NDSU's Johnson Featured by ESPN.com

Confined to the inside of a gym for the duration of preseason back home in Fargo, North Dakota State coach Darren Mueller is rarely sure exactly what he'll see when his team digs its cleats into dirt and grass for the first time.

At least he has the right pitcher for getting down to business.

In her first start of the season, junior Whitney Johnson struck out 19 batters in eight innings against Toledo and allowed just one hit and no earned runs to earn the win. She wasn't done. Johnson finished the weekend with a 3-1 record and piled up 44 strikeouts and six walks in 26 innings. In her lone loss, she allowed just one hit in six innings in a 1-0 defeat against tournament host Fresno State.

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NBA Scouts Keep Close Eye on Summit

IUPUI's Alex Young

Scouts from the NBA know where to find players and The Summit League has their attention. It is certainly no coincidence that the league's success has corresponded with an influx of top talent.

Jeff Kolpack of The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead examines the increased interest in Summit League players in a feature story titled "The Summit League is loaded with potential NBA prospects", which can be read by clicking here.

NDSU's Anderson Listed in Weekly Awards from College Sports Madness, College Baseball 360

North Dakota State pitcher Luke Anderson has been recognized by two college baseball websites for his outstanding performance in NDSU's 8-2 win over nationally ranked Arizona.

 

Luke Anderson

Anderson, a senior right-hander from Savage, Minn., was named Summit League Player of the Week by College Sports Madness and was listed as a Primetime Performer by College Baseball 360 on Tuesday, Feb. 21.

Anderson held the Wildcats to two runs on two hits through seven innings before NDSU went ahead for good with a six-run eighth inning.  He walked five and struck out three.

Click here to read the full release.

IUPUI's Huffman Named PGA 2012 Golf Teacher of the Year

IUPUI assistant golf coach Colby Huffman was recently named the PGA 2012 Teacher of the Year. The award was established in 1986 andbestows special recognition on a PGA golf professional that has performed outstanding service as a golf instructor.

Among the criteria considered are overall performance as a professional, leadership ability, the usage of teaching aids, involvement in junior golf and teaching techniques for both small and large groups.

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Summit Hoops Quartet Featured as "Diamonds in the Rough"

A quartet of Summit League men's basketball standouts received some publicity from the College Hoops Haven Blog. Oakland's Reggie Hamilton, Oral Roberts' Dominique Morrison, South Dakota State's Nate Wolters and IUPUI's Alex Young  are featured in a piece titled "Summit League has Diamonds in the Rough" by Jason Burgess. Click here to view the article.

Two Indoor Track and Field Teams Ranked Top-35 in the Nation

Two men's indoor track and field Summit League teams are ranked among the top-35 in nation by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches' Association, while one women's team joins them in the top-15 regionally.  For the men, Oral Roberts ranks 26^th in the nation and moved up one spot regionally to 13^th in the Midwest, while Southern Utah is 33^rd in the nation and holds the highest regional ranking of any league team at eighth in the Mountain region.  On the women's side, North Dakota State also moved one spot, ranked 13^th in the Midwest region.

SDSU's McLain Siblings Featured by Argus Leader

Three siblings in a swimming pool. Simple, joyous, complete.

That’s what this is about.The McClain kids – Morgan, Jim and Alex – were hoping to recapture a sense of innocence in reuniting at South Dakota State after years apart. Things had gotten difficult outside the water. There were health issues, and they were complicated by distance – hundreds of miles rather than meters.

Brookings was close enough to the family home in Pierre, fulfilled their competitive desires and provided warm nostalgia. All three attended SDSU camps as children. Brad Erickson was the coach then, too. He’s been leading the Jackrabbits for 37 years, long enough to recruit a father-daughter and a couple sets of sisters.

But he’s never had three swimmers from the same family at the same time, let alone at the NCAA Division I level.

Click here to read the entire article.

UMKC Names Millay Assistant Women's Soccer Coach

The UMKC women’s soccer program announced Thursday that Erica Millay will join the staff as the Assistant Coach. Millay is already familiar with the program, serving as a graduate assistant manager this past season for the ‘Roos.

Millay is no stranger to head coach Chris Cissell either, playing for him at William Jewell from 2004-08. While there she was a two-time All-American and served as team captain for three seasons. She helped the Cardinals to the national tournament in three of her four years as well.

Click here to read the full release.

UMKC Softball Hosts Blood Drive in Memory of Former Teammate

The UMKC softball team recently hosted a blood drive at the Swinney Recreation Center in memory of former team member Rashonda Stanley.

At the event, current and former 'Roo softball players, as well as members of other UMKC teams, showed up to donate their blood to those who are in need of it in memory of Stanley who passed away in October.

Wristbands inscribed with "Smile for Rashonda" were also available for purchase at the event with all proceeds from the sale of the wristbands benefiting the Rashonda Stanley Memorial Fund.

SUU's Levins Finishes Fifth at New Balance Grand Prix

Southern Utah's Cameron Levins raced at the international level at the New Balance Grand Prix on Saturday, Feb. 4, earning an eighth-place world ranking with a fifth-place finish in the 3,000-meter run.

Levins' 7:45.75 finish shaved about three seconds off his previous top NCAA time of 7:48.25, also setting a new school record for Southern Utah. 

Levins was the first non-African athlete to finish, racing behind runners like Dejen Gebremeskel of Ethiopia and Silas Kiplagat of Kenya. He finished ahead of U.S. athlete Matthew Centrowitz, who earned a bronze medal in the 1,500-meters at the 2011 IAAF World Championship.

New Balance Grand Prix 3,000-meter run results | Flotrack Post-Meet Interview | IAAF World Rankings