On March 30, the NCAA Division I Council approved a resolution in response to athletics seasons being canceled due to the coronavirus, which grants every spring sport athlete an extra year of eligibility. The rule requires both the University and individual students to opt-in to the extra year of eligibility.
Of the University of Minnesota’s 47 spring-sport seniors, 13 have committed to returning, four have announced they are leaving and the final 30 are either undecided or unknown at this time.
Below is a breakdown of each individual sport except for women’s golf, which has no seniors on its roster.
Softball
Returning (5) – Amber Fiser, MaKenna Partain, Katelyn Kemmetmueller, Carlie Brandt, Brooke Vander Heide
Leaving (1) – Kaylen Krueger
Softball returns nearly all of its senior class, putting itself in a very strong position for the 2021 season. Fiser finished the 2020 season with a 2.17 ERA and will return as the ace of the pitching staff. Partain will anchor the infield for another season, after batting .349 with four home runs and 19 RBIs last season. Kemmettmueller, Brandt and Vander Heide also figure to be featured heavily next year. All three started in every game last season.
Baseball
Undecided (1) – Jordan Kozicky
With only one senior on the team, the baseball roster will remain largely unaffected by the resolution. However, the re-addition of Kozicky would give the Gophers added depth and leadership to its team. Kozicky is a career .269 hitter and is 33 hits away from reaching 200 for his career. He is expected to return.
Men’s Golf
Returning (1) – Thomas Longbella
Unknown (1) – Noah Rasinski
The return of Longbella will help elevate an already rising men’s golf program. Longbella finished third on the team in stroke average (71.75) this season, behind only Angus Flanagan and Connor Glynn, both of whom earned All-Big Ten honors. Longbella has three career top-10 finishes and had two top-20 finishes this season.
Men’s Tennis
Leaving (2) – Stefan Milicevic (transfer), Eli Ogilvy (graduating)
The departure of both Milicevic and Ogilvy will be a tough pill to swallow for the men’s tennis team. Milicevic anchored Minnesota’s singles lineup as the No. 1 player this season, finishing with a 14-8 record overall. He has been among Minnesota’s top three singles players since he arrived as a freshman in 2016. Milicevic is transferring to Miami as a graduate transfer for his fifth and final season. Ogilvy also spent time in Minnesota’s singles rotation, playing mostly at the No. 4 and 5 spots, finishing with a 12-5 overall record.
Women’s Tennis
Returning (1) – Tina Kreinis
Leaving (1) – Cammy Frei
Unknown (1) – Tiffany Huber
Kreinis’ return will be a helpful boost for the Gophers, as the senior spent much of the 2019-20 season between the No. 1 and 2 singles spot. She also had a winning record as part of the Gophers No. 1 doubles team, playing with both Frei and Huber throughout the season. However, she may be looking for a new partner next year as Frei will not return and Huber’s return remains up in the air.
Men’s Track and Field
Returning (2) – Elliott Davis, Teddy Frid
Unknown (13) – Matthew Baker, Michael Burke, Evan Ferlic, Sammie Houston, Connor Olson, Ben Ose, Connor Rousemiller, Shane Streich, Jonathan Tharaldsen, Josh Tracy, John Uchytil, Jonathan Webb, Jackson Wellenstein
In Davis and Frid, the Gophers return two gifted and decorated athletes. Davis is an All-American sprinter, specializing in the 400-meter run. While the 2020 outdoor season was canceled, Davis finished with nine top-10’s and two wins in the 400-meter in 2019. He finished in eighth place in the event at the 2019 Big Ten Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Frid is a team captain and was looking to compete in the Gophers outdoor season for the first time since 2018, after redshirting during the outdoor season last year.
Women’s Track and Field
Unknown (9) – Ayesha Champagnie, Nayoka Clunis, Monique Felix, Erin Huls, Lexi Kiefer, Shay Nielsen, Kelsey Sather, Rachel Schow, Candesha Scott
Rowing
Returning (4) – Kat Hetico, Lauren Burrows-Cheng, Erika Guenther, Sarah Von der Goltz
Unknown (5) – Maura Maguire, AnnMarie McNamara, Allie Schmidt, Natalie Stratton, Sophia Thuente
