ST. Peter, minn. – With the Gustavus Adolphus College women’s basketball team returned to the NCAA Division III Sweet 16, the spotlight on female sports excellence in Minnesota are again fully exposed.
When the gusties will face McMurry (Texas) Friday at 4 p.m. CT in Brunswick, in Maine, they will do it as the last in an extent of sports achievements and impressive female spotlights in our state.
Gustavus, looking for his first trip to the elite eight in school history, includes 15 natives from Minnesota. This week, the best high school basketball teams will compete in the state tournament. Last month, Meet Minneapolis declared its strategic objective at 10 years to make the largest city in our state the destination No. 1 for female sports.
“Our gusties have a great season and seek to make the history of the school in Maine, and we could not be more proud of the way they represent our college and our region,” said Rachelle Sherden, Deputy Sports Director / Senior Administrator of Gustavus. “It’s an incredible moment for Gustavus – an opportunity for us to show the nation how gusties shine.”
March and April have presented special moments of women’s basketball in our region in recent years. In 2022, Target Center welcomed the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Final Four. Over the past two years, he has hosted the Big Ten tournament.
“Minnesota still delivers as a leading supporter of women’s athletics, and this passion is illustrated with the way our community presents itself in the stands of our students athletes of all ages,” said Wendy Blackshaw, president and chief executive officer of Minnesota Sports and Events. “Looking at Gustavus prospering this year, you see the commitment and support that these athlete students have felt throughout their careers, and we could not be happier to continue to encourage them and see another female sports team from Minnesota under national spotlights.” Now, the Gustavus basketball female team has captured the campus and takes the fans base on an unforgettable trip – led by Minnesota and Minnesota Intercollegate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Laurie Kelly.
“It’s a special team, and we can’t wait to represent our school and our state on the national scene,” said Kelly. “We do not take for moments acquired like these and what they mean for our community. We are heading towards the concentrated Maine and ready to continue to make the history of the school.”
Gustavus seeks to rely and add to the success of his female basketball. This is the second appearance Sweet 16 for Gusties and their first since 2017-2018. This season was their fourth consecutive championship of the Miac eliminatory series, making it the third team in the history of the conference to win four games in a row. This is the 11th appearance of the Gusts NCAA tournament in school history and, at 28-1, the team currently has its best record in program history.
Friday, those who seek to watch the gusties face McMurry are invited to broadcast the game to https://www.miacsportsnetwork.com/gustavus/. With a victory, Gustavus would face the winner of Bowdoin (Maine) and Smith College (Massachusetts) Saturday at 6.30 p.m. CT.
About the Gustavus Adolphus College
Gustavus Adolphus College is a private college of the Liberal Arts in Saint-Pierre, Minnesota, who prepares her undergraduate students for the life of leadership, service and learning throughout life. Completely accredited and known for its strong programs of science, writing, music, athletics, study and study and learning of service, Gustavus organizes a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa and is internationally recognized for its Nobel annual conference. For more information, visit www.gustavus.edu.
Contact:
Leah Wong
(612) 269-7986
lwong@gustavus.edu