Recent content from Joel Rippel
Gophers gymnastics team takes third place in Big Ten championships
Minnesota, ranked 15th and awaiting its NCAA assignment, put up its best score of the season.
High school sports: Scores and results for Friday, March 21
Minnesota high school scores and results for all sports from around the state.
Gophers' Gable Steveson seizes a shot at his third NCAA championship
The heavyweight won a semifinal Friday night and advanced to Saturday's final against Wyatt Hendrickson of Oklahoma State.
Minnesota State Mankato defeats St. Thomas in CCHA championship game
The Mavericks won for the 10th time in 11 games and ended the Tommies' eight-game streak.
Gophers heavyweight Steveson wins twice in pursuit of his third NCAA championship
Two other Minnesota wrestlers, 141-pounder Vance VomBaur and 184-pounder Max McEnelly, also reached the quarterfinals.
Steveson wins fourth Big Ten wrestling title as Gophers finish fourth
Minnesota's Gable Steveson defeated Penn State's Greg Kerkvliet 10-3 at heavyweight; Max McEnelly and Vance VomBaur lost in their finals.
In Minnesota high school girls basketball history, it's a golden time
It's the 50th anniversary of the first championship season. There's a catch: 1974-75 had two state tournaments. A year later, the MSHSL became involved, setting up another anniversary.
St. Thomas rolls past North Dakota and into Summit League men's basketball tournament final
The Tommies will play Omaha on Sunday for the championship.
Three Gophers wrestlers advance to championship matches at Big Ten tournament
Gable Steveson, Max McEnelly and Vance VomBaur will complete for titles Sunday.
St. Thomas rolls against Denver in the Summit League men's basketball tournament
The Tommies advanced to the semifinals for the third consecutive season. They'll play Saturday against an opponent to be determined.
First high school baseball coach in Minnesota to reach 700 victories has died
Jim Senske coached baseball at New Ulm for 40 years, made state 19 times and won a state title in 2002.
Prep Athletes of the Week: Edina's Mason West seals section hockey championship
Also, Reymie Keenan became the second girls wrestler from Minneapolis Edison to win a state wrestling title.
Gophers women's hockey routs Minnesota State Mankato to advance in WCHA playoffs
The Gophers rebounded from Saturday's double-overtime loss with a five-goal second period in the series finale.
St. Thomas turns back Kansas City, takes second in Summit League men's basketball
Omaha clinched the title with a victory, leaving the Tommies as the second seed for the conference tournament.
Gophers slip up in overtime against Mavericks, sending WCHA series to final game
Minnesota and Minnesota State Mankato will settle their best-of-three matchup Sunday.
Gophers cruise against Mavericks in WCHA women's hockey tournament
The U defeated Minnesota State Mankato for the seventh straight time and will head to the Final Faceoff if it happens again Saturday.
St. Thomas defeats North Dakota, extends its Summit League men's basketball push
The Tommies, who won their 17th home game in a row, kept alive their chance to share the conference title.
Ex-U safety Royston named football coach at Cretin-Derham Hall
Royston, a 2006 Cretin-Derham Hall graduate, spent three years at safety for the Gophers. He later coached at Armstrong High School and Hamline and Temple universities.
Prep Athletes of the Week: Minneapolis Southwest girls basketball standout goes big on the boards
Lehla Gaulden, averaging 17.2 rebounds a game, set the school record for rebounding in a career.
![Carter Bjerke (32) of the St. Thomas Tommies at Schoenecker Arena in St. Paul, Minn., on Sunday, February 2, 2025. ] CARLOS GONZALEZ • carlos.gonzal](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/M76BMH3IUBCDNFKZVZWF4Z23IM.jpg?h=120&w=180&fit=crop&bg=999&crop=faces)
St. Thomas men's basketball's Summit League hopes on thin ice with loss to last-place Oral Roberts
The Golden Eagles made nine of 10 shots from the foul line in the final 25 seconds.
Gophers women's hockey team rolls to victory over No. 6 Bulldogs
Minnesota, ranked fourth, ended Minnesota Duluth's four-game winning streak.
Longtime boys basketball coach joins elite company
Tartan's Mark Klingsporn, whose team is unbeaten this season, became the seventh to reach 700 victories.
Former Gopher Dick Meredith, who played on two U.S. Olympic hockey teams, dies at 92
Meredith, who graduated from Minneapolis Southwest, lettered for the Gophers from 1952-55.
Prep Athletes of the Week: Benilde-St. Margaret's boys basketball star keeps percolating
"Remarkably consistent," his coach calls Jalen Wilson, and if that continues he'll become the top scorer in Red Knights history.
Gophers men's hockey team ties Michigan, then encounters the shootout bugaboo again
Minnesota lost a shootout for the 11th time in a row and has not scored on 28 consecutive shootout attempts.
Gophers women's hockey team barges past St. Cloud State, ends losing streak
Minnesota had lost four in a row, the longest skid in its history. The Gophers ended it with their 800th victory.
Huskies sink Gophers in women's hockey on goal with 29 seconds left
Minnesota, ranked third, had tied No. 11 St. Cloud State a minute earlier after pulling its goalie.
Gophers men's hockey team drops game to Michigan in overtime
No. 4 Minnesota tied it in the third period before giving up a power-play goal in OT.
Gophers baseball begins McDevitt era after 43 seasons under coach Anderson
The Gophers baseball team, with several top hitters returning, will also be navigating the expanded Big Ten schedule.
Gophers wrestlers dominate Purdue for sixth consecutive dual victory
The No. 7 Gophers will close the regular season against Iowa on Friday night at Maturi Pavilion.
Wisconsin women's hockey completes season sweep of Gophers with another dominant win
Casey O'Brien had a goal and four assists to lead the top-ranked Badgers to a 6-1 win over the third-ranked Gophers on Sunday in Madison.
St. Thomas rallies to victory over Denver in men's basketball
Nathan Minessale's work in the final 36 seconds secured a Summit League win for the Tommies.
Alexandria's Kohler moves into No. 2 spot in Minnesota girls basketball coaching victories
With her 720th win Friday against Fergus Falls, she passed retired Myron Glass of Rochester Lourdes for second place.
Gophers women's hockey team lets one get away — far away — against Wisconsin
The Badgers, ranked No. 1 and also the nation's top-scoring team, defeated the No. 3 Gophers 8-2.
Big winner at Lakeville South takes over Cretin-Derham Hall's football program
Ben Burk led the Cougars to the Class 6A state championship in 2021, an undefeated season that was part of a 23-game winning streak.
Gophers top Buckeyes by winning rematch of a Minnesota high school wrestling state final
Waconia's Max McEnelly defeated Stillwater's Ryder Rogotzke on Friday to settle the match, just as he beat him at state in 2023.
Lakeville North's John Oxton is sixth Minnesota boys basketball coach to get 700 wins
Panthers coach John Oxton became the sixth boys basketball coach in Minnesota history to reach 700 career victories in Lakeville North's 74-56 win at Farmington on Friday night.
Gophers thrash Scarlet Knights in matchup of high-ranked wrestling teams
The No. 7 Gophers streaked to victory over the No. 12 Scarlet Knights after losing the first match.
Greenway joins the swelling crowd in the 4,000-point girls basketball club
The Providence Academy standout is the fourth in history and the third this season to cross that milestone, after Minnehaha Academy's Addison Mack and Crosby-Ironton's Tori Oehrlein.
No. 3 Buckeyes roll past No. 2 Gophers 7-3 in high-level women's hockey
Sloane Matthews, from Wayzata, scored three goals in the second period, helping Ohio State end Minnesota's seven-game winning streak.
No. 3 Gophers drop No. 2 Buckeyes with a third-period burst in women's hockey
Minnesota scored all of its goals in the final period, getting two from Ella Huber.
Taiye Bello, standout Gophers women's basketball player from 2016-20, has died at 26
Bello remains the program's leader in offensive rebounds and is high on the U list in many statistical categories.
Benilde-St. Margaret's coach lands his 600th boys hockey victory
Ken Pauly is the sixth to reach the milestone in Minnesota boys hockey.
Longtime Star Tribune hockey writer Gilbert dies; he was 'our hockey department'
John Gilbert covered hockey for three decades, hitting pros, preps and colleges, sometimes all at once.
St. Thomas men's basketball team defeats Oral Roberts for 10th win in a row at home
The Tommies moved into a tie for first place in the Summit League.
Crosby-Ironton's Oehrlein becomes third Minnesota girls player to reach 4,000 points
Crosby-Ironton junior guard Tori Oehrlein, a Gophers basketball commit, scored 42 points for the Rangers in their win Tuesday to reach the milestone.
St. Thomas removes interim tag for women's hockey coach Bethany Brausen
The former Gophers player and assistant took over after Joel Johnson resigned in November.
Gophers wrestling team uses strong start to beat Northwestern
Heavyweight Gable Steveson earned his 59th victory in a row and the Gophers jumped out to a 21-0 lead vs. the Wildcats.
Gophers play Spartans into overtime in men's hockey, but the extra point gets away
Minnesota, ranked fourth, got two goals from Jimmy Snuggerud in regulation against the No. 2 Spartans but lost a shootout.
Gophers women's hockey team defeats Bemidji State outdoors at Valleyfair
The game, part of Hockey Day in Minnesota, was only the third in program history to be played outside.
Spartans rout Gophers in meeting of Big Ten's best men's hockey teams
Minnesota, ranked fourth, lost 9-3 to No. 2 Michigan State, giving up four goals in each of the last two periods.
Gophers wrestling team rolls to Big Ten victory over Wisconsin
Minnesota won nine of 10 matches and produced its biggest margin of victory ever in Madison.
Gophers women sell out Ridder Arena for victory. Next: Outdoor hockey at Valleyfair.
The Gophers women's hockey team defeated Bemidji State 4-1, with the teams set to battle Saturday outdoors on Hockey Day in Minnesota.
Mountain Iron-Buhl girls basketball coach secures his 600th victory
Jeff Buffetta, 600-160 in his career, is the 14th girls coach in Minnesota to reach the milestone.
No. 7 Gophers overwhelm No. 21 Wolverines in Big Ten wrestling match
Minnesota, which drew its biggest home crowd since 2023, won seven of the 10 bouts and outscored Michigan 25-10.
Gophers complete a season sweep of Minnesota State Mankato in women's hockey
Josefin Bouveng produced a hat trick for the No. 3 Gophers, who have won 15 of their past 17 games.
Hill-Murray girls basketball coach Erin Herman lands her 600th victory
Herman, in her 36th season coaching the Pioneers, has a career record of 600-372.
Gophers women's basketball team charges late, but comes up short against Maryland
A 16-0 run and Annika Stewart's three-pointer cut the lead to three with 20 seconds remaining, but the No. 8 Terrapins held off the No. 24 Gophers at the free-throw line from there for a 99-92 victory.
Gophers fall to Huskers in matchup of top-10 wrestling teams
Nebraska, ranked sixth, won the final four matches and ended No. 8 Minnesota's 10-match winning streak that extended to last season.
Gophers holds on for victory over St. Thomas in women's hockey
Minnesota, with Emma Kreisz handing out assists liberally, won for the fifth time in six games.
No. 11 Ohio State's power play overpowers No. 3 Gophers in men's hockey
The Buckeyes scored twice with a five-minute man advantage, contributing to a 5-1 rout in a Big Ten game.
Gophers use four-goal first period to complete sweep of Mercyhurst with 5-2 victory
Matthew Wood got the scoring going with a goal only 9 seconds into the game.
Penn State routs Gophers women's hockey 6-2
Stella Retrum, a sophomore from Maple Grove, scored twice to help the Nittany Lions to a quick 4-0 lead at Ridder Arena in the East/West Showcase.
Gophers men's hockey routs Mercyhurst
Pahlsson had a goal, two assists for Gophers in first game since Dec. 14.
Gophers women's hockey dominates Brown in East/West Showcase
Josefin Bouveng had two goals and two assists and Natalie Mlynkova also scored twice for the Gophers.
Mlynkova's hat trick leads Gophers women's hockey to victory over Bemidji State
Vermont transfer Natalie Mlynkova helped the Gophers win for the 10th time in the past 11 games.
Former Olympian and Gophers hockey player Lilyholm killed in car crash
Len Lilyholm, his wife, and the driver of the other vehicle all died in a head-on collision in northern Iowa.
Minnehaha Academy's Mack becomes state's second girls basketball player to top 4,000 points
The senior, who stands second in state history in scoring, passed the milestone with a 30-point game against Stewartville.
Minnehaha Academy's Mack moves into No. 2 spot on Minnesota's girls basketball scoring list
Addison Mack scored 36 points Friday, slipping past Carlie Wagner with her total of 3,996 points. Rebekah Dahlman is No. 1 with 5,060.
Minnesota State Mankato is stopped a goal short of national championship in women's soccer
A goal barely a minute into the second half gave Cal Poly Pomona a 2-1 victory over the Mavericks in the NCAA Division II title game.
Minnesota State Mankato ousted from NCAA Division II football playoffs
Minnesota State Mankato was unable to muster any last-minute magic this time in its loss at Valdosta State.
Bethel has winning touchdown wiped out by penalty in 24-21 loss at Susquehanna in Division III quarterfinals
A 30-yard touchdown catch by Joey Kidder as time expired was negated by a holding penalty on the Royals.
Minnesota State Mankato women's soccer team reaches NCAA Division II championship game
The Mavericks defeated Columbus State in the semifinals and will be the first NSIC team to play for the title.
Minnesota State Mankato women's soccer team heads to NCAA Division II semifinals
The Mavericks, the first NSIC team to advance this far in the tournament, will take on Columbus State on Friday.
St. John's baseball coach, headed to his 48th season, makes a retirement plan
Jerry Haugen, who stands fifth in victories among active NCAA Division III coaches, will step aside after the 2025 season.
