BASKETBALL
Sexton Arena has been the home of Johnnie Basketball since December 1973. Located within the general athletics building known as the Warner Palaestra, Sexton Arena has seen its fair share of intense basketball action. A renovation of the Warner Palaestra in 1997 included a new wood floor and a dedication of the arena to SJU Alumni and basketball standout William D. Sexton ’55, whose gift made the renovation possible. In November 2008, Jim and Adrienne Smith Court was dedicated.
The first game played in Sexton Arena occurred on December 9, 1973. The Johnnies defeated crosstown rival St. Cloud State University, 67-58.
WRESTLING
Although the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) dropped wrestling as an official conference recognized sport in 2004, Saint John’s University continues to add to its prestigious wrestling history to this day. Students pack the mats inside of Sexton Arena (and sometimes the Donald McNeely Spectrum) to watch the Johnnie grapplers take on some of the best competition that the country has to offer. Since 1978, Saint John’s has had 18 All Americans. From 1972 on, Saint John’s has produced four individual national champions, the most recent coming in 2009.
During the days of MIAC wrestling (1948 to 2004), Saint John’s won a total of 14 team titles, 59 individual MIAC titles, and produced 8 Carl Larson Trophy Award winners (given to the best individual grappler in the conference). Eight of the 14 MIAC team titles came in straight succession from 1952 to 1959.
