Augsburg guard Booker Coplin, a junior from Shakopee, was named the Division III men's National Player of the Year by the National Association of Basketball Coaches.

It's the first time an MIAC player has ever been selected to receive the award since it was established in 1983.

Coplin and Wisconsin-Oshkosh's Matt Lewis, named Division III National Coach of the Year, will receive their awards at 6:30 p.m. Sunday, April 7 at the Minneapolis Convention Center's main auditorium during the NABC Convention.

This season Coplin led the Auggies to a 19-9 record and was the MIAC's scoring and rebounding champion, averaging 28 points and 9.4 rebounds per game. He also led the conference in steals (61), field goals (276) and free throws (156).

Among NCAA Division III players nationally, Coplin finished second in both total points and points per game.

U baseball team loses in slugfest

Eduardo Estrada Jr. had four hits, including two homers and a double, for the Gophers baseball team, but it lost 13-12 at Pepperdine.

Minnesota (5-13) scored four runs in the eighth — three on Easton Bertrand's three-run homer — and six runs in the top of the ninth inning to take a 12-11 lead before the Waves (9-7) scored twice in the bottom of the inning.

Etc.

• Minnesota State Mankato's Mike Hastings was named the WCHA Coach of the Year.

• The Gophers' Tiarre Sales was named the Big Ten' freshman of the week in women's gymnastics. She won the beam (9.950) and tied for second on vault (9.900) and bars (9.900) in a four-team meet in Columbia, Mo.

• Shane Wiskus and Garrett Kasiski of the Gophers were named both the College Gymnastics Association and Big Ten gymnast and freshman of the week, respectively. Wiskus won the parallel bars (14.900) and high bar (14.400) in a meet against Air Force while Kasiski won the vault (14.900).

• The Gophers women's golf team finished seventh in the Juli Inkster Invitational in Fairfax, Calif., led by Muyu Wu, who was fifth with an even-par 216.