September 17, 2025
The Mayville State University Alumni Association board has a full slate of activities planned for the university’s combined Homecoming/Farmers Bowl celebration the weekend of Sept. 26 and 27, 2025. The busy schedule will begin with tours of Old Main, the campus flagship building which is undergoing a major transformation and renovation. Weekend highlights will include the Homecoming Awards Dinner, where several alumni and friends will be recognized; the traditional Ceremony of Remembrance at the Military Honor Garden on the Grounds of the Larson Alumni and Leadership Center; a parade; corn on the cob and hot dog feed; tailgating; Comets football game vs. Arizona Christian; and the highly anticipated Farmers Bowl Auction.
Dr. Merwin J. and Myrna Lyng, along with Dr. Lyng’s brother, Jim, will be honored during the Homecoming Awards Dinner. In recognition of their lasting impact on Mayville State and beyond, the university’s mathematics department has been named “The Dr. Merwin J. and Myrna Lyng Department of Mathematics.”Additionally, Jim Lyng’s generosity and foresight - reflected in his bequest supporting the new digital Jim Lyng Hall of Fame and other Mayville State initiatives - will be acknowledged as part of the evening’s program. See more.
Marlene (Viseth) Kensrud, Gold Canyon, Ariz. and Alan O’Neil, Grand Forks, N.D. will receive the Distinguished Alumni Award. Bruce Belseth, Alexandria, Minn., will be inducted into the Mayville State University Athletic Coaches Hall of Fame. Larry Omdahl, Fordville, N.D.; Dave Ouradnik, Sun Lakes, Ariz,; DeMarcus Rideaux, Mesa, Ariz; and Scott Terry, Fargo, N.D. will be inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame, along with the 1999 Mayville State baseball team. These folks will be honored during the Homecoming Awards Dinner scheduled for 6 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 26 in the MSU Campus Center Luckasen Room. A pre-dinner social will be held from 4 to 5:30 p.m. at the MSU Larson Alumni and Leadership Center. See the honoree biographies.
Tickets for the Sept. 26 Homecoming Awards Dinner are available at the MSU Foundation office, at www.mayvillestate.edu/Homcoming2025, or by calling 701-788-4864. Seating is limited. Tickets must be purchased in advance.
Additional Mayville State Homecoming/Farmers Bowl activities are as follows:
Friday, Sept. 26
- 3 p.m. - Old Main Renovation Tour. RSVPs are required at www.mayvillestate.edu/OMtours.
- 6 p.m. - Comet Volleyball vs. Bismarck State (JV at 4 p.m.) at Lewy Lee Fieldhouse.
- 8:30 to 11 p.m. - Social for all Mayville State alumni and friends at the Edson and Margaret Larson Alumni and Leadership Center.
Saturday, Sept. 27
- 8:30 a.m. - Open house at Mayville State’s beautiful Edson and Margaret Larson Alumni and Leadership Center and the gardens on the grounds of the facility.
- 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. - MSU Bookstore will be open.
- 9:30 a.m. - Ceremony of Remembrance at the Military Honor Garden on the south lawn of the MSU Edson and Margaret Larson Alumni and Leadership Center.
- 11 a.m. - Parade begins near the Goose River Bank in downtown Mayville. It will travel east down Main Street, turn north at Fifth Avenue, and end at Mayville State’s Jerome Berg Field. To register an entry in the parade, contact Stacy at stacy.buchl@mayvillestate.edu.
- 11:30 a.m. – Hall of Fame on the 5s Reunion and Tailgating at “The Grove.” Teams marking anniversaries in five-year increments since they played are being honored this year. They are the 1955-56 baseball team, , 1960-61 basketball team, 1965 football team, 1970 baseball team, 1990 baseball team, 1990 football team, 1995-96 men’s basketball team, and 2005-06 men’s basketball team.
- Noon - Corn on the Cob & Hot Dog Feed. There will be inflatable games and fun for all outside of Jerome Berg Field. There is no admission charge, but freewill donations will be accepted.
- Noon – Softball Alumni Tailgating at “The Grove.”
- 12:30 p.m. - Guided tour of Old Main renovation. RSVP is required at www.mayvillestate.edu/OMtours.
- 2 p.m. - Homecoming football game vs. Arizona Christian at Jerome Berg Field. Homecoming honorees will be recognized at half time.
- 5 p.m. - The grand finale for the weekend will be the Farmers Bowl Auction. Socializing and silent auction bidding begin at 5 p.m. in the MSU Campus Center Luckasen Room. The excitement of the live auction begins at 7 p.m. See a preview and preliminary list of items to be auctioned and purchase admission tickets at www.mayvillestate.edu/FBAuction2025. Admission tickets are also available at the MSU Foundation, MayPort Hardware Hank, and the MSU Bookstore.
See all the Mayville State University Farmers Bowl/Homecoming 2025 details at www.mayvillestate.edu/Homecoming2025. For more information, contact the MSU Office of Alumni Affairs, 701-788-4750 or alumni.mail@mayvillestate.edu.