Minnesota Scene: Gophers' Banham named to espnW's All-America first team

Senior guard Rachel Banham was named to espnW's five-player All-America first team.

The website said this about her: "The Gophers might not be headed to the NCAA tournament, but Banham … has scored 3,008 points for Minnesota and has a chance to impact a WNBA team."

Banham also was named one of four finalists for the Dawn Staley Award, given to the top Division I guard in the country, and added to the 30-player Wade Trophy watch list, given to the player of the year.

Minnesota's best high school senior wrestlers will take on some of the nation's best on Saturday at New Prague High School.

The Dream Team Wrestling Classic will be held in Minnesota for the second time.

"They pick a state that has a very strong senior class," New Prague activities director Brad Skogerboe said. "This year with Mark Hall being the No. 1 recruit in the nation from Apple Valley, and Keegan Moore [from Jackson County Central, ranked No. 1] at 195, and then several others … there's a lot of good wrestlers here."

The last match of the night pits Hall, a six-time state champion, against No. 2 Alex Marinelli of Ohio at 170 pounds.

BEN GOTZ

Ayo Taylor-Dixon will join the Gophers athletics department as a senior associate athletic director — the same position he has held at Northern Colorado since 2014. At Minnesota, some of his main responsibilities will be to oversee the marketing department and sales and service operations. Taylor-Dixon is expected to start March 21.

The Gophers softball team lost 4-1 to Robert Morris in the Florida Atlantic tournament in Boca Raton. Freshman Kaitlin Ellzy of the Colonials (5-16) allowed only one hit, Kayla Wenner's single leading off the sixth inning.

Minnesota later played Massachusetts and won 12-0 in five innings. Leadoff hitter Sam Macken, whose season-long hitting streak ended at 18 games against Robert Morris, was 2-for-4 with five RBI against the Minutewomen (5-10). Taylor LeMay was 1-for-2 with two RBI.

Sara Groenewegen pitched the first three innings for the Gophers (14-6) and gave up one hit; Kylie Stober pitched two hitless innings.

• Kaitlyn Long of Winona State won the women's weight throw in the NCAA Division II indoor championships for the second year in row. Her throw of 74-5¾ at Pittsburg (Kan.) State was a division record.

• The Gophers baseball team lost 13-3 at Seattle University in the opener of a four-game series. Austin Athmann had a two-run homer for Minnesota (7-4).

• The St. Cloud State wrestling team advanced four wrestlers to the semifinals of the NCAA Division II tournament in Sioux Falls, S.D. In the quarterfinals: Brett Velasquez won 8-4 at 125 pounds. Matt Nelson, at 141, rallied from 12-0 down, to beat Sam Hanau of Pittsburgh-Johnstown 19-15. Jay Hildreth won 2-1 at 149 in overtime. Austin Goergen, the defending heavyweight champion, won on a pin. The No. 2 Huskies are the defending team champions and lead the team standings after Day 1 with 52.5 points; Notre Dame (Ohio) College is second with 50.5.

• Only two of Augsburg's nine wrestlers in the NCAA Division III tournament in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, are still in title contention after Day 1. Junior Donny Longendyke, the defending champion at heavyweight, got his 22nd and 23rd pins to reach the semifinals. He is 38-2. Eric Hensel also got two pins at 165 pounds. The Auggies, who won the team title a year ago, are in fourth place with 34.5 points. Top-ranked Wartburg (Iowa) leads with 78.

• Volleyball Magazine named three of the Gophers' incoming recruits to its Fab 50. They are Regan Pittman, a 6-5 middle blocker from St. Thomas Aquinas in Overland Park, Kan.; Brittany McLean, a 6-1 outside hitter for Rosemount, and Alexis Hart, a 6-0 outside hitter for Truman in Independence, Mo. The magazine rates Pittman the fifth-best college prospect in the Class of 2016.