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Photo credit: Majid Saeedi, NPR. The war in Iran has sent shockwaves across the globe.
War on Iran continues throughout April
The Spring Dance Show will be performed on April 28th & 29th starting at 7:30pm.
Revolutionizing the spring dance showcase
Students set up stands at the Arbor Eco-Fair for the community that offer ways to help the environment.
Making a change this Arbor Day 
Winona State students can get free bus tokens from the Student Union desk to ride the Winona Transit buses.
Bus tokens at WSU allow travel for students without cars
The Winona State Children’s Center is hosting a garage sale on April 18th that will include toys, books, and kids’ clothes for families.
Support for families and WSU
Kayla Olson, Engagement Librarian, shared testimonials from community members who have used the project over the years.
The Winona Newspaper Project
Fourth year student majoring in Marketing, Katelyn Rud, and fourth year student majoring in Finance, Larissa Lopez, at the Women in Business Celebration during the dinner portion of the event.
Women in business celebration
**Chess1: Students playing chess at the WSU chess club tournament. The event went for 5 rounds, Swiss style. The event took place at the Darrell W. Krueger Library.
Annual chess club tournament comes back to Winona State 
The “Dreaming” exhibition, hosted at the Laird Norton Center from April 20-May 8, was created by Art & Design seniors. The first part of the exhibit, falling and flying, is pictured.
Senior design exhibition: “Dreaming”
Before the event, students lined up to create custom tote bags and bandanas with ink rollers and stamps at their block printing station with artwork created by Karlee Langenfeld.
Photo Story: Take Back the Night focuses on community
Pitcher Nathan Vela warming up for the top of the third inning with Max Pederson.
Harer walk off home run helps split series against NSIC best Mavericks
Headshot of Jayda Berg from the Winona State Athletic Website.
Jayda Berg: The arm of NSIC softball’s best
Winona State against Augustana University in a high scoring match. Whitley Wischmeier is batting for the Warriors.
Holding the table topper position with a clean sweep 
Max Pederson giving signals to the mound against the Vikings.
Comeback victory for Winona State baseball
Women’s tennis primed for final conference stretch 
Euphoria and The Boys, two of the largest TV shows of recent years, are now closing its run with largely different results.
New TV review: “Euphoria” and “The Boys” 
The Drama makes for one of the strongest domino effects throughout the preparation of Emma and Charlie’s wedding, played by Zendaya and Robert Pattinson.
“The Drama:” A marriage despite everything. 
Ryland Grace, portrayed by Ryan Gosling, goes through challenge after challenge between different worlds and environments while looking for a way to save the world.
“Project Hail Mary” Review: A rock is a man’s best friend 
“The Bride” is a retelling of the infamous “The Bride of Frankenstein” with a new feminist twist. Directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal, starring Jessie Buckley as Mary Shelley/Ida/the Bride and Christian Bale as Frank.
“The Bride:” A some-what feminist re-telling of “The Bride of Frankenstein” 
The small budget comedy film has surpassed the excepted results, achieving strong recognition from audiences and critics for its innovation and hilariousness.
“Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie” The review 
The Tea Tuesday's held by Krueger Library is a good way to see others on campus and get some free tea.
Tea Time
While March may bring the beginnings of spring, it also brings the annual March Madness tournament.
March Madness
One of the elevators is currently not working, so those on the 13th floor may have a rough time traversing the stairs.
Sheehan Hall elevator troubles
An unexpected blizzard in Winona led to some mixed feelings for students as they returned from Spring break.
March Blizzard
Winona State baseball and softball have kicked off their season. Snow, cold weather and wind can't bring down the Warriors.
Baseball season has begun
Winona State University's Newspaper since 1919

The Winonan
Winona State University's Newspaper since 1919

The Winonan
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March Madness: The crazy road to the Final Four 

Camden McDonald, Arts and Opinion Reporter
April 1, 2026
Camden McDonald
The 2026 March Madness bracket.

Well folks, we are reaching the end of march and you know what time it is: March Madness. So, whether you filled out a board casually or you’ve got all your tuition money riding on it, I am here to keep you updated on your hopefully not broken bracket. 

Starting with the first round of play, we had quite a few upsets. Coming in with a four-point lead, VCU, an eleventh seed, beat a sixth seed, North Carolina 82-78. More importantly and causing the start to your busted bracket, High Point beat 5th seed, Wisconsin, by one point to move forward to the second round. Outside of these two, there were a few more like Texas beating BYU and Texas A&M beating Saint Mary’s with a 13-point lead.  

Moving on to that second round, we had the Iowa Hawkeyes knock out the first seed, Florida Gators, in a tight 73-72 game. Texas laid out a third seed Gonzaga by 6 points, causing a few more brackets to be broken. Other than those upsets, the second round went smoothly for most teams predicted to fight for the championship.  

Now onto the sweet 16 play. Duke, St. John’s, Michigan St. and UConn advanced forward in their side of the bracket. The ninth seed Iowa Hawkeyes were still on their role and been Nebraska 77-71 causing another upset. Tennessee floored Iowa State 76-62 to move on as well. Houston dominated Texas A&M with a strong lead in their 88-57-point game. Our second seed Purdue barely scraped with a two-point lead against the Texas Longhorns in a 79-77 score. Having Arizona win by more than twenty points against fourth seed Arkansas may have shown how strong of a fight this team is willing to put up for the championship. 

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Now as the weekend is near, March 28th and 29th, we get to watch the Elite Eight this 2026 March Madness. We get to see which teams get to move to the final four and possibly the championship game. We’ve got a Duke vs UConn, Iowa vs Illinois, Michigan vs Tennessee, and lastly Arizona vs Purdue. We cannot help but wonder if the three remaining one-seeded teams will advance forward or will there be a few more upsets this crazy March Madness.  

After the Elite Eight, we’ve got the final four on April fourth and the championship on the sixth. Visit your favorite sports bar and catch a game or having your friends over for a party to celebrate this march madness.

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Pitcher Nathan Vela warming up for the top of the third inning with Max Pederson.
Harer walk off home run helps split series against NSIC best Mavericks
Headshot of Jayda Berg from the Winona State Athletic Website.
Jayda Berg: The arm of NSIC softball’s best
Winona State against Augustana University in a high scoring match. Whitley Wischmeier is batting for the Warriors.
Holding the table topper position with a clean sweep 
Max Pederson giving signals to the mound against the Vikings.
Comeback victory for Winona State baseball
Women’s tennis primed for final conference stretch 
Record setting performance for Warrior gymnastics in WIAC championships 
About the Contributor
Camden McDonald
Camden McDonald, Arts and Opinion Reporter
Cam McDonald has been a Sportswriter and Photographer for the Winonan since the fall of 2024. McDonald is currently in his third year at Winona State University, majoring in Communications Arts and Literature – Teaching with plans on becoming a middle school English teacher.   Outside of the Winonan, McDonald loves all things outdoors. McDonald enjoys hiking, training  for and running marathons, and traveling. McDonald simply loves building his list of uncle lore for his niece and two nephews, Quinny, Luke and Walker.