MINOT, N.D. (MSU) – In the midst of playing five games on the road to start the new season, Minot State head women’s basketball coach Mike Brandt still found time to add talented recruits for the future. Coach Brandt is pleased to announce the addition of four regional standouts who have each signed a National Letter-of-Intent and will be freshmen in the classroom and on the hardwood for the Beavers next fall. Joining the Minot State women’s basketball team are North Dakota products Peyton Breidenbach from West Fargo, Amya

Gourneau from Belcourt, and Ashley Wacha from Fargo, along with Shawna Bruha from Burnsville, Minnesota.

 

Peyton Breidenbach, 5-foot-8 point guard from Sheyenne HS in West Fargo, North Dakota

 

Breidenbach., who also competes in track and field, is a three-year letter winner in basketball who most recently set a new school record with 123 assists last season. She also averaged 9.3 points, 4.4 rebounds, 1.6 steals, and 4.7 assists per game for Sheyenne High School. Academically, she is a three-year letterwinner in the classroom who also has won the Presidential Award. She plans to major in Pre-Dentistry or Pre-Med at Minot State.

 

Shawna Bruha, 5-foot-7 guard from Burnsville HS in Burnsville, Minnesota

 

A multi-sport athlete at Burnsville who also played tennis, soccer, badminton, and competes in track and field, Bruha also has twice been named honorable mention All-South Suburban Conference (SSC) in basketball. A three-year letterwinner and two-time team captain, she was named Player of the Year in 2019-20, and earned the team’s sportsmanship award. In tennis, she was a state qualifier and a two-time All-SSC performer, as well. Academically, she is a member of the National Honor Society, been named to the honor roll, and earned All-State Academic honors in both basketball and tennis.

 

Amya Gourneau, 5-foot-8 guard from Turtle Mountain Community HS in Belcourt, North Dakota

 

A three-sport student-athlete who also plays softball and volleyball, Gourneau is a three-year letterwinner in basketball who has earned All-State honors and is a two-time Western Dakota Association (WDA) All-Conference performer. She holds school records for most assists in a game (14), in a season (116), assists per game average (5.8), and free-throw percentage (78.0). She also earned team awards as MVP, for Most Points, Most Assists, Most Rebounds, Most Steals, and Best Free-throw Percentage. Academically, Gourneau also excels as she is a valedictorian candidate with a 4.0 GPA, is an officer in National Honor Society, the senior class representative to Student Council, a member of the Gifted & Talented leadership, and a member of Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA). She most recently averaged 20.1 points, 5.8 assists, and 5.5 rebounds per game.

 

Ashley Wacha, 5-foot-10 guard/forward from Davies HS in Fargo, North Dakota

 

A three-sport student-athlete who plays volleyball and competes in track and field, Wacha is a three-year letterwinner in basketball who also was a two-year letterwinner in track and field and a member of the state runner-up team as a sophomore in track and field. On the hardwood, she is a member of Davies’ three-time Eastern Dakota Conference (EDC) championship team which finished as runner-up state champions in 2020-21, and third at state in 2021-22. She recently averaged 8.6 points, 4.7 rebounds. 1.6 steals, 1.6 assists, and 1.0 blocks per game for Davies High School. Academically, she also is a three-year academic letterwinner, a member of the National Honor Society, and a letterwinner in band and pep band.

——————————————————

 

MSU-MEN’S WRESTLING

MINOT, N.D. – The Minot State men’s wrestling team put on a fantastic show over the weekend, willing all but one match in their duals against Saskatchewan and Jamestown. A high standard of success for any newcomer to meet, but Beavers head coach expects that his newest recruits can meet that standard as Coach Evan Forde is pleased to introduce four future Beavers who each signed a National Letter-of-Intent during the early signing period.

 

Kyan George, 165-pounder from Escondido HS in Oceanside, California

 

A two-time California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) placer, George most recently finished eighth in the CIF in 2022. He is undecided on his potential major at Minot State.

 

Jack Harrison, 133 or 141-pounder from Rancho Bernardo HS in Rancho Bernardo, California

 

A team captain as a junior and senior at Rancho Bernardo HS, Harrison went 31-9 last season on the mats and earned the Coaches Award last season. He plans to study Criminal Justice at Minot State.

 

Tristan Pekas, 184-pounder from Hettinger Public School in Hettinger, North Dakota

 

Pekas is a three-sports athlete who also played football and competes in track and field. A five-time state qualifier in wrestling, he twice placed at state has been named Most Inspirational Night Hawk three times. Pekas, who plans to major in Finance, also excels in the classroom as he is a five-time Academic All-State honoree, is a High School Scholar All-American, and a member of the National Honor Society

 

Nicholas Womack, 165 or 174-pounder from Escondido HS in Escondido, California

 

A three-sport athlete who played football and baseball, Womack is a two-time California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) placer, a two-time First Team all-league selection, and was a Second Team all-league honoree in football. Womack has been named to the honor roll, and intends to major in Business at Minot State.
——————————————————————–

 

MSU-TRACK & FIELD

 

MINOT, N.D. (MSU) – Focused on preparing his current women’s track and field team for the upcoming indoor season that opens on December 10, new Minot State head coach Greggmar Swift also is keeping his attention on the future. Working hard to secure the best potential Beaver student-athletes for coming seasons, the former Olympic athlete, Swift, is pleased to announce the addition of six recruits who have each signed a National Letter-of-Intent and will be freshmen in the classroom and in track and field starting next fall.
Joining the Beavers are sprinters Camryn Adams from Northwood, North Dakota, Tandy Planichek from Absarokee, Montana, and Alyssia Trigleth from Cape Carteret, North Carolina; jumper Billie Evans from Payton, Colorado; and hurdlers Ava Connerty from Riverside, Illinois and Kaylyn Nelson from Ithaca, Michigan. “This is the strongest recruiting class we’re going to have, and this is the largest recruiting class in Minot State history,” Swift said.

 

Camryn Adams, sprinter from Northwood HS in Northwood, North Dakota. A senior at Northwood HS, Camryn will run the 100 meters, 200 meters, and 400 meters.

 

Ava Connerty, hurdler from Riverside Brookfield TWP HS in Riverside, Illinois. senior at Riverside Brookfield TWP HS, Ava will compete in the 400-meter hurdles.

 

Billie Evans, jumper from Falcon HS in Payton, Colorado. A senior at Falcon HS, Billie will compete in the long jump, high jump, and triple jump.

 

Kaylyn Nelson, hurdler from Ithaca HS in Ithaca, Michigan. A senior at Ithaca HS, Kaylyn will compete in the 100-meter and 400-meter hurdles while also majoring in Pre-Med.

 

Tandy Planichek, sprinter from Absarokee HS in Absarokee, Montana. A senior at Absarokee HS, Tandy will compete in the 100 meters and 200 meters.

 

Alyssia Trigleth sprinter from Croatan HS in Cape Carteret, North Carolina. A senior at Croatan HS, Alyssia will compete in the 100 meters, 200 meters, and 400 meters.

———————————————————————

 

UND FOOTBALL-HONOR

 

GRAND FORKS, N.D. (UND) – North Dakota tight end Adam Zavalney has been named a finalist for the 2022 FedEx Ground Doris Robinson Scholar-Athlete Award. The award is named after the late school teacher and wife of legendary Grambling State coach Eddie Robinson, the eighth annual award is presented to an FCS student-athlete who excels not only on the playing field and in the classroom, but also in the community and beyond.

 

This season, Zavalney has appeared in all 11 games with nine starts at tight end. He is tied for No. 7 on the team with 17 receptions for 157 yards, averaging 19.27 yards per game. He has scored two touchdowns this season and had a season-best four grabs for 50 yards and a touchdown in the 29-27 win over Northern Iowa. Zavalney entered the year as a fourth team All-MVFC selection by Phil Steele. In UND’s Division I record book, Zavalney is tied for sixth in career touchdown receptions with nine.

 

Off the field, Zavalney is a psychology/pre-physical therapy major with a 3.936 GPA. He has volunteered 112 hours and 15 minutes of community service and helps lead Holiday Magic from Markus. Holiday Magic from Markus aims to, “Lift the spirits of the children and their families during the holidays by providing gifts, from the children’s wish lists, delivered by University of North Dakota student-athletes.”

 

Zavalney is one of 15 student-athletes up for the award and the winner will be announced on Dec. 12. The award winner will be honored at the FCS National Awards banquet on Jan. 7 in Frisco, Texas – on the eve of the National Championship game.

——————————————————–

 

NDSU FOOTBALL

 

FARGO, N.D. (NDSU) – North Dakota State has three players among the finalists for national player of the year honors in the Football Championship Subdivision. The finalists were announced Tuesday, Nov. 22, by Stats Perform. NDSU fullback Hunter Luepke and left tackle Cody Mauch are finalists for the Walter Payton Award, presented annually to the top offensive player in the FCS, and Bison defensive end Spencer Waege is a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award, the defensive player of the year award. There are 30 finalists for each of the awards. A national media panel will select the winners with voting based on the regular season. The recipients will be announced at the FCS national awards banquet Jan. 7 in Frisco, Texas. North Dakota State has had six previous finalists for the Walter Payton Award, including quarterback Trey Lance as the 2019 winner. Mauch is the only offensive lineman among this year’s finalists and the second all-time from NDSU joining Joe Haeg, who was 13th in the voting in 2015. NDSU has had nine previous finalists for the Buck Buchanan Award. Defensive end Kyle Emanuel was the 2014 award recipient.

—————————————————

 

WILD-JETS

 

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Marcus Foligno scored twice and Filip Gustavsson made 28 saves as the Minnesota Wild took down the Winnipeg Jets 6-1. Matt Boldy added a goal and two assists for the Wild, and Kirill Kaprizov extended his point streak to seven games with a power-play goal 28 seconds into the third period. Gustavsson made his third straight start in net with Marc-Andre Fleury still out with an upper-body injury. Kyle Connor had Winnipeg’s goal, a wrister that cut Minnesota’s lead to 3-1 in the second period.

—————————————————

 

WOLVES-PACERS

 

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Karl-Anthony Towns scored 23 points — nine of them in a row in a key third-quarter run — and the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Indiana Pacers 115-101 on Wednesday night. Minnesota has won five in a row, four of them on the road, to improve to 10-8. Indiana had a five-game winning streak snapped to drop to 10-7. Towns also had 11 rebounds and eight assists. All five Timberwolves starters scored in double digits. Rudy Gobert had 21 points and 16 rebounds, Anthony Edwards 19 points, Jaden McDaniels 18 and D’Angelo Russell 15 points and 11 assists. Myles Turner led the Pacers with 31 points, including seven 3s.

—————————————————

 

WILD-RANGERS TRADE

 

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The New York Rangers traded enforcer Ryan Reaves to the Minnesota Wild on Wednesday for a 2025 fifth-round pick. Reaves had been a healthy scratch for eight of the past 12 games for the Rangers. He gives struggling Minnesota some extra muscle and a veteran presence. “He hadn’t been playing on a regular basis, but for us, I just feel that what Ryan brings as a player, the way he plays his role is elite,” said Wild general manger Bill Guerin. “Just as important as that is he brings a lot of energy. He’s always full of energy. He’s a big personality. I think right now, that’s something our team really needs.” The 35-year-old is signed through only the rest of this season at a $1.75 million salary cap hit. He has no points and 12 penalty minutes in 12 games of his second season with New York. Reaves has played in 869 NHL regular-season and playoff games for the St. Louis Blues, Pittsburgh Penguins, Vegas Golden Knights and Rangers. He was with the Golden Knights during their inaugural season in 2017-18 when the reached the Stanley Cup Final.

——————————————————-

 

VIKINGS-O’CONNELL

 

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The first regular-season game Kevin O’Connell participated in during his fleeting NFL playing career came in late-game relief for New England in a rare lopsided loss. The Patriots had a bye the following week, and sure enough coach Bill Belichick had them ready for a bounce-back victory. Even after Tom Brady was lost for the year with a knee injury in the opener, the Patriots finished that 2008 season with an 11-5 record. The response to the Week 3 blowout was methodical, not maniacal. The message was about controlling what was in their control and simply letting the rest of it go. “That sticks with me to this very day, just as an example of what it’s like to coach in those moments where adversity hits and how you need to be at your best for your team,” O’Connell said.

 

The first-year Minnesota Vikings coach has found himself in that very situation this week, following a 40-3 loss to Dallas. The Vikings (8-2) host the Patriots (6-4), still coached by Belichick all these years later, on Thursday night with only four days to regroup. O’Connell, fittingly, will experience one of the biggest tests of his mettle as the boss against a coach who significantly influenced his know-how and perspective. “I still have old notebooks with team meeting notes and things like that that are always great to go back and look through,” O’Connell said. The first thing Belichick said this week when asked about his memory of O’Connell? That he was a “smart kid” who picked up the offense quickly. “He’s done a heck of a job and climbed through the coaching ranks quickly,” Belichick said. “Based on the way the Vikings are playing this year, you could see why he’s done it.”

 

PALS FROM THE PATS
O’Connell made fast friends in 2008 with roommate Matthew Slater, a fellow member of that draft class who just so happens to still be playing for the Patriots as their long-time special teams ace. Slater was a groomsman in O’Connell’s wedding, and their wives are close with each other, too. “I just can’t tell you how proud I am of him, to see him grow and to see him accomplish so much as a young coach in this league,” Slater said. The two Southern California natives found plenty in common as 20-somethings living on the opposite coast in a vastly different climate. During the 2011 lockout, when O’Connell was with the New York Jets, they got together for daily workouts at whatever school fields they could find to throw routes and stay in shape. “A couple of kids trying to find our way. I guess we did all right for ourselves,” Slater said.

 

BIG STAGE
This is the first Thanksgiving Day home game in Vikings history. They’re 6-2 on the football-fueled holiday, last playing at Detroit in 2017. The Patriots are 3-2, all on the road. Their previous appearance was a win over the Jets in 2012. Washington played at Dallas three times on Thanksgiving when quarterback Kirk Cousins was there, twice as the starter. “A lot of kids grow up playing in the backyard, playing football on Thanksgiving, but not a lot get to continue like we’ve been able to do,” Cousins said. “It’s a real privilege, and you want to play in such a way that reflects that. Hopefully we can get it done.”

 

LINE SHUFFLE
The Patriots tried a new look on the offensive line last week in a 10-3 win over the Jets, seeking improvement for a group that has given up 12 sacks in the past two games. They benched Trent Brown, who started the previous nine games at left tackle. Then they shifted Isaiah Wynn from right tackle back to the left side he played on most of last season. Yodny Cajuste started on the right side. But that alignment was altered after Wynn injured his foot. Brown replaced him. Center David Andrews also left the game with a thigh injury, cutting short his return from back-to-back absences recovering from a concussion. Wynn didn’t practice on Tuesday, putting his availability in question. Andrews was listed as a limited participant.

 

FILM ROOM
The Vikings had several flaws exposed by the Cowboys in the blowout loss, but the Patriots have been treating that more like an anomaly than a tip sheet. Safety Kyle Dugger said he has spent more time watching prior performances to get a true picture, considering the Vikings won seven straight games all by eight points or fewer. “The closer games are the ones that tell you a little more because there are a lot more go-to situations,” Dugger said. “Coordinators are going to go to the things they feel like are going to have success. Blowouts or big point differentials can be a little misleading in some ways.”