Hotline // September 17, 2025
This week’s Hotline includes the following articles:
- VCSU Homecoming Set for Sept. 22-27
- Vikings Hall of Fame Class of 2025 Inductees
- VCSU hosting 22nd Ployhar Honor Band
- Viking Sports Update
- What’s happening at VCSU and around Valley City…
VCSU Homecoming Set for Sept. 22-27
Valley City State University’s 2025 Homecoming Week runs Sept. 22-27 on the VCSU campus.
Homecoming Week includes a variety of activities for both students and alumni, including a ribbon cutting for the newly renovated McCarthy Hall and an induction ceremony for the Vikings Hall of Fame.
View the Homecoming Website & Schedule of Events.
“We are always excited to welcome our alumni and community back home to VCSU,” said Cory Anderson, Executive Director for University Advancement. “This year is especially meaningful as we celebrate 100 years of being the Vikings, unveil the newly remodeled McCarthy School of Education and see the exciting progress on the Tharaldson Family Athletic Center, scheduled to be completed before next fall. All projects that will have a tremendous impact on our students and programs.”
VCSU’s renovated McCarthy Hall now houses the VCSU School of Education and the Department of Technology and STEM Education. A public ribbon cutting ceremony for McCarthy Hall is happening at 1 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 26. It will be followed by building tours and an ice cream social.
Visitors to campus can also check out progress at the site of the new Tharaldson Family Athletic Center, which is an expansion of the current athletic facilities and is scheduled to be finished by Fall 2026.
“Homecoming is one of my favorite traditions at VCSU,” said Kim Svenningsen Hesch, Assistant Director for Advancement & Alumni Relations. “The weekend is filled with lots of opportunities for alumni to reconnect with their VCSU family including classmates, faculty and staff of the university.”
The week kicks off with the 43rd annual Bill Osmon Fun Run on Monday, Sept. 22. VCSU Volleyball plays home matches on Thursday and Friday, Sept. 25-26, and the Vikings Hall of Fame will induct 5 individuals and 2 teams at its Hall of Fame Banquet on Friday night at the Valley City Eagles Club.
The Alumni Honors Breakfast is Saturday, Sept. 27, at 8:30 a.m., followed by the annual Homecoming Parade at 10:30 a.m. Football tailgating runs from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., and VCSU Football faces Simpson University at 2 p.m. The weekend culminates Saturday night with an alumni social and dance at the Valley City Eagles Club.
Vikings Hall of Fame Class of 2025 Inductees
Valley City State University is proud to announce the newest members of the Viking Athletic Hall of Fame, who will be formally inducted during the annual banquet on Friday, September 26, 2025. The class of 2025 includes four athletes, one coach/administrator, and two teams. This year’s Hall of Fame inductees are Caitlyn (Wojahn) Graf ’11, Jill DeVries, Steve Becher ’84, Jordan Maher ’11, Brittany (Lehner) Evans ’14.
The evening begins with a social at 5:00 p.m., followed by dinner at 6:00 p.m. and the induction ceremony at the Valley City Eagles Club. Tickets are $20 each and can be purchased by calling the VCSU Foundation Office at 701-845-7203 or online at Purchase Hall of Fame Tickets.
Caitlyn (Wojahn) Graf
Milbank, S.D.
Women’s Basketball 2009-11
A record-setting point guard, Graf helped lead Viking Women’s Basketball to its first NAIA National Tournament appearance and still ranks among VCSU’s all-time leaders in steals, assists, and 3-pointers. She is first in career steals (283), first in single season steals (101), second in career assists (324), and fourth in career 3-point FGs Made (145). She was also a two-time NAIA Scholar Athlete.
Jill DeVries
Head Coach, Women’s Basketball, 1999-2013, 2014-17
Athletic Director, 2017-22
DeVries is the winningest coach in program history, DeVries guided Viking Women’s Basketball to four national tournaments of the five in the program’s history. Her 283 wins is more than 120 better than the second closest.
She later served as Athletic Director, earning NSAA conference AD of the Year honors in 2019. The 2010-2011 team won the DAC tournament championship.
Steve Becher
West Fargo, N.D.
Football, 1981-84
A three-time conference champion quarterback, Becher graduated as one of the most accomplished passers in Viking Football history, holding numerous school records. He still ranks in the top ten in 13 categories in the Viking football record book. Upon graduation, Becher held records for passing attempts, completions, yards, touchdowns, total offense, and interceptions. He was also a standout punter and held the record for most punts and most yards punting. He is the only quarterback to ever lead the Vikings to three straight conference titles.
Jordan Maher
Bowman, N.D.
Football 2008-11
A dominant defensive lineman, Maher was named Conference Senior of the Year, Conference Defensive Player of the Year, and first team All-Conference. He tied the school record for single-game sacks while leading the Vikings to the 2011 NAIA Playoffs. He is in the top 10 in career sacks (17), tackles for loss (39), Yards from Sacks (105), and Yards from tackles for loss (208). He was a BSN second team All-American. He was the “Prepare to be a Champion” award winner at the end of the 2011 season. That award is voted on by his teammates and coaches.
Brittany (Lehner) Evans
Watertown, S.D.
Women’s Basketball/Softball 2010-14
A dual-sport standout, Evans excelled in both basketball and softball, scoring over 1,300 career points on the court and earning NSAA Player of the Year honors on the diamond. Her 1,390 points rank sixth in VCSU history. He 592 rebounds ranks seventh. In 2014, her 18.0 points-per-game ranked second all-time.
2012–13 Women’s Basketball Team
This squad set school records with 24 wins and advanced to its third straight NAIA National Tournament, cementing a historic run for Viking women’s basketball. They finished with a 24-8 record which put them third in the regular season then took second in the A.I.I. tournament to qualify them for Nationals. At the time, VCSU set school-records with 24 wins on the season, 2207 total points scored, 489 assists and just 58.1 points allowed per game.
2011 Football Team
Conference champions with a 9-2 record, the 2011 team powered its way into the NAIA Playoffs and featured multiple All-Conference honorees and league MVPs. Jordan Maher was named Conference Senior of the year and LeTheo Proctor was named the Conference Most Valuable Player. The Vikings rattled off a nine game winning streak that season which tied the 2001 team for the longedt winning streak in the program’s history. It was snapped by Carroll College in the opening round of the NAIA playoffs.
“These inductees represent the very best of Viking Athletics,” said Cory Anderson, Executive Director for University Advancement/Hall of Fame Committee Chair. “We are proud to honor their accomplishments, celebrate their legacy, and welcome them into the Hall of Fame.”
In addition to the banquet, inductees and Hall of Fame teams will be introduced during the Viking Football game on Saturday, September 27, 2025.
For more information or to reserve tickets, contact the VCSU Foundation Office at 701-845-7203 or visit Purchase Hall of Fame Tickets.
VCSU hosting 22nd Ployhar Honor Band
The Valley City State University music department is hosting the 22nd annual Ployhar Honor Band, bringing together more than 90 high school students from across the region.
The Ployhar Honor Band takes place Oct. 23-24 at VCSU’s Larry J. Robinson Center for the Arts, culminating with a free public concert at 7 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 24. The two-day event is open to students in grades 8-12 in North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota and Montana through an audition process.
Live auditions will be conducted during September at a limited number of sites. Schools interested in hosting a live audition site should contact Prof. Jerrold Heide: jerrold.heide@vcsu.edu or 701-845-7375.
Auditions can also be submitted online through the process below. Contact Jerrold Heide with any audition questions: jerrold.heide@vcsu.edu.
Online Audition Process
Each student’s audition should be recorded on an individual track and submitted as an .mp3 file. Files should be labeled with the name of the student, the instrument, and the high school they attend. Completed files can be either emailed directly or saved to your preferred cloud storage (Google Drive, OneDrive, etc.) and a link sent to jerrold.heide@vcsu.edu.
Along with completing an audition recording, either the student or director must fill out the required entry form for each audition. The information collected will be confidential and used for VCSU Ployhar event purposes only.
Viking Sports Update
Volleyball
Volleyball had its first long road trip in the Frontier Conference. The Vikings were in Havre and Great Falls to face Montana State-Northern and the University of Providence. Vikings fall in four sets to Montana State-Northern and Vikings fall at #5 Providence. This week, the Vikings are at Rocky Mountain College and Carroll College before returning home for homecoming. JayCee Richter was named the Frontier Conference Defender of the Week for her strong play last weekend.
Golf
The Vikings competed in their first Frontier Conference golf meet at Heart River Golf Course in Dickinson. The men took seventh overall the women were led by Sydney Carlson’s top 20 finish. Dickinson Invite. The golfers are off this week and return to action at the end of the month.
Football
The Vikings were off this week as they prepare for the trip to La Grande, Oregon this week to take on Eastern Oregon. Simpson University out of California will be the homecoming opponent next week.
Cross Country
The Viking harriers were off this week. They are back in action on Saturday at the Blue Hawk Invite that is being held in Medora.
What's happening at VCSU and around Valley City...
August 18 – October 23
8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Do You Feel What I Feel art exhibit, Larry J. Robinson Center for the Arts Gallery
September 20
1 p.m. VCSU Planetarium Show: Star Search & Constellation Costume Crew, Rhoades 309
September 21
1-3 p.m. Clean the Sheyenne, required registration at Chautauqua Park
September 22-27
VCSU Homecoming
View the homecoming schedule here.
September 26
1 p.m. McCarthy Hall Ribbon Cutting
Find out what’s happening at VCSU: https://www.vcsu.edu/news-events/
Find out what’s happening in the community: https://www.valleycitycalendar.com/