For Immediate Release
Thursday, December 1, 2016
NSIC Media Relations

Minnesota State Selected as Preseason Favorite in NSIC Men's Indoor Track & Field Coaches' Poll

BURNSVILLE, Minn. - The defending NSIC Champions of Minnesota State University, Mankato were picked to win the NSIC in the preseason men's indoor track & field coaches' poll. The Mavericks received 10 first place votes and tallied 100 points, ranking them ahead of Augustana, which was second with 89 points and the other first place vote.  MSU Moorhead was third with 74 points while Sioux Falls was fourth with 69 points. 

Minnesota State's Michael Sandle (field) and Myles Hunter (track) were selected as the preseason athletes of the year. It marks the third straight season that Hunter has been selected by the league coaches as the NSIC Preseason Track Athlete of the Year. 

The 2016-17 NSIC indoor track & field season gets underway on Friday, December 2 with the regular season culminating on Friday-Saturday, February 24-25 at the NSIC Championship held at Myers Fieldhouse in Mankato, Minnesota, hosted by Minnesota State University, Mankato.
 

2016-17 NSIC Men's IDTF Preseason Coaches' Poll
1. Minnesota State (10)	100
2. Augustana (1)	89
3. MSU Moorhead	74
4. Sioux Falls	69
5. Minnesota Duluth	63
6. University of Mary	54
7. Wayne State	43
8. Northern State	32
9. Concordia-St. Paul	31
10. Southwest Minnesota State	29
11. Minot State	21
First place votes in ( )

 
Myles Hunter (Sr., Conyers, Ga. / Heritage HS)
Minnesota State
- Two-time NCAA National Champion
- Established an NCAA Division II record in 60m hurdles at the NCAA Division II Indoor Track and Field Championships
- Won Nation Championship with the record time of 7.53
- Won NSIC Indoor  Championship in a conference record time of 7.69 in 60m hurdles
- Named NSIC Track Athlete of the Week three times last season
- Named NSIC and NCAA Central Region Track Athlete of the Year
- Captured 2016 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field National Title in 110m hurdles
- Set a school-record time of 13.76 in 110m hurdles
 
Michael Sandle (Jr., Eden Prairie, Minn. / Eden Prairie HS)
Minnesota State
- Captured 2016 NCAA DII Outdoor National Championship in the triple jump (53-2.75)
- Broke the MSU school record in earning All-America honors in his first NCAA DII national meet appearance
- Captured 2016 NSIC Outdoor triple jump title (49-9 - an NSIC record)
- Two-time NSIC Outdoor Field Athlete of the Week
 

Augustana University Vikings

2015-16 NSIC Championship Finish	2016-17 Preseason Poll
2nd	2nd
Team Preview
The Augustana men’s team is coming off of a second place finish at last season’s NSIC Indoor Championships and are looking to build off of that this season. Coach Tracy Hellman enters his 14th season as the Vikings head coach and will return seven All-NSIC honorees from last year’s indoor season. Sophomore Josh Barrows earned All-NSIC honors in the 600m and as a part of the 4x400-Meter Relay team. Glen Ellingson was All-NSIC and All-Region in the 3000m and Nick Larsen was All-NSIC in the 5000m. Other All-NSIC returners include Zach Tuschen (4x400 and DMR), Nate Souther (DMR), Alex Tietz (DMR) and Nathan Schroeder (DMR).
Athletes to Watch
- Field: Anthony Huber (Jr., Ethan, S.D., Throws): placed 12th in the shot put and 15th in the weight throw at last season’s NSIC Championships. - Track: Josh Barrows (So., Helena, Mont., Sprints): took home 1st at the NSIC Championships in the 600m last season. Was a part of the 4x400m relay team that took home All-NSIC honors.
First Event
Dec. 2-3 at SDSU Preseason

Concordia University, St. Paul Golden Bears

2015-16 NSIC Championship Finish	2016-17 Preseason Poll
10th	9th
Team Preview
After taking home a 10th place finish with 19.20 points in the NSIC Indoor Championships last season, the Golden Bears return nearly their entire core from that unit. Last year’s NSIC Indoor Multi-Event champion, Tyler Naumowicz, returns for his senior season as he looks to repeat and earn a spot on an NCAA qualifying list. Naumowicz is joined by fellow senior Antony Odera to form a formidable duo in the heptathlon. Fresh off a record-setting cross-country season that saw massive improvements as a team, Concordia’s young group of distance runners will look to make a mark on the track this spring and pick up some points in that area. Other returning point scorers from last season’s indoor championships include junior Vantwon Melton, who scored in the 400m as well as the 4x400m, as well as junior Josh Johanson (high jump), who will be competing in a few different areas this year.
Athletes to Watch
- Tyler Naumowicz (Hept., 6-3, 205, Sr., Waukesha, Wis. / Waukesha HS) - Abdirahman Mohamed (Mid-Dist., 5-10, 128, So., Las Vegas, Nev. / Desert Pines HS)
First Event
Friday/Saturday, Dec. 2-3 at MSU Preseason Open & Multi (Minnesota State)

University of Mary Marauders

2015-16 NSIC Championship Finish	2016-17 Preseason Poll
7th	6th
Team Preview
A youthful University of Mary men’s track and field squad hopes to continue the forward strides made last year. While Mary finished just seventh at the 2016 NSIC indoor championships, it was four places higher than the previous year. Additionally the Marauders improved to sixth at the league’s outdoor championships. Luxon Glor showed steady improvement his freshman year. After placing 6th at the indoor championships in the long jump he finished third outdoors to earn all-conference honors and owns the school record in the event. He also took fifth outdoors in the triple jump. Derek Myers, fresh off earning all-conference honors in cross country, placed 8th indoors in the 1000. Outdoors he was 4th in the NSIC in the 5000.
Athletes to Watch
Luxon Glor (LJ/TJ, So., Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada) - Earned All-NSIC honors after taking third in the 2016 NSIC Outdoor championships - Placed fifth outdoors in the NSIC championships in the triple jump - Never finished lower than 3rd in the long jump in five meets last spring Derek Myers (Distance, Jr., Gillette, Wyo.) - Placed 8th in last year’s 1,000 meter run at the NSIC Indoor championships and 4th outdoors in the 5,000 meter run - Earned All-NSIC cross country honors after placing 10th at the 2016 league championships
First Event
December 2, 2016, at NDSU Dakota Duels in Fargo, N.D.

University of Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs

2015-16 NSIC Championship Finish	2016-17 Preseason Poll
5th	5th
Team Preview
Seventh-year head coach Paul Nisius retains the services of nearly three dozen lettermen from his 2015-16 team. Among those are 12 individuals who produced points at last year’s NSIC Indoor Track and Field Championships. The current junior quartet of Josh Peterson, Connor Behm, Nathan Comer and Grant Pulver took second in the distance medley relay while Behm joined fellow 2016-17 juniors Austin Carlson and Darrick Jackson in the 4 x 400 meter relay and placed third (3:24.35)
Athletes to Watch
Brian Lee – Took third in the weight throw (57'-11.25”) at the 2016 NSIC Indoor Track and Field Championships. Will serve as a senior team captain with the 2016-17 Bulldogs.  Henry Jessen – Should anchor the Bulldogs’ middle-distance running corps this winter as junior. Is coming off a rewarding cross country season in which he  received All-USTFCCCA All-Region honors
First Event
Dec. 3  at the Opener (College of St. Scholastica)

Minnesota State University, Mankato Mavericks

2015-16 NSIC Championship Finish	2016-17 Preseason Poll
1st	1st
Team Preview
Minnesota State will be looking its sixth consecutive NSIC men’s indoor track & field championship this year. Top returnees for the Mavericks include defending NCAA DII ITF national champion in the 60m hurdles in senior Myles Hunter. A pair of sophomore sprinters impressed at last year’s conference meet (Jake Gourley was second in the 60m and Jack Curtis seventh in the 200m). Junior high jumper Jeff DeCock placed 14th at the national indoor meet in his first NCAA appearance last year, while junior Mike Sandle is coming off a season in which he won both the NSIC and NCAA DII outdoor triple jump titles. The Mavericks will also be well represented in the throws with two individuals placing in the top eight at last year’s in indoor conference meet in the shot with Jayme LaPlante placing fourth and Bryan Caffin in sixth.
Athletes to Watch
- Michael Sandle (Jumps, Jr., Eden Prairie, Minn.) captured 2016 NCAA DII Outdoor title in the triple jump (53' 2.75") in breaking his own school record and earning All-America honors in his first NCAA DII national meet appearance - Myles Hunter (Hurdles, Sr., Conyers, Ga.) is a two-time national champion after capturing the 2016 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field title in 110m hurdles with a school-record time of 13.76. He won the NSIC Outdoor title in 110m hurdles (13.94) for third consecutive year...Named 2016 NSIC Outdoor TF Athlete of the Year for second straight year
First Event
Dec. 2-3, Chuck Petersen Open, Mankato, Minn.

Minnesota State University Moorhead Dragons

2015-16 NSIC Championship Finish	2016-17 Preseason Poll
4th Place	3rd
Team Preview
Led by junior Brian Huber, who was All-American in the long jump both indoors and outdoors, and a strong distance corps, MSUM will look for a strong finish at the NSIC Indoor Championships. Huber was the NSIC indoor champion in the long jump in 2016 while Young won the 1,000 meters in 2016.
Athletes to Watch
Field: Brian Huber (Long Jump, Jr., Staples, Minn./Staples-Motley HS) - Earned two All-American honors in 2016 in the long jump, placing fifth outdoors and sixth indoors - NSIC Indoor Champion in the long jump and runner-up outdoors Track: Josh Young (Distance, Jr., Moorhead, Minn./Moorhead HS) - NSIC Indoor Champion in 1,000 meters and also earned All-NSIC honors in the mile - NSIC Outdoor Champion in the 800
First Event
Dec. 2, Bison Classic, Fargo, N.D.

Minot State University Beavers

2015-16 NSIC Championship Finish	2016-17 Preseason Poll
12th	11th
Team Preview
Minot State did not score at the 2016 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Indoor Championship. MISU is led by a former outdoor champion in senior Tyler Bates. Bates won the 2014 title in the 400-meters and was sixth in the 400 at the 2015 NSIC Indoor Championships. He is joined by junior Tanner Gust. Gust was 18th overall in the weight throw at last year’s indoor event, but was one of the most improved Beavers on the year, taking seventh at the NSIC Outdoor Championships in the hammer throw. Also moving up during the season last year was pole vaulter Kaleb Kirby. Kirby was 11th in the indoor, but finished tied for sixth at the outdoor event. Pacing the distance group is senior Joel Cartwright who was 80th at the 2016 NCAA Central Region Cross Country Championships and 44th overall at the 2016 NSIC Cross Country Championships this past season.
Athletes to Watch
-  Tanner Gust (Jr., Throws, Minot, N.D. / Minot) -  Tyler Bates (Sr., Sprints, Watford City, N.D. / Watford City)
First Event
Friday, Jan. 11 at South Dakota State Jim Emmerich Invite

Northern State University Wolves

2015-16 NSIC Championship Finish	2016-17 Preseason Poll
11th	8th
Team Preview
The Northern State University men’s indoor track and field team opens the 2016-17 season with 16 new faces. The Wolves return five place winners from the NSIC Indoor Championships in 2015-16 including their two athletes to watch Lucas Osowski and Itoitz Rodriguez. Osowski placed seventh overall in the shot put with a throw of 15.03 meters, while Rodriguez finished sixth in the 400m dash with a time of 49.90. The men also return three members of the 4x400 team which placed fifth in Luke Wietgrefe, Raekwon Robinson, and Rodriguez.
Athletes to Watch
- Lucas Osowski (Throws, Sr., Coon Rapids, Minn. / Coon Rapids HS) - Itoitz Rodriguez (Sprints, So., Usurbil, Spain)
First Event
Friday, December 2nd at SDSU Holiday Open and Multi

University of Sioux Falls Cougars

2015-16 NSIC Championship Finish	2016-17 Preseason Poll
6th	4th
Team Preview
University of Sioux Falls Men’s Track & Field welcomes back a seasoned team and have an influx of new talent for the 2016-17 season. The Cougars return indoor All-American and NSIC men’s pole vault champion Jacob Zebedee and indoor national qualifier Chase Jensen. In addition, 2015 men’s pole vault national champion Jagger Gran and 2015 NSIC men’s pole vault champion Scott Greenman return from a redshirt season. 2015 NSIC Newcomer of the Year and 1,000-meter and mile champion Jase Kraft returns after a redshirt campaign and joins fellow mid-distance specialist Mason Phillips who was fourth in the mile and 3k at the 2016 NSIC Championships. After placing fourth in the outdoor decathlon, Teddy Frid turns his focus to the indoor heptathlon as well as an improvement in the 60-meter hurdles where he placed fourth at the conference meet last season.
Athletes to Watch
- Jase Kraft (So., Mid-Distance/Distance, Wessington Springs, S.D./Wessington Springs HS) - Scott Greenman (Sr., Pole Vault. Clovis, Calif./Clovis HS)
First Event
Friday-Saturday, Dec. 2-3 at Chuck Peterson/Minnesota State Open

Southwest Minnesota State University Mustangs

2015-16 NSIC Championship Finish	2016-17 Preseason Poll
9th	10th
Team Preview
The Southwest Minnesota State track & field team opens its fourth season since the program restarted in 2014. Senior thrower Alex Weis leads the team after earning a third place finish in the shot put at last season’s NSIC Championships. Weis also finished fourth in the weight throw. Senior Raphael Lawson-Gayle also returns after placing sixth in the 60 meters with a time of 6.92. Senior Chris Kveseth also earned SMSU a team point last season with a seventh place finish in the 800 meters. SMSU’s 4x400 relay team of Matt Konrad, Zach Jones, Dallin Finley and Chris Kveseth returns after finishing sixth at last season’s NSIC Championships.
Athletes to Watch
-  Senior thrower Alex Weis, who earned All-NSIC honors in 2016 by placing third in the shot put with a school record toss of 15.82 - Junior Ben Ryan had a solid outdoor season in 2016, finishing seventh at the NSIC Championships in the 200 meters. He finished 11th in both the 60m and 200m at the 2016 Indoor Championships
First Event
Friday, Dec. 2, SDSU Open

Wayne State College Wildcats

2015-16 NSIC Championship Finish	2016-17 Preseason Poll
8th	7th
Team Preview
WSC loses thrower Bryan Dunn, who was the NSIC Indoor Weight Throw champion last year along with an NCAA All-American, but returns a pair of All-NSIC performers in hopes of improving on last year’s eighth place finish.  Columbus Scotus graduates Josh Spenner and Derek Lahm headline a group of top returners for the Wildcats.  Spenner took third in the pole vault and heptathlon with NCAA provisional marks in both events.  Lahm returns after sitting out last year as a medical redshirt and scored points in three events two years ago as a sophomore (4th-heptathlon and 7th in long jump and triple jump).  Another key returner is junior sprinter Braxton Adams who was fourth in the 60-meter dash last year after being a national qualifier in the event as a freshman.
Athletes to Watch
-  Derek Lahm, Jr. Columbus, Neb. (Scotus Catholic HS) Decathlon/Jumps -  Braxton Adams, Jr., Omaha, Neb. (Burke HS) Sprints
First Event
Friday, December 2 at SDSU Holiday Open in Brookings, S.D.