Photos special to Bison Illustrated
Check out the latest news and notes from some of your favorite professional Bison players!
Carson Wentz
Football
Everyone is dying to know if Carson Wentz will be starting Week One against the Atlanta Falcons. The progression in Wentz’s rehab has been nothing short of incredible. Wentz tore his ACL in December in a game against the Los Angeles Rams, but was still voted to the Pro Bowl after slinging 33 touchdowns up to that point. Most know that back-up quarterback Nick Foles came in for Wentz and led the Eagles to a Super Bowl victory over the New England Patriots.
At Eagles minicamp, Wentz reportedly “seemed to be moving and throwing freely” according to the Monday Morning Quarterback. He apparently looked mobile and comfortable in the pocket. This being only six months removed from the ugly knee injury that ended his season. However, the Monday Morning Quarterback also said that “aside from a brace he wore on his left knee, his injury was invisible.”
While the injury does seem to be invisible according to spectators, Wentz is still not cleared to participate in full football activities. This mainly means he is not ready for contact based drills or game action. “Time will tell when camp comes around,” Wentz told Monday Morning Quarterback. “The biggest thing is to keep pushing along until I am cleared. As you can see out here, I am doing quite a bit. Obviously, the biggest last hurdle is going to be the contact part.”
The Eagles are tied for the 19th hardest schedule in the NFL in 2018. Their opponents this season combined for a .492 winning percentage in 2017. Some of their more notable opponents this year outside of their NFC East foes include the Minnesota Vikings, Jacksonville Jaguars and the New Orleans Saints.
TrayVonn Wright
Basketball
After playing for the Leicester Riders of the British Basketball League for two seasons, the former Bison standout moved on to pursue other options. After playing one season in Sweden and one in Greece, Wright opted to go back to the BBL for the 2018 season. The decision seems to have turned out well for Wright. Leicester finished the 2018 regular season with a league-best 28-5 record.
Not only that, but the Riders continued their success into the postseason. They cruised past league rival London en route to a BBL Playoff final victory. For Wright, it was his second BBL title, winning his first with Leicester in 2016. To top it all off, Wright led the way for the Riders in their Finals victory by scoring 11 points and snaring 13 rebounds. That stat-stuffing performance garnered him Finals MVP honors.
Thanks to their dominating season this year, Wright and the Riders have submitted an application to compete in the Basketball Champions League in 2018-19. Much like soccer, this tournament brings together the best European basketball clubs. If Leicester is selected, it would be Britain’s first entrant in the tournament in over a decade. Wright also re-signed to play with Leicester into next season.
Wright played at NDSU from 2010 to 2014 and was All-Summit League Second Team in his senior season. With his help, the Bison defeated Oklahoma in the 2013-14 NCAA Tournament, the school’s first and only victory in the tournament.
Jacquelyn Sertic
Softball
Recently finishing her eligibility with NDSU, Sertic signed to play professionally in the Netherlands for Terrasvogels in the Dutch Golden League. Sertic is the fifth Bison softball player to play professionally overseas. In her debut with the club, Sertic pitched five innings, gave up two hits and a run and struck out four batters. Terrasvogels defeated Sparks Haarlem 8-1 in that game, giving Sertic the victory. Currently, Sertic is 5-1 with a 0.85 ERA and 29 strikeouts in six starts.
Sertic is coming off a phenomenal senior season which saw her win Summit League Tournament MVP and her second Summit League Pitcher of the Year award. Her stifling pitching abilities led to a 26-10 record with a 1.70 ERA and 307 total strikeouts. On top of that, Sertic shutout 12 opponents this past season.
Thanks to her outstanding Bison career, Sertic has the third most strikeouts in school history with 970. She is also fifth in school history in wins with an astounding 80 total victories. Terrasvogels was sitting in fifth place in the Dutch Golden League at the time of print.
