The Marauders are the athletic teams that represent the

University of Mary The University of Mary (UMary or simply Mary) is a private, Benedictine university near Bismarck, North Dakota. It was established in 1959 as Mary College. The university is the largest degree-granting institution in western North Dakota. It ha ...

, located in

Bismarck, North Dakota Bismarck () is the capital of the U.S. state of North Dakota and the county seat of Burleigh County. It is the state's second-most populous city, after Fargo. The city's population was 73,622 in the 2020 census, while its metropolitan popula ...

, in

NCAA Division II NCAA Division II (D-II) is an intermediate-level division of competition in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). It offers an alternative to both the larger and better-funded Division I and to the scholarship-free environmen ...

intercollegiate sports. The Marauders compete as members of the

Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level, which operates in the western Midwestern United States. Nine of its ...

for all 16 varsity sports . The University also is home to an ACHA men's hockey team. As of November 11, 2019, the University of Mary has discontinued their men's soccer program after 25 seasons of playing in the

Great Northwest Athletic Conference The Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level. It has historically operated in the northwestern United States, but al ...

University of Mary Marauders Athletics

The University of Mary is a member of NCAA Division II and the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference and offers nine varsity sports for women and eight for men.

The "Marauders" as Mascot

The mascot or nickname "Marauders" was chosen by a selection process of the student body in the early 1970s. Dr.

Timothy George Timothy George (born 9 January 1950) is an American theologian and journalist. He became the founding dean of Beeson Divinity School at the school's inception in 1988 and was the dean from 1989–2019, now serving as Research Professor of Divinity ...

, prominent theologian and founding Dean of Beeson Divinity School, offered commentary on the choice of this mascot for a Christian, Catholic school in an essay published in

First Things ''First Things'' (''FT'') is an ecumenical and conservative religious journal aimed at "advanc nga religiously informed public philosophy for the ordering of society". The magazine, which focuses on theology, liturgy, church history, religio ...

in 2014, "Mary on the Prairie.""Mary on the Prairie"
First Things In 2017 the University unveiled in its campus restaurant a life-sized statue of a Marauder as a

barbary corsair The Barbary pirates, or Barbary corsairs or Ottoman corsairs, were Muslim pirates and privateers who operated from North Africa, based primarily in the ports of Salé, Rabat, Algiers, Tunis and Tripoli. This area was known in Europe as ...

absorbed in conversation with Saint John of Matha. In 2018 the mascot was dubbed "Maximus," a nod to

Maximus the Confessor Maximus the Confessor ( el, Μάξιμος ὁ Ὁμολογητής), also spelt Maximos, otherwise known as Maximus the Theologian and Maximus of Constantinople ( – 13 August 662), was a Christian monk, theologian, and scholar. In his earl ...

Marauders history

Athletics at the University of Mary began in 1970 when Fritz Fell was brought on board to start a men's basketball program. Al Bortke succeeded Fell in 1973 as the men's basketball coach and athletic director and over the next 36 years would develop an athletic program that enjoyed tremendous success at the NAIA level and later in NCAA Division II. After achieving a record of 335–156 in 16 years as the men's basketball coach that included 11 20-win seasons, Bortke became U-Mary's first full-time athletic director in 1989. During Bortke's tenure, Mary grew from one varsity sport (men's basketball) to as many as 19 and the Marauders athletic program became a national power in the NAIA. A member of both the Marauders and NAIA athletic halls of fame, Bortke spearheaded the University of Mary's move to NCAA Division II.

Varsity sports

Teams

Men's sports * Baseball * Basketball * Cross country * Football * Indoor Track & Field * Outdoor Track & Field * Wrestling * Hockey Women's sports * Basketball * Cross Country * Indoor Track & Field * Outdoor Track & Field * Soccer * Softball * Swimming * Tennis * Volleyball

References

External links

* {{Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference navbox 1970 establishments in North Dakota Sports clubs established in 1970 University of Mary