Five Gophers named to Associated Press All-Big Ten first or second team in football

Five Gophers players were named to the Associated Press All-Big Ten first or second teams.

Receivers Rashod Bateman and Tyler Johnson and safety Antoine Winfield Jr. made the first team, quarterback Tanner Morgan and running back Rodney Smith the second team.

Bateman and Johnson both ended the year with more than 1,000 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns while Winfield led the team with 83 tackles and seven interceptions. Morgan set two program single-season passing records, for yards at 2,975 and touchdowns at 28. Smith rushed for 1,094 yards and holds the school record for all-purpose yards at 5,364.

Also, the Gophers had a decommitment in the 2020 class. Benjamin Onwuzo, a 5-11, 185-pound cornerback out of Florida, announced his decision Wednesday on Twitter. The three-star recruit's departure leaves the 2020 class at 22 members. Next Wednesday is the early signing day.

Megan Ryan

North Dakota State quarterback Trey Lance, a 6-3, 221-pound redshirt freshman from Marshall, Minn., was named the winner of the STATS Jerry Rice Award as the national freshman of the year in the NCAA's Football Championship Subdivision.

Lance threw for 2,356 yards and 25 touchdowns. He ranked first in the FCS in passing efficiency (187.8) and yards per pass attempt (10.03).

The Gophers honorees include 53 from the football team, 22 from women's cross-country, 16 from soccer, 13 from men's cross-country and five from volleyball.

Linebacker Thomas Barber was one of 43 Big Ten athletes with a 4.0 GPA.

Right-side hitter Jasmine Mulvihill of Concordia (St. Paul) was named the American Volleyball Coaches' Freshman of the Year and made AVCA's All-America first team along with two other NSIC players, outside hitter Kate Berg of Minnesota Duluth and right-side hitter Laura Snyder of Northern State. Both of them are juniors.

The 5-11 Mulvihill, who played for Lakeville South, led the nation with 569 kills, averaging 4.2 per set.

• Max McHugh of the Gophers was named the Big Ten men's swimmer of the week and Joy Zhu the women's diver of the week. McHugh swam the nation's fastest time of the season in winning the 100-yard breaststroke (50.74 seconds) at the Minnesota Invitational last week while Zhu won the 1- and 3-meter events.