Mankato men, women’s basketball teams celebrate D2 national championships

Mankato celebrates NCAA tournament wins

Both the men and women teams earned NCAA Division 2 national championships over the weekend, leaving the community celebrating the historic achievement.

MANKATO, Minn. (FOX 9) - The rafters above the court at Minnesota State University-Mankato will soon be a lot more crowded, after a big weekend for the university’s basketball teams.

Both the men's and women's teams earned NCAA Division 2 national championships.

To celebrate, Mavericks fans threw them a welcome home party on Monday.

"I look to my left, I look to my right, I see trophies. That’s crazy," senior Malik Willingham told a crowd on Monday.

The men’s game was decided in the final seconds, when Willingham’s younger brother Kyreese hit a three pointer in the final seconds of their 88 to 85 victory. The game winner ended their season 35-2 record; while the women’s team finished 32-5.

The numbers are earning bold praise from fans, who waited in line after the event to get autographs from the players.

"They could compete with North Dakota, South Dakota, Omaha," fan Jimmy Brandt said. "We could take them."

The big weekend now puts Mankato in the record books as just the third school, in any division, to win both a men’s championship and a women’s championship in the same season.