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Joel Rippel

News Assistant | Newsroom
Phone: 612-673-4684

Joel Rippel writes about sports for the Star Tribune.

Recent content from Joel Rippel
Northwestern (St. Paul) falls in NCAA Division III volleyball

Northwestern (St. Paul) falls in NCAA Division III volleyball

New York University outlasted Northwestern (St. Paul) 3-2 in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division III volleyball tournament in Claremont, Calif.
Bemidji State quarterback Brandon Alt completed 19 of 24 passes in last week’s NCAA Division II playoff victory at Texas-Permian Basin.

Bemidji State's NCAA football run continues, and two other things to watch

The Beavers have earned another rare playoff home game. They'll face Central Washington on Saturday in the second round of the NCAA Division II tournament.
The diving pool at Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center.

Minneapolis Washburn sophomore leads after Class 2A diving prelims

Madeline Kohel stood ahead of two-time defending champion Gabby Mauder of Woodbury.
Retiring Bethel football coach Steve Johnson has taken his team to the Division III playoffs for the ninth time in the past 18 years.

Bethel gets a tough draw in D-III playoffs, and so does UMAC's champ

Bethel faces a 9-1 Wisconsin Whitewater team to open the NCAA Division III football playoffs. Two Minnesota teams from the Northern Sun are on the road, too.
Chisholm’s Anne Govednik made it biggest among girls who competed for swimming state titles on the Iron Range. She competed in the 1932 Olympics.

100-year-old girls state tournament? It happened on the Iron Range.

This week's girls swimming and diving state meet will be the 48th in the modern era. But Minnesota's true pioneers first competed in the 1920s in pools funded by mining that were called 'the best in the nation.'
Bethel football coach Steve Johnson (shown in 2022) — the winningest active coach in Division III with 252 victories — will retire at the end of t

Five area football teams make Division II and Division III playoffs

Three NSIC teams were included in the 28-team Division II football playoff field and two teams from Minnesota were included in the 32-team Division III bracket.
St. Thomas running back Hope Adebayo, shown here Sept. 2 in St. Paul, ran for two touchdowns Saturday in San Diego.

Area college football: Adebayo lifts St. Thomas over San Diego in OT

The 11-yard touchdown run came after the Toreros missed a 28-yard field goal on their overtime possession.
Expected signees, clockwise from top left: Hannah Halverson of Edina, Javon Moore of Minnetonka, Max Arlich of East Ridge and Kiya Gilliand of Benilde

The big list, bigger: The latest update shows 327 Minnesota athletes and their college commitments

A national signing day this week led to this list of Minnesota high school athletes officially aligning themselves with Division I or II colleges.
Lou Cotroneo, shown in 2001, might have been the happiest man in St. Paul, smiling, laughing and greeting everyone he met at Xcel Energy Center with a

St. Paul hockey legend Cotroneo dies at age 93

Lou Cotroneo, a member of St. Paul Johnson's state championship team in 1947, coached in the Johnson program for 20 years and later worked for the North Stars and Wild.
Quarterback Brandon Alt and Bemidji State have a high-stakes game at Augustana on Saturday.

Area college football: 3-team tussle in NSIC, Gustavus goes for MIAC title

Bemidji State, Augustana, MSU Mankato and UMD are also battling for spots in the 28-team Division II playoff field, which will be announced Sunday.
Hill-Murray’s Vinny Pearcy scored one of his two goals Friday during the Class 2A boys soccer title game.

Prep Athletes of the Week: He's a winner for his 'big goals in big games'

Vinny Pearcy led Hill-Murray to the Class 2A boys soccer state championship.
Area college football roundup: Gustavus Adolphus claims spot in MIAC title game

Area college football roundup: Gustavus Adolphus claims spot in MIAC title game

The Gusties have won five games in a row and will play Bethel next week.
Jake Breitbach (2) and Gustavus are 3-0 in the Northwoods League division.

MIAC title game could feature surprise teams based on Saturday's results

St. John's met Bethel in the MIAC's previous two championship games, but Gustavus and Concordia could each go there this time by winning Saturday.
Steve Johnson has been Bethel’s head football coach since 1989.

Steve Johnson, Hall of Fame football coach at Bethel, to retire

In 1989, Steve Johnson took over a Bethel football team that had won 14 games in a decade and completely turned the program around.
Eddie Snider of Mounds Park Academy recently outdueled Heritage Christian’s Lev Dougherty at the finish line to win the Class 1A, Section 4 cross-co

Prep Athletes of the Week: Mounds Park Academy runner gets his kick in

Eddie Snider won a section championship by turning on the speed he had been "polishing up."
Minnesota college football roundup: Bemidji State outlasts UMD

Minnesota college football roundup: Bemidji State outlasts UMD

Brandon Alt passed for 271 yards and two touchdowns, and Sage Booker rushed for 120 yards and two TDs for No. 12 Bemidji State.
Defensive lineman Joey Fitzgerald (92) has made 15 tackles for the Tommies this season.

St. Thomas' 29-game home winning streak and four other things to watch in Minnesota college football

After bouncing back from their loss at Drake, the Tommies pounded Stetson last week and return home Saturday to face Marist.
Wayzata’s Eddy Ignatius (7), Aaron Kibaya (22), and Charlie Piler (16) celebrated a goal by Ignatius earlier this season.

Seeds announced for high school state soccer tournaments

Wayzata earned the top seed for Class 3A boys, Edina for 3A girls.
Minnesota State Mankato’s Shen Butler-Lawson leads Division II with 1,026 rushing yards.

Area college football: Battle of 7-0 teams, will Johnnies get a challenge?

Augustana is off to its best start since 2010, but Minnesota State Mankato has had its number over the years. Also, St. John's crushed an undefeated MIAC team last weekend and goes on the road this weekend.
Area college football roundup: Minnesota State Moorhead outlasts Sioux Falls 53-40

Area college football roundup: Minnesota State Moorhead outlasts Sioux Falls 53-40

The Dragons had the ball only 16 minutes, 37 seconds, but averaged 21.4 yards per completed pass.
Carleton quarterback Jack Curtis ranks eighth among Division III quarterbacks with 1,696 passing yards.

If Twins can stop their losing streak, why not Carleton vs. St. John's?

In other Minnesota college football action: St. Thomas heads to Des Moines, and Minnesota State Mankato takes a nonconference detour.
Minnesota Duluth quarterback Kyle Walljasper averages 7.7 yards per rushing attempt this season and has passed for 11 touchdowns.

Minnesota Duluth is off to a blazing start — in football

The Bulldogs are on a roll, led by quarterback Kyle Walljasper.
Brandon Alt and Bemidji State get another chance to face Minnesota State Mankato on Saturday.

NSIC showdown in Bemidji tops 5 things to watch in state college football

Bemidji State and Minnesota State each take a 4-0 record into Saturday's matchup in Bemidji.
Johan Santana pitched seven scoreless innings in a 2-0 shutout against the Yankees in Game 1 of the 2004 American League Division Series — the Twins

Chart: Every Twins postseason appearance since 1961

The Twins have reached the postseason 14 teams since becoming a franchise in 1961. In that time, they've won five playoff series and two World Series.
OF Nolan Jones (22), seen in Denver on Tuesday, is one of two rookies whose play has been a bright spot for the National League-worst Rockies.

Twins close regular season against National League-worst Rockies

The AL Central champion, No. 3 seed Twins will make their way to Denver for the first time since 2014.
Twins reliever Brock Stewart — out since June 27 because of a forearm strain — will be activated for the Oakland series.

Twins face abysmal A's in final regular-season series at Target Field

The A's (48-108) have their worst record since moving from Kansas City in 1968, though former Twins outfielder Brent Rooker has been a bright spot.
Angels’ Jo Adell (7) celebrates a home run with third base coach Bill Haselman (82) Thursday, Sept. 21, 2023, in St. Petersburg, Fla.

Twins face Angels in final homestand of regular season

The Angels will face the Twins without probable AL MVP Shohei Ohtani, who underwent elbow surgery Tuesday.
St. Thomas running back Shawn Shipman (26) broke free for yardage in the Tommies’ season opener, Sept. 2 at O’Shaughnessy Stadium.

Rare Tommies losing streak — and a huge matchup in league they left

St. Thomas has never lost three games in a row under coach Glenn Caruso. After falling at South Dakota and Harvard, they'll face Morehead State at home. And there's a big MIAC game, too.
The Lynx’s Napheesa Collier (24) and the Sun’s Alyssa Thomas (25) dove for a loose ball during the Lynx’s 82-75 victory in Game 2 of a first-rou

Lynx-Sun Game 3 preview: Deciding game takes place at Target Center

The Lynx lost Game 1 by 30, then regrouped to win Game 2 by seven. Now they have a chance to advance in the WNBA playoffs for the first time since 2020.
Former Twins prospect Christian Encarnacion-Strand rounded the bases after hitting a two-run home run for the Reds during the eighth inning against th

Twins to play Reds for first time since 2021

Minnesota will look to move closer toward the AL Central title with a visit to Cincinnati, which is a half-game behind in the wild-card race.
Lynx forward Napheesa Collier (24) blocked a shot by guard DiJonai Carrington (21) in a June 22 game at Target Center. The Sun have won nine of the te

Gameday preview: Lynx looking to rebound from record loss

The Lynx are coming off a 90-60 loss to the Sun in Game 1, the worst in a playoff game in franchise history.
Bemidji State quarterback Brandon Alt has thrown four touchdown passes with one interception through the first two games this season.

NSIC race takes shape; five things to watch in Minnesota college football

Macalester and Minnesota State Mankato are scoring points in bunches to start the season.
Twins pitcher Kenta Maeda is scheduled to start Thursday night against the Chicago White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field.

Twins start seven-game road trip with series against White Sox

Minnesota holds a 6-3 advantage over Chicago this season but has a 33-38 road record.
Alyssa Thomas was a dominant player for the Sun as they earned the No. 3 seed in the WNBA playoffs.

Lynx gameday: WNBA playoff opener at Connecticut

The teams are meeting for the first time in the postseason.
Tampa Bay’s Yandy Díaz, seen at right scoring in front of Twins catcher Christian Vázquez on June 6 in St. Petersburg, Fla., hit a walk-off home r

Twins look for redemption against Tampa Bay

The Rays swept the Twins and limited them to three runs in three games when the two teams last met in June.
Lynx guard Diamond Miller maneuvered around Mercury center Brittney Griner after a turnover during a game September 3

Gameday preview: Lynx close regular season against Fever, looking to settle playoff seed

A No. 5 finishing spot would mean a Dallas playoff matchup, while No. 6 would put them against Connecticut.
Gameday preview: Playoff berth in hand, Lynx go to Chicago

Gameday preview: Playoff berth in hand, Lynx go to Chicago

Still vying for a postseason spot, the Chicago Sky hold a tiebreaker with the Los Angeles Sparks.
New York Mets pitcher Kodai Senga

Series preview: Twins open six-game homestand with three against against the Mets

The AL Central-leading Twins have lost 11 of their past 13 games against the Mets, who are out of the playoff race.
Running back Troy Feddema (9) is one of the returning players for St. John’s this season.

Big St. John's comeback and 4 other Minnesota college football story lines

The Johnnies head to Wisconsin-Whitewater this week, coming off their biggest rally from a halftime deficit in 29 years.
The Guardians will have a big part of their lineup available this week that they didn’t last week at Target Field, after activating Josh Naylor from

Twins-Cleveland series preview: Guardians get some reinforcements

The Twins maintain a five-game lead over the Guardians in the AL Central as the two rivals clash for the final time in the regular season.
Area college football roundup: St. John's rallies from 17-point deficit in fourth quarter, beats Trinity in OT

Area college football roundup: St. John's rallies from 17-point deficit in fourth quarter, beats Trinity in OT

Conor Murphy kicked a field goal late in regulation to tie the score and another in overtime for the decisive points.
Brittney Griner leads the Mercury in points and rebounds.

Lynx could clinch playoffs vs. league-worst Mercury

Phoenix is coming off seven losses in a row and has the league's worst away record.
Rhyne Howard, shown driving against the Lynx’s Kayla McBride, leads Atlanta in scoring.

Gameday preview: Lynx, Dream tied in WNBA playoff race

The teams stand sixth in the standings, though the Dream have swept the Lynx so far this season.
Texas’ Adolis Garcia has 97 RBI, tied for the American League lead.

Twins visit Rangers for first half of six-game road trip

The Rangers are 42-24 at home, second in the American League.
Walleye

Anglers getting crappies on Chisago-area lakes; Mille Lacs walleye bite good

Walleyes in Lake Pepin have been worth the late-summer effort recently, too.
Mystics star Elena Delle Donne readied for a shot June 16 in Washington. Leading her team with 17.6 points per game, she will be a key factor when the

No. 5 Lynx look to hold off No. 6 Washington, sweep season series

Coming off a loss to the Liberty at home, the Lynx will try to build on their luck on the road when they visit the Mystics in Washington.
Bemidji State quarterback Brandon Alt returns as a fifth-year senior this season.

10 things to know about Minnesota Division II and III football this season

St. John's and Bethel are looking forward to big seasons again, and the NSIC has a team picked first in that conference for the first time since 2007.
Cleveland rookie Tanner Bibee earned his 10th victory of the season Friday at Toronto; no other Guardians pitcher has more than six wins.

AL Central competitor Cleveland up next for Twins

The teams will play one another six times in 10 days, with three games at each team's home field.
Lynx forward Napheesa Collier worked to the basket against the Wings on Thursday in Arlington, Texas. After sweeping the two-game series over Dallas,

Lynx look to exceed .500 for first time this season vs. New York

Defeating the Eastern Conference-leading Liberty would help the Lynx cement their No. 5 ranking in the WNBA playoff race.
Anglers have reported success on walleyes and saugers on parts of Lake of the Woods.

Late-summer fishing productive at south end of Lake of the Woods, in some Ely area waters

The intense heat has slowed the bite in metro area lakes.
Napheesa Collier (24) of the Lynx and Dallas’ Natasha Howard competed for a loose ball on Tuesday at Target Center.

Wings have chance for revenge in rematch against Lynx on Thursday

The two teams are competing for playoff position as the WNBA season hits the final stretch.
Rangers starter Max Scherzer, formerly with the Mets, is 9-2 against the Twins over his career.

Twins open seven-game homestand vs. AL West-best Rangers

The Texas Rangers, who have lost six games in a row, face the Minnesota Twins for the first time this season.
Lynx guard Kayla McBride (21) battled Wings forward Natasha Howard (6) for a rebound in the second half July 12 at Target Center. The two teams will m

Another crucial game for WNBA playoff positioning as Lynx face Dallas

The Wings have a three-game winning streak and are in second place in the Western Conference — they're also 2-0 against the Lynx this season.
Twins shortstop Carlos Correa (4) celebrated as he rounded the bases after hitting a walk-off home run in the ninth inning against the Brewers at Targ

Central leader showdown as Twins cross the border to face Brewers

The AL Central-leading Twins, who swept the NL Central-leading Brewers in June at Target Field, will look to match those results in Milwaukee.
Sami Whitcomb has scored at least 20 points in all three games against the Lynx this season.

Lynx shoot for season sweep of Storm

Seattle has one last chance to avoid going 0-4 this season after winning 15 of the previous 16 matchups against the Lynx.
Seattle guard Jewell Loyd leads the WNBA in scoring at 24.1 points per game.

Lynx, holding onto 6th place in WNBA, start back-to-back vs. Storm

The two teams will meet against Sunday at Target Center. Seattle has won three of its past four and features Jewell Loyd, the leading scorer in the WNBA.
Andrew McCutchen

López looks to continue red hot run as Twins open series vs. Pirates

The Twins ace has thrown 13 scoreless innings over his last two starts. He'll look to keep it going against the Pirates, who are 14-23 in interleague games this season.
Walleye

Rainy River, Detroit Lakes anglers are finding walleyes

Minnesota fishing report: Backwaters of the Mississippi River near Lake Pepin are producing panfish.
Gentry Academy players raised their trophy after winning the 2021 Class A boys hockey championship.

Gentry Academy selects Follmer as boys hockey coach

Gentry Academy named Kyle Follmer as its boys hockey coach. He had been an assistant coach for the New Mexico Ice Wolves junior team the past two seasons.
Jorge Polanco had a pair of run-scoring hits Sunday as the Twins beat the Phillies 3-0. Minnesota will host the Tigers for a two-game series this week

After losing season series, Twins get another crack at Tigers

The Tigers are 53-65 on the season, but they're 7-4 against the Twins. A two-game series at Target Field figures to be the last time the team's meet this season.
Philadelphia Phillies’ Weston Wilson reacts after a home run during Wednesday’s game

Series preview: Twins to face Phillies in first meeting since 2019

The AL Central-leading Twins continue their seven-game road trip against the defending NL champion Phillies.
An example of a crankbait.

Crankbaits are attracting fish near Red Wing; summer good on Mille Lacs

Minnesota fishing report: Near the Northwest Angle, the bite has been good for a variety of fish. Here's a look at what's going on in the waters around Minnesota.
Indiana forward NaLyssa Smith, left, returned Tuesday from a lengthy stress fracture recovery, just in time to go up against the Lynx’s Napheesa Col

Lynx face slumping Fever in last game before weeklong break

Indiana has won three of its past five games against Minnesota, but the team is in poor form, having lost nine of its past eleven.
Rachel Banham could return to action for the Lynx on Tuesday.

As roster inches closer to full strength, Lynx head to Chicago

The last time the Lynx faced the Sky was the season opener in May, on Tuesday they meet in Chicago with Rachel Banham and Dorka Juhász close to returning.
Tigers star Miguel Cabrera needs one more hit to match the career total of late Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn.

Series preview: Twins have a losing record vs. Tigers this season

The Twins have won each of the previous six season series against Detroit.
Tommy Pham, acquired by Arizona in a trade with the Mets on Tuesday, has hit 124 career home runs.

Twins preview: Diamondbacks arrive for first time since 2017

Arizona will feature outfielder Tommy Pham, acquired at the trade deadline.
New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart (30) visits Target Center on Friday.

Gameday preview: Liberty might have revenge in mind for Lynx

Their last loss was to Minnesota in New York. Now, the Breanna Stewart-led Liberty visit Target Center on Friday.
Walleye

Anglers having success at Lake of the Woods and near Northwest Angle

Minnesota fishing report: Activity has slowed among some species in Detroit Lakes area. Panfish are biting in Ely.
Jorge Polanco tried to get a tag on Paul Goldschmidt when the Twins visited St. Louis in 2021.

Twins open series vs. Cardinals, facing another last place team

After losing five consecutive games, the Twins will look to maintain their one game lead in the AL Central as the trade deadline looms.
Lynx forward Dorka Juhász battled against Sun guard Natisha Hiedeman in June at Target Center.

After back-to-back showcase wins, Lynx wrap season series vs. Sun

After two of their best wins of the season, the Lynx end a three-game road trip with the second game of a back-to-back series against Connecticut.
Connecticut’s DeWanna Bonner was selected as a WNBA All-Star for the fifth time this season, in her 14th season at age 35.

Lynx look for first victory over Sun this season

Connecticut is tied with New York for the lead in the WNBA's Eastern Conference.
Napheesa Collier hurt her ankle during the fourth quarter of the Lynx’s win over Washington on Wednesday.

Lynx star Collier to miss game against Liberty after hurting ankle

Napheesa Collier left Wednesday's game — a 97-92 victory over Washington — with 3:21 remaining in the fourth quarter because of an injury to her right ankle
Summer fishing on Lake Minnetonka.

Muskie bite has improved on Leech Lake; walleye bite slows on Minnetonka

Minnesota fishing report: Fishing also has been solid on chain of lakes in Fairmont area
Byron Buxton returns to the Twins lineup this weekend.

Twins-Royals preview: K.C. has lost nine of 10 meetings this season

Byron Buxton is back from the paternity list as the Twins try to end a two-game losing streak as they hit the road for six.
Lynx forward Jessica Shepard, who battled the Chicago Sky’s Elizabeth Williams for a rebound earlier this season, is expected to return to the lineu

Preview: Lynx vs. Washington Mystics

Washington comes into Wednesday's game off a victory despite being severely injury plagued,