MANKATO — It’s abundantly clear the city of Mankato enjoys Minnesota State athletics. The numbers back that up, too.
The 2025-26 Minnesota State athletic season saw the Mavericks rank among the national attendance leaders once again in NCAA Division I men’s hockey, NCAA Division II football and men’s and women’s basketball.
“The tremendous support our teams received throughout the 2025-26 season demonstrates the strength of Maverick Athletics and the pride our community has in Minnesota State,” said Kevin Buisman, MSU athletics director, in a statement.
“Our fans continue to show up in remarkable numbers, creating an exciting game-day environment for our student-athletes and providing a competitive advantage in every home venue. Their enthusiasm also reinforces the importance of The Future State project as we work to enhance our facilities, elevate the fan experience and create new opportunities to grow and engage community support.”
MSU men’s hockey had the highest total attendance in the CCHA and ranked 20th nationally with 79,636 fans. The Mavericks averaged 3,982 fans per game and were 16th in capacity percentage at 82.4%. MSU drew more than 4,500 fans four times, including a season-high 4,892 fans against St. Thomas in the CCHA Championship.
MSU football ranked 20th in total attendance with 28,508 fans. It ranked second in the NSIC.
MSU also ranked 23rd in average attendance with 4,751 fans per game. The Mavericks saw more than 6,000 fans attend a pair of games against Sioux Falls (6,972) and Winona State (6,411). MSU’s attendance against Sioux Falls was the fourth-largest crowd in Blakeslee Stadium history.
MSU women’s basketball finished third in overall attendance in Division II with 21,451 fans. It also ranked second in the NSIC.
The Mavericks season-high 3,427 fans against Southwest Minnesota State was the second-largest crowd to attend a Division II women’s basketball game. MSU also ranked third in Division II in average attendance with 1,430 fans per game. MSU hosted eight games in which more than 1,500 fans attended.
MSU men’s basketball ranked sixth in Division II in overall attendance with 23,374 fans, which was also the second-highest total in the NSIC. MSU also ranked sixth in average attendance in Division II with 1,670 fans attending Maverick men’s basketball games at Taylor Center. The Mavericks saw 3,634 fans attend their game against Southwest Minnesota State, which was the eighth-largest single-game crowd in Division II this past season.