Mary Jane (MJ) Wagenson is no stranger to breaking the glass ceiling for girls and women who come after her. Even as a child, Wagenson was unafraid to try new activities - and she was often the only female in the group.

In 1972, Wagenson - a New Lisbon, Wis., native - became the first female to win a Soapbox Derby in Camp Douglas, Wis. She repeated as derby champion in 1973. After graduating from high school in 1979, Wagenson went on to become the first female to graduate from the Diesel and Heavy Equipment Repair program at Western Wisconsin Technical Institute in La Crosse, Wis. in 1981 - and she did so with high honors.

In her officiating career, Wagenson has continued to go where no female has gone before. She was part of the first all-female softball crew for the section tournament, and later the first all-female umpiring crew for the Minnesota State High School League Softball State Tournament. In 2016, she was the first female to officiate a Minnesota State High School League Boys’ State Basketball Tournament, and in 2021 she became the first female to work first a quarterfinal game, then semifinal game, and finally a state championship game at the MSHSL State Football Tournament.

Breaking the gender barrier in the officiating ranks comes after Wagenson’s extensive and varied professional career in education, coaching, and officiating. After moving to Rochester in 1986, she started officiating with the Rochester Area Officials Association and hasn’t stopped since. She’s served as the organization’s president, past president, vice president, and charter clinician. She started out as a referee and umpire for basketball and softball, and for the past eight years she has also added volleyball and football to her officiating resume.

In between high school games, Wagenson has also officiated collegiate basketball at the NCAA Division II and III levels for 34 years, and softball for 28. She has had many postseason basketball assignments, and has served as a clinician at countless summer camps and clinics. Wagenson was nominated for the MSHSL Distinguished Service Award by her peers at the RAOA in 2014, and in 2019 she received the MN Basketball Coaches Association Award for her service to the sport of basketball.

Wagenson doesn’t just officiate so that athletes can compete - she also hosts officials’ camps so that new officials can learn the trade and improve their skills. For 15 years, she has served as a co-director of the Southeast Minnesota Officials Camp, an educational camp for high school and college basketball officials. She assists her co-directors in updating the material to reflect current trends in the sport. 

She has also spent 20 years as the MSHSL Southeast Coordinator for Basketball, a position that includes revising the curriculum for state training meetings, updating documents for the MSHSL officials website throughout the year, and developing content for the Mechanics Illustrated Manual that officials use throughout the season.

By night and most weekends, Wagenson is a well-known official around the state. For her day job, Wagenson is an educator at Rochester Community and Technical College in the Department of Health, Physical Education and Recreation, a position she’s held for 26 years. She served as the department coordinator for 12 years, and, with her peers, redesigned the Sport Management, Coaching, Personal Training, and Group Fitness Instructor programs several times to adapt to trends in employment.

In her limited down time, Wagenson played competitive softball for 17 years. Her team traveled the country and participated in 15 national tournaments, finishing as high as third. She teaches Driver’s Education and works for her sister’s business in the summer, and assists with the annual livestock sale with the Juneau County Fair Association. She is also a member of the Rochester Civitan Club, which provides funding and services to people in the area with developmental disabilities, supports the preservation of the historic Lone Rock School in New Lisbon, and is involved with St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Rochester as a member of the Building & Grounds Committee.

Throughout her career, Wagenson has continued to push boundaries to open up more doors for girls and women in sports, all while teaching the next generation so that those same barriers continue to be expanded and broken.