Home is Where the Heart is

Freshman quarterback Ryan Schlichte is one of several
Mankato natives currently playing for Minnesota State sports
teams

For most college students, going away to school is the start of a new challenge and begins to define who they will be as adults.

The unique challenges of discovering a new town, new social groups, and new routines is a normal part of the college experience.  There are however exceptions to the standard college experience of going away.  What about the students who choose to stay in their hometown for college, who continue to play sports for the school that has been a part of their very background since they were children?  What would compel them to stay in Mankato, perform in Maverick athletics, and reach out to the next generation of local athletes?  Fortunately, there are many answers to these questions and they all start with home, Mankato Minnesota.

Growing up in Mankato is a pretty similar experience, regardless of which of the rival high schools people attend.  Ryan Schlichte, a redshirt freshman quarterback for the football team who attended Mankato West High School, said of Mankato, “It is a big city that feels small because of the genuine family connections.”  

The fact that the city is so tied into Minnesota State University makes it feel like the entire city is always rallying behind you as an athlete, according to Nicole “Coley” Reis, a senior softball pitcher who owns the school single-season strikeout record and attended Mankato East High School prior to joining the Mavericks.  Many of the first experiences with sports for these athletes came from attending Minnesota State Maverick events or youth camps.  Logan Bristol, a sophomore track and field athlete who grew up a short walk away from the Maverick campus, has fond memories of going to his first Maverick hockey game as a child and knew from that moment that he, “…always wanted to be a Maverick.” 

Family history also plays a vital part of the decision making process for these student athletes.  For Erica Ellstrom, a sophomore middle distance freestyle swimmer who attended Mankato East High School, having an opportunity to swim with her older sister was a major factor in her choice to go to Minnesota State University.  Schlichte's father, Dave, is a former Maverick football stand-out who went on to serve as an offensive coordinator for the team.  As a result, Ryan was a part of the program from an early age and said the he felt he had “…been a Maverick my whole life.”  

Coley remembered the visits to campus for events and how she viewed the college athletes as role models as she looked up to them growing up.  Now the experience has flipped and she is in that role, as a senior who has made a very positive impact on the program, she realizes how much those high school and middle school kids are looking up to her as a role model.  She always wanted to give back in her college experience, to her parents (her mother is a former Maverick women's tennis player) who travelled hours so she could participate in summer leagues, and to her friends and family who now get to watch her pitch for her hometown university.  For Erica, a program like Swim with the Mavericks is one of the ways she can give back to her home town.  The team gets the opportunity to teach children from age 2-12 and are always happy to see how excited the children are.  Seeing the kids outside of the events around town really shows how the experience at Minnesota State is impacting more local children.

The campus life is still an amazing experience for these local athletes.  Getting to be the local tour guide to all the Mankato hot spots and best restaurants helps the out-of-town students feel connected to the town.  The campus itself still feels isolated enough that the student athletes have the ability to still have a traditional feeling college experience and the new social groups created within the Maverick athletic family are lifelong, as Logan stated, “MavFam is not just a hashtag, it’s are real thing and there is a mutual respect among all the sports.”

That is the true lasting connection among all of the local student athletes at Minnesota State University, the feeling of family; with one another, with Mankato, and with the entire Maverick student body.  There are other current Mavericks hailing from the Key City including Alex Goettl (football), Claire Ziegler (women's basketball), Savannah Quandt (women's hockey) and Sydney Writz (women's swimming). Being a student athlete in their hometown lets them give back to their families and the community that made them the people they are today and sets an example to future generations of Mankato children.

- contributed by Benjamin Camp, Athletic Communication intern

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.