The Minnesota volleyball team moved up five spots to No. 8 in the USA Today/AVCA Top 25 on Monday. The Gophers’ ranking is their highest since Nov. 20, 2000 when they climbed to No. 7.
Minnesota is only three spots from its highest ranking in school history at No. 5, which it reached on Oct. 2, 2000. The Gophers are also the highest ranked of the five Big Ten teams in the Top 25 this week.
Minnesota has played five Top 25 teams in its non-conference slate. The team is 3-2 against the Top-25 and 2-2 against Top-10 teams. Minnesota will play No. 19 Santa Clara at the Denver Tournament this weekend, before entering Big Ten conference play.
In addition, sophomore setter Lindsey Vander Well was named Big Ten Player of the Week for Sept. 16. Vander Well is the second player in four weeks to receive the honor for Minnesota.
Golfers going to Washington
he national champion University of Minnesota men’s golf team has been invited to the White House to meet President Bush on Tuesday, Sept. 24. The Gophers will be a part of the 2002 NCAA Spring Sports Championship Day in the East Room of the White House at 1:30 p.m. EST.
Kopietz honored
innesota freshman goalkeeper Karli Kopietz has been named the Big Ten women’s soccer Defensive Player of the Week, following her outstanding performances last weekend versus Iowa State and Cincinnati. It is the first conference award for Kopietz.
Riopel completes IronMan
innesota senior rower Amber Riopel finished the IronMan triathlon in Madison, Wis., Sept. 15, with a time of 13 hours, two minutes and 15 seconds. Riopel was 13 of 23 in the women’s 18-24 category, finishing 1,019th overall. The triathlon consisted of a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike race and a 26.2 marathon run.
Riopel has been a rowing varsity letterwinner for the past two seasons. In the first season as a varsity sport, Riopel led the Gophers to a sixth-place Big Ten finish. She also gained All-Big Ten second team honors in 2001. Riopel was in the first Varsity Eight shell that was named the Big Ten Boat of the Week, when the Gophers defeated Iowa and Wisconsin last spring. Riopel also competed in the Head of the Charles regatta, gaining a qualifying spot for this year’s race.
