NDSU Bison Women's Basketball

From the Eyes of the Coach

2011-10-13T18:50:00.000-05:00

Ever wonder what the coach sees at practice? Luckily, we have a new contraption that can show exactly what we do see day in and day out! Yesterday, using the new coach-cam mounted to the front of a coach, we caught some awesome angles that really brought a new perspective to our film work. Watch a clip of our 4-on-gray drill. Here we are working on our offense against a team of Gray Squad members.

Nice finish Miki!

There will be more to come as we will use the Coach Cam more often!

Go Bison!

Nature showing its true colors- BISON SPIRIT!!!

2011-10-13T10:46:00.002-05:00

Fall has got to be my favorite season of the year. The morning air is crisp with a hint of a chill. The leaves change colors and Mother Nature expressing her love for the Bison! Green and gold naturally go togehter and man does it look good.

The other thing that is looking good right now is our BISON! Football is 5-0 and take on Missouri State Saturday here in Fargo. Volleyball is 14-7, 7-2 and currently second place in Summit league play and on the road this weekend. Soccer is 11-2-1, 4-0 and is in a three-way tie for first place in the Summit league with UMKC and South Dakota; they finish their 2011 home schedule this weekend. It is crazy to think that fall sports are nearing the end of their season already!

While fall brings the end of the fall sports it starts the beginning of our season. We are in week two of practice and we are working hard. It is going to be a great year for us! Come watch our debut this Friday at our Late Show. Enjoy food, mingling with both men's and women's basketball, watch a little basketball and stick around for autographs! See you tomorrow at the BSA at 6pm.

SEE YOU FRIDAY!

2011-10-11T09:14:00.002-05:00

Day One

2011-10-04T11:55:00.000-05:00

One day is in the books! Practice one brought a lot of learning, a lot of energy, and a lot of hustle. We are working hard toward becoming better EVERY DAY!

Check out coverage from the court:
Day 1 Video

Premiere Week!

2011-09-28T10:51:00.004-05:00

As most of you know, premiere week

for your favorite television show(s) was last week. I had a great time catching a few favorites, Modern Family and Grey's Anatomy. Hopefully, you did as well and if not at least set the DVR to watch at a later time.

Premiere week for the 2011-12 NDSU women's basketball team tips off next week. That's right fans, family, friends and alumni, our 1st official day of practice begins Monday, October 3rd.

Here's a little peak at what's been going on since the start of classes, August 23rd. The NCAA allows us 8 hours in the preseason. Six of those eight are used in our strength and conditioning phase. The NCAA permits the additional two hours to be used for skill development. Our players did their conditioning test yesterday and ran very well. Our strength and conditioning coach is pleased with our conditioning level for the start of camp. We have two lifts remaining and a team workout tomorrow before giving them the weekend off.

If you are wondering why we start practice two weeks earlier than the men here is why. The season before last, women's basketball proposed legislation and passed a bylaw to commence on court practice 40 days prior to the date of our first regular season contest (Nov 11th, Wisconsin Green Bay). We can engage in 30 days of countable activities. Therefore, Monday is our season premiere week. Our players are pumped to start practice. They have committed hard over the summer and fall to be ready for this day!

The coaches have been hitting the road hard visiting prospective student-ahtletes and coaches and all is ready to go in Fargo! We're hungry to get this season tipped off.

Have a fantastic fall and we will see you in the BSA, November 1st.

Let's Go Bison!

2011-09-27T18:49:00.000-05:00

Hurray for Homecoming Week!

As we prepare for the many home games and competitions this week from all of our Spring sports lets look back on one of tdhe greater moments in Bison History. (By the way, it happened LAST SATURDAY!)


Opening Ceremonies for the Bison vs. Gopher Football Game

NDSU traveled down 94 to take on the Greasy Grimy Gophers at their brand new stadium. There was a TON of green shirts in the crowd! Of the 48,000 people, over 22,000 were Bison Faithful. That is insane for a road game against the Big Ten.

And as you can tell from the next clip, the green and yellow were quite LOUD! Let's go Bison!

Here are a couple more shots of the awesome game that NDSU won 37-24!

Scoreboard!

Victory Stampede!

This is the hub bub going into our HC football game this weekend. This Saturday is ALREADY a sell-out. Can't wait for all of Fargo to join in on the fun! :)

I hope you have a chance to come on out and join in on the fun. See you at tailgating!

Walk to End Alzheimer's

2011-09-19T10:20:00.026-05:00

The Bison kicked off their sheets early Saturday morning to join our friends at Edgewood Vista Senior Living for a stroll in the park. With one foot in front of the other we joined hundreds of Fargoans in the Walk to End Alzheimer's held at Rendezvous Park in West Fargo. It was wonderful to see the community come togehter for such an important cause. More than 5 million Americans are living with Alzheimer's and it affects nearly 11 million more serving as caregivers. Alzhemier's makes our loved ones forget who they are and who we are and it is the 6th leading cause of death in the nation. Our small community and over 600 communities nationwide are stepping up and ending Alzheimer's. We will not forget or be forgotten! Thank you for all those who joined us on our stroll in the park! Go Team Edgewood!

Team Edgewood was awarded for their contributions and support for the event.

BISON rate Edgewood Performance: TWO THUMBS UP!!!

Liz Keena, Hannah Linz, Abby Plucker, Alisa Brown, Janae Burich, Ali Browning, Catavia Jones, Dani DeGagne, Coach Ali, Jamie Van Kirk, Miki Stephenson, Kahla Becken, Sam Lako, Danielle Muri, Katie Birkel, Britney Gaines

Catavia Jones, Coach D, Britney Gaines

Charlie Adams, Coach Jaime Berry (Adams), Coach DeHoff

Kahla Becken, Dani DeGagne

Britney Gaines, Katie Birkel and Edgewood friends

Hannah Linz, Abby Plucker

Sam Lako, Miki Stephenson

Abby Plucker, Alisa Brown, Janae Burich

Coach DeHoff, Coach Berry, Britney Gaines, Charlie Adams,Katie Birkel

Dani DeGagne, Kahla Becken, Ali Browning, Jamie Van Kirk, Danielle Muri, Janae Burich

Competitive Schedule Awaits NDSU Women's Basketball Team - North Dakota State University

2011-09-16T13:27:00.000-05:00

Competitive Schedule Awaits NDSU Women's Basketball Team - North Dakota State University

The Adams Family

2011-09-13T13:56:00.000-05:00

I would like to share with you some exciting personal news. I recently became engaged to the love of my life, Charlie Adams!! Do you want to hear the story of the best day of my life?

So this past Labor Day Weekend, Charlie and I motored up to beautiful Lake Metigoshe located in the Turtle Mountains of North Dakota (if you are wondering where the Turtle Mountains are, they are in north central North Dakota right on the border of the US and Canada). Charlie's family has an awesome lake cabin up there, so what a great place to spend the long weekend, right?

Besides meeting up with Charlie's parents, Mark and Julie, we also had with us some close friends, Mike and Jayne Gust, their cute as can be almost two year old daughter, Addyson, my 16 year old sister, Emily, who loves to laugh and giggle at everything, and our good friend Stacy Artz, who, ironically, is the person that introduced us. Saturday proved to be too windy to get out on the lake, but Sunday was simply gorgeous. After a peaceful morning hanging out at the cabin, we set out for an unsuspecting, leisurely cruise around the lake on the pontoon. Now there is a really neat part of Lake Metigoshe where part of the water is in the US and part in Canada. If you position the boat perfectly you can see the cut in the trees where the border sits and in that moment you are literally on the border.

It was at this unique place on the lake that Charlie said, "I would like to propose a toast!" Now, this is not surprising at this point, because Charlie is really great at celebrating special moments. He continued, "Last week Jaime was on the phone with Jayne telling her that we were going to 'Charlie's favorite place in the world', which is true, this is my favorite place in the world. This is just the perfect day. We've got beautiful weather, I got to go water skiing this morning, we are here with our family and friends, and I was thinking what could make this day even better? To make this day perfect, I need to ask Jaime a question." Charlie then stood up, walked over to me at the front of the pontoon where I was sitting, took the ring from his pocket, and said to me the most romantic words a woman can hear. My heart was pounding, my hands were shaking, and tears of happiness were flowing. It was the most breathtaking moment, on the most amazing day of my entire life!!! Not a bad story, huh?

Being a Bison is Awesome

2011-09-12T17:19:00.000-05:00

Campus was electric this weekend as NDSU Athletics hosted three events. Friday and Saturday saw two home volley ball matches against ranked opponent Iowa State University. There were packed crowds, impressive athletes, and awesome entertainment. Check out a couple shots of the atmosphere just as the match was beginning:

Saturday's match was a nail biter!! Back and forth, back and forth, the Bison had leads and stormed back from deficits. Iowa State had powerful hitters throughout their line up but stood toe-to-toe with NDSU! I had to snap a shot of the scoreboards after the Bison won a couple games ... the Cyclones are ranked #12 for gosh sake!

Game 1 Victory

Game 3 Victory

Across campus in the Fargodome, the Football team had a record setting day as well! How fun was that game? Bison played extremely well, winning almost every play it seemed. Diving catches, blocked punts, and long runs caped the excitement. We ran for 95 yards .... ON ONE PLAY! So fun.

One of our players, Janae, is interning with the Marketing department. She got the privilege of shooting the smoke out of the helmet as the FB team takes the field. If you squint you may be able to see her in this video :)

Bison Buddies - Oct 22nd

2011-09-09T10:25:00.000-05:00

It is almost Bison Buddies time!! October 22 Carolyn DeHoff and Saul Phillips invite girls and boys grades K-6 to come to the Bison Sports area for Basketball and fun! Current NDSU players will teach basketball skills all morning before we break apart for a pizza party. Word is that Thundar just might be there too :)

Okay, Thundar WILL be there. Come on out, we are excited to have you!

You can print this form off and return to the address listed above ... See you there!!

HIYAH!!!

2011-09-01T11:56:00.003-05:00

Do your taste buds need a kick in the mouth??? Look no further. I'd like to introduce you to my latest obsession... the NINJA blender. There is one thing that Fargo is lacking... a good smoothie shop and on a hot humid day all I can think about is how good a smoothie would taste. During my travels to Utah my friend introduced me to her new blender, the Ninja (found at Target if you're in the market for a new blender). I am a happily married woman, but I instantly fell in LOVE! All the blenders that I have owned during my life have been awful, granted they were the cheap ones. I decided to splurge a bit and get a good blender. I am 100% happy with my decision and my taste buds love me for it. I have made about 10 smoothies since I purchased it last weekend. Like I said it is my new obsession!

After I get smoothies down to an art I will open business to the team (they always beg to get smoothies on the road), and even try to create Coach Berry's favorite smoothie- Banana, Peanut Butter, and honey. I won't lie it is kind of my favorite too. ;) Can you guess what I'll be making when I get home tonight after a hard day at the officie and a day full of speed and agility and individual workouts with the team? HIYAH!!!

Are You Ready For Some Football?

2011-08-31T15:22:00.006-05:00

One of the great events on our campus is NDSU Football, and in this case, tailgating!! (I'm still trying to figure out a way to promote tailgating for our games because we are an awesome event...any ideas?)

What I really want to know as we head into tailgate season is: what are your favorites when it comes to tailgating?

Here is my top ten list for "Favorites at Tailgating":

#10 Games Galore. (Fun for all ages!)

#9 Playing catch with the football.

#8 Being outdoors in the west lot. (It's a perfect set up and the fresh air is good for my soul.)

#7 Walking the lot seeing the amazing Bison Pride setups. (Have you seen the decked out motor coaches? The Bison Flags? The incredible grills? Awesome!)

#6 The Gold Star Marching Band marching through the lot playing our school song. (It gives me chills every time!)

#5 It's college game day and I am watching it on satellite television! (So sweet to be at our game but see what's happening around the nation.)

#4 The socializing. (The excitement in the air and the anticipation of the game makes it the perfect atmosphere for hanging with your friends and meeting new ones!)

#3 Dominating the yard games. (i.e. bean bag toss, ladder golf, washer toss!! They are all perfect to fuel my competitive spirit and have some fun!!)

#2 The FOOD!!!! (Enough said.)

#1 Bison Nation United!!! (It's a great feeling like no other to come together as one team.)

Thank goodness for summer school

2011-08-31T14:18:00.003-05:00

Hello Bison fans! Are you ready for some football? I love that saying. I actually catch myself singing (scary thought I know) it quite often this time of year. I am a huge fan of college and professional football. I can't think of another sport that generates my interest both on the college and professional level. Obviously, I am a fanatic for college basketball but prefer to only become a professsional basketball watcher during the playoffs.

Alright, so I got caught up in the moment. I was chatting with Jeremy Jorgenson, our director for sales and broadcasting, and he wanted to know how things were going. I immediately thought about how beneficial it is to have our returning players and incoming freshmen on campus over the summer. Their transition into the fall semester is incredibly smooth as a result of coming in the summer prior to their freshmen year. They gain an idea of the expectations and demands of workouts while attending a couple classes. Although time management is minimal in the summer it certainly jumpstarts the process for their transition to college.

If you read D's post last Thursday (if not it's posted below) you know we started classes last week. Guess what this week brought:-) You guessed it, workouts. It was the first time since the end of spring we have been able to see our veterans run, lift and work on skill development and the absolute first time to see all phases of our rookies (Kahla Becken, Jamie Van Kirk, Liz Keena, Danielle Muri, Alisa Brown, Catavia Jones, & Britney Gaines). You're going to love this group. You can already see that the summer spent with Dan Hammes, our strength and conditioning coach, has laid a great foundation for this season. Great job this summer Dan and players!

We have the next five weeks to improve on our individual and team development before we officially start practice on October 3rd. Until then, enjoy the NDSU fall sports and let's have a fantastic start to the new school year!

GO BISON!

A Staple Ritual

2011-08-29T18:57:00.000-05:00

Bison home games are on the horizon and the campus is ALIVE with Green and Yellow! (or gold, whichever you prefer)

NDSU has a very proud and rich tradition. We like to celebrate this with several upon several rituals on our game day! Many of which will pay an homage of our buddy Lyle :) However, among all of the teams, we do share one universal musical ritual. Yes, yes, yes we do have the fight song, and other official university established and sponsored numbers, but there is another one that everyone knows and is universally supported. In fact, I would be shocked if when you hear this song on the radio you don't immediately think great thoughts about a Bison sport! If you're still confused my last hint to this ritual is that this song should be Thundar's theme song to life! (If it isn't already ...)

Ready?

You've been......

THUNDAR-struck!

You know you've heard that song on the radio in your car and did a seat dance at least once in you're life. If you haven't, try it!

And come on out this Fall, let's see your Bison gear! You know I'll be there.

Campus is ALIVE!!!

2011-08-25T10:41:00.009-05:00

I am back in good old Fargo! After 3,800 miles of driving I am rejuvenated and ready for the school year to start... oh wait it already has! Monday was the first official day of fall semester.

The tumble weeds and dust bunnies have been exiled this week after thousands upon thousands of students stepped foot onto campus. Thank goodness they did because working in a ghost town is only fun for the first few weeks and after that it is just plain lonely. ;) It is great to have all the students back and to feel the excitement around campus of yet another new beginning and all the possibilities of what the year will bring.

And of course with the return of our students means the return of our players. It is great that we have everyone here and getting settled in. It is going to be a fantastic fall! I can't wait to get started!!!

1991 - 20 years ago

2011-08-24T13:47:00.006-05:00

Did you know?

Cost of a gallon of gas: $1.12

Dow Jones Industrial Average topped 3,000 for the first time.

Operation Desert Storm United Nations Coalition Force led by the United States and including many Arab and Europeans Countries bombs Iraq Forces in Kuwait and after 1 month of bombing Land invasion forces Iraq Forces out of Kuwait and back to Iraq.

Internet is made available to unrestricted commercial use and number of computers on the net reaches 1 million.

Airbag USA by Geoffrey L Mahon and Allen Breed.

Thelma and Louise

Michael Jackson with black and white

Tennessee women's basketball wins the NCAA Division I Basketball Championship

Women's Division II National Championship goes to............

Congratulations Coach Ruley and North Dakota State Women's Basketball team members!

1991 Division II National Champions! Go Bison!

NDSU and Sand Volleyball, I can dig it!

2011-08-22T17:50:00.000-05:00

The NDSU volleyball team is getting set to kick off their season and tonight they had a sand volleyball tournament on campus! I love watching the Bison bump, set, and spike on the hardwood floor but the sand was an even greater treat. I know the NCAA is adding sand VB as an official sport, wouldn’t it be fun to have some Bison on the beach??

The Bison playing some sand VB

It is great to see the VB team help get the school year off on the right foot. Campus opened today at 4 PM for classes and this last weekend was the big move-in. Tomorrow everyone is hitting the books for real at 8AM. Time to get smarter!

NDSU is always alive during the first week of class. Aside from tournaments one can walk campus and find concerts, displays, and thousands of new people acclimating to Fargo. In my opinion, there’s no better way to start a school year!

Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter...You can find it all in Fargo!

2011-08-17T15:03:00.000-05:00

If you love the seasons and want to experience a full change from one to the other, look no further than Fargo, ND.

I thought today would be a great day to show you some photos that have been taken over the past three years. It's hard to believe that I am going on my fourth year in Fargo. They say that you never stop learning and let's just say there's a lot of truth to that. My first year here I learned how to make sandbags that were later used to hold back the flood waters. I also learned how to remove snow and make my own snow cave. I experienced the thrill of an air show watching the Blue Angels that I hadn't seen since my early childhood years. I've found that the summers are awesome in Fargo; great camping, fishing, ATV riding and boating. And last but not least, I've learned that the suns position on the horizon is amazing. You can spend every morning and evening watching the sunrise and sunset in Fargo.

In case you haven't experienced Fargo and want to, hopefully the pictures give you a little sense of what you've been missing.

Fargo garners top 10 listings for college town atmosphere, food festival | INFORUM | Fargo, ND

2011-08-10T12:08:00.000-05:00

Fargo is a great college town!! Bison Athletics takes center stage and we have access to great shopping, shows, concerts, art, entertainment, parks, lakes, and most importantly, the best people and fans around. Fargo is where it's at! Come check us out!

Fargo garners top 10 listings for college town atmosphere, food festival | INFORUM | Fargo, ND

A Bison Upgrade For Your Smartphone/Tablet

2011-08-08T16:37:00.000-05:00

We have upgraded our blog capabilities for all of you with Smart Phones or Tables. Now you will have an easier way to access all posts on your phone or tablet through the connected mobile site.

The regular website will not not change and the mobile site will carry the same web address as well.

In summary, there is no change for regular users of this site. Rather, there is only a nice addition to the same site for those with mobile access to the blog. You get to take the Bison Blog with you everywhere! Hooray!

If you use it, be sure to leave some feedback on how it works for you. I tried it this morning and thought it was pretty cool :)

BEST CATCH EVER!!!

2011-08-04T08:30:00.002-05:00

You have to click on this link and watch this sports clip. WARNING: YOU WILL BE AMAZED!!!

There are few sports clips that I am truly impressed by these days, but this one is AMAZING! Talk about an athlete who does anything to get possession of the ball. This is POSSESSION over POSITION!

I have watched this clip about 10 times now and it still bewilders me so I thought I would share it with you.

Here is my thinking- we implement this into one of our plays... give Katie Birkel a chance to dunk. Janae Burich will be our launching pad. All in favor say AYE! :)

Carnival Rides and Facepainting

2011-07-29T15:56:00.000-05:00

Hotdogs, dunk tanks, and clowns are some of the more popular pieces of a Carnival but who can deny the attraction of pure carny games? The Fargo Parks and Rec held their 13th annual Carnival at Rheault Farm this week and we had a BLAST helping out. Below are some awesome shots from the party:

SLAM DUNK!! :)

As you can see we hunkered down at the basketball station. It only seemed right! We had so much fun teaching the kids how to shoot and cheering for them as they shot! Check out the priceless look on their faces, I think they had fun!

Here you can really see the goal was to make one of three from behind the line. If the shooter did, they got a pencil, wooo hooo! Even if they came up blank the shooter still got a tatoo sticker, not bad!

This little guy REALLY wanted a pencil. Abby saved the day!

A little lesson in footwork ... Starting early!

USA! USA! USA!

We'd like to send a great big thanks to everyone at Fargo Parks and Rec for letting us come on out! FPR really puts on great activities for the area youth, this just happens to be one of them!

USAAI Basketball meets Bison Basketball

2011-07-26T15:57:00.005-05:00

Congratulations to four of our Bison athletes, Abby Plucker,Katie Birkel, Janae Burich, and Danielle DeGagne for being invited to participate in the USA Athletes International Basketball team! They have accepted the invitation and will represent the United States across England, France, Belgium, and Holland from May 27-June 5, 2012. While there, USAAI will play a game in London, Paris, Ostend, Nijmegen, and Utrecht for a total of five games.

USAAI seeks “Bring the world’s best athletes together through sports and education.” It is a non-profit organization, established in 1992, with the intention of providing opportunities for amateur athletes.

Team USAAI is an incredible opportunity for these four! Their hard work and reputation has earned them a chance to compete overseas, represent our country, and represent NDSU. By visiting these countries, playing new styles of basketball, embracing new cultures, they will be exposed to a wealth of knowledge.

Aside from basketball, they will travel to many new places. Some of the sights they will see include Buckingham Palace, Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame Cathedral, and the historical Ann Frank House.

Eiffel Tower

How amazing! We are all very proud of these athletes!

Summit League 30th Anniversary Season

2011-07-20T12:37:00.000-05:00

Check out the new Summit League logo for this season. The Summit League turns 30! Of course, it started as the Association of Mid-Continent Universities and later as the Mid-Continent Conference.

However, I think this one looks pretty awesome too!!!

I Almost Forgot...

2011-07-19T13:41:00.002-05:00

Today I was trying to look up some information about the alumni in our program. With our rich tradition, how much of that tradition has been home grown? Immediately after asking the other coaches this question, we started rattling off names of the legendary products from the great state of North Dakota. Can you name them?

Here's a few off the top of my head...Pat (Smykowski)Jacobson, Lynette (Mund) Johnson, Nadine Schmidt, Katie (Lorenz) Johnson, Tanya Fischer...and I know I have left out dozens.

Here is what I almost forgot, though. How fun is it to look through our media guide? It is awesome! And in the form of a book, one can see before their eyes the story unfold of our tradition rich program. We are Bison Women's Basketball!

Take a few minutes to look through our media guide! You will love it!

Click here to reach the media guide online.

Nature Boy Ric Flair Spotted in Fargo

2011-07-19T10:13:00.000-05:00

USA Wrestling is in full swing at the Fargodome on the NDSU campus. We have teams and players from every walk of life representing most states from as far as Hawaii! The practice center is located in the Bison Sports Arena so our place is hopping once again!

This may be an amateur wrestling event but Fargo has been known to house super stars during this annual event. WWF legends (I believe it is called WWE now, or wwe.com wrestling or something ridiculous … Stephon Thomas can you please verify?? ) have roamed the halls of the Fargodome. I remember one year Ric Flair came up to buy tickets! WOOO!

Of course, I didn’t have the forward thinking to have a camera or anything to prove this. However, one of the men’s coaches was on the ball asking Ric Flair to pose for a camera phone picture. Maybe he will post it if he still has it!

So that is my claim to fame in Fargo. “The Nature Boy” stopped in to buy his week pass from our booth. Pretty sweet! I wonder who will make an appearance this week??

Someone better call TMZ …. WOOO!

YUMMY!

2011-07-13T15:43:00.003-05:00

When summer hits we all grill great meats. Often I find myself wanting to find different recipes that won't be to heavy and provide a nice summer treat. A few years ago I purchased a booklet with fun and easy grilling recipes. This summer I am into different salads. It first started when our staff met for a few days in downtown Fargo this spring. Jamie and Ali's favorite salad is grilled salmon on top of a strawberry spinach salad. I did make the salad for Easter and shared it with the neighbors. It was a big hit!

I got crazy and had a craving for Top Ramen noodles. I love the internet for many reasons and have found it a blessing when searching for recipes. I googled oriental chicken salad with ramien noodles and found several. I read a couple and printed off two that sounded quite yummy. So guess what I'm going to post today..........that's right, a recipe for you oriental chicken salad lovers.

Now remember, you have the option to make it completely by scratch or buy a few things already prepacked. As I did with the cabbage mixture (it actually had shredded carrots which added color and taste).

1 bag green & red cabbage
2 oz slivered almonds
1 Tbls sunflower seeds (took this from another recipe:-)
2 Tbls sesame seeds
2 green onions chopped
1 chopped cooked chicken
1 pkg Top Ramien Noodles

Dressing:
1/2 cup canola or light olive oil
6 Tbsp red wine vinegar
4 Tbsp sugar
1-2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper

Mix dry ingredients and chill. Make dressing when you are ready to EAT! If you're reading this post maybe you have dinner planned now. Enjoy!

The Year It Was!

2011-07-11T11:37:00.002-05:00

Always be prepared when traveling...

2011-07-07T11:05:00.006-05:00

It's official we have hit the road recruiting. The entire month of July as coaches we'll spend in the airport or in the gym watching basketball. This week I have the pleasure to travel with Coach DeHoff and then I'll meet up later with Coach Prichard. Without fail you will always have something go wrong on a trip, but this is why you always are prepared when it comes to airport entertainment.

My must haves for the road: My cell phone, iPod, a good book to read, and my laptop.
My family and friends know when I am out on the road and stuck in an airport on a lay over or have been delayed from bad weather. That is when I scroll through my address book and pick numbers of people I haven't talked to for a long time. I take these delays as signs that it's my time to catch up because life as a coach is quite busy at times. The iPod comes out when I want to block out annoying robotic airport announcements "Do not leave your bags unattened." It also discourages strangers who want to start up a conversation when I am trying to dose off or am feeling a bit anti-social and just want to sit in peace. The book is great for the flight and sitting time in the airport. For this trip I will be reading "How Lucky You Can Be" by Buster Olney, a suggestion from a good friend and local high school coach. And finally my laptop... this is mainly to look professional ;). But if you look at what I am doing I am probably just playing on PhotoShop making a fun new graphic for our program. It helps the time fly by for me because I get my creative juices flowing.

(Latest PhotoShop creation: ND license plate: OUT RECRU 10 = Out Recruiting)

Today I might go through all of my travel options that I elected to bring. Coach DeHoff and I decided to be good citizens and give up our seats on a flight that was over booked.... now we are sitting in the airport for WAY tooo long, but travel is always an adventure so luckily we both have come prepared!

Here we go!!!!!!!!

2011-07-06T12:42:00.002-05:00

How was your 4th of July? To sum it up in as few words as possible....AWESOME! Let's just say I don't have to go out recruiting without a little change in skin color. You got it, the sun was at its best and I have a tan going into the heart of July. Thank goodness!

Let the Madness begin. As a matter of fact, it kicks off today. As I mentioned last time, our calendar is well defined through the course of the year. What July brings is a crazy month of road trips bound for basketball courts across the country looking for the next great Bison! We are on the road for 10 days, off for 6 and conclude with the last 10 days on the recruiting trail. It's great to catch up with colleagues and watch some pretty competitive basketball.

NDSU is out in full force and wishing all the student-athletes the best of luck!

See you on the road.

Coach DeHoff

Fore!!!

2011-07-06T12:39:00.002-05:00

Now that summer has officially arrived, it's time to hit the links! I was lucky enough to get out a couple of times this past weekend. There's something great about being out on a beautiful golf course, isn't there?

After shooting in the upper 40's in each of my rounds of 9, I realize I better brush up on my skills because we have some exciting events coming up. That's right, folks, it's that time of year when all Bison die hards grab their clubs and head out to the Bison Open golf tournaments. We have already had three in June, and if you ask those fans if they had a good time the answer would be a resounding, "YES!!"

Mark your calendars and gather your team for our remaining 2011 Bison Opens!

Thursday, July 21st Grand Forks Country Club
Thursday, July 28th Bois D' Sioux Golf Course
Wednesday, August 3rd Women's Classic (Edgewood in Fargo)
Monday, September 12th Fargo Country Club

For more information go to www.ndsuteammakers.com or call Helena at 701-231-6172.

Hope to see you out there!!

Wow, what a show!

2011-07-06T11:35:00.000-05:00

A giant THANK YOU to MSUM and the City of Moorhead for the spectacular fireworks show last night! Check out an action shot from the festivities:

Moorhead and MSUM showed great flexibility in moving the event back a day. It takes a TON of planning to nail the logistics and ensure safety for the planned date none the less to move the event back a day. However, all parties put on a great show!

Mother nature displayed powerful lightning and thunder storms July 4th during the planned fireworks time. I hope all FM residents were safe from the high winds and storms.

However, it was great to see a large part of the community show up last night to watch a great display.

Happy Independence Week America! :)

st..st...sta... STATISTICS! 2010-2011 NDSU Athletics

2011-06-30T09:00:00.005-05:00

***A very special thanks to our sports information and marketing staff that made the efforts of getting us this information!***

Did you know that during the 2010-2011 athletic season at NDSU...

7- Summit League Championships
* women's soccer *women's volleyball * men's indoor track and field * women's indoor track and field *softball *men's outdoor track and field *women's outdoor track and field
8- All-America awards
*John Prelvitz (punter; Roseau, Minn.) *Matthew Gratzek (defensive tackle; Argyle, Minn.) *Amy Anderson (golf; Oxbow, N.D.) *Christine Schmaltz (800-meter runner; Watford City, ND) *Whitney Carlson (four time honoree: indoor long jump, indoor pentathlon, outdoor long jump, outdoor heptathlon; Buchanan, ND)
72- The number of all-conference honorees from NDSU's 16 D-1 sports teams.
73.1- Golfer Amy Anderson's single-season school record and Summit League- leading stroke average.
88- Amy Anderson and Whitney Carlson won the NCAA Elite 88 Award representing the highest GPA of any competitor at their respective national championship sites.
207- D.J. McNorton's school single-game playoff record for rushing yards in the NCAA second round game at Montana State.
279- Student-athletes who recieved President's Council, Commissioner's List or All-Academic honors from the Summit League, the Missouri Valley Football Conference and the Western Wrestling Conference.
351- Career win totoal for head softball coach Darren Mueller, who became the all-time winningest coach in NDSU history and led the Bison to their third straight NCAA tournament.
467- Career win total for Bucky Maughan, who retired in May after 47 seasons as head wrestling coach. His teams won four D-II national titles and 17 North Central Conference championships.
.753- The home winning percentage for NDSU's teams, which finished the year with 64 wins and 21 losses in Fargo.
1:47.80- Bismarck native Eric Stroh's school-record time in the outdoor 800-meter run. Stroh also holds the indoor record.
5,556- Whitney Carlson's school-record and fifth-place heptathlon score at the NCAA D-1 track and field championships.
18,701- Fargodome attendance for the Oct. 2 homecoming game against Western Illinois. It was the eighth sellout for Bison football in the past five years.

AND the most impressive stat of all....

193,834- Attendance at all NDSU home athletic events during the 2010-11 season.

NOW THAT IS SUPPORT! THANK YOU FANS for making NDSU the success it is... we couldn't do it without you!!!

BIG Plans for the 4th of July?

2011-06-29T08:49:00.003-05:00

Many times as coaches were asked when do we get time away. It's not hard to answer, our calendars are pretty well defined for us. May and August are usually the best time of the year for us to take extended vacations. June is camp month and July is our hottest recruiting month. However, the 4th of July weekend does give us a good amount of time to get away and recover from two great weeks of basketball camp and what lies ahead....tropical destinations for recruiting:-)

Fargo and the surrounding area have several choices for entertainment in the summer. Theatre, movies, lake country, fishing and what I am passionate about; camping and riding ATVs. Guess we might know what I'm doing over the 4th. An added bonus to my weekend, attending the PBR (professional bull riding) in Park Rapids, MN. A short two hour drive from Fargo. AWESOME! Having grown up in Cheyenne, Wyoming, home to the "daddy of em all" Cheyenne Frontier Days, I do enjoy a good rodeo and bull ride. Needless to say, I'm thrilled for my weekend and I hope you are as well.

Have fun and be safe! Maybe we'll see you in the backcountry this weekend or on the road recruiting.

Happy 4th of July everyone!

Bridesmaids

2011-06-28T11:46:00.004-05:00

Tonight I am meeting up with a bunch of my girlfriends to see the movie Bridesmaids. Has anyone seen it yet? I've heard some good things so far. Needless to say I am excited for the evening because I am guaranteed to have a great time and a ton of laughs. My friend, Erin Ahneman, and I have already exchanged some excitement building emails and the texting and facebooking is buzzing among all of the attendees. And, of course, many of us have been bridesmaids for one another.

Randomly, I took a second to look at the list of names of my friends in the email discussing tonight's movie. As I was going through them, I realized my connection to each an every one of them is because of Bison Basketball. Not only that, but we have now maintained our close bond for (I hate to admit this because it means I am getting old) almost 15 years.

How amazing is it that our passion for basketball drew us to NDSU and the Bison Women's Basketball Program? And not only that, but how remarkable that we have such a tight knit alumni network? Who knew that when we left home to come and play basketball, we were really meeting our best friends and people that love and care about us unconditionally?

There is something special about this program. We believe in family, strength character, education, respect, friendship, loyalty, hard work, honesty, commitment, and winning! This program and school attracts the best of the best. I have been to a lot places and met a lot of people, but I can honestly say some of the best people I have ever met have come through this program.

My Bison has a first name ....

2011-06-28T09:50:00.000-05:00

A casual Sunday morning drive in Fargo can always turn interesting. Although, I never once thought I would see a national icon parked in the back of a local restaurant! Lo and behold:

Gotta love Fargo! Never know what will show up :)

Beat the Heat!

2011-06-20T17:45:00.000-05:00

It is getting hot out, really hot out. Bobby Boche's hometown type-hot outside. So hot that Milk would be a bad choice. Getting in my car at lunch feels like stepping into one of these. So hot that iguanas are even turning on Air Conditioning!

Luckily, Fargo-Moorhead has some great ways to beat the heat! And as we know, the temp will just be going up as the 4th draws near. One place comes to mind and it is almost as new as the Baby Bison from the Como Park Zoo in the Twin Cities! I am talking about Tutti Frutti over next to Scheels on 45th.

Now, the FM already has several great ice cream and smoothie places such as TCBY (Waffle-cone Wednesdays), Coldstone (LOVE-it!) DQ, etc., but Tutti Frutti brings something new to the table. You can serve your own, mix and match, and make any creation you could possibly want! No need to pick from a size either. They are dining center style with self-serve levers galore. Simply pull the handle of whatever flavor and chow down on your own creation.

The flavors range from anything practical (berries, fruits, choco) to the kind of wacky (peanut butter, pistachio, yacoo??). And don't forget to top it off with whatever the 5-year-old deep inside of you desires (sprinkles, brownies, chocolate). No matter what you make, it will be healthy because it is yogurt! ;)

I'm partially curious to pull as many levers as I possibly can and take down more yogurt in a sitting than what is recommended for a year but I am gravely concerned about the "frozen-headache" that will most likely accompany my food challenge. There are so many flavor combinations I would like to get a giant tray and mix-and-match much like a painter. If I am successful in finding the wackiest flavor combinations I would prefer to be called the Da Vinci of frozen yogurt.

However, for now I woluld settle with someone buying me a big ole cup of strawberry (sold by the oz)!

Of course, as the weather gets hotter and stickier, there may not be a better choice than to cool down with one of the many great cold snack stores in Fargo!

Show Time!

2011-06-20T16:31:00.003-05:00

Rollin', Rollin', Rollin'

2011-06-15T10:44:00.002-05:00

We are sitting here now on Day 4 of camp, and things are cruising along nicely. As a coach and administrator of camp, I tend to think this may be the week that I find my first gray hair. Being responsible for 100 kids and 12 camp counselors at a time can take its toll. But all the hard work and preparation leading up to this week is paying off. Youth and Annual camps are in the books. Mark each down as a success!

As I look around and watch our players interact with the campers and see how much fun they are having and how much they are learning, I often think we may be the best kept secret around, as I am always hoping to grow our numbers at camp. These young campers gain so much from this experience. They grow in their interpersonal communication skills being grouped with complete strangers, they expand themselves by trying new things, they learn so much about the game we love, and so much more.

NDSU grabs NCAA attention yet again!

2011-06-09T09:48:00.003-05:00

I set WORLD records all the time on my XBOX Kinect Sports... well as long as I don't foul on my jumps. My personal best for the long jump is a staggering 12 feet give or take 6 feet. But we are talking reality, not my pretend world where I'm still in shape and can do whatever sport I want.... this is for real! So the only horn I'll be tooting is for my Bison. :)

Congratulations are in order for our Outdoor Track and Field athletes, Whitney Carlson and Christine Schmaltz, for outstanding performances at the NCAA tournament. Not only is it fabulous that they made media waves for our University at the Division 1 level, but they both made history at NDSU with their demanding performances forever etched in the record book. 800 meters... no problem- Schmaltz finished third in her heat and ninth overall in a personal best time of 2:05.9, ranking her third all-time at NDSU. Carlson set a season personal best with a 20 feet 10 3/4 inches... that is a loooonnnnggg jump! (Blows my Kinect Sports world record out of my pretend sports world) Carlson became the fourth Bison athlete to be named as a career All-America at the Division 1 level. Way to go BISON!!!

For the full story check it out on the link below:
Schmaltz Ninth in 800 Semis, Carlson Ninth in Long Jump at NCAA Championships - North Dakota State University

Carlson will be competing again today in the heptathlon at 1p.m. with the 100 meter hurdles.

From the Desk of Coach Berry- A High Five for NDSU Teammakers

2011-06-08T09:31:00.003-05:00

NCAA Division II Power, poster child of the successful Division I transition, and now an emerging high mid major. Beyond the blood, sweat, and tears of the administration, coaches, and athletes hides and important driving force for NDSU's incredible and elite athletics programs.

I would like to take a minute to give a shout out to the unsung hero of the success of NDSU Athletics: Teammakers. Teammakers has a simple goal: fund all 111 of NDSU Athletics' full scholarships. "Team Makers is a non-profit organization committed to raising scholarship money for student-athletes and assisting them in earning degrees for a successful future." We are blessed to have one of the best, fanatic, and generous groups of people devoted to our success and providing us support. A support equivalent to a whopping 3 million dollars annually.

If you want to figure out what makes NDSU and NDSU athletics so special, one has to look no further than the people committed to providing the resources to lift us to our greatest potential. Thank you, Teammakers!

For more information, or to join Team Makers:
Call the Bison Ticket Office toll free at (888) 231-NDSU, or contact Team Makers Executive Director Pat Simmers at (701) 231-9555 or Pat.Simmers@ndsu.edu.

RIBFEST in June!

2011-06-07T16:19:00.004-05:00

It’s that time of year when the famous ribfest tour stops in Fargo, North Dakota. Today it begins!

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:
A ribfest (short for rib festival), sometimes called a rib cook-off is a type of food festival that occurs throughout the United States and Canada. The size of each ribfest is often measured by the number of traveling professional "rib teams" which sell food and compete at the events.

A rib festival generally has multiple food vendors selling barbecue beef or pork ribs, pulled pork sandwiches, chicken, coleslaw, baked beans, and other related food choices. The vendors usually compete against one another for top spot in several categories including: Best Ribs, Best Sauce, Best Pulled Pork, and the People’s Choice Award.

Ways to know it’s ribfest week: 1) Weather forecast calls for rain showers (reminds me of Cheyenne Frontier Days), 2) Inflatable games for the kids (for all ages of course) cover the Fargodome parking lot, 3) stage is set for entertainment (32 Below and Rodney Atkins to name a few), and 4) it smells like smokin ribs in the air.

LUNCH ANYONE?

Coach DeHoff

A Camper Gone Full Circle

2011-06-06T21:19:00.003-05:00

In case you may not have known, June is the official month of SUMMER CAMPS! We are in full swing at the Bison Sports Arena with with camps for any and every sport. However, I personally know that the girls basketball camps will create memories for a lifetime. I know this because a) I am helping to plan the awesome camp schedule, and b) I have lived the camps for years and years and years. Okay, well I'm not that old but you get the point, I've been a part of many a camp!

My basketball camp experience started out back in my hometown in the Twin Cities as a little tyke (shameless plug for our Junior Bison Camp next week June 13-15). I would post a link to me at camp but we really weren't the camera frenzy family. I think it is so cool how accessible cameras are now. Any parent can snap and share pictures of their children at camps instantly!

If there were a picture of me at camp it would undoubtedly be an action shot diving on the floor. Well, either on the floor or shooting an air ball. See, I've never really been the most skilled person but I figured out early that energy and effort can make up for a lot!

Years would pass with more of the same at camp: many floor burns but no all-star medals. However, I still have a bundle of Mr. Hustle awards! And if you are thinking this is a triumphant story of winning an all-star award, you're wrong. I am still the same unathletic kid as I was at Beacon Basketball Camp.

But that just may be my favorite part. At camp I can play right along with my friends who would go on to play Division 1 basketball, baseball, and other things. Camp let me give it all, have fun, and feed a love of basketball.

Now, next week I get to give the same opportunity to kids of all ages and skill levels. Our goal is to help every camper have a great time and learn the game we love! That is how I know campers will have a lifetime of memories. Because I do!

And I have the scuffed knees to prove it.

NDSU Wins Second Straight Summit League Women's All-Sports Award - North Dakota State University

2011-06-06T11:10:00.000-05:00

Way to go Bison women athletes. Success breeds success. It is great to be a part of the winning tradition we have here at NDSU. Now it's time to do our part climb to the top!

NDSU Wins Second Straight Summit League Women's All-Sports Award - North Dakota State University

Schools out!

2011-05-16T12:49:00.002-05:00

School is officially out and the class of 2011 is on to bigger and better things. Graduation was on Saturday and the Bison said good-bye to Skye Smith (2008-2010), Megan Shea (2006-2011) and Whitney Trecker (2007-2011). We are very proud of them for completing their respective degrees and wish them luck in all their endeavors.

As for our returning players they are on Summer Break! I am sure they are out by a pool, shopping, sleeping, eating, and vacationing and loving every moment of it! They worked hard this year in the classroom and need a good solid break so they can get back at it next year.

The local buzz around Fargo this week is the ever growing in popularity and participation Fargo Marathon. FARGO ROCKS! FARGO RUNS! RUN FARGO! ROCK FARGO!

That’s right…..2011 marks Year #7 for the Fargo Marathon, and after hitting over 20,000 registrants last year, the marathon committee decided that this is the year to Rock in Fargo and Run in Fargo! Bands at EVERY mile and a Post Race Concert Blast to finish your FARGO EXPERIENCE in style!

The Fargo Marathon is best described as Flat, Fast, Friendly & Fun….with an emphasis on Friendly & Fun! The recipient of the Runner’s World Reader’s Choice Award as the #1 Best Value Marathon in America and the 8th Best Overall Marathon in America (January 2010)! We’re proud of this honor, but NEVER stop trying to improve…our goal is to give you the best marathon weekend possible!

GOOD LUCK RUNNERS/VOLUNTEERS/SPECTATORS! Oh and of course... JAIME BERRY who will be running in this year's marathon!

It's FINALS WEEK... Da da DAAA!!!

2011-05-09T16:31:00.003-05:00

I thought this picture captured two aspects of current Bison life: FINALS and well it being a MONDAY. :) We could all use a little laugh, especially our players, to get through this mentally tough week. Here are a few quotes that are pretty close to the truth about exams.

Funny Quotes: (Source: www.basicjokes.com/dquotes.php?cid)

"When reviewing your notes before an exam, the most important will be illegible."

"The more studying you did for the exam, the less sure you are as to which answer they want."

"80% of the final exam will be based on the one lecture you missed and the one book you didn't read."

"Every instructor assumes that you have nothing else to do except study for that instructor's course."

"If you are given an open-book exam, you will forget your book."

"If you are given a take-home exam, you will forget where you live."

YOU CAN DO IT BISON... just a few more days and then SUMMER BREAK!!! Now back to studying!!!

Banquet Bison Style

2011-05-03T15:44:00.002-05:00

I just wanted to say hi and share with you our latest get together here at NDSU, our banquet. Banquets are a time of celebration and a time to reconnect with parents, staff, and players. And we did just that only Bison style. Here at NDSU we like to do things fun, with quality and with good food and that was reflected in our banquet. We have made a local billiards (pool) club our go to place for our banquet. It is a super laid back environment with food, drinks, music, slide-shows of this season's pictures, and about three different sporting events on separate TVs.... oh and of course pool tables! Now I don't know if you play pool, but if your competitive you would have taken on the challenge like everyone did at our banquet. Luckily no one was injured while playing pool and all balls stayed on the table. We had a great time socializing and remembering all the good, bad, and ugly of the season and of our seniors' careers. We will miss our seniors!

Looking back over the season we finished with a record of 13-16 and finished 6th in the Summit League, not what we had hoped for. While I could sit here and tell you what went wrong and didn't go our way it doesn't change anything so why bother right? The thing that I do know is that we are hungry for next season and we cannot wait for it to start!

A few good things that happened this year for the Bison:

Individual banquet awards voted on by our players:

Jr., Abby Plucker #32: Aggressive Player of the Year and MVP

Jr., Katie Birkel #5: Amy Ruley Leadership Award

Sr., Megan Shea #21: Most Improved Player

Sr., Whitney Trecker #44: Defensive Player of the Year

Team and Individual Awards

WBCA 2009-10 Academic Top 25 Team Honor Roll- Bison were ranked 12th with a 3.427 GPA

Summit League Team Academic Achievement Award- Bison were 100% on Commissioner's List

Field Goal Percentage- 4th (.438) in Summit League and 62nd in NCAA out of 333 teams.

3-point Field Goal Percentage- 3rd (.355) in Summit League and 54th in NCAA

Turnovers- 2nd(14.1) in Summit League and 16th in NCAA

Abby Plucker #32, was 1st team All-Summit League, January Student-Athlete of the Month, Blue Key Prairie Rose Achievement Doctor of Service Scholarship recipient.

Katie Birkel #5, joined the Bison 1,000 Point Club and was on the Nancy Lieberman Watch List.

Janae Burich #45, received our Academic Award with her 4.0 cumulative GPA and was 1st in the Summit League in blocked shots (2.9) and 14th in the NCAA!

And the list goes on!!!! Honestly a lot of good things happened this year despite what our record showed. We couldn't be more thrilled with what our players were able to accomplish both individually and as a team in the classroom and on the floor.

Hope all is well and of course GO BISON!

Bison Basketball 2010-11

2011-05-02T16:31:00.003-05:00

Basketball Banquet Set for May Day

2011-04-26T10:02:00.003-05:00

We are holding our Spring Basketball Banquet this coming Sunday, May 1, at Fargo Billiards. It will be a great afternoon filled with some memories, laughs, and, of course, some hardware! Looking forward to sending our amazing seniors, Whitney Trecker and Megan Shea, off in style. Remember seniors: "Once a Bison, Always a Bison."

Spotlight: Dani and Hannah

2011-04-20T15:18:00.005-05:00

Magazine names Fargo as best place to forget the recession | INFORUM | Fargo, ND

2011-03-08T14:19:00.000-06:00

Magazine names Fargo as best place to forget the recession | INFORUM | Fargo, ND

Plucker named to All-Summit League Team

2011-03-03T20:10:00.001-06:00

Congrats to Abby Plucker as she was named to the All-Summit League women's first team today.

Tournament Time

2011-03-01T12:40:00.003-06:00

With the regular season schedule finished that only means one thing TOURNAMENT TIME! The NDSU Women's Basketball Team is ranked 6th in the summit league tournament. We will be taking on SDSU (#3 seed) on Sunday (March 6) in SIoux Falls, SD at 2:30.

Come Cheer us on! GO BISON!!

Game Day!

2011-02-26T11:59:00.002-06:00

Today is the last home game of the season for the Bison Women's Basketball Team. Come support our seniors Whitney Trecker and Megan Shea and the rest of our team as we take on SDSU at 7 pm.

GO BISON!!!

Last home game

2011-02-24T17:21:00.002-06:00

Our last home game is on Saturday (Feb 26) at 7pm vs SDSU.

We will honor our 2 seniors: Megan Shea and Whitney Trecker. It is also parents night and alumni weekend.

Hope to see you all on Saturday! GO BISON!

weekend games

2011-02-21T20:19:00.002-06:00

On Saturday the Bison lost to IPFW 46-79. The Bison were led by Danielle Degagne with 13 points. Katie Birkel and Janae Burich both added 12 points. Today the Bison lost to Oakland 61-58. Abby Plucker had another double double with 25 points and 11 rebounds. Janae Burich added another 17 points. Before the game today the Bison were ranked 5th in the Summit League with a record of 9-7.

Next Game: Saturday (Feb 26th) at 7pm at the BSA vs SDSU

IPFW game

2011-02-20T23:15:00.001-06:00

Here is an article about our last game @ IPFW:

http://www.gobison.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=11921&SPID=698&DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=205099385&DB_OEM_ID=2400

Interesting Facts

2011-02-18T09:12:00.002-06:00

Katie Birkel currently has 996 career points and ranks 28th on the NDSU all-time scoring list. Katie is also 1st on minutes played in NDSU history averaging 33.4 min/g. Abby Plucker is in 8th place in three-point shooting and Janae Burich is 10th in block shots with 108.

You can find the whole article and more by going to this web page:
http://www.gobison.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=11921&SPID=698&DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=205097193&DB_OEM_ID=2400

Update

2011-02-16T22:35:00.002-06:00

Hey Bison Fans! So here is an update on Saturday we beat Western Illinois 65-50. Katie Birkel was the high scorer for the Bison with 17 points. Abby Plucker and Janae Burich also scored in double figures with 14 and 12 respectfully. Janae also had 6 blocks in the game. Danielle Degagne lead the Bison in rebounds with 10. With 2 wonderful wins this past weekend the Bison are currently in 4th place in the Summit League with a league record of 9-6 and overall record of 13-12.

This weekend the Bison will travel to Fort Wayne, Ind. for a game against IPFW on Saturday. Then they will travel to Rochester, Mich. to take on Oakland on Monday. IPFW is currently in 3rd place with a league record of 11-3 and Oakland is in 3rd place with a league record of 10-4. So this is a HUGE weekend for the Bison.

Mark your calendars for our last home game on Saturday, Feb 26 against SDSU!

Game Day

2011-02-14T11:43:00.001-06:00

Just a reminder the Bison play tonight at 7 pm at the BSA against Western Illinois!

Come cheer us on!

Bison Win!

2011-02-13T10:25:00.003-06:00

With a 5 point lead at the half the Bison came out scoring in the second half to beat IUPUI 76-48. Abby Plucker had another double double with 24 points and 11 rebounds. Janae Burich also had a double double with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Katie Birkel and Danielle Degagne also scored in double figures with 13 and 14 respectfully.

Our next game: Monday, February 14th at 7pm @ the BSA

Hope to see you all Monday!

Wear Pink and Support the Bison

2011-02-11T07:24:00.002-06:00

On Saturday, Feb 12, the NDSU Women's Basketball Team will have their annual Pink Zone game against IUPUI at 5pm. The Bison are currently tied for 4th place in the summit league with a league record of 7-6.

Come Show your support Saturday 5pm at the BSA and Wear PINK!

Plucker Named Summit League January Female Athlete of the Month

2011-02-07T18:02:00.002-06:00

Congratulations to NDSU's Abby Plucker who was named the Summit League January Female Athlete of the Month. To read the article go to: http://www.gobison.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=2400&ATCLID=205091762

2011-02-06T15:28:00.001-06:00

http://www.gobison.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=11921&SPID=698&DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=205090694&DB_OEM_ID=2400

2011-02-06T15:27:00.000-06:00

On the road again.......

2011-02-03T17:18:00.002-06:00

This weekend we will be on the road first to Tulsa, Okla. to take on Oral Roberts on saturday. Then we will travel to Shreveport, La. for a game on monday against Centenary. Oral Roberts is ranked 1st in the Summit League with a record of 11-0 and Centenary is ranked 10th with a Summit League record of 0-11.

The Bison are currently ranked 4th in the Summit League with a record of 6-5.

GO BISON!

Next Home Game: Saturday, Feb 12 vs IUPUI at 5 p.m.

Bison Beat SUU

2011-02-01T14:25:00.003-06:00

On Monday night the NDSU Women's Basketball team beat Southern Utah 74-54. Abby Plucker recorded another double double with 23 points and 14 rebounds. Danielle Degagne scored 10 points and pulled down 9 rebounds. Other players in double figures for the Bison were: Janae Burich with 17 points andKatie Birkel with 10 points. The Bison are now 10-11 overall and 6-5 in the summit league. The Bison are currently in 4th place in the summit league.

The Bison's next home game will be: Saturday, February 12th at 5pm against IUPUI

Abby Plucker named Summit League Women's Basketball Player of the Week

2011-02-01T14:21:00.002-06:00

Game Monday

2011-01-30T18:31:00.002-06:00

After a wonderful win on Saturday again UMKC the NDSU Women's Basketball Team will be back in action on Monday when they take on Southern Utah. Southern Utah is ranked 4th in the summit league with a record of 5-5 and overall record of 11-10. The Bison are currently ranked 5th in the summit league with a record of 5-5 and overall record of 9-11.

The game starts at 7pm at the BSA!

NDSU beats UMKC

2011-01-29T20:57:00.000-06:00

http://www.gobison.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=11921&SPID=698&DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=205086101&DB_OEM_ID=2400

We need YOU!

2011-01-27T21:52:00.002-06:00

Hey Bison Fans!
On Saturday (Jan 29) Your NDSU Women's Basketball Team is in action at 5pm at the BSA! Come cheer us on to a victory against UMKC. UMKC is currently in 5th place in the summit league with a league record of 4-5 and an overall record of 9-11. The Bison are currently in 6th place with a summit league record of 4-5 and overall record of 8-11.

Hope to see you all at the BSA at 5pm Saturday (Jan 29)!

GO BISON!!

IPFW beats NDSU 68-55

2011-01-25T20:20:00.002-06:00

http://www.gobison.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=11921&SPID=698&DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=205082441&DB_OEM_ID=2400

Next Game

2011-01-22T22:49:00.002-06:00

Bison fans we are back at the BSA on Monday (Jan 24) at 7pm vs IPFW. Please come out and show your support!

Bison lose to Oakland

2011-01-22T22:46:00.002-06:00

http://www.gobison.com/ViewArticle.dbml?ATCLID=205081368&DB_OEM_ID=2400

Back to the BSA!

2011-01-21T18:03:00.001-06:00

The Bison return home for a big weekend series after a road trip where we went 1-1. On Saturday the Bison Men and Women’s Basketball team will have a double header against Oakland. The Women’s Team with get the games started at 5p.m. Oakland is currently 5-2 in the Summit League and in 3rd place.

Then on Monday the Women’s team is back in action where they will take on IPFW at 7 p.m. IPFW is currently 5-2 in the conference and 2nd overall.

Please come cheer us on and help us get 2 huge wins this weekend!

Past weekend

2011-01-21T17:41:00.002-06:00

Our first stop this past weekend was in Macomb, Ill. where we took on Western Illinois. Abby Plucker scored a career high of 34 points in the game but it wasn't enough to get the win as NDSU lost 66-68. Our next stop was to Indianapolis, Ind. to take on IUPUI on Monday. During the game Plucker pulled down 10 boards along with scoring 18 points for her 5th double-double of the season. Dani Degagne led the Bison with her game-high 22 points. The Bison got the win 63-58!

The Bison are now 4-3 in conference play and 8-9 overall. With this record the Bison are currently in 5th place in the Summit League.

Abby Plucker Named Player of the Week

2011-01-21T17:39:00.001-06:00

http://www.gobison.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=11921&SPID=698&DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=205078765&DB_OEM_ID=2400

Abby Plucker Named Player of the Week

2011-01-21T17:30:00.002-06:00

On the Road for the weekend

2011-01-13T17:38:00.002-06:00

The Bison go on the Road this weekend to face Western Illinois on Saturday (Jan 15) and IUPUI on Monday (Jan 17). Western Illinois is ranked 7th in the Summit League with a record of 2-3 in the league and an overall record of 4-11. IUPUI is ranked 9th in the Summit League with a 1-4 record in the league and an overall record of 3-12.

Past Games

2011-01-13T17:06:00.003-06:00

On Saturday (Jan.8)the NDSU Women's Basketball Team beat Centenary at home with a final score of 94-55. Abby Plucker had a double double with 27 points and 16 rebounds. Janae Burich and Katie Birkel also scored in double figures with 18 and 12 points respectively.

The next game for the Bison was against Oral Roberts at home this past Monday (Jan. 10). The Bison got off to a good start in the game but Oral Roberts was able to overcome a 19-point first half deficit to beat the Bison 84-74. The Bison were lead by Abby Plucker and Hannah Linz who both had 17 points. Abby also had 8 rebounds and Hannah was 5-9 from the 3-point arc.

Bison Receives Points in CollegeInsider.com Women's Basketball Mid-Major Top 25 - North Dakota State University

2010-12-09T11:36:00.002-06:00

Bison Receives Points in CollegeInsider.com Women's Basketball Mid-Major Top 25 - North Dakota State University

BISON PRIDE!!!!

2010-12-08T11:28:00.002-06:00

If you were to sit back and really look at what's going on with NDSU athletics this year you would be amazed. Our fall sports, volleyball, soccer, cross country and football, participated in post season play. As a matter of fact, our football team is one of 8 teams left in the FCS playoffs. WOW!

Our women's basketball is off to a great start. Currently, we are 5-3 having played only 3 games at home. The loss at Kansas by 8 and the defeat of South Dakota State, which by the way broke a 10 game losing streak, have given our players confidence that they can compete against the best.

The concern last night was how are players would respond after the emotion from Saturday's game. Let's just say there were a few career highlights last night. We scored over the century mark (102 points) for the 1st time since 2005. Katie Birkel set a career high scoring 27 points, Hannah Linz added a career high 11 assists (boy can she pass) and Abby Plucker recorded her first career double double.

For those that like to follow stats, we are currently 44th (343 Division I schools) in the nation for strength of schedule. Our RPI is No. 77 in Rpiratings. These two stats are direct reflections of the quality teams we have played and will reflect those that are coming up, Duquesne (29th) and Creighton (45th). Fun little stats for our Bison faithful.

The men's team kept their streak alive by beating the Jackrabbits following our win on Saturday. They host UND this Saturday in the Fargodome at 7:00 pm.

Saturday is jammed packed with plenty of Bison athletics. The aforementioned men's game. NDSU football travels to take on the Eagles of Eastern Washington. The game will be televised on the North Dakota NBC Sports Network include KVLY-TV(Channel 11, Fargo), KFYR-TV (Channel 5, Bismarck), KMOT-TV (Channel 10, Minot), KQCDTV (Channel 7, Dickinson) and KUMV-TV (Channel 8, Williston)and broadcast live on 790 KFGO. The weekend cap will be our game at Duquesne Sunday with a 1:00 pm tipoff (740 the FAN).

TUNE IN if you bleed green and gold!

2010-12-01T09:34:00.005-06:00

"The secret of success in life is for a man to be ready for his opportunity when it comes."
-Earl of Beaconsfield

NDSU BISON MAKING HISTORY! It is an exciting time to be involved with Bison athletics. Congratulations to all of our fall sports for doing such a fabulous job in their respective sports. There is excitement on campus this week as Bison fans celebrate two sports continuing on to the NCAA tournament- volleyball and football are going DANCING!

Volleyball will play Minnesota in the first round of the NCAA Division I women's volleyball tournament at 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 3, at the Sports Pavilion in Minneapolis.

North Dakota State, 20-10 overall, has won four straight and nine of its last 10 matches. Minnesota has won seven straight to improve to 24-8 overall and earned the No. 10 national seed.

North Dakota State qualified for its second NCAA tournament in three years by winning the Summit League tournament championship Nov. 20 in Fargo against IPFW.

Friday will be a rematch of North Dakota State's first NCAA tournament appearance in 2008 when Minnesota swept NDSU 25-18, 25-14, 25-14 in Minneapolis.

All-session tickets are $20 for reserved chairbacks, $17 for general admission adults, and $12 for general admission students and seniors. Tickets are available online at MyGopherSports.com or by calling toll free 1-800-U-GOPHER.

Football
No. 21/25-ranked North Dakota State (8-4) is scheduled to travel to Bozeman to play Big Sky champion No. 6/8-ranked Montana State (9-2) at 1:07 p.m. (Central) in Bobcat Stadium (13,500) on Saturday, Dec. 4 in a second-round NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) playoff game ... North Dakota State (8-4) is making its first NCAA Division I FCS playoff appearance since becoming eligible for postseason play in 2008 ... The Bison defeated Robert Morris 43-17 in their first-ever NCAA playoff game in the Fargodome ... Ticket information available by calling (406) 994-CATS / 1-800-808-5940 or www.ticketswest.com.

POSTSEASON HISTORY: North Dakota State is making its 24th postseason appearance including 17 in the NCAA Division II playoffs ... The last NCAA Division II playoff appearance came in 2000, when NDSU lost 34-16 in the semifinals at Delta State ... The Bison are 36-13 overall in the postseason including a 31-12 record in NCAA Division II ... North Dakota State has won eight national championships (1965, 1968, 1969, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1988 and 1990) and were national runner-up three times (1967, 1981 and 1984) ... The Bison also were third place five times (1970, 1976, 1977, 1982, 2000) ... Championships & placings prior to 1973 were determined by AP or UPI polls ... Championship & runner-up finishes after that were through the NCAA playoff format ... Third-place finishes after 1973 were the result of semifinal losses in the playoff system.

And now what you have been waiting for- BASKETBALL! We are home from a tough weekend in Lawrence, Kansas where we competed at the Basketball Travelers Tip-off Classic hosted at the University of Kansas. We were joined by University of Kansas, Fordham, and Memphis. A special congratulations to Katie Birkel for making the All-tournament team! She had some stellar moves this weekend. We played extremely well and competed with each team. Our record stands at 3-3 and after evaluating each games performance we played better than our record shows. Every game we have played has made us stronger and ready to start Summit League play. We are seeing great things defensively, and our offense is getting the looks we want- we now just need the ball to fall through the net a few more times.

This weekend we will be in Brookings, SD taking on those PESKY RABBITS. Tip-off is at 5 p.m. in the Frost Arena. We hope you can make it, if not you can catch us on the radio, the fan 740.

GO BISON!!!

Next up...at Northern Arizona

2010-11-16T06:55:00.001-06:00

It's another good day to be a Bison and a Bison fan. That's right our players pulled out another win crushing Utah State Aggies 86-64. Danielle DeGagne led the Bison with 22 points and 4 assists. Abby Plucker had a fantastic game across the board With 16 points, 8 assists, 4 steals and 9 rebounds. Janae Burich contributed 13 points and 9 rebounds and Hannah Linz and Katie Birkel each tallied up 11 points a piece.

To be honest the whole team looked good for it being only our 2nd regular season game. Our returning players are doing well teaching our young newcomers how to compete at this level and it won't be long until all of us are up to speed. So congratulations to all fans and to the Bison on a great win.

We take off on Thursday for Flagstaff, AZ to chop at the hardwood of the Lumberjacks of Northern Arizona University. Game time is 6:05p.m. CST on Friday, Nov. 19.

GO BISON!

Bison Win!

2010-11-13T09:56:00.004-06:00

Thanks to all our fans, family, friends, and alumni that shared in our victory last night. We appreciate what you bring when we need to weather the runs and make plays! Thanks 6th Man!

Next up, the Aggies of Utah State University. Tip off is slated for 7:00 pm, Monday. This will be the last home game of November.

Next week we are off to play in Flagstaff, Arizona against Big Sky opponent, Northern Arizona (NAU). Thanksgiving weekend we are in a multi-team tournament in Lawrence, KS. Yes, we open Friday against KU. If you live in either area we'd love to have your support.

Have a great weekend! See you Monday!

Bison Sign Four Student-Athletes

2010-11-11T18:35:00.001-06:00

North Dakota State University women’s basketball coach Carolyn
DeHoff announced today that 5-foot-10 guard Jamie Van Kirk (Sutton, Neb./Sutton H.S.); 5-foot-9 point guard Kahla Becken (Lino Lakes, Minn./Centennial H.S.); 5-foot-9 wing Danielle Muri (Billings, Mont./Billings West H.S.), and 6-foot forward Elizabeth Keena (Hastings, MN/Hastings H.S.) have signed national letters of intent to play bas- ketball and continue their education at NDSU.

“First, I want to say thank you to our staff for the number of hours they put into these student athletes. Jamie (Van Kirk), Kahla (Becken), Danielle (Muri) and Liz (Keena) are multiple sport athletes who have exceled at high levels,” said DeHoff, who begins her third season at North Dakota State at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 12, when the Bison take on New Mexico State.

“These four young women bring size, length, and a new level of athleticism for us. We needed to solidify our guard play for the next few years and we were able to do that with each player. They also bring a high basketball IQ and are great students in the classroom.”

See You Tonight!

2010-11-09T10:07:00.000-06:00

Campus Life: Walk the Talk with Abby Plucker

2010-11-05T15:29:00.002-05:00

Just thought we would share a little NDSU campus life with you this week. In an effort to stand up against bullying NDSU student leaders hosted the first ever "Walk the Talk" campaign/rally. The campaign kicked off at the beginning of the week and ends today. Representatives of the student body have been stationed all week at the Memorial Union and over 200 students have pledged by signing a paper as well as wearing unity wrist bands. This has been an amazing movement on campus. Among the many activities connected with the campaign, a rally was held last night. Five speakers told their stories and the impacts that bullying has had on them and our community. Among those who spoke was our very own Abby Plucker. Abby represented not only women's basketball and athletics, but the ENTIRE NDSU STUDENT BODY! She did absolutely fabulous and we are so proud to be associated with her. Many of her teammates and coaches were there to not only cheer her on, but to Walk the Talk. Outlined above is the campaign's flyer as well as Abby's 3 challenges given during her speech.

Enjoy!

GAME DAY!

2010-11-02T09:35:00.004-05:00

TONIGHT 7:00 pm Bison Sports Arena against Minnesota Crookston! See you there!

Carolyn

Bison Do Have Talent!

2010-10-28T10:22:00.009-05:00

We're sure that for those that missed last night's talent show are wondering how it went. We had a great turnout and want to personally say thanks to everyone that shared in our off court talents. The show....it was a hit! If you didn't know Katie Birkel plays the piano you sure do now. The pressure was on to perform the wedding song and she handled it marvelously. To witness that shows her growth in handling pressure situations.

Another player the fans got to know better is one of our freshman, Kelsey Peltier. Kelsey is from Dunseth, North Dakota and the Turtle Mountain band of Chippewa. Kelsey provided us with two phenomenal Native American exhibitions (dances). We were all mesmerized!

We want to give a big shout out to the fans that were in attendance. We appreciate you taking the time last night to celebrate in our many talents. The Bison women's basketball team looks forward to sharing our upcoming basketball season with you and all our Bison fans!!!!!

We'll see you Tuesday, November 2nd (election day and an NDSU coach's birthday), against Minnesota Crookston, 7:00 pm. Bring your voice, we love the 6th man!

Just released....the video check it out on gobison.com

THANKS BISON FANS!!!!

Women's Basketball to Host 'Bison Got Talent' Wednesday - North Dakota State University

2010-10-26T10:55:00.001-05:00

Women's Basketball to Host 'Bison Got Talent' Wednesday - North Dakota State University

It's a Beautiful Day

2010-10-22T15:32:00.005-05:00

It's a beautiful day in Fargo, and as a staff we could not be in a better mood! The reason.....Hannah Linz, a sophomore on our team from Watkins, MN, had her final radiation treatment yesterday!

Hannah, as you may or may not know, was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma, a cancer of the lymph system, this past April. Her doctors started her on chemo almost immediately, and while the aggressive treatment left her with a bald head (she can TOTALLY rock that look, and Ali is trying to convince her to keep her hair short as it rapidly grows back), it has effectively reduced the mass in her chest. The next step in her treatment plan, radiation, brought on a sore throat and cough, but Hannah hasn't complained at all, she just eats lots of soft foods and is still participating in practice! Yes, you read that right.

Hannah all along has gone to class, followed by radiation treatment and then laces up her shoes to practice; she has been training in conjunction with her cancer treatments (both chemo and radiation) since she returned to campus in August.

Her optimism and perseverance have been an incredible source of inspiration for not only our team, but the entire Fargo community. It certainly puts things in perspective and has caused both players and coaches to evaluate things we take for granted. So, today we will devour a cake that the team is baking to celebrate the end of Hannah's cancer treatments. (We celebrate her courage daily, but cake just makes a celebration more official, don't you think?) It's certainly a great reason for all to celebrate today!

Birkel First Team All-Summit Preseason, Bison Picked Fifth - North Dakota State University

2010-10-21T11:28:00.002-05:00

Congrats, Katie, on being named to the All-Summit Preseason First Team!!

We have been picked 5th in the preseason polls, but all the more motivation to get after it in practice and games. It gives us a desire to prove the naysayers wrong and make a run at that Summit League Championship!! It's going to be a fun year!

Birkel First Team All-Summit Preseason, Bison Picked Fifth - North Dakota State University

Bison Basketball Teams Kick Off 2010-11 Season With the "Late Show" - North Dakota State University

2010-10-18T12:46:00.001-05:00

Here is a link to GoBison.com. There is a good highlight video attached with the article showing some Bison excellence! Enjoy the show!

Bison Basketball Teams Kick Off 2010-11 Season With the "Late Show" - North Dakota State University

The "Late Show" Slideshow

2010-10-18T11:26:00.002-05:00

Check out our "Late Show" photo gallery, courtesy of Bison Illustrated. Just click on the link below Abby's picture to see the slide show.

http://photos.bisonillustrated.com/photos/swfpopup.mg?AlbumID=14209710&AlbumKey=9ynCs

2010-10-15T09:22:00.005-05:00

This week saw two of our Bison family members move on to the next stage of their life. One with an opportunity to fullfill a personal dream and the other a professional dream.

Jill Zaruba married Adam Hoffert this past Saturday. Several of her teammates and I took the time to attend her wedding and reception in Monticello, Minnesota. Jill was a beautiful bride. It's a little surreal when you see a player walk down the aisle and realize she's a grown woman who is ready to move on to the next phase in life. BEST WISHES Jill and Adam!!!!!

Kelly Roysland is headed back to her alma mater, the U. It's not easy to hand someone off that we've invested a lot of energy and time in developing. But, when you care about them you acknowledge that and let them move on. Kelly has prepared herself well for this opportunity. We will miss having her as a member of our family. We WISH you the VERY BEST Kelly!!!!

Love,
Bison Women's Basketball

Bison Basketball Teams Tip Off 2010-11 Season with "Late Show" Friday, Oct. 15 - North Dakota State University

2010-10-14T09:37:00.001-05:00

Bison Basketball Teams Tip Off 2010-11 Season with "Late Show" Friday, Oct. 15 - North Dakota State University

Practice, Practice, Practice

2010-10-12T11:15:00.002-05:00

We are rolling along here, already "in season" if you can believe it. First week of practice went great! The players and coaches invested time and energy into the defensive side of the basketball thus far. One thing that has stood out significantly for me is the fact that we have "veterans" on the floor. Players that are now in their third year under our tutelage are showing incredible leadership, attention to detail, and mastery of skills.

Now into week two, we hope to keep this great energy and momentum and continue to build for a championship season. I hope everyone is enjoying this incredible fall (if I dare call it that) weather!!

Go Bison!

A couple of more things: Great win at Youngstown, Bison Football! Also, awesome weekends for soccer and volleyball. Way to go!

NDSU pride on parade | INFORUM | Fargo, ND

2010-10-04T10:22:00.002-05:00

Another fabulous homecoming in Bison-land!

Homecoming is a weekend packed with exciting festivities and loaded with Bison Pride. It goes to show what great people NDSU attracts and the lifelong connections students develop with this outstanding place we call home.

NDSU pride on parade | INFORUM | Fargo, ND