Greysen Hertting's (USD) Season Ends at NCAA Zone Diving

IOWA CITY, Iowa—South Dakota sophomore Greysen Hertting completed her season on Tuesday at the NCAA Zone Diving Championships hosted by the University of Iowa. Hertting represented South Dakota at one of five diving meets that serve as a qualifier to the NCAA Championships.

The Appleton, Wis., native started off the competition with a 31st-place finish in the three-meter dive on Monday. She recorded a score of 263.35 points. Hertting returned Tuesday to take 48th in the one-meter with a score of 201.70 points. Hertting was the only qualifier in the region from the Summit League.

Texas sophomore Samantha Bromberg captured the top mark in the 3-meter dive with a score of 721.90 points. Bromberg had 359.35 points in the preliminary round. Minnesota’s Yu Zhuo had the top mark in the 1-meter competition with a score of 645.60 points, with 318.45 points from the preliminary round.

Hertting ends the 2014-15 swimming and diving season with Summit League Diving Championship MVP honors, 27 individual victories, a new school record in the three-meter dive and a trip to the NCAA Zone Diving Championships.

ORU's Estala Earns Spot at NCAA Indoor Championshps

TULSA, Okla.  – Sophomore pole vaulter Justin Estala received some good new Tuesday evening as he learned that he would get a spot in the 2015 NCAA Indoor Championship meet.

Estala’s season and personal best mark of 5.38m (17-7.75) ranked 20^th in the nation this season, and the sophomore did not make the initial cut into the championship meet. Scratches by other pole vaulters opened the door for the 2015 Summit League Indoor Champion, who will compete at 6 p.m. Friday, March 13 in Fayetteville, Ark.

North Dakota State Pitcher Krista Menke has been named Madness Summit League Softball Player of the Week

www.collegesportsmadness.com

North Dakota State Pitcher Krista Menke has been named Madness Summit League Softball Player of the Week for her exceptional performance during the past week’s action. College Sports Madness identifies the players who have made the greatest impact to their team from each conference and on a national basis each week. The college softball players who have achieved national honors for this past week were:

National Field Player of the Week: Michigan Outfielder Sierra Lawrence

National Pitcher of the Week: Florida Pitcher Delanie Gourley

You can see all the Players of the Week from each conference at Softball Weekly Awards.

College Sports Madness has additional Softball coverage updated each week.

3/2 Softball Top 25 Rankings – latest team rankings

3/2 Softball Bracketology Breakdown – Projected Tournament Bracket

College Sports Madness covers all aspects of college sports...from recruiting right up through the professional draft. Our preseason previews prepare fans for the upcoming season of their favorite teams and can then follow their team all the way through the post season. The Madness helps the college fan follow their favorite teams with our unique team pages that, in one place, brings together information about that school’s sports teams from the football squad to the women’s soccer team and everything in between.

Congratulations to these players selection to this exclusive list. We look forward to working with you to bring good college sports coverage to your fans and the entire college sports community.

Denver Rated No. 1 School to Play Women’s Soccer by USA TODAY

In a recent poll released by the USA TODAY, the University of Denver was rated as the top institution in the country to play women's college soccer. "The ranking of women's soccer teams is based on the athletic success of the team, the overall quality of the school and the academic success of the players," the USA TODAY stated in its release. Read more about the methodology of selections here.

"Our four year graduation rate has been through the roof and we have had a lot of success on the field, but more importantly, we've had some awesome young women and their families come through this program to make it what it is today," head coach Jeff Hooker said. "Our state of the art facilities along with administrative support have made this a great place for me to coach and teach these young adults."

Hooker will enter into his 24th campaign with the DU women's soccer program this fall, and boasts a 315-114-40 women's record, and a 335-126-44 record overall at the University (coached both the men's and women's team for two seasons). In his tenure, Hooker is a nine-time conference coach of the year, and has led the Pioneers to seven regular season and eight league tournament titles, while also making nine NCAA Division I Tournament appearances.

Ex-NDSU Shortstop Nicole Rivera Member of USA Women's Baseball Pan Am Qualifier Team

DURHAM, N.C.--Former North Dakota State University softball shortstop Nicole Rivera is a member of the 18-player USA Women's Baseball team that will be compete in the first-ever Pan American Games Qualifier for the sport on March 8-15 in La Vega, Dominican Republic.

Team USA will be vying to become one of four teams to qualify for the Toronto 2015 Pan American Games scheduled for July 10-26. The Toronto Pan American games will be the first-ever multi-sport Games to host women's baseball.

Rivera, who started 225 career games for the Bison from 2008-11, was a two-time all-Summit League performer for North Dakota State including first team honors in 2010. She was a valuable member of three Summit League tournament championship teams including the 2009 unit that went on to win the NCAA Norman Regional and advance to the NCAA Tempe Super Regional.

Rivera, who is from Lakeside, Calif., finished her career with a .313 batting average, three home runs and 55 runs batted in. She ranks third all-time in stolen bases (95) and stolen base attempts (107); fifth in fielding assists (383) and double plays turned (31); eighth in at bats (726) and runs scored (147), and ninth in hits (147).

Featuring athletes from nine different states, the roster also includes 10 athletes from the 2014 USA Baseball Women's National Team.

If Team USA qualifies for the Pan American Games, the Women's National Team schedule will continue with National Team Trials, May 22 to 24, 2015. Thirty-six players have already been invited to participate in Trials following a multi-event selection process approved by the U.S. Olympic Committee. The final 18 players selected to represent the United States at the Pan American Games, should the U.S. qualify, will be selected out of those 36 individuals attending the National Team Trials.

For more information on the Women's National Team, please visit USABaseball.com.
The 18-player USA Baseball Women's Pan American Qualifying Team roster is as follows:
Name, Position, Hometown
Veronica Alvarez, C, Miami, Fla.*
Ryleigh Buck, IF/RHP, Wellington, Kan.
Samantha Cobb, OF/RHP, Garland, Texas*
Caitlin Everett, OF, Sunnyvale, Texas*
Alex Fulmer, RHP, Little Mountain, S.C.
Jade Gortarez, IF/RHP, Riverside, Calif.*
Tara Harbert, OF, Boulder, Colo.*
Tamara Holmes, OF, Albany, Calif.*
Lindsay Horwitz, RHP, Gurnee, Ill.*
Anna Kimbrell, C/RHP, Fort Mill, S.C.*
Jenna Marston, RHP/IF, St. Louis, Mo.*
Nicole Rivera, IF/RHP, Lakeside, Calif.
Michelle Snyder, IF/RHP, Wenatchee, Wash.*
Malaika Underwood, IF, San Diego, Calif.*
Meagan May Whitley, C, Spring, Texas
Kelsie Whitmore, OF/RHP, Temecula, Calif.*
Donna Williams, RHP/IF, Fremont, Calif.*
Codee Yeske, IF/RHP, Lexington, S.C.

USA Baseball Women's National Team alumni are denoted with an asterisk*

HICKEY AND HOWARD SET FOR USA NATIONAL TEAM OPEN TRYOUT

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - Two IUPUI volleyball players who have been instrumental in helping the Jaguars claim three consecutive Summit League regular-season titles will get the opportunity to head to the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo., to participate in the U.S. Women's National Team Open Tryouts.

Senior Beth Howard and junior Kaitlyn Hickey are two of 232 athletes from 90 universities participating in the tryouts Feb. 20-22 for spots on the U.S. Women's National Team, U.S. Collegiate National Teams program and U.S. Junior National Team.

Hickey is a three-time All-Summit League selection, and this past season she became the second player in program history to earn AVCA All-Region honors. That led to her becoming the first player in IUPUI history to be named an All-American after she was tabbed an AVCA Honorable-Mention All-American.

"For Beth and I to have this opportunity to represent IUPUI shows the strength of our program right now," Hickey said. "This weekend, my main goal is to improve as an individual and learn from these high profile Division-I athletes and Olympic coaches so that I can come back as a better player and compete for a fourthstraight conference championship next year."

Howard completed her four-year career this past fall and ranks third in school history in career digs. The two-time All-Summit League performer was named the Summit League Defensive Player of the Year as a junior and a senior, marking just the second time in league history that a player has won the award in consecutive years.

"This opportunity means a lot to me," Howard said. "I get the chance to prove myself against some of the best players from all across the country. I hope to gain more experience and exposure."

The tryouts begin at 4 p.m. ET on Friday, Feb. 20, and live streaming of the tryouts can be accessed here.

"This is a great opportunity for Kaitlyn and Beth to show what they can do on the court against some of the best competition," head coach Steve Payne said. "They are two great players who have done a lot for our program. We see what they can do on a daily basis, and now it will be great for others around the country to see what they are capable of."

Three-time Olympic gold medalist and U.S. Olympic Hall of Famer Karch Kiraly and the U.S. Women's National Team staff will lead the tryout process. Selected athletes will be notified by early March and USA Volleyball will announce the selections by the end of March once all roster spots are confirmed.

IPFW's Spencer Set to Try out for USA National Team

FORT WAYNE, Ind. - Emily Spencer, IPFW’s two-time Summit League Volleyball Player of the Year, will travel to Colorado Springs, Colorado Feb. 20-22 for the U.S. Women's National Team tryouts at the U.S. Olympic Training Center.

Spencer ended here four-year career with the Mastodons as an American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Honorable Mention All-American, an AVCA North All-Region First Team selection, and the Summit League Player of the Year.

A Jenison, Michigan native, Spencer was the sixth player in Summit League history to earn multiple Player of the Year honors in her career after earning the award as a sophomore in 2012. In her final campaign with the team, Spencer tied for a league-high with two Offensive Player of the Week honors and finished her career with a school-record 54-match streak with double-digit kills. She became the second player in IPFW and Summit League history to record 2,000 career kills. Spencer is also one of eight Mastodons players with 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs for their career.

The tryout will evaluate approximately 238 athletes from 93 colleges from across the country for spots on the U.S. Women's National Team, the U.S. Collegiate National Team program and for the U.S. Women's Junior National Team for athletes born in 1996 or 1997.

U.S. Women's National Team Head Coach Karch Kiraly and his staff will direct the entire tryout process, which can be viewed with an online video stream. The tryout will involve four sessions with three waves per session. Friday's first session goes from 2-8 p.m. MT with Queen of the Court competitions, while Saturday's sessions are at 8 a.m. (focus on serve/receive and individual work) and 2 p.m. (middle-centered and out-of-system focus). The tryout concludes on Sunday at 8 a.m. with tournament style play, along with 16-18 athletes selected by the staff to participate in a "USA" training session. 

NDSU Adds Gooris to Bison Track & Field Coaching Staff

FARGO, N.D. – The North Dakota State University women's and men's track & field programs announced the hiring of former NCAA All-American Daniel Gooris as an assistant coach on Wednesday, Feb. 11.

Gooris served as an assistant coach at Western Illinois University for the 2013-14 season and has been a volunteer assistant at Columbus State University in Georgia this year. In his brief coaching career, Gooris has directed athletes in the sprints, jumps, hurdles, pole vault, javelin and multi-events.

"We are excited to welcome Daniel and his wife Krista to the Bison family," said NDSU head women's track & field coachStevie Keller. "Daniel brings a great deal of knowledge and passion for the sport of track & field that will help the Bison become stronger at the conference, regional and national levels. His experience as a decathlete has been impressive and gives him the opportunity to coach a number of events." 

Gooris competed in college for the University of Northern Iowa, where he earned four All-America honors as one of the top multi-event athletes and pole vaulters in school history. He was a three-time All-American in the multi-events and a seven-time Missouri Valley Conference champion.

A native of Albuquerque, N.M., Gooris has been one of the top multi-event athletes in the U.S. in his post-collegiate career. He placed third in the heptathlon at the 2014 USATF Indoor Championships and eighth in the decathlon at the USATF Outdoor Championships in 2013. Gooris represented Team USA in the Thorpe Cup decathlon in 2013, earning a fourth-place finish.

"I am very excited to be a part of NDSU track & field," Gooris said. "The program has a history of excellence on and off the track, and I am proud to say I am now a Bison. My wife and I are looking forward to the move to Fargo and joining the NDSU family."

Gooris graduated from UNI in 2013 with a major in exercise science and a minor in psychology.

The NDSU women have won 14 straight Summit League team titles between the indoor and outdoor seasons, and the Bison men have won five straight outdoor team titles.

Summit League Baseball Preview by Perfect Game

Photo by Inertia Sports Media

Below is the predicted order of finish and preseason all-league team as selected by Perfect Game for its Summit League preview.

Predicted Order of Finish

Overall/conference win-loss records from 2014 indicated | * Denotes projected conference automatic bid

No.	Team	W	L	W	L
1	Nebraska-Omaha*	31	20	15	9
2	Oral Roberts	30	26	15	15
3	South Dakota State	28	29	11	11
4	North Dakota State	25	26	10	12
5	Western Illinois	21	32	11	13
6	Fort Wayne	19	36	11	13

Preseason All-League Team

Pos.	Name	Class	School	Stats/Notes
C	J.J. Reimer	Sr.	Western Illinois	.319-1-12; solid defender with bat speed
1B	Matt Johnson	So.	South Dakota State	.284-1-23; high upside hitter
MIF	Clayton Taylor	Jr.	Nebraska-Omaha	.342-9-48; power to all fields
MIF	Matt Brandy	Sr.	Oral Roberts	.277-3-36; blossoming power bat
3B	Rolando Martinez	Jr.	Oral Roberts	Potential impact transfer from Bakersfield College
OF	Daniel Jewett	Sr.	Nebraska-Omaha	.333-1-29; disciplined hitter
OF	Cole Gruber	Jr.	Nebraska-Omaha	.319-1-18; game changer on the bases, 34 SB
OF	Evan VanSumeren	Jr.	Fort Wayne	.370-0-4; good athlete, hits to all fields
DH	Greg Kaiser	Jr.	Fort Wayne	.289-8-38; big power to all fields
UT	Alex Schultz	Jr.	Nebraska-Omaha	.302-1-23; speed and athleticism
SP	Tyler Fox	Jr.	Nebraska-Omaha	2.29, 78.2 IP, 57:17; plus command
SP	Parker Trewin	Sr.	North Dakota State	2.57, 77 IP, 68:28; .225 BAA
SP	Guillermo Trujillo	Jr.	Oral Roberts	3.11, 81 IP, 63:25; 90-94 FB, plus stuff
SP	Adam Bray	Sr.	South Dakota State	2.80, 103 IP, 95:17; plus command
RP	J.D. Moore	Sr.	South Dakota State	3.07, 29.1 IP, 27:23; swing and miss stuff

Player of the Year: Clayton Taylor, 2B, Nebraska-Omaha

Pitcher of the Year: Guillermo Trujillo, RHP, Oral Roberts

Freshman of the Year: Nick Roark, SS, Oral Roberts

Denver Men's Golf Partners with Team IMPACT

The University of Denver men's golf team, along with Team IMPACT, has announced the

signing of 12-year old Alex Sherman to a letter of intent.

"We are very excited to have Alex join our team," said Pioneers head coach Erik Billinger. "Alex has proven to be a fighter and his determination and winning attitude will certainly benefit our program. The guys are very happy to learn from Alex and in turn we hope to teach Alex a few things as well this season."

Alex has been fighting Burkitt's Lymphoma since 2011, a type of cancer that begins in the body's immune cells. Upon being diagnosed, he underwent five months of intensive chemotherapy. His cancer is in remission and he currently gets scans, blood work and various tests to check his heart, lung and kidney functions.