Hello Mustang Fans!

Congratulations to Southwest Minnesota State University wrestling head coach Jesse Nelson, who was named the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Coach of the Year by his peers for leading the Mustangs to a 6-2 league record this season.

The six NSIC wins are the most in school history and SMSU produced its first winning conference record since the 2000-01season.

Coach Nelson was joined by four of our Mustangs, who were named to the NSIC All-Conference team this week – Justin Reinsma, Kyle Begin and Jacob Begin landed on the All-NSIC first team and Cole Wilson was named to the All-NSIC second team.

SMSU wrestling was also recognized last week for its accomplishments in the classroom. The Mustangs had five student-athletes named to the 2013-14 National Wrestling Coaches Association Division II All-Academic team. The announcement came March 15 at the NCAA II National Championships in Cleveland, Ohio.

As a team, SMSU finished 10th in the country in the team category with a GPA of 3.21. Wilson was named to the first team, while seniors Ethan Hildebrandt and Micah Larson were both named to the second team. Sophomore Beau Buysse and senior Andrew Rodas both were named to the honorable mention team.

It was a great year for the SMSU wrestling program, academically and athletically, and we are very proud of all their accomplishments.

Drown SMSU Golf Classic

Save the date!

The 29th annual David and Carol Drown SMSU Golf Classic will be held June 20 at the Marshall Golf Club. The Drown SMSU Golf Classic is the next Mustang Booster Club fund-raising event, and The Drown SMSU Golf Classic Golf Classic Committee will be convening in the next few weeks to begin the planning for this great event.

Online

For all your information on NCAA Division II postseason competition, the Mustang Booster Club and SMSU athletics, visit our website: www.smsumustangs.com.

Upcoming SMSU athletic events

Wrestling

The SMSU wrestling team (12-5 overall) finished the season last weekend with four wrestlers going 1-2 in matches on Day 1 of the NCAA Division II National Championships that were held last March 14-15 in Cleveland, Ohio. Justin Reinsma (133 pounds), Kyle Begin (165), Jacob Begin (174) and Cole Wilson (285) were eliminated in the consolation second round in tight matches.

Congratulations to our Mustang wrestlers who competed at the national championships for a great season!

Track and Field

The Mustang men’s and women’s track and field teams begin training for the 2014 outdoor season, which will begin Saturday at the Dakota State Open in Madison, S.D.

Women’s Tennis

The SMSU women’s tennis team (3-10, 1-4 NSIC) went 1-6 on its trip to Mesa, Ariz., during spring break. The Mustangs lone win came against Our Lady of the Lake University (Texas).

SMSU is back in action today as it heads to Bismarck, N.D., to compete against the University of Mary in an NSIC match at 10 a.m.

Baseball

The SMSU baseball team (10-8) went 8-4 in the Tucson Invitational last week on its spring break trip.

The Mustangs began NSIC play Friday by splitting the first two games of a four-game series versus nationally-ranked Minnesota State (13-4) in Sioux City, Iowa. The Mavericks won 3-1 in Game 1 before SMSU rallied to score the final seven runs in a 7-4 win over the Mavericks in Game 2.

All four games are being played at Sioux City North High School. The final twin-bill begins at 12 p.m. today.

Softball

The Mustang softball team (3-13) and went 3-7 on its spring break trip to North Alabama and the Rebel Spring Games in Winter Haven, Fla.

SMSU is scheduled to compete in its first NSIC doubleheader in Sioux Falls, S.D., on Tuesday against the University of Sioux Falls at 2 p.m.

Women’s Golf

The SMSU women’s golf team posted a couple of third-place finishes in Florida, at the SMSU Spring Invite, and, at the Fort Hays State Spring Thaw Invite, in Mesa, Ariz.

The SMSU Spring Invite was held at the LPGA International Golf Club and the FHSU Spring Thaw Invite was hosted at Dobson Ranch Golf Course.

The Mustangs are back in action Sunday and Monday at the Missouri Western State Spring Invite, held at the St. Joseph Country Club in St. Joseph, Mo.

Good luck and safe travels to all of our SMSU teams competing this weekend!

Go Mustangs!

Trivia Contest

Congratulation to Rick Haberman who provided the correct response to last week’s Mustang Hoofprints Trivia Question: Who was the last SMSU Baseball pitcher to throw a no hitter?

Rick was correct in both his emails, answering Ryan Morse, who threw a no-hitter against Minnesota-Crookston in March 2005. He followed that with an email recognizing Joe Axelson’s no-hitter thrown March 12 against Bemidji State in Tucson, Ariz.

Trivia Question

Who was the last SMSU softball pitcher to throw a no-hitter?

The first person to email me at MustangHoofPrints@SMSU.edu with the correct answer to this question will receive an SMSU T-shirt.