For the first time since the opening of TCF Bank Stadium in 2009, the price of Gophers season football tickets is going up, and season-ticket packages will differ in price based on seat location.
The sections between the goal lines with chair-back seats will increase from $275 per season to $330. All bench-seating areas will increase from $275 to $310. As of now there have been no announced raises for student ticket prices.
The season-ticket prices include all seven home games. The Gophers went 8-5 last year in their best finish since 2003. They were 5-2 at home, including wins over Nebraska and Penn State.
According to the Gophers, they will have the seventh-highest season-ticket prices in the Big Ten.
"If you look at the rest of the landscape, both in the Big Ten and at other peer institutions that are in major markets, they have raised prices," said Gophers associate athletics director Chris Werle. "And we felt that to remain competitive and close the gap in revenue with our Big Ten competition, we needed to raise some additional ticket revenue."
Sherels promoted
The Gophers promoted Mike Sherels to linebacker coach to replace Bill Miller, who left to become linebackers coach at Florida State. A Rochester native, Sherels walked-on with the Gophers in 2003 and became a two-time captain.
"I am extremely thankful to Coach [Jerry] Kill and the rest of the staff for having the belief in me to handle this job," Sherels said in the news release. "It is a dream come true to coach at my alma mater and to represent my home state."
• The Gophers will hold their third spring practice at 11:20 a.m. Saturday at the Gibson-Nagurski Football Complex. All spring practices are open to the public.
JOE CHRISTENSEN
CBA for WNBA set
The 12-team WNBA and the Women's National Basketball Players Association agreed to a eight-year collective bargaining agreement, running from 2014 to 2021.
The new CBA includes an additional spot for a 12th player. Several teams played much of the 2013 season shorthanded because of lengthy injuries, although the league champion Lynx were mostly injury-free.
The salary cap also increases, the WNBA announced, and revenue-sharing thresholds also were reduced.
Another new twist is a $50,000 "time off bonus" of up to $50,000 that players can earn by limiting their overseas play in the offseason to three months or under. That has been another league issue: players reporting to teams late for the state of the season or without a lot of rest between seasons.
With the signing of the CBA, free agency negotiations and signing can begin.
The CBA "provides the league with a long-term foundation for growth while also guaranteeing increases in player salaries and benefits," said Laurel Richie, the WNBA president.
U wins in softball
The No. 17 Gophers beat Missouri State 11-4 in the Mizuno Classic in Stillwater, Okla. Kaitlyn Richardson was 3-for-4 with a homer and Taylor LeMay 2-for-3 with two homers for the Gophers (16-2). Each had four RBI.
Nikki Anderson pitched five innings and was the winning pitcher.
Bests in everything
Carleton sophomore Amelia Campbell broke the NCAA Division III record in the heptathlon Thurday at the MIAC indoor track and field meet in Collegeville, Minn., with a score of 3,914.
She won all five events with personal bests and set three new school records.
"I don't want to say it was a once-in-a-lifetime event," Knights coach Donna Ricks said, "but it's amazing to see someone pull it all together like this.
"She accomplished an unbelievable feat. She put her heart and soul out there tonight."
Campbell won the 60-meter hurdles (8.88), tied for first in the high jump (5-6), won the shot put (37-6½), long jump (18-3¾) and completed her championship with a first-place finish in the 800 (2:21.61).
Etc.
• Team USA Minnesota runners Gabriele Grunewald and Heather Kampf advanced to the finals of their events Friday at the world indoor track championships in Sopot, Poland. Grunewald will be in the women's 3,000-meter final Sunday, qualifying in 8:58.10. Kampf made the women's 1,500 final with a time of 4:11.27.
