The Big Ten’s all-time leader in hits (345), home runs (55), doubles (79) and runs scored (249) added to his accolades last week a player of the year award and All-America status.
Gophers baseball senior first baseman Robb Quinlan was named on Wednesday the Mideast Regional Player of the Year and for the second straight year a second team All-American by the National College Baseball Writers Association. The Maplewood, Minn., native was earlier named 1999 Big Ten Player of the Year and gained membership on the NCAA all-regional and Big Ten Championship all-tournament teams.
Aron Amundson, a senior designated hitter/pitcher, was the only other Gopher named an All-American. The Mandan, N.D., native was selected to the writers association’s third team after batting .396 with 15 home runs and 76 hits. Amundson earlier picked up all-Big Ten honors and was named to the NCAA all-regional team.
Baylor University’s Jason Jennings received the Dick Howser Award over the weekend as 1999’s college baseball player of the year. The pitcher-designated hitter from Mesquite, Texas, is a two-time first team All-American and was recently a first round selection of the Colorado Rockies in the Major League Baseball Draft. The Gophers lost 6-4 and 22-6 to Jennings and the Baylor Bears in the NCAA regionals.
Men’s college hoops
(AP) — National champion Connecticut and fellow Final Four participant Michigan State headline the field for the sixth annual Great Eight in Chicago, it was announced Monday.
The Huskies, who beat Duke 77-74 in last season’s title game, will play Arizona in the second game of the doubleheader at the United Center on Dec. 7, following the game between Michigan State and Kansas.
The doubleheader on Dec. 8, will have Temple against Gonzaga and Cincinnati playing North Carolina.
Half of last season’s regional finalists turned down invitations to play in the event that will be telecast by ESPN. Duke, Ohio State, Kentucky and St. John’s had other commitments and were unable to participate.
None of the four replacement schools made it past the second round of last season’s tournament. Both Cincinnati and Kansas lost in the second round, while North Carolina, which lost to Weber State, and Arizona, which fell to Oklahoma, both lost in the first round.
The Great Eight benefits CHAMPS/Life Skills, an enrichment program for student athletes sponsored by the NCAA and the Division I-A Athletic Directors Association.

ù Gophers basketball’s NCAA tournament first-round hero is no-longer a walk-on. Dusty Rychart of Grand Rapids, Minn., gained last week Coach Clem Haskins’ last scholarship for the upcoming season. The sophomore forward who averaged 3.8 points and 2.8 rebounds a game last year scored 23 points and grabbed 17 rebounds as a starter in last season’s Big Dance.
In other Gophers basketball news, the University announced Monday the continuation of courtside seating next season. For the sixth straight year the University will auction off the seats located behind the scores table; the bidding is to start at $2,500 a seat, plus the price of a season ticket. Written bids are currenlty accepted, with bids closing at 4:30 p.m. June 23.
Women’s college hoops
(AP) — Misty May, who helped Long Beach State to a perfect season and the volleyball national championship, was selected Monday night as the winner of the Honda-Broderick Cup as the nation’s top college female athlete.
May, a two-time All-American setter for the Forty Niners, became only the second volleyball player to win the award, which was first given in 1976. Deitre Collins of Hawaii was the first, winning in 1983.
A senior from Costa Mesa, Calif., May was the co-MVP of the NCAA Final Four as her team completed a 36-0 season with a win over Penn State in the national title match. In the final, May had 70 assists, 11 digs, nine kills and four blocks. For the tournament, May set an NCAA record with 20 aces.
May, a senior majoring in kinesiology/physical education, was among 11 finalists, all of whom received Honda Awards for being the best in their respective sports.
The other finalists were Danielle Fotopoulos of Florida for soccer, Danielle Henderson of Massachusetts for softball, Karin Lichey of Georgia for gymnastics, Katie McGregor of Michigan for cross-country, Martina Moravcova of SMU for swimming, Grace Park of Arizona State for golf, Suziann Reid of Texas for track and field, Mimi Smith of Old Dominion for field hockey, Stephanie White-McCarty of Purdue for basketball, and Vanessa Webb of Duke for tennis.
The winner was selected by a national vote involving more than 900 NCAA-member schools. The announcement and presentation of the awards was made at the Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year dinner.
Golf
For the second consecutive year the Golf Coaches Association of America named Gophers golfer James McLean a first-team All-American. Mclean, last year’s NCAA champion, is the first Gopher to repeat as an All-American since Tom Lehman was a three-time national award winner from 1979 to 1981.
McLean led the Gophers in stroke average (70.89) and finished in the top 10 in all but two events he entered this season. Despite a poor finish at this year’s NCAAs, McLean ended his sophomore year ranked seventh nationally by MasterCard Collegiate Golf Rankings. Senior Adam Dooley and junior Martin LeMesurier were both named honorable mention All-Americans and finished the season ranked among the top 50 golfers. Georgia, the 1999 NCAA team champion, was the top-ranked team by MasterCard, with the Gophers ranked ninth.

ù (AP) — A friend’s advice may have been worth $450,000 to Ted Tryba.
Tryba, who won the St. Jude Classic by two strokes Monday, was in a group of six, including former Gopher Tom Lehman, one shot off the lead heading into the final round, which had been delayed a day because of heavy rain Sunday.
Clinging to a one-stroke lead at the tee on the 528-yard, par-5 16th hole, Tryba recalled the advice and stepped back from the ball. He then stepped up and smacked a perfect drive.
“I think it really helped me there because I hit probably the best tee shot of the week there,” Tryba said.
From 234 yards out he hit a 4-iron about 8 feet from the pin, then sank an eagle putt to go to 19-under. He stayed there and collected the $450,000 winner’s check for his second PGA Tour victory.
Tryba’s 265 total was two shots better than Tim Herron of Wayzata, Minn., and Tom Lehman. Jose Maria Olazabal, whose closing 62 was the best of the week, and Kevin Wentworth were three back at 16-under.
Lehman, weakened by a stuffy head and sore throat since Friday, was at 15-under at the turn but bogeyed No. 10 and never recovered.
“My round really got sidetracked on the 10th hole,” he said. “I hit a really good drive. I thought I hit a great 7-iron and it carried just over the bunker, bounced just short of the green and I ended up making a bogey. It was an uphill battle from there.”
The Tournament Players Club at Southwind played significantly longer Monday than any of the previous four days, thanks to the rain that arrived about 1 p.m. Sunday and a steady breeze. The players agreed workers did a fantastic job getting the course in shape in less than 24 hours.
“It played tougher,” Lehman said. “You’re talking a four- or five-club difference into some of those holes.”