Two Summit League Student-Athletes Honored by South Dakota Sportswriters Association

North Dakota State's Abby Plucker and South Dakota's Bethany Buell were recently honored by the South Dakota Sportswriters Association.  Plucker earned the Independent Female Athlete of the Year award, while Buell was named the College Women’s Athlete of the Year.

Click here to read the entire on article on Plucker and here for the entire article on Buell.

OU's Carlton Featured by White Lake Patch

Athletics and academics has proven to be a recipe for success for Amy Carlton. A 2010 Lakeland High School graduate, Carlton had a distinguished career in the classroom and on the court in high school. She earned the President’s Award for Educational Achievement and the Academic Excellence Award. Carlton was a member of the National Honor Society and was a two-time Board of Education Achievement Award Winner. She was also a member of the Lakeland Leadership program and was the class secretary for two years. 

Carlton was named top female athlete at Lakeland High School in 2010 and earned distinction as a Detroit Free Press Scholar-Athlete Award winner in 2010. She led the basketball team to division and conference championships in 2009, and she was an all-conference and all-district selection in 2009 and 2010. Carlton was also named MVP in 2010 after being named the defensive player of the year, and was an all-conference and all-district soccer player as a senior.

Now, Carlton is a walk-on guard for the Oakland University Grizzles and is majoring in health sciences. She played in nine games for Oakland as a freshman coming off the bench before suffering a season ending injury against Toledo. In addition, she earned a spot on the Summit League All-Academic Team. Carlton came off the bench to score 3 points, and grab 2 rebounds with one assist in the 74-30 victory over Rochester College on Nov. 17.

Click here to read the entire article.

Summit League Hoops in the Media

With the continued success of Summit League men’s basketball at its highest position (12^th) in the Sagarin Ratings this season and No. 13 in the Collegiate Basketball News RPI (rpiratings.com), the league and its teams have been recently featured by various regional and national media outlets.  Below are links to some of the recent news clippings.

- Big Ten No. 1, Summit League makes leap | ESPN Stats & Info (12/20/11)
- Midseason Mid-Major Mojo: Wolters becoming a star | CBSSports Eye on College Basketball (12/20/11)
- It’s good to be Tom Douple | Basketball Prospectus (12/19/11)
- Reggie Hamilton and Florida are honored | NBC Sports Beyond the Arc  (12/19/11)
- South Dakota State has a star, signature win | ESPN College Basketball Nation Blog (12/19/11)
- Wins By SDSU, Oral Roberts Highlight Strength Of Summit League | Yankton Press & Dakotan (12/19/11)
- South Dakota State Basketball Are Viable Contenders with Victory overWashington | Bleacher Report (12/18/11)

OU's Hamilton Named Beyond the Arc's Player of the Week

Oakland's Reggie Hamilton was named Beyond the Arc's National Player of the Week for his performance in the win at Valparaiso. The senior scored 41 points in the victory.

He made 14-24 shots from the floor, hitting five threes and added four assists, four steals and three rebounds. More impressive, however, was the fact that the Grizzlies were down by as much as 17 points in the second half, but Hamilton lead the charge back. He scored the first 12 points during an 17-1 run that trimmed the lead to 61-60 and kept Oakland in the game. It was Hamilton’s final shot of the game that truly made the difference, as he went the length of the court in the final five seconds and banked in a runner as time expired.

Click here to read the rest of the recap and see the video.

UMKC's Women's Golf Helps Habitat for Humanity

The UMKC women's golf team recently took part in a Habitat for Humanity project where they helped reside a 25-year-old Kansas City house.

During their time at the house, the team helped remove loose siding from the house and replace it with new siding.  On site, the girls would place the new siding on the house, making sure that there were no air pockets or space between the individual sides, while also hanging new J-channel around the siding, near the gutters and cutting new pieces of vinyl that fit the area needing replaced.

At the project, the girls had to utilize their teammates in order to hang pieces of the siding and J-channel once they were above the normal reaching height and create an assembly line using three large ladders as they moved across the house to keep the hanging pace.

Summit League Buzzer-Beaters Net National Exposure

Two Summit League basketball teams gained national exposure on ESPN the past week for buzzer-beater winning shots on consecutive days.

Oral Roberts’ Damen Bell-Holter connected on a three-quarter-court shot at the buzzer to give the Golden Eagles a 58-55 win over UALR Monday night. The shot was featured on SportsCenter as the “King of the Night” and on ESPN’s Mike & Mike in the Morning Show. Click here to view the shot.

The day prior, Oakland’s Sharise Calhoun drained a half-court shot at the buzzer to propel the Golden Grizzlies to a 48-45 win over UIC Sunday. The shot was featured on ESPN’s SportsNation and ESPN News on Monday. Click here to view the highlights and game-winning shot.

Three Summit Leaguers Set to Compete at Ninth ISF Junior Women's World Softball Championships

Three Summit League softball players, IPFW's Larissa Franklin, Oakland's Erika Polidori and Southern Utah's Tessa Loewen, all members of the Canadian junior national team will face off against Team USA at the Ninth ISF Junior Women's World Softball Championships in Cape Town, South Africa today.

Team Canada takes the diamond at 12:30 p.m. (EST).

Click here to watch the game live.

SUU's Pelaez-Mailoto Honored by COBRA Magazine

Southern Utah University junior Analaine Pelaez-Mailoto has been named to the COBRA Magazine all-West Region team.

Pelaez-Mailoto led the Thunderbird attack in 2011 with a team-best 515 kills, averaging 4.15 per set. She was also tops on the team with 375 digs and 31 service aces.

The award is Pelaez-Mailoto's second of the postseason, having already garnered her third consecutive first-team all-Summit League honor.

COBRA magazine's purpose is to celebrate the success of volleyball players of African as well as Samoan and Tongan descent in hopes of encouraging young girls of those ethnic groups across the country to pursue the sport. She is the only player in the state of Utah appearing on the list, joining honorees from schools in Hawaii, California, Colorado, Oregon, Washington, Nevada and Nebraska.

SDSU's Taevaunn Prince Featured by Argus Leader

The South Dakota State men’s basketball team wasn’t away from Frost Arena long enough to warrant one of those way-back-when retrospectives built around gas prices and hit songs. It only seemed that way.

Still, plenty changed over the course of an eight-game, three-week road trip, the longest in the 17-year tenure of coach Scott Nagy, including: Injury statuses, starting lineups and record – from 1-0 when they left to 6-3 today, the start of a three-game homestand. There were surprises, good and bad.

The play of Taevaunn Prince fits into the former. The freshman guard is averaging 6.9 points, 4.4 rebounds and 19.2 minutes with two starts. Although still a work in progress, Prince has exceeded what the SDSU staff expected upon signing him in August.

Click here to read the entire article.

CollegeHoops.Net Selects November All-Conference Teams

IPFW's Frank Gaines

CollegeHoops.net's Jon Teitel selected five players from each league for November All-Conference teams. Five different Summit League schools were represented among the quintet of honorees. Below is the site's Summit League list. The complete list can be found here.

Summit
G Frank Gaines IPFW
G Nate Wolters South Dakota St.
G Reggie Hamilton Oakland
F Dominique Morrison Oral Roberts
F Alex Young IUPUI

NDSU's Lopez Named Top Performer by CVU.com

North Dakota State senior setter Jennifer Lopez was named one of the CVU.com Top Performers of the week after leading the Bison to their second-straight Summit League title and third and four years.  Lopez was the named the tournament MVP after posting back-to-back double-doubles with 46 assists and 18 digs against Oakland and 34 assists and 10 digs vs. Oral Roberts.   At the championship she tallied 80 assists (11.43 per set), 28 digs (4.00 per set), nine kills, three service aces and two blocks.  Lopez became the first player in league history to win both Player of the Year and Setter of the Year in the same season. 

Click here to view the CVU.com Player of the Week and Top Performers.

NDSU's Joki Named Top Performer by CVU.com

North Dakota State hitter Brynn Joki was named one of the CVU.com Top Performers of the week after helping the Bison go undefeated (2-0) on the week and win their fourth regular season league title.  For the week, the junior hit a .351 clip, tallied 39 kills, averaging 4.88 per set, 21 digs with an average of 2.62 per set and nine blocks, averaging 1.12 per set.

Click here to view the CVU.com Player of the Week and Top Performers.

WIU's Verity Named Rhodes Scholar Finalist

Western Illinois senior track & field throws athlete Jenna Verity was recently named a finalist for the Rhodes Scholarship. The first Rhodes Scholar finalist in the 112-year history of Western Illinois University, Verity is currently preparing for her November 19th interview before a panel of esteemed judges at the Chicago History Museum.

Reserved for the brightest students around the world, the Rhodes Scholarship is the oldest and most famous academic award available to American college graduates. The scholarship, established in 1902, provides all expenses for two or three years of graduate study at the University of Oxford in England.

Thirty-two American men and women are chosen every year as Rhodes Scholars representing the United States. The interview process is intense but Verity is up for the challenge.

Click here to read the entire article.

WIU's Lins Selected Lincoln Academy Student Laureate

Leatherneck women’s soccer senior Laura Lins added the most prestigious award of her standout career when she was named Western Illinois University’s Lincoln Academy Student Laureate Award winner. Lins was recently honored in a ceremony in the Hall of Representatives at the Old State Capitol.

As described by the Academy, each fall an outstanding senior from each of the four-year degree-granting institutions of higher learning in Illinois is awarded the Student Lincoln Academy Medallion and thereby becomes a Student Laureate of The Lincoln Academy of Illinois. Student Laureates are honored for their overall excellence in curricular and extracurricular activities. 

Click here to read the full article.

ORU Athletes Speak at Latina Women’s Conference

A number of different ORU athletes took time out of their week to speak at the 4th Annual Business Latina Women’s Conference on the ORU campus on Tuesday.

Roughly 215 female Hispanic high school and middle school students attended the all-day conference and ORU athletes were on hand to speak to those in attendance about how to earn scholarships (beyond athletic aid) and maintain their grades. 

Click here to read the full article.

Men’s soccer standout Agaba prepares to repay the villagers who helped him stay in school

As an elite student and standout soccer player in Kampala, Uganda, Perez Agaba was poised to make a choice as his time at King’s College Budo Secondary School came to an end.

“You’ve got to choose one of the two; doing both is almost impossible,” Agaba said of the setup in his homeland, where college sports are essentially limited to intramural activities. “You’re either going for the academics or for the soccer, and you’ve got to decide.”

There was no doubt which way Agaba would have gone. He was approached by a professional soccer club about signing with them.

“I sat with my mom,” he recalled, “and I told her, ‘I love playing soccer, but I’ll be honest about life: Soccer’s not really going to give me what I need to live the life I would love to lead.’ ... I was ready to just play for fun and go to school.”

In the end, Agaba didn’t have to choose one of his loves over another.

Click here to read the full spotlight on the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award Web site.

NDSU's Paige Nash Shares Unique Bond With Younger Sister

North Dakota State senior volleyball player Paige Nash was recently featured on GoBison.com.  Nash and and younger sister Tracy are like normal siblings but their relationship shares a unique bond that they will share during their lifetime. 

Click here to watch the feature.

Oakland University Plays Host toTonight's GOP Debate

The Oakland University O'rena

Oakland University will receive attention across the country tonight as it hosts the Republican Presidential Debate on campus. The GOP debate will take place inside the O’rena, home to the Golden Grizzlies basketball teams. CNBC will televise the debate at 8 p.m. ET. For more information, click on the CNBC page (link) or Oakland University’s home page (link).

Results and recaps of the last week of Summit League women's basketball exhibition games.

Nov. 3 - South Dakota State 76, Southwest Minnesota State 50 | Recap

Nov. 4 - Southern Utah 72, Adams State 52 | Recap

Nov. 7 - UMKC 106, Park 58 | Recap

Nov. 7 - Oral Roberts 90, Central Oklahoma 87 | Recap

Nov. 8 - Ashland 79, IPFW 74 | Recap

Nov. 8 - IUPUI 92, St. Joseph's College 52 | Recap

Nov. 8 - North Dakota State 86, Mary 69 | Recap

OU's Hamlet Finds New Role at the O'rena

While the stage for the Republican National Debate dominated the floor of the Athletics Center O'rena on Tuesday, Oakland guard Liz Hamlet was still able to excel on the court. Picked from among hundreds of applicants, Hamlet was assisting CNBC with preparation for the debate which will take place at the O'rena on Wednesday. 

Debate stand-ins were chosen by CNBC through an online process which was open to all OU students. Tuesday's prep included stand-ins for all GOP candidates who are expected to attend on Wednesday, along with the reporters and correspondents who will ask the questions. 

Click here to read the full recap.

UMKC Volleyball Travels to Center Middle School for Reading Day

The UMKC volleyball team recently traveled to Center Middle School for Celebrity Reading Day where they read to four different groups of sixth graders.

During each group the team read several different books to the students, including Shel Silverstein's The Giving Tree, while also answering questions from the students with topics ranging from volleyball, to college life, to classes and numerous other topics. In the sessions, UMKC student-athletes discussed the importance of reading with the sixth graders for the educational value, as well as for personal enjoyment.

Men's Basketball Exhibition Scoreboard (Nov. 3)

One Summit League men's team was in action Thursday and produced a victory in its exhibition game.

South Dakota State 78, Minnesota State Moorhead 64 | Recap

EIU's Head Swimming Coach McGill Featured by Swimming World Magazine

Eastern Illinois head swimming coach Elliot McGill was featured in an online interview by Swimming World Magazine.

Morning Swim Show host Peter Busch interviewed the first year Panther skipper, marking the first time that the EIU Panther swimming program has been featured on the long-time swimming site.

Click here to read more and here to watch the interview

Women's Basketball Exhibition Scoreboard

Results and recaps of the last week of Summit League women's basketball exhibition games.

Oct. 27 - Oral Roberts 109, Evangel 65 | Recap

Oct. 29 - Oakland 80, Ferris State 75 | Recap

Oct. 30 - South Dakota State 85, Minnesota-Moorhead 52 | Recap

Oct. 31 - UMKC 88, Harding 73 | Recap

Oct. 31 - Southern Utah 76, Dixie State 66 | Recap

Nov. 1 - North Dakota State 78, Sioux Falls 68 | Recap

Nov. 2 - Western Illinois 76, Illinois-Springfield 69 | Recap

WIU's Jupic Nets Additional Honor

Western Illinois midfielder Husref Jupic added an additional award to his Summit League Offensive Player of the Week accolade.  The Des Moines, Iowa, native was named SoccerSavings.com/Chicagoland Soccer News 'Men's College Player of the Week' after leading the Leathernecks with six shots, three on goal, and netting the game-winner to lift WIU over UMKC, 3-2 in overtime.

Click here to read more

IUPUI's Men's Soccer Team Participates in Million Meal Marathon

The IUPUI men's soccer team was among thousands of volunteers that participated in the Million Meal Marathon at Lucas Oil Stadium on Tuesday (Nov. 1). The goal was to package and box dehydrated meals, consisting of soy, rice and vegetables.

Some of the boxes of food will benefit local pantries. Members of the Indianapolis Colts and representatives from the Indiana Pacers also assisted, while the Peyback Foundation and Marsh were among the corporate partners. Cash or nonperishable food donations are still being accepted at any Marsh store.

Click here to read more.

Channel 6 News Video Clip | Photo Gallery

Men's Basketball Exhibition Scoreboard (Nov. 2)

A pair of Summit League men's basketball teams tipped off their exhibition schedules with wins Tuesday, headlined by two-time defending league champion Oakland.

Oakland 94, Spring Arbor 55 | Recap
Southern Utah 86, St. Martin's 70 | Recap

Summit League Volleyball Ranked 13th in Pablo Rankings

In the latest Pablo Ranking system, Summit League volleyball was ranked the 13^th-best NCAA Division I conference in the nation out of 33, ahead of the Big East, Sun Belt, Atlantic 10 and Horizon League.

Pablo Rankings
1. Big Ten
2. Pac-12
3. Big 12
4. Southeastern
5. West Coast
6. Atlantic Coast
7. Big West
8. Mountain West
9. Missouri Valley
10. Conference USA
11. Western Athletic
12. Mid-American
13. The Summit League
14. Big East
15. Big Sky
16. Sun Belt
17. Colonial Athletic Association
18. Atlantic 10
19. Horizon League
20. Southland
21. Southern
22. Great West
23. Ivy League
24. Atlantic Sun
25. Ohio Valley
26. America East
27. Big South
28. DI Independents
29. Patriot
30. Northeast
31. Metro Atlantic Athletic
32. Mid-Eastern Athletic
33. Southwestern Athletic

Basketball Exhibition Scoreboard (Nov. 1)

Four Summit League men's teams opened the exhibition portion of their basketball schedules on Nov. 1.  Below is a rundown of results with links to each school's game recap.

IUPUI 87, IU-East 77 | Recap

Oral Roberts 78, Rogers State 45 | Recap
Minnesota State Moorhead 90, North Dakota State 84 (OT) | Recap
Benedictine (Kan.) 74, UMKC 67 (OT) | Recap

OU's Apsey Earns Tom Slade Athlete of the Year Award

Oakland freshman Peyton Apsey will accept the 2010-11 Tom Slade Athlete of the Year Award on Saturday at the Saginaw County Sports Hall of Fame Banquet. Before joining the OU women's basketball team, Apsey was a standout in volleyball, soccer and basketball at Hemlock High School.

As a high school athlete, Apsey set the Hemlock school record for career assists (288) and steals (317). She also rewrote the school records for single-season steals (144) and assists (139) as a senior. As a two-time team captain, Apsey and current Oakland teammate Shelby Herrington led Hemlock to the semifinals of the state basketball tournament in 2011. Apsey was an All-State honorable mention selection and a two-time All-Midland Dream Team selection. 

Click here to read more.

ORU Receiving Votes in Preseason AP Poll

Oral Roberts University received a pair of votes in the Associated Press Preseason NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball poll, it was announced today. The Golden Eagles are the only Summit League team to be listed in the poll.

Earlier this month, the Golden Eagles were tabbed as preseason Summit League favorites in the official League poll.

Click here to read the full release.

SDSU's Ferguson Named "Primetime Performer"

South Dakota State senior forward Kelsey Ferguson was named to the CS360 Primetime Performers Weekly Honor Roll #11 for her performance on Saturday, Oct. 29.

Ferguson scored two goals, including the game-winning goal, as the Jacks beat co-conference leader North Dakota State 3-1.

The game-winning goal was Ferguson's team-leading fourth this season and 10th of her career, the most all-time in SDSU history.

The effort helped SDSU secure the No. 1 seed for The Summit League Tournament.

Click here to read the full release.

OU's Kornoelje to Receive Lifetime Achievement Award

Shawn Kornoelje, Oakland's men's and women's associate head swim coach, will be honored by the Athletes with Disabilities Hall of Fame with its 2011 Rick Knas Lifetime Achievement Award. The award will be presented at the Hall of Fame's annual induction ceremony on November 3, 2011 at the Troy Marriott in Troy, Mich., at 6 p.m. 

"I am so honored and humbled to be receiving this award from the Athletes with Disabilities Hall of Fame," said Kornoelje. "I would also like to thank all the athletes I've had the privilege of coaching over the years for teaching me the true meaning of hard work, perseverance and determination. I am truly grateful to have shared in their success."

The award acknowledges the exceptional success, sportsmanship and community service of one outstanding individual. 

Click here to read the full release.

Website Tabs Four Summit Leaguers for Mid-Major All-America Honors

Oakland's Reggie Hamilton

Oakland's Reggie Hamilton and South Dakota State's Nate Wolters were picked as second team Mid-Major All-Americans and IUPUI's Alex Young was selected to the third team in the 2011-12 season preview on the Ballin' is a Habit blog. The trio made The Summit League the ONLY mid-major conference to place three players on the first three teams.

Oral Roberts' Dominique Morrison was listed among those receiving honorable mention.

Click here to view the entire list.

WIU Softball Receives NCAA Public Recognition Award

Head coach Holly Van Vlymen and the Western Illinois Leatherneck softball team was recently congratulated by the NCAA for being a recipient of the NCAA Public Recognition Award. 

 

The NCAA Public Recognition Awards are given to teams that have an NCAA Division I Academic Progress Rate in the 'Top 10' percent of all squads in their respective sports.

Click here to read the full release.

NDSU Names Justin St. Clair Assistant Track and Field Coach

The North Dakota State men's and women's track and field programs have announced the addition of Justin St. Clair to the staff. He will work primarily with the throwing events.

"We are very excited to add Justin to our staff," said associate head coach Stevie Keller. "He brings great experience both coaching and recruiting."

St. Clair comes to Fargo after spending two years as the Director of Sports Performance and Fitness at Strive Physical Therapy and Fitness in North Carolina. He was responsible for designing and implementing diet, fitness and assisting with rehabilitation programs as well as marketing and membership sales.

Click here to read the full release.

TopDrawerSoccer.com Ranks Top 20 Men’s and Women’s Players in Summit League

As part of its league-by-league ranking of top 20 players, TopDrawerSoccer.com announced its list for The Summit League this week. IPFW’s Max Touloute held the top spot on the men’s side, while North Dakota State’s Morgan DeMike leads the women’s rankings.

The complete lists can be seen by clicking the following links: men | women