Valley City (Mark Potts VCSU))- Valley City State junior Jayden Ferguson has been named Honorable Mention All American, the NAIA national office announced Thursday with the release of its official 2016-17 Division II Men’s Basketball All American Team.
A 6-foot-5 forward from Williston, N.D., Ferguson led the Vikings in scoring this season at 21 points per game. He also pulled down 4.9 rebounds, dished out 1.9 assists and shot 51 percent from the field, 41 percent on 3′s and 75 percent at the free throw line. Ferguson was second in the North Star Athletic Association in scoring and finished fourth in shooting percentage. Nationwide, he ranked 19th in scoring average.
This is the second straight season that Ferguson earned Honorable Mention All American. He was also a 1st Team All Conference selection this year for the second straight season. Ferguson climbed the all-time scoring list at VCSU throughout the season, moving up to fourth all-time with 1,635 points. Only three Vikings have scored more points in their careers than Ferguson: Bob Price (1835 points, 1948-51), Bill Galloway (2006 points, 1949-51, 1953-54), and Cavin Anderson (2305 points, 1968-72).
Valley City State University junior Lexi Lennon was named Honorable Mention NAIA All American, the national office announced Thursday with the release of the 2016-17 Division II Women’s Basketball All American Team.
A 5-foot-8 guard from West Fargo, N.D., Lennon proved to be a versatile team leader this season for the Vikings. She played a team-high 31 minutes per game and filled up the stat sheet with averages of 14.3 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.8 steals. Lennon shot a team-best 49 percent from the field and 41 percent on 3′s. Lennon finished the season just eight points shy of 1,000 career points.
Lennon was also named 1st Team All Conference in the North Star Athletic Association. She helped the Vikings to a 24-9 overall record, tying the school record for wins in a season. The Vikings finished third in the NSAA regular season standings and advanced to the NSAA Tournament championship game. VCSU also earned a trip to the NAIA National Tournament for the fourth time in school history. The Viking season came to an end in the first round of the national tournament against previously undefeated Southeastern University (Fla.).
Valley City State University finished the season with a 16-15 overall record, tying for fifth in the NSAA regular season standings. The Vikings’ season came to an end in the quarterfinals of the NSAA Tournament.
