BURNSVILLE, Minn. – The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference and Midco Sports Network® announced Friday a one-year agreement for expanded live coverage of 20 football games for the 2017 season. Augustana University will have four live television games as a part of the new package.
 
The partnership will include 11 weeks of the "NSIC Thursday Night Game of the Week," airing each week from Aug. 31 through Nov. 9 at 7 p.m. on MidcoSN. The broadcast schedule will also include various Saturday games throughout the season.
 
Augustana will first appear on MidcoSN with its season and home opener against MSU Moorhead on Sept. 2. Augustana's Sept. 30 home game against Wayne State and a road game at USF on Oct. 28 will also air live. The Vikings' regular season finale at Winona State has been bumped up to Thursday, Nov. 9 for the NSIC Thursday Night Game of the Week.

"Midco has been a tremendous supporter of the NSIC over the years, and we are thrilled to be able to continue to grow our partnership, exposing the region to the first-class institutions and incredible student-athletes that compete in the NSIC," said NSIC Commissioner Erin Lind.

"We are pleased to expand our partnership with the NSIC. The newly created "NSIC Thursday Night Game of the Week" along with the additional conference tournament basketball games give fans all across the region a compelling reason to tune in. The NSIC is a great conference that aligns with our goal of providing viewers with exciting live game action," said Mark Powell, VP of MidcoSN.

For the past three years, the NSIC and MidcoSN have produced the 30-minute Northern Sun Experience TV show, which airs Thursday nights at 6 p.m.  MidcoSN has also broadcast numerous live and taped-delayed regular season and tournament contests from various NSIC sports. 

Additionally, MidcoSN will expand its coverage of the NSIC/Sanford Health Men's and Women's Basketball Tournaments.  MidcoSN will add the Saturday and Sunday quarterfinal games to its existing coverage of semifinal and championship games.  All fourteen games of the tournament will be produced and aired live on MidcoSN.

About the NSIC
The NSIC is a 16-team, 18-sport, NCAA Division II conference with teams located in Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota.  The mission of the NSIC is to promote, conduct and regulate competitive sports programs which will assist student-athletes in their successful athletic, academic and person development. 
 
About Midco Sports Network 
Midco Sports Network provides live coverage of local sporting events and produces award-winning original sports programming. Since 2010, MidcoSN has delivered the sights and sounds of high school, collegiate, outdoors, motorsports and more to homes and businesses across the Upper Midwest. Visit MidcoSN.com to catch up on the action and check out blogs from the MidcoSN team.

"NSIC Thursday Night Game of the Week": 
games to be aired on Midco Channel 1 
Thursday, August 31 – Minot State at Concordia-St. Paul
Thursday, September 7 – Southwest Minnesota State at MSU Moorhead
Thursday, September 14 – Wayne State at Minnesota Crookston
Thursday, September 21 – U-Mary at Upper Iowa
Thursday, September 28 – St. Cloud State at Minnesota Duluth
Thursday, October 5 – Northern State at Minot State
Thursday, October 12 – Sioux Falls at Wayne State
Thursday, October 19 – Minnesota State at Southwest Minnesota State
Thursday, October 26 – Minnesota Duluth at Bemidji State
Thursday, November 2 – U-Mary at Northern State
Thursday, November 9 – Augustana at Winona State
 
Additional NSIC Games on Saturday: games to be aired on either Midco Channel 1 or 2 
September 2 – MSU Moorhead at Augustana
September 9 – Northern State at Sioux Falls
September 23 – SMSU at Bemidji State
September 30 – Minot State at Mary; Wayne State at Augustana
October 21 – Bemidji State at Northern State
October 28 – Augustana at Sioux Falls
November 4 – MSU Moorhead at Minot State