Winona, MN-
As winter sports from across the Minnesota College Athletic Conference wind down and select programs head to their respective national championship competitions, coaches and administrators from around the league have recognized some of the top performers on the sidelines over the past several months.
Read on for more on the 2019-20 USMC, adidas/Nicklasson Athletic Coach-of-the-Year honors in winter sports around the Minnesota College Athletic Conference.
Adidas is the official apparel brand of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA); Nicklasson Athletic Company is the official adidas provider of apparel for programs around the Minnesota College Athletic Conference and is the lead sponsor for 2019-20 MCAC Coach-of-the-Year honors. When you want your team to look as good as they play, trust the experts at Nicklasson Athletic Company.
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| 2019-20 adidas / Nicklasson Athletic | MCAC Coaches-of-the-Year |
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Randy Rager Wrestling Coach-of-the-Year
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In most seasons, Rochester Community & Technical College sets the bar for wrestling programs around the Minnesota College Athletic Conference, and 2019-20 was no exception. Randy Rager's Yellowjackets won both the MCAC Duals title and the North District tournament championship this past season; Rager was named Coach-of-the-Year by his peers at the conclusion of the season. RCTC will send nine student-athletes on to compete on at the 2019-20 NJCAA Wrestling Championships on March 7-8 in Council Bluffs, Iowa. |
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David DeWitt Southern Division Women's Basketball Coach-of-the-Year
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Anoka-Ramsey Community College women's basketball coach David DeWitt led his team to the 2019-20 MCAC Southern Division regular season title, as the Golden Rams go 9-1 in Division play and registered an impressive 19-7 overall mark. DeWitt mentored several standouts in the 2019-20 season, including Charo Nickens, who was named to the 2019-20 MCAC First Team All-State women's basketball squad. DeWitt just completed his 14th season at Anoka-Ramsey, where his career W-L mark stands at 315-103. |
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Shannon Nelson Northern Division Women's Basketball Co-Coach-of-the-Year |
Northland Pioneer women's basketball and head coach Shannon Nelson are synomous with success in the MCAC Northern Division. In 2019-20, Nelson led Northland to a share of the 2019-20 MCAC North regular season title with a 13-1 Divisional record. Despite playing a tough schedule, NCTC earned a 20-5 overall mark - and more importantly - won the Region XIIIB tournament. With the touranment hardward, Northland received the automatic bid to the NJCAA Division IIII Women's Basketball championships. Divisional coaches voted Nelson and Rainy River head coach Dieter Humbert as Co-Coaches-of-the Year in the MCAC Northern Division in 2019-20. |
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Dieter Humbert Northern Division Women's Basketball Co-Coach-of-the-Year
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Rainy River Community College head coach Dieter Humbert was able to guide his team through a competitive MCAC Northern Division field in 2019-20, including notching a win over traditional power Northland CTC. Humbert's squad finished at 13-1 in Divisional play and earned shared honors with Northland for the regular season title. One of the longest serving head coaches in the MCAC ranks, Humbert has been coaching basketball and softball at Rainy River since 1994. Humbert and Northland's Shannon Nelson were tabbed Co Coach-of-the-Year in 2019-20 by their peers.
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Andy Cone Southern Division Men's Basketball Coach-of-the-Year
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St. Cloud Technical & Community College head coach Andy Cone presided over a record-setting Cyclone season in 2019-20 and was named MCAC Southern Division Coach-of-the-Year for his efforts. SCTCC won the 2019-20 MCAC Southern Division title outright, clocking in a 12-2 in league play. They also had an impressive 25-3 overall mark, which landed the Cyclones a first-ever At-Large bid to the 2019-20 NJCAA Division III National Tournament. SCTCC will travel to Rochester, Minnesota on for a shot at the national title on March 11-14. Cone was voted Coach-of-the-Year by his MCAC Southern Division peers. |
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Jim Russell Northern Division Men's Basketball Coach-of-the-Year
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Central Lakes College was picked by Division coaches to win the 2019-20 MCAC Northern Division title, and Jim Russell did not let them down. Russell's Raiders led from start to finish in the Division, going unbeaten in MCAC Northern Division play over the course of 2019-20. Central Lakes earned a 24-5 overall mark and saw Tyree'on Johnson develop into a dominant basketball player in the MCAC. Russell was tabbed the 2019-20 MCAC Northern Division Coach-of-the-Year by his peers. |
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Brian LaPlante Region XIII Men's Basketball Coach-of-the-Year
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Rochester Community & Technical College men's basketball tends to peak at the right time in most seasons, and the 2019-20 Minnesota College Athletic Conference campaign held true to form for head coach Brian LaPlante. After dropping four of six games after the New Year, the Yellowjackets went on an impressive run, winning 13 straight games, all MCAC victories. In the NJCAA North Plains District Tournament, RCTC dispatched two nationally-ranked squads en route to winning the District hardware. RCTC earned the 2019-20 Region XIII automatic bid, providing passage to the NJCAA Division III Men's Basketball National Championship, hosted on the Yellowjackets' home court. RCTC and LaPlante - the NJCAA Region XIII Coach-of-the-Year - also earned a first-round bye as the No. 4 seed in the tournament. |
The Minnesota College Athletic Conference is the organizational body for NJCAA-affiliated two-year technical and community college athletic programs in the Minnesota State Colleges & Universities system, as well as select member colleges in North Dakota and Wisconsin. The mission of the Minnesota College Athletic Conference is to advance intercollegiate athletics by providing an engaging and supportive environment for success of our student athletes and competition among member institutions. The MCAC is committed to the guiding principles of encouraging the development and success of student athletes, promoting the integrity, honesty and loyalty to member schools as well as upholding the sustainability of conference athletic programs.
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