BURNSVILLE, Minn. - A seventh place finish in the 2011-12 Northern Sun All Sports Competition shows an upward stride for the Dragons athletic programs from last year. The NSIC released the final standings Tuesday, May 22 which featured Augustana in the top spot.
Minnesota State University Moorhead earned a final point total of 71 to solidify their seventh place finish, two spots higher than the ninth place finish in 2010-11. In the 15 NSIC sports, the Dragons featured two 2nd and 8th place teams, three 6th place teams, and one 3rd, 4th, 5th, 7th, 9th, 10th, 12th and 13th place teams.
Finishing nearest to the top was the men's basketball and men's outdoor track and field teams. The MSUM basketball team took second at the NSIC Tournament by advancing to the championship against Bemidji State. The Beavers took the regular season title although the Dragons would soon take revenge by defeating the NSIC Champions in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in Golden, Colo. The men's outdoor track and field team also earned a second place finish at the NSIC Championships in Bismarck, N.D. Two NSIC records were broken in an effort for the title. A point total of 179 gave the Dragons their second place finish following a conference championship last season.
The men's track and field team also took the only third place finish in the conference for a Dragons team. Two first place finishes from Derek Bredy and the 4x400m relay team led the way for the team. A final score of 137.5 gave the Dragons the third place finish in Mankato, Minn. The women's track and field teams were not far behind the men's side as the indoor team finished fourth and the outdoor team finished fifth. The indoor team was led by Kendra Mooberry and Nicole Hall who both earned first place finishes. The fourth place women finished the NSIC Indoor Championships with 82 points. Keeping in stride with the men's team, the outdoor women's team also broke two NSIC records at the outdoor championships. The 4x100m and 4x400m relays broke the conference records and qualified for the NCAA Championships while finishing with 92 points on the day.
Three teams finished sixth in the NSIC at the conclusion of their seasons. While hosting the NSIC Cross Country Championships, the MSUM men's cross country team finished sixth.
Clayton Foster led the way by finishing ninth and helping the Dragons to 144 points on the day. The volleyball squad also finished sixth in the NSIC but fell short of qualifying for the Central Region postseason. The Dragons ended their year with a 11-9 conference record that featured
Katy Ness winning the NSIC Player of the Week five times, a first for the history of MSUM. Gary Harris's tennis team used a late-season spark to end their year in sixth as well. The Dragons finished the regular season by defeating four of their last five NSIC opponents.
The 2011-12 athletic season wraps up this weekend at the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track and Field Championships. The Dragons athletic department looks forward to continued improvements and competition in the upcoming season while adding one sport to the NSIC. Women's swimming and diving will make the transition from the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference to the NSIC in 2012-13.
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