Minot State Beavers
Encyclopedia
The Minot State Beavers are the intercollegiate athletic teams of Minot State University
(MSU), located in Minot, North Dakota
. The Beavers currently in the process of transitioning from the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
(NAIA) to the NCAA
Division II. The university was previously a member of the NAIA's Dakota Athletic Conference
(DAC) and compete as an independent
as a provisional member for the 2011-12 academic year before joining the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference
(NSIC) in 2012. Minot State Beavers men's and women's ice hockey teams currently play in the American Collegiate Hockey Association
(ACHA), the men's team plays as is an independent team at the ACHA Men's Division I level and women's team at the ACHA Women's Division II level.
(DAC) which is a part of the NAIA
. The Minot State University Beavers won NAIA national championships in men's cross country in 2002 and 2003, the only team national championships in the school's history.
In January 2011, MSU was admitted to the NSIC
with the University of Sioux Falls
, also transitioning from the NAIA to NCAA Division II. The two schools will join the conference for the 2012-13 academic year creating a 16-member conference split into two 8-member divisions. MSU will compete in the NSIC North Division, consisting of Bemidji State, U-Mary, Minnesota-Crookston, Minnesota-Duluth, MSU-Moorhead, Minot State, Northern State and St. Cloud State.
Women's sports
level as the NAIA discontinued the sponsorship of the sport in the 1980s. The team plays at the All Seasons Arena
, with select games at the Maysa Arena
. The men's team competes as an ACHA DI independent team and plays a schedule consisting ACHA DI members along with a number of games against local NJCAA schools, Dakota College at Bottineau Lumberjacks men's ice hockey and newly formed Williston State College
, as well as Canadian colleges.
Minot State University
Minot State University is a four-year institution of higher learning in Minot, North Dakota. Founded in 1913 as a normal school, Minot State University is the third-largest university in North Dakota, offering undergraduate and graduate degree programs.Minot State University was founded in 1913...
(MSU), located in Minot, North Dakota
Minot, North Dakota
Minot is a city located in north central North Dakota in the United States. It is most widely known for the Air Force base located approximately 15 miles north of the city. With a population of 40,888 at the 2010 census, Minot is the fourth largest city in the state...
. The Beavers currently in the process of transitioning from the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics is an athletic association that organizes college and university-level athletic programs. Membership in the NAIA consists of smaller colleges and universities across the United States. The NAIA allows colleges and universities outside the USA...
(NAIA) to the NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
Division II. The university was previously a member of the NAIA's Dakota Athletic Conference
Dakota Athletic Conference
The Dakota Athletic Conference is a college athletic conference affiliated with the NAIA. As the name implies, member teams are located in the states of North Dakota and South Dakota.-History:...
(DAC) and compete as an independent
NCAA Division II independent schools
NCAA Division II independent schools are four-year institutions that field intercollegiate teams in football and other sports, but which are not formally affiliated with any athletic conference.-Full Division II member:...
as a provisional member for the 2011-12 academic year before joining the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference
Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference
The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference is a college athletic conference which operates in the Midwestern United States. Nine of its members are in Minnesota, with two members in South Dakota and one member each in the states of Iowa, Nebraska and North Dakota. It participates in the NCAA's...
(NSIC) in 2012. Minot State Beavers men's and women's ice hockey teams currently play in the American Collegiate Hockey Association
American Collegiate Hockey Association
The American Collegiate Hockey Association is the national governing body of non-varsity college ice hockey in the U.S. The organization provides structure, regulations, promotes the quality of play, sponsors National Awards and National Tournaments....
(ACHA), the men's team plays as is an independent team at the ACHA Men's Division I level and women's team at the ACHA Women's Division II level.
History
Minot State University athletics previously competed in the Dakota Athletic ConferenceDakota Athletic Conference
The Dakota Athletic Conference is a college athletic conference affiliated with the NAIA. As the name implies, member teams are located in the states of North Dakota and South Dakota.-History:...
(DAC) which is a part of the NAIA
National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics is an athletic association that organizes college and university-level athletic programs. Membership in the NAIA consists of smaller colleges and universities across the United States. The NAIA allows colleges and universities outside the USA...
. The Minot State University Beavers won NAIA national championships in men's cross country in 2002 and 2003, the only team national championships in the school's history.
In January 2011, MSU was admitted to the NSIC
Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference
The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference is a college athletic conference which operates in the Midwestern United States. Nine of its members are in Minnesota, with two members in South Dakota and one member each in the states of Iowa, Nebraska and North Dakota. It participates in the NCAA's...
with the University of Sioux Falls
University of Sioux Falls
The University of Sioux Falls is a private, liberal arts college affiliated with the American Baptist Churches USA. It is also commonly called USF.-History:...
, also transitioning from the NAIA to NCAA Division II. The two schools will join the conference for the 2012-13 academic year creating a 16-member conference split into two 8-member divisions. MSU will compete in the NSIC North Division, consisting of Bemidji State, U-Mary, Minnesota-Crookston, Minnesota-Duluth, MSU-Moorhead, Minot State, Northern State and St. Cloud State.
Sports
Men's sports- BaseballCollege baseballCollege baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. Compared to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a less significant contribution to cultivating professional players, as the minor leagues primarily...
- BasketballCollege basketballCollege basketball most often refers to the USA basketball competitive governance structure established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Basketball in the NCAA is divided into three divisions: Division I, Division II and Division III....
- Cross CountryCross country runningCross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
- FootballAmerican footballAmerican football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
- GolfGolfGolf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
- Ice Hockey (ACHA)
- Track & Field
- WrestlingWrestlingWrestling is a form of grappling type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. A wrestling bout is a physical competition, between two competitors or sparring partners, who attempt to gain and maintain a superior position...
Women's sports
- BasketballCollege basketballCollege basketball most often refers to the USA basketball competitive governance structure established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Basketball in the NCAA is divided into three divisions: Division I, Division II and Division III....
- Cross CountryCross country runningCross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
- GolfGolfGolf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
- Ice Hockey (ACHA)
- Soccer
- SoftballSoftballSoftball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...
- Track & Field
- VolleyballVolleyballVolleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
Ice hockey (M)
Minot State men's ice hockey team competes in the ACHA Division IAmerican Collegiate Hockey Association
The American Collegiate Hockey Association is the national governing body of non-varsity college ice hockey in the U.S. The organization provides structure, regulations, promotes the quality of play, sponsors National Awards and National Tournaments....
level as the NAIA discontinued the sponsorship of the sport in the 1980s. The team plays at the All Seasons Arena
All Seasons Arena (Minot)
All Seasons Arena is a multipurpose venue located on the North Dakota State Fairgrounds in Minot, North Dakota. It is the home ice of the Minot State University Beavers ice hockey team....
, with select games at the Maysa Arena
Maysa Arena
Maysa Arena is a multi-purpose venue located in Minot, North Dakota. It is home to the Minot Minotauros of the North American Hockey League-External links:*...
. The men's team competes as an ACHA DI independent team and plays a schedule consisting ACHA DI members along with a number of games against local NJCAA schools, Dakota College at Bottineau Lumberjacks men's ice hockey and newly formed Williston State College
Williston State College
Williston State College is a two-year public college in Williston, North Dakota, part of the North Dakota University System. Founded in 1957, WSC provides general, vocational, and technical education. For most of its history the college has worked in close connection with the University of North...
, as well as Canadian colleges.