Photo courtesy of SMSU Athletic Communications: Southwest Minnesota State University forward Nathan Fenske (3) drives between a pair of Northern State defenders during a Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference mens basketball game on Jan. 17 at SMSU’s R/A Facility. The 2023 Lakeview High School graduate announced on Wednesday that he will be transferring to Bemidji State for his sophomore season.

COTTONWOOD — Southwest Minnesota State University redshirt freshman and 2023 Lakeview High School graduate Nathan Fenske announced on X (formerly Twitter) that he will be continuing his collegiate basketball career with Bemidji State University in the fall.

“Next chapter!” Fenske said on X. “Thank you to [Bemidji State head coach Mike Boschee and assistant coaches Alex Fodness and Jacob Masek] for the offer and opportunity. Excited to get to work!”

Fenske sat out his true freshman season before playing in three games as a redshirt freshman this year. He logged a career-high 7 minutes with 5 points on perfect shooting in a road win over Northern State on Feb. 22.

SMSU finished the 2024-25 season tied with Concordia-St. Paul for first place in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference with a 16-6 conference record. The Mustangs went on to earn an at-large bid to the Division II NCAA tournament’s Central Regional, where they fell 69-62 to Winona State in the region quarterfinals.

Bemidji State finished 12th in the 15-team conference at 7-15. The Beavers will have plenty of offensive opportunities opening up in the fall, as John Sutherland graduates after averaging a team-high 15.9 points with 7.3 rebounds. The team’s fourth-leading scorer, Malang Athian, also graduates after averaging 10.4 points with a team-leading 10 blocks.

Fenske was a standout at Lakeview High School, where he set a program record with 1,499 career points. In his senior season, Fenske averaged 21.2 points, 6.2 rebounds and a pair of steals to lead Lakeview to a 23-4 record.