President's Column for Traill County Tribune

November 16, 2019 

Regular season fall sports schedule comes to a close as the winter sports activity gets underway

The regular season fall sports season is winding down just as the winter sports schedules are getting underway. We’ve enjoyed seeing our student-athletes represent Mayville State University, cheering for them in good times and bad. Athletics plays a vital role in the life of a university, and the same is true at Mayville State. It is fantastic to have the opportunity to get to know the students on and off the playing fields and courts.

The softball and baseball teams have had a chance to get out on the fields and had solid success this fall. They will continue to work through the winter months and will begin their spring game schedules before we know it.

Head volleyball coach Lindsey Johnson and her team have had a great year. They knocked off nationally ranked Bellevue earlier this year in the Lewy Lee Fieldhouse, and finished regular season play with an overall 20-11 win-loss record, and a 9-5 record in conference play. The NSAA conference tournament will begin Friday, Nov. 15 in Watertown, S.D., when the #4 seed Comets will face #5 seed Presentation College.

“I can’t say enough about how this team has come together to accomplish their goals,” said head coach Lindsey Johnson in summing up the season. “They have been battling adversity with injury from the very beginning, but every time they were dealt a new challenge, they worked through it and found a way to be stronger on the court.

“We have been so fortunate to play this year in front of a home crowd that is the envy of our conference opponents. Between the support of our students and our outstanding community members, we are lucky to always have Lewy Lee as a home court advantage.”

The Comets have been led by returning All-American Jayden Warner, who has won numerous awards and accolades, not only throughout this season, but throughout her time with the Comets. Jayden is a senior from Mayville, N.D. Other seniors on the team are Hannah Bliss, Nevis, Minn.; Kiana Johnson, Hector, Minn.; and Mary Kalal, Zortman, Mont. It has been great to watch these young women and their teammates who have made us Comet Proud, and we wish them all the best in the future endeavors.

Our Comets football team finished the year with three wins. In addition to the three wins, they won their first conference game in three years and earned multiple player of the week honors. The foundation is being set for this program and it will be exciting to see how they continue to improve in the off-season.

“As a first-year staff, we came into the 2019 season with the goal of beginning the process of digging a new foundation for Comet Football,” said head football coach Jeff Larson. “We now have a group of players who have an understanding of where we want to take this program in the future, and we look forward to recruiting this off-season so that we can add depth and talent, building on what we have started. 

“The May-Port community has been a star with all of their support for our program. I can’t thank them enough for everything they have done to support the program and our staff. We look forward to giving them a football program they can be proud of in the future.”

Comets football has been led by five seniors who have spent endless hours on the practice field, in the weight room, studying film, and in the training room. Balancing academics, athletics, and life as a young adult is not easy, but these young men have done it well. Michael Brillhart, Chino Valley, Ariz.; Michael Kolness, Ada, Minn.; Austin Robb, Ada, Minn.; Darrel Wilson, Douglasville, Ga.; and Ricky Flowers, Oakland, Calif.; have struggled together, succeeded together, and helped each other up many times, and we they have truly made us Comet Proud. We wish them all the success and happiness life can bring as they finish up their college degrees and head out into the world to make a difference.

The anticipation of watching the Comets Football program as it is built and grows is super-exciting, and we look forward to seeing the underclassmen follow in the footsteps of these seniors as they continue to make us proud.