The Minnesota men’s golf team captured a resounding 16-stroke victory in the Northern Intercollegiate tournament at Les Bolstad Golf Course in St. Paul, thanks in large part to junior Bill Thompson‘s medalist performance. Thompson opened the tournament on Friday with a 68 and 66 in the first two rounds, and closed Saturday with a 67. That gave him a three-round total of 201 and a one-stroke advantage over Penn State’s Matt Abbott. Gophers sophomore James McLean, the reigning NCAA champion, finished three strokes back at 2-4. Minnesota newcomer Santiago Fernandez tied for fourth at 206, but competed as an individual so his points didn’t count toward the Gophers’ total. Minnesota will host the NCAA Preview Tournament at Hazeltine National in Chaska Sept. 28-29.
Tee it up
The men’s golf team is ranked No. 13 in the preseason MasterCard Collegiate Golf Rankings. Defending NCAA champion Nevada-Las Vegas is ranked No. 1, with Georgia and Georgia Tech rounding out the top three. McLean is ranked third behind Bryce Molder, the 1997 College Player of the Year, and Matt Kuchar, the 1997 U.S. Amateur champion, both of Georgia Tech.
Wet behind the ears
The Gophers men’s swimming and diving team named Kelly Kremer an assistant coach Sept. 1. In his collegiate career at Drury College in Springfield, Mo., Kremer was a 24-time NAIA national champion and a 29-time NAIA All-American. He comes to Minnesota after a three-year stint as assistant national team coach for the Mission Viejo Nadadores in Mission Viejo, Calif.
Multimedia Gophers
Minnesota football and men’s basketball games will be broadcast on the World Wide Web through WCCO Radio’s website, Channel 4000. Point browsers to www.wcco.com/gophers for details.
Volleyboom
The Gophers volleyball team climbed into the national rankings for the first time under coach Mike Hebert, taking over the 25th spot in this week’s American Volleyball Coaches Association/USA Today Top 25 Poll. Defending Big Ten champion Penn State is ranked No. 1, followed by Wisconsin (No. 7), Ohio State (No. 14), Michigan State (No. 18) and Illinois (No. 22). Minnesota will open the season against the Lions and Buckeyes at the Sports Pavilion this weekend.
Big Hitters
Sophomore outside hitter Nicole Branagh was named co-Big Ten Player of the Week after leading the Gophers to a 4-0 record and the Nike Invitational title Sept. 11-12. She also joined freshman setter Lindsey Berg and sophomore outside hitter Sonja Posthuma on the Nike all-tournament team.
They shoot, they score
The Gophers women’s soccer team has outscored opponents 21-3 in its first five games this season, including a season-opening 1-0 loss at Cincinnati. Sophomore Laurie Seidl, last season’s Big Ten Newcomer of the Year, leads the team with nine goals and 18 points.
Running strong
The Minnesota men’s cross country team is ranked No. 16 in the nation, according to the Martin Surfacing preseason poll released Friday. Stanford tops the list, and Michigan is the highest-ranked Big Ten team at No. 5, followed by Wisconsin (No. 8) and Michigan State (No. 9). The Gophers opened the season with a first place finish at the All-American Invitational on Sept. 12, and return to action Sept. 26 in the Roy Griak Invitational at the Les Bolstad Golf Course.
Running on fumes
Competing without its seven top runners, the Minnesota women’s cross country team placed third at the St. Olaf Invitational in Northfield, Minn. on Saturday. The Gophers finished with 119 points, behind first-place St. Olaf (37) and runner-up Macalester (101). Freshman Christine Harper was Minnesota’s top finisher, placing 14th in 20 minutes, 15 seconds.
Fresh meat
The Gophers wrestling program’s 1998-99 recruiting class was ranked No. 1 in the country by both Wrestling U.S.A. magazine and Wrestling Institute Newsmagazine. The class includes Garrett Lowney, a three-time Wisconsin heavyweight champion; Jacob Clark, a two-time Minnesota state champ at 165 pounds; Jared Lawrence, a four-time Idaho state champ at 133 pounds; Mitch Marr, Minnesota state champ at 149 pounds; Luke Becker, three-time Minnesota state champ at 157 pounds; Dave Redinius, Minnesota state champ at 133 pounds; and Casey McGraw, a runner-up in the Florida state championships.
Overdue
The Gophers men’s hockey team will retire the first number in the program’s 77-year history. John Mayasich‘s number eight will be honored in a ceremony prior to the Minnesota/North Dakota game on Sat., Nov. 14 at Mariucci Arena. Mayasich played for the Gophers from 1951-55. Former defenseman Brett Abrahamson will go in the books as the last Gopher to wear number eight.