University of Minnesota Athletics
Wiebke Named Jan. MVG
1/14/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Cross Country
The University of Minnesota and the Gopher athletics student-athlete development program will recognize one male and one female student-athlete each month, who have gone above and beyond the call of duty as ambassadors of the maroon and gold. New this year, Gopher athletics will announce its `Most Valuable Gophers' at the start of each month. This month's award goes out two individuals who have shown leadership on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee in track/cross country's Derek Wiebke as well as the female recipient from swimming Christie Clarke.
Criteria for the award will be based on one or more of the three student-athlete development areas:
• Leadership - leadership roles on athletic team, Student-Athlete Advisory Committee representatives, student group participation, campus panels, team hosts or other roles as ambassadors of the Maroon and Gold, campus committees
• Professional Development - embracing career opportunities on campus and programs offered by the athletics department, to include: internships, volunteer and part-time employment focused on career development.
• Commitment to Service - volunteering through MAGIC and on their own in the community (may or may not be career related). All hours considered are logged through the University of Minnesota system.
January 2015 Male MVG: Derek Wiebke (cross country/track & field)
Wiebke, a red-shirt freshman with the track team, is a newly appointed student-athlete advisory executive committee nomination. Over the last year and a half with the Gopher program, Wiebke has done over 67 community service hours. During the Gopher Athletics recent toy drive, he volunteered at every event and accumulated over 20 hours in the month of December. He was also the primary student-athlete involved in the mini track clinic, which brings Native American students to campus to focus on healthy lifestyles and nutrition.
Q: What's your favorite event with MAGIC?
Derek Wiebke: My favorite events through the MAGIC program are always events in which the student-athletes get the chance to interact with children (and their families) who are dealing with some type of hardship. Because of this, I always enjoy events sponsored by HopeKids and visiting the University of Minnesota Masonic Children's Hospital. I feel these types of events really give student-athletes the chance to put a smile on someone's face. I also feel that events like these give me a reality check, and allow me to see that there are more important things in life than sports and grades. When volunteering, I feel like I am where I am supposed to be, and at most myself.
Q: You volunteered for every toy drive during the month of December. What caused you to help out and talk about getting people to donate for Toys for Tots.
DW: Asking people to donate money can be an intimidating and difficult volunteer position for many people, including myself. I knew that many of the student-athletes would be heading home for holiday break, so we would need more volunteers for the Toy Drive. I decided to sign-up for all of the available positions remaining in the month of December. I was hesitant at first, but these events really proved to be worthwhile. It absolutely warms my heart to see how many generous people there are. It was also a rewarding experience because I got the chance to meet and form more connections with student-athletes from other teams.
Q: You've been nominated to be on the SAAC committee. Talk about that role and what you've done, including running the track clinic.
DW: I was recently elected to be a member the SAAC Executive Board for the 2015-2016 academic year. I have always wanted to make a difference and I feel SAAC gives student-athletes the power to make their voice heard. One of my goals is to get more student-athletes to volunteer, especially my teammates on the cross country and track and field team. I recently worked with Student-Athlete Development and a couple of members from the women's team to organize a Mini Track Clinic for Native American children in the surrounding area. This will be one of my first events that I help organize, and I hope to contribute more ideas and organize more events in the near future. I think that we should organize more events like this through more of the sports teams to inform children from all over the area the importance of nutrition, academics, exercise, and an overall healthy lifestyle.
Players Mentioned
