SOPHIA BABLITCH: Hello Gopher fans. It’s Sophia Bablitch with the Minnesota Daily, and I’m here with…
MEGAN DAVIS: Megan Davis.
BABLITCH: And you’re listening to The Gold Standard, a podcast dedicated to the University of Minnesota sports. Today we’re gonna be talking about some of our recent stories.
DAVIS: Mine is on women’s track and field. I posted a story last week and it may have been shocking to read because it showed that they started the season ranked number 45, and then over the next two weeks they fell to number 76 and then number 86.
And obviously that’s a huge decline in rankings and it is actually due to just injuries and resting some girls throughout the season. And so it’s not actually as scary as it looks. I should have clarified that in my story, but currently they made a huge increase and they’re now the highest rank they’ve ever been this season. Coming in at number 29, which is a jump of 57.
They just had three big California meets and there were a lot of good things happening there. At the Bryan Clay Invitational in California freshman Isabelle Schmitz and red shirt sophomore Zoe Dunton were able to make their way onto the NCAA ranking for the 3000 meter steeplechase.
And Dunton is now ranked ninth among NCAA competitors and Schmitz is 11th. I believe those were both their personal best. But yeah, super impressive for them. I actually had to figure out what a steeplechase was because I had never heard of that event.
BABLITCH: Yeah. So, it’s hurdles for 3000 meters and then there’s a water jump. Right past the 200 meter mark there’s one singular water jump that they jump in. And then the rest is all just regular hurdles.
DAVIS: I wonder how they came up with that, where they’re like, “Let’s put these athletes and let’s make them jump in water.”
BABLITCH: I know! I was just thinking who came up with this event and why?
DAVIS: Also just kinda shout out to Ali Weimer because she also broke the school record, which I think might have been the first time the school record was broken this outdoor season for women’s track and field. She broke it for the 10,000 meters and it ranked her number 20 among athletes in the nation.
Annie Nabwe and Hadley Streit both still doing great. I believe I talked about that last podcast. They participated in Throw Town at the Ramona World Invitational. Which is actually all for, it’s not just collegiate athletes. It’s like all professional throwers.
Nabwe got moved to number two in the UMN all time record book for discus and number three in hammer throw. And her hammer throw at that competition got her first place amongst collegiate athletes. But of course there were more than just collegiate athletes and she was competing against professional throwers. So she only got seventh place in the event, but still super impressive.
BABLITCH: Awesome. With gymnastics coming to an end, just to touch on that briefly, Mya Hooten was a national qualifier for the women’s gymnastics team, and she ended her career with a second team all conference at the National Championship. So that was really awesome.
But recently I’ve gotten the chance to report on golf, which has been super exciting. I have a really good friend on the golf team, so I’ve enjoyed learning more about the work she puts in.
But I did both a story on the men’s and women’s side. Currently for the men’s side, two freshman guys are leading the Gophers team. So I got to interview and chat with both of them, Jack Crousore and Chun-Ta Wu. And then I wrote a story on their success so far as their first year, and the pressures kind of behind being a young leader.
And then for the women’s side, I got to interview probably the best duo here at Minnesota, in my opinion, the McCauley sisters. I wrote a story on their memories and experiences being teammates and sisters. Both of them were on the same team together for two years in high school, and then they actually were homeschooled for two years.
So, they have spent so much time together growing close, and I think it’s really cute how both of them called one another their best friend in both of the interviews. And then they were both state champs and both Minnesota golf in high school.
More golf stories to come and a baseball off season story as well. One more to end off the season.
DAVIS: My upcoming story is once again on women’s track and field because with the outdoor season they tend to be traveling a lot more.
But during the indoor season they did really well competing at Minnesota. And so I wanna see if the strain of travel makes it a little bit more difficult to compete.
I know since you’re outdoor you can’t control things like wind and then just like the different climates. I feel like there’s gotta be some preference on where you would like to perform.
BABLITCH: Yes.
DAVIS: Or where do you like to do your best? And so I’m gonna be talking to a few people. And they do have a track meet this Wednesday.
BABLITCH: Catch us at the Minnesota track right outside the Athletes Village.
DAVIS: And then for women’s basketball, still no transfers, which is impressive for a Big Ten team. We have two girls signing with the Gophers. Brylee Glenn will join and she is from Kansas State and she’s a grad student. I think this will be her final year playing.
She started from the majority of the season, she averaged about 8.3 points per game. She ended the season with almost a hundred boards, and so it’d be good to have her rebounding wise. And then Tracey Bershers will be joining her younger sister, Zoey, who’s currently on the team, and she’ll also be joining for her graduate year. I think Glenn still has two years of eligibility depending on when she decides to graduate.
But Bershers will be joining her sister, like I said, and she was recently playing at UAB. And so I’m assuming it has a lot to do with the fact that her sister’s here. She averaged about six and a half points, 3.1 rebounds and 17 minutes of play. So I don’t know how she’ll make her way into the lineup. But it’d be a nice addition.
And then graduate student Annika Stewart who graduated this year is going to Australia to play, the team name is Geelong United of the NBL1 in Australia. She’ll be missed as a Gopher.
BABLITCH: I know that freshman Tory McKinney was one of the best freshmen in the Big Ten this year.
DAVIS: Oh yeah, she was fantastic. Yeah. Especially during the WBIT.
BABLITCH: I remember watching her at the beginning of the season. And then compared to the end of the season was such a dramatic improvement. She was on fire by the end.
DAVIS: I know. And I think she’ll probably be a starter next year. I know that she kind of was off and on throughout the season. But I think she definitely established her place as one of the starting five.
BABLITCH: Definitely.
DAVIS: But speaking of talented Minnesota Gophers, I found out yesterday that there are two Gophers on the Clippers. Amir Coffey and Cam Christie both play for the Clippers. Cam Christie spent one year with the Gophers and then went straight to the NBA.
They haven’t, obviously it’s playoff season, so they haven’t seen a lot of playing time during the playoffs. But the Clippers just beat the Nuggets at home. They look to have a very strong team. Amir Coffey is only 27, so their NBA career is pretty much just getting off the ground. Never knew that the Gophers were on the Clippers.
And then obviously Timberwolves put an absolute beat down on the Lakers in LA.
(Disclaimer: The Timberwolves lost their second game on Tuesday, April 23. This episode was recorded Tuesday before the game. Series is tied 1-1.)
I mean, you usually win at home, people will say like the playoff series doesn’t start until you win on the road. And they went on the road and Jaden McDaniels put up 25 points. He led the team.
But it looks like even with Luka they were a mess. They seemed all over the place. They looked tiny against the Timberwolves. And the Timberwolves really just put on a dominant defensive performance and obviously offensive performance, but yeah.
BABLITCH: The NFL draft is this weekend.
DAVIS: Apparently Minnesota had six players drafted in 1972, but there were 17 rounds in 1972. They could have six players drafted this year, and that would be a record for them. It looks like no one’s going before day two.
You have Aireontae Ersery, defensive tackle. Jah Joyner, a defensive end, projected to go maybe day three. Cody Lindenberg a linebacker. Justin Walley at cornerback. Max Brosmer, quarterback. Daniel Jackson, a wide receiver. And then there’s a couple other players to monitor, but I’m sure there’ll be a few drafted, but we got no day one-ers.
BABLITCH: That’s okay. Some of the best players end up being taken day three.
DAVIS: That is true. Max Brosmer could be the next Lamar Jackson.
BABLITCH: Kind of a slow week for Gopher sports, but stay tuned for some upcoming stories.
DAVIS: Especially the semester’s winding down.
BABLITCH: Yeah, end of the seasons.
DAVIS: I mean, they’re all student athletes. They gotta finish up their semesters too.
So that’s all we have for you guys today. This episode was recorded by Megan Davis and.
BABLITCH: Sophia Bablitch.
DAVIS: And produced by Kaylie Sirovy and Ceci Heinen. As always, we appreciate you listening in, and feel free to send a message to our email inbox at [email protected] with any questions, comments, or concerns. I’m Megan Davis.
BABLITCH: And I’m Sophia Bablitch.
DAVIS: And this has been the Gold Standard.
