Minnesota gymnast Clay Strother sprained his ankle for the third time in four months last weekend at a meet in Santa Barbara, Calif., to decide spots on the World University Games team.

Strother sprained his right ankle in warm-ups while practicing a new vault, then decided to scratch three of the six events.

Strother decided to play it safe and not jeopardize his ankle any more by competing in all of the events, even though it cost him a spot on the team.

Strother, an NCAA champion last season in the floor exercise and pommel horse, earned the position of second alternate.

“He was in the hunt, and from what I understand, if he was healthy he would have been selected for sure no matter how he did because of his past experiences,” assistant coach Thom Glielmi said. “But due to the uncertainty of his ankle, they didn’t want to put him on the team.”

Although he is disappointed about not making the team, Strother is more concerned about his health.

“It’s just frustrating because it’s been three times I’ve sprained it this past season,” Strother said.

Strother will lay off tumbling and vaulting for the next few weeks and work on his other events as he prepares for nationals, which will be held in early August at Temple University in Philadelphia.

Glielmi is unsure whether Strother could be healthy enough to compete in the World University Games if needed, but it would mean not sufficiently healing in time for nationals.

“If he’s still hobbling around in a week, then it was a good decision,” Glielmi said.

– Anthony Maggio

Sertich orally commits

Andy Sertich has orally committed to attending the University and playing for the Minnesota men’s hockey team in the 2002-03 season.

“It is the right place for me,” Sertich said. “The atmosphere around there really wanted to make me go to Minnesota.”

A 5-foot-11, 165-pound forward, Sertich scored 33 goals and added 41 assists in 28 games last year as a junior for Greenway High School in Coleraine, Minn.

Sertich was named to the Class AA All-Tournament Team along with teammate Gino Guyer, as they led their team to a third-place finish at the state tournament.

Sertich was also recruited by St. Cloud State and Minnesota-Duluth. Guyer, a highly sought recruit, has yet to make a commitment

“We have talked a bit about playing together in college,” Sertich said. “We haven’t talked about it recently, but I am sure he will give (Minnesota) a good look.”

– Brian Hall

Robinson named top coach

Minnesota wrestling coach J Robinson was named the 2001 Dan Gable Coach of the Year by W.I.N. magazine after leading the Gophers to the 2001 NCAA Championship, the first ever in school history.

“This was a different kind of breakthrough year for us,” Robinson said in a release. “It was like a storybook.”

Minnesota won the national title thanks to a NCAA record 10 All-Americans. The Gophers won the title without placing any wrestlers in the finals, an unprecedented feat.