Mankato State University President Margaret Preska announced that they will become an NCAA Division I program beginning next season. Mankato will play a Division I independent schedule next season, and might seek entrance into the WCHA after four years as an independent. That was the same time frame used by St. Cloud State when it made the same move in the middle 1980's. Mankato passed a local 0.5% sales tax in October, that paved the way for construction of a downtown civic center and ice arena. source: St. Paul Pioneer Press (1/14) -Dean