gophers/ncaa

Fourteen members of the Gophers women’s swimming and diving team have qualified for the NCAA championships March 21-23 in Indianapolis. That’s three more than last year.

The complete NCAA roster, which does not include divers yet, will be set after the NCAA Zone Diving Meet on March 14-17.

Only Georgia, with 17, will send more swimmers to the NCAA meet.

Among the Gophers going to Indianapolis are Haley Spencer, the defending champion in the 200-yard breaststroke, and Tess Behrens, a five-time all-american.

Last month the Gophers won the Big Ten meet — for the second year in a row — by a whopping 160 points. “We went back to work the Monday after Big Ten’s because we know now that we have a lot of people looking at us,” head coach Terry Neiszner said, “… thinking we won’t be able to repeat the performances we had at the Big Ten meet.”

 

Saying thanks to U

Defending the Blue Line presented the Gophers’ men’s hockey team with a combat-flown American flag before Wednesday’s practice. The team recently helped raise more than $25,000 for Defending the Blue Line, which provides hockey equipment for the children of military families, by auctioning the jerseys the team wore in the Hockey City Classic at Soldier Field.

 

Etc.

• Six pitchers combined on a four-hitter and struck out 11 in the Gophers’ 3-1 victory over Hamline on Wednesday at the Metrodome. Mark Tatera, JT Canakes and Kurt Schlangen had one RBI apiece for Minnesota.

• North Dakota has started selling reserved preferred seats to the first National Collegiate Hockey Conference postseason tournament to be held next year on March 21-22 at Target Center. Four-game packages are $130 or $60.

• St. Cloud State senior Luke Weber won the 3-meter diving title in NCAA Division II swimming and diving championships in Birmingham, Ala., on his last dive. Classmate Chris White placed sixth.

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