Sports

Fehringer bolts for Williston

By Matthew Semisch

05/27/2014

The Dakota College at Bottineau (DCB) already knew it was on the market for a new volleyball coach, but it’s now looking for a new men’s basketball coach, too.

After arriving from Dickinson State where he served as an assistant men’s basketball coach, Cory Fehringer spent the last two seasons heading up both the Lumberjacks basketball and Ladyjacks volleyball teams.

On Thursday, though, he was named as the new men’s basketball coach at Williston State, one of DCB’s rivals in the Mon-Dak Conference.

“Williston State. That’s why I wanted the job,” Fehringer told the gathered local media Thursday in Williston at a WSC press conference that introduced him as the new leader of the Tetons.

“The facilities are great. The athletic department is tremendous. Through the interview committee, I sensed there is an urgency to move forward.”

Fehringer, known as one of the many social networking-friendly younger college sports coaches around the country, didn’t take long to redecorate his Twitter account.

The 29-year-old’s Twitter bio lists him as the head men’s basketball coach at WSC. His header photo on the website is a shot of The Well, the Tetons’ home court for both basketball and volleyball.

“Excited to officially be a part of @TetonAthletics,” he wrote Thursday on his Twitter account.

“First-class treatment today. Great vision and commitment to success at WSC,” he continued before using the hashtag “#tetonstrong.”

Fehringer didn’t shut out his former charges, though. He also left on the website messages for his now former Lumberjacks players.

“Jacks Boys,” he started in a post on Thursday, “Thank you for being willing to sacrifice, loving the game and your teammate, and never going alone. Go the extra mile.”

Another message from the same day on his Twitter account read: “Only words of praise to @DCB_Athletics, faculty, staff and (administration) for all of the support. Special college (with) special people! Thank you, Jacks.”

Before accepting his new role in Williston, Fehringer had been  up for a new one at DCB, too. He was one of four internal candidates to replace the resigning Scott Johnson as the school’s director of athletics.

Fehringer led the Lumberjacks’ men’s basketball team to a 37-27 record in his two seasons in Bottineau. He was also named as last season’s NJCAA Region XIII coach of the year.

He will be taking over at WSC for Eric Peterson, who is now an assistant men’s basketball coach at the University of South Dakota, an NCAA Division I school.

Peterson had also been the Tetons’ director of athletics. No successor has yet been named for that role.