Since 2022, the Gophers volleyball team has recruited the top in-state player each year. Two years ago, Prior Lake’s Julia Hanson traded her navy and gold threads for maroon and gold. 

Hanson joined the Gophers among a recruiting class that ranked fifth in the nation. The four new Gophers included Carter Booth, Mckenna Wucherer and Chloe Ng.

But after the 2022 season, the team took on a new identity. Booth transferred to the team’s border rival, Wisconsin, and the Gophers head coach at the time, Hugh McCutcheon, transitioned to a new role. Hanson, Ng and Wucherer stayed with the Gophers.

Last season, the Gophers finished with a 17-13 overall record under their new coaching staff and outside hitter Taylor Landfair transferred to the 2023 NCAA national runner-ups, Nebraska.

With a hole on the starting roster, head coach Keegan Cook put his veteran outside hitter into the starting lineup.

“Julia had the potential to have a pretty impactful year for us,” Cook said. “She’s been probably the most consistent performer.”

In the new season, Hanson helped the Gophers upset Texas, who at the time were ranked No. 1.  Five days later, Hanson posted a career-best 23 kills against Texas Christian University. 

After her breakthrough start to the season, Hanson knows there is no time to be timid. 

“Now it’s my time and I want to prove to everyone what I can do,” Hanson said. “Holding back is not going to help me.”

Hanson averaged .64 kills per set in 2023. She played in all 30 matches off the bench, but as a freshman, played in only 10 games. Her mother, Lisa Hanson, said this moment has been something she has been waiting for since the first time she stepped onto campus. 

“It’s been so exciting to see her play at the outside hitter position,” Lisa Hanson said. “I think now she’s making the most out of the opportunity she’s been given.”

Hanson credited her recent success to the support of her teammates and the people around her. Wucherer, Hanson’s freshman-year roommate, said she saw Hanson’s potential and knew her time was coming.

“Julia is a stud,” Wucherer said. “I’ve loved going to battle with her ever since I came to Minnesota.” 

Hanson said her recruitment to Minnesota went quickly. After going to a camp at the University, she got on the phone with McCutcheon and later got an offer from the school. 

Hanson said she chose Minnesota for her desire to stay home and play in the Big Ten conference. 

Hanson surprised many last season when she hit 19 kills against Indiana on Nov. 12, 2023. Since then, Cook challenged her to raise the bar for herself.

So far, he has liked what he has seen. 

Cook said Hanson gets aggressive on the floor and uses different techniques to be effective on offense. According to Cook, there is a pattern of Hanson’s ability to create offense consistently. 

“No matter how the match is going she is always a threat,” Cook said. “She’s being pretty courageous.”  

Cook said that in the biggest moments, Hanson ignites behind the ball. Her jumping ability has set her apart.

“Started getting aggressive like we talked about,” Cook said. “And hit the ball high with range, turning balls high in the angle and mixing in some offspeed.”

Hanson will look to continue her stellar play as the Gophers open Big Ten play Wednesday against the No. 7 ranked Badgers at Maturi Pavilion.

Gophers volleyball defeated Long Island University (LIU) and Auburn in the Diet Coke Classic after their first home win at Maturi Pavilion against St. Thomas on Tuesday.

The Gophers started their season in Milwaukee where they upset then No. 1 ranked Texas. The team then flew to Waco, Texas for the Big Ten/Big Twelve challenge where they lost to Baylor and Texas Christian University in five sets. 

When the Gophers returned to Minneapolis, the scene at Maturi Pavilion was electric with volleyball fans from St. Thomas and the University of Minnesota filling the stands. 

Gophers Lydia Grote and Julia Hanson led the attack with 10 kills each, while libero Zeynep Palabiyik added 20 digs for the defense. 

After sweeping the match, head coach Keegan Cook said the game was not played to the same standard as their previous matches on the road despite the outcome. 

“Excellence is a moving target,” Cook said. “We’ve been playing a lot of really high-level volleyball for kind of four straight matches,” Cook said. “Tonight wasn’t quite up to that standard.”

The Gophers sent 14 players to the floor, eight of which recorded a kill. 

“You want to develop your roster,” Cook said. “Important moments for a lot of younger athletes to get out there.” 

Two days after defeating St. Thomas, the Gophers played in their second of three games that week against LIU. Grote said much of the team prefers to play at home given their class schedule.

“A few of us were talking after the game like ‘Wow we have class at 8 a.m. tomorrow,’” Grote said. “That’s a quick turnaround.”

The Gophers finished their Thursday matchup against LIU hitting a season high of .302 while holding LIU to a .108 hitting average. The Gophers tallied 43 kills to LIU’s 26. 

Gopher Mckenna Wucherer finished with a game-high 10 kills. Calissa Minatee and Grote added eight each. 

The next day, competition resumed when the Gophers swept Auburn in the final match of the Diet Coke Classic.

The first two sets saw plenty of back-and-forth action between both teams. Cook said it was the normal ups and downs of two great serving teams. 

“The third set just kind of broke it open and got it going and it was fun,” Cook said. 

Leading the Gophers attack was junior Julia Hanson, finishing the match with 12 kills, 16 digs and five blocks, the team-high in all three categories. Grote added 11 kills and 10 digs. 

During the first two sets, Hanson said she struggled to find a groove but decided to be more aggressive in the third. 

“In our meeting after the second set my coaches were very encouraging to go for it, my teammates as well,” Hanson said. “I said I’m gonna go for it, whatever happens happens.” 

Hanson’s best set came in the third where she tallied seven kills and six digs. 

After a three-game home slate, the Gophers will play three matches in Green Bay, Wisconsin before coming home again. 

But before that Cook said he is just looking forward to getting to practice. 

“We are excited to practice,” Cook said. “Hopefully come in on Monday and Tuesday and have two of our best practices to set us up for this week because there is still work to do for sure.”

The Gophers volleyball team started their 2024 season playing against two top-five teams at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee. The Gophers split the tournament one and one, losing their first match against Stanford and then defeating the back-to-back defending national champions, Texas, the next day. 

Brookfield Wisconsin’s Mckenna Wucherer sealed the match with a kill for the Gophers on Monday.

“My family was in one section, I had friends from high school in another section,” Wucherer said. “Really just admiring where I was and who I was with.” 

The Gophers outlasted Texas in a five-set match. The back-and-forth battle saw the maroon and gold drop set one 25-22 before winning sets two and three. The Longhorns won set four in a dominant 25 to 13 fashion, but the Gophers held off Texas in the final set, winning 15-7.

Wucherer tallied 12 kills while Julia Hanson led the team with 19 kills, tying her career best. 

Zeynep Palabiyik dawned the white jersey for the first time in her Gopher career as the team’s starting libero. The Turkish Gopher contributed a career-high 22 digs against the Longhorns.

Gophers head coach Keegan Cook said the win over Texas instilled belief in the team. 

“It’s a statement to each other, you’re trying to teach a team to believe in themselves and to believe before something happens,” Cook said. “Something happens when we win, belief comes real and you can feel it.”

Monday’s win was the first Gophers victory against a No. 1 ranked opponent in five years. 

Gophers Redshirt senior Melani Shaffmaster said this game was proof they are not the same team as the previous season.

“I don’t think I really have words,” Shaffmaster said to Fox Sports1. “We finally proved ourselves that we’re not the same team we were last year. We have a lot of really great people here with us.”

The Gophers started last season ranked No. 7 in the nation, but after finishing with a 17-13 overall record, the Gophers went unranked into the NCAA tournament and lost to Creighton in the second round. 

Shaffmaster credits the confidence going into the 2024 season to a tight-knit team.

“We have a lot of depth,” Shaffmaster said. “It took the whole entire team to beat Texas.” 

Wucherer said Cook reminded the team how good they are. 

“He said ‘I think we go into a lot of matches thinking of who’s across the net, and not really Minnesota volleyball,’” Wucherer said. “We need to remember who we are.” 

The Gophers lost to No. 5 Stanford on Sunday in five sets. The Gophers led 2-1 after three sets but ultimately lost 3-2 after dropping the last two. 

What ultimately ended up knocking the Gophers down was their 23 service errors. The team also had eight fewer kills than Stanford.

“Learned some lessons fast,” Cook said. “Showed some competitive character in our second match versus Texas.”

The Gophers will continue their ringer of ranked opponents when they play No. 23 Baylor on Sept. 6, followed by TCU on Sept. 7 in the Big Ten/Big 12 Challenge in Waco, Texas. 

Volleyball fans will have to wait until Sept. 10 for the team’s home opener against St. Thomas.

Ben Warian played in his first Professional Golf Association (PGA) event on July 25 at the 3M Open.

Warian played on a sponsor’s exemption, which according to the PGA, means the tournament sponsor allows players to play who “are not otherwise eligible for the Signature Event.”

In Warians’ first 18 holes, he shot a 69, which is good for two under par at the TPC golf course in Blaine. Through his first nine holes, Warian shot 31, which put him at five under par. 

Warian said for the PGA on July 25 that having the opportunity to play in a professional event is “so special.”

Warian had “hundreds” of people supporting him. Travel was not an issue for most of them, given the course was 30 miles west of his hometown of Stillwater. 

Among the crowd cheering on Warian was his seventh and eighth-grade coach Kris Oftedahl.

“I think he had the most people following him of any group out there,” Oftedahl said. “We were all there, family members from all over the place”.

Warian birdied the final hole and his supporters erupted with excitement.

“It’s been very humbling and cool to see everyone come out and support,” Warian said for the PGA. “Birdies are always nice and when they are accompanied by a couple hundred people yelling as well, it makes it that much more fun.” 

Day two saw Warian shoot a 74 through 18 holes, which put him three over par on the day. His score in the second round on July 26 was not enough to push him to day three. 

Although Warian did not end the tournament the way he would have liked, he never let hardship stop him from getting to where he wanted to be. It was not until his senior year with the Gophers that he made his NCAA Championship debut.

Warian’s high school coach at Hill-Murray, Steve Martin, is no stranger to his handling of a tough situation. During his junior season at Hill-Murray, Warian was the Minnesota State High School League runner-up.

He previously tied for fourteenth as a sophomore and seventh as a freshman.

“He doesn’t let it hold him back at all, just looking forward to the next shot,” Martin said.

Oftedahl echoed what Martin said about Warian. 

“I remember looking at him and thinking, ‘If he grows, he’s gonna be something special,’” Oftedahl said. 

Oftedahl credits Warian’s success early on to his power and his ability to zero in around the green. Warian’s abilities as a 7th-grader put him in Hill-Murray’s Varsity golf team and earned him an All-Conference nod in his first year.

“In some respects, I’m not surprised by his success,” Martin said. “He’s very motivated.”

Martin said Warian will be playing in some amateur tournaments in the fall and take a shot at going pro.

Warian is ranked 50 in the World Amateur golf rankings. The next amateur golf tournament is the United States Amateur Golf Tournament in Chaska on Aug. 12.

Women’s hockey is growing at all levels across the state, giving young girls a chance to dream.

Early next year, the Gophers will take the ice against the Bemidji State Beavers at Hockey Day Minnesota in Shakopee followed by the United States Hockey Hall of Fame Face-Off Classic in Lakeville. 

The events will allow the Gophers to showcase their talents to young girls in the greater Minnesota community.

Gophers Head Coach Brad Frost said he hopes these events bring a sense of normality to women’s hockey. 

“With the Hall of Fame Game, one of the reasons we love participating in it is because we know that it’s gonna be packed with a bunch of youth girls teams,” Frost said.

In the last six years, the women’s hockey team played in the Hall of Fame Museum Classic four times with their most recent appearance in 2022 when they lost to St. Cloud State University 4-1.

Gophers Goaltender Skylar Vetter came to the University from Lakeville. For some players on the Gophers team, it may be their first time playing at Hasse Arena, but not for Vetter.

“My last high school game I ever played was actually at Hasse,” Vetter said. “It means so much that I’m going to be able to go down there and play a game in front of my hometown.”

Vetter said she is prepared for a big crowd and is excited to be able to have so many family members and friends at the event.

The Hall of Fame Museum Classic will not be the only time this season the Gophers compete against their Beaver foes from up north. The two teams will also take the ice in Shakopee for Hockey Day Minnesota.

The event, run by the Minnesota Wild, features talent from high school to pros. Minnesota Wild Senior Director of Community Relations and Hockey Partnerships Wayne Petersen said he always feels compelled to invite the Gophers to play.

“They’re always so good,” Petersen said. “The University is easy to work with and we have a great relationship.” 

The game will be played outside at Valleyfair. Vetter said she is excited for the chance to play in the conditions offered by a Minnesota winter.

The Gophers played in Hockey Day Minnesota in 2014 and 2020 and won both matchups. Petersen said their record at the event contributed to this year’s selection. 

The Gophers matchup in Shakopee against the Beavers will be a traditional Western Collegiate Hockey Association game. Although Frost is excited about the opportunity to play in front of a different crowd, he said he understands his team has a job to do.

“It’s another game,” Frost said. “As far as our preparation and things like that, we’ll keep it very much like we would any other game.”

Petersen said the rinks at Hockey Day Minnesota stay open through the weekend to allow youth teams to come and play.He added with that access, girls playing hockey is becoming far less of a rarity in Minnesota. 

The Minnesota Professional Women’s Hockey League is giving players like Vetter a chance to continue their passion beyond college.

“Ever since I was little I wanted to play women’s professional hockey,” Vetter said. “It was never there for me to dream of.”

Like Vetter, the girls who will watch her and the Gophers play this season now have a chance to dream.

EMMETT LAURENT: Welcome back everyone to the Gold Standard. My name is Emmett Laurent and this sports broadcast is brought to you by the Minnesota Daily. There’s a lot to get to as the school year looms closer. So let’s get right into it. 

In a few short days, the Olympics will start in Paris where the Gophers will have eight athletes competing across seven different sports. On the team USA side, the Gophers will have Sarah Bacon competing in diving, Matthew Wilkinson competing in track and field and Summer Schmidt, who will be competing in the Paralympics in swimming.

Moving on from Team USA, the Gophers will also have Ava Stewart competing in gymnastics for Team Canada, Bar Soloveychik competing in swimming for Team Israel, Airi Miyabe competing in volleyball for Team Japan; Devin Augustine competing in track and field for Team Trinidad and Tobago, and finally, Erik van Rooyen competing in golf for Team South Africa. The Olympics this year will feature golf for the first time ever. More information can also be found about these athletes’ amazing and incredible careers at the Minnesota Daily website. 

Coach Wenbo Chen will also be joining the Team USA diving staff as an associate coach. Formerly, Wenbo Chen coached Team USA in 2008 and 2012, and Chen is extremely excited to get back to the team for this year. Now, he is gonna be able to coach Sarah Bacon, and the two have worked together for many years preparing for this moment after Bacon just fell short of the Olympic Games in 2020. Bacon will be competing in the three meter synchronized event on July 27th, as well as the three meter springboard event on August 9. You can find more information with my story at the mndaily.com. 

The Gophers hockey team has signed transfer defender Sydney Morrow. Previously at Colgate University, she scored 39 points as a sophomore, good for 13 goals and 26 assists. This will be Morrow’s return to the Big Ten. Her freshman year, she played at Ohio State before transferring. In other news, Wren Warne-Jacobsen won her second straight figure skating title this past weekend. She scored a 54.00 on her short program and a 120.52 on her free skate. The championship took place actually right here in Minnesota in Richfield and Andrew Cornelius of the Minnesota Daily details this event in his article covering her incredible finish.

The Gophers golf team has named a new head coach, Matt Higgins, who previously coached D2 at Regis University. He’s ready to take on the task of coaching a Division I program, and you can read more about his journey and personality in an article by Champ Howard. 

Now, with MLB and NHL drafts concluding recently, the Gophers now are one of two schools to have a player drafted in the NHL, MLB, NFL, and NBA. Most recently in the MLB draft, Connor Wietgrefe was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 7th round and Tucker Novotny was drafted by the Oakland Athletics in the 18th round. The only other school to accomplish this was Boston College. 

A former Gopher, Cam Christie, who was recently drafted by the Clippers, finished his summer league stint off averaging 11.4 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game while playing 25.5 minutes per game. Christie turns 19 years old soon and has a bright future ahead of him in the NBA where he’s just playing in the same city as his brother, Max Christie, who also played in the Big Ten at Michigan State. 

The Minnesota Vikings are set to start training camp here soon and big news out of the TCL Performance Center is that both first round picks have signed their rookie contracts. Two of the last to do so in the NFL. J.J. McCarthy, formerly from Michigan and Dallas Turner, formerly from Alabama, have both signed four year contracts with fifth year options at the end. This comes as a surprise to no one, but it’s good that they got their guys signed up for its training camp so they can participate. The new rookie QB is ready to compete in training camp, but barring any out of this world performances, Sam Darnold who the Vikings signed to a one year contract this off season will be the team starting QB entering the season.

Christian Derrissaw, the superstar left tackle for the Minnesota Vikings, has also recently signed a four year extension worth up to $113 million, including $77 million guaranteed. He’s now under contract with the team for the next six seasons. Now, the Minnesota Vikings have officially locked up two of their best players in Justin Jefferson and Christian Darrisaw for this foreseeable future. 

The Minnesota Lynx will look to continue their dominance in the WNBA after All-Star break. Competing in the All-Star break was Napheesa Collier, a forward from the Minnesota Lynx who was thick in the MVP race. She only played three minutes in the All-Star game because it looks like she’s ready to get back to the regular season. Also, Kayla McBride, the sharp shooter from the Lynx, also competed in three point contests. However, she did not win. They currently sit atop the Western Conference at 17-8 and find themselves in the thick of the race to the championship. They most recently won the Commissioner’s Cup, which saw them have a 500,000 bonus to spread across the team. They beat the New York Liberty in that game and have beat them a few times this year.

The Minnesota Twins also have just come off All-Star break, finding themselves in a tricky situation with two of their best players, Royce Lewis and Carlos Correa, on the injured list. They will attempt to weather the storm until they can get back their two electric players, but for now, Byron Buxton, Carlos Santana and all the rotational pieces will just have to make do.

Well folks, that’s all the time we have, and thank you so much for tuning in to this episode of the Gold Standard. Look out for episodes every week, and this episode was once again brought to you by the Minnesota Daily, voiced by me, Emmett Laurent, and produced by Kaylie Sirovy.

Among the athletes representing their home country in the 2024 Olympics, eight of them competed for the Gophers. The Minnesota Daily compiled a list of each and the events in which they are striving for a gold medal.

The opening ceremony for the Olympics is on July 26.

Team USA

Sarah Bacon

Years with Gophers: 2017 to 2022

Olympic medals: none

Olympic event and when to watch: 3-meter synchronized dive (July 27) and 3-meter dive (Aug. 7 to 9)

Bacon will make her Olympic debut in Paris. She is a five-time NCAA champion and a four-time Big Ten champion. Bacon holds Minnesota’s diving program record and Big Ten record in the 1-meter (376.10) and 3-meter dive (437.60). Bacon’s diving coach, Wenbo Chen, will join her on Team USA as an associate coach.

Summer Schmit 

Years with Gophers: 2022 to present

Paralympic medals: none

Olympic event and when to watch: swimming (Aug. 28 to Sept. 8)

At the Tokyo Paralympics in 2021, Schmit placed fifth in the 200 Individual Medley, sixth in the 100-meter butterfly and seventh in the 400-meter freestyle. At the world championships in 2022, Schmit earned a bronze medal in the 400-meter freestyle. 

Matthew Wilkinson

Years with Gophers: 2021 to 2023

Olympic Medals: none

Olympic event and when to watch: 3000-meter steeplechase (Aug. 5-7)

Wilkinson qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the 3000-meter steeplechase the last two seasons and won the Big Ten title in the event last season with the Gophers. Before joining the Gophers, Wilkinson competed at the Division III level with Carleton College. He will make his Olympic debut in Paris.

Coach Wenbo Chen

Years with Gophers: 2009 to present

Olympic medals: coached former Gopher Kelci Bryant to a silver medal in 2012

Olympic event and when to watch: assistant coach for U.S. diving team (July 27 to Aug. 10)

Chen was named the Big Ten women’s diving coach of the year five times and Big Ten men’s diving coach in 2016. He was part of the Team USA coaching staff in Beijing before joining the Gophers in 2008. Chen coached with Team USA’s 2024 head diving coach, Drew Johansen, at the 2012 Olympics in London.

Other Countries 

Ava Stewart

Team: Canada

Years with Gophers: 2024, present

Olympic Medals: none 

Olympic event and when to watch: Gymnastics (July 27-Aug. 5)

Stewart competed for Team Canada at the Tokyo Olympics before her first college meet. The soon-to-be freshman started training with the Gophers this summer.

Bar Soloveychik

Team: Israel

Years with Gophers: 2021 to present

Olympic medals: none

Olympic event and when to watch: 4×200-meter swimming freestyle relay (July 30)

At the Israel Olympic trials, Soloveychik took home three gold medals in the 200-meter, 400-meter and the 800-meter freestyle events. Soloveychik holds Minnesota’s program record in five freestyle events. He will make his Olympic debut in Paris. 

Airi Miyabe

Team: Japan

Years with Gophers: 2019 to 2021

Olympic medals: none

Olympic event and when to watch: volleyball (July 28 to Aug. 11)

Miyabe helped the Gophers defeat Baylor in a sweet sixteen matchup of the 2021 NCAA volleyball tournament. The outside hitter earned an AVCA All-North Region honorable mention in 2021. She spent her first two seasons at the College of Southern Idaho where she led the Golden Eagles to a NCJAA championship. Miyabe will make her Olympic debut in Paris.

Devin Augustine 

Team: Trinidad and Tobago

Years with Gophers: 2022 to present

Olympic medals: none

Olympic event and when to watch: Track & field 100-meter sprint (Aug. 3 and 4)

Augustine posted the fastest 100-meter sprint time for Trinidad and Tobago at the 2023 championship (10.21 seconds). Augustine’s qualification for the Olympics is the first in 24 years the Gophers had someone earn a spot in an individual sprint event. 

Erik van Rooyen

Team: South Africa

Years with Gophers: 2009 to 2013

Olympic medals: none

Olympic event and when to watch: golf (Aug. 1 to 4)

During his junior campaign with the Gophers, Rooyen had a 72.45 stroke average which ranks ninth in program history. He has since competed in four Professional Golfer’s Association Tours (PGA) and is ranked 66th overall. Rooyen has two PGA Tour wins across 109 events.

Gopher’s head Diving Coach Wenbo Chen will join the United States Olympic diving team’s coaching staff in Paris for the 2024 Olympics. 

The competition will be Chen’s third as an Olympic coach and second alongside head Indiana University diving coach Drew Johansen, who will serve as Team USA’s head diving coach. The two worked together in London with the U.S. diving team at the 2012 Olympics.

“It’s exciting,” Chen said. “It doesn’t matter how many times you are selected. ”

Chen has no shortage of accolades on his coaching resume. He was named the Big Ten women’s diving coach of the year nine times and Big Ten men’s diving coach of the year in 2016. 

But when asked what he brings to the team, his answer was not about his awards or experience but his push for athletes to stay relaxed on the diving board.

“I always encourage them to be themselves and believe in themselves,” Chen said.

Chen’s philosophy stems from his belief that diving happens in the head. His attention to detail helped guide former Gopher Kelci Bryant to a silver medal in 2012.

Maddy Olson, associate coach for the Gophers swim and dive team, noted Chen’s connection to the athletes he leads. 

Olson is part of the Gophers swimming staff and does not coach directly with Chen, but being on the pool deck with him allowed Olson to see how much Chen cares about his athletes. 

“He’s got the fist pumps down,” Olson said. “People are always laughing on deck.”

Olson said Chen comes in every day with an uplifting spirit. Through the twists and turns of diving, he remains himself, which Olson said strengthens the bond between him and his divers.

“He’s a resource for them in life, not just the technical and diving aspect”, Olson said. 

In less than two weeks, Chen will return to coaching former Gopher Sarah Bacon. Bacon, under Chen’s leadership, grabbed five NCAA titles.

Bacon left the Gophers diving program two years ago but did not leave Chen. The two have been working toward an Olympic debut for Bacon after she fell short of the team in 2021.

“Her goal was set up to make an Olympic team,” Chen said. ”Finally her dream came true.”

Bacon will make her Olympic debut on day one of the diving portion of the Olympics. She will compete in the 3-meter synchronized event on July 27 before competing in the 3-meter springboard on Aug. 9.

As far as Chen is concerned, his job these days is to stand on the deck of the Aquatics Centre in Saint-Denis, France, pumping his fist into the air as he cheers on his student.