By: Alexi Gusso

Last year, the Big Gay Race rallied almost 7,000 people to help defeat a constitutional amendment that would have banned same-sex marriage in Minnesota.

A year later, with the amendment defeated and same-sex marriage legalized, only about 2,000 people turned up on St. Anthony Main Saturday for the 5K’s third year.

Monica Meyer, executive director of LGBT rights organization OutFront Minnesota, said she expected fewer people than last year because the stakes aren’t as high.

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By: Jack Satzinger

Recap: The Gophers dominated last week with a convincing 43-24 win over San Jose State, but memories of that game were wiped away early against Iowa this weekend. The Hawkeyes dominated the Gophers up front all afternoon en route to a 23-7 victory.

Key play: Iowa quarterback Jake Rudock completed a screen pass to Damond Powell toward the end of the first half and Powell did the rest. Minnesota’s defense looked lost on the play, and Powell ran untouched for 74 yards into the end zone to give the Hawkeyes a 17-0 lead.

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By: Megan Ryan

mryan@mndaily.com

The first time the Gophers volleyball team played a ranked opponent this season, it resulted in a five-set loss — the only stain on Minnesota’s season so far.

But the second time around, the outcome was a little different.

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By: Jake Stark

Minnesota head coach John Carlson said inconsistent play plagued the Gophers this weekend in New Mexico.

The team finished eighth out of 17 teams over the weekend at the Tucker Invitational in Albuquerque, N.M.

 The Gophers were tied for second place heading into the final three holes of the second round Friday. But they struggled to close out the round.

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By: Betsy Helfand

More than anything, the Gophers’ two exhibition games this weekend gave them the opportunity to tinker with lines, try players at different positions and generally ease back into on-ice competition.

And amid all that, the team racked up a 6-0 victory over Team Japan on Thursday and a 7-0 win over the University of British Columbia on Friday.

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By: Jace Frederick

The Gophers were expected to split this weekend in Michigan — just not the way Minnesota managed to do it.

After a disappointing 3-0 loss to Michigan State in East Lansing, Mich., on Friday, the Gophers rebounded to beat No. 13 Michigan 1-0 in Ann Arbor, Mich., on Sunday. 

The Gophers’ upset helped them avoid an 0-3 start in Big Ten play.

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By: Samuel Gordon

Last Saturday against San Jose State, Mitch Leidner turned in one of the most prolific performances by a Gophers quarterback in the last five years.

He was rewarded with a spot on the sideline against Iowa, where he watched Minnesota’s offense wallow in ineptitude through an embarrassing 23-7 homecoming loss to the Hawkeyes.

And relegating Leidner to backup status wasn’t entirely head coach Jerry Kill’s decision.

Sophomore quarterback Philip Nelson apparently has some say in the starting lineup now.

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By: Hailey Colwell

The University of Minnesota’s Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, Ally Programs Office is nearing the end of its search for a new director.

Three finalists for the position recently gave public presentations that addressed challenges in LGBT acceptance on campus and offered ways to make the University more inclusive.

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By: Kyle Stowe

After a contentious debate, the Minnesota Student Association failed to pass a budget for fiscal year 2014 at its Tuesday forum.

This delay means MSA won’t be able to disburse grants to other student groups for at least two weeks, or until it passes a budget, possibly causing cancellation of some campus events for groups that rely on the money.

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By: Katelyn Faulks

Students are using their cellphones to do classical chemistry experiments, a technique that could save high schools thousands of dollars.

University of Minnesota alumnus Eric Kehoe and associate chemistry professor Lee Penn developed the technique to evaluate a liquid’s concentration by simply taking a photo with a smartphone.

Penn has used the technique for the past two years in her freshman honors seminar, and Kehoe, who is a chemistry teacher at Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton High School, has used it in his classes.

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