Gopher Men and Women Earn Academic All Big Ten Honors

Nineteen members of the University of Minnesota women’s country team and four of the Gopher  men were awarded Academic All-Big Ten status for the fall season.  To qualify for Academic All-Big Ten honors student-athletes must be letter winners in at least their second academic year at their institution and carry a career grade-point average (GPA) of 3.0 or better.

Women’s Cross Country Academic All-Big Ten Selections

Liz Berkholtz - So., Undeclared, Sun Prairie, Wis.
Maggie Bollig - Sr., Psychology, Cross Plains, Wis.
Heather Brunn - Sr., Mathematics, Rogers, Minn.
Kate Bucknam - So., Undeclared, Fayetteville, Ark.
Kelli Budd - Sr., Accounting, Omaha, Neb.
Ashlie Decker - Jr., Sport Management, Des Moines, Iowa
Laura Docherty - Sr., Inter-College Program, St. Paul, Minn.
Lauren Domski - So., Pre-Major, Woodbury, Minn.
Rachel Drake - Sr., Spanish Studies, White Bear Lake, Minn.
Becca Dyson - So., Journalism, Roseville, Minn.
Becca Gusmer - Sr., Kinesiology, Green Bay, Wis.
Molly Kayfes - Jr., Business and Marketing Education, Maple Grove, Minn.
Katie Moraczewski - Sr., Graphic Design, White Bear Lake, Minn.
Cassy Opitz - Sr., Inter-College Program, Eden Prairie, Minn.
Kathryn Ritter - Sr., Genetics/Cell Biology, Mukwonago, Wis.
Jessica Schmidt - Sr., Accounting, DePere, Wis.
Annie Talajkowski - Jr., English, Whitefish Bay, Wis.
Hannah Trasser - So., Psychology, Brookfield, Wis.
Bre Valle - Sr., Family Social Science, Minnetonka, Minn.

Men's

Blayne Dulian - So., Business and Marketing Education, Coon Rapids, Minn.
Pieter Gagnon - Sr., Mechanical Engineering, Minneapolis, Minn.
Bob Nicolls - Jr., Accounting, Parker, Colo.
Adam Zutz - So., Undeclared, St. Francis, Minn.

All seven of the Gopher women's NCAA Championships competitors qualified for the academic honor, including Molly Kayfes and Laura Docherty, the team’s top two runners throughout the season. Kayfes led the Gophers at both the NCAA Midwest Regional and the NCAA Championships. She earned All-Region honors with an eighth-place finish. Laura Docherty led the way at the Big Ten Championships, running to All-Conference acclaim with a ninth-place showing. She was also an All-Region performer. Maggie Bollig, Katie Moraczewski, Ashlie Decker, Rachel Drake and Liz Berkholtz rounded out the NCAA Championships roster.

The men's and women's track teams began their indoor season last Friday with an intrasquad meet at the U of M Fieldhouse.  The indoor season continues on January 12 with the Northwest Open at the U of M.  Both the men's and women's teams will be competing.  Part of the women's team will compete at the North Dakota State Invitational in Fargo, ND on the same day. 

GopherSports.com will continue to preview the indoor season before true competitions begin in January. Click on the links for previews of the throws and the sprints, jumps and hurdles.