BURNSVILLE, Minn. – The University of Sioux Falls Athletics Department finished a program-best third in the 2018-19 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference All-Sports standings, according to an announcement by the league on Friday, May 17.

USF moved up from fourth in 2017-18 to third in 2018-19 by scoring 149 points, which was just ahead of Minnesota Duluth at 148.50. Minnesota State was the overall champion with 198 points and followed by Augustana at 186.50 and USF at 149. In the NSIC Men's standings, USF was third with 60 points with MSU finishing at 90.5 points for first place. In the NSIC Women's Team standings, USF placed fifth with 89.0 points. Augustana was the leader in the women's race with 112 and outdistanced Minnesota State at 107.5 overall.

USF, which finished a program-best fourth in the final standings in 2017-18, was led by USF Men's Cross Country which captured the program's first conference crown while both Men's Indoor Track and Field and Swimming finished third. The USF Women' Basketball Team, Men's Outdoor Track and Field, Women's Golf and Women's Cross Country all finished fourth while USF Football grabbed fifth overall at 7-4.

"This is wonderful news," said USF Director of Athletics Pam Gohl. "We had outstanding seasons from all our teams and student-athletes performed at a high level across the board," she said.

According to Gohl, USF is exceptionally proud of the work and effort of the student-athletes as well as the hard-working coach staff.

"The NSIC Championship by the USF Men's Cross Country Team was exciting and now gives us three overall champions (Football, Overall Champion, 2016; Women's Basketball, NSIC Tournament Champion, 2015-16) in seven years in the NSIC. The Men's Indoor Track and Field Team and Swimming squads claimed third overall while the USF Women's BB team, Women's Cross Country, Women's Golf and Men's Outdoor Track and Field all finished fourth as we continued to excel across the board. We are proud of all the teams, student-athletes and coaches for their hard work and dedication while continuing to excel in the classroom and doing service work," said Gohl.

Overall rankings – 1. Minnesota State, 198; 2. Augustana, 186.5; 3. Sioux Falls, 149; 4. Minnesota-Duluth, 148.5; 5. Winona State, 134.5; 6. U-Mary, 133.5; 7. St. Cloud State, 132.5; 8. Northern State, 112; 9. Concordia St. Paul, 109.5; 10. MSU-Moorhead, 105.5; 11. Minot State, 79; 12. Wayne State College, 77.5; 13. Bemidji State, 76.5; 14. Southwest Minnesota State, 76; 15. Upper Iowa, 62; Minnesota Crookston, 27.5

Men's rankings – 1. Minnesota State, 90.5; 2. Augustana, 74.5; 3. 3. Sioux Falls, 60.0; 4. Minnesota-Duluth, 54.50; 5. Northern State, 52.50; 6. St. Cloud State, 50.50; 7. U-Mary, 46.5; 8. MSU-Moorhead, 45.5; 9. Winona State, 42; 10. Concordia St. Paul, 40; 11. Wayne State College, 37.5; 12. Minot State, 31.0; 13. Southwest Minnesota State, 25.5; 14. Bemidji State, 22.5; 15. Upper Iowa, 18.5; Minnesota-Crookston, 18.5

Women's rankings – 1. Augustana, 112; 2. Minnesota State, 107.5; Minnesota-Duluth, 94; 4. Winona State, 92.5; 5. Sioux Falls, 89; 6. U-Mary, 87; 7. St. Cloud State, 82; 8. Concordia St. Paul, 69.5; 9. MSU-Moorhead, 60; 10. Northern State, 59.5; 11. Bemidji State, 54; 12. Southwest Minnesota State, 50.5; 13. Minot State, 48; 14. Upper Iowa, 43,5; 15. Wayne State College, 40; 16. Minnesota Crookston, 9
 
In its seventh year in the NSIC, USF continues to make an impact in the NSIC and across NCAA DII with focused student-athletes and coaches building a series of team successes program-wide. USF has placed seventh or better every year with a program-best third this year.

The NSIC All Sports Award is calculated by awarding the winner of each conference-sponsored championship points totaling the number of teams in that sport plus one. The next place finisher receives points totaling the number of teams less the number of places from first place. Ties in the standings at any level result in the totaling of points and equal distribution.

Spring Sports Recap
The USF Men's Outdoor Track and Field Team, which had titles from Mason Phillips (800 meters) and Tristan Zawadzki (pole vault) scored 78 points to earn fourth place. USF Men's Team members Zawadzki (pole vault), Phillips (800 meters), Christian Gruschin (discus), Zach Lundberg (1,500 meters, 5,000 meters) and Jase Kraft (1,500 meters) were named All-NSIC for top three individual finishes.  Dan Armstrong set a school record in the 3,000-meter steeplechase (9:28.36). Zawadzki (pole vault), Lundberg (1,500 meters) and Phillips (1,500 meters) qualified for the NCAA DII Championships on May 23-25 in Kingsville, Texas.

For the USF Women's Outdoor Track and Field Team, Miranda Phipps (javelin) and Jaimie McNamee (hammer throw) were All-NSIC and led USF to an eighth place (14 teams) with 43 points and just 4.5 points from sixth (Northern State, 47.50). Phipps was second with a throw of 133-05, which ranks third all-time at USF.  McNamee finished second in the hammer throw with a school record throw of 177-10 and took fourth in the discus with a DII provisional mark of 149-7.Taryn Ceglwoski ran the second fastest 1,500 meter time in school history at 4:40.04 for sixth at the meet. Emma Hertz (shot put, discus) and Miranda Phipps (javelin) qualified for the NCAA DII Outdoor Championships on May 23-25 in Kingsville, Texas.

USF Women's Golf Team claimed fourth place at the league championships. USF, which was third after the opening two rounds, finished just a shot from third place. USF finished the tourney at 132 over par and 996 (328-328-341). Both sophomore Sydney Hubbard and Lexi Hanson finished at 28-over par and 244 for the tournament as they finished tied for 11^th place. Sophomore Alex Nutter of Houston, Minn., also placed in the top 20 with a 17^th place finish as she was 36-over par and had a 252 with rounds of 81-83-88. In addition Hansen qualified for the NCAA DII regionals and finished 52^nd as she became the second USF golfer to reach the DII regionals in back-to-back seasons.

Led by junior Brendan Bassing 11^th place finish of 225 (79-73-73), USF Men's Golf finished fifth at the NSIC Men's Golf Championship. USF, which had four team placings of fifth or better this spring, finished at 917 (313-306-298) and the fifth place showing was a major jump from a year ago when the Cougars captured eighth place in the team standings. Bassing, who finished 32^nd a year ago, had a major jump this year with his placing of 11^th. It is a move of 21 spots with Bassing's 225 (79-73-73), an improvement of 13 shots over a year ago. JJ Cooney, who was 13^th at the NSIC Meet (227 - 78-72-77)  collected his third all-league honor and it is the second time he was selected second team. A year ago, Cooney was named first team and became the program's first with that designation. Cooney ranked eighth in the NSIC with a per round average of 74.65 with 1,493 shots on 20 rounds.  

USF Tennis (8-9) advanced to the semifinals of the NSIC Championships for the second time in school history (2019, 2016) and was sixth seeded at the championship. USF upset No. 2 Winona State by a 4-2 tally in the opening round.  Redshirt sophomore Chloe Jefferies was named All-NSIC First Team for a second straight year which was a program first.  Jefferies finished 10-5 with a 6-3 league record at No. 1 singles. Jefferies, who was named NSIC Freshman of the Year in 2018 at USF's Player to Watch this fall, has a 24-8 career record and stands 16-4 in league play through two seasons.

USF Softball closed the season with a strong performance at the NSIC Championships. USF, which finished 10th with a 13-17 record, defeated No. 7, Minot State, 9-7, in 10 innings in game one before battling top seed Winona State and falling 3-2 on a walk off hit in the bottom of the seventh inning and losing to St. Cloud State, 6-5, in the 10^th inning. Senior Emily Hove finished her career with 20 home runs (fifth all-time at USF) and 106 RBI (fourth all-time at USF). In addition, she ended her career first at USF in hits with 187, at bats with 665, game starts with 215, total bases with 297 and was sixth in runs scored with 96. Hoshaw had 27 career home runs for third all-time at USF. The Apple Valley senior finished 9-10 this season and in USF's DII era, ranked first all-time with 11 shutouts and 396 strikeouts. She was second at USF in wins (49), appearances (115), starts (100), innings pitched (559.1) and third in complete games (42).  Senior Emily Miller was named All-NSIC second team and finished her season with a .276 average and 10 home runs. In her career, she had 11 home runs.

USF Baseball, which was 13-37 and 11-25 for 12^th in league play, was led by preseason NBWA all-region selection and senior infielder Josh Rehwaldt who set career totals in nearly every statistical category at USF. He finished the season with a team-high .337 batting average and 10 home runs plus a team-high 35 RBI as well as .438 OBP. Rehwaldt finished his career with 27 home runs, 266 hits, 44 stolen bases, 194 starts, 422 total bases, 162 RBI plus a .366 career batting average, all totals which are the best by a USF player in the DII era.

Winter Sports Recap –
The USF Men's Track and Field Team earned a third place finish with 109.50 points at the NSIC Championships. The Cougars finished third for the second straight team as they had nine student-athletes earn All-NSIC honors. It was the fifth time as a member of the NSIC in which USF placed in the top three. USF, which led the competition after the first day, won the Distance Medley Relay title and qualified for nationals. The team of Jase Kraft, Logan Hansen, Billy Beseman and Mason Phillips cruised to an NSIC Championship record of 10:06.50. Phillips also won the 800-meter run in 1:53.23 with the second fastest time in school history. Steven Brown was second in the 5K run while Billy Beseman was third in the 1000-meter run. Trey Ferguson claimed second in the 600-meter dash and Zach Lundberg was third in the one-mile run. Tristan Zawadzki won the pole vault (16-8 1/4). Zawadzki earned a trip to nationals as did Lundberg in the 3K run while the DMR squad of Lundberg, Furgeson, Beseman, Phillips and alternate Jase Kraft qualified in the distance medley relay.

The USF Women's Track and Field Team finished a program-best sixth place at the NSIC Indoor Championships. USF, which had 43.50 points, had two student-athletes earn All-NSIC honors. Sophomore Taryn Ceglowski earned All-NSIC recognition by finishing third in both the mile run and the 1,000-meter run. Sophomore Chloe Peterson was second in the long jump. Emma Hertz qualified for nationals in the shot put.

The USF Swimming Team rallied to finish third in the NSIC Championships for a second straight year. USF, which advanced six student-athletes to the NCAA DII Championships on March 13-16, was led by sophomore Cassie Wright who was named "Swimmer of the Meet." Both Wright, who is a two-time All-American, and freshman standout Ella Johnson qualified individually for nationals. At the meet, USF broke four NSIC meet records, recorded seven NCAA 'B' cuts, one NCAA 'A' cut, set five school records and six swimmers posted personal-best results. Wright set championship records in the 200 backstroke, 100 backstroke and 100 IM. Johnson set a school and conference record in the 100 butterfly and set a school mark in the 200 butterfly.

USF Women's Basketball Team compiled a 23-8 record and advanced to the semifinals of the NSIC Tournament for a fourth straight year. USF, which had a pair of All-NSIC performers in first-team selection Kaely Hummel and second teamer Mariah Szymanski, finished 16-6 in league play and was second in the NSIC South. As a result, USF was the No. 2 seed from the South. Head Coach Travis Traphagen won his 200^th game during the season. Hummel surpassed 1,000 points and finished the year at 1,188.

The USF Men's Basketball Team finished 19-11 and advanced to the NSIC Tournament quarterfinals for a fourth straight year. USF had a pair of All-NSIC first team honorees for the first time with seniors Trevon Evans and Drew Guebert, who were named all-league for a second straight year. Evans finished his career with 1,291 points for 15^th all-time at USF. He also had 88 three-pointers this year which ranks third all-time. He is also eighth all-time in career treys with 155. Guebert finished his career third all-time at USF in points scored with 1,971 and his 264 career three pointers is first in school history. In addition, USF Head Coach Chris Johnson won his 200th career game.

Fall Recap -
 
The Men's Cross Country squad, directed by NSIC Men's Coach of the Year Doug Petersen, advanced to the NCAA DIIs National for a second straight year and fourth time overall with a third place finish at the NCAA DII Central Region Meet. USF, which won its first-ever NSIC Cross Country Championship, claimed a program-best fifth place at nationals after Mason Phillips earned his second straight All-American honor as he was a program-best seventh individually. At regionals, Phillips was fifth, and Zach Lundberg, eighth, in the individual competition. With NSIC champion Steven Brown finishing 18^th and Jase Kraft, 20^th, the Cougars placed four in the top 20. Phillips, Lundberg, Brown and Kraft all earned all-region honors. At the NSIC Championship, Brown became the third USF student-athlete to win a conference title. At the meet, USF captured four of the top five spots to win with 32 points in a dominating team performance.

The USF Football Team, directed by Jon Anderson, finished in a tie for fifth overall at 7-4 and claimed a tie for second in the NSIC South with Winona State with a 5-2 record. The Cougars recorded a 25^th consecutive winning season which is the sixth-best across all divisions of the NCAA. USF had 14 players named All-League and Gabriel Watson was selected the NSIC Offensive Player of the Year.  Watson, who led NCAA DII with 1,957 rushing yards and 26 touchdowns, was finished in balloting Harlon Hill Trophy as the DII Player of the Year. Earlier today (May 14) he was named USF's Male Athlete of the Year. Senior offensive tackle Trey Pipkins finish third in the balloting for the Gene Upshaw Award as the Lineman of the Year in NCAA DII. He also became USF's first-ever student-athlete to earn an invite to the NFL Combine and became USF's first-ever position player to be drafted. Pipkins was selected with the 27th pick (91st overall) in the third round of the NFL Draft by 2019 Los Angeles Chargers.  Named to the All-NSIC first-team was Watson, Pipkins, tight end Clint Sigg and sophomore cornerback Hakeem Johnson. Second team All-NSIC honorees from USF was offensive guard Nolan Kern, wide receiver Michael Maxwell, running back Colton Myles, offensive tackle Adam Sheffield, defensive tackle Steven McKee, linebacker Brody Grantham, wide receiver and kick returner Nate Johnson. In addition, the Cougars had three players named honorable mention All-NSIC and they included center Nick Zimmerman, free safety Tucker Stout and linebacker Harvey (Michael) Enalls. USF finished the regular season ranked ninth in NCAA DII in rushing and 18^th in total offense.

USF Soccer, directed by head coach Brittany Domino, finished 5-11-2, which tied for most wins in the program's D2 era. They were 4-9-2 in NSIC competition with a third-team all-league honoree in Lily McKown.

USF Volleyball, directed by Joel McCartney, finished a program-best fifth in the league with a program-best 20-10 overall mark. In a history making season, the Cougars won 14-of-20 league matches and had three all-league selections. The all-league honorees included the program's first-ever first team honorees in Bria Barfnecht and Lexi Scott. Sophomore Averey Yaksich was named second team All-NSIC as USF had three-all-league honorees for the first time. In addition, the Cougars advanced to the NSIC Postseason Tournament semifinals for the first time and was ranked as high as sixth – a program-high – for the first time in the NCAA DII Central Region rankings. Makenna Rockeman (1,285) set a career kills mark while both Lexi Scott (1,001), and Bria Barfnecht (1,068) also recording over 1K in kills as the trio became the first in school history to go over the 1,000 mark on the same team. Barfnecht, who was selected (May 14) as USF Female Athlete of the Year, was named Nov. 21 as USF's first-ever AVCA All-Region (Central) selection and later USF's first ever AVCA All-American.

In Women's Cross Country, USF, led by head coach Doug Petersen, finished a program-best fourth at the league championships as sophomore Taryn Ceglowski placed a program-best fifth. The Cougars were 17^th at the NCAA DII Central Regional.