—Photo courtesy Minot State Athletics kyle beisch was named the newcomer of the year at Minot State following his junior season for the basketball team. Beisch, a graduate of Fort Dodge Senior High, also played at Iowa Lakes for two seasons.

MINOT, N.D. — Kyle Beisch made an instant impact upon arriving at the Minot State University.

Beisch, a graduate of Fort Dodge Senior High, was recently named the top male newcomer following his junior season with the NCAA Div. II Beaver basketball program.

“I feel honored to earn this,” Beisch said. “It’s a representation of the hard work I’ve put. Also, it’s an opportunity to take this honor and work even harder this summer to come back ready for next year.”

The 6-foot-3 guard started 31 games and played just under 33 minutes per contest. He averaged 13.5 points per contest and 3.3 rebounds, shooting 42 percent from the field, 37 percent from the 3-point line and 83 percent at the free throw stripe.

Minot State went 14-18 overall and 9-13 in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference. They put together a four-game road win streak late in the season including three-point wins at Upper Iowa and Bemidji State.

Beisch had a season-high 25 points in the victory over Upper Iowa and 20 vs. Bemidji State. He scored in double digits 23 times this year and went over the 20-point mark six times total.

After graduating from Fort Dodge ninth on the school’s career scoring list with 798 points, Beisch played two seasons at Iowa Lakes and racked up 992 points. For his three-year college career, he has 1,447 points scored.

“The biggest difference was playing back-to-back games because we played every Friday and Saturday once conference season started,” he said. “I had to learn how to take care of my body better in order to compete every night.”

Beisch was the second-leading scorer this year for Minot State, led the team in made 3-pointers and attempted triples, was third in field goal percentage, second in assists and second in minutes played.

“I feel like I need to work on being the best leader possible,” Beisch said. “And just being more consistent day in and day out.”