by CINDY PETERSON Bismarck Tribune , The Bismarck Tribune

"I tell them in the recruiting process that they will be treated the right way,"Fridley said. "Once you get kids on board and treat them the right way, they will play their heart out for you.

"We push everybody treating each other the right way,"Fridley added. "That leads to good team chemistry. Chemistry is another reason why we have been so successful."

Fridley's philosophies paid dividends this past school year. Fridley coached both teams to their respective NAIA national tournaments. The softball team placed third, and the women's basketball team advanced to the Elite Eight.

Fridley earned a special honor for his work. He was named the college female coach of the year by the North Dakota Associated Press Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association.

The softball team shared female team of the year honors with the North Dakota State softball team, which earned a berth in the NCAA tournament.

"There is one word to describe this year, and that's 'special,'" Fridley said. "It's something you can't have every year. You have to take in all that's going on and appreciate it all. There's no guarantee we'll be back."

Fridley's special bond with his players hasn't gone unnoticed by DSU athletic director Roger Ternes.

"He's got such a great rapport with the students and their families," Ternes said. "He has an excellent reputation of being fair-minded, honest and straight forward. Everybody knows where they stand."

Fridley's softball team turned in the best season in school history at 42-5, which included a 28-game winning streak. Dickinson State went 6-2 at the national tournament, and pitcher Sara Jane Webster was selected as a first-team All-American.

Fridley's softball team scored 373 runs and allowed just 96, with 80 of those being earned.

The Blue Hawks cracked 54 home runs, 80 doubles and 19 triples. They combined for a batting average of .370, and their opponents hit just .201.

"Guy does an exceptional job of looking for kids that are good-character kids besides good athletes," Ternes said. "He's very thorough in doing his homework, and he stays after it. One of the hardest things of coaching at the college level is recruiting. He stays persistent. If he says he's going to call you back next week, he follows it up."

Fridley's basketball team won its first two games of the national tournament before being eliminated by the College of the Ozarks of Missouri in the Elite Eight.

The Blue Hawks won the DAC regular season title and the DAC tournament. They set a school record with 26 wins, going 26-7 overall and 12-2 in DAC play. Center Kia Herbel was a first-team All-American.

"When he was working with our men's program in basketball, you could tell he had that certain intangible part of the game,"Ternes said. "He's not all X's and O's and strategy, although he's been successful with that. The athletes can talk to him about certain things outside of basketball or softball. He has a certain rapport with the students that's very contagious."

The Blue Hawks etched their names into the school record books. They set records for most points in a season with 2,273, most field goals with 790, most field goal attempts with 1,836, most free throws with 490 and best free-throw percentage with .728 (490-for-673).

Fridley's accomplishments have been acknowledged by the community and DSU alumni.

"I can't go anywhere in town without somebody talking about it," Fridley said. "That makes it more special."

Fridley knows that every year isn't going to be as special as this past one.

"We know and understand what it takes to get to that level,"he said. "Hopefully now we can break down the door and get into the Final Four in basketball or that championship game in softball. You want to be selfish, but you can't be too selfish or you won't appreciate where you've gone before."

Kiera Kimbrough, a forward for the University of North Dakota women's basketball team, was named the NDAPSSA college female athlete of the year.

The senior averaged 20.4 points and 7.6 rebounds a game while shooting 58.1 percent from the field.

The North Dakota State basketball team cleaned up on the men's side of the awards. The Bison were named the male team of the year, Ben Woodside the male athlete of the year and Saul Phillips the male coach of the year.

The Bison advanced into the NCAA tournament in their first year of being postseason eligible after a four-year waiting period following their move up from Division II.

NDSU lost to Kansas in the first round and finished the season at 26-7.

Woodside, a 5-11 guard, finished his career as NDSU's all-time leading scorer with 2,315 points. He averaged 23.2 points, 6.2 assists and 3.2 rebounds a game this past season.

He was named the Summit League player of the year and set school and league records for 60 points in a game and 766 points for the season.

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