Northern State University Athletics - NSU's Don Meyer Ties Dean Smith With 879 Wins

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Athletes of the Week

Ashley Gabler

Softball

Ashley Gabler (OF, So., Minnetonka, Minn./Benilde-St. Margarets HS) led the Wolves with a .357 batting average in six conference games this week. After struggling in two home games on Wednesday, Gabler bounced back to go 5-for-9 (.556) at the plate for the Wolves in their four-game road trip and racked up a .600 on base percentage. The sophomore drilled her second home run of the season in the first game of Sunday’s doubleheader against 24th ranked Minnesota State, Mankato, breaking up the Mavericks’ shut-out bid in the process.

James Paul

Baseball

James Paul (Sr., SS, R/R, 5-8, 165, Paynesville, Minn. / Paynesville HS) led the Wolves batters with a .542 average in their 1-5 week this week. He went 13-24 with five RBI, two doubles, and four runs scored with a .625 slugging percentage and a .577 on-base percentage (1.202 OPS). The senior also earned two walks and was a perfect 2-2 on stolen base attempts.

NSU's Don Meyer was presented with the game ball in a ceremony following his 879th win

NSU's Don Meyer Ties Dean Smith With 879 Wins

Melissa Wolf, SID

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1/19/2008 9:55:22 PM

ABERDEEN, S.D. - Northern State University head coach Don Meyer has achieved what only two other coaches in the history of NCAA men's basketball have achieved, 879 career wins. The milestone victory that ties Meyer with North Carolina's legendary Dean Smith for second place on the NCAA all-time wins list came on NSU's home court on Saturday, January 19. A thunderous crowd of 5,454 gave the Wolves the momentum as they topped the University of Mary 87-78 in a regionally televised game.

Meyer has led the Wolves of Northern State, an NCAA Division II institution located in Aberdeen, S.D., to a current 17-1 overall record. NSU's only loss of the season came at the hands of conference foe Winona State, who has appeared in the NCAA DII National Championship game for the past two seasons. The Wolves are ranked #12 in the nation and have a Northern Sun Conference record of 8-1.

With 879 wins, Meyer trails only Bobby Knight on the NCAA's all-time win list. Knight overtook Smith with his 880th win last season and became the first men's basketball coach to record 900 wins on Wednesday as his Texas Tech Red Raiders downed Texas A&M, 68-53.

In his 36th season as a collegiate head coach, Meyer entered the 2007-08 campaign with 862 wins and ranked fourth among all NCAA men's basketball coaches for overall victories. Already the winningest coach on the NCAA Division II active coaching record list, Meyer has led the Wolves to a winning mark of 81.3% in the past three seasons and has a career win percentage of 74.8%. He has racked up 177 wins in nine seasons at Northern State.

Don Meyer began his coaching career at Hamline University in St. Paul, Minn. After three seasons, he took over the head coaching duties at Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tenn. where he spent 24 years and racked up an astounding 665 wins with a win percentage of 78.8%. Meyer came to Northern State in 1999 and has led the Wolves to six seasons with 20 or more wins, four NSIC regular season or tournament championships and three NCAA Tournament appearances. On December 11, 2004, Meyer became one of just eight coaches in NCAA history to record 800 career wins.