MAG 2-06.indd - Wayne State College

Wildcat AthleticsFour WSC Athletes Earn All-Region HonorsMelissa Benson Dan Kruger Jacey Kuck Schwarz Laura DolezalFour Wayne State athletes earned All-Region honors duringthe fall sports seasons. Volleyball players Jacey Kuck Schwarz andLaura Dolezal, football player Dan Kruger and Melissa Benson fromwomen’s soccer were all recognized for their outstanding play.Benson, a 5-9 junior midfielder from Maple Grove, Minn., wasnamed to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America All-Central Region First Team. Benson is believed to be the first WSCwomen’s soccer player to earn first team all-region honors. Shefinished the 2005 season with nine goals and one assist for 19 pointsand was named to the First Team All-Northern Sun Conference forthe second straight season. Benson already ranks fifth in careergoals at WSC with 21.Kruger, a 6-2, 260 pound senior defensive lineman fromSheldon, Iowa, was selected to the 2005 Daktronics Division II All-Northwest Region Second Team in football. He was also named tothe ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District VII First Team forhis academic success, carrying a 3.80 GPA in business management.WSC Second in NSIC Fall Sports StandingsWayne State College is in second place after the fall sportsseason in the Northern Sun Conference All-Sports Competition.Since joining the Northern Sun Conference in the 1999-2000 season, WSC has never finished higher than fourth placein the competition.Winona State led the standings with 32 points, followed byWayne State with 29 points, Concordia-St. Paul (27), NorthernState (26.5), MSU Moorhead (22), Bemidji State (19.5),Southwest Minnesota State (17) and Minnesota-Crookston (9).Wayne State won its first Northern Sun Conference men’scross country title in the fall while the women placed second.The volleyball team tied for second place in the regular seasonand advanced to its first NCAA North Central Region volleyballtournament, finishing the season with a 25-10 record.The Wildcat football team posted its first winning recordin the Northern Sun Conference (4-3) to earn a fourth placefinish, the best placing since the school joined the NSIC. TheWSC women’s soccer team finished in a tie for third place inthe conference and had a winning record at 10-9-4 overall.The men’s golf team placed fifth at the NSIC tournament.Kruger was the fourth leading tackler for WSC in 2005 with 84tackles to earn first team All-Northern Sun Conference honors.Kuck Schwarz, a 5-10 senior middle hitter from Central City,was named to the Daktronics All-North Central Region SecondTeam in volleyball. She led the Wildcats in kills with 553, setting anew single season school record. Kuck Schwarz finished her WSCcareer ranked second in career kills (1,554), second in career attacks(4,449) and third in career digs (1,409). Kuck Schwarz was namedto the First Team All-Northern Sun Conference as a junior andsenior.Dolezal, a 5-8 sophomore libero from Columbus, also receivedSecond Team All-North Central Region honors in volleyball. Shefinished the season with a new school record 818 digs, an average of6.60 digs per game to rank fifth in NCAA Division II. Dolezal wasnamed Co-Libero of the Year in the Northern Sun Conference andwas named NSIC Defensive Player of the Week five times duringthe regular season.Wildcat BaseballTeam Ranked18th in Pre-SeasonNational PollJohn Manganaro,Head Baseball CoachThe Wayne State College baseball team is ranked 18th in theNCAA Division II Collegiate Baseball Newspaper pre-season poll.It’s the highest-ever pre-season ranking for the Wildcat baseballteam, coming off a school record 45 wins in 2005 and a third straightNorthern Sun Conference championship.The Wildcats return five starters in the infield, along with sixpitchers, for the 2006 season, which began Feb. 18 at Pittsburg Statein Kansas. Wayne State was ranked as high as 15th in the nation lastseason and went on to post a 45-14 record, advancing to the NCAACentral Regional Tournament for the second straight season andthird time in the last five years.WSC has won the last three Northern Sun Conference Tournamentchampionships and four of the last five overall.Wayne State Magazine 17