SMSU Athletics

September 25, 2014 – Hoof Prints Article
 
Hello Mustang Fans!
 
This Saturday, the SMSU Department of Athletics will host the 8th Annual Ag Bowl presented by Ralco, Inc. The festivities will begin at 2:30 pm in the R/A Facility parking lot and continue up to the start of the SMSU Football game versus Northern State at 6:00 pm. We will have entertainment and activities for all who attend the game-day activities.
 
Ag Bowl Schedule of Events

2:30 pm-5:30pm             Ag Activities (Tractor Display, Face Painting, Petting Zoo, Pony Rides, Inflatables, Hay Rides)
2:30 pm-5:30pm             Hy Vee Food Zone - Presented by Hy Vee of Marshall
3:00 pm             Mustang Volleyball vs. Bemidji State (PE Gym)
4:00 pm             Registration for Pedal Pull Begins - For Kids ages 4-11
4:30 pm             Kids Pedal Pull Begins
6:00 pm.            SMSU Football kick-off vs. Northern State University

Also back this year is the Ag Bowl raffle, with tickets available for just $20, and giving participants a chance to win numerous prizes. The grand prize is a Polaris Outlaw 50 ATV from Action Sports, while $2,000, $1,500, $1,000, $500 and two $500 HyVee gift cards will also be awarded. The raffle winners will be announced at halftime of the football game on Saturday night. Raffle tickets can be purchased at the SMSU Athletics Office by calling 507-537-7271 or can be purchased on the day of the event.
 
We would like to thank all of our Ag Bowl sponsors for their support of this regional event. We are fortunate to have Ralco, Inc. as our title sponsor of the Ag Bowl and Ag Bowl Scholarship Challenge. Jon and Brian Knochenmus have been instrumental in the growth and success of the events surrounding Ag Bowl. We are fortunate and thankful for our partnership with Ralco, Inc.
 
Titan Machinery has also helped to create a “WOW” factor when you approach the stadium. We appreciate all the hard work of the employees at Titan Machinery that help to set-up this impressive tractor and farm equipment display around the Schwan Regional Event Center for Ag Bowl. A big thank you to Lucas Hilgeman and Mike Struve for all their hard work and support during Ag Bowl and throughout the year. 
 
Other significant sponsors of Ag Bowl include; CHS, Channel Seed – Pat and Sharon Hennen, Syngenta, the Corn and Soybean Growers of Lyon County , Lockwood Motors, Action Sports and HyVee. We are very thankful for the growing support we receive from our local and regional partners in the ag industry. Please join us in celebrating agriculture in southwestern Minnesota this Saturday at the 8th Annual Ag Bowl presented by Ralco, Inc.
 
HyVee Halftime Challenge
 
HyVee Food Store of Marshall is once again proud to sponsor the “HyVee Halftime Challenge” during each SMSU home football game in 2014! Each game, three lucky participants are chosen to compete for a chance to win great prizes from HyVee.

Participants will start at one goal line and will “punt, pass and kick” to the other end of the field. The contestant will start out by “punting” the ball as far as possible.  From where the ball stops rolling, the contestant will then “pass” the ball as far as possible, setting up the final kick. To win the challenge, the contestant must finish by making a field goal. 

Each participant will receive a $25 HyVee gift card. Each person who successfully kicks a field goal will receive a free HyVee pizza per week for one year.  Individuals from the first five games, who make the field goal, will compete for the championship prize, a $250 HyVee gift card, during the final home game of the season on November 15. Participants must be 18 years of age or older.
 
If you would like to sign-up for the HyVee Halftime Challenge, see the Ag Bowl schedule of events or get all the information on Mustang Athletics, please go to SMSUmustangs.com. The official website of Southwest Minnesota State University Athletics.
 
This Week in SMSU Athletics
SMSU Women’s Soccer team (3-3, 2-1 NSIC) had another weekend going 1-1 posting a 1-0 victory over Concordia St. Paul on Saturday afternoon. On Sunday, the Mustangs welcomed #2 MSU Mankato to the Schwan Regional Event Center losing to the undefeated Mavericks 0-2 in a very physical match.
 
SMSU heads on the road this weekend playing at Minot State (2-2-2, 1-1-1 NSIC) on Saturday with an 11:00 am start time. The Mustang will then travel to the University of Mary (1-2-3, 0-1-2 NSIC), in Bismarck, ND, on Sunday to battle the Marauders. The SMSU Women’s Soccer team will be on the road for the next two weekends before returning home on October 11 (Homecoming Weekend) versus Bemidji State at 1:00 pm.
 
The Mustang Football team (1-2) suffered a 7-38 loss to the #4 ranked UMD Bulldogs in Duluth, MN, last Saturday. SMSU returns home this weekend where they will take on Northern State (1-2) in SMSU’s Ag Bowl presented by Ralco, Inc. NSU is coming off a 17-48 loss to Augustana College in Sioux Falls, SD last weekend.
 
The #7 SMSU Volleyball team (7-5, 2-2 NSIC) suffered a tough loss to Augustana on Tuesday evening. The Mustangs won the first two sets of the game before losing the next three 22-25, 23-25 and 9-15. SMSU looks to rebound this weekend welcoming the University of Minnesota, Crookston to the PE Gym on Friday with the match starting at 7:00 pm. The Mustangs will turn around on Saturday at play Bemidji State at 3:00 pm as part of the Ag Bowl festivities on the campus of SMSU.
 
It will be an exciting weekend on the campus of SMSU. Bring the family out to support SMSU Volleyball and Football while taking in all the Ag Bowl Festivities going on in the R/A Facility parking lot between 2:30 pm and 6:00 pm.
 
The SMSU Women’s Golf team hosted the Mustang Invite last Saturday and Sunday with 12-teams competing in the tournament at the Marshall Golf Club. Augustana shot a final round 314 to finish with a two-day total of 627, and captured the team title. Augustana won the title by 12 shots over Minnesota State (639) with the University of Sioux Falls earning a third place finish with a score of 644.

The Mustangs finished in fourth place with a total of 658. On Saturday, SMSU shot a score of 331, improving on Sunday posting a score of 327. SMSU was led by Lauren Kerr, who finished in a tie for 12th place with a 17-over 161 (77-84). Ashley Bixby led SMSU on Sunday with a 7-over 79 and finished tied for 21st overall (85-79—164). Becky Koepp tied for 27th with a two-day total of 166 (83-83), Dana Wagner finished 32nd with a score of 169 (88-81), while Alax Floyd tied for 33rd with a 170 (86-84).

Southwest returns to the course this Saturday, at the Jewel Triangular held at the The Jewel Golf Club in Lake City, MN. SMSU, Minnesota State and Winona State will compete in the one-day event.
 
The SMSU Women’s and Men’s Cross Country teams are idle this week and will have their next competition at the South Dakota State Invite on October 4 in Brookings, SD.
 
I would like to wish all of our teams the best of luck this week!
 
Go Mustangs!
 
Congratulations to Tom Landmark, who provided the correct answer to last week’s Mustang Hoofprints Question: Who is the all-time leader in points scored for the SMSU Women’s Soccer program? Nadia AbuAyed (2001-04) scored 79 points in her career at SMSU.
 
Hoofprints Trivia Question (please put this in a box with the title on top)
 
In what year did the SMSU Women’s Golf team win the Mustang Invite?
 
The first person to email me at MustangHoofPrints@SMSU.edu with the correct answer to this question will receive an SMSU t-shirt.