MARSHALL, Minn. – A pair of Southwest Minnesota State University wheelchair basketball student-athletes were honored with major awards this past weekend by the National Wheelchair Basketball Association during the organization's national tournament hosted by the University of Illinois. 
 
SMSU junior Emmanuel Fuentes Cervantes was named NWBA Intercollegiate Division first team All-American for the second straight season, while sophomore Fermin Wingerter was named to the NWBA All-Academic honorable mention team.
 
Fuentes Cervantes, a native of Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico, finished the season scoring a team-high 553 points for an average of 23 per game. He shot 45 percent from the field (232 of 514) with a team-high 59 3-pointers. He also led the team with 281 rebounds (11.7) and dished out a team-high 162 assists. He was named the NWBA Player of the Year last season.
 
Wingerter, a native of Parana, Argentina, and finance major, closed the season averaging 14.8 ppg, while shooting 50 percent (144 of 288) from the field.
 
SMSU finished the 2024-25 season with a 15-9 record and placed third at the national tournament for the program's highest finish since 2007. The Mustangs defeated Auburn in the quarterfinal, before losing to eventual national champion, Arizona, in the semifinals. SMSU closed the season snapping a 21-game losing streak to Alabama, earning a 63-55 victory in the third-place game.