MANKATO, Minn. — In the small town of Mankato, there is a big reason to celebrate at the Taylor Center.
For the first time since 1984, both the men's and women's NCAA Division II national basketball champions are from the same school. And this time, they're from Minnesota State-Mankato.
It’s just the third school in any division to ever do it in the same season, and the first since Central Missouri State did it 40 years ago.
For the men, it all came down to Kyreese Willingham’s buzzer beater on Saturday – the do or die pass coming from his own brother.
“It was like a full circle moment, something we dreamed of as kids,” said Willingham. “Going out and doing that was unbelievable.”
The junior from Waseca says he plans to come back and play again next year.
“I love this game, man,” said Willingham. “It’s brought me great things.”
The same can’t be said for Joey Blatt. The star point guard from New Ulm played her final game, but she helped put MSU-Mankato on the map.
“This university is outstanding,” said Blatt. “It has been an unforgettable experience.”
The chemistry on the court between the players is what each coach said they could count on, even after a slow start to the seasons and several injuries.
“You can see it, the way they play for each other,” said the women’s coach Emily Thiesse. “They have joy radiating from them and they leave it on the floor with every possession.”
Hundreds of fans showed up for the welcome home ceremony on Monday. It was an hours-long event full of many emotions and ended with both teams signing autographs for their devoted fans.
“This is just a really special place and we’re just so fortunate to represent Minnesota on a national level,” said Thiesse.
Watch more coverage of Minnesota sports:
Watch the latest reports from the KARE 11 sports team in our YouTube playlist: