dsu blue hawks – Page 2

Schrempp trying to be a strong influence for son, hometown kids

Whenever he enters a competition, Cameron Schrempp said he sets the bar high.

Whether it has been boxing, mixed martial arts or wrestling, the 25-year-old Dickinson State student-athlete has made it his job to do as well as he possibly can.

He said his inspiration has been his 4-yearold son, Aiden, and the countless other children from his hometown of Eagle Butte, S.D., an area where nearly half the population lives beneath the poverty line.

“Setting the bar not just for my son, but where I came from, a lot of kids don’t have anyone to look up to,” said Schrempp, a graduate of Cheyenne-Eagle Butte High School. “I kind of want to set the bar for kids, for someone to look up to.”
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STEELE’S CURTAIN: Unorthodox style has been trademark of Beach native, who wraps up his DSU career this week

Brad Steele has never been the most orthodox wrestler on a mat.

In fact, he has thrived on being exactly the opposite.

“You talk about a funky style, he would be the king of funk,” Dickinson State head wrestling coach Thadd O’Donnell said with a smile. Steele, who came to DSU out of Beach High School a half-decade ago as a North Dakota Class B state champion, looks to wrap up his wrestling career in style this weekend as he leads the No. 3-ranked Blue Hawks into the NAIA national tournament Friday and Saturday in Des Moines, Iowa.

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AN EARNED CAREER: John Hanstad’s success at DSU built on work ethic, leadership

John Hanstad was certain his days of playing organized basketball had ended at Dickinson High School.

Though he had planned to attend Dickinson State University, Hanstad was not convinced he had what it took to suit up for the Blue Hawk men’s basketball team.

“I remember sitting in the hallway outside the office, talking to John and saying, ‘Hey, give it a try. You never know what’s going to happen,’” DSU head coach Ty Orton said.

Five years later, Hanstad is preparing to wrap up a career in which he has become his team’s most trusted leader and, along the way, cemented himself as one of DSU’s all-time leading 3-point shooters.

Hanstad wraps up his surprisingly successful five-year career at DSU this week as the Blue Hawks host the University of Great Falls (Mont.) at 7:30 p.m. today and Montana State-Northern at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Scott Gymnasium. The team’s season ends Saturday since they are out of the race for the top six spots in the Frontier Conference and will be left out of the league’s postseason tournament.

Though he would have liked his senior season to have lasted longer, Hanstad said there’s a silver lining in being able to end his career on DSU’s home court.

“It’s definitely better than being on the road,” Hanstad said. “That’s what I was telling my dad yesterday. It’s going to be fun to have the last two here at home.”

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DSU mulls forming new conference: League eyeing Blue Hawks would consist of 4 former DAC schools, Presentation College

After less than one school year in the Frontier Conference, Dickinson State officials are mulling a move that would send its athletic programs to a proposed league consisting primarily of its former Dakota Athletic Conference rivals.

Kurt Patberg, a consultant representing five schools, contacted Dickinson State in late January to gauge the university’s interest in creating a new NAIA conference made up of teams in North and South Dakota.

DSU President D.C. Coston and athletic director Tim Daniel said Friday that the school is carefully examining what Patberg and the schools he represents have to say.

“We have to look at this,” Daniel said. “This affords us some opportunities to maybe address some problems that we are experiencing right now.”

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Hansen leads DSU offensively, but also plays big role on defense

Dickinson State senior Jarek Hansen isn’t a type of basketball player who can be easily categorized. Hansen has steadily increased his output each of the three seasons he has been with the Blue Hawk men after transferring from Williston State College.

He is averaging 10.6 points and three rebounds per game while shooting 89 percent from the free-throw line and 39 percent from 3-point range, all of which are by far the best marks of his collegiate career.

“My role has changed every year,” Hansen said. “My sophomore year, I was expected to bring a spark off the bench when the time was there for me. Last year, I got put in a starting role right at the beginning of the season and was expected to put some points on the board, score for us and play hard, tough defense as well.”
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