Nation’s #2-Ranked Mavericks Claim NSIC Title; Malik Willingham Named Tourney MVP

Nation’s #2-Ranked Mavericks Claim NSIC Title; Malik Willingham Named Tourney MVP

MARCH 5 – Nationally ranked at #2, the 29-2 Minnesota State Mavericks men’s basketball claimed its first North Central Conference title in a decade after toppling #9 Minnesota Duluth 97-77 in championship play. NSIC Player of the Year, Malik Willingham, 6-3 senior from New Ulm, Minn., was selected NSIC Tournament MVP. Both Maverick men and women won NSIC titles; the first time a program has swept the tourney since 2011.

BEST Board S’24: Involvement Helps Quinten Wilson Discover Full Potential; Servant Leadership

BEST Board S’24: Involvement Helps Quinten Wilson Discover Full Potential; Servant Leadership

“Get comfortable with being uncomfortable” are words offered by Quinten Wilson when sharing the importance of getting involved. For Quinten, experiences gained as a presidential scholar, finding opportunities for servant leadership or assisting the MSU Mavericks Baseball Team as a student coach have helped shape is life and future. The Spring 2024 BEST Board honoree uses his own experiences to encourage others to take a “leap of faith” and try something new.

Maverick Receiving Record-Holder Shane Zylstra Re-signs with Detroit Lions

Maverick Receiving Record-Holder Shane Zylstra Re-signs with Detroit Lions

MARCH 4 – Shane Zylstra, Maverick football’s single-season and all-time receiving record holder, has re-signed with the Detroit Lions. The signing comes after Zylstra suffered a season-ending knee injury during 2023 training camp. According the Detroit Free Press, Zylstra was signed March 4 to a one-year contract. He returns for the 2024 season as one of three tight ends currently on the Lions roster.

Joey Batt Steals NSIC Conference Title 

Joey Batt Steals NSIC Conference Title 

As a kid Joey Batt hated basketball. She wanted to quit at a very young age. Now in her senior year, the stellar guard from New Ulm, Minn., has cemented herself into Maverick history as one of the best to touch the court. Luke Jackson, editor for the MSU Reporter shares a feature story that traces Joey’s evolution from youthful dabbling with the “boring” sport of basketball to what Maverick’s coach Emilee Thiesse considers the “heartbeat of the team.”

48th Annual Dr. Michael T. Fagin Pan African Conference Opens Feb. 29 in the CSU

48th Annual Dr. Michael T. Fagin Pan African Conference Opens Feb. 29 in the CSU

Nadia Mohamed, the first Black mayor of St. Louis Park, Minn., will be this year’s keynote speaker as the 48th annual Dr. Michael T. Fagin Pan African Conference, returns to Minnesota State University, Mankato Thursday and Friday, Feb. 29 and March 1.
One of the University’s long-standing traditions, the annual conference in the Centennial Student Union was established by Dr. Michael T. Fagin and invites participants to “explore how they are cultivating, nurturing and affirming safe spaces and groups as a collective form of resistance, transformation and reclamation.”

BEST Board S’24: Stomper Bookcase Project was Real-World Experience for Joseph Roeser

BEST Board S’24: Stomper Bookcase Project was Real-World Experience for Joseph Roeser

For Joseph Roeser, one of eight Spring 2024 BEST Board honorees, the crowning moment of his college career was creating and completing the Stomper Bookcase Project which launched a project for placing children’s books on established bookcases in Mankato area laundromats. For Joseph, it was just part of a lifetime of memories formed as a member of his Sigma Nu fraternity.

Mavericks Sweep NSIC Men’s Track & Field Athlete of the Week Awards

Mavericks Sweep NSIC Men’s Track & Field Athlete of the Week Awards

Minnesota State’s Abel Christiansen (hurdles), South Milwaukee, Wisc., took home NSIC Track Athlete of the Week honors and Onyekachi Ukaobasi (jumps), Geneva, Ill., won NSIC Field Athlete of the Week in a clean sweep of weekly awards announced Monday, Feb. 12. This marks the second time this year that the Mavericks have claimed both NSIC Track and Field Athlete of the Week honors.

BEST Board S ’24: Career-Wise Confidence Landed Annelise Miller Two Internships

BEST Board S ’24: Career-Wise Confidence Landed Annelise Miller Two Internships

Annelise Miller’s nominator disagreed when Annelise said she didn’t do anything to deserve BEST Board recognition. It was that unassuming demeanor mixed with Annelise’s passion for writing that earned her a place on the BEST Board. Her prolific writing that fuels the weekly MAVERICK INSIDER student e-newsletter serves to keep all fellow Mavericks informed and engaged.

80-Year Evolution of AI: How We Got Here, Where Artificial Intelligence is Taking Us

80-Year Evolution of AI: How We Got Here, Where Artificial Intelligence is Taking Us

First in a two-part series: When it comes to the debate over artificial intelligence, Dr. Rajeev Bukralia, associate professor and graduate coordinator for Data Science at Minnesota State Mankato, views things from three different angles – creator, teacher and administrator. Those three vantage points offer a strong point of reference in understanding the evolution and future of AI in this first of a two-part series on AI in academics.