On the History of Gopher Athletics page, you can find old team photos from boxing to rifle shooting. Yet there is no mention that rugby even took place on campus.

In 1988, the women’s rugby team won the national championship, but the majority of the women’s rugby history at the University is only found in the Minnesota Daily archives. 

The path to the 1988 championships was a year unlike any other for the women’s rugby team. The women’s team went undefeated to earn their title.

However, due to the obscurity of the sport and the lack of attention to women’s sports, traditional sports stories took precedence over the coverage of the success of the rugby club.

Just a few months after the women’s dominant performance, the credit for the team was practically nonexistent. Especially after comments from professional men’s rugby players who believed women should not play.

Christie Nixon, a member of the team, said to the Daily in 1988 that she always knew about the prejudice against women in rugby.

“There is a half page of women’s articles, to 30 pages of men’s articles,” Nixon said.

The Daily was a contributing factor. 

When both rugby teams had dominant performances in their separate tournaments, a male Daily writer named Paul Lijewski wrote at the time that the fascination with the women’s team must come from the fact that it is unladylike.

“But it was the women who drew the most attention,” Lijewski said. “It must have been the sight of these women banging heads and running around almost as if it was a Sunday afternoon of NFL football.”

The women did not let up a single point in that tournament against various Minnesota rugby teams. Their tournament run included their rivals at the time, the Twin Cities Amazons, who still play today despite the constant changing of women’s rugby clubs.

In 1989, the women’s team was on their way to bring back the championship title once again until their most valuable player, Tracy Diedrich, died in a car accident. The tragedy deeply affected the team, and along with losing other players, the team was not able to repeat their dominant run.

Nixon explained that there was no professional future for these women players after college.

“We were at the top of rugby, there wasn’t even a national team back then,” Nixon said.

Up until this year, every team in the U.S. was self-funded, and to play the sport, other jobs were necessary.

The situation has yet to be amended today, with the majority of professional women’s rugby players having to take no breaks in order to make a decent wage. Often players spend half of the year in the U.S. playing for American teams and the other half playing abroad.

Minnesotans and former Gophers were a huge part of the team’s success when the women’s U.S. rugby team won in 1991.

Chris Leach co-coached the team years prior. He was the one who coached the women’s UMN rugby team to their championship.

Barb Fugate was a part of the team as well and would later go on to coach the Minnesota Valkyries.

The Gophers team transitioned to the Minnesota Valkyries in the ‘90s, and Fugate coached through that shift. 

The new professional league for women’s rugby, or WER, chose the Twin Cities as home for one of the inaugural teams, the TC Gemini, because of Minnesota’s long history with women’s rugby.

Though Anne Barry, the first woman to be inducted into the rugby hall of fame, started her career playing for the Twin Cities Amazons in the ‘80s, the women on the 1991 championship team were forced to wait until 2017 to get their recognition and be inducted into the U.S. Rugby Foundation Hall of Fame.

Peter Miller, a University of Minnesota alum and former Gophers thrower, is leading the Gophers throw team to new heights. 

Born and raised in Pine Island, Minnesota, Miller graduated from the University of Minnesota with a bachelor’s in kinesiology in 2008. A natural leader, Miller served as team captain during his senior year as a walk-on shot putter and qualified for the Big Ten Indoor finals in 2007. 

Before returning to the University in 2013 to coach, Miller was a combined-events coach at Wisconsin-River Falls and later at North Dakota, where his athletes set multiple school records.

Miller joined the women’s staff as an assistant coach for throws and high jump before assuming responsibility for both genders in 2018. After working his way up to associate head coach in 2021, he now leads both men’s and women’s throws groups.

Under Miller’s guidance, the Gophers have seen record-breaking performances across the board.

Since 2013, his group has produced 78 out of 130 throw/multi-event top‑10 all-time marks at Minnesota.

Redshirt sophomore Anthonett Nabwe said Miller’s coaching style and techniques are huge reasons for her improvement since her freshman year.

“Using the tools that come provided, like this year we get journals,” Nabwe said. “When Coach tells me what I need to work on, I get to write that in my journal. The one this year helped me a lot, building every practice instead of starting over every practice.”

In an interview with the Post Bulletin, Miller said that for him, the athletes always come first.

“Yes, they can throw metal objects far, but many of them are also graduating with their master’s degrees,” Miller said. “Impacting their lives through our training, which is a big part of their lives, is a huge motivation for me.”

Miller is also responsible for recruiting. With the turnover for collegiate athletes being so high, it is up to Miller to make sure that the Gophers see success for years to come.

Miller has plenty of experience with finding and elevating good throwers. In outdoor track and field alone, he coached 11 athletes to school records.

When the track season ended, Miller won his eighth Midwest Assistant Coach of the Year award from the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. 

He said he is happy to keep being successful at the University.

“As long as they’ll keep me, I’ll be staying in Minnesota,” Miller said. “And as long as our head coach is our head coach, I will keep grinding away.”

Peter Miller, a University of Minnesota alum and former Gophers thrower, is leading the Gophers throw team to new heights. 

Born and raised in Pine Island, Minnesota, Miller graduated from the University of Minnesota with a bachelor’s in kinesiology in 2008. A natural leader, Miller served as team captain during his senior year as a walk-on shot putter and qualified for the Big Ten Indoor finals in 2007. 

Before returning to the University in 2013 to coach, Miller was a combined-events coach at Wisconsin-River Falls and later at North Dakota, where his athletes set multiple school records.

Miller joined the women’s staff as an assistant coach for throws and high jump before assuming responsibility for both genders in 2018. After working his way up to associate head coach in 2021, he now leads both men’s and women’s throws groups.

Under Miller’s guidance, the Gophers have seen record-breaking performances across the board.

Since 2013, his group has produced 78 out of 130 throw/multi-event top‑10 all-time marks at Minnesota.

Redshirt sophomore Anthonett Nabwe said Miller’s coaching style and techniques are huge reasons for her improvement since her freshman year.

“Using the tools that come provided, like this year we get journals,” Nabwe said. “When Coach tells me what I need to work on, I get to write that in my journal. The one this year helped me a lot, building every practice instead of starting over every practice.”

In an interview with the Post Bulletin, Miller said that for him, the athletes always come first.

“Yes, they can throw metal objects far, but many of them are also graduating with their master’s degrees,” Miller said. “Impacting their lives through our training, which is a big part of their lives, is a huge motivation for me.”

Miller is also responsible for recruiting. With the turnover for collegiate athletes being so high, it is up to Miller to make sure that the Gophers see success for years to come.

Miller has plenty of experience with finding and elevating good throwers. In outdoor track and field alone, he coached 11 athletes to school records.

When the track season ended, Miller won his eighth Midwest Assistant Coach of the Year award from the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. 

He said he is happy to keep being successful at the University.

“As long as they’ll keep me, I’ll be staying in Minnesota,” Miller said. “And as long as our head coach is our head coach, I will keep grinding away.”

The inaugural season of Women’s Elite Rugby came to a close with the Denver Onyx’s 53-13 win over the New York Exiles. The Legacy Cup was held in Eagan, Minnesota, at TCO Stadium.

Before the WER was founded, the next major competitive league for women’s rugby in the United States was the Women’s Premier League. The league was amateur and pay-to-play.

The WER is now the first professional women’s rugby league in the U.S. Six teams make up the current league, with the TC Gemini representing the Twin Cities.

The game was poised to be a more competitive match-up due to the Exiles handing the Onyx their only loss of the season.

However, the Onyx have five of the top 10 point scorers. While the Exiles have the top point scorer, Jetta Owens, it was not enough to compete the full 80 minutes. 

By the second half, the Onyx had begun to run away with the lead. 

The Exiles scored their last points of the match at the end of the first half. The Onyx held a 24-13 lead at the break and scored 29 in the second half on their way to the win. 

Onyx head coach Sarah Chobot said their first-half performance was uncharacteristic for them.

“I think we were trying to overplay a little bit too much in that first half,” Chobot said. “Then the second half, we got back to business and our defense started to look like it normally does.”

Jetta Owens of the Exiles said that though they hoped to come out victorious, they were still happy to represent New York in the finals.

“New York is a special team, especially in this league, it’s all U.S.-based players that are here, that have been training here,” Owens said. “To make it to a final it means, take a look at us, we have good rugby in the U.S.”

The strongest leagues and players have historically come from Australia, England and New Zealand. With a small audience in the U.S. for both men’s and women’s rugby, vice president Katherine Aversano said WER aims to strengthen U.S. women’s rugby on an international level.

“On the women’s rugby side of things, with WER, we really wanted to build a strong presence ahead of the 2033 Women’s Rugby World Cup in the United States,” Aversano said. 

The U.S. has not won the cup since 1991. With the disorganization of U.S. women’s rugby, many players opted to play in England because of their more established league. Currently, 21 of 36 players from the U.S. National Team are signed to an English team.

Women’s rugby recently gained momentum after the U.S. won the bronze medal in the 2024 Olympics after they pulled off a major upset over Australia. Neither men’s nor women’s rugby was a part of the Olympics from 1924 until it was featured in the 2016 Olympics.

Rugby is expected to be a staple in future Olympics at least until 2032, when Australia hosts.

The inaugural season of Women’s Elite Rugby came to a close with the Denver Onyx’s 53-13 win over the New York Exiles. The Legacy Cup was held in Eagan, Minnesota, at TCO Stadium.

Before the WER was founded, the next major competitive league for women’s rugby in the United States was the Women’s Premier League. The league was amateur and pay-to-play.

The WER is now the first professional women’s rugby league in the U.S. Six teams make up the current league, with the TC Gemini representing the Twin Cities.

The game was poised to be a more competitive match-up due to the Exiles handing the Onyx their only loss of the season.

However, the Onyx have five of the top 10 point scorers. While the Exiles have the top point scorer, Jetta Owens, it was not enough to compete the full 80 minutes. 

By the second half, the Onyx had begun to run away with the lead. 

The Exiles scored their last points of the match at the end of the first half. The Onyx held a 24-13 lead at the break and scored 29 in the second half on their way to the win. 

Onyx head coach Sarah Chobot said their first-half performance was uncharacteristic for them.

“I think we were trying to overplay a little bit too much in that first half,” Chobot said. “Then the second half, we got back to business and our defense started to look like it normally does.”

Jetta Owens of the Exiles said that though they hoped to come out victorious, they were still happy to represent New York in the finals.

“New York is a special team, especially in this league, it’s all U.S.-based players that are here, that have been training here,” Owens said. “To make it to a final it means, take a look at us, we have good rugby in the U.S.”

The strongest leagues and players have historically come from Australia, England and New Zealand. With a small audience in the U.S. for both men’s and women’s rugby, vice president Katherine Aversano said WER aims to strengthen U.S. women’s rugby on an international level.

“On the women’s rugby side of things, with WER, we really wanted to build a strong presence ahead of the 2033 Women’s Rugby World Cup in the United States,” Aversano said. 

The U.S. has not won the cup since 1991. With the disorganization of U.S. women’s rugby, many players opted to play in England because of their more established league. Currently, 21 of 36 players from the U.S. National Team are signed to an English team.

Women’s rugby recently gained momentum after the U.S. won the bronze medal in the 2024 Olympics after they pulled off a major upset over Australia. Neither men’s nor women’s rugby was a part of the Olympics from 1924 until it was featured in the 2016 Olympics.

Rugby is expected to be a staple in future Olympics at least until 2032, when Australia hosts.

The inaugural season of Women’s Elite Rugby came to a close with the Denver Onyx’s 53-13 win over the New York Exiles. The Legacy Cup was held in Eagan, Minnesota, at TCO Stadium.

Before the WER was founded, the next major competitive league for women’s rugby in the United States was the Women’s Premier League. The league was amateur and pay-to-play.

The WER is now the first professional women’s rugby league in the U.S. Six teams make up the current league, with the TC Gemini representing the Twin Cities.

The game was poised to be a more competitive match-up due to the Exiles handing the Onyx their only loss of the season.

However, the Onyx have five of the top 10 point scorers. While the Exiles have the top point scorer, Jetta Owens, it was not enough to compete the full 80 minutes. 

By the second half, the Onyx had begun to run away with the lead. 

The Exiles scored their last points of the match at the end of the first half. The Onyx held a 24-13 lead at the break and scored 29 in the second half on their way to the win. 

Onyx head coach Sarah Chobot said their first-half performance was uncharacteristic for them.

“I think we were trying to overplay a little bit too much in that first half,” Chobot said. “Then the second half, we got back to business and our defense started to look like it normally does.”

Jetta Owens of the Exiles said that though they hoped to come out victorious, they were still happy to represent New York in the finals.

“New York is a special team, especially in this league, it’s all U.S.-based players that are here, that have been training here,” Owens said. “To make it to a final it means, take a look at us, we have good rugby in the U.S.”

The strongest leagues and players have historically come from Australia, England and New Zealand. With a small audience in the U.S. for both men’s and women’s rugby, vice president Katherine Aversano said WER aims to strengthen U.S. women’s rugby on an international level.

“On the women’s rugby side of things, with WER, we really wanted to build a strong presence ahead of the 2033 Women’s Rugby World Cup in the United States,” Aversano said. 

The U.S. has not won the cup since 1991. With the disorganization of U.S. women’s rugby, many players opted to play in England because of their more established league. Currently, 21 of 36 players from the U.S. National Team are signed to an English team.

Women’s rugby recently gained momentum after the U.S. won the bronze medal in the 2024 Olympics after they pulled off a major upset over Australia. Neither men’s nor women’s rugby was a part of the Olympics from 1924 until it was featured in the 2016 Olympics.

Rugby is expected to be a staple in future Olympics at least until 2032, when Australia hosts.

Throughout the 2024-25 school year, Ali Weimer participated in five different championship meets, but the beginning of summer may have been the most unforgettable. 

The distance runner graduated with high distinction, earning her Bachelor of Science in Sociology, and then broke her school record a month later at the NCAA Championships.

An impressive running career is never what Weimer expected. She said she never ran track or cross country until seventh grade. 

She played soccer and hockey, but found a natural enjoyment in running.

“I don’t know how in the world I thought running far was gonna be revolutionary or life changing,” Weimer said. “When they made us run at practice, everyone was like, I’m dreading it. And I’m like, this is awesome.”

Weimer excelled in cross country throughout high school. The Minnesota native went to Saint Michael-Albertville High School in Saint Michael, only 30 minutes from the Twin Cities.

In 2021, Weimer won the Minnesota State Championship for cross country, as well as the Minnesota Gatorade Player of the Year for her athletic ability, as well as academic merit and volunteer work.

Weimer’s high school coach, Matt Venaas, at the time, told Gatorade that Weimer’s strategic understanding of running was impressive.

“An incredible runner and positive leader for our team,” Venaas said. “She does an excellent job understanding how she can run her best race that day.”

When Weimer started running with the Gophers, the leadership on the track and cross country teams consisted of many graduate students who helped guide her and grow her skill.

“I think that the older girls have done a great job of just kind of raising me up and raising the girls in my grade and raising the younger generations,” Weimer said.

In 2022, she was the unanimous Big Ten Cross Country Freshman of the Year, the first Gophers runner to achieve the title since 2000.

Though Weimer has competed in cross country since she joined the Gophers, her track and field career did not start officially until 2024. She spent the 2023 season as a redshirt. 

Weimer said cross country is her “bread and butter,” and it was evident in her performances throughout the season, consistently finishing first among her teammates.

After missing the NCAA National Championship for cross country in 2023, the Gophers finished 18th this year. Weimer mentioned that their successful cross-country season gave her confidence going into the track and field season.

“I want to be scoring at the Big Ten meet,” Weimer said. “I want to do it for the team, if records come with that or best times come with that, then that is great.”

Weimer said this after coming up short at the Big Ten Indoor Championships. At the next meet she competed in, she broke the school record for the 10,000 meter run.

It was consistent growth from there, breaking her personal best in the 5k, placing fourth at the Big Ten Outdoor Championships and then qualifying for the NCAA Championships.

At the NCAA Championships, she broke her own 10k school record once again.

Teammate graduate student Emma Atkinson said in October that Weimer was going to be successful and was sure she would become an All-American this year.

After the NCAA Championships, Weimer earned second-team All-American. Her 15th place finish in the 10k was the second-highest in Gophers’ history.

With more years of eligibility, Weimer’s career with the Gophers is not over yet, as she will be back next season as a graduate student.

Throughout the 2024-25 school year, Ali Weimer participated in five different championship meets, but the beginning of summer may have been the most unforgettable. 

The distance runner graduated with high distinction, earning her Bachelor of Science in Sociology, and then broke her school record a month later at the NCAA Championships.

An impressive running career is never what Weimer expected. She said she never ran track or cross country until seventh grade. 

She played soccer and hockey, but found a natural enjoyment in running.

“I don’t know how in the world I thought running far was gonna be revolutionary or life changing,” Weimer said. “When they made us run at practice, everyone was like, I’m dreading it. And I’m like, this is awesome.”

Weimer excelled in cross country throughout high school. The Minnesota native went to Saint Michael-Albertville High School in Saint Michael, only 30 minutes from the Twin Cities.

In 2021, Weimer won the Minnesota State Championship for cross country, as well as the Minnesota Gatorade Player of the Year for her athletic ability, as well as academic merit and volunteer work.

Weimer’s high school coach, Matt Venaas, at the time, told Gatorade that Weimer’s strategic understanding of running was impressive.

“An incredible runner and positive leader for our team,” Venaas said. “She does an excellent job understanding how she can run her best race that day.”

When Weimer started running with the Gophers, the leadership on the track and cross country teams consisted of many graduate students who helped guide her and grow her skill.

“I think that the older girls have done a great job of just kind of raising me up and raising the girls in my grade and raising the younger generations,” Weimer said.

In 2022, she was the unanimous Big Ten Cross Country Freshman of the Year, the first Gophers runner to achieve the title since 2000.

Though Weimer has competed in cross country since she joined the Gophers, her track and field career did not start officially until 2024. She spent the 2023 season as a redshirt. 

Weimer said cross country is her “bread and butter,” and it was evident in her performances throughout the season, consistently finishing first among her teammates.

After missing the NCAA National Championship for cross country in 2023, the Gophers finished 18th this year. Weimer mentioned that their successful cross-country season gave her confidence going into the track and field season.

“I want to be scoring at the Big Ten meet,” Weimer said. “I want to do it for the team, if records come with that or best times come with that, then that is great.”

Weimer said this after coming up short at the Big Ten Indoor Championships. At the next meet she competed in, she broke the school record for the 10,000 meter run.

It was consistent growth from there, breaking her personal best in the 5k, placing fourth at the Big Ten Outdoor Championships and then qualifying for the NCAA Championships.

At the NCAA Championships, she broke her own 10k school record once again.

Teammate graduate student Emma Atkinson said in October that Weimer was going to be successful and was sure she would become an All-American this year.

After the NCAA Championships, Weimer earned second-team All-American. Her 15th place finish in the 10k was the second-highest in Gophers’ history.

With more years of eligibility, Weimer’s career with the Gophers is not over yet, as she will be back next season as a graduate student.

Throughout the 2024-25 school year, Ali Weimer participated in five different championship meets, but the beginning of summer may have been the most unforgettable. 

The distance runner graduated with high distinction, earning her Bachelor of Science in Sociology, and then broke her school record a month later at the NCAA Championships.

An impressive running career is never what Weimer expected. She said she never ran track or cross country until seventh grade. 

She played soccer and hockey, but found a natural enjoyment in running.

“I don’t know how in the world I thought running far was gonna be revolutionary or life changing,” Weimer said. “When they made us run at practice, everyone was like, I’m dreading it. And I’m like, this is awesome.”

Weimer excelled in cross country throughout high school. The Minnesota native went to Saint Michael-Albertville High School in Saint Michael, only 30 minutes from the Twin Cities.

In 2021, Weimer won the Minnesota State Championship for cross country, as well as the Minnesota Gatorade Player of the Year for her athletic ability, as well as academic merit and volunteer work.

Weimer’s high school coach, Matt Venaas, at the time, told Gatorade that Weimer’s strategic understanding of running was impressive.

“An incredible runner and positive leader for our team,” Venaas said. “She does an excellent job understanding how she can run her best race that day.”

When Weimer started running with the Gophers, the leadership on the track and cross country teams consisted of many graduate students who helped guide her and grow her skill.

“I think that the older girls have done a great job of just kind of raising me up and raising the girls in my grade and raising the younger generations,” Weimer said.

In 2022, she was the unanimous Big Ten Cross Country Freshman of the Year, the first Gophers runner to achieve the title since 2000.

Though Weimer has competed in cross country since she joined the Gophers, her track and field career did not start officially until 2024. She spent the 2023 season as a redshirt. 

Weimer said cross country is her “bread and butter,” and it was evident in her performances throughout the season, consistently finishing first among her teammates.

After missing the NCAA National Championship for cross country in 2023, the Gophers finished 18th this year. Weimer mentioned that their successful cross-country season gave her confidence going into the track and field season.

“I want to be scoring at the Big Ten meet,” Weimer said. “I want to do it for the team, if records come with that or best times come with that, then that is great.”

Weimer said this after coming up short at the Big Ten Indoor Championships. At the next meet she competed in, she broke the school record for the 10,000 meter run.

It was consistent growth from there, breaking her personal best in the 5k, placing fourth at the Big Ten Outdoor Championships and then qualifying for the NCAA Championships.

At the NCAA Championships, she broke her own 10k school record once again.

Teammate graduate student Emma Atkinson said in October that Weimer was going to be successful and was sure she would become an All-American this year.

After the NCAA Championships, Weimer earned second-team All-American. Her 15th place finish in the 10k was the second-highest in Gophers’ history.

With more years of eligibility, Weimer’s career with the Gophers is not over yet, as she will be back next season as a graduate student.

Throughout the 2024-25 school year, Ali Weimer participated in five different championship meets, but the beginning of summer may have been the most unforgettable. 

The distance runner graduated with high distinction, earning her Bachelor of Science in Sociology, and then broke her school record a month later at the NCAA Championships.

An impressive running career is never what Weimer expected. She said she never ran track or cross country until seventh grade. 

She played soccer and hockey, but found a natural enjoyment in running.

“I don’t know how in the world I thought running far was gonna be revolutionary or life changing,” Weimer said. “When they made us run at practice, everyone was like, I’m dreading it. And I’m like, this is awesome.”

Weimer excelled in cross country throughout high school. The Minnesota native went to Saint Michael-Albertville High School in Saint Michael, only 30 minutes from the Twin Cities.

In 2021, Weimer won the Minnesota State Championship for cross country, as well as the Minnesota Gatorade Player of the Year for her athletic ability, as well as academic merit and volunteer work.

Weimer’s high school coach, Matt Venaas, at the time, told Gatorade that Weimer’s strategic understanding of running was impressive.

“An incredible runner and positive leader for our team,” Venaas said. “She does an excellent job understanding how she can run her best race that day.”

When Weimer started running with the Gophers, the leadership on the track and cross country teams consisted of many graduate students who helped guide her and grow her skill.

“I think that the older girls have done a great job of just kind of raising me up and raising the girls in my grade and raising the younger generations,” Weimer said.

In 2022, she was the unanimous Big Ten Cross Country Freshman of the Year, the first Gophers runner to achieve the title since 2000.

Though Weimer has competed in cross country since she joined the Gophers, her track and field career did not start officially until 2024. She spent the 2023 season as a redshirt. 

Weimer said cross country is her “bread and butter,” and it was evident in her performances throughout the season, consistently finishing first among her teammates.

After missing the NCAA National Championship for cross country in 2023, the Gophers finished 18th this year. Weimer mentioned that their successful cross-country season gave her confidence going into the track and field season.

“I want to be scoring at the Big Ten meet,” Weimer said. “I want to do it for the team, if records come with that or best times come with that, then that is great.”

Weimer said this after coming up short at the Big Ten Indoor Championships. At the next meet she competed in, she broke the school record for the 10,000 meter run.

It was consistent growth from there, breaking her personal best in the 5k, placing fourth at the Big Ten Outdoor Championships and then qualifying for the NCAA Championships.

At the NCAA Championships, she broke her own 10k school record once again.

Teammate graduate student Emma Atkinson said in October that Weimer was going to be successful and was sure she would become an All-American this year.

After the NCAA Championships, Weimer earned second-team All-American. Her 15th place finish in the 10k was the second-highest in Gophers’ history.

With more years of eligibility, Weimer’s career with the Gophers is not over yet, as she will be back next season as a graduate student.