Minnesota West athletics celebration now set for March 24

Minnesota West has rescheduled an event that will celebrate a year's worth of athletic achievement for three of its teams.

Students, staff, families and community members are invited to join together to honor the school's volleyball, wrestling and women’s basketball squads for their remarkable seasons and national‑level accomplishments. This event, which had been scheduled for March 17 but was postponed when last weekend's blizzard kept the Lady Jays' hoops team stranded in Texas, will take place at 11 a.m. this coming Tuesday in the Center for Health & Wellness gym on the Worthington campus. 

Minnesota West women's basketball team may have had a longer trip to Texas than expected, but it was certainly worth it. The Lady Jays recorded victories over Onondaga Community College, Fulton-Montgomery Community College and Anoka-Ramsey Community College to win its second NJCAA Division 3 national title in the last three seasons. Minnesota West has now been to nationals for five consecutive years.

In women's volleyball, the Lady Jays capped off a record-setting season this past fall with a fifth-place finish at the national tournament. The team finished with 38 total wins, the most ever by the program.

Additionally, Minnesota West's wrestling team had three competitors — Leif Ingebretsen, Romarian Farquharson and Powers Mensah — qualify for the 2026 NJCAA National Championships, which took place last month in Council Bluffs, Iowa.