Latest news with #NorthernState
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Northern State battles Minnesota State in spring game
TEA, S.D. (KELO) — Northern State made the trip down the interstate for its spring football game as the Wolves took on NSIC-foe Minnesota State at Tea Area High School Sunday afternoon. After both teams scored an early touchdown, the Mavericks scored 10 straight to build a double-digit lead. On NSU's first play from scrimmage following that, Daniel Britt connected with Zach Jorgensen to pull back within three. MSU's Sam Backer pushed the lead back to 10 with less than two minutes remaining in the period. Northern opens the 2025 campaign at USF on Sept. 6. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
‘Pretty surreal:' Matt Wilber begins at Northern State
ABERDEEN, S.D. (KELO) — Northern State announced it would be making a change with the leadership of its men's basketball program one day after its season ended in late February. The search culminated with the hiring of Matt Wilber, who was introduced Monday in Aberdeen. Wilber is the 23rd coach in program history and just the seventh head man since 1946. As the school narrowed the search, his name stood out from the rest. 'Matt was the guy for us that from early in the process,' Northern State Director of Athletics Nate Davis said. 'We knew he was going to be a really strong contender and strong candidate. And obviously he was the guy that rose to the top.' Wilber is no stranger to college coaching, serving in a leading role at Dakota Wesleyan for 11 years and guided the Tigers to six straight trips to the NAIA National Tournament, including a runner-up finish in 2015. Most recently, he spent last summer as an assistant coach with the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury. While that experience provided him a new perspective, the opportunity to lead his own program once again was too tempting. 'I used to joke I was a pretty well paid graduate assistant down there,' Wilber said. 'And then you're jumping back into this where you're like, hey, everything's on you, and you kind of do some soul searching and go, who are you? And I just have always felt at my core being able to lead a program and do that. That's what I am hopefully built to do.' The Miller, S.D., native grew up a Northern State fan and attended games with his father, who played both basketball and baseball for the Wolves, which cements a homecoming for Wilber. 'The place I grew up,' Wilber said. 'My dad would throw me in the car, a lot of different nights and we'd go watch a lot of different teams. I mean, he's a basketball junkie, and I absorbed that. But our Northern and the Barnett Center was our No. 1 destination. There's a personal connection, and this is a full-circle moment and pretty surreal to have this opportunity.' The Wolves have won just 12 games in the past two seasons, but Wilber says with the right players, he believes Northern State can have a quick turnaround. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Matt Wilber hired as Northern State's men's basketball coach
ABERDEEN, S.D. (KELO) — Northern State has announced the hiring of their 23rd men's basketball coach. Matt Wilber will be the new head coach for Wolves. An introductory press conference will be held on Monday, March 31st at 11 a.m. in Aberdeen. You can watch that live on Wilber most recently severed as an assistant coach for the Phoenix Mercury of the WNBA. Prior to that, Matt spent 11 seasons as the head coach at Dakota Wesleyan. DWU went 224-125 in his 11 seasons, making six consecutive trips to the NAIA National Tournament from 2014-2020. 'Matt Wilber is a proven winner and leader of young people,' Northern State Director of Athletics Nate Davis said. 'His enthusiasm and passion for Northern State and Wolves basketball stood out from the beginning, and he has shown that same energy throughout the process. Matt is a relentless recruiter and has shown a tremendous ability to develop student-athletes, all while creating a dynamic team culture. I have no doubt that he will build a program with talented, high character young men that Wolves Country will be excited to watch and proud to call their team.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
25-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
‘Hasn't been another player at Northern like her': Fillipi cements legacy with Wolves
ABERDEEN, S.D. (KELO) — Basketball players are often looked at by how many points they score and while that's important, there are several other categories on the stat sheet. Northern State's Rianna Fillipi learned that lesson early, sparking one of the best careers in Wolves history. 'It's actually one of the greatest feelings ever, especially to have it at Northern State here,' Fillipi said. 'Everybody is just behind you.' Rianna Fillipi was a standout at Lennox High School, where she averaged double figures in scoring and earned All-State honors in 2019. 'I'm a gut recruiter and when I see it, I know,' Northern State head coach Paula Krueger said. 'I can't really tell you what 'it' is, but I can feel 'it' and she had 'it'.' Fillipi committed to play for Paula Krueger and Northern State. From the moment she walked on campus, a lot of trust was placed in the 5'8″ point guard. 'She's who I chose to build my program on,' Krueger said. 'I think every head coach when you come in and you're going through that process, you find that one person that you know you can trust with everything.' Fillipi has scored in double figures her entire career, but her elite passing ability was showcased early. Rianna has tallied 566 career assists, shattering the old program record of 400. She's also the NSIC leader in assists each of the last two seasons. 'My eyes just kind of light up, it's what I gravitate towards,' Fillipi said. 'If I can drive down the middle of the paint and find a three point shooter and I have Michaela or Alayna in the corner. I just know it's an automatic assist.' Fillipi has left an everlasting mark on the Wolves program, becoming the first player to ever tally 1,500 points, 500 rebounds and 500 assists. 'Every single game is just special, to just take it game by game and enjoy it,' Fillipi said. 'There hasn't been another player at Northern like her, and I can say that with tremendous confidence,' Krueger said. 'I can say that because I played here, I was an assistant here, and I've coached here now as a head coach. What she means to the program I don't know that we'll truly feel, until she's not here anymore. I hope that that's still three or four weeks down the road.' Northern State will face either USF or Minnesota Crookston in the NSIC Quarterfinals on Sunday. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
