MSU Mankato softball team will have top seed for NCC tournament

The Minnesota State Man-kato softball team will be the top seed for the North Central Conference tournament, which begins Friday in Duluth.

The Mavericks went 12-2 in the NCC during the regular season. Nebraska-Omaha, the No. 2 seed for the tournament, went 11-2.

The Mavericks will play the winner of Friday's first game -- between Augustana and Minnesota Duluth -- in the final first-round game.

The other first-round games have South Dakota vs. St. Cloud State and North Dakota vs. Nebraska-Omaha.

Minnesota State Mankato (36-12) will take a 18-game winning streak -- the second-longest in school history -- into the conference tournament.

The Mavericks closed out their regular season with a sweep of a nonconference doubleheader (8-5 and 1-0) at Upper Iowa on Tuesday. The longest winning streak in school history is 23 (set in 1987).

Tommies honored College Sporting News named Maria Bye of St. Thomas its MIAC Female Athlete of the Year and P.J. Theisen of St. Thomas its MIAC Male Athlete of the Year.

Theisen is a five-time All-America in track and a two-time honorable mention All-America in football.

Theisen's sister Katie received the Goldwater Scholarship for academics -- 321 are awarded to college students nationwide. Katie, a junior who has earned All-America honors in cross-country and track, has a 4.0 GPA and plans to attend medical school.

Gusties regional hosts The Gustavus Adolphus men's and women's tennis teams will play host to NCAA Division III regionals beginning Friday.

The Gustavus men's team (28-5) will play host to a five-team regional; the other teams are Carthage, Luther, Texas-Tyler and Wisconsin-Whitewater.

The Gustavus women (22-8) will entertain a six-team regional; the other teams are Coe, Grinnell, St. Scholastica, Wheaton and Wisconsin-Whitewater.

Etc. • The St. Cloud State men's tennis team won its seventh consecutive NCC championship on Friday.