The Competitive Edge
The UND Alumni Magazine is published quarterly with a goal of connecting University of North Dakota alumni and friends through stories of inspiration and impact.
The 2024 Spring Edition was released in May. In this issue, we explore the many ways UND alumni and students are achieving greatness through athletics. From academic achievement and varsity competitions to securing dream jobs with professional teams, to forging friendships and building community, dive into this issue to see the influence of sports at the University of North Dakota.
You can view the flipbook version here.
Features
Letters to Alumni
Dear Alumni & Friends,
You can’t deny the impact of sports on our society. Whether you played as a teen, cheer for your favorite collegiate or professional team, or continue an active lifestyle today, athletics and sports enrich many people’s lives.
I have fond memories of my own school sports participation. I was only allowed to play two sports as I had commitments on the family farm near Warren, Minnesota, so I played basketball and ran track for the Warren Ponies.
From those experiences, I learned life lessons that stick with me to this day: the
value of teamwork, time management and hard work.
They taught me how to handle my role within a team structure and how to be accountable
to others.
I also saw how sports could bring a community together. The whole town would come out to cheer us on as we took on our rival school.
At UND, we see that on a much grander scale when the Gophers come to town for hockey or NDSU makes the trip north for a matchup on the field or court, or when any of our teams are playing in the post-season. It’s so much fun and it brings everyone together in support of the Fighting Hawks.
This issue is dedicated to UND sports and careers that our alumni have pursued in the world of sports and fitness. It’s a wonderful topic to dive into given the long history of sports at this flagship university. It’s more than the games themselves; it’s the profound impact sports have on shaping our university’s identity and fostering a sense of unity. From the earliest days when UND fielded its first football team to the recent addition of esports in 2020, sports have been an integral part of our institution’s rich history.
While today’s esports athletes are trailblazers for that program, there are many who left a lasting mark on UND’s athletic legacy.
For example, Grace Osborne Rhonemus, born in 1905 in Emerado, North Dakota, defied societal norms to become one of the earliest outstanding female athletes at UND.
She earned acclaim through her remarkable achievements in track and field, basketball, volleyball, and softball (she was named a national champion in track in 1924, paving the way for future generations of female athletes to thrive). For her efforts, Grace, who was dubbed the “Emerado Flash,” was the first woman to be inducted into the UND Athletics Hall of Fame. The UND Female Athlete of the Year Award is named in her honor (given this school year to Yonca Kutluk, women’s track and cross-country).
Our student-athletes not only perform at the highest level in competition, but also in the classroom and in the community. This fall, North Dakota Athletics competed in the NCAA Team Works Challenge Championship, where they took third place in the country. From Sept. 1-Dec. 15, North Dakota tallied 3,230 community service hours, with 97% of our student-athletes participating, for an average of about 9.2 hours per athlete. What a wonderful testament to the student-athletes, their coaches and the Greater Grand Forks community!
Forever UND
A commitment to serve and a connection between past, present and future are the foundations of Forever UND: The Campaign for the University of North Dakota. I’m pleased with the progress we’ve made on the campaign since revealing our public phase during Homecoming 2023. Since then, we’ve been traveling around the country to connect with alumni and friends of this great University. I want to thank all of the tremendous alumni who have opened their homes for these gatherings. You make us proud to have your support for this campaign.
Homecoming 2024
Homecoming is another example of the “forever” that is the University of North Dakota, so make plans to attend Homecoming 2024 on September 23-28.
One of the highlights of every Homecoming is our Alumni Honors Banquet. This year’s recipients of the Sioux Award for Distinguished Achievement & Leadership are Chuck Kummeth, ’83; Dr. Monica Mayer, ’95; David Miedema, ’76; Cathy (Wilson) Rydell, ’88; and Suezette Bieri, ’69, and Mike Jacobs, ’70.
There will be three recipients of the Young Alumni Achievement Award: Dr. Tiffany (Stratton) Hamilton, ’06; Emily O’Brien, ’15; and Erica (Wondrasek) Thunder, ’11.
You can find information on Homecoming 2024 here. We hope to see you on campus for Homecoming Week!
Thank you for all that you do for UND and its outstanding students!
Sincerely,
DeAnna Carlson Zink
CEO, UND Alumni Association & Foundation
Andy's Fitness Tips
Keeping fit in a role like mine can be tough.
Concentrated periods of time are harder to find in the face of busy schedules and
trips away from home. Everywhere I go, I’m surrounded by restaurant meals – delicious
but calorific.
I am, by no means, in the best shape of my life, but here are a few thoughts on fitness
for those who are no longer competing for championship trophies:
• Make it a priority well ahead of those things that consume your time, like email
and social media
• Change the mindset: working out is no longer about vanity, but about quality of
life and overall health
• Find a consistent time to work out; for me, it’s early in the morning
• Bring your workout gear on the road
• It’s important to focus on cardio, strength, and flexibility (my nemesis)
My workouts are simple: cardio on either the treadmill or elliptical and strength
training with adjustable weight dumbbells. As a former college athlete, these workouts
are nothing like what we used to do, but that’s part of our evolving lives. Thus,
it’s important to find other ways to exercise, such as taking the stairs instead of
the elevator, walking across campus instead of driving, and even knocking out pushups
or stretching in the office. Every little bit helps.
Alumni In Action
Alumni In History
UND Athletics
Things That Make Us #UNDproud
We are proud to partner with UND Today, your alma mater's official news source. Here's a snapshot of some great thing happening right here at the University of North Dakota. For more, subscribe to UND Today at blogs.UND.edu/UND-today.
- For the first time, members of the UND Chapter of Special Olympics College performed their own dance number during halftime of a men’s basketball game.
- In his speech to graduates, Mark Pfeifle reflects on career in Washington, D.C., enhanced by UND experiences.
- Kevin O’Leary, Canadian business executive and television personality best known as “Mr. Wonderful” from the reality show “Shark Tank” visited campus.
- UND’s Aerobatic Team wins nationals and Flying Team wins regionals, the latest championships in a decades-long tradition.
- Three UND researchers spent a day in an underwater habitat near Key Largo, Fla., to learn more about space.
- UND receives Army contract for revolutionary sanitation technology.
- Middle, high school students take part in VEX Robotics Competition.
- UND and North Dakota Tribal College System receive $1 million Mellon Foundation grant to enhance Indigenous humanities education.
- UND held its first Rosa Parks lecture during Black History Month.
- Two bachelor’s degree programs will come back to UND in the next two years: Music Therapy and Journalism.
Thank You, Donors!
The UND Alumni Association & Foundation sincerely thanks all alumni and friends who have made gifts and commitments to support students, faculty, programs, and places at UND. See who's listed in the Eternal Flame Society.
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