns, six runs scored,
two doubles, and three RBI. The
middle infielder continued to be
an important statistical leader
throughout the season with a .345
average and team-leading 57 hits.
With highs and lows throughout
the spring season, the Wolves
edged into the NSIC Tournament
as the ninth seed, going 3-1 in the
final weekend of regular season
action. Highlights for the Wolves
were a weekend home sweep
of Concordia-St. Paul and the
NSIC regular season champions,
Minnesota State, on possibly the
windiest days in NSU softball
history. NSU finished the regular
season with a 24-30 record overall
and 14-16 record in the Northern
Sun Intercollegiate Conference.
Seniors Kelsey Gale and Macey
Engel were named to the All-NSIC
second and gold glove teams.
BASEBALL
The Wolves opened the year
with a 7-5 record from the Tucson
Invitational. Matt Stubbs and
Lucas Lorenz earned back-to-back
NSIC Player of the Week honors
for NSU after opening the season
with monster weeks at the plate.
Northern returned home and faced
some bumps in the road; however,
battled back for a berth in the NSIC
Tournament in St. Cloud. Northern
landed four on the All-NSIC lists
in Nick Hoffard (Newcomer of
the Year/1st Team), Jack Schmidt
(1st Team), Matt Stubbs (2nd
Team), and Colton Boucher (Gold
Glove). Jack Schmidt added to the
post-season honors for the Wolves
with three 2nd Team All-Region
nods from the NCBWA, D2CCA,
and ABCA, as he broke the single
season hits record and produced
his second straight season hitting
above .400. A total of 11 Wolves will
hit the diamond this summer in
leagues across the country.
OUTDOOR TRACK
AND FIELD
The Northern State University
track and field team smoothly
transitioned into the outdoor
season in early April. In the first
month of the season, the Wolves
knocked down multiple school
records, as well as numerous event
victories. Hanneke Oosterwegel
tallied an impressive school record
in the 400m hurdles, finishing
with a time of 1:01.37 from the
earlier season meet in California.
Lucas Osowski notched a school
record in the hammer throw. The
senior twice broke the school
record with a personal best toss
of 53.44m. Sasha Hovind broke
both the 5,000m run and 10,000m
run records in 2016 with times of
16:31.19 and 34:59.59 respectively.
Hovind, as well as Dakotah
Bullen and Breann Jackson,
qualified for the NCAA Outdoor
Championships. Hovind notched
her sixth and seventh All-American
honors finishing fourth in the
10,000m run and ninth in the
5,000m run.
NORTHERN
ATHLETICS
Joe Gomez
Graham, Wash.
Sasha Hovind
Stirum, N.D.
Breann Jackson
Wheatland, Wyo.