University of North Dakota head women’s basketball coach Mallory Bernhard announced the addition of Dennis Hutter to the North Dakota coaching staff as the associate head coach on Mar. 29, 2024. Hutter was elevated to Head Coach on March 24, 2025.
Hutter has spent the previous 19 years patrolling the Mayville State sidelines where he’s complied a school record 314 wins with seven 20+ win seasons. Under Hutter’s guidance, the Comets have recorded 13 straight winning seasons with a 258-102 mark, three North Star Athletic Association Regular Season Championships and four conference tournament titles, including back-to-back championships during that stretch. The Comets were crowned regular season champions in consecutive seasons in 2018-19 and 2019-20.
Hutter was honored as the NSAA Coach of the Year twice in 2014 and 2019 after leading his team to regular season NSAA titles. The 2013-14 Comets were crowned the conference tournament champions and held a 25-4 mark and a 14-1 record at home. The Comets carried a potent offense that averaged 90.1 points per game with four players averaging over 14.5 points per contest and poured in 100 or more points in five games. Hutter’s squad was stout on the other side of floor as well, holding teams to 64.4 points per game with a .349 field goal percentage.
Hutter and the Comets set a program record with 26 wins, with just three losses this past season and were a perfect 12-0 on their home court. Mayville State earned a share of the regular season title with an 11-1 league mark and won the NSAA Tournament over Dakota State, 61-59, to claim an automatic bid to the NAIA National Tournament. After winning both games in their opening pod, the Comets advanced to the NAIA National Tournament’s Round of 16 for the second time under coach Hutter.
The Comets were one of the top offensive units in the NAIA, averaging 79.1 points per game which ranked 22nd and was top-10 in three-pointers made per game (10.4), three-point percentage (.363), free throws made per game (16.8) and free throw percentage (80.8).
Prior to his time at Mayville State, Hutter was an assistant women’s basketball coach at Southwest Minnesota State for three seasons and helped lead the Mustangs to a NSIC Championship in his final year with the team. He coached and worked with five all-conference players, one all-region player and one All-American.
Before joining the SMSU coaching staff, Hutter began his coaching career at Centennial High School in Blaine, Minn., where he guided the team to its first conference championships, back-to-back conference titles and a 64-28 overall mark in his four years as the head coach.
