Minnesota State University, Mankato(미네소타주립대 학교 만카토)
Mavericks Handball Team Finishes 2nd at 2017 National Tournament(미국항공유학)
The Minnesota State University, Mankato club handball team (pictured) traveled to the Arizona State University in Tempe, Ariz., for the 65th United States Handball Association’s (USHA) National Collegiate Championships on Feb. 22 – 26.
There were 37 schools from across the United States, Ireland and Canada that sent teams to the competition.
The Mavericks had a very successful tournament and finished as runner-up in the open combined team title competition for the second straight year. Team scores are accumulated by the top six players in each gender. The Mavericks scored 4368 points and finished behind Missouri State University (4381).
The Maverick men’s team finished third in the open men’s division with 2216 points. The University of Limerick (2295) and Lake Forest College (2228) finished ahead of the Mavericks. The Maverick men that scored towards the team title were: junior Tyler Stoffel (North Mankato) 5th; freshman Luis Bustos (Modesto, Calif.) 5th; senior Matt Job (Cold Spring) 13th; Jordan Taylor (Vancouver, Wash.) 25th; Austin Biddle (Milwaukie, Ore.) 25th; and Adrian Anderson (North Mankato) 53rd.
Two Maverick men finished as All-Americans, an honor that is awarded to the top four players enrolled at U.S. institutions. Stoffel finished as an All-American for the second straight year. In a rare occurrence, Bustos accomplished All-American status as a freshman.
The Maverick women's team finished third in the open women’s division with 2152 points. Missouri State University (2217) and University of Texas (2208) finished ahead of the Mavericks. The Maverick women’s team is loaded with southern Minnesota talent. Among the Maverick women that scored towards the team title were: junior Nikki Theobald (Kasson) 19th; senior Missy Swanson (Shakopee) 25th; junior Carina Aguilar (Madelia) 33rd; freshman Kendra Kaupa (Lake Crystal) 34th; junior Nora Kronlokken (Sacred Heart) 35th; and freshman Crystal Theobald (Kasson) 37th.
Aguilar was award the women’s Most Improved Player award. She finished 67th in 2016 and improved an astonishing 34 spots in a single season. That was the most improvement by any woman returning from last year’s collegiate national tournament.
Four Maverick women made it to the finals of their individual brackets and played for a national title. Aguilar defeated teammate Kaupa to win the women’s A2 division by a score of 21-12, 21-10.
Courtney Sill from the Mavericks women's team defeated Annie Norenberg of Arizona State University 21-7, 21-16 to capture the women’s B1 championship.
Joelle Anderson from the Minnesota State Mankato women's team lost a heartbreaker in the women’s C1 championship 21-11, 20-21, 11-10 to Marketa Riley of Lake Forest College.
