Minnesota State University Moorhead Men's Track

Milner's sixth leading the cross country and distance program for Minnesota State University Moorhead. Milner guided the MSUM men to the national cross country championships for the second straight year, as the Dragons posted a 21st-place finish. USTFCCCA All-Region honorees in cross country were Brady Speicher, Josh Young and MaKenzie Smith. Josh Young was named the NSIC Men's Cross Country Newcomer of the Year while earning first-team all-conference honors. Speicer and Jay Biwer were second-team honorees on the men's side while MaKenzie Smith was first team on the women's side.  During the season the MSUM men recorded six of the top 10 fastest 10K times in school history. The MSUM women were named as an All-Academic team by the USTFCCCA after posting a 3.71 GPA. Cody Christ, Young, Smith and Emily Mammenga were all-academic honorees.   During the 2016 indoor season, Speicher won titles in the 800 and the mile while Young was the champion in the 1,000. Kenny Andri (400) and Alissa Mears (800) were All-NSIC honorees.  The men's distance runners scored 50.2 of 79.2 team points at the NSIC indoor meet. Speicher, also an all-region nominee, set a school indoor record in the mile (4:05.18) and was an All-American in the event after finishing sixth at the national meet. Molly Montonye was second-team All-American in the mile as well. During the outdoor season, Speicher was second-team All-American in the 1,500; he set a school record of 3:44.63 during the season. Speicher was NSIC outdoor champion in the 1,500, while Young was champion in the 800 and Cody Christ in the 10,000 meters. Young (1,500) and Christ (5,000) were also All-NSIC.  The men's distance corps scored 51 of 84 team points at the conference outdoor meet. Christ, Speicher and Young were all-region honorees. Christ, Young and Montonye were USTFCCCA All-Academic Honorees. The 2014-2015 season was highlighted by the MSUM men's cross country team's first trip to the national meet since 1992. Five Dragons earned All-NSIC honors with the men placing third and women fifth at the conference meet. Junior Molly Montonye was the NSIC runner-up and also posted a top 10 finish at the Central Region meet. The distance corps also shined during the indoor and outdoor track seasons, highlighted by Montonye earning All-American honors in the mile indoors and in the 1,500-meter run outdoors. Cody Christ also qualified for the national meet outdoors at the 10,000m distance.  He ran a school record time of 30:05.37 at the prestigious Mt SAC Relays and earned second team All-American honors at the NCAA DII national meet.  Christ also won his first individual NSIC title running a meet record 14:40.42 for 5,000m.     Also having strong seasons for the Dragon women were Alissa Mears and MaKenzie Smith.  At the Outdoor Championship Mears won her first NSIC 800m title with a time of 2:10.89.  She ran NCAA qualifying times at that distance during the indoor and outdoor seasons, and along with Emily Mammenga, Iveta Harner, and Molly Montonye was a member of the MSUM school recorded setting Distance Medley Relay.  Smith Followed up her first All-Conference cross country season with school records during the track season.  She broke the indoor 5,000m record, and the record for 10,000m outdoors.   Along with Christ a number of Dragon men had outstanding 2015 seasons.  The team of Jason Dowell, Kenny Andri, John Peterson, and Brady Speicher won the NSIC Distance Medley Relay title.  During the outdoor season, Speicher earned his first individual All-NSIC honor with a runner-up finish at 1500m.  Also earning All-NSIC honors was Spencer Ruebke in the Steeplechase.  Ruebke ran an NCAA qualifying time at that distance as well as at 1500m.  In total the Dragon distance runners scored 43 of 84 team points at the NSIC Championships helping the men's team to a 3rd place finish overall.            In 2013-2014 Milners student-athletes showed continued improvement.  Under Milners tutelage, Molly Montonye had a tremendous sophomore campaign for the Dragons.  She earned All-American honors, finishing fourth in the 1500m at the NCAA DII Track and Field Outdoor National Championships.  She also earned All-NSIC honors in the indoor mile, outdoor 1500m, and at the NSIC Cross Country Championships.  Freshman Makenzie Smith had a strong showing during her first season as a Dragon emerging as one of top female 3000m Steeplechase runners in NSIC.  She ran a NCAA DII National Championship qualifying time for that distance and earned USTFCCCA Academic All-American honors along with Montonye. Stepping in to fill the void left by Clayton Fosters graduation, junior Jason Dowell had a breakout season.  Dowell earned All-NSIC honors for the first time during the cross country season then capped his junior season by running personal bests for 5000m and 1500m at the NSIC Outdoor Track and Field Championships.  Dowells 5000m performance was among the 10 fastest in Dragon Track and Field history as was his 1500m which was also a NCAA DII National Championship qualifying time.                      In 2012-2013, Minnesota State University Moorhead continued its development in distance running under Milner.  The MSUM men finished second in the NSIC Indoor Championships, led in part by senior Clayton Foster, who won both the 800m and Mile.  Under Milners guidance Foster won 5 NSIC Championships and ran at 3 NCAA DII National Championships. Also during the indoor season Milner was part of a coaching staff that saw the Dragon men ranked sixth in the national computer rankings, highest in school history.  The mens team remained one of the premier programs in the conference by finishing 3rd at the outdoor championships, where Foster defended his 1500m title and freshman Cody Christ claimed a runner up finish at 10,000m.  A young core talented female distance runners also begin to emerge on the track for the Dragons during the 2013 season.  Freshman, Alissa Mears placed 3rd in the 800m at the NSIC Outdoor Championships, Emily Mammenga scored points as part of the Distance Medley Relay and in the 1,000m, Molly Montonye earned All-NSIC honors during the cross country season as well as placed in the Mile, 1500m, and 800m at the NSIC Track and Field Championships.       In 2011-12, the Dragon distance program experienced a resurgence under Milner's guidance led by Anna VanWechel earning All-American honors twice.  She placed 3rd in the mile at the NCAA DII Indoor Track and Field Championships and 3rd in the 1500m at the NCAA DII Outdoor Championships.  Throughout the season eight MSUM school records were also broken and along with VanWechel, Clayton Foster, Spencer Ruebke, and Dani Thompson also ran NCAA DII National Championship qualifying times.  Fosters qualifying time was at the 800m distance and was a MSUM school record, Ruebke and Thompsons time came in the 3000m Steeplechase. Foster also had an exceptional cross country season that culminated with him earning All-NSIC First Team honors at the Fall Championship.   In addition, Milner has coached Dragon student athletes to 30 NCAA DII National Championship qualifying times and 74 MSUM top 10 all-time performances. His athletes have been named to NSIC All-Academic teams 87 times and 12 athletes have been named Academic All-American by the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches' Association (USTFCCCA).   Before joining the MSUM coaching staff, Milner had served as an assistant cross country and track and field coach for four schools; Valley City State University, Chadron State College, Soka University, and Dana College.  During this time he coached 19 National Championship qualifying performances, 26 school record performances, 23 All-Conference performances, 32 All-Academic Team members, and All-Americans at the NCAA DII and NAIA levels.   A native of Council Bluffs, Iowa, Milner competed in cross country and the distance events for Dana College. He ran on cross country teams that were nationally ranked three times and was a four time NAIA Track and Field National Championship qualifier.   He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication from Dana College and later earned a Master of Science degree in Organizational Leadership with an emphasis in Sports Management from Chadron State College.  He is a USTFCCCA certified Endurance Specialist and holds a USA Track and Field Level 1 coaching certification.   He and his wife, Sarah, have one daughter, Addison. Ryan Milner Associate Head Track & Field/Cross Country Coach The 2016-17 season will mark Ryan Milner's sixth leading the cross country and distance program for Minnesota State University Moorhead. Milner guided the MSUM men to the national cross country championships for the second straight year, as the Dragons posted a 21st-place finish. USTFCCCA All-Region honorees in cross country were Brady Speicher, Josh Young and MaKenzie Smith. Josh Young was named the NSIC Men's Cross Country Newcomer of the Year while earning first-team all-conference honors. Speicer and Jay Biwer were second-team honorees on the men's side while MaKenzie Smith was first team on the women's side.  During the season the MSUM men recorded six of the top 10 fastest 10K times in school history. The MSUM women were named as an All-Academic team by the USTFCCCA after posting a 3.71 GPA. Cody Christ, Young, Smith and Emily Mammenga were all-academic honorees.   During the 2016 indoor season, Speicher won titles in the 800 and the mile while Young was the champion in the 1,000. Kenny Andri (400) and Alissa Mears (800) were All-NSIC honorees.  The men's distance runners scored 50.2 of 79.2 team points at the NSIC indoor meet. Speicher, also an all-region nominee, set a school indoor record in the mile (4:05.18) and was an All-American in the event after finishing sixth at the national meet. Molly Montonye was second-team All-American in the mile as well. During the outdoor season, Speicher was second-team All-American in the 1,500; he set a school record of 3:44.63 during the season. Speicher was NSIC outdoor champion in the 1,500, while Young was champion in the 800 and Cody Christ in the 10,000 meters. Young (1,500) and Christ (5,000) were also All-NSIC.  The men's distance corps scored 51 of 84 team points at the conference outdoor meet. Christ, Speicher and Young were all-region honorees. Christ, Young and Montonye were USTFCCCA All-Academic Honorees. The 2014-2015 season was highlighted by the MSUM men's cross country team's first trip to the national meet since 1992. Five Dragons earned All-NSIC honors with the men placing third and women fifth at the conference meet. Junior Molly Montonye was the NSIC runner-up and also posted a top 10 finish at the Central Region meet. The distance corps also shined during the indoor and outdoor track seasons, highlighted by Montonye earning All-American honors in the mile indoors and in the 1,500-meter run outdoors. Cody Christ also qualified for the national meet outdoors at the 10,000m distance.  He ran a school record time of 30:05.37 at the prestigious Mt SAC Relays and earned second team All-American honors at the NCAA DII national meet.  Christ also won his first individual NSIC title running a meet record 14:40.42 for 5,000m.     Also having strong seasons for the Dragon women were Alissa Mears and MaKenzie Smith.  At the Outdoor Championship Mears won her first NSIC 800m title with a time of 2:10.89.  She ran NCAA qualifying times at that distance during the indoor and outdoor seasons, and along with Emily Mammenga, Iveta Harner, and Molly Montonye was a member of the MSUM school recorded setting Distance Medley Relay.  Smith Followed up her first All-Conference cross country season with school records during the track season.  She broke the indoor 5,000m record, and the record for 10,000m outdoors.   Along with Christ a number of Dragon men had outstanding 2015 seasons.  The team of Jason Dowell, Kenny Andri, John Peterson, and Brady Speicher won the NSIC Distance Medley Relay title.  During the outdoor season, Speicher earned his first individual All-NSIC honor with a runner-up finish at 1500m.  Also earning All-NSIC honors was Spencer Ruebke in the Steeplechase.  Ruebke ran an NCAA qualifying time at that distance as well as at 1500m.  In total the Dragon distance runners scored 43 of 84 team points at the NSIC Championships helping the men's team to a 3rd place finish overall.            In 2013-2014 Milners student-athletes showed continued improvement.  Under Milners tutelage, Molly Montonye had a tremendous sophomore campaign for the Dragons.  She earned All-American honors, finishing fourth in the 1500m at the NCAA DII Track and Field Outdoor National Championships.  She also earned All-NSIC honors in the indoor mile, outdoor 1500m, and at the NSIC Cross Country Championships.  Freshman Makenzie Smith had a strong showing during her first season as a Dragon emerging as one of top female 3000m Steeplechase runners in NSIC.  She ran a NCAA DII National Championship qualifying time for that distance and earned USTFCCCA Academic All-American honors along with Montonye. Stepping in to fill the void left by Clayton Fosters graduation, junior Jason Dowell had a breakout season.  Dowell earned All-NSIC honors for the first time during the cross country season then capped his junior season by running personal bests for 5000m and 1500m at the NSIC Outdoor Track and Field Championships.  Dowells 5000m performance was among the 10 fastest in Dragon Track and Field history as was his 1500m which was also a NCAA DII National Championship qualifying time.                      In 2012-2013, Minnesota State University Moorhead continued its development in distance running under Milner.  The MSUM men finished second in the NSIC Indoor Championships, led in part by senior Clayton Foster, who won both the 800m and Mile.  Under Milners guidance Foster won 5 NSIC Championships and ran at 3 NCAA DII National Championships. Also during the indoor season Milner was part of a coaching staff that saw the Dragon men ranked sixth in the national computer rankings, highest in school history.  The mens team remained one of the premier programs in the conference by finishing 3rd at the outdoor championships, where Foster defended his 1500m title and freshman Cody Christ claimed a runner up finish at 10,000m.  A young core talented female distance runners also begin to emerge on the track for the Dragons during the 2013 season.  Freshman, Alissa Mears placed 3rd in the 800m at the NSIC Outdoor Championships, Emily Mammenga scored points as part of the Distance Medley Relay and in the 1,000m, Molly Montonye earned All-NSIC honors during the cross country season as well as placed in the Mile, 1500m, and 800m at the NSIC Track and Field Championships.       In 2011-12, the Dragon distance program experienced a resurgence under Milner's guidance led by Anna VanWechel earning All-American honors twice.  She placed 3rd in the mile at the NCAA DII Indoor Track and Field Championships and 3rd in the 1500m at the NCAA DII Outdoor Championships.  Throughout the season eight MSUM school records were also broken and along with VanWechel, Clayton Foster, Spencer Ruebke, and Dani Thompson also ran NCAA DII National Championship qualifying times.  Fosters qualifying time was at the 800m distance and was a MSUM school record, Ruebke and Thompsons time came in the 3000m Steeplechase. Foster also had an exceptional cross country season that culminated with him earning All-NSIC First Team honors at the Fall Championship.   In addition, Milner has coached Dragon student athletes to 30 NCAA DII National Championship qualifying times and 74 MSUM top 10 all-time performances. His athletes have been named to NSIC All-Academic teams 87 times and 12 athletes have been named Academic All-American by the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches' Association (USTFCCCA).   Before joining the MSUM coaching staff, Milner had served as an assistant cross country and track and field coach for four schools; Valley City State University, Chadron State College, Soka University, and Dana College.  During this time he coached 19 National Championship qualifying performances, 26 school record performances, 23 All-Conference performances, 32 All-Academic Team members, and All-Americans at the NCAA DII and NAIA levels.   A native of Council Bluffs, Iowa, Milner competed in cross country and the distance events for Dana College. He ran on cross country teams that were nationally ranked three times and was a four time NAIA Track and Field National Championship qualifier.   He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication from Dana College and later earned a Master of Science degree in Organizational Leadership with an emphasis in Sports Management from Chadron State College.  He is a USTFCCCA certified Endurance Specialist and holds a USA Track and Field Level 1 coaching certification.   He and his wife, Sarah, have one daughter, Addison.

Bergstrom returns as an assistant track and field coach, a position he has had since 2005. Bergstrom is in charge of the high jumpers and brings a wealth of experience to the assignment. An Albert Lea native, Bergstrom claimed a pair of national high jump championships and earned six All-America certificates at MSUM. He swept the national high jump titles in 1979 at the NAIA Indoor and NCAA Division II Outdoor Championships. He also placed second on the national stage three times. A four-year letterman at MSUM, Bergstrom was elected captain as a senior and honored as Most Valuable Fieldman. A 1993 inductee in the Dragon Hall of Fame, Bergstrom was enshrined in the NSIC Hall of Fame in 2006. He still holds the MSUM outdoor (7-1 3/4) high jump record. Bergstrom is an actuary in Fargo, ND.

Schneider is in his second season as the head track and field coach at Minnesota State University Moorhead. Schneider was named to the position in August 2013. During Schneider's first year, MSUM had several individuals shine. Four individuals qualified for the NCAA Division II Outdoor Championships, with junior Tia Knight and sophomore Molly Montonye each earning All-American honors.  MSUM also sent two individuals and its men's 4x400 relay team to the NCAA Division II Indoor Championships. The Dragons also had 13 all-conference performances during the 2014 indoor and outdoor NSIC Championship meets. MSUM also did well in the classroom, with 19 athletes earning NSIC All-Academic honors during the indoor season and 17 earning the honors during the outdoor season.   A native of St. Louis, Mo., Schneider spent three seasons as the head men's track and field coach at Texas A&M-Commerce in Commerce, Texas before taking over at MSUM.   In 2013, under Schneider's direction, Texas A&M-Commerce had a solid season, finishing fifth in the Lone Star Conference and had one national qualifier. The team had eight individuals earned all-region honors from the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. The team had 102 top-five finishes and 20 first-place showings during the season.   Prior to arriving at TAMCC in 2011, Schneider was the head men's track and field coach at Division III University of Wisconsin-Whitewater for 10 years. During that time, he was named the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Coach of the Year twice (2002 and 2007) and coached nine individuals who won Division III national champions. During his time at UW-Whitewater, 93 individuals who earned All-American honors. Schneider also was the head coach at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville from 1996-1999. He earned his bachelor's degree in physical education from Truman State in 1989, and also earned a master's degree from the United States Sports Academy in 1997.   Schneider and his wife, Shella, have two children, Reed and Granton.

Gallagher is in his fourth season as the throws coach at Minnesota State University Moorhead. Gallagher, who served as MSUM throws coach from 2003-04, returned to the Dragon staff in 2012.   He has coached two national champions at MSUM -- Chris Nulle in the men's indoor weight throw in 2003 and Belinda Eastwick in the women's indoor weight throw in 2004. During a six-year stint at North Dakota State, he also coached two NCAA Champions. In addition to the national champions he has mentored, Gallagher has also coached 50 All-Americans during a coaching career that began at NDSU in 1996. Prior to returning to MSUM, Gallagher worked with Moorhead High School as the track & field throws and strength and conditioning coach in 2010 and 2011.  Sports skills and strength programs were designed and implemented under him.  He also assisted in meet management and team travel.  While coaching at MHS, Gallagher also was the owner and sole proprietor of JG Power Training in Fargo, N.D. As an athlete Gallagher was an NCAA All-American in the discus and hammer throws, competed as an NCAA Division I thrower at University of Southern California and California State Northridge, was a two-time World Stone Put Champion and was ranked in the Top 10 of the world every year from 1999-2007 as a Highland Games professional thrower. Gallagher graduated from North Dakota State University in 2003 with a degree in Physical Education. He currently resides in Fargo, N.D. with his wife Diandra and two sons, Finnegan (3) and Declan (2).