Coming off their 2024 D2 national championship, the Minnesota State Mavericks men’s basketball team will face the DI University of Kentucky Wildcats in an Oct. 29 exhibition game in Lexington, Ken.
Category: Athletics
JULY 19 – Representing the Bahamas, Denisha Cartwright, Maverick and D2 record holder in the women’s 100-meter hurdles, placed fourth against four of the world’s best at the 2024 Holloway Pro Classic in Gainesville, Fla., as Olympic athletes prime for the Paris games. At the event, former Maverick, Emmanuel Matadi, racing for Liberia, set a new Liberian national record in the 100-meter dash, with a time of 9.91 (wind legal) to win the men’s 100-meter dash.
Maverick men’s hockey tallied 28 points to top a Rink Live scorecard ranking the “half-decade best’ among D1 hockey programs thus far into the 2020s. Despite not winning a national champion the Mavericks beat out Denver, the two-time national title holder, largely due to its conference titles
Maverick men’s sprinter Jabez Reeves joins former Minnesota State student-athlete Emmanuel Matadi in representing their home country of Liberia in the 4×100 meter relay at the Paris Olympics. They are among three Mavericks competing in the Summer Olympic Games. Denisha Cartwright competes for the Bahamas in the women’s 100m hurdles.
JULY 1 – One of the greatest student-athletes in Maverick history, Denisha Cartwright officially qualified to represent her native Bahamas at the 2024 Summer Olympics. The first round of competition at the Paris games is Thursday, Aug. 8. Cartwright set the national DII record in the 100 meter hurdles this spring. She finishes her collegian career as both the 2024 Indoor and Outdoor National Women’s Track Athlete of the Year as well as the Honda DII Athlete of the Year.
JULY 1 – Five Minnesota State women’s hockey team players and three coaches will represent the Mavericks in Lake Placid, New York Aug. 4-11 for the Women’s National Festival. Jenessa Gazdik, JuliAnna Gazdik, Sydney Langseth, Jamie Nelson and Whitney Tuttle will be among 45 collegiate women’s hockey players participating. Coaching staff for this year’s festival includes MSU Head Coach Shari Dickerman, Associate Head Coach Jeff Giesen and Assistant Coach Mackenzie Bruch.
JUNE 6 – Former Minnesota State Mankato football star, Shane Zylstra is looking to make a big comeback this fall for the Detroit Lions. Zylstra, a tight end, who suffered a season ending injury in 2023 is performing well at Lions’ mini camp. Heading into the 2024 season, Zylstra reclaimed his #84 jersey worn as a MSU Maverick. Zylstra toppled overall and single-season receiving and touchdown records previously held by Adam Thielen.
Members of the Maverick women’s and men’s NCAA Division II Basketball National Champions took time for Sittin’ with Stomper on April 12 before heading to the Twin Cities to be honored by the Minnesota Timberwolves at their home game with Atlanta. See the photos on the CSU Blog.
April 14 – Minnesota State head coach Shari Dickerman and assistant coach, Alli Altmann, earned the silver medal at this year’s IIHF Women’s World Championships after Team USA suffered a 6-5 loss in overtime to Canada in the championship game. Dickerman, who was an All-American for the Mavericks in goal during her playing career from 2000-2004, was named the fifth head coach in Minnesota State history this past March. Altmann, who played for the Mavericks from 2008-12 and concluded her first year as an assistant coach on the Maverick staff and \served as Team USA’s goaltending coach.
APRIL 1 – Minnesota State men’s basketball coach Matt Margenthaler has been named the 2024 Division II Coach of the Year by the National Association of Basketball Coaches. This is the first time that Margenthaler has been named the NABC DII Coach of the Year. Earlier this season, he earned his fourth NSIC Coach of the Year award. He was also named the NABC Central Region Coach of the Year. The national award is sponsored by the Marines.
APRIL 4 – Mavericks Men’s Basketball Coach Matt Margenthaler was featured in an extended interview with KFAN’s Justin Gaard as part of Thursday, April 4, broadcast of the Dan Barreiro Bumper-to-Bumper show.
Rebroadcast of 24-minute interview can be found on the Dan Barreiro Podcast found on iHeart Radio, Spotify and other streaming platforms. Margenthaler’s interview starts at 21:00 into the second segment of the April 4 podcast.
Denisha Cartwright, Mavericks’ All-American senior sprinter, began her outdoor track and field season with NSIC Women’s Track Athlete of the Week Honors. Cartwright placed first with a time of 12.81 seconds in the 100m hurdles at the Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays. Her time ranks first in NCAA Division II this season. Her prelim time of 11.17 (2.9 wind) in the 100m dash ranks first nationally and broke her own school record.
Mavericks freshman Jabez Reeves and senior Shemar Miller earned NSIC Outdoor Track and Field Athlete of the Week honors Tuesday, April 2. Reeves (Woodbridge, Virginia) ran a time of 10.37 (2.2 wind) in the 100m dash at the 96th Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays. The NCAA provisional time leads the NSIC and ranks sixth in NCAA Division II this season. Miller (St. Elizabeth, Jamaica) placed seventh in the triple jump with a leap of 15.65m (51-4.25). He ranks second in NCAA Division II this season.
MARCH 27 – The Mavericks Women’s Basketball Team advance to the NCAA DII NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME Friday after defeating Cal State San Marcos Wednesday night 70-68. The win came on an Emily Herzberg layup with 0.2 seconds left in the game. The Mavericks go for the national title Friday at 7 p.m. against Texas Woman’s University. The game will be televised on CBS Sports Network.
MARCH 25 – The Maverick women’s basketball team advance Wednesday, March 27, to the NCAA DII National Final Four to face the Cal State San Marco Cougars after defeating Georgia Southwestern State 93-88. The Maverick overcame a 10-point first half deficit led by senior guard Joey Batt with 21 points. The Cougars beat top-seed Gannon U. in overtime.
MARCH 25 – Malik Willingham was named to the NABC All-Central District First Team. The Mavericks’ senior guard from Waseca, Minn., led the team this season in scoring averaging 18.9 points per game. Earlier this season, he was named the NSIC Player of the Year and the D2CCA Central Region Player of the Year.
MARCH 25 – Matt Margenthaler, Mavericks Men’s basketball coach, is the NABC Central District Coach of the Year. Earlier this season, Margenthaler was named NSIC Coach of the Year for the fourth time. The Mavericks face Ferris State in NCAA Division II Elite Eight National Tournament.
MARCH 22 – Maverick Women’s Basketball senior guard Joey Batt, from New Ulm, is one of the WBCA’s NCAA DII Women’s Basketball All-Americans for 2023-24. Leading the Mavericks to the NCAA DII regional title, Batt is the first Maverick All-American to earn All-American honors since 2009. The Mavericks (29-5) take on Georgia Southwestern (29-3) on Monday, March, in the first round of the NCAA DII Elite Eight National Tourney in St. Joseph, Mo.
MARCH 22 – Tony Malinowski, Maverick Men’s Hockey 2023-24 assistant captain, has signed with the Reading Royals, an affiliate with NHL’s Philadelphia Flyers. He joins Sam Morton as the second Maverick to sign professional contracts in a week’s time. Morton signed with the Calgary Flames/Calgary Wranglers.
MARCH 18 | BETHANY, Okla. (Maverick Report) – The #7 seed Minnesota State Mavericks (29-5) win the NCAA Central Region Tournament Championship, 80-48, in an upset victory over the #1 seed Southern Nazarene Crimson Storm (30-3). Joey Batt and Destinee Bursch combined for 51 points. The Mavericks advance to the Elite Eight for the first time since the National Championship team in 2008-09.