MSU President's Newspaper Column
April 5, 2025
Comet Athletic Club board members are exceptional in their support for Mayville State
More than 300 basketball players, their coaches, and families were in the Mayville-Portland community Saturday, March 29 for the annual Comet Athletic Club 3 on 3 Basketball Tournament! That’s 75 teams of second- through eighth-grade kids from North Dakota and Minnesota, and a lot of people to accommodate in the Lewy Lee Fieldhouse and Wellness Center gym. We were pleased to have so many teams, and we wish we could have had more space to host additional teams.
The 3 on 3 tournament was established in 1995 by two entrepreneurial Mayville State alumni, Tim Garrett and Neil Lerfald, who initiated the idea and organized the tournament for girls and boys for 20 years before turning it over to the Comet Athletic Club board. As she has for the past several years, Comet Athletic Club board member Rhonda Nelson has done a fabulous job of chairing the event on behalf of the board this year.
Tournament games were played at the Mayville State Lewy Lee Fieldhouse and Wellness Center. There was basketball action on a total of six courts, where 116 games were played between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. A total of 13 brackets were played with first- and second-place medals awarded for each bracket.
This is a massive undertaking, and we are grateful for all who game of their time and resources to make it happen. I tip my hat to Rhonda Nelson and all the Comet Athletic Club board members for their work that made the day a great success. The board members, Mike Carr, Lon Jorgensen, Brian Halvorson, Tami Parker, Ross Johnson, Steve Bensen, Gunnar Jorgensen, Brian Aune, Ben Johnson, and Austin deLaroque, were assisted by Mayville State employees as well as student athletes and many more volunteers who were involved, including
- Mayville State football coaches Larson, Litecky, Flesland, Olsen, and Martin, along with others, including the football players who were referees and helped with scoring, concessions, and clean-up;
- Women’s basketball head coach Ryan Carpenter and the women’s basketball players who served as referees for games and helped in other ways as well;
- Head Men’s Basketball Coach Brandon McGruder and his assistants, Coach Rodriguez and Coach Anderson, along with men’s basketball players who served as referees and helped with clean-up;
- Head Volleyball Coach Elora Passa and her players who got everything set up for the day;
- Head Baseball Coach Billy Tomblin and Head Softball Coach Jordan Olson, along with their baseball and softball players, who helped to get the Wellness Center gym ready for the event;
- Head Golf Coach John Murphy and his golfers who helped throughout the day;
- Leah Larson, Lisa Rakowski, and Bri Hutter, who provided support from Comet Athletics;
- Dave Erickson, who helped with scoring; and
- Facilities Services employee Patrick Stevens, who was available for help with pre-game preparation.
The Comet Athletic Club 3 on 3 basketball tournament has been a fantastic fundraiser to support Comet Athletics for about 30 years. We owe a huge debt of gratitude to Tim Garrett and Neil Lerfald for their innovation and commitment to Mayville State University that got this annual event off and running, and who, together with many devoted volunteers, took such good care of it for so many years. Thank you, Tim and Neil, and all who have been involved, including several financial sponsors!
The members of the Comet Athletic Club board work tirelessly in support of Mayville State Athletics. They are a hands-on working group of individuals who make great things happen. They have made a commitment to hosting Bingo at the Top Hat in Mayville every Thursday evening. In addition, they host a number of events throughout the year, including a meal for Mayville State athletes at the beginning of each school year, socials for Comet Athletic Club members, the Sportsmen’s Raffle, the Harvey McMullen Memorial Golf Tournament, and the MSU Classic Golf Scramble. We cannot thank these exceptional volunteers enough for all they do in support of Mayville State and its student athletes.
Mark your calendar for upcoming Comet Athletic Club events: annual meeting, May 7; MSU Classic Golf Scramble, June 14; Harvey McMullen Golf tournament, July 11; and Sportsmen’s Raffle, September 13.
Mayville State is blessed beyond compare by the outstanding support of volunteers. We thank each and every one of them.