Collegiate sports excellence in the Dakotas is one of America’s best-kept secrets.
Courtesy: Forbes.com
Until QB Carson Wentz stepped on the NFL stage, most sports fans didn’t know much (if anything) about North Dakota State football.
NDSU is where Wentz honed his skills. He led the Bison to consecutive national titles, the school’s fourth and fifth titles in a row. NFL scouts drooled. Fans took note.
But by no means was NDSU’s gridiron success Wentz-dependent. NDSU has won fourteen national championships over the years, and the Bison are always a threat to win the national crown. They’ll get another chance on January 5 when the Bison face Eastern Washington in Frisco, TX.
But this column isn’t about NDSU bravado. It’s about college sports excellence in the Dakotas. And Up North, the football Bison have plenty of company.
Consider this. To get to Frisco this year, NDSU had to beat (you guessed it) another Dakota school—rival South Dakota State. And the Bison did just that, 44-21, in Fargo last Friday night.
The all-Dakota semi-final was preordained. In 2018, these teams finished 1-2 in the Missouri Valley Conference and lost only three games between them all year. But that stat doesn’t tell the full story: two of those losses came by way of SDSU falling to NDSU.
South Dakota State’s Mike Daum (24) is a talent (photo, SB Nation)
Despite Friday’s loss, Jackrabbits’ fans have a lot more cheering to do. That’s because SDSU has a terrific men’s basketball team–a team that absolutely nobody wants to play. The Jacks may have the best big man-small man combo in the country in Mike Daum (big) and David Jenkins (small). Those two average about 50 points a game.
Undefeated and #7 Nevada discovered the challenge first-hand last Saturday in Reno. The Wolf Pack had to overcome a 7-point halftime deficit to edge the Jacks, 72-68. Nevada won by keeping in check the Daum-Jenkins duo.
My advice? Have your pencils ready to write-in SDSU on your first-round ‘March Madness’ bracket.
And, while you’re at it, don’t count out the Lady Jacks, either. This year, SDSU has already beaten these D-1 squads—Florida Gulf Coast, Creighton, and Central Michigan—and they came close to knocking off two Top Ten teams, #4 Baylor and #7 Oregon, losing each game by ten points or less.
Where does the University of North Dakota stand when it comes to college sports supremacy? Ice play is their specialty. And when it comes to men’s hockey, you won’t find a more consistent national power than UND, winners of eight national crowns. The Fighting Hawks (formerly the Sioux) have played in the Frozen Four 22 times, and they’ve made the semi-finals or finals in nearly 66% of those tournaments. That’s astounding!
The juggernaut that’s UND hockey (photo, The Sports Daily)
#15 ranked UND is at it again this year, having already beaten the Big Ten’s Minnesota and Wisconsin (twice), and splitting contests with defending national champ, Minnesota-Duluth.
The University of South Dakota doesn’t always get the press its Dakota rivals receive—largely because the Coyotes are consistently good, but not always great. But USD teams have won three national championships over the years (men’s small college basketball, women’s NIT, and men’s cross-country). And USD has “its moments,” year after year.
This year, the women’s volleyball team made the NCAA tournament, going 21-10, and sweeping six matches against its Dakota rivals along the way. The Coyote men’s and women’s basketball are no slouches, either. Colorado State learned that on Sunday in Fort Collins. The USD men took control in the second half and won, 68-63. And the women are 10-1 so far this year, having notched impressive wins over ranked (at the time) Iowa State and Missouri.
I’m not sure where the line is these days between big-time and mid-major college sports. But I do know this: when it’s time to take the field, court, or ice, never, ever count out the Dakotas.
