2017 Hall of Fame: BV’s Novak was at ‘top of his game’ no matter the sport

By: 
Jill Meier, BV Journal editor

Doug Novak - BVHS Class of ‘85

Cross-country * Basketball * Tennis * Track & Field

It would be fair to say that Doug Novak was at the top of his game no matter the season as a four-sport student-athlete at Brandon Valley High.

Novak (Class of ’85) completed his prep career at BV as a well-decorated, 12-time varsity letter winner, leaving his “paw print” in cross-country, basketball, track and field, and tennis.

Currently the Head Men’s Basketball Coach at Bethel University in St. Paul, Minn., Novak said he was “fortunate” to have grown up in Brandon.

“The culture around the school and athletic programs was amazing. I had great coaches and role models from elementary school all the way through high school,” he reflects. “The Hall of Fame (induction) is a great honor, especially knowing all of the great people who have attended Brandon Valley.”

No matter the sport Novak played a role in, he surely excelled.

Take the fall season, where he made his initial mark on the Lynx cross-country program as an eighth grader. He stayed with the sport through his senior year, and was recognized as a leader of the pack, despite an injury sidelining him at the start of his senior campaign. However, Novak’s mid-September return to the lineup would pay future dividends, according to his coach, Lyle Claussen.

“The return of Novak to our lineup was a welcome addition to the team. He will help press our top runners to better their times,” Claussen quoted in a 1984 Brandon Valley Challenger report.

Turns out, Claussen’s comments were right on the mark, as he was instrumental in helping the Lynx boys snare their 11th consecutive Big 8 Conference title, and helped pace the squad to a second-place state team finish during his senior season.

As the history books tell, the Lynx boys were in the hunt for the state team title against four others that year: Sioux Falls Lincoln, Watertown, Mitchell and the Flandreau Indians. But once the race was underway, it was quickly evident that it would be the Lynx and the Patriots duking it out at the finish line. Unfortunately, the Pats claimed the first-place hardware.

Here’s a snippet from the Challenger’s account from the state meet:

“Lynx runners gave it their all in biting the wind and cold last Saturday, and became one of only four teams to place either first or second since the ‘modern era’ of cross-country began – 1968.

“ ‘It was as close of an upset as anybody had ever come in knocking off one of the favorites in the state meet,’ ” Claussen said.

Novak also garnered All-State accolades following his sophomore cross-country season.

But the cross-country course wasn’t Novak’s only place to shine. He lit it up as a two-time track and field varsity letter winner, claiming the 800m individual champion honors in the both the Big 8 Conference and Region 2AA levels.

But with a deeper passion for tennis, Novak traded in his track and field gear following his sophomore season for a tennis racquet.

“Unfortunately,” Novak reflects today, “I was not allowed to compete in both sports at the same time. I ran track up until my sophomore year, then I chose to play tennis my final two years. I still wish I had been allowed to do both.”

With a tennis racquet in hand, the “invincible Novak,” as coined in a Brandon Valley Challenger 1985 report, led the Lynx boys team to a state runner-up finish in his senior year – a best-ever finish for BV tennis.

Novak was a powerful force in the tennis ranks, turning in back-to-back undefeated regular-season performances, and claiming state runner-up honors in his two-year run in the program.

Sporting a 13-0 record heading into the state tournament his junior season, Novak’s biggest triumph in the post-season was knocking off No. 1 singles champ, Ripper Hatch of Brookings.

He completed his prep career at BV with a 37-2 record, with his only two losses to Hatch. In his state final battle against the Brookings sophomore, Hatch took the first set, 6-4, and Novak nearly swept the second by a 6-1 margin, before the Brookings phenom delivered the 6-3 outcome.

Novak’s success on the tennis court were honored by the South Dakota High School Activities Association with an award citing his combined talent, sportsmanship and character.

His success in the sport continued into the collegiate ranks, where he played the sport at the University of Tennessee, a program that was ranked No. 1 in the nation in 1990.

He went on to land an assistant tennis coaching position at Clemson University, and has been the assistant and/or head basketball coach at the collegiate level.

On the basketball court - which he confesses was his true passion - he collected a trio of varsity letters, and earned Hansen and Anderson All-State designation following his senior season.

“Yes, basketball was my first love” he admits. “I had intended to play basketball in college, but I had an incredible opportunity to play tennis at The University of Tennessee that I just couldn’t pass up.”

Category:

The Brandon Valley Journal

 

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