MARSHALL, Minn. – The Southwest Minnesota State University wheelchair basketball team opens the 2025-26 season this Friday and Saturday with four games hosted by the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.
 
The Mustangs open play on Friday at 8 a.m. versus the University of Michigan, before taking on UT Arlington at 2 p.m. SMSU will close the weekend on Saturday with a match up versus UW-Whitewater at 8 a.m. and CUNY at 2 p.m.  
 
SMSU head coach Derek Klinkner enters his 13th season on the sideline and has nine returning letter winners from last season's team that finished 15-9 overall and placed third at the national tournament. The third-place national finish was the program's highest since placing third in 2007. SMSU defeated Alabama in the third-place game earning its first win over the Crimson Tide since the 2007-08 season, snapping a 21-game losing streak.
 
Senior Emmanuel Fuentes Cervantes, a two-time All-American, returns after leading SMSU in nearly every offensive category last season. In 24 games, he averaged 23 points, made 232 of 514 field goals with 59 3-pointers, while shooting 45.1 percent from the field. He pulled down a team-high 281 rebounds and led the team with 162 assists. 
 
Junior Fermin Wingerter returns following a season where he averaged 14.8 ppg in 21 games, while shooting 50 percent from the field. Senior Joshua Brown is another returning letter winner, averaging 14.4 ppg a season ago.
 
Following action this weekend, SMSU will travel to Columbia, Mo., for the University of Missouri Tournament on Dec. 5-6.