Before they shared the news anchor desk at WDAY-TV, Kirsten Kealy and Dana Mogck sparkled on the same diamond at Alex Nemzek Field, trusty middle infielders for the Dragons of yesteryear.
A native of Buffalo, Kealy pounced on a starting role at shortstop as a freshman and spent three seasons in the heart of the Minnesota State Moorhead softball lineup before parlaying a Mass Communications degree into a rewarding news career.
Kealy was something of an overnight success story for the Dragons.
“I started for three years. I earned a starting spot as a freshman and started the next two years. I wasn't able to play as a senior because of a rotator cuff injury, and because I needed to dedicate the spring of my senior year to finding a job.”
A three-year letterwinner, Kealy set a single season record with 15 stolen bases, ranked second on the club with 15 runs scored and batted .271 in 1996 as a junior.
Now, more than a decade since she last laced up her spikes at MSUM, memories of those special days of yesteryear continue to bubble up.
“I have a lot of great memories from my Dragon career,” Kealy said. “I met a lot of great women who even after spending many hours in a bus together week after week still liked and counted on each other. We did pretty well my freshman and sophomore year behind some great pitchers.”
“My personal highlight was a game we played in the Twin Cities. The winner would move on, and the loser would go home; the season over. There were two outs in the bottom of the seventh with a freshman (me) up to bat. I don't think anyone was overly excited about that, including me. I had hit singles to the right side all game so when I got up to bat, the right fielder came up shallow on me. I ended up hitting it over her head, and it rolled and rolled. She had to chase it all the way to the fence, and I ran for an inside the park home run which won the game. I'm pretty sure it was the only home run of my college career.”
“I also enjoyed the spring trip we took south my junior year, ending up in Oklahoma. We saw the Federal building there not too long after the bombing and really didn't get many games in because it was the coldest weather they'd had there in many years, and no one would play us. Nice spring trip!”
Kealy is confident she learned some valuable lessons from her softball career that continue to guide her today.
“I think sports is such a good training ground for life in general. I learned that discipline, hard work and practice truly pay off. I learned the importance of teamwork, something that is still essential in my job today and how both positivity and negativity are contagious. I also learned how to win and lose, succeed and fail, how you can learn a lot about people by watching them do both and how you can learn a lot about people by how they treat people. Also self esteem is a big part of what you learn in sports. Then and now, I value people who are driven and love a competitive spirit.”
Family and professional commitments take much of Kealy’s time, but she continues to keep an eye on her Dragons.
“I teach a class at MSUM (Campus News writing) so I am on campus quite often. One of my former softball coaches is Karla Nelson, now the head women's basketball coach, and I try to get to as many of her basketball games as I can. I keep track of how the teams are doing, and I also can't pass up a golf tournament to support the Dragons. I was lucky enough to make friends at MSUM (many through athletics and who still work at MSUM) who still remain my friends today.”
A native of Fargo, ND and a graduate of Fargo South High School, Mogck remembers joining the Dragon athletic family as a freshman.
“I chose MSUM because of its accounting program. That, obviously, didn't work out. I didn't even know if I was going to play baseball, but had a change of heart in the spring. I walked into Dr. (Bill) Thomas' office, and he put the recruiting pitch on me right then and there. I believe he said, ‘Yea, I was meaning to talk to you.’ I was sold!”
A finished product of the Fargo American Legion program, Mogck hit the ground running, fielding and hitting at State.
“I was fortunate to start all four years,” said Mogck. “Coach Thomas had a rule of seniors getting priority over underclassmen. But after playing in the second game of doubleheaders for two weekends, I won the starting job at second base.”
A four-year starter and fixture in the MSUM infield at second base, the Fargo South High School product batted a career high .412 as a freshman in 1979 and was saluted as the Dragons’ Most Valuable Player as a rookie.
”My memories run the gammit. From having more than 20 games cancelled by weather my freshman year, to winning the MVP as a freshman with a batting average over .400, to a spring trip to Texas and New Mexico, where we beat Division New Mexico State, 13-12, on a Flint Motschenbacher bad-hop single.”
“I also have fond memories of coming to a struggling program and leaving it as a contender in the NIC. One weekend my senior year, there were six professional baseball teams represented by scouts in the stands. As a freshman, we rarely had six people in the stands!”
“But the wins and losses fade, and memories of some of the real characters I played with remain. Big Ed (Schumacher), Kelly Trautman, one of the best players I've ever played with, Marty Soukup, Jimmy Lowe, coach Joe Warner, Tim Iverson, Darren Dunlop, and the list goes on and on and on.”
Baseball, indeed, was good to Mogck, and it helped shape his life.
“The name on the front of your jersey, or building, is a lot more important than the name on the back. Playing athletics teaches you the value of team work. In television, it's the same. It takes a team to be successful. No one person is more important than anyone else.”
Mogck’s number was eventually retired at MSU Moorhead, along with the rest of the roster when baseball was discontinued following the 1983 season. Still, Mogck continues to follow the athletic scene at his alma mater.
“I do, and I make it over to the campus once in a while to help with the Campus News program. I worked with some of the anchors and reporters this year. I'm still very proud to say "I'M A DRAGON."
Yes, several seasons have elapsed since Kealy and Mogck last flashed their magic on the infeld of Alex Nemzek Field, but they remain in the heart of the reporting lineup at WDAY, a rock double play combination with a wonderful Dragon pedigree.
