September 8, 2025
Mayville State University Homecoming will meet Farmers Bowl for a combined celebration planned for Sept. 26-27. This marks the third consecutive year the university has united these events into one grand celebration for Mayville State alumni and friends. The Mayville State Alumni Association has a full schedule of activities planned for all alumni, friends, and community members.
Among this year’s homecoming honorees are Dr. Merwin and Myrna Lyng and Dr. Lyng’s brother, Jim Lyng. The naming of the Dr. Merwin J. and Myrna Lyng Department Mathematics and the grand opening of the Jim Lyng Hall of Fame will be acknowledged at the Homecoming Awards Dinner. The dinner will be held Friday, Sept. 26. It will begin at 6 p.m. in the Mayville State Campus Center Luckasen Room.
Other honorees at the dinner will include the 2025 Distinguished Alumni Award recipients, Marlene (Viseth) Kensrud and Alan O’Neil; Athletic Hall of Fame inductees Larry Omdahl, Dave Ouradnik, DeMarcus Rideaux, Scott Terry, and the 1999 baseball team; and Athletic Coaches Hall of Fame inductee Bruce Belseth.
Separately and as a couple, Dr. Merwin J. and Myrna Lyng have had a profound influence on the college and beyond. Dr. Lyng, who taught mathematics at Mayville State for 40 years, had a long commitment to excellence in mathematics teaching and the advancement of the profession. He influenced the teaching of mathematics by writing textbooks and by making numerous appearances at both national and international conventions as well as investigating mathematics education in both China and the then-USSR. Upon his retirement he was named “Professor Emeritus of Mathematics.” Also a former faculty member, Mrs. Lyng is noted for years of volunteerism at MSU.
The Lyngs' generosity includes substantial financial support for Mayville State and its athletic and cultural programs, as well as decades of faithful attendance at “all things Comet.” Their financial support includes endowing the Merwin and Myrna Lyng Family Mathematics Scholarship. The philanthropy will continue as they have named MSU a significant beneficiary to their estate.
Both Merwin and Myrna were honored with the Mayville State University Alumni Association Distinguished Service Award, and Merwin was further honored with the association's Distinguished Alumni Award.
Jim Lyng named the college a beneficiary in his will and that bequest provided the funding for the digital Jim Lyng Hall of Fame, which can be seen in the foyer at the front entrance to Mayville State’s Lewy Lee Fieldhouse. The new hall of fame enables interactive access to information about Mayville State’s Athletic Hall of Fame and Athletic Coaches Hall of Fame. It is a special tribute for all who have been honored over the years.
In Jim's 32 years of service in the fieldhouse, he was in charge of site preparation for campus athletic events as well as repairing or adjusting athletic equipment. In that role he was perhaps one of the most-familiar MSU employees, as he estimated that he supervised 2,000 student workers over the decades.
He was also awarded the Mayville State University Alumni Association Distinguished Service Award for his dedicated and exemplary service.
Tickets for the Homecoming Awards Dinner are $30 each and can be purchased at www.mayvillestate.edu/homecoming2025 or by contacting the MSU Foundation at foundation@mayvillestate.edu or 701-788-4864. Tickets must be purchased in advance.
The full Mayville State Homecoming/Farmers Bowl schedule with all the details is also at www.mayvillestate.edu/Homecoming2025. In addition to admission tickets for the Homecoming Awards Dinner, Farmers Bowl Auction admission tickets are available at this site. Contact the MSU Foundation at foundation@mayvillestate.edu or 701-788-4864 with questions.