Minnesota State–Moorhead Dragons

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Minnesota State University Moorhead Dragons
Logo
UniversityMinnesota State University Moorhead
ConferenceNorthern Sun Intercollegiate Conference
NCAADivision II
Athletic directorDoug Peters
LocationMoorhead, Minnesota
Varsity teams14
Football stadiumSCHEELS Field at Alex Nemzek Stadium
Basketball arenaAlex Nemzek Fieldhouse
Soccer stadiumAlex Nemzek Soccer Field
Other arenasAlex Nemzek Hall
MascotScorch & Torch
NicknameDragons
Fight songWe Are The Dragons
Websitewww.msumdragons.com

The MSU Moorhead Dragons (also MSUM Dragons and formerly Moorhead State Dragons) are the athletic teams that represent Minnesota State University Moorhead, located in Moorhead, Minnesota, in NCAA Division II intercollegiate sports. The Dragons generally compete as members of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference for all 14 varsity sports.

Varsity teams[]

Minnesota State University Moorhead plays in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference as one of the charter members. The conference was founded as the Northern Teachers Athletic Conference in 1932, when MSUM was Moorhead State Teachers College. For a time, the NSIC competed in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. In 1964, MSUM won the NAIA national championship in wrestling. The NSIC entered the National Collegiate Athletic Association in 1992 and was later able to compete at the Division II level.[1]

In total, the Dragons have won 101 conference championships, with 77 in men's sports and 24 in women's[2]

List of teams[]

Facilities[]

The Dragons football team plays at Alex Nemzek Stadium, a 6,000 seat facility. The stadium is named after the school's athletic director from 1923–1941.[3] In 2015, the stadium received a renovation, with the added title of Scheels Field.[4] Nemzek's name is also on the 3,500 seat fieldhouse and basketball arena. The school's soccer and softball fields are also named after Nemzek.

Football[]

MSUM has 16 NSIC titles. They won the conference in 1932, 1934, 1935, 1947, 1952, 1966, 1971, 1973, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1984, 1988, 1989, 1991 and 1995.[5]

Steve Laqua, the Dragons' 17th football coach, was hired in spring 2011 after helming the Fargo Shanley High School program.[6] In 2015, after defeating Minnesota Crookston 59–21, the Dragons earned their first winning season since 2006 with a 6–5 record.[7] The next year, Laqua's team increased its win total to 7–4. While the Dragons finished with a losing 5–6 record in 2017, the 18 wins over those three years was the most victories since the 1995–1997 seasons.[8]

The 2018 campaign proved to be Laqua's best season so far with the Dragons, earning an 8–4 record and a trip to the Mineral Water Bowl. In the regular season finale, the Dragons defeated St. Cloud State University to earn their eighth win, their most victories since 1991.[9]The Mineral Water Bowl, which the Dragons lost 51–16 to Missouri University of Science and Technology, was the first postseason game for MSUM since 1994.[10]

Rivalries

The Red River Valley Showdown vs the University of Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagles for the State Farm Traveling Trophy. MSUM leads the series 14–7. The series ended in 2020 when UMC cut its football program.[11][12]

The Battle for the Paddle Trophy vs the University of Mary (Bismarck). UMary leads the series 8–6. The Paddle was developed by the student governments, as both schools are located near a river. UMary is located on the Missouri River and MSUM is near the Red River.[13]

The Battle for the Axe vs Bemidji State University. MSUM leads 37–31–3 in the series for the trophy which dates back to 1948. The axe originated in the village of Mount Hagon, New Guinea. The series as a whole dates back to 1929, with MSUM holding a 45–35–3 series lead in total.[14]

The Dragons also had a cross-town rivalry with Concordia College in Moorhead. Concordia leads the now defunct rivalry 49–25–12, winning the final game in a 34–32 thriller. Today Concordia plays at the NCAA Division III level in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. The two schools still play in other sports, such as basketball.[15]

Men's basketball[]

MSUM has won four division titles and six conference titles in the NSIC.[16] The Dragons won conference titles in 1964–1965, 1970–1971, 1980–1981, 1981–1982, 2014–2015 and 2016–2017. The Dragons have also earned trips to the NSIC Tournament Championship game, but have yet to win.

The Dragons have been coached by Chad Walthall since the 2010–2011 season. In his second season, he led the team back to the post season for the first time since 1965 and the first 20 win season since 1982.[17] In an exhibition game to start his second season, Walthall's team earned a 90–84 win in double overtime against the Division I North Dakota State University Bison, located in Moorhead's neighboring city of Fargo.[18]

Walthall earned four straight division titles from 2014–2017. He's made the NCAA Tournament four times, leading the team to the Division II Elite Eight in 2015.[19] That season, he was named conference, Central Region and National coach of the year.

Women's basketball[]

MSUM has earned six conference titles, with championship seasons in 1981–1982, 1984–1985, 2004–2005, 2016–2017, 2017–2018 and 2018–2019. The team has also won four division titles.[20]

Current Head Coach Karla Nelson has been with MSUM since 2000. Nelson has led the Dragons on six trips to the NCAA Division II tournament. She's earned coach of the year honors from the NSIC four times.[21]

Non-varsity teams[]

MSUM has a wide variety of intramural sports including flag football, softball, and soccer. Club teams are also available for men's and women's rugby, men's and women's lacrosse, and baseball which compete nationally. A new ice hockey club team started in the 2018–2019 season in the American Club Hockey Association's Division II level.[22]

References[]

  1. ^ The Wikipedia article on the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference
  2. ^ The NSIC Conference Championship section on Wikipedia.
  3. ^ MSUM Athletics facilities page.
  4. ^ Fargo-Moorhead Forum article on first win at Scheels Field.
  5. ^ NSIC's football record book page.
  6. ^ MSUM's page on Steve Laqua
  7. ^ MSUM's game recap
  8. ^ MSUM's 2017 final game recap.
  9. ^ MSUM's St. Cloud State Game Recap.
  10. ^ [https://www.msumdragons.com/news/2018/12/1/football-dragons-fall-to-missouris-t-in-mineral-water-bowl-51-16.aspx?path=football MSUM's Bowl game recap.]
  11. ^ https://www.inforum.com/sports/football/4816110-St.-Cloud-State-Minnesota-Crookston-both-eliminate-football-programs[bare URL]
  12. ^ MSUM's 2019 game recap.
  13. ^ MSUM's 2019 game preview article
  14. ^ MSUM Football's 100th anniversary page on Bemidji rivalry
  15. ^ MSUM's Football's 100th anniversary page on Concordia rivalry
  16. ^ NSIC men's basketball record book.
  17. ^ MSUM's page on Chad Walthall.
  18. ^ MSUM's game recap.
  19. ^ MSUM's Sweet Sixteen game recap.
  20. ^ NSIC women's basketball record book.
  21. ^ MSUM's official page on Karla Nelson.
  22. ^ MSUM club hockey's official website.

External links[]

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