By Jim Rueda
Free Press sports editor
March 13, 2008 12:13 am
—
All things considered, it’s a pretty good time to be a Mavericks fan.
The Minnesota State University athletic teams have enjoyed their share of success in recent years but, collectively, this winter’s programs may be the most successful in school history.
Men’s hockey, men’s and women’s basketball, wrestling, men’s and women’s indoor track and men’s and women’s swimming are all enjoying banner seasons.
“I’ve been here since 1985 and this is unprecedented,” MSU Assistant Athletic Director of Communications Paul Allan said Wednesday. “We’ve had seasons where a couple of teams do well at the regional level and have some national success, but nothing across the board like this in the last two decades.”
A prime example are the men’s and women’s basketball teams. MSU has never had both teams win at least 20 games and qualify for the NCAA tournament as they have this year. The wrestling team has also been ranked No. 1 for the first time in school history and takes that rating into the Division II national championships at Cedar Rapids, Iowa, this weekend.
In track and field, eight MSU men and four MSU women will not only compete at nationals this weekend, they’ll get to do so on their home track at Bud Myers Field House. The Mavericks were awarded the bid to host the D-II event earlier this school year for the first time in MSU history.
“It’s a very prestigious event and we’re working as hard as we can to make sure the athletes and the fans have a good experience while they’re here this weekend,” Allan said. “It’s exciting for us because Katelin Rains will be trying to defend her indoor pole vault championship and we have a number of other athletes who should do very well.”
In swimming, 12 MSU athletes have qualified for D-II nationals at the University of Missouri this week. The group of nine swimmers and three divers is the largest contingent the Mavericks have ever sent to the NCAA meet.
Men’s hockey may be the biggest surprise of the group. The Mavs were picked to finish ninth in the preseason WCHA poll and now find themselves ranked ninth in the entire country.
This weekend will be only the third time in the program’s Division I history that it has hosted a first-round WCHA tournament series and it’s the third time the team has cracked the top five in the WCHA standings.
With the University of Minnesota playing at Alltel Center as slight underdogs this weekend, sellout crowds are expected for both if not all three nights.
Although it may seem as if the stars in all in alignment for the MSU teams this winter, there have been some signs that this was coming. A look at the Division II Director’s Cup Standings, which measures overall success of a school’s athletic programs, shows an upward trend for MSU.
Since athletic director Kevin Buisman arrived five years ago, the Mavs have gone from 20th in the standings to 10th to eighth and, last year, to fourth. If the spring teams perform as expected, there’s a good chance MSU could crack the top three this year.
“It’s kind of a crazy time,” Allan said. “We have interns who are giving up their spring break to help with the track meet or at other venues this weekend. They’re doing it because they want to be part of the excitement.”
Yep, it’s a pretty good time to be a Mavericks fan.
Jim Rueda is the Free Press sports editor. To contact him, call 344-6381 or e-mail him at jrueda@mankatofreepress.com.
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