Ness takes home a Goldy

On Monday night, the U of M Athletic Department hosted their 4th annual Golden Goldys. This event honors the outstanding athletes of the year. Jayson Ness was the U of M top honor, taking home the Male Athlete of the Year award, for his performance in the National Championships. The Gopher wrestler finished the season with 31-0, which is the sixth perfect season in the century long program history. Ness also finished up the year with the NCAA title, the fourth All-American honor, his second Big Ten Title and was named Big Ten Wrestler of the Year among many other achievements along the way. Congrats Jayson!

Gophers baseball team on the move

The Minnesota Golden Gophers baseball team began their six-game road trip today. In about an hour, they will be facing off against NDSU at their Newman Outdoor Field. The Gophers then go on to play Iowa City and Kansas State. So far, NDSU has racked up a 14-21 overall record and Iowa currently is close to grabbing eighth place in the Big Ten conference. Kansas State looks to be the Gophers’ biggest challenge, coming into the game with a 27-10 lead overall. With U of M junior Michael Kvasnicka, Nick O’Shea and Kyle Knusdon leading the Gophers, they are confident in the next few days of games.

Gophers fighting for the Stanley Cup

The NHL playoffs are underway and every hockey enthusiast knows what’s to come! The Stanley Cup championships! The Golden Gophers hockey team has produced six of the outstanding players squaring off this week for the gold. These six include Alex Goligoski (Penguins), Jordan Leopold (Penguins), Thomas Vanek (Sabres), Black Wheeler (Bruins), Paul Martin (Devils) and Ryan Stoa (Avalanche).

As a member of the Pitt Penguins, this is Goligoski’s second year in a row he will be fighting for the cup. Leopold, a Penguin player, used to be with the Florida Panthers until he was traded halfway through the season. Vanek is a lead player for the Sabres in goals this season, even though he missed out on eleven games for injuries. Wheeler is also a former Gopher player, and currently plays for the Boston Bruins as the third ranked scorer for the team. Paul Martin, a New Jersey Devil, and Ryan Stoa, a Colorado Avalanch player, have also earned their spot on their team’s playoff lineup.

Gopher Tennis Team done at home for the season

I follow all Gopher sports (including tennis!), especially when they do phenomenally. Sebastian Gallego, of the U of M tennis team, is currently ranked 80th in the nation but managed to beat out the No. 22.

Unfortunately, the Minnesota tennis team couldn’t beat out Wisconsin overall. This was senior day for the Golden Gophers since it would be the last home match of the 2010 tennis season. There is only one senior on the team, Dino Bilankov, who fell to his defeat ending the season with a 16-15 overall.

The U of M currently holds a 4-4 Big Ten record and trails close behind the Wisconsin Badgers at fifth place. Their next match will be against Purdue this coming Saturday and then against the Hawkeyes in Iowa City the next day. Good luck Gophers!

Gophers vs Wildcats

The Minnesota Golden Gopher baseball team is in Evanston right to take on the Northwestern Wildcats. The game today started at 3 p.m., tomorrow is at 1 p.m. and Sunday’s game is at 1 p.m. This marks the third week of the Gopher’s 2010 Big Ten season. So far, the Golden Gophers baseball team is in a four-way tie for fourth place in the Big Ten conference. The Gophers holds a 13-20 overall record.

Gopher Youth Day

Did you catch the Gopher Youth Day this past Saturday at the TCF Bank Stadium? It was a bit intense for the Golden Gopher football players, since they hosted it right after a two-hour scrimmage. This was the Second Annual Brew’s Crew Youth Day and more than 500 kids showed up to meet the team .The huge amount of kids, boys and girls, were so excited and just to be apart of the drills with the Gophers. Coach Tim Brewster is very dedicated to the young football players of Minnesota and wants to give them as many opportunities to grow as people and players as possible.

Paul Carter leaves Gophers

A Golden Gopher basketball player, Paul Carter, has decided to leave the U of M in order to be closer to his 14-year-old sister in Chicago who is currently receiving cancer treatment. His fellow teammates have shown huge support for Paul’s sister and shaved their heads right before they played Wisconsin in February.

Paul Carter is a junior forward for the Gopher basketball team, and will be spending his senior year at an unannounced college in Chicago. Paul Carter had been awarded five scholarships from the University of Minnesota to play basketball on the team, which been reopened for next season. Coach Tubby Smith is completely understanding of the situation and only wishes Carter and his family the best.

1st Gopher football spring game

The Gopher football team will play its annual spring game on April 24th for the first time at the TCF Bank Stadium. The Gopher football team is allotted 15 spring practices and their last will be the big game at the stadium.

If you want to attend the Gopher Football Spring Game, it is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. after the Gopher Victory Walk takes place. Tickets are free and there will be a bunch of giveaways for the kids so get there early!