Recent content from Joel Rippel
Friday incident led to Joel Johnson's resignation at St. Thomas
In statement, St. Thomas athletic director Phil Esten says, "I can confirm we immediately started an investigation after concerns were brought to our attention following Friday night's game."
How Bethel avoided a trip to Iowa, and four other things to know about Minnesota college football this week
The Royals were set up to open the NCAA Division III playoffs on the road until the NCAA reconsidered the facts and made a change.
Five Gophers wrestlers emerge from Daktronics Open without a loss
Charlie Millard, Ethan Riddle, Jed Wester, Gabe Nagel and Gavin Nelson each went 3-0 for Minnesota. Nelson pulled off a pin in 21 seconds, 10th fastest in program history.
St. John's lands top overall seed in NCAA Division III football playoffs
Three NSIC teams — Augustana, Minnesota State Mankato and Bemidji State — made the Division II field.
Bemidji State ends Gophers winning streak in men's hockey
Minnesota, ranked third in the nation, hadn't lost to Bemidji State since 2016.
Area college football roundup: Bemidji State keeps Division II playoff hopes alive by beating NSIC champion Augustana
The NCAA Division II and III playoff fields will be revealed Sunday, and the Beavers are hoping for an invite.
Gophers overwhelm Oregon State 73-38, roll to 4-0 in women's basketball
Minnesota, leaning on defense, took its first road victory of the season.
Gophers women's cross-country team snags spot in NCAA Championships
A second-place finish by Ali Weimer in the Midwest Regional helped Minnesota take second among teams.
Gophers soccer team defeats South Dakota State in NCAA tournament
Sophia Boman scored both of Minnesota's goals and propelled it to a second-round matchup against South Carolina.
Nebraska sinks Gophers in Big Ten volleyball match
A former Gophers player, Taylor Landfair, helped the No. 2 Huskers hand No.16 Minnesota its third consecutive loss.
Gophers start fast, hold on for men's hockey win over Bemidji State
The Gophers scored three goals in the first period and went on to win their ninth game in a row.
Mel Northway, a Gophers double-double machine in the 1960s, dies at 81
A 6-8 center, he played at Minneapolis Henry in high school, and his coaching and playing career extended to Belgium.
Five things to know this week about Minnesota college football
Augustana leads the NSIC but faces a tough test against Bemidji State on Saturday. Meanwhile, St. John's and Bethel meet again for the MIAC crown.
Prep Athletes of the Week: Minnetonka's Conrad makes playoff football his best football
Senior tailback Chase Conrad has averaged 137 rushing yards per game in the postseason, a notable step up from his regular-season statistics.
Area college football roundup: St. John's, Bethel will play for MIAC championship
The Johnnies and Royals both won handily to set up a showdown next week in Collegeville.
Gophers overcome Wisconsin in overtime, win eighth men's hockey game in a row
Freshman Brodie Ziemer scored in the extra session after Minnesota rallied from a one-goal deficit after two periods.
Snuggerud's goals get bigger and bigger in victory over Wisconsin
The junior who delayed his NHL opportunity scored the tying and winning goals, giving the third-ranked Gophers their seventh victory in a row.
MIAC title game might be Bethel vs. St. John's, but others have something to say first
Bethel faces Concordia-Moorhead for the MIAC Skyline Division title Saturday, while two games could produce a three-way tie in the Northwoods Division.
Gophers roll through Wolverines for their fourth volleyball victory in a row
Ranked 15th, Minnesota posted its 11th sweep of the season and has won seven of its past eight matches.
Area college football roundup: Kyle Walljasper's fifth TD lifts Minnesota Duluth over Winona State
Kyle Walljasper rushed for 236 yards and passed for 184 more, and his final TD run came with 23 seconds remaining for the Bulldogs.
Clark's goal with 26 seconds to play gets Gophers past Penn State
The only goal of the game extended Minnesota's winning streak to six games.
Gophers defeat Bemidji State for the 24th time in a row in women's hockey
Abbey Murphy scored two goals for Minnesota, and Natalie Mlynkova continued her surge of success.
Nittany Lions drive Gophers out of the Big Ten soccer tournament
Penn State scored in the 88th minute and defeated Minnesota 1-0, its first home loss of the season.
Gophers' Weimer finishes third at women's Big Ten Cross Country Championships, propels U to fifth place
The Gophers' Ali Weimer set a program record with her time. The U men's team finished 11th.
Gophers sweep Michigan State, continue run of success in volleyball
The Gophers, propelled by Julia Hanson's 16 kills and 10 digs, won for the sixth time in seven matches.
Lifted by another two-goal game from Mlynkova, Gophers top Bemidji State in women's hockey
Minnesota, ranked third in the nation, has gotten two big games recently from the Vermont transfer.
Five things to know this week about Minnesota college football
Concordia (St. Paul) running back Jaylin Richardson leads the NSIC with 966 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns.
Prep Athletes of the Week: Isabel Oferosky plays big role for East Ridge soccer
Also, Mylo Doise's scoring touch lifts Orono to send Spartans to state soccer final four.
Gophers roundup: No. 15 Minnesota volleyball rallies for five-set win at Ohio State
Julia Hanson had 21 kills, and the Gophers volleyball team took the final three sets to defeat Ohio State 16-25, 18-25, 25-22, 25-16, 15-10 on Sunday.
Augustana football takes over first place in NSIC
Gunnar Hensley threw for 263 yards and two TDs and Jarod Epperson, Augustana's all-time leading rusher, rushed for 72 yards and two TDs.
U women's hockey ends four-game winless streak with rout over Mavericks
Friday night's 8-2 victory was the 500th in WCHA play for the Gophers, the first team to reach that mark.
Hall of Fame Minnesota high school football coach Simser dies at 85
During his 22 seasons as the New Richland-Hartland coach, Jim Simser's teams won two Class B state championships (1976 and 1978) and made state tournament appearances in 1980 and 1985.
Five things to know this week about Minnesota college football
No. 9 Minnesota State Mankato has been rolling, but next comes an NSIC clash against No. 20 Augustana.
Gophers secure berth in Big Ten soccer tournament with victory over Indiana
Minnesota, which last week learned it would host two rounds of the postseason event, is assured of being one of the 10 qualifiers.
Area college roundup: St. Thomas beats Valparaiso for third victory in a row
The Tommies improved to 3-0 in Pioneer League play for the third year in a row.
No. 1 Wisconsin turns unstoppable, defeats No. 3 Gophers 5-0 in women's hockey
The Badgers scored four goals in the third period and defeated Minnesota for the fourth time in a row.
Gophers sweep Rutgers in volleyball for their third consecutive victory
Minnesota, ranked 14th, got 11 kills from Lydia Grote and avenged a surprising loss from last season.
Gophers land a soccer victory and the first two rounds of the Big Ten tournament
A victory over Maryland kept the team undefeated at home on the same day the program was made host of the event's first round and quarterfinals.
Five things to know this week about Minnesota college football
Minnesota Morris and Northwestern (St. Paul) were both undefeated when they met last year and that one turned into a 42-39 slugfest.
Prep Athletes of the Week: Kaelyn Wittwer's 'incredible court coverage' keeps Delano volleyball at the top
Also: Minnehaha Academy's Chloe Alley wins Class 1A, Section 4 individual singles title to advance to the state tournament.
Gophers men's hockey team loses to Omaha in overtime at Ice Breaker Tournament
Omaha's Jacob Guevin ended it 54 seconds into the extra period, dropping the Gophers to 1-1 in the first weekend of the season.
Area college football roundup: St. John's edges Concordia (Moorhead) on 76-yard TD pass
Aaron Syverson's fifth touchdown pass went to Dylan Wheeler for the winner with 1:46 to play.
Gophers volleyball team comes up big on the block in victory over Maryland
The Gophers volleyball team produced 19 blocks, its most since 2021, and Phoebe Awoleye had 14 of them, tying the Maturi Pavilion record.
Gophers women's hockey team ties Ohio State, but Buckeyes win shootout
No. 2 Minnesota exited the weekend series against No. 4 Ohio State without a victory after beginning it without a loss.
Minnesota college football report: Caden Wheeler comes back strong for St. John's
Plus four other things to know, including a former Minnesota State Mankato quarterback who came back to haunt the Mavericks.
Minnesota State Moorhead rallies in fourth quarter to beat Augustana
Max Watson hit a go-ahead 40-yard field goal with 1:07 remaining for the host Dragons.
MSU Mankato football dominance and four other things to know about Minnesota college football
The Mavericks are 4-0 and rank No. 4 in Division II, with big contributions coming from senior quarterback Hayden Ekern and junior receiver TreShawn Watson.
Twins on fringe of playoff race with last-place Marlins in town
The teams play a three-game series at Target Field starting Tuesday night.
Aaron Syverson's three TD passes help St. John's rout Wartburg
In other area college football games, Minnesota State Moorhead scored 16 points in the final three minutes to clip Minnesota Duluth.
Twins cling to final wild card spot as Reds visit Target Field
The Twins have a 3½-game lead over Detroit for the final American League wild-card spot.
Tommies try to avoid 0-3 start and four other things to know about Minnesota college football
No. 12 St. John's heads into a big test Saturday against No. 5 Wartburg in Collegeville.
Twins-Angels preview: Broadcast information, injury report and statistics
The Twins return home in need of a pick-me-up against one of the worst teams in the major leagues, the Los Angeles Angels.
Twins-Royals preview: Broadcast information, injury report and statistics
AL wild-card standings are on the line with the Twins heading to Kansas City for a pivotal series.
![St. Thomas quarterback Michael Rostberg (14) takes a hit against Sioux Falls in the Aug. 29 opener at O'Shaughnessy Stadium.
] AARON LAVINSKY](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/QRWBEVB2KJC5VJP7ZUSNMT2VSY.JPG?h=120&w=180&fit=crop&bg=999&crop=faces)
St. Thomas to face Northern Iowa after surprising loss to DII team in Week 1
The Tommies stumbled badly in a 34-13 home defeat against Division II Sioux Falls, and here comes a harder test with Northern Iowa visiting.
Twins at Rays preview: Pitching matchups, TV-radio information, injury report
The Tampa Bay Rays need a September surge if they are going to return to the playoffs.
St. Thomas football, picked high again, gets big test at home vs. Northern Iowa on Sept. 7
The Tommies return several key pieces from a team that finished second in the Pioneer Football League last season.
Twins vs. Braves preview: Pitching matchups, TV-radio information, injury report
The Twins play host to an Atlanta team that is among the best in the majors at interleague play.
St. John's quest and nine other things to know about Minnesota D-II and III football
The Johnnies and coach Gary Fasching find themselves in unusual territory this year, needing to bounce back after missing the postseason last year.
Twins at Padres preview: San Diego enters three-game series on a hot streak
San Diego has won 20 of its last 25 games to sit just three games behind the NL West-leading L.A. Dodgers.
Twins at Rangers preview: Pitching matchups, TV-radio information, injury report
It's been a rough season for the defending World Series champions.
Twins vs. Royals preview: Pitching matchups, TV-radio information, injury report
The Twins are 5-2 against Kansas City this season but lead the Royals by only a half-game in the standings.
Twins vs. Guardians preview: Pitching matchups, TV-radio information, injury report
The teams are separated by 3½ games in the American League Central, and both enter on losing streaks.
Twins visit Cubs after sweeping White Sox
After dispatching the White Sox, the Twins head to Chicago to visit Wrigley Field for the first time since 2021.
Twins-White Sox series preview: Pitching matchups, Radio/TV information, injury report
The White Sox have lost 17 in a row and are 0-53 when trailing after six innings during their 27-84 season.
Rochester John Marshall grad to play basketball Down Under
Matthew Hurt, a 6-9 forward who played at Rochester John Marshall and Duke, signed a one-year contract with South East Melbourne on Monday.
Twins-Mets series preview: New York has been tough to beat at Citi Field lately
The Twins will begin a three-game series Monday night against the Mets at Citi Field, where Minnesota is 2-6 all-time.
Steve Jackman, University of Minnesota All-America swimmer once dubbed 'Fastest Man in the World,' has died
He went on to have a long, distinguished career as a radiologist.
Former Elk River football coach McLean dies at 83
Terry McLean was a member of the Minnesota High School Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame.
Twins to host MLB-leading Phillies for three-game series
The Philadelphia Phillies, the team with the best record in the major leagues, visit Target Field for the first time since 2016.
Twins return from All-Star break with two-game series vs. Milwaukee
The Twins are 8-4 against the Brewers at home since 2020.
Twins have yet to lose to White Sox this season, will visit them for three games
The Twins are 7-0 this season against the major league-worst White Sox, winning four games (April 22-25) at Target Field before winning three a week later (April 29-May 1) in Chicago.
The 12-for-12 club: Here are the other three players to do what Jose Miranda did
The last time a major leaguer had 12 hits in 12 consecutive at-bats, the Twins hadn't even moved to Minnesota yet.
Minnehaha Academy boys basketball coach Lance Johnson retires
Lance Johnson led the Redhawks to five state championships and produced two top-five NBA draft picks in Jalen Suggs and Chet Holmgren.
Twins hit season-best record as Tigers come to Target Field
They are 10 games over .500 at 47-37 and have homered in a team-record 19 consecutive games.
Former Gophers, NFL center Greg Larson dead at 84
A captain on the 1960 national championship team, Greg Larson went on to play 13 seasons for the New York Giants.
