Apr. 1—GRAND FORKS — Mayville State's Mackenzie Hughes, a former Thompson High School standout, has been named to the NAIA All-American team.
Hughes averaged 20.9 points and shot 45.1 percent from the field, scoring 586 points this past season.
The guard was 60-for-175 from 3-point range and recorded 150 rebounds and 108 assists.
Hughes ends her Comets career with 1,647 points, 214 steals, 302 assists and 410 rebounds.
Hughes was selected to the NAIA All-American third team. She ranked in the Top 50 nationally in six different categories. She was 21st in total points and eighth in points per game.
Grand Forks Central boys hockey coach Grant Paranica and Thompson volleyball coach Lisa Strand are among the North Dakota High School Coaches Association's finalists for National Coach of the Year.
Paranica and Strand are among the eight finalists in their respective sport from around the U.S.
The two will be recognized this summer at the NHSACA National Coach of the Year banquet at the Ramkota Hotel in Rapid City, S.D., on June 25. The national coach of the year will be named that evening.
Paranica recently finished his 12th season as head coach of the Knights with Central's 30th state championship, a 2-1 win over Grand Forks Red River in the title game.
Strand passed 1,000 career wins — believed to be the first in North Dakota volleyball to achieve the milestone — in 2022.
Other North Dakota coaching finalists for national coach of the year include Mitch Lunde of Minot, Kent Schweigert of Bismarck Century baseball, Gregg Grinsteinner of Dickinson Trinity boys basketball, Jonathan Jahner of Bowman County boys cross country, Chase Gregory of Williston girls cross country, Jeremy St. Aubin of South Border golf, Matt Pfau of Minot soccer, Chad Anderson of West Fargo Sheyenne tennis, Tim Kolsrud of Bismarck girls track and field, Paul Lean of Fargo South (assistant) and Tim White of Griggs County (assistant).
Two more rotational UND men's basketball players have entered the NCAA Transfer Portal.
Deng Mayar and Mambourou Mara are the latest two to exit the program.
The two join previous portal entrants Treysen Eaglestaff, Mier Panoam, Dariyus Woodson and Amar Kuljuhovic.
Eaglestaff has announced he'll transfer to South Carolina.
Mara had improved throughout the 2024-25 season. The 6-foot-6 sophomore from Guinea didn't see consistent playing time until mid-January but then collected four double-figures scoring games highlighted by 18 points against St. Thomas.
Mayar is a 6-8 senior forward from Salt Lake City.
Like Mara, Mayar came on down the stretch. He scored in double figures in five of the last eight games.
Red Lake County boys basketball coach Steve Philion was awarded the National High School Basketball Coaches Association Minnesota Wooden Legacy Award. Philion took the Rebels to the program's first state tournament this winter.
Thompson's Gavin Krogstad has committed to play college basketball at Mayville State.
Minnesota Crookston's Josh Dykhoff was named NSIC Pitcher of the Week for the second time this season. The junior from Wadena, Minn., pitched a complete game and struck out 11 in last Thursday's win over Concordia-St. Paul. He's fourth in the nation in strikeout/walk ration with 41 strikeouts to three walks.
MSU Moorhead's Shaelyn Johnson, of Grand Forks Red River, has been named the NSIC Tennis Player of the Week. The graduate senior went 2-0 in No. 1 singles and 2-0 in No. 1 doubles last week.
UND's Kenna Curry was named the Summit League Indoor Field Athlete of the Year, winning the honor for the second year in a row. She became a Second Team All-American at the NCAA Championships and took 10th in the weight throw.
UND distance ...
