Park Center's Adalia McKenzie named Miss Basketball

Adalia McKenzie, a 5-10 senior guard for Park Center, was named Minnesota Miss Basketball on Saturday by the Minnesota Girls Basketball Coaches Association. She averaged 27.6 points for the Pirates this season and was a two-time All-Metro first-team pick by the Star Tribune.

"I am beyond thankful and proud!" she tweeted. "I appreciate my family, friends, teammates and coaches for everything they have done!"

She is the all-time leading scorer for Park Center with 2,573 points and has signed a national letter of intent to play for Illinois.

The other finalists for the award were Julia Bengston, Becker; Sophia Hart, Farmington; Gianna Kneepkens, Duluth Marshall; and Alexis Pratt, Stillwater.

Freshman Denali Loecker had an RBI double in the fourth inning and an RBI single in the seventh as Iowa beat the No. 24 Gophers 3-1 in the first game of a Big Ten softball doubleheader at Jane Sage Cowles Stadium. Iowa had lost 13 straight to the Gophers.

Loecker hit a three-run homer in the first inning of the second game, but the Gophers rallied to win 5-4. Amber Fiser got the victory, giving up a fourth run in the seventh when the Hawkeyes left the bases loaded. Natalie DenHartog had two hits, including a double, and two RBI for Minnesota (24-7 overall/Big Ten). Iowa dropped to 16-15.

The Gophers set a program record in winning the women's distance medley relay (11 minutes, 3.01 seconds) at the Illini Big Ten Relays in Champaign, Ill. Relay members were Abby Kohut-Jackson, Sophie Schmitz, Anastasia Korzenowski and Bethany Hasz.

Two other Minnesota women's relays placed second with times that made the program's top-10 list. The 4x100 (45.12) had the seventh-best time for that U relay. Amira Young, the relay's anchor, won the 100- and 200-meter dashes the day before.

The 4x800 relay (8:41.19) had the eighth-fastest time.

The Gophers women's golf team improved its score by 15 strokes in the second round and was in 10th place in the Big Ten Championships in Maineville, Ohio. Its second-day round of 2-over 290 — a season low — gave Minnesota a 595 total. Michigan State and Maryland were tied for first with at 9-under 567.

The top two Gophers were Grace Curran (76-72-148), who was tied for 28th, and Grace Kellar (76-73-149), tied for 35th.

Joanne Free had the team's best second round, a 1-under 71. She is tied for 38th at 150.

• The No. 16 Gophers rowing program swept the varsity eight races at the Iowa Rowing Regatta on Lake MacBride. The No. 18 Hawkeyes, No. 19 Wisconsin, Drake and Kansas also competed. Minnesota's second varsity eight's time of 6:42.66 was almost two seconds ahead of Wisconsin. The first varsity eight won in 6:30.72 with Iowa second.

• Forward Chaz Lucius, a signed Gophers recruit who played for one of the U.S. national development teams this season, was named to the 25-player roster for the U.S. national team that will compete at the 2021 International Ice Hockey Federation Under-18 World Championship from April 26-May 6 in Frisco and Plano, Texas. He is a native of Grant, Minn.