SMSU Athletics

January 4, 2014 – Hoof Prints Article

Happy New Year Mustang Fans!

Yesterday, SMSU fans at the men’s and women’s basketball games saw the new track markings painted on the surface of the R/A Facility to aid our track and field program with their winter workouts. It is exciting to see this new program grow in the number of student-athletes with the current indoor track and field roster size at fifty-five. Over the next three years, Head Track and Field Coach, Nate Wolf, will look to fill out a roster of over one hundred student-athletes at SMSU.

Those student-athletes will compete in 34 women’s and men’s indoor track and field events in the NSIC and 30 events at the NCAA Division II National Championships. In outdoor track and field, the NSIC and NCAA Division II National Championships have 42 events that both our men and women will compete in.

Once the weather breaks in the spring, you will begin to see the dirt at the Marshall Regional Track and Field Complex being moved in preparation for the new track surface, artificial surface in the center of the track and the field events area constructed north of the track along Highway 23. The project is scheduled to be completed in September with weather playing a major factor in the timeline of the construction.

Both Marshall Public Schools (MPS) and SMSU are excited about this joint venture to enhance the educational opportunities for our students in the areas of academics, activities and athletics. MPS and SMSU will host a ground-breaking ceremony in the spring to formally kick-off the construction. We will announce the date and time of the ceremony once we know when construction will begin in the spring. A big thank you to all who were involved in making the Marshall Regional Track and Field Complex a reality. 

Mark your calendars, the Gold Rush Raffle will be held on Friday, February 14 in the Conference Center Ballroom. Last year, the Gold Rush Raffle raised just over $53,000. This year, the committee has set a goal of raising over $75,000 with all proceeds from the Gold Rush Raffle going to aid the Mustang Booster Club’s effort to support SMSU Athletic Scholarships. The Mustang Booster Club contributed $100,000 to athletic scholarships in 2012-13.

One change the committee has made is this year’s Gold Rush Raffle Ticket prices will increase from $50 to $75. The $50 ticket price has been in place for 10 years, and the committee felt it was time to increase the price of the raffle tickets based on inflationary increases of expenses and the value Mustang Supporters find in the event and raffle. Tickets will be available for purchase starting January 1, 2014.

Check the SMSU Athletics website, SMSUmustangs.com, for all the latest information on Mustang Athletics and Gold Rush Raffle Tickets information.

Upcoming SMSU Athletics Events

The SMSU Men’s Basketball team (7-5, 4-2 NSIC) and Women’s Basketball team (2-8, NSIC 0-6) hosted an NSIC contest last night welcoming Northern State to the R/A Facility. Saturday, MSU Moorhead will come to town with the start times being 5:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.

The SMSU Wrestling team (3-2) will wrestle at home in an NSIC dual match versus Minot State on January 11 in the PE Gym at 4:00 p.m.

The SMSU Wheelchair Basketball team (3-9) will have its next competition on January 17-18 when they travel to Urbana-Champaign, IL to compete in the University of Illinois Tournament. The Mustangs will battle the University of Illinois, University of Arizona and Wisconsin – Whitewater on the weekend.

The SMSU Women’s and Men’s Indoor Track and Field team will compete for the first time in the Minnesota State Alumni Open hosted by Minnesota State University on January 11 at 11:00 a.m. in Mankato, MN.

Good luck to all our Mustang Teams this week!

Go Mustangs!

Congratulations to Tyler Bowen who provided the correct response to last week’s Mustang Hoofprint’s Trivia Question: Who was the first head coach for SMSU Track & Field? Eugene Anderson was the first Head Track and Field Coach for the Mustangs in 1969. Carmen DeKoster became the Head Women’s Track and Field Coach at SMSU in 1972.

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

What was the first athletic competition held in the Recreation Athletic (R/A) Facility at SMSU?

The first person to email me at MustangHoofPrints@SMSU.edu with the correct answer to this question will receive an SMSU t-shirt.