KANSAS CITY, Mo. – United Soccer Coaches Association announced the College Team Academic Award winners, recognized for their exemplary performance in the classroom during the 2025-26 academic year.  The Mavericks were one of five teams from the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference to earn the prestigious honor.
 
A total of 777 soccer teams (326 men, 451 women) posted a team grade-point average of 3.0 or higher, thereby earning the team academic award for the 2025-26 academic year.  The head coach from the team must also be a United Soccer Coaches member.  
 
The Mavericks, along with Bemidji State, University of Mary, University of Minnesota Crookston and Northern State were honored. This marks the 18^th-straight year MSU has earned the team academic award and the 21^st time overall.
 
Minnesota State enters the 2026 season as the preseason favorite in the NSIC Coaches' Poll, which was released Monday.  Senior defender Mila Rustin was named Preseason Defensive Player of the Year for the conference.  
 
The Mavericks are coming off another outstanding campaign in 2025, finishing 18-1-4 overall and 13-1-1 in NSIC play. Minnesota State captured its 11th NSIC championship, hosted the NCAA regional tournament for the second consecutive season, and concluded the year ranked No. 16 nationally. The program has now reached the NCAA Tournament in 14 consecutive seasons.
 
Head coach Brian Bahl enters his 14th season at Minnesota State with an impressive 208-30-36 (.825) record at the helm. He has guided the Mavericks to the NCAA Tournament in 12 of his 13 completed seasons and owns a remarkable 148-11-19 conference record. Overall, Bahl has compiled a 272-72-53 (.752) record in 20 seasons as a collegiate head coach.
 
Minnesota State opens exhibition play on Sunday, Aug. 16, against Iowa Lakes Community College before facing Northwest Missouri State (Aug. 19) and Simpson College (Aug. 23). The Mavericks begin the regular season on Aug. 28 at Central Oklahoma and host Central Missouri and No. 19 Grand Valley State during their home-opening weekend on Sept. 4-6.
 
New for the 2026 season, all Minnesota State home soccer matches and NSIC championship events will stream on Midco Sports Plus, the new home of the NSIC Network. Fans can subscribe monthly or annually through the Midco Sports Plus website or app.
 
Stay up to date on all Maverick Athletics news by downloading the Maverick mobile app for exclusive content, gameday notifications, schedules, rosters and more. Fans can also follow @MinnStAthletics on Instagram and X and like the Minnesota State Mavericks Facebook page.