Keiser Keeps Running On

Former Minnesota State All-American
Kurt Keiser competes in ultra marathons -
races of 100 or miles.

Some can’t imagine running a full marathon, a total of 26.219 miles, let alone anything further than that. But not for Kurt Keiser, a two-time men’s cross country All-American for the Mavericks during his four-year career from 1992-1996.  He finished 30th at the NCAA Division II meet in 1994 and was 26th as a senior in 1996, before going on to qualify for the 2000 Olympic Marathon Trials. Keiser continues to fulfill his passion of running by competing in ultra marathons—races of 100 plus miles of running.

The Coon Rapids, Minn., native is a pretty busy guy, running his two run/walk specialty shoe stores (River Valley Running) in Mankato and Shakopee, competing in ultra marathons, and raising a family of five. In his free time, he enjoys training for ultra marathons, and he insists that training for an ultra marathon isn’t that much different than training for a marathon. Although he doesn’t have much discretionary time, he completes several hard running workouts during the week with a long run during the weekend. “I try to have one run last between 20-35 miles, and put in quality work and average running 50-80 miles a week,” says Keiser.

“I first became interested in ultra marathons when I was in my mid-30’s, which is considered no man’s land in competitive racing because you are not old enough to be considered a master runner,” said Keiser. “I was in a rut and I was willing to try something new.” Because he finally reached the age bracket, Keiser is now considered a master runner and he enjoys trying to beat as many young people as he can.

Keiser still enjoys competing both on and off the running trail. He was fortunate enough to be in the specialty running and walking shoe industry for over 15 years. He was an employee for New Balance for ten years and worked full time after graduating college while remaining to compete full time in marathons. His experience within the industry inspired him to open up his own store after being able to see the business firsthand.

The experience and knowledge he gained during his time in the industry was crucial. “The experience was the most important thing,” said Keiser. “I was able to talk to the right people and learned which framework of knowledge was necessary to be successful.” But it ultimately came down to timing and location to open his first store in Mankato.

Opening a store in Mankato has a special place in Keiser’s heart. His relations to the city of Mankato inspired him to open his specialty walking and running shoe store there. Once he saw the success of the store in Mankato he was inspired to open a second store in Shakopee.

The aspect of the running industry that interests Keiser the most is the opportunity to compete, both as a runner and business owner. He has the competitive drive to put his body to the test, yet it is not all about winning. “The ultra marathon community is a close knit group and I enjoy being a part of it,” says Keiser. “You need to have a passion for running, and you have to find your reason in order to continue to compete.”

                           - contributed by Minnesota State Athletic Communications intern Kaitlyn Kanne

Setting the Table

Autumn Risch is the latest in a long line of outstanding
setters from Minnesota State

Legacy.  A word that maybe gets tossed around in the sports world so much that sometimes it loses some of its meaning. 

However, in a situation where there is a direct line between the current setter with the Minnesota State women's program and the six ones that held the position dating back to the early 1990's, it's difficult to dismiss the correlation.

Take a look.  Heidi Schnagl racked up 3,963 assists for the Mavericks from 1991-94. Nichole Roethig had 3,804 assists from 1995-98. Jen Blendermann totaled 4,367 assists from 1999-2002. Steph Sandstrom finished with 3,417 assists from 2004-2007. Brittany Stamer established the school record with 4,718 assists in her four seasons with the program from 2008-2011 and Ellie Van De Steeg followed with 3,578 assists from 2012-15. An almost unbroken string of multiple-year all-conference, and in some cases, Minnesota State Hall of Fame setters (as Schnagl and Blendermann are).

While the first four setters on the list played for former coaches Marge Burkett and Doug Tully, Stamer and Van De Steeg played for Dennis Amundson, who coached the Mavericks from 2005-14. 

Current head coach Lori Rittenhouse-Wollmuth credits Amundson, who had a 181-111 won-loss record in his nine seasons with Minnesota State, for the recent spate of outstanding table setters. “Setting was his passion," said Rittenhouse-Wollmouth. "It’s what he really studied and what he really enjoyed coaching so he was able to establish his style of coaching that works. It definitely works in our league so it’s just been really great to have a setter established so when the newbie comes in we don’t skip a beat. Not many programs can have this many setters who have that level of success.”

Autumn Risch gained some unexpected experience last year due to an injury to Van De Steeg and in her first career start, helped engineer an upset over seventh-rated Minnesota-Duluth on Oct. 23rd. The Howard Groves, Wis., native is settling into the responsibility of being the starting setter in her second season with the Mavericks this year.

“It’s been great having Autumn as a starter," said Rittenhouse-Wollmouth. "She very savvy and she’s a real student of the game. She comes from a coach’s family. which I think always helps. She has a real calm intensity out there that has allowed our hitters to gain some confidence and just keep a steady vibe."

“It’s been going pretty well," said Risch, who is averaging 10.4 assists per set and is closing in on 700 assists through the team's first 17 matches. Her 10.29 assists in league play ranks eighth in the conference - a league in which seven teams are rated in the NCAA Division II top 20 poll. "I’m enjoying it a lot and, naturally, it’s a lot different than last year. My goal as a freshman was always to push Ellie in practice and now my goal is to push myself and challenge myself. My goal every day is to lead the team in the right direction toward our goals.” 

Risch gives much of the credit to her success to Van De Steeg.

“I got to work with Ellie a lot, which was a really great experience. She had a lot of knowledge to share and really made it easy for me to transition from high-school to college just because she helped me out so much allowing me to learn the game better through her,” she said.

                                                          contributed by Collin Wilmes, Minnesota State Athletic Communications intern

It's a Family Thing

Ali Paul, Lily Paul and Marina Paul have all run cross country
and been members of the track & field teams at Minnesota State

It runs in the family.

Lily Paul enters her sophomore year as a member of the Minnesota State women’s cross country and track and field teams. Not coincidentally, both of her older sisters, Ali and Marina, were also runners for the Mavericks

Cedar Grove is a small town of just over 2,000 people located in southeastern Wisconsin and this is where it all began for the trio of young tracksters. Lester Paul, Lily’s father, built a 5k running track on the family’s home property. “I never missed a day running with my dad in high school,” said Lily. “I ran with him every step of the way. He stressed more than just being a good runner. He made sure we worked as hard as we could."

Les Paul was never much a runner growing up. A bodybuilder and wrestler, he basically was the opposite of a runner. But after seeing the eldest of the Paul progeny, Ali, gain success as a runner, his coaching career started to take flight. “He has four daughters and three of us have ran here at Minnesota State. He put his passion and time into running, so we could be the best runners we could be.”

(Besides Ali, Marina and Lily, the fourth Paul sister, Chloe, ran in high school and is in the mixed choir and an a capella group at UW-Eau Claire)).

Ali Paul was an All-American runner at Minnesota State who also qualified for Junior Nationals. Marina ran for all four of her collegiate years in Mankato and her senior season was her best season where she earned all-conference, all-region, and the team’s top runner accolades.

Now, Lily is leading the women’s cross country team as its top runner.

“I didn’t come in expecting to be a top performer. My dad kind of told me to shoot for the middle of the pack to start and as freshman season began I was a top two runner. Then, by the start of the second half of the season, I took the jump as our top runner.”

Lily finished 60th at the 2015 NCAA DII Central Regional championship and was Minnesota State's top finisher and earned all-conference second team honors with an 18th-place finish (23:51.4) at the 2015 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference championship meet.

This unexpected success built a confidence in Lily that she carries with her into her sophomore year.

Minnesota State women’s cross country and track and field coach Jen Blue had Lilly’s two older sisters as student-athletes, instilling a comfort in Lily’s decision to compete for the Mavericks.

“I have known Coach Blue since I was in sixth grade. She knows our family very well and talks to my parents like they are longtime family friends. We work well together.”

Now in her 15th season as the head cross country and track and field coach with the Mavericks, coach Blue had Ali Paul through her All-American season at Minnesota State, which helped Marina (an All-NSIC runner who placed 20th for the Mavericks at the 2014 conference championships) and Lily get to know her and the program better while watching their older sister succeed.

“They are all their own unique person. They have similar mannerisms. Marina and Lily run like each other. Ali was more introverted. Lily is the most outgoing. They are all very driven and lot of this comes from their dad pushing them growing up. He is intense” said Blue.

This work ethic has led to a lot of success in the Maverick uniform. Lily looks to continue this success by following the Paul tradition here at Minnesota State.

       contributed by Trevor Patterson, Minnesota State Athletic Communications intern

On the Left

Don & Dean Bowyer by Mike Fier

While around ten percent of the general population is lefthanded, studies have shown that the number of southpaws amongst professional baseball players vaults to nearly 25%.

How so, you ask.  Well, not to get too deep into it, but when it comes to the game of baseball, lefties rule. At least some of the time.

Lefty batters have a better and longer look at pitches from righthanders and there are more righthanded pitchers than leftanded. Lefthanded batters follow through to the right and face a shorter run to first base. 

Conversely, a lefthanded pitcher, like former Minnesota State hurler Mike Fier, has a leg up on batters due to the fact that there are fewer leftys. There are more righthanded batters then lefthanded batters.  And if you are a lefthanded batter, guess what, the fact that there are fewer lefthanded pitchers means that this applies to you, to. Everyone has fewer reps against lefthanded pitchers. And in order to become a good hitter, repetition is key. 

If you are a lefty who throws hard with movement, then you, as they say in baseball parlance, have a chance.  Mike Fier was one such lefty.

Following a three-year college career in the late 1980's with the Mavericks that saw him go 14-6 with 139 strikeouts in 139 innings and a 4.98 earned average, he was selected by the Montreal Expos in the tenth round of the 1989 Major League Draft.  The Winona, Minn., native spent two years playing minor league ball for the Expos before hanging it up and now owns a small tile business in the Twin Cities, doing most of the work himself specializing in residential tile remodeling projects.

During his time in Mankato, Fier played on three North Central Conference championship teams that were in the midst of a run that saw the program make six consecutive trips to the NCAA postseason. The players from that era are particularly close-knit, getting together quite often to socialize with their time under former Maverick head coach Dean Bowyer inevitably leading to the re-telling of stories and endless laughter.

Members of  Maverick teams from that era (and others) are getting together this weekend to golf and during this time will present the artwork pictured above of Dean Bowyer and his brother Don, who served a time as a volunteer assistant coach with the program, to Dean Bowyer.  Mike Fier is the person who crafted the artwork.  We asked Mike a few questions regarding his hobby.

1.  Can you describe the process for this artwork?  Pencil drawing?  How long did it take?

Yes, all pencil drawings with charcoal mixed in at times.  Most of my drawings take anywhere from about 10-25 hours.  This one, being there were two very handsome subjects, took me about 24 hours :)  I always use a reference photo beside me to work from as most artists do.

2. You’re extremely busy running your tile business. Is your art something you do on the side?

My drawings that I've done have mainly been for a hobby and I've started doing a few for commissions and sold a few prints as well in local businesses.

3. Is your artwork something you came by naturally and something you have done your entire life?  Have you had any formal training?  

All of my art has been self taught, no formal training or classes. My mom is pretty artistic so anything I do has probably come from her. 

4. How has your baseball career influenced your art, if any?

Not sure about that, other than baseball being such a highly visual and intensely focused sport that it probably doesn’t hurt being the whole drawing process is fairly visual as well.

5. Do  you have a website we can direct people to?

I have not created a website for my art yet, however I do display all of my art under my Facebook account in a drawings folder open for anyone to view (under Mike Fier).

5. How’s the arm?  Can you still throw?

Yeah, I’ve actually been really fortunate to still be playing baseball! The arm feels great and continue pitch and play summer baseball for two teams.

It's great to be a Maverick.

Matadi Set to Compete at Rio Olympics

To say that sprinter Emmanuel Matadi is well traveled would be an understatement.

Minnesota State’s national champion has had an interesting journey that will culminate in August, as he becomes the first Maverick to compete in the Summer Olympics. Matadi, native of Liberia (a country located on the west African coast), will compete in the 100-meter dash event after setting a Liberian record with a time of 10.14.

Nina Tikkinen, Emila Andersson and David Backes, are former Maverick student-athletes who have competed in the Winter Olympics. Tikkinen was a member of the Finnish women’s hockey team in the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, while Andersson played with the Swedish women’s hockey team at the 2010 in Vancouver and 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. Backes, the former captain of the St. Louis Blues, represented Team USA in the 2010 and 2014 Winter Olympics, as well.

Matadi, who moved to Minnesota in sixth grade, has seen success at every level, beginning with a Minnesota state high school championship in the 100m in 2009 at St. Paul Johnson High School. From there, he would go on to claim junior college All-American honors as he competed in the 4x100m and 4x400 relay events in 2011 at the national championship as a member of the track & field teams at Butler (Kan.) Community College.

After a stint at Louisville, Emmanuel made his way to Minnesota State for the 2014-15 season where he rewrote the Maverick record books. In one season Matadi set a pair of indoor records (60m/6.66 & 200m/21.10), to go along with outdoor records in the 100m (10.19) and the 4x100 relay (40.15). His season culminated in a pair of NCAA Division II outdoor track & field championships in the 100m and 200m events.

He’s now preparing to head to Rio de Janeiro where he’ll compete against the best sprinters in the world.

Ten Questions with Emmanuel Matadi

How did you arrive at Minnesota State?

I was a transfer from Louisville. One of my best friends - Jared Gillespie - convinced me to take a tour of the school and I really was impressed with Coach Dilling and Coach Parno.

What was it like competing with the Mavericks during the 2014-15 season?

If was fun. It was probably the most fun I’ve had in a season. Everyone was so focused and I think that was what helped me win nationals. The team and the coaches were so supportive.

What are some of your highlights as a Maverick?

Breaking the school record and winning nationals in the 100 and 200. Winning conference championships.

How long have you competed in track and field events?

Since my junior year in high school so probably around 16. I was always a sprinter.

Tell us about your connection to Liberia?

I was born in Liberia and my whole family is from Liberia. I came over to the US when I was seven. I lived in California for a few years before moving to Minnesota when I was in sixth grade.

What was it like to qualify for the Olympics after setting a new record for Liberia in the 100m?

It was a great feeling. I have been training for so long to get that moment so when it happened it was great.

Has reaching the Olympics always been one of your goals since day one or did this come about as you continued to improve?

When I realized how much I was progressing that‘s when it became more of a goal. When I got to college it became a real goal

What are you most looking forward to in Rio?

The high-level talent and the competing with the world’s best athletes.

Who has been your biggest inspiration and why?

My parents (Jacob and Florence). They showed me how to work hard. When they came over to the states they had nothing but they worked hard and I learned from their work ethic.

What are your plans after the Olympics conclude?

After the season is over I’ll take a break but I’ll get back to training for the world championships next season and then hopefully get back to the Olympics in 2020.

Coach Speak

Former Minnesota State assistant coach Jessica Keller led
Columbia College (Mo.) to a 27-6 record in 2015-16

A couple of months ago we tweeted a graphic regarding former members of the Minnesota State football staff who were now members of coaching staffs with programs in the Missouri Valley Conference.

A couple of them (Spence Nowinski at Illinois State and Joe Klanderman at North Dakota State) are also former Maverick student-athletes, but the rest of the names on the list - Luke Groth (South Dakota), Carl Pelini (Youngstown State) and Luke Schluesner, Jason Eck and Jake Dickert (South Dakota State) - came from the staffs of former coach Jeff Jamrog and current coach Todd Hoffner.

Other former Minnesota State student-athletes who now coach at the collegiate level include Tim Huber (baseball head coach at Augustana), who played baseball here when Dean Bowyer skippered the Mavericks, Matt Parrington (head coach at Macalester) also played for Bowyer, while longtime Gustavus women's hockey hockey coach Mike Carroll played baseball and hockey for Bowyer and Don Brose, respectively.  All-America outside hitter Jen Jacobs is a volleyball assistant coach at Augsburg, while former Maverick defensive back Jordan Malone is a current member of Todd Hoffner's staff at MSU and All-America goaltender Shari (Vogt) Dickerman has been a member of the Maverick women's hockey coaching staff since 2009.  Darren Blue, who played hockey and golfed for the Mavericks, has been an assistant coach with Minnesota State since 2000.  Speaking of golf, head coach of the Minnesota State men's team?  Bryant Black?  Yes, he played for the Mavericks.

Minnesota Duluth football head coach Curt Weise played quarterback for a few years at MSU before transferring to Wisconsin-Stevens Point and former Maverick defensive lineman Ben Halder is entering his eighth season as an assistant coach at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.  Former Minnesota State All-American Jodi Wendt is the head women's golf coach at Winthrop (S.C.). Anna Voltmer (played for Ann Walker and Pam Gohl at Minnesota State) is an assistant coach with the women's basketball program at Hamline. 

Augustana football coach Jerry Olszewski was a member of Dan Runkle's football staff, as was St. Cloud State offensive coordinator Chris Mussman.  Jamie Skadeland, who was a graduate assistant with the Maverick women's volleyball program under former coach Dennis Amundson, has spent the last eight seasons as the head coach at Colorado School of Mines.  Aaron Roussell, who was a graduate assistant for two seasons on Ann Walker's women's basketball staff, is the women's basketball head coach at Bucknell.  The head coach of the track & field programs at St. Scholastica, Kirk Naumann, is a former graduate assistant with us, as was Steve Jones, who is an assistant track & field coach at Grand Valley State.

Megan Vogal, an assistant coach at UW-Green Bay, was a volunteer assistant coach with the women's basketball program when Gohl was the head coach. Suzy Venet (a former Walker assistant) has spent the last 11 seasons as the head coach at Mount Union (Ohio). Jess (Abrahams) Hartmann was on Lori Fish's women's basketball staff at MSU from 2004-08 and rejoined Fish at St. Cloud State where's she's been an assistant coach since 2013. And speaking of St. Cloud State, head coach of the Huskies women's soccer program is one of our former assistants, Gretta Arvesen.

Taking it step further in developing a list of former coaches and student-athletes who were members of our teams and staffs under our current head coaches, the list gets even longer.
Wrestling (head coach Jim Makovsky)
Ryan Ludwig - Head Coach - Northern Illinois University Wrestling
Sam Barber - Head Coach - Air Force Academy Wrestling
Adam Aho - Head Coach - University of Mary Wrestling
Brady Wilson - Assistant Coach - St. Cloud State Wrestling
Brandon Eichmann - Assistant Coach - University of Mary Wrestling

Baseball (head coach Matt Magers)
Brandon Potter - Head Coach - St. John Fischer College Baseball
Andy Judkins - Assistant Coach - Butler University Baseball
Shaun Wegner - Assistant Coach - UW-Whitewater Baseball
Adam Christ - Assistant Coach - University of Illinois Baseball

Women’s Golf (head coach Nick Campa)
Matt Ward - Head Coach - Mesa State Men's Golf

Football (head coach Todd Hoffner)
Jamie Bisch - Assistant Coach - Midland University (Neb.)
Mike Cunningham - Assistant Coach - Winona State
Chris Brunkhorst - Strength & Conditioning Coach - Minot State
Brian Bell - Assistant Coach - New Mexico State

Women’s Basketball (head coach Emilee Thiesse)
Jessica Keller – Head Coach - Columbia College (Mo.) Women's Basketball
Brent Pollari – Head Coach St. Mary's (Minn.) - Women's Basketball

Soccer (head coach Brian Bahl)
Nicole Dooher - Graduate Assistant Coach - Concordia St Paul Women's Soccer
Caitlin Graboski - Assistant Coach - St Thomas (Minn.) Women's Soccer

Softball (head coach Lori Meyer)
Kelsey Thompson - Head Coach - University of Sioux Falls Softball
Mollie Bjelland - Assistant Coach - Missouri Western Softball
Chelsea Erickson - Assistant Coach - Missouri Southern Softball
Kim Zarling - Head Coach - Beloit College (Wis.)

Men's Basketball (head coach Matt Margenthaler)
Gameli Ahelegbe - Assistant Coach - University of South Dakota men's basketball
Austin Hansen - Assistant Coach - University of South Dakota men's basketball
Nigel Jenkins - Head Coach - Waldorf University
Connor O'Brien - Assistant Coach - St. John's (Minn.)

"I feel like such a huge part of who I am as a coach came out of my experience at Minnesota State," said Jessica Keller, who led Columbia (Mo.) to a 27-6 record in 2015-16. 

"I was fortunate to join a women’s basketball program that had recently won a national title, with the memories and expectations still fresh in everyone’s mind and Pam Gohl and Amy Sander there to teach me how they got to the top. I got to know the program’s alumnae, who proudly shared their experiences, the sacrifices and expectations that brought them so much more than big banners. When Coach Thiesse was hired to lead the program, the methods changed but the expectation of achieving success on the court, in the classroom, and through all facets of the student-athlete experience remained. I learned not just new skills to teach the game from her, but how to successfully instill a new philosophy throughout an entire program, which would help prepare me to later lead my own team."

"Within the Maverick Athletic Department, I learned how to be part of a successful team that is greater than just the one I coached. I gained new perspective and insight on the many ways lead and motivate a group of individuals toward a common goal of becoming a champion. I have been able to model my coaching style from the various winning ways to which I was introduced at Minnesota State. I left with a sense of great pride that is shared by those in the Maverick Family, which motivates me to provide such a similarly rewarding environment for others wherever I work."

It's great to be a Maverick.