07 SOUTH DAKOTA STATE - South Dakota State University Athletics

Head Coach Lang Wedemeyer
Personal Information
Home town Roanoke, Va.
Alma Mater Old Dominion ‘94
Family wife: Tabitha
children Brooks (3) and Isabella (1)
Coaching Honors
2001 NCC Coach of the Year
—It is
a little known fact that
Lang Wedemeyer was
the first paid professional
soccer player in the state
of South Dakota when he
played for the Sioux Falls
Spitfire in 2001.
Player Honors
2006 USC Tournament Most Valuable Player
2006 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District selections
2005 Division I All-Independent selection
2005 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District selection
2004 Division I All-Independent selection
Three Division I All-Independent honorable mentions
Five Division I All-Academic selections
2004 Division I co-Independent Newcomer of the Year
2003 Division II NSCAA All-American Second Team selection
2003 All-Central Region selection
2003 North Central Confernece co-Most Valuable Player
2001 Second Team All-Region selection
7 All-North Central Conference selections
19 Academic All-North Central Conference selections
Team Honors
2006 United Soccer Conference Tournament Champions
2006 NSCAA Team Academic Award
Two-time NCC postseason tournament qualifier
2001 Division II Central Region rankings
Head Coaching History
2000 South Dakota State 5-12-0
2001 South Dakota State 13-6-1
2002 South Dakota State 10-8-0
2003 South Dakota State 8-5-6
2004 South Dakota State 5-11-1
2005 South Dakota State 5-12-1
2006 South Dakota State 8-9-3
Milestone Victories
1 Sept. 19, 2000 vs Sioux Falls
25 Sept. 21, 2002 vs Southwest Baptist
50 Oct. 13, 2006 vs IPFW
54* Nov. 5, 2006 vs North Dakota State
* won first conference title in SDSU history
Youth Leads SDSU to Postseason Berth
The following season the Jacks welcomed a freshman class of 14 to its roster.
Although the team was young in age, they were able to post the best record in
SDSU history as Wedemeyer marched his second-year program into the North
Central Conference’s four-team postseason tournament with a 13-6-1 record. Along
the way, Wedemeyer’s team recorded record-highs in goals (57), assists (46), points
(160), shots (429), shots on goal (239), corner kicks (79), and penalty kicks (5). For
his efforts Wedemeyer was named the North Central Conference Coach of the Year
following his 2001 campaign.
During the 2001 season SDSU made its first appearance in school history on the
NCAA Division II Central Region rankings.
After finishing the 2002 season with a 10-8-0 record, SDSU missed the
postseason, struggling with a 2-6-0 record through the conference portion of its
schedule.
In 2003, the Jacks rebounded with their third consecutive winning season. After
posting an 8-5-6 overall record and a 2-2-3 record in NCC action, the Jacks were
back in the postseason for the second time in three years. Behind the net-minder
skills of senior Erin Miller, Wedemeyer’s team posted the fifth lowest goals-against
average in Division II. Miller later became the first player in SDSU history to be
named North Central Conference Player of the Year. She was also the first Jackrabbit
soccer player to be named an All-American, earning second team honors.
The 2003 season turned out to be SDSU’s last in Division II as the school had
announced its plan to transition to Division I status during the following school
year.
SDSU Struggles in Transition to Divison I
After leading the four-year-old program to a 36-31-7 record, South Dakota State
decided to take its athletic department to the Division I level, leaving Wedemeyer
with the task of recruiting players into a program that was not eligible for the NCAA
postseason and was without a conference affiliate.
Wedemeyer accepted the challenge even though it came with its low points. The
program returned to where it was just three years earlier, posting a 5-11-1 record
8
2007 South Dakota State Women’s Soccer Media Guide