2013-14 Summit League Year in Review

7/2/2014 12:00:00 AM

2013-14 Season in Photos

2013-14 Highlights

THE SUMMIT LEAGUE

The Summit League had a record 21 teams post perfect scores in the NCAA’s Academic Progress Rates.
A record 22 Summit League teams were publicly recognized for posting multi-year APRs in the top 10 percent for their respective sports.
The Summit League totaled 13 Capital One Academic All-Americans and 30 All-District honorees.
Oral Roberts University announced its return as a full-time member beginning with the 2014-15 academic year.
The Summit League held its sixth and final record-setting Basketball Championships at the iconic Sioux Falls Arena and will move into the neighboring brand-new Denny Sanford PREMIER Center in 2015.
USA Today ran a piece about the league’s basketball championships titled “Summit League: March’s best-kept secret” in its March 7 weekend edition.
The league’s “Food Fight” initiative raised a combined 58,800 pounds (over 29 tons) of food.
The weekly Inside The Summit League television show was available locally in all eight league markets and nationally on Fox College Sports.
The Summit League unveiled a new mobile app, created and powered by PrestoSports.

BASEBALL

Tim Colwell (North Dakota State), a Senior CLASS Award Second Team All-American, became the first Summit League baseball player to earn Capital One Academic All-American of the Year honors.
Colwell and Caleb Palensky (Omaha) were named first team Capital One Academic All-Americans.
Total Summit League Tournament attendance (4,462) was second-highest in league history.
Kristian Gayday (Fort Wayne) earned ABCA All-Region honors and was named to the Gregg Olson Award Watch List during the season. J.D. Moore (South Dakota State) was included on the preseason Stopper of the Year Watch List.

BASKETBALL – MEN’S

The Summit League finished at an all-time high No. 16 position in the USA Today Sagarin Ratings after peaking at No. 14 during the season.
The league recorded its third-consecutive top-20 RPI finish (No. 18) after peaking at a record-high No. 14 position on RPIRatings.com.
North Dakota State reached at an all-time league-high No. 24 position on RPIRatings.com during the season.
A record three Summit League teams advanced in national postseason tournaments. Four teams played in the postseason for the third consecutive year, equaling the league’s all-time high.
North Dakota State’s NCAA Round of 64 victory was the league’s first since 1998. Its No. 12 seed was the league’s highest since 1997 and tied for second-highest in history.
Both Fort Wayne and Omaha notched victories in their initial Division I postseason appearances.
Jordan Dykstra (South Dakota State) became the league’s first men’s basketball Senior CLASS All-American.
Dykstra and Brayden Carlson (South Dakota State) became the league’s initial first-team/second-team tandem of Capital One Academic All-Americans.
North Dakota State achieved the league’s highest Mid-Major Top 25 ranking (No. 3). In the preseason, multiple Summit League teams concurrently occupied top-10 positions (NDSU at No. 6, Denver at No. 9) for the first time in Mid-Major Top 25 history.
Tony Jasick (Fort Wayne) received the CollegeInsider.com High Durham Award as Mid-Major Coach of the Year. Saul Phillips (North Dakota State) was named Samaritan’s Feet Barefoot Coach of the Year.
Mike Rostampour (Omaha) set a CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament record and all-time high Summit League postseason mark with 21 rebounds in his team’s first round victory.

BASKETBALL – WOMEN’S

The Summit League finished the season ranked No. 16 in the Sagarin rankings, best since the 2005-06 season.
A record-tying four league teams participated in postseason tournament play for the second time in league history and for the fifth consecutive year, three or more earned postseason berths. The league sent teams to three separate postseason tournaments for the first time.
With WNIT victories by IUPUI and South Dakota State, it was the first time in league history that multiple teams advanced in the same postseason.
South Dakota State was the first team in league history to win four games in a single postseason tournament and became the second team to reach the semifinals of a postseason tournament.
At 5-4 (.556), the league recorded its highest combined postseason winning percentage in history.
Summit League teams earned a pair of wins over nationally-ranked opponents marking the third time in history with multiple victories against ranked foes in a season.
South Dakota State ended the year at No. 9 in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Poll after a season-high No. 8 preseason ranking.
Amanda Hyde (Fort Wayne), a Senior CLASS Award candidate, earned Division I-AAA Athletics Directors Association Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors for the second consecutive season. Haley Seibert (Fort Wayne) also was named to the team.
Hyde, a first team selection, Ashley Luke (Western Illinois), a third team honoree, were named Capital One Academic All-Americans.
Hyde and Maiya Michel (Denver) were named to the WBCA’s “So You Want To Be A Coach” Class of 2014.
Steph Paluch (South Dakota State) was named NCAA National Player of the Week on Dec. 16.
Rebecca Henricson (Western Illinois) was named to the Nancy Lieberman Award watch list.

CROSS COUNTRY

Trent Lusignan (South Dakota State) earned USTFCCCA All-America honors after placing 12th at the NCAA Championships, the third-highest finish in league history. He equaled the league’s all-time highest regional finish by placing second at the NCAA Midwest Regional.
Lusignan and Mubarik Musa (South Dakota) earned USTFCCCA All-Region honors.
Maddie McClellan (North Dakota State) was named to the Capital One Academic All-America Track and Field/Cross Country Second Team.
A total of 12 Summit League teams (six men, six women) were named USTFCCCA All-Academic teams.
Five teams (three men, two women) finished the regular season with a USTFCCCA top-15 regional ranking.

GOLF

Tonje Daffinrud (Denver) qualified for the NCAA Women’s Championship and was tied for first after day one before finishing in a tie for 10th, the highest placing in league history.
Denver’s women’s team peaked at No. 38 in the national rankings while Daffinrud reached No. 9 in the individual rankings.
Daffinrud was first team All-America by the Women’s Golf Coaches Association (WGCA) and on the preseason GolfWorld Player to Watch List.
Daffinrud and Rachael Watton (Denver) represented their home countries at the World Class Amateur Golf Championship.
A total of 20 Summit League women golfers were named All-American Scholars by the WGCA.
Amy Anderson (North Dakota State) was selected as a Top 30 nominee for the 2013 NCAA Woman of the Year.

SOCCER – MEN’S

Four players earned NSCAA/Continental Tire All-Region honors. Zach Bolden and Theo Remman (Denver) were first-teamers, marking the first time since 2008 that The Summit League produced multiple first-team honorees. Jordan Schweitzer (Denver) was a second team selection and Marco Hernandez (Oral Roberts) was third team.
Blair Jeralds (Denver) was named Capital One Academic All-America.

SOCCER – WOMEN’S

Kristen Hamilton (Denver) earned first team NSCAA Scholar All-America and Capital One Academic All-America honors.
Hamilton was a semifinalist for the MAC Hermann Trophy (nation’s top player) and a finalist for the Senior CLASS Award.
Hamilton, (first team) and Denver teammate Nicholette DiGiacomo (third team) were named NSCAA/Continental Tire All-Americans.
Four players were named NSCAA All-Region.
Denver peaked at No. 13 in the national polls, an all-time league high, and finished No. 24, the best finish in league history.

SOFTBALL

The Summit League peaked at No. 12 in the NCAA RPI rankings and finished with an all-time best RPI at No. 13, the second-highest of any league sport in history. It marked the second-straight year the league improved by five positions in the RPI.
A record three teams finished with top-70 RPI rankings, led by North Dakota State at No. 41, the highest team position in 15 years.
League teams defeated four nationally-ranked foes during the season.
Jackie Stifter (North Dakota State) and Allie Mathewson (Omaha) were named third team CoSIDA Capital One Academic All-Americans, tying the league-high record number of selections.
Sammy Marshall (Western Illinois) was one of 25 finalists for the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Award, the sport’s most prestigious honor, and was the March 25 Louisville Slugger/NFCA Division I national co-player of the week.
One dozen league players earned NFCA all-region honors, including one first team selection.

SWIMMING & DIVING

Samantha Corea (Denver) earned All-America honors after placing seventh, the highest female finish in league history, in the 200 back at the NCAA Championship. She was an honorable mention All-America in the 100 fly after a consolation final victory to finish ninth overall.
Denver scored 34 points, most for a women’s team in league history, at the NCAA Championship.
Dylan Bunch (Denver) was honorable mention All-America in the 1,650 free.
Phil Albu (South Dakota State) was named Capital One Academic All-America Men’s At-Large Second Team.

TENNIS

Denver’s women’s team finished an all-time league best No. 67 in the ITA rankings after peaking at No. 50 during the season.
Maureen Slattery (Denver) was named ITA Mountain Region Women’s Rookie of the Year.
Henry Craig (Denver), selected as ITA Mountain Region Men’s Tennis Player to Watch, peaked at No. 83 in the ITA singles rankings and teamed with Alex Gasson to reach No. 44 in doubles. DU teammates Aidan Talcott and Diogo Rocha hit No. 62 in doubles rankings.
Craig, who also qualified for the NCAA Singles Championship, teamed with Gasson for a first-round victory over the nation’s No. 6 tandem at the NCAA Doubles Championship to reach the round of 16.

TRACK & FIELD - INDOOR

Seven female athletes earned USTFCCCA All-America honors at the 2014 NCAA Championships marking the highest season total in league history. One relay team (North Dakota State, 4x400) received second team honors.
South Dakota tied for the 10th with 18 points, both league records, at the NCAA Women’s Indoor Track and Field Championships and had three athletes earn first team USTFCCCA All-America honors.
Sami Spenner (Omaha) twice earned USTFCCCA Women’s National Athlete of the Week honors.
Spenner was named USTFCCCA Midwest Region Women’s Field Athlete of the Year while Ryun Godfrey (North Dakota State) was named Women’s Coach of the Year and Derek Miles (South Dakota) Women’s Assistant Coach of the Year in the region.
Maddie McClellan (North Dakota State) and Kali Olson (South Dakota State) were named to the Capital One Academic All-America Track and Field/Cross Country Second Team.

TRACK & FIELD - OUTDOOR

Seven athletes garnered USTFCCCA All-America Second Team honors, including an all-time high six women's athletes. It marked the fifth consecutive season with at least three female All-Americans.
The league had 39 athletes qualify for the NCAA Preliminary Rounds, including four in multiple events, with eight advancing to the NCAA Championships.
The league combined for 14 times/marks in the final TFRRS NCAA top-50 rankings, including a pair of top-20 positions.
North Dakota State’s women were ranked No. 7 and South Dakota State No. 15 in the final regular season USTFCCCA Midwest Region rankings.
Sami Spenner (Omaha) was named USTFCCCA Midwest Region Women’s Field Athlete of the Year while Ryun Godfrey (North Dakota State) was named Women’s Coach of the Year.

VOLLEYBALL

Kaitlyn Hastings (South Dakota) was named first team CoSIDA Capital One Academic All-District.
Three players received honorable mention AVCA All-America honors.
Four players earned all-region honors, including three first team selections.

AT THE NEXT LEVEL

A record 10 former Summit Leaguers were on NBA or D-League rosters this season. Former Players of the Year George Hill (IUPUI, 2008) and Nate Wolters (South Dakota State, 2013) were starting guards and when their teams met in November, it marked the first NBA meeting of Summit League draft picks since 1992-93. Hill led the Indiana Pacers to best regular season record in the Eastern Conference. Wolters finished 16th out of 29 players receiving votes for the NBA’s 10-player All-Rookie Team.
Summit League alumni collected three of the NBA D-League’s four individual player honors – Ron Howard (Valparaiso, 2006), the league’s all-time leading scorer, was named co-MVP and received the Sportsmanship Award while Frank Gaines (Fort Wayne, 2013) was named Most Improved Player.
Blake Treinen (South Dakota State, 2011) made his Major League debut with the Washington Nationals in 2014 and was one of two former Summit Leaguers (Caleb Thielbar, South Dakota State, 2009) on active rosters through June.
Amy Anderson (North Dakota State, 2013) earned an exempt LPGA Tour card for 2014 and was in 62nd place on the money list with three Top-25 finishes through June of her rookie season.
Brian Stuard (Oakland, 2005) ranked 37th in the PGA’s FedEx Cup Standings with four top-10 finishes, including a runner-up placing, through June.
Zach Bolden (Denver) was selected in the MLS SuperDraft (61st overall to the Chicago Fire), becoming the second Summit League player chosen in the league’s draft history.
Kosuke Kimura (Western Illinois, 2006) and Steve Clark (Oakland, 2008) were on active MLS rosters through June.
Kristen Hamilton (Denver, 2013) was selected in the fourth round, 36th overall, (by the Western New York Flash) of the National Women’s Soccer League.
Jameson Henning and Tyler Willman (Western Illinois) were selected in the 12th round of the MLB Draft. Henning was selected by the San Franciso Giants and Willman was taken by the Oakland Athletics.

2013-14 Champions
Sport	Champion
Baseball	North Dakota State
Men's Basketball	North Dakota State
Women's Basketball	South Dakota
Men's Cross Country	South Dakota State
Women's Cross Country	North Dakota State
Men's Golf	Denver
Women's Golf	Denver
Men's Soccer	Denver
Women's Soccer	Denver
Softball	North Dakota State
Men's Swimming & Diving	Denver
Women's Swimming & Diving	Denver
Men's Tennis	Denver
Women's Tennis	Denver
Men's Indoor Track & Field	South Dakota
Women's Indoor Track & Field	North Dakota State
Men's Outdoor Track & Field	North Dakota State
	South Dakota
Women's Outdoor Track & Field	North Dakota State
Volleyball	IUPUI