Recent content from Joel Rippel
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.
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.
Minnesota State Mankato and NCAA semifinal foe Valdosta State are on familiar ground
While Minnesota State Mankato prepares for Saturday's NCAA Division II football semifinals, Bethel is getting ready for the Division III quarterfinals.
Allen, Parker ride votes of Classic Era Committee into National Baseball Hall of Fame
The ballot included three players with ties to Minnesota and the Twins who did not get enough support: Luis Tiant, Tommy John and John Wesley Donaldson.
Gophers women's hockey completes sweep of Tommies with 6-2 victory
Peyton Hemp scored twice for the Gophers while Abbey Murphy and Sydney Morrow each had a goal and two assists.
Area college football roundup: Susquehanna kicks St. John's out of Division III playoffs, will play Bethel in quarterfinals
Dominic Bourgeois made a 37-yard field goal as time expired to hand the top-seeded Johnnies their first and only loss of the season.
Gophers women's hockey shuts out St. Thomas
Abbey Murphy and Natalie Bouveng scored twice as the Gophers improved to 17-0 all-time against the Tommies with Friday night's victory.
St. Thomas football signs 21 recruits, including eight from Minnesota
The Tommies, coming off a 6-6 season, also signed players from Arizona, Illinois, Iowa, Missouri and Wisconsin.
Bemidji State's climb, and two other things to know about Minnesota college football
Minnesota State Mankato has taken a hard path to the Division II quarterfinals. Its opponent Saturday, Bemidji State, had to navigate its own adventure.
Prep Athletes of the Week: Senior's girls basketball highlights began before the season did
Jordan Ode, a 6-foot guard for Maple Grove, signed with Michigan State first, then came up big in two victories.
Gophers thrash South Dakota State in clash of ranked wrestling teams
No. 7 Minnesota won all but one match against the No. 17 Jackrabbits. Gable Steveson extended his winning streak to 55 matches.
Gophers tie Nanooks in men's hockey, piling up shots but not goals
Minnesota outshot Alaska 37-20 but was thwarted by goalie Nicholas Grabko and his 36 saves.
Gophers turn back Buckeyes, win final volleyball match of regular season
Minnesota, ranked 15th, now awaits a berth in the NCAA tournament when that field is announced Sunday.
Gophers turn back Illinois, win Big Ten volleyball match
Minnesota heads next into the final conference competition of the season, at home Friday against Ohio State.
Bemidji State settles in as a regular in the NCAA football playoffs
Bemidji State, in the postseason for the fourth consecutive year, will play Western Colorado in Division II. Minnesota State Mankato, St. John's and Bethel also have Saturday appointments.
Gophers soccer's NCAA tournament run ends in third round with 3-0 loss at North Carolina
Minnesotans Maddie Dahlien and Clare Gagne helped the 21-time NCAA champion Tar Heels end the Gophers' season.
Gable Steveson returns to wrestle at Maturi Pavilion as Gophers shut out Campbell
Gable Steveson earned his second technical fall in as many meets this season as the Gophers earned their first back-to-back shutouts in nearly 27 years.
St. Cloud State ends Gophers women's hockey team's seven-game winning streak
Sanni Ahola made 38 saves as the Huskies earned a split of the home-and-home series by winning in St. Cloud.
Gophers volleyball clinches winning Big Ten record with sweep of Iowa
The Gophers haven't lost to the Hawkeyes since 1995.
Brody Ziemer breaks third-period tie as Gophers men's hockey sweeps Notre Dame
Jimmy Snuggerud had two goals against the Irish and assisted on Ziemer's winner with 6:45 to play.
NCAA Division II and III football playoffs: Minnesota State Mankato stuns Augustana in final minutes
The Mavericks scored 10 points in the final three minutes, recovering an onside kick before Matthew Jaeger's field goal on the final play.
Al DeRusha, pioneer in Minnesota sports and kids TV and a pro wrestling promoter, has died
Al DeRusha produced and directed Minnesota kids shows "Lunch with Casey" and "Romper Room," and then worked with Verne Gagne's American Wrestling Association and later the WWF.
Gophers men's hockey capitalizes on power play in 6-3 victory at Notre Dame
Sam Rinzel had two of the Gophers' three power play goals against the Irish.
Abbey Murphy has hat trick as Gophers women's hockey beats St. Cloud State 5-2
The Gophers have won seven in a row and beaten the Huskies nine times over the past 11 meetings.
Gophers come back to beat South Carolina 2-1 in second round of NCAA women's soccer tournament
Sophia Boman and Sophia Romine scored second-half goals as the Gophers advanced to the third round for only the third time in program history.
No. 6 Wisconsin sinks No. 16 Gophers in five-set Big Ten volleyball showdown
The fifth set required extra points to settle the clash of top-20 teams.
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.
