Minnesota State Mankato women's indoor track and field coaches honored for success

The Mavericks won their first national D-II title in women's indoor track and field two weeks ago in Pittsburg, Kan.

March 24, 2022 at 5:00AM
Blakeslee Stadium in Mankato draws lots of football fans — above for a Vikings practice in 2017 — but nearby is an outdoor track where Mavericks women are celebrating a D-II title. (Carlos Gonzalez, Star Tribune/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Mike Turgeon and Chris Parno of Minnesota State Mankato were named the NCAA Division II National Coach and Assistant of the Year in women's indoor track and field on Wednesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.

The Mavericks won their first national title two weeks ago in Pittsburg, Kan., and had three individual champions and 15 All-America (top eight) finishers.

Parno, in his 10th year as associate head coach at MSU Mankato, coached the Mavericks' sprint/hurdle crew to a pair of titles.

Etc.

  • Minnesota Duluth senior Brooke Olson was named to the WBCA NCAA Division II All-American women's basketball first team while St. Cloud State's Tori Wortz was named to the honorable mention list and SCSU coach Lori Fish was named a finalist for the National Coach of the Year award.
  • The Gophers had 102 student-athletes in seven winter programs named to Big Ten academic all-conference teams. All needed cumulative grade-point averages of 3.0 or higher. Women's swimming and diving had the most with 25 followed by men's hockey (16), gymnastics (16), wrestling (16), men's swimming and diving (15), women's basketball (11) and men's basketball (three).
  • Minneapolis City SC lost 4-2 to the host Des Moines Menace in a first-round game of the U.S. Open Cup soccer tournament. Lionel Vang and Loic Mesanvi scored for Minneapolis.
  • Members of the Gophers men's and women's track and field team will compete in the three-day Raleigh (N.C.) Relays, starting Thursday.
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