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Trojans have memorable sports year
June 15, 2010
It was a record-breaking season for several Dakota State University sports teams. With the 2010-11 academic only two months away, here is a look at the top 10 stories from Trojan athletics.
1. DSU wins men's cross country title
The Trojans cross country team made a trip to Rapid City and captured the DAC's team title on Nov. 6 at Robbinsdale Park. The Trojans dominated the field and were three points shy of breaking the meet record. DSU runners finished first (Tyler Van Peursem), third (Anthony Drealan), fourth (Devon Berkness) and fifth (Matt Fideler). The fifth runner, Andrew Manning, placed ninth to give the Trojans a 29-point victory. Not only was it DSU's first title in cross country since 1996, it was the first men's conference crown in the DAC. The Trojans finished 16th in the nation in Vancouver, Wash.
2. Indoor Track and Field All-Americans
At the NAIA Indoor Track and Field National Championship in Johnson City, Tenn., seven Trojans captured NAIA All-Americans honors. The men's 4 x 800-meter relay team (Andy Coy, Cody Foreman, Fideler and Van Peursem) claimed runner-up honors with a DSU school record time of 7:43.32. Brittany Young raced to a school record 2:16.85 to finish fifth in the women's 800-meter run. The men's distance medley relay (Drealan, Foreman, Fideler and Van Peursem) set a new DSU school record of 10:01.78 with a second-place finish in the finals. Danielle Rowe cleared the high jump bar at 5 feet, 5 inches.
3. Kreutzfeldt drains game-winning 3-pointer
Derek Kreutzfeldt hit the game-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer to defeat Mount Marty 59-58 in a home non-conference game on Jan. 30. DSU rallied to defeat the Lancers at the buzzer to sweep the season series. The Trojans took a 34-28 halftime advantage and expanded the lead to 52-38 with 9:07 left in the game. The Lancers rallied and a layup by Mount Marty with 2.6 seconds left gave the Lancers their first lead of the game, 58-56. After two timeouts, DSU threw the ball inbounds near midcourt with 1.5 seconds to go. Kreutzfeldt nailed a 3-pointer from the left wing at the buzzer to give DSU the victory.
4. DSU one game from DAC Championships
The DSU baseball team started the DAC tournament with a bang and nearly advanced to the DAC championship game. In the first day at Jamestown, N.D., they downed the fourth-seeded Minot State Beavers 13-3 in seven innings and then defeated top-seeded Jamestown College Jimmies 9-2. Senior Brian White had 10 RBIs on the day. Mayville State downed the Trojans 10-7 in Mayville, N.D. on May 9. In their last game of the season, DSU lost 7-5 in the DAC semifinals to Jamestown. The Trojans finished the season 24-20.
5. DSU third at NAIA outdoor nationals
The Trojans 4 x 800-meter relay team made up of Coy, Foreman, Fideler and Van Peursem captured third place at the NAIA Outdoor Track and Field National Championship in Marion, Ind., in May. The relay team finished in a DSU school record time of 7:30.74, just short of the all-time South Dakota 4 x 800-meter relay record held by NCAA Division II Augustana College. As a result, the members of the 4 x 800-meter relay earned NAIA All-American honors.
6. Trojan women's basketball down Nebraska-Kearney
The Trojan women's basketball team traveled to Kearney, Neb. and triumphed over NCAA Division II University of Nebraska-Kearney Lady Lopers 63-62 on Nov. 28. DSU went ahead 10-3 and then 34-31 at halftime. DSU field behind twice but took over the lead with three minutes remaining. Angela Green's free throws gave DSU the lead for good. The win did not count toward DSU's overall record, but "it was a big stepping stone for the Trojans in the young season," said DSU assistant coach Troy Ersland. DSU started the season 2-0 with a victory over then-No. 15 University of Sioux Falls.
7. Trojan men's basketball knock off Minot, Black Hills
First-year men's basketball coach Gary Garner gave the Trojans' home crowd a pair of memorable conference games. On Jan. 8, the Trojans improved to 2-0 in the conference with a 76-75 victory over No. 11 Minot State. The Trojans grabbed 36 rebounds and won the points in the paint battle, 40-22. Everett Smith and Jackson Parr led DSU with respective 20- and 19-point efforts. With a 3-7 record in the conference, DSU knocked off No. 25/DAC leader Black Hills State 69-66 on Feb. 12. Four Trojans landed in double figures and two others scored nine points. Overall, the Trojans went 11-18.
8. Jensen gets 1,000 kills
Rachael Jensen surpassed her 1,000th career kill in her stellar four-year career at DSU vs. Dakota Wesleyan on Sept. 29 at the DSU Fieldhouse. She finished her career with 1,155 kills, which ranks third best in DSU school history. Jensen was named to the DAC All-Conference team twice, DAC Scholar Athlete four years and Daktronics-NAIA Scholar Athlete twice.
9. Donahue sets strikeout record
Winner native Jared Donahue, who was named the MVP of the state B amateur baseball tournament in 2009 with the champion Canova Gang, had a great 2010 season for DSU. 
He was 5-3 on the year and threw the most strikeouts in a season with 97; he broke the old record of 67. Donahue finished second in the nation in batters struck out per nine innings with 12.18. For the second straight year, Donahue was named a DAC All-Conference first-team member with an ERA of 4.27. On May 16, he pitched a no-hitter for the Canova Gang over Montrose-Humboldt-Hartford.
(Tie) 10. DSU scores 14 runs in one inning
DSU scored 14 runs in the first inning and held on to defeat Valley City State 29-19 in eight innings in DSU's DAC season-opening weekend on April 3. DSU hit four home runs and scored 10 straight runs in the first inning. Chance Hargrove's three-run home run, Brian White's grand slam, Derek Grundmann's three-run home run and Zane Roduner's solo home run gave the Trojans a 14-0 lead. DSU scored the most runs in one inning in school history.
(Tie) 10. DSU Football earns comeback win over Mayville State in Dacotah DAC Bowl game
Down 27-24 and facing a fourth and long situation with 30 seconds left in the game, DSU freshman quarterback Paul Bagala connected with freshman Drew Allen for a 25-yard touchdown to clinch the inaugural Dacotah Bank DAC Bowl at the FargoDome on Nov. 8. The Comets held an 18-10 halftime lead. With DSU leading 24-20, the Comets scored a touchdown with less than two minutes remaining before the Trojans set up the winning drive. The 
Trojans won their last two games and finished with a 2-7 record.
Honorable Mention: Trojans runners competed well at the Drake Relays; Donna Lavea made a great impression in her first year on the basketball court and throwing a shot put; Ashley Souphimdara ties DSU softball school record in career stolen bases.
Nick Huntimer, Dakota State University Sports Information Director
