Before sophomore Mara Braun returned home from representing Team USA in a 3-on-3 tournament in China, head coach for Gophers women’s basketball Dawn Plitzuweit announced June 28 the team would be taking a foreign tour beginning Aug. 1.

The five-city trip overseas includes stops in Athens, Greece and four other locations in Croatia: Split, Dubrovnik, Ston and the Island of Solta. The foreign excursion is the first for the program since 2018 when the team traveled to Italy and will serve as an additional opportunity to build team chemistry before the regular season. 

Summer workouts are ramping up for the Gophers and Plitzuweit said she is in the process of getting to know how her team plays together. The summer practices and the foreign tour will also provide chances for players to build relationships off the court.

“The next probably two months are going to be really good for us to spend time together outside of basketball,” Plitzuweit said.

The Maroon and Gold will play in three exhibition contests while on their tour. The first game will occur on Saturday, Aug. 19, against the Split Select at 6:30 p.m. local time in Split, Croatia (11:30 a.m. CST). 

The second game will take place on Wednesday, Aug. 23, against the Dubrovnik Select, at 7 p.m. local time in Dubrovnik (noon CST). The third and final game will be on Friday, Aug. 25, against the Athens Select in Athens at 7 p.m. local time (11 a.m. CST). 

Maggie Czinano, a junior on the team, said the playing opportunity will help the team in figuring out each other’s tendencies on the court before the regular season begins.

“Just understanding how each other likes to play,” said Czinano on how the tour will prepare the team for competition this upcoming season. “More so not really looking at our competition, but how to play with each other.”

The Gophers are allotted 10 extra practices this year due to their foreign tour, giving the team more time as they develop a dynamic.

“We’ll know more of what to expect and how to build it,” Plitzuweit said. “Right now we’re building the base.”

The tour will provide the young Gophers team — six true freshmen, two transfers and one redshirt freshman — the opportunity to see what it is like to play together in a game setting.

“I think that is going to give us a little bit of confidence under our belt,” Czinano said. 

Sophomores Braun (15.6 points per game), Mallory Heyer (10.4) and Amaya Battle (9.0) are among the team’s top returning scorers. The three, along with Czinano and Niamya Holloway, are the only returning members of the team.

Holloway missed the entire 2022-23 season due to injury. Plitzuweit said she is “very close” to returning to full go with the team and will hopefully be ready by the time the Gophers travel overseas.

Right now, Plitzuweit said she is “making sure we’re being patient but also prepping her and getting her ready.”

Braun recently returned from her international trip playing as a representative for Team USA in the 2023 FIBA 3×3 U21 Nations League. She helped Team USA reach the Asia-Pacific conference title and earned a berth to the league final on Sept. 13-15 in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. 

“It was a crazy experience,” Braun said. “The playing was super fun, super fast, just a lot to adjust to.”

Braun said the quickness of 3-on-3 play along with the 12-second shot clock helped her develop her quickness on the court.

“You have to play with a different type of pace, but you also have to be able to read your defenders,” Braun said. “I think that really helped broaden my IQ and I hope to bring a lot of things back to the team.”

The Gophers have three games scheduled overseas, leaving a lot of time for bonding for the young team.

“We have a lot of time there just as a team with our coaches and especially with the new staff. It’s just a really good time for us to become closer,” Braun said.

The team will not only have the opportunity to take in the cultural experience of each of the five cities, but also to participate in youth clinics and community service while on the tour. 

“I know we’re all super excited about it,” Czinano said. “Those are memories you’re going to have for a lifetime.”

The Gophers’ continuous success is helping Minnesota build a reputable name for its wrestling program and making it a desirable destination for young talent.

Patrick Smith and Gable Steveson, two Gopher wrestling alumni, won their best-of-three matches at Final X on June 10 in Newark, New Jersey to claim a spot on the U.S. Senior World team. Smith and Steveson will represent Team USA at the 2023 World Championships in Belgrade, Serbia, starting Sept. 16.

Before competing in this year’s Final X, wrestlers must qualify in one of three ways: be a 2022 Senior World medalist; be a 2023 U.S. Open Champion; or be a World Team Trials Challenge Tournament champion.

Smith, now wrestling for the Minnesota Storm — an international wrestling club where athletes compete for Olympic and World titles — earned his spot in the Greco-Roman category at the World Team Trials Challenge after he defeated Noah Wachsmuth of the New York Athletic Club.

Steveson earned his spot after beating 2-time world medalist Nick Gwiazdowski of Titan Mercury Wrestling Club in the Freestyle category at the U.S. Open. 

“After the World Team Trials, you know exactly who you’re up against and train for one guy,” Smith said. 

The few weeks leading up to Final X involved cleaning up mistakes and prepping for his opponent.

“You don’t really want to change how you wrestle ever,” Smith said. “You make small adjustments in order to get the best out of yourself.”

One of the pieces that come into play when competing at a high level is maintaining a healthy mentality. Smith said it is important for him not to overthink his opponent.

“You want to make him [the opponent] react to you,” Smith said. “You want to set the tone yourself.”

Smith matched up against Justus Scott from the U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program (Army WCAP). He dropped the first match via criteria decision 3-3 but bounced back to even the series at 1-1. Smith won the series in the final match in a 7-5 decision.

On the other hand, Steveson recently returned to amateur wrestling as a representative of the Gopher Wrestling Club in the U.S. Open. Before returning, Steveson was last seen at the 2020 Olympic finals when he defeated three-time World Champion Geno Petriasvili.

At 23 years old, Steveson proved nothing changed since his last time on the mat. He scored 44-1 over his opponents at the U.S. Open before posting a 6-2 victory in the first matchup at Final X. He finished with a 5-0 shutout in the second match.

Steveson credits “staying focused” for being able to keep up with amateur wrestling during his 13-month hiatus.

“Winning the Olympics is not an easy task and winning it in 2024 is not going to be an easy task either,” Steveson said for USA Wrestling.

Steveson’s development since the Tokyo Olympics and training in the WWE gave him a competitive edge over his opponents in amateur wrestling. Since Tokyo, he said he made significant progress and is staying motivated.

“I feel like the first match [in Tokyo] — getting taken down — I fell out of position. I tried to do some funky stuff that wasn’t me,” Steveson said. “I feel like my gap is getting wider and wider by everyone else and I got to go out there and prove it.”

With Smith and Steveson now competing on the global stage, the Gophers wrestling program is viewed as a more desirable option for young wrestlers.

Head Coach for the Gophers, Brandon Eggum, said both Smith and Steveson have been great selling points for the program, specifically in terms of recruiting.

“They’re [recruits] looking at the dream of making the World or Olympic team and continuing to wrestle after college,” Eggum said. “To have some guys that are legitimately making those teams — competing at that level are just really good sells.”

Eggum recently added four-time Minnesota state champion Tyler Wells to the 2023 recruiting class. The native out of Princeton holds a career record of 162-1 and went undefeated in his freshman, sophomore and junior seasons, according to the Star Tribune.

Coming into the program, Wells already has experience wrestling on the national stage. He won the 2019 United World Wrestling Championships U15 freestyle title at 41 kilograms (roughly 90 pounds) and finished third at the 2021 USA Wrestling Nationals 16U freestyle at 120 pounds.

“He’s a guy we’ve watched wrestle his entire high school career and have always been impressed,” Eggum said. “We have really big expectations for what he could accomplish for the program.”

Smith complimented the Gophers’ ability to get wrestlers to the next level after college. 

“There are avenues here [in Minnesota] for people to continue to go chase their World and Olympic dreams,” Smith said. “I think it shows the next generation that World and Olympic dreams are still alive in Minnesota.”

Stevenson’s time on the college wrestling mat is not over, telling FloWrestling he intends to use his final year of NCAA eligibility.

University of Minnesota’s Director of Athletics Mark Coyle spoke on the possibility of Steveson returning to the Gophers on Wednesday.

“Gable is a generational talent and one of the most accomplished athletes — regardless of sport — in school and state history,” Coyle said. “We are thrilled about the possibility of being able to watch him compete once again as a Gopher.”

Before any decisions are made, Steveson must sort out any potential scheduling issues with his current employer: the WWE.

“The WWE really has to make the final decision,” Eggum said. “So making sure that between Gable and the WWE, that is something that they would approve of.”

For now, though, Steveson and Smith will row the boat to the World Championships representing not only the U.S. but the success of the Gophers wrestling program as well.

Gopher men’s basketball finished their season nothing short of disappointing for fans, but Head Coach Ben Johnson said he was grateful for what the team went through.

Johnson spoke on Wednesday about the outlook for the upcoming season. With recruits, returning talent and players coming back from season-long injuries, Johnson is looking forward to the competitive nature of his team following their season filled with struggles.

Summer Workouts

The team started summer practices on June 12. Much of the early work included Johnson figuring out the tendencies of every individual on the roster.

“We’ve done a lot of small group stuff early,” Johnson said. “In a small group, I can really watch a guy – whatever it is 45 to 50 minutes – and figure out, ok he’s really good at this, or I don’t like this, or we can change this.”

In addition to small group activities, Johnson said he has been ensuring the team can play in five-on-five situations to mix things up.

“We’ll do some small five-on-five, just little spurts, because there is the competing factor that I want to get good at,” Johnson said. “We want to program and condition ourselves to compete at all times.”

Although getting back on the court is critical for the team, Johnson said he wants to take this time to allow players who have been sitting in the transfer portal to get in shape and up to speed with the team.

“If you’re in the portal, sometimes you’re not getting a normal spring workout in, so you’re behind already just physically,” said Johnson. “The worst thing you want to do is, all of sudden, you’re hungry to get after it and you get a hammy, you get a back [injury] and now those guys are out.”

New Talent

During the offseason, the Gophers added transfers Jack Wilson, center from Washington State; Mike Mitchell Jr, guard from Pepperdine; and Elijah Hawkins, guard from Howard University. The team also brought in freshmen Cam Christie from Arlington Heights, IL, and Erick Reader from Bloomington, MN.

Christie was ranked a top three recruit out of Illinois by 247Sports,was one of 12 high school athletes to compete in this year’s Rocket Mortgage High School Slam Dunk contest and one of four individuals competing in the event’s 3-point championship.

“He’s talented enough where he can push those [veteran players],” Johnson said. “It’s that iron sharpens iron.”

Johnson went to visit Christie at one of his games in January where Christie and his Rolling Meadows team lost to Moline 72-53. The frustration Christie had after the loss quickly turned into excitement.

“I really appreciate him making the trip to come down here and show us his support,” said Christie for the Star Tribune in January. “He’s laid out a good foundation for me – a good plan – and I’m looking forward to getting there.”

Johnson also picked up graduate student Wilson from the transfer portal during the offseason.

“I look forward to sharing what I’ve gained through my experiences with those around me, and doing whatever I can for this team and staff at the University of Minnesota,” Wilson said on Twitter.

The 6-foot-11-inch center played football at Washington State before joining their men’s basketball team. Johnson said it is his physicality that will allow him to be competitive in the Big Ten.

Recently, Johnson rounded out his recruiting class when he added Lithuanian forward Kristupas Keinys. 

Keinys played for Klaipėdos Neptūnas-Akvaservis in the second-best basketball minor league in Lithuania. He averaged 8.6 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 38 games. He also played for his native country in the U18 European Championships in 2022.

“I think that I can help the team play fast pace and defend,” said Keinys. “I want to be a player that can help everywhere and do everything.“

Isaiah Ihen and Parker Fox

Isaiah Ihen and Parker Fox are expected to return to the court next season after missing the last two seasons due to injury.

Johnson said it has been great to see the progress the two have made both physically and mentally as they went through rehab the last two years.

Now that the two are back on the court and in the weight room with the team, Johnson is taking extra precautions to make sure they feel 100% for the season.

“So far it’s been really good – really positive,” said Johnson.

Johnson mentioned the maturity Ihen and Fox gained from sitting on the sideline has allowed the two to see the game from a different perspective. Both players are expected to take on leadership roles within the team.

As of right now, Ihen and Fox are “full go” except for five-on-five drills, said Johnson. He plans to have the two evaluated in July to confirm they are ready.

Returning Talent

Among the Gophers returning to the team are Kadyn Betts, Braeden Carrington, Dawson Garcia, Joshua Ola-Joseph, Pharrel Payne, Jackson Purcell and Will Ramberg. 

Johnson believes his returning athletes gained a sense of maturity after going through last season’s hardships.

On the topic of Carrington’s training throughout the spring, Johnson said “He’s gained great weight and strength in the weight room,” and “he doesn’t move like a sophomore.”

Johnson acknowledged after going through his freshman season, Carrington now knows what is expected of him on the court, in a workout and can now do everything with confidence.

Last season, Payne averaged 22 minutes per game as a freshman and has lots of experience getting used to the level that is collegiate basketball. Johnson said he is excited to have him back for another year because “he knows what it takes now.” 

“You can talk to these guys until you’re blue in the face about what it takes in the offseason or what they’re going to be faced with during the season and they can believe you, or they can’t,” said Johnson. “Pharrel has been through it.”

Johnson is looking forward to bringing a team to the court where a majority of the players have played together and are getting comfortable with each other.

“When you add three players that are grown men that have been through it with a hardened younger group, you’re going to see improvement,” said Johnson.

The Future of the Program

Two disappointing seasons under Johnson left Gopher basketball fans frustrated with the trajectory of the program, but a speck of hope was seen after the Gophers had their first postseason victory since 2019 after winning in round one of the Big Ten tournament.

Johnson said he is on the same page as Athletics Director Mark Coyle in regards to the trajectory of the program.

“Mark is great. He understands where we’re at, he understands the process of this,” said Johnson. “When you let something bake, it tastes better.”

After an injury-filled, forfeited season, the Gopher women’s tennis team is working to build back for the coming year with their new head coach

New head coach Lois Arterberry is looking to make sure her team is well educated on the resources they have as student-athletes to keep them healthy throughout the season and offseason.

University of Minnesota Athletics Director, Mark Coyle, announced in May Arterberry would take the head coach position, replacing Catrina Thompson, who led the program the past six seasons.

She previously served as head women’s tennis coach at the University of St. Thomas for two seasons and guided the program through its transition from Division III to Division I. In that span, she led the Tommies to their first-ever Division I win against intra-conference opponent Western Illinois.

Colby Carlson, new head coach of the St. Thomas women’s tennis team and former assistant head coach under Arterberry, said Arterberry was one of the best coaches to work with.

“She has very organized practices with specific goals that raise the level of play within the team,” Carlson said. “Lois exudes a tremendous positive energy that motivates and uplifts the team’s attitude.”

Arterberry recognized the health issues the Gopher women’s tennis team faced in the spring and made clear her intentions to mitigate the issue. She said there are year-round resources available to athletes to help them maintain a healthy status during the offseason.

“My plan is to obviously listen to the student-athletes – provide them with the resources they need,” Arterberry said. “Here at the University, we have all the resources: from our strength and conditioning coaches, our trainers, our sports psychologists, our nutritionists.”

Carlson complimented Arterberry’s endeavors to ensure her athletes are getting what they need.

“The players know she cares about them both on and off the court,” Carlson said. “Lois helps the players use all of the resources the University has to assist them both physically and mentally.”

According to the University’s sports medicine medical director and tennis team physician, Dr. Bradley Nelson, each athletic team is assigned their own athletic trainer, primary care sports medicine physician, orthopedic surgeon, nutritionist and strength and conditioning coach that works with the team to ensure the athletes are staying healthy while they compete.

These individuals work together to develop a plan to help rehab athletes after an injury and keep them healthy during the offseason, Nelson said.

Even with so many resources to help keep athletes healthy, injuries are inevitable. When an athlete gets injured, Nelson said it is athletic trainer’s job to assess the injury first.

“Many times those athletes can be treated by the athletic trainer and the injury is short-lived,” Nelson said. “If it’s something a little bit more serious, they’ll bring them in to see one of the primary care sports docs or one of the orthopedic surgeons.”

Preventing injuries not only comes from being safe on the field of play but also by maintaining a healthy diet. 

“Our nutrition folks will work with the athletes – or sometimes they’ll just work with the team in general to discuss healthy diets meeting specific needs,” Nelson said.

The team’s nutritionist often works with the athletes to help develop a diet plan specific to each individual, Nelson said.

As head coach, Arterberry said it is critical for her to make sure she knows her athletes are aware of the resources available to the student-athletes all year to keep them healthy.

“As a coach, I will go all out in any way possible to ensure that their health and well-being is being placed first,” Arterberry said.

The Board of Regents approved a new $15.5 million gymnastics performance center on Friday afternoon, with construction scheduled to start in March 2024.

The new facility is expected to be completed by January 2025. In the meantime, the Gophers will continue to use Maturi Pavilion for home meets during the competition season.

The new performance center will be built in the footprint of Athletes Village, which will allow student-athletes to study, train, eat and recover all in one location. The facility will be constructed on the south side of the department’s indoor football field where two sand volleyball courts are currently located.

“It will be ideal for our student-athletes to have everything they need –– academics, athletics, nutrition and athletic medicine –– all in one spot at the world-class Athletes Village,” Athletics Director Mark Coyle said in a press release. “I know Coach [Jenny] Hansen and her staff are excited to share this news with the team and with recruits and we look forward to supporting them during the process.”

The Gopher gymnastics team has achieved tremendous success in the past few years, having competed in the NCAA Championship every year since 1995. The team advanced to the NCAA Semifinals in 2016, 2021 and 2022. 

Hansen led the Gophers to a Big Ten regular-season title in 2016 and a Big Ten championship title in 2021. 

The Gopher’s current training center, Peik Gymnasium, has been proposed for future demolition by campus leadership.

Construction of the new performance center will be paid for by athletic department revenues. Fundraising and private contributions will play a part in the department’s financing for the project.

“A state-of-the-art practice facility has been a goal of our program for the past 20 years and to see it come to fruition is truly an amazing milestone,” said Hansen in a press release.

Isabella McCauley recently completed her first-year season with the Gopher women’s golf team after competing against 155 golfers from 36 universities in the NCAA National Championship.

McCauley’s growth throughout the season not only motivated herself, but her teammates as well. Head coach Rhyll Brinsmead is hoping to build on McCauley’s growth for the betterment of the rest program.

McCauley’s performance on the fairways did not pick up until the latter part of the season. She said it was around March when she noticed a turning point in her game.

“I kind of just changed my mentality a little bit and I was like –– you know –– I’m going to try and go into it and just have a good time and be a little bit less worried on the score and the outcome,” McCauley said. “It definitely seemed to start paying off and I was having a lot more fun in the rounds.”

The mental shift McCauley had led her to be the Big Ten women’s “Golfer of the Week”, as well as a tie for second place at the Big Ten Tournament and 6th place at the NCAA Westfield Regional.

As a college athlete, McCauley had a lot of exposure playing in different climates and courses, said Brinsmead. A Minnesota native, McCauley had played mostly in her home state before coming to the University of Minnesota.

Brinsmead said one of the learning curves McCauley had while playing in different climates was adjusting to the different grass types. In Minnesota, most golfers play on bentgrass. But down south courses contain Bermuda grass, which is a lot grainier and ultimately inhibits how shots are executed.

“That was a big challenge for her but she had to really learn how to play because obviously for us, in the spring, we’re traveling south out to Arizona for all of our events so we were mainly on bermuda grass,” Brinsmead said.

McCauley’s learning did not stop on the course, as a freshman athlete coming to a big school, she was adjusting to being around more people. 

McCauley said the team dynamic was great and team dinners after a tournament were routinely unforgettable moments for her. With seven members on the team and four or five that traveled to tournaments, McCauley said getting along with each other came very easy.

“Even though it’s so simple, it’s always so memorable with them,” McCauley said. “We all just have different things to add to a conversation.”

Fifth-year Grace Curran said the tight-knit community allows for each member to act as a leader in their own way.

“We are so lucky in the fact that we are all so close and it really doesn’t matter if you are a freshman or super senior like myself, we all have something to learn and take away from one another,” Curran said.

Curran announced her decision to return to the team on May 24, along with teammate Emma Carpenter. The two hope to act as leaders to an overall younger team.

“I definitely plan to lead by example, Curran said. “I hope to be a role model for my teammates just as they are for me.”

With McCauley’s big finish on the national stage, Brinsmead is hoping to attract some more talent to the Minnesota golf program.

Brinsmead noticed a mutualistic relationship with McCauley on the team as she started to elevate the game of her teammates. The team saw McCauley’s work ethic which motivated them to work hard and McCauley had learned how to be a college athlete from the more senior members on the team.

“We had a great team dynamic and it was fun to watch how they help each other in different ways,” Brinsmead said.

When McCauley elected to stay in Minnesota, Brinsmead said it shifted the way people look at the Minnesota women’s golf program.

“For the McCauley name in the state of Minnesota, when she chose to stay home, that was a big deal for the state –– that was a big deal for golf fans within the state to see that Bella chose to attend Minnesota,” Brinsmead said. “I think most of them thought she was going to go somewhere else.”

McCauley said she knew the potential Minnesota had and knew Brinsmead would take the program in a good direction.

“We know we’re good and now we’re able to bring the spotlight back to Minnesota,” McCauley said. “It’s only trending upward and this is just the start for us.”

For now, McCauley is taking a break from golf to mentally relax and recharge before she returns to playing at her home course at Southview Country Club this summer. By July, she plans to resume her usual routine of five to seven hours of practice six days a week.

The Gophers women’s golf team spent the weekend at Fox Chapel Golf Club in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where they finished ninth overall in the Big Ten Tournament.

Course challenges and weather conditions proved to be the biggest hurdles for the Gophers.

April 21

The Gophers finished round one of the tournament on Friday tied for ninth, shooting 301 as a team. Freshman Isabella McCauley posted a team-best 71 and finished the day in the top 10 individually.

McCauley started off with six pars and three birdies on the front nine holes. She finished her day tied for seventh, carding an even-par 71 and just two shots off the lead.

Junior Grace Curran had 10 pars alongside two birdies on her way to shooting a 76. The senior was tied for 33rd heading into round two.

Emma Carpenter improved by four shots between nines on Friday. She penciled in an 83 and tied for 78th individually.

The course proved to be a challenge to all teams as none scored under par.

“As the overall scores show, the course played difficult as it should for a championship,” Gophers head coach Rhyll Brinsmead said in a press release. “We know we need to be more disciplined tomorrow and make choices off the tee that will set us up for success.”

April 22

The course continued to serve as a challenge on day two of the tournament with added moisture from rainfall earlier in the day.

McCauley shot a team-best, 74, helping lead the Gophers to a team score of 303 and now a two-day total of 604. She earned her highest career individual finish in a tie for second after shooting a 68 to move forward six places in the rankings.

Luisamariana Mesones improved by two strokes between rounds one and two, carding a 75. Mesones moved forward four places and tied for 39th at the end of day two.

Carpenter shed off six strokes on day two, tallying nine pars and two birdies. Her 77 put her in a tie for 78th.

Leah Herzog notched 12 pars on her way to shooting another 77. She was tied for 47th heading into the final round.

April 23

The Gophers moved up four places into ninth on the final day of the tournament, shooting a team tournament-best 298 and a three-day total of 902.

McCauley earned her highest career finish in a tie for second after shooting a 68 to move forward six places in the rankings. The freshman carded 71-74-68=213 over the three days.

“Bella’s game this week was remarkable and this feat for a freshman is amazing,” Brinsmead said.

Curran shot her best round of the tournament on Sunday with a 2-over-par 73. She notched 29 pars and six birdies across the tournament, scoring 76-81-73=230

Herzog finished her final Big Ten Championship in a tie for 65th, alongside teammate Junrui Chi. Herzog totaled 34 pars, which tied for 12th.

Chi showed improvement from the first two days and rolled home six pars and four birdies in her final 18.

Brinsmead said the team will wait to see if they have earned a postseason bid. Barring final rankings, the NCAA regionals are set for May 8-10.

Isabella McCauley is tearing up the fairways this season.

In her first season with the Gophers, she led the team, most recently with a tie for 14th in the Valspar Augusta Invitational on March 12 and finishing fifth at the Chattanooga Classic on April 4, which allowed her to earn the B1G Women’s Golfer of the Week title.

Before becoming a Division I golfer, Isabella McCauley first picked up a golf club when she was 6 years old and her father took her to the course.

Her father, Sean McCauley, is a former part-time golf instructor and was Isabella’s first teacher. She said her father would often use candy as a way to incentivize her and her sister to go to the golf course with him.

According to the Minnesota Golf Association, Sean McCauley’s golf career began with congenital heart defects and severe scoliosis that prevented him from playing many sports early on. When he was 13 years old, his doctor gave him a book called “How to Perfect Your Golf Swing.”.

As Sean McCauley’s golf career progressed, he quickly realized that pharmaceutical sales would pay the bills a lot better than golf would. He set golf aside himself, but later realized he had two golf students right in front of him: his daughters Isabella and Reese McCauley, according to the Minnesota Golf Association.

Isabella said playing with her father was always a fun activity. He was very patient and knew how to keep the attention of young kids.

If the McCauley family only had time for an hour at the golf course, Sean would spend about 15 to 20 minutes working with Isabella and Reese on their swing and the other 45 minutes having fun and playing games.

“As we got older, it just kind of naturally progressed into a game that not just he loved, but my sister and I, we loved it as well,” Isabella said.

As Isabella grew older, her parents made it a point to not pressure her into playing golf. She had picked up horseback riding for a little bit, but ultimately, she decided to stick with golf.

Sean’s teaching quickly proved to be successful as Isabella McCauley played in her first tournament just two years after picking up a club for the first time.

“I absolutely loved playing competitive golf,” Isabella McCauley said. “That was a huge turning point for me.”

As Isabella McCauley rounds out her freshman season for the Gophers, she said her biggest goals throughout her collegiate career are to make it to the national championship and individually win a collegiate event.

The 2023 Big Ten championship starts on Friday in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

She said she hopes to achieve her goals with a swing coach she is familiar with, her father.

“I’ve always kind of taken it step-by-step and then afterwards if I want to turn pro, I would love to maybe have that opportunity,” Isabella McCauley said.

The Gophers women’s basketball team ended their season in March with an 11-19 overall record and a loss to Penn State in round one of the Big Ten Tournament.

The team will enter the 2023-24 season with new talent coming in and veteran faces leaving. However, the most prominent addition to the program is a new coaching staff.

Former head coach Lindsay Whalen stepped down from her position shortly after Minnesota’s 2022-23 season concluded. The University’s Director of Athletics Mark Coyle announced on March 18 that Dawn Plitzuweit will serve as the 13th head coach for the women’s basketball team.

“Dawn is a process-driven coach and has coached winning teams at every step of her career,” Coyle said in a press conference. “She has recruited Minnesota and has consistently produced teams that compete for championships.”

Joining Plitzweit on the coaching staff are longtime assistant Jason Jeschke, Aaron Horn and Ariel Braker. Jeschke will serve as the associate head coach under Plitzuweit; they have worked together for six consecutive seasons. Horn and Braker will serve as assistant coaches.

Horn joins Minnesota’s staff after spending the last seven seasons with Plitzuweit at West Virginia and South Dakota. Braker joins Plitzuweit’s staff with the Gophers after spending one year at both West Virginia and South Dakota in the same role of assistant coach. She brings four years of playing experience, during which she shined at Notre Dame.

“I am incredibly excited and thankful to have the opportunity to continue working alongside Jason, Aaron and Ariel,” Plitzuweit said in a press release. “We have great synergy and connectivity as a staff, and we have continued to learn and grow together over the years.”

When it comes to players, returning to the team most notably is leading scorer and freshman guard Mara Braun (15.6 PPG). She returns alongside a talented young core of freshmen: Mallory Heller, Nia Holloway and Amaya Battle.

Veteran guard Katie Borowicz decided to medically retire, and leading rebounder Alanna “Rose” Michaeux (7.9 RPG) entered her name into the transfer portal.

With Plitzuweit’s decision to come to Minnesota also came top-100 recruit Grace Grocholski. The 5-foot-10-inch star from Kettle Moraine High School initially committed to play for Plitzuweit at West Virginia but has decided to follow her coach to Minnesota.

Third times the charm… I’m happy to announce that I will be attending the University of Minnesota to continue my academic and athletic career. Once again I want to thank my family, my high school and AAU coaches, and my teammates. After a long recruiting journey, Go Gophers pic.twitter.com/7RBe5iY7uZ

— Grace Grocholski (@GrocholskiGrace) March 26, 2023

In addition to the talent Plitzuweit has brought, the Gophers retained Maple Grove native Kennedy Klick, MyKynnlie Dalan and Ajok Madol, who committed to the previous regime in November. Dominika Paurová initially signed a National Letter of Intent (NLI) in November but was recently granted release.

Brynn Senden of Wayzata signed an Acceptance of Admission and will join the team as a preferred walk-on. Senden was teammates with Braun at Wayzata, where she averaged 10 points per game during her 2021-22 prep season and helped Wayzata reach the section final against Hopkins.

Gophers legend Lindsay Whalen provided new head coach Dawn Plitzuweit with plenty of talent. The Gophers’ schedule has yet to be finalized, but there is plenty to be excited for in a new era of Minnesota women’s basketball.

The Gophers women’s tennis team will end its season early due to a plethora of injuries that reduced the number of healthy players to three, Director of Athletics Mark Coyle said in a press release Wednesday morning.

“This is an unfortunate and extremely unique situation where we no longer have enough healthy student-athletes to compete for the remainder of the season,” Coyle said. “We have communicated our situation to the Big Ten, and I commend our student-athletes who have proudly competed for the Maroon and Gold this year.”

The Gophers lost nine of their last 10 games due to their inability to field players in the fifth and sixth singles positions.

Despite the hurdles the team faced, Minnesota routinely competed with only four student-athletes for most of the season and compiled a 5-12 record.

The team will not compete in their remaining five regular season games or the Big Ten Tournament. The remaining matches will officially be recorded as forfeits.

This is a difficult way for the season to end, Coyle said, but his priority at this point is to look ahead to next season.

“Our goal is to help our student-athletes recover and to field a healthy and competitive roster for the 2023-24 academic year,” Coyle said.