Valley City State University Inks 27 Student-Athletes to Letter of IntentFor Immediate ReleaseValley City, North Dakota - Valley City State University Head Football Coach Dennis McCulloch announces the signing of 27 standout prep football players to Letters of Intent. This is the first group of 2012 VCSU Football signees which includes 10 from North Dakota, 8 from Minnesota, 3 from Alaska, 2 from Arizona, and 1 each from Illinois, Missouri, Michigan, and Washington. This list includes 4 student athletes who transferred to VCSU at semester. 'We believe we are off to a great start in recruiting with this initial group of young men committed to play at VCSU. As always, we build our recruiting class from the inside out. Our priority is to work very hard to find the best student-athletes in the state first and expand recruiting from there. We will continue recruiting to solidify all position groups. We will announce the rest of our recruiting class in early March,' Comments head coach Dennis McCulloch. 'I believe a true test of a great recruiting class cannot be measured for a couple of years. We believe that these young men can come in and impact the football team in their first two years. I know our coaching staff has made a concerted effort to improve our talent level at every position. These young men are passionate about education, football, and VCSU. They have had very impressive high school careers and were leaders on their team, as well as within their communities. We will continue to recruit the best student athletes in our own backyard, as evidenced by the 18 young men from North Dakota and Minnesota.' 'I would like to take this opportunity to thank my coaching staff. Gregg Horner, Marty Costello, Marty Higgins, and John O'Day have put in extra hours to get us to this point in recruiting. Recruiting would not be successful without them.'North Dakota (10)Brady Anderson – 5'11'- 155 – Wide Receiver - Jamestown High - Jamestown, ND Honors: All WDA in Football and Baseball, Team MVP in Football Son of Kristi and Cory AndersonMatt Bowers – 5'11" - 200 - Fullback – Bottineau High - Souris, ND Honors: Selected to play in the North Dakota Shirne BowlAwards: Running Back of the Year Award for BottineauSon of Melonie and Robin BowersAlex Cundiff - 6'1" - 175 – Wide Receiver - Williston High - Williston, ND Honors: All Conference & All State Football, Nominee for Senior Athlete of the YearSon of Kelly and Jim EllingsonRiley Hovland – 5'11" - 165 – Defensive Back – Fessenden-Bowden High - Fessenden, ND Honors: 1st Team All Region, Team Captain Son of Linda and Mark HovlandTrevor Knutson - 5'11" - 220 – Defensive Line - Maddock High - Maddock, ND Honors: Team Captain, Most Valuable Lineman, Hardest Worker, All Region Son of Lori and Dean KnutsonSeth Leupp – 5'11" - 180 – Defensive Back - Stanley High - Stanley, ND Honors: Class A State Champions, All Conference, All State Son of Tammy and Mitch LeuppDusty Null - 6'1" - 195 – Line Backer - West Fargo High – West Fargo, ND Honors: All Conference, Most Valuable Defensive Back Son of Dawn RheaultEthen Preston - 6'0" - 195 – Line Backer – Maple Valley High – Tower City, ND Honors: All State, All Region Awards: MVP Defense, Team Captain, Team Leadership AwardSon of Tambara and Marvin PrestonTy Smith – 6'1" - 175 – Wide Receiver – Maple Valley High – Tower City, ND Honors: Team CaptainAwards: 2 time All RegionSon of Adele and Dennis SmithLex Tande – 6'3" - 215 – Defensive Line – Powers Lake High - Powers Lake, ND Honors: Class A State Champions Awards: All StateSon of Lori and Gary TandeMinnesota (8)Leon Adams - 5'9" - 160 – Defensive Back – Highland Park High – St. Paul, MN. Son of Latisha AdamsTalon Frazier – 5'10" - 185 – Running Back – Robbinsdale Cooper High - Minneapolis, MN. Awards: 3 year LetterwinnerSon of Beverly FrazierRyan Hutton – 5'11" - 170 – Wide Receiver – Lincoln High – Thief River Falls, MN Son of Kathy Hutton and Clint Castle, Kent HuttonChristopher Mitchell – 6'1" - 195 – Wide Receiver/Runningback – Highland Park High – St. Paul, MN Honors: Coaches Leadership Award Awards: All ConferenceSon of Kelly and Jerald MitchellWilliam Morris – 5'10" - 280 – Defensive Line – Rocori High – Cold Spring, MN Honors: 4A State Champions Awards: All Conference, All StateSon of Linda and Ed MorrisMitchell Mueller – 6'2" - 190 – Line Backer – Rocori High - Cold Spring, MNHonors: 4A State ChampionsAwards: All ConferenceSon of Arlene and Jerome MuellerNick Olson – 6'2" - 200 – Running Back – Tri-County High - Karlstad, MNHonors: Team CaptainAwards: MVP, All ConferenceSon of Kim and Steve OlsonAlex Schwendemen – 6'1" - 200 – Line Backer – Hawley High – Lake Park, MNHonors: Conference ChampionsAwards: All Conference, All SectionSon of Chris and Tim SchwendemenAlaska (3)Charles King II - 6'2" - 180 – Wide Receiver – Ben Eielson High - Fairbanks, AKSon of Jeniffer Greer and Charles King*Semester transferDaniel Diaz – 6'4" - 265 – Offensive Line – Skyview High – Soldotna, AKHonors: Lineman of the YearAwards: 2 time All ConferenceSon of Dawn BurgettColten Growden – 6'0" - 200 – Wide Receiver – Ben Eielson High - Fairbanks, AK Son of Shelly and Kelly Growden*Semester transferArizona (2)Antwaun Jackson – 6'5" - 190 – Wide Receiver – Glendale CC – Peoria, AZSon of Tammy Jackson and Michael GreerMychael Bruce – 6'3" - 175 – Defensive Back – San Tan Foothills High – Florence, AZHonors: 1st Team AZFCA Division V Section II 1st Team DB AZFCA Division V Section IISon of Tanya and Mark BruceIllinois (1)James Reed – 6' - 185 – Wide Receiver – University City High – St. Louis, MOHonors: Won 2 Junior College Bowl games.Son of Dahana Singleton and Fredda Reed (Grandmother)*Semester transferMichigan (1)Jacob Boogaart– 6'6' - 270 – Offensive Line – Vermillion CC – Grand Rapids, MIHonors: MCAC All Division Son of Sheri and Phil Boogaart*Semester transferMissouri (1)DeAndre Williams – 6' - 185 – Quarterback – University City High – St. Louis, MOHonors: All ConferenceAwards: St. Louis Rams Player of the Week and St. Louis Post Dispatch Player of the WeekSon of Serena McCorveyWashington (1)Aleksey Lavochin – 6' - 178 – Wide Receiver – Wilson High – Tacoma, WASon of Svetlana and Mikhail Lavochin

Opponent: Jamestown CollegeDate: Wednesday, February 8Time: 5:30 PMSite: W.E. Osmon FieldhouseLive Game Video Stream: http://www.b2livetv.com/partner_members.asp?id=72Live Game Stats: http://www.dakstats.com/WebSync/Pages/Webcasts.aspx?association=10Radio Station Broadcast: Q101 KQDJ and Newsdakota.com http://socialstreamingplayer.crystalmedianetworks.com/radio/kqdjVikings at a Glance: The Valley City State University Vikings come into Wednesday's game looking for a win and to avenge two heart breaking losses to rival Jamestown College. The Vikings have lost three games in a row and four of their last five. Two of those four losses are to the Jimmies by a combined three points.Valley City State touts the #23 defense in the nation, allowing only 59 points per game to their counterparts. The Vikings also control the boards, as shown by their #8 ranking in Total Rebound Defense with 33.3 defensive rebounds per game. That could be a significant statistic as the Vikings look to limit Jamestown College's second chance scoring opportunities.The Vikings also rank in the top 25 in the nation in two other defensive categories. Valley City State ranks #14 in Turnover Margin with a +4, meaning they force four more turnovers a game than they give up. The Vikings also rank #23 in Total Steals as a team with 284 on the season.The Opponent: The Jamestown College Jimmies come into the W. E. Osmon Fieldhouse as the #8 team in the latest NAIA Division II Women's Basketball Poll. The Jimmies have won nine games in a row and bring with them the third highest scoring offense in the nation, averaging 81.3 points per game.The Jimmies high scoring offense and the Vikings stingy defense will be the main story of the game. In the previous two games the Vikings have held the Jimmies well under their season average.

Opponent: Jamestown CollegeDate: Wednesday, February 8Time: 7:30 PMSite: W.E. Osmon FieldhouseLive Game Video Feed: http://www.b2livetv.com/partner_members.asp?id=72Radio Station Broadcast: Q101 KQDJ and Newsdakota.com http://socialstreamingplayer.crystalmedianetworks.com/radio/kqdjVikings at a Glance: The Valley City State University Vikings enter the second game of the season series versus the Jamestown College Jimmies, winners of their last four games and six of their last seven. One of those victories was an 86-83 overtime victory over then ranked #7 Jamestown College on the road. A. J. McDonald hit a three point shot at the buzzer in the extra frame to lift the Vikings to a victory. Earlier the game the Vikings had built a 19 point second half lead.With a 73-48 thrashing of Mayville State at home on Saturday the Vikings recorded their 20th win of the season and moved to 3-0 in the Dakota Athletic Conference. With the two wins last week, the Vikings remained at #17 in the latest NAIA Division II Men's Basketball Poll.Valley City State used their pressure defense to get to this point in the season. The Vikings rank in the top twenty in the nation in five defensive categories. Valley City State is #1 in the nation in 3-Pt Field Goal Percentage Defense allowing their opponents to shoot only 28.7% from beyond the arc. They are also #14 in Total Rebound Defense (31.2), #15 in Turnover Margin (+3.07), #16 in Scoring Defense per Game (64.65) and #20 in Scoring Margin (10.038).The Opponent: The Jamestown College Jimmies come into Wednesday's game with the rival Vikings having lost on their home floor last week in another classic battle between the two rivals. The last six games between to the two programs have been decided by less than ten points.With the loss last week to the Vikings, Jamestown College dropped three spots in the NAIA National Poll to number 10. The Jimmies success also depends on its defense. Jamestown College is the number three team in the nation in Scoring Defense per Game, limiting their opponents to only 59.8 points per game.

The Valley City State University Men's Basketball team remained at number 17 in the nation in this weeks NAIA Division II Men's Basketball Poll.The Vikings, now 20-6 overall on the year and 3-0 in the Dakota Athletic Conference, have won four games in a row and six of their last seven. The four game win streak includes a road win in overtime versus then #7 Jamestown College. The Jimmies dropped to #10 in this weeks poll.That sets up another top 20 match-up with the two teams this Wednesday when Jamestown College returns the trip to the W. E. Osmon Fieldhouse. Tip off between the two rivals begins at approximately 7:30 pm.

Junior guard, Sekani Milligen from Ft. Lauderdale, FL has been selected as the Dakota Athletic Conference Men's Player of the Week.Milligen led the 17th ranked Vikings to their 19th and 20th wins of the season with 48 points (24.0 ppg), nine rebounds (4.5 rpg), three assists (1.5 apg)and two steals (1.0 spg). In the two triumphs, he connected on 16 of 31 from the field (51.6%) including 7 of 13 on 3-point tries (53.9%) and 9 of 11 from the free throw stripe(81.9%).This marks the fourth time in the 2011-2012 season that Milligen has won the weekly award.

Junior forward, Alyssa Hummel from West Fargo, ND was selected as the Dakota Athletic Conference Women's Player of the Week on Monday.Hummel scored 39 points(19.5 ppg), grabbed 13 rebounds (6.5 rpg) and added two assists (1.0 apg) and a steal (0.5 spg) as the Vikings dropped a pair of conference games. In the two contests, she was 17 of 27 from the field (63.0 %) and 5 of 9(55.6%) from the free throw line.

Mayville State beat the Vikings in the opening round of the DAC Tip-Off Tournament two weeks ago, the Vikings gained revenge on the Comets this time around, coming away with a 73-48 victory.Leading scorer for the Vikings, junior Sekani Milligen, who missed the first game with Mayville State with concussion symptoms was in the lineup today for Valley City State and led the Vikings in scoring in the win. Milligen scored 22 points on 9 of 19 shooting for the Valley City State including four of nine from the three point line.The Viking defense was the primary factor in the convincing win for the home team. Valley City State limited the Comets to twelve field goals from the floor for the game on only 44 attempts for 27.3%. Mayville State only shot 25% (4-16) from the three point line.Three other Vikings tallied double figures behind Milligen. John Raquel scored 11 and Sylvester Walker and Jason Perkins both scored 10 points each. Valley City State collects their 20th win on the season and sits at 20-6 on the season and a perfect 3-0 in the Dakota Athletic Conference. Rival Jamestown College returns to the W. E. Osmon Fieldhouse on Wednesday, February 8 for a 7:30 PM tip-off.

The Valley City State University Vikings couldn't overcome the hot shooting of Mayville State as they were dropped in their Dakota Athletic Conference home opener 83-69.The Comets shot 11 for 22 from the three point line for 50% and a blistering 57% overall from the floor in the win. Valley City State shot well from the floor as well, hitting at a 46% clip from the floor but shot only 28.6% from beyond the three point line.The Vikings put four players in double figures and they were led by junior Alyssa Hummel for the second straight game. Hummel shot 8 for 10 from the floor and four for seven from the free throw line. Courtney Titus followed with 12, Brittany Lehner scored 11 and Katelyn Ralston rounded out the double digit scoring with 10.The Vikings slip to 15-12 overall on the season and 0-3 in the Dakota Athletic Conference race. Valley City State will look to get back on track when they face rival Jamestown College on Wednesday, February 8 at 5:30 PM at the W. E. Osmon Fieldhouse. The Vikings have lost both games to the Jimmies this season by a combined three points.

Opponent: Mayville State UniversityDate: Saturday, February 4Time: 4:00 PMSite: W.E. Osmon FieldhouseLive Game Video Feed: http://www.b2livetv.com/partner_members.asp?id=72Radio Station Broadcast: Q101 FM and Newsdakota.com http://socialstreamingplayer.crystalmedianetworks.com/radio/kqdjVikings at a Glance: The Valley City State University Vikings moved up two spots in this week's NAIA Division II Men's Basketball Poll to #17. The Vikings survived an overtime game on the road at Dickinson State University last Saturday 71-68 score. Then the Vikings played another classic with rival Jamestown College on Wednesday.Valley City State upset the #7 team in the nation on their home floor 86-83, another game that the Vikings played an extra overtime frame. Tied at 83 after two Jimmy free throws, freshman A.J. McDonald drilled a three point shot as time expired on the clock to give the Vikings the dramatic victory.With the two wins in the past week the Vikings moved their overall record to 19-6 and 2-0 in the Dakota Athletic Conference. More impressive, the Vikings are 11-1 on the road in the 2011-2012 season. The lone loss was a one point defeat at the buzzer to Division II University of Sioux Falls.The Opponent: The Mayville State University Comets are 12-11 overall on the season and 0-2 in the Dakota Athletic Conference. The Comets lost to the Jamestown Jimmies to open the DAC season before losing a home game to Dickinson State University on Wednesday.The Comets own a victory over the Vikings already this season as they beat Valley City State 67-59, in the opening game of the two day DAC Tip-Off Tournament. Mayville State lost in the championship of the tournament the next day to Jamestown College. Valley City State was without leading scorer Sekani Milligen in the first match-up between the Vikings and the Comets.

Opponent: Mayville State UniversityDate: Saturday, February 4Time: 2:00 PMSite: W.E. Osmon FieldhouseLive Game Video Stream: http://www.b2livetv.com/partner_members.asp?id=72Live Game Stats: http://www.dakstats.com/WebSync/Pages/Webcasts.aspx?association=10Radio Station Broadcast: Q101 FM and Newsdakota.com http://socialstreamingplayer.crystalmedianetworks.com/radio/kqdjVikings at a Glance: The Valley City State Vikings have come on hard times lately, having lost three of their last four. Two of those three losses are to #11 rival Jamestown College, a one point loss in overtime of the DAC Tip-Off Tournament and a two point loss on the road to the same Jimmie team. The third loss was also an overtime game, a five point overtime loss on the road at Dickinson State University. Those three losses are by a combined eight points.The Vikings will now start a three game Dakota Athletic Conference home stand beginning with Mayville State University. The Jimmies will return to Valley City on Wednesday, February 8, followed a week later on February 15 with a home visit by Dickinson State University.The Opponent: Mayville State University comes into the W. E. Osmon Fieldhouse touting a 13-9 overall record and are 1-1 in the Dakota Athletic Conference, dropping a high scoring game with Jamestown College 103-82 to open the DAC season then beating Dickinson State University at home on Wednesday by a 57-53 score.Mayville State brings with them a long range game based primarily on shooting the ball from long range. Hayley Longtin ranks number 12 in the NAIA with 3 point field goals made per game with 2.7 and number 14 with total 3 point field goals made with 58. The Vikings defeated the Comets earlier in the season in the opening round of the DAC Tip-Off Tournament by a 55-45 score.

The #17 Valley City State University Vikings hit only one three point field goal in the second half and overtime versus #7 Jamestown College, but what a big three it was.After two made Jimmie free throws tied the game at 83, the Vikings inbounded the ball to freshman point guard A.J. McDonald who used his dribble to pull up from 22 feet and nail the game winning three as time expired in overtime.The thriller looked like anything but that as the Vikings stretched a five point halftime lead to 17 midway through the second half. But the Jimmies had a different agenda for the night. Jamestown College began to chip away and senior B.J. Mertens tied the game with a deep three near the end of regulation and the Vikings could not hit a game winning shot at regulation.Then McDonald took over in overtime, scoring ten of his 20 points in the extra frame, including the only field goals from the floor for the Vikings, one of which was the game winning three point shot.The Vikings shot 54.8% in the second half and overtime to pull out the victory.Four Vikings scored in double figures led by junior Sekani Milligen who scored a game high 26 points on 7 of 12 shooting from the floor including 3 of 4 from the three point line and 9-11 from the free throw line. Milligen was four for four from the charity stripe in overtime.Milligen was followed by McDonald's 20, John Raquel who hit 16 before fouling out in regulation and Sylvester Walker who tallied 10 in the Viking victory.With the upset road win, the #17 Vikings move to 19-6 overall on the season and 2-0 in the DAC. Valley City State will look to avenge an earlier season loss to Mayville State University when the Comets come to the W. E. Osmon Fieldhouse on Saturday, February 4. Game time is scheduled for 4:00 PM.

The Valley City State University Men's Basketball team has moved up two spots in the latest edition of the NAIA Division II Men's Basketball Poll. The move puts the Vikings at 17th in the nation.After an overtime road win at Dickinson State University on Saturday, the Vikings record sits at 18-6 overall on the season. So far this season the Vikings at 6-1 versus Association of Independent Institution foes and with the win at Dickinson State, now sit at 1-0 in the Dakota Athletic Conference.The #17 Vikings will travel to rival Jamestown College on Wednesday. The match-up will feature two top 20 programs in the nation as the Jimmies are ranked #7 in this week's NAIA poll. Tip-off at the Jamestown Civic Center is slated for 7:30 pm.

Both teams struggled in the first half but Valley City State started and finished strong in the second half versus fellow Dakota Athletic Conference foe Dakota State and the Vikings pulled away with a 59-44 A. I. I. victory.Valley City State claimed a 19-17 halftime lead, shooting only 34.6% from the floor in the first half. Dakota State however had struggles of their own as they posted 28% shooting in the opening stanza. The second half had a different story.The Vikings opened the final half hitting their first seven shots from the floor and separated themselves from the visitors with a 20-5 run. Three of those five points for Dakota State came from the free throw line as they connected on only one field goal in the first eight minutes of the half. Once they did however, they made a run to keep the game interesting.A 10-0 run by the Lady T's pulled them to within nine at 49-40 before the Vikings turned up the defensive pressure to pull away with the convincing win.The Vikings had a well balanced attack with four players in double figures.Sophomore post Brittany Lehner paced the Vikings with 16 points and fellow post, junior Alyssa Hummel tacked on 14. Junior guard Katelyn Ralston had ten while freshman Kelsey Hunter also hit double figures off the bench for the Vikings with 10.With the win the Vikings improve to 15-9 on the season having won ten of their last eleven games. Valley City State will finish the regular season with six games against the universities remaining in the Dakota Athletic Conference beginning on Saturday, January 28 when they travel to Dickinson State to play the Blue Hawks.

The Valley City State University Softball team has signed three high school seniors for the 2012-13 season. Head coach Chad Slyter announces the signings of Amy Agnew, Morden, Manitoba along with Taylor Schroeder and Torri Fenton, both from Las Vegas, NV.Agnew is a versatile player that is comfortable in both the infield and outfield. She's competed the last four years in the Manitoba Ladies Super League, attended the Western Canadian Championships twice and Canadian Nationals twice.In 2011, at the U19 Nationals, Amy hit for a .389 batting average and had a 1.000 fielding percentage. Amy is also a competitive curler, winning the U16 Provincials in 2010 and the U18 Internationals in 2011.During her high school career, Amy has competed in softball, volleyball, basketball, curling and soccer while maintaining an 85% average in the classroom.Agnew is the daughter of Bob and Shauna Agnew and will major in Business at Valley City State University.'Signing Amy will be great for Viking Softball,' said Slyter. 'She has a ton of athleticism, has played softball at a high level and will only improve once she focuses that athleticism solely on softball at the college level. I look for great things from Amy in a Viking uniform.'Taylor Schroeder, daughter of Marcia Schroeder, is the Student Body President at Eldorado High School in Las Vegas, NV. Taylor has played softball all of her life and has been her current travel club team for almost three years. During that time she has hit for a .462 batting average and is a team captain. Schroeder is the starting catcher with her high school team and has made varsity for four straight years. Taylor has been awarded the Coaches Choice MVP Award for two straight years, has been awarded the Scholar Athlete Award and was a member of the 1st Team All Northeast Conference. Taylor led her high school team to the play-offs for three straight seasons.Taylor will major in Biology at Valley City State University.'Taylor has the personality of a catcher. She's a leader, plain and simple,' Slyter said of Schroeder. 'She will come into VCSU and do a great job right away of communicating and making her presence known on the field and with the pitching staff.'Torri Fenton, also from Las Vegas, NV, started her high school varsity career as a sophomore, helping lead her team to the regional championship and a state tournament appearance. During that year, Fenton led the state of Nevada in earned run average. Torri also led her team in hitting with a .475 batting average.Torri is the daughter of Frank and Tammy Lucius and will major in History Education at Valley City State University. Fenton is also a year book editor and has served on the student council. Fenton and Schroeder are battery mates for their club team in Las Vegas.'Torri is a solid pitcher with great movement, sneaky speed and a great mound presence,' said Slyter. 'Having her and Taylor come in together as freshmen is going to be a huge advantage for our team as they have played together and know each other's tendencies. That will provide Torri with a jump on the transition at the college level. I believe Torri will be a successful starting pitching in our rotation as a freshman.'