Lady Spartans Honored with State, Divisional Awards

The M State Lady Spartan softball team received numerous honors for their fine season, placing two players on the Minnesota College Athletic Conference (MCAC) All State team, four players on the first team All Division squad of the MCAC's Southern Division, and one player on the Region 13A All Tournament team. The Lady Spartans finished the season with a 20-9 record and a qualifying bid to the National Junior College Athletic Association Region 13A tournament.

Tarryn Justesen and Amber Boese were named first Team All State. This honors the top nine players from the state, including the MCAC Northern Division. Justesen and Boese were selected first team All Southern Division of the MCAC and were joined on the first team by Doranna Bascyk and Sidney Imsande.

Justesen,  first team All State and first team All Division, had an outstanding season pitching for the Lady Spartans. She finished the season with a 16-6 record and a 2.87 earned run average. She had an amazing 167 strikeouts in 144 innings (8.12 per 7 innings), which places her third in the nation in that category. Her 16 wins and 2.87 earned run average are also in the top ten for NJCAA DIII pitchers. To top it off, she threw over 80% of the Lady Spartans innings this year. Tarryn is a freshman from Valley City North Dakota.

Amber Boese has been selected first team MCAC All State and first team MCAC Southern Division for the second consecutive year. Amber hit for a .345 average with two homeruns, six doubles and 21 runs batted in. She walked an amazing 22 times during the season and had an on base percentage of .495. Amber's outstanding defensive work at catcher and third base was also recognized by the coaches. Amber is a sophomore from Fergus Falls. 

Sophomore Doranna Blascyk receives her first trip to the MCAC Southern Divisions first team. Blascyk is very well known around the league for her defense and her aggressive base running. She hit at a .261 clip and had five homeruns and 23 runs batted in. She was never caught stealing this year, swiping 18 bases and scoring 27 runs. Blascyk played shortstop for the Lady Spartans and turned in some key defensive plays, including one of the finest running catches made by any player this year, ranging far into short left field toward the foul line to catch a fly ball and kill a rally. Doranna is a sophomore from Kensington.

Sidney Imsande, a freshman from New York Mills, has also been selected to the first team of the MCAC Southern Division. Sidney played catcher and first base for the Lady Spartans. She hit for a .367 average and led the Lady Spartans in RBIs with 26, hitting two homeruns and six doubles. The Lady Spartans were able to score a great number of runs with two outs this year, and Imsande was the leader in two out RBI knocks.

Haley Poehler capped off her outstanding academic and athletic career at M State Fergus Falls by being selected to the NJCAA Region 13A All Tournament team. Haley proved to be a tough out at the plate in the Lady Spartan's three tournament games. She was at the plate 12 times and reached base 8 times. She scored the winning run on a wild pitch in the Lady Spartan's come from behind 9-8 victory over Minnesota West in game two. She stole seven bases during the tournament and played great defensively in left field. Haley is a sophomore from Ada.