Graduate student Amira Young and junior Shelby Frank were named the Big Ten Athletes of the Championships in track and field, respectively, the conference office announced.
Gophers Amira Young, Shelby Frank named top athletes at Big Ten track and field meet
Young won the 60- and 200-meter races, Frank the weight throw. And both did so in impressive fashion.
Young won both the 60-meter dash (7.18 seconds) and the 200 (23.31) in Geneva, Ohio, last weekend. Young's time was a meet and conference record.
Frank won the weight throw (79 feet, 2 ½) with the second longest throw in conference history.
Both qualified for the NCAA indoor championships March 10-11 in Albuquerque, N.M., as did teammates Akilah Lewis in the 60 and Nyalaam Jok in the high jump. Lewis was second (7.19) in the Big Ten meet in the 60, Jok was third (5-10 ¾) in her specialty.
U's Heise named top forward
Fifth-year forward Taylor Heise of the Gophers was named WCHA Forward of the Year for the second consecutive season after leading the conference in points (51) and goals (19) in 28 games.
She has tallied a conference-leading 62 points in all games and 29 goals, matching a career-high.
Etc.
- The Gophers baseball team opened a six-game homestand with a 3-0 loss to Milwaukee at U.S. Bank Stadium. Brett Bateman went 2-for-2 with two walks for Minnesota (0-8).
- Gophers junior Megan Van Berkom will swim in three events at the NCAA Division I swimming and diving championships from March 15-18 in Knoxville, Tenn. Van Berkom, who will be competing in her third straight NCAA meet, is scheduled to swim in the 200-yard individual medley, 400 IM and 200 butterfly. She swam the sixth fastest 200 butterfly (4 minutes, 4.86 seconds) in the nation this season in placing second in the Big Ten meet.
- Redshirt senior Maddie Quarles of the Gophers gymnastics team was named the Big Ten event specialist of the week. The Andover native scored a perfect 10 on vault at the Big Five meet last Saturday in Lincoln, Neb.
- St. Olaf senior forward Rachel Kelly and Hamline senior guard Chan'el Anderson-Manning were voted the MIAC Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year in women's basketball, respectively, while St. Scholastica guard Lexi Imdieke was named Rookie of the Year, and Concordia (Moorhead)'s Kim Wagers Coach of the Year.
- Northwestern (St. Paul)'s Lexi Hagen was named the UMAC Player of the Year in women's basketball and the Eagles' Aaron Kahl the Coach of the Year after they won the conference regular-season and tournament titles.
- The University of Minnesota athletic department and its exclusive multimedia rightsholder, Learfield's Gopher Sports Properties, announced a multiyear contract extension with iHeartMedia Minneapolis. The agreement will ensure radio coverage of Gophers athletic events via various streaming platforms through the 2026-27 athletic season.
A constant on a team beset by change, Dawson Garcia scored 30 points, going six shots into the season before he even missed.