SMSU Athletics

November 18, 2010 – Hoof Prints Article
 
Hello Mustang Fans!

It has been quite the week for hosting athletic events for the SMSU Athletics Department and the Marshall Community. Last weekend, we hosted SMSU Volleyball on Friday and Saturday with Mustang Football playing their last game of the season also on Saturday at the Regional Event Center (REC). During the first half of the Mustang Football game, I was on the phone with NSIC Commissioner, Butch Raymond, exploring the possibility of UMD and MSU Mankato playing football at the REC on Sunday.

Due to poor field conditions, Butch made the decision to move the football game scheduled to be played in Mankato on Saturday to Marshall on Sunday. We were fortunate to secure hotel rooms for both teams on Saturday night. Both UMD and MSU Mankato Football teams were able to practice at the REC that night with the game scheduled to start at 10:00 am on Sunday. The SMSU and MSU Mankato administrative and game management staff combined efforts to facilitate the game-day experience for both teams.

There was a small break on Sunday afternoon before joining our Mustang Volleyball team that evening for the 9:00 pm announcement of the NCAA Regional Volleyball Brackets. We were fortunate to be the second region announced so our student-athletes and coaching staff did not have to wait long to find out Mustang Volleyball earned the #1 seed in the Central Region and would be hosting the Central Region Tournament right here in Marshall.

The SMSU Athletics Department has been buzzing with activity since and today we will see how all the hard work unfolds as tournament play begins at noon in the PE Gym. The Central Region hosts some of the best Division II volleyball teams in the country. Do not miss the opportunity to watch great volleyball at the PE Gym today, tomorrow and Saturday in an electrifying atmosphere. 

This is the first time in school history that SMSU will host an NCAA volleyball regional tournament. The SMSU Volleyball team (26-3, 18-2 NSIC) will take on No. 8 seed Colorado School of Mines who finished 19-9 overall and 12-6 in conference play tonight at 7:30 p.m. at the PE Gym in Marshall.   

The Mustang Football team finished the season this past weekend ending the season with a 4-7 overall record and 3-7 in the NSIC. The Mustangs had seven football players honored by the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference on Monday as the conference released its postseason awards.  The all-conference teams were selected by the 14 head coaches in the conference and were announced on Monday afternoon from the league office in Burnsville, Minn.
 
Senior quarterback Ryan Ratekin was the lone Mustang to earn first team All-NSIC South Division honors, while freshman punter Mike Wenk was named second team All-NSIC South Division.
 
SMSU also had five players named honorable mention All-NSIC South, including senior wide receiver Bret Ballantine, senior tight end Shane LaDage junior linebacker John Kersbergen, junior safety Levi Reiff and junior offensive lineman Brian Rodas.

The SMSU Men’s Basketball team continues non-conference action this week with a pair of games, including the team's season opener. The Mustangs will battle NCAA Division I South Dakota State on today in Brookings, SD, with tip-off slated for 7:00 pm at Frost Arena.  SDSU is 2-0 on the season with road victories over Eastern Illinois and Iowa.

On Saturday, the Mustangs open their home season taking on former conference rival Minnesota-Morris, now a member of NCAA Division III.  SMSU is 1-0 on the season following Sunday’s opening season 72-67 road victory over Northwest Missouri State.  Jordan Miller led SMSU with a game-high 21 points on 6 of 12 shooting with three 3-pointers.  Scott Roehl added 16 points and seven rebounds.

The SMSU Wrestling team opened the 2010-11 season last Saturday at the 41st Annual Bison Open hosted by North Dakota State University. The Mustangs had 30 wrestlers participate in the open, with six of them placing.

SMSU freshman Zach Coates was the highest place finisher for the Mustangs taking third place at 174 pounds. Coates went 4-1 in the open in his debut for the brown and gold. Redshirt freshmen Justin Reinsma and Jake Begin both finished in fifth place in their respective weight classes. Reinsma finished the day 4-2 at 133 pounds. Begin also picked up a 4-2 record on the day finishing fifth at 157 pounds.

CD Johnson and Samuel Bonsu both picked up sixth place finishes today in Fargo. Bonsu carried a 2-3 record to a sixth place finish at 165 pounds while Johnson went 3-3 to finish sixth at 184 pounds. Redshirt freshman Saifemichael Kenea hauled in a sixth place finish after going 3-3 at 125 pounds.

The Mustangs will continue the season tomorrow when they travel to Northfield, MN. to compete in a dual with St. Olaf with the match beginning at 7:00 pm.
 
The SMSU Women’s Basketball team is back in action this Saturday continuing the non-conference portion of their schedule when they host Minnesota-Morris at 1:00 pm at the R/A Facility. The Mustangs are looking to bounce back from their loss on Tuesday night against William Penn.

The Mustang Wheelchair Basketball is idle until December 4 when they will take on the Madonna Magic continuing their eleven game home stand to begin the season.

Good luck to all of our Mustang Teams this week. Go Mustangs!

Congratulations to, Randy Johnson, who provided the correct answer to the Mustang Hoofprints Trivia Question: Who was the first Head Women’s Basketball Coach for the Mustangs during the 1969-70 season? Eleanor Rose was at the helm of Mustang Women’s Basketball for two seasons where she compiled a 7-19 record.

Hoofprints Trivia Question (please put this in a box with the title on top)

In what sports has the SMSU Athletics Department hosted NCAA Regional competition?

The first person to email me at MustangHoofPrints@SMSU.edu with the correct answer to this question will receive an SMSU t-shirt. The winner will be announced on The Saturday Morning Mustang Show between 9:00 am and 10:00 am on 1400AM each week.