Women's Basketball Exhibition Recap (Oct. 28)

Four South Dakota State players scored in double figures as the Jackrabbit women's basketball team opened the exhibition season Sunday afternoon with an 86-43 victory over Minnesota-Crookston at Frost Arena.

Ashley Eide scored a team-high 17 points, while Mariah Clarin narrowly missed a double-double with 10 points and a team-high nine rebounds.

Oakland Head Coach Breaks Silence About Sexual Abuse

Beckie Francis remembers sitting on her couch last year, staring in amazement as she watched Sen. Scott Brown of Massachusetts reveal on TV that he was a survivor of sexual abuse.

Francis turned to her husband and told him she could do the same thing.

The women's basketball coach at Oakland University shared her story with parishioners at her suburban Detroit church, and with her players. And now, she is telling everyone else in hopes that it will encourage victims of sexual abuse to seek help, and to assist parents and children to avoid what she endured.

Kansas City's Todd Named CS360 Primetime Performer

Kansas City defender Sarah Todd was named to a CS360 Primetime Performer for her performance last week.

Todd earned her first career Summit League Offensive Player of the Week honor on Monday after helping the Kangaroos collect three points against the top two teams in the league standings, Fort Wayne and Oakland. Against Oakland, the sophomore assisted on Sophie Rackham's match-winner in the 41^st minute. In the 82^nd minute of the match, Todd connected on her only shot on a free kick 15 yards outside of the box to add an insurance goal.

More Picks Are In ...

The USA Today College Basketball Special Edition tabs South Dakota State as its pick to win The Summit League.  The tabloid also runs down The Summit League and picks the standings, player of the year, all-league teams and three “Don’t-miss games.”

Below is a sneak peek at their projections. To read the entire Summit League preview, pick up a copy of the publication on your local newsstand or purchase online here.

Projected Order of Finish
1) South Dakota State
2) Western Illinois
3) Oakland
4) North Dakota State
5) Fort Wayne
6) IUPUI
7) South Dakota
8) Kansas City
9) Omaha

Player of the Year: Nate Wolters, South Dakota State
All-League: Travis Bader, Oakland; Frank Gaines, Fort Wayne; Terell Parks, Western Illinois; Corey Petros, Oakland; Nate Wolters, South Dakota State.

Don’t-miss games
Nov. 26: Oakland at Tennessee
Dec. 29: South Dakota at Omaha
Feb. 9: South Dakota State at Oakland

Oakland Freshman Leads Men's Cross Country Team

George O’Connor has less than a semester of experience competing for the Oakland University cross country team.

It hasn’t stopped the 2012 Croswell-Lexington High School graduate from leading the Golden Grizzlies.

O’Connor has been the individual winner of two invitationals this fall, one on the Oakland campus in Rochester and the other in Fort Wayne. He also has been the Grizzlies’ top finisher in every race except one, and he was second then.

NDSU Women's Basketball Volunteers at 61 for 61

The North Dakota State women's basketball team recently volunteered at the 61 for 61 event, which benefits the Roger Maris Cancer Center.

For 20 years, 61 for 61 has become a tradition in the Fargo-Moorhead area which raises funds to support cancer care, research, and survivorship at the Sanford Roger Maris Cancer Center. The enthusiasm and the financial support of donors from all over the Midwest has provided a better experience for the thousands of patients who walk through the door of the Roger Maris Cancer Center every year: From coffee and snacks for patients and families, to massages and education, to toys and amenities in the Pediatric Oncology department. These funds have helped establish the Nurse Navigator program, the Genetics and Risk Assessment programs, the Embrace Cancer Survivorship program, the Bottles of Hope program, and many other initiatives. Donations have also helped support the tremendous amount of clinical research being conducted to benefit patients. These services, which improve and enrich the experience of patients and families at Roger Maris Cancer Center, have been made possible through philanthropy.

EIU Head Coach & Swimmer Support Brother at Olympics

Eastern Illinois head swimming coach Elliot McGill

It was Day 7 of their family vacation this summer.

A friend of a friend was letting the McGill family stay at their house in London.

The first six days of the trip had gone well so far, but it became surreal for Elliott McGill, the Eastern Illinois University head swimming coach, when he came down for breakfast Sunday morning.

Elliott’s younger brother Tyler won an Olympic gold medal the night before as part of the United States 400-meter medley relay.

Oakland Post Highlights OU's Hutton

As a child, Brittni Hutton remembers cleaning the house with her siblings, blaring the radio and sliding across the freshly mopped floor in socks. It was work, but she made it fun.

Hutton, a student-athlete running in cross-country and the president of Student Video Productions, applies the same principle to her busy life.

SDSU Runner Bongard Returns from Iraq

Top-tier athletes face many decisions. 

Some are gifted enough to have to choose which sport they’ll pursue. Some choose how to balance academics and athletics. And some are forced to give up their desire to serve their country in order to pursue their athletic dreams. 

But some, like Anthony Bongard, choose to go after both.
Bongard is a senior cross country and track and field runner from Redwood Falls, Minn., but he’s also a combat engineer with the Minnesota National Guard.

Preseason Prognostications, Part II

The Summit League’s official basketball Twitter account (@summithoops) recently completed a “Tweetdown” of the Athlon Sports 2012-13 College Basketball Preview projections.

The publication tabbed South Dakota State as the preseason favorite followed by Oakland, North Dakota State and Western Illinois. SDSU's Nate Wolters, the pick for Player of the Year, was joined by Oakland’s Travis Bader, North Dakota State’s Taylor Braun, Western Illinois’ Ceola Clark III and Fort Wayne’s Frank Gaines on the all-league team.

Wolters also received honorable mention All-America recognition and was ranked fifth in a list of the nation’s best scorers.

A quick synopsis is below.

Predictions
1) South Dakota State
2) Oakland
3) North Dakota State
4) Western Illinois
5) Fort Wayne
6) IUPUI
7) Kansas City
8) South Dakota
9) Omaha

All-League
Nate Wolters, South Dakota State (Player of the Year); Travis Bader, Oakland; Taylor Braun, North Dakota State; Ceola Clark III, Western Illinois; Frank Gaines, Fort Wayne.

To read the entire Summit League breakdown, purchase Athlon Sports’ 2012-13 College Basketball Preview at your newsstand or online at athlonsports.com