University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers Hand Out 2015 Team Awards
12/13/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Cross Country
Dec. 13, 2015
MINNEAPOLIS - Following the 2015 season, in which the Golden Gophers made their 11th-consecutive NCAA Championship appearance and finished 18th in the team standings, the Minnesota women's cross country team handed out its annual team awards.
The awards were revealed at the team's annual banquet. The coaching staff awarded 11 annual honors to 16 different Gophers.
MVP - Liz Berkholtz
Liz Berkholtz was named team MVP for the 2015 season after leading Minnesota in six of seven races. Berkholtz opened the season by winning the Oz Memorial. She ran her season-best time of 20:18.7 to lead Minnesota in 11th place and earn Second Team All-Big Ten honors at the Big Ten Championship. At the NCAA Midwest Regional, Berkholtz led the Gophers in 20:36.9. Berkholtz made her fourth-straight NCAA Championship appearance, finishing with a career-best 44th place in 20:29.1 to lead the Gophers as well.
"Obviously Liz had a great year, the best year of her career," head coach Sarah Hopkins said. "She led the team at every meet except the Griak, where she was close, and she had the highest finish by a Gopher at the NCAA Championship since 2009. The results speak for themselves, but she also added the element of being a captain this year. To be as talented as she is and lead the team in that way and also lead the team in an emotional way is impressive."
Rookie of the Year - Tamara Gorman
Tamara Gorman was named Rookie of the Year for the 2015 season. The redshirt freshman out of Rapid City, S.D., ran in six races, making her collegiate debut after being injured and red-shirting the 2014 season. Gorman was the seventh Gopher at the NCAA Midwest Regional and NCAA Championship. She ran her career-best time of 21:25.0 at the Big Ten Championship as Minnesota's sixth runner.
"We really didn't know what we had with Tamara because she came in injured and didn't get any racing experience last year," Hopkins said. "She was super helpful for us early in the season and by the end of the year had learned a lot and figured out how to go through an entire season and divide up energy levels. She's going to be a huge piece of the puzzle for us moving forward."
Freshman of the Year -Emily Betz
Woodbury, Minn., native Emily Betz won the 2015 Freshman of the Year award. Participating in a total of seven races, she ran unattached at two races, but made her official collegiate debut at the Greater Louisville Classic 5K, running 18:03.7. Betz ran her career-best 6K in 21:25.8 at the Big Ten Championship, as the seventh Gopher to cross the finish line. She also represented the Gophers in the NCAA postseason as a true freshman, running 21:39.6 at the Midwest Regional and 21:55.8 at the NCAA Championship.
"Right off the bat, Emily put herself up there and didn't give me a choice but to run her in terms of not just being a top-nine runner but being a top-seven runner," Hopkins said. "My mindset is always that if someone can be at the Big Ten meet right away, you run them. Not only did she run at Big Tens, but she ran at regionals and nationals. For a freshman to get that experience is phenomenal, especially for someone who is on 30 miles a week and still learning and growing. She's going to be a stud. She got great experience, and it was fun to see her learn and thrive."
Tough as Nails Award - Haley Johnson and Jamie Piepenburg
This award is given annually to the runners who "even on a bad day, are going to give you everything they've got," according to Hopkins. This year, the award went to redshirt juniors Haley Johnson and Jamie Piepenburg.
"Those two are interesting because they were deserving of this award for different reasons," Hopkins said.
Johnson ran seven races this year, including three-straight career-best performances at the Wisconsin adidas Invitational (2:40.8), Big Ten Championship (20:38.7), and Midwest Regional (20:38.3). She was named All-Midwest Region after placing 13th overall as the second Gopher. Johnson also led the Gophers and placed 13th overall at the Griak Invitational, finishing in 21:53.2.
"Haley has come a really long way," Hopkins said. "Something that I've talked to her about a lot is the grittiness at the end of a race and how you bear down. She's always been a very finesse runner who gets in a rhythm and is really good but when she's challenged in a race, can she really challenge back or is she just staying in that rhythm and letting things go? I think that was her biggest hurdle, how to find that toughness. That was something she discovered this year, not only from putting her nose in there and being out hard, but also grinding and battling. This year, she really made a big change."
Piepenburg ran in seven races, including the Big Ten Championship, NCAA Midwest Regional and NCAA Championship. She ran a career-best 21:15.1 at the Big Ten Championship and raced in the regional and national meets for the first time in her career after serving as an alternate in both 2012 and 2014. She was the fourth Gopher at the Greater Louisville Classic 5K in a career-best 17:33.25.
"With Pieps, she's always been a tough runner," Hopkins said. "She's always been a gritty runner. This year I think she put the pieces together of being gritty but also giving herself the credit to not rely on her toughness but trusting herself and being confident and being tough on top of that. At the end, she really stepped into that role of being our number five, but the way she was our number was usually starting as our number seven and being mentally tough to get herself back to where she needs to be. That's the way she likes to race, but she hasn't quite had that grit to be there and then keep going. She was tough enough to grind out the race and be our number five."
Most Improved - Amelia Barczi, Madeline Strandemo and Tess Wasowicz
The Most Improved Award was given to three of Gopher student-athletes this season, including redshirt sophomores Amelia Barczi, Madeline Strandemo and Tess Wasowicz. According to Hopkins, all three of them have made the decision that they don't want to be average and this year they showed their commitment to that.
A year after finishing the season as Minnesota's third alternate for the NCAA Championship, Strandemo emerged as the Gophers' number three/four runner. She ran in seven races, including a career-best 20:41.3 as the fourth Gopher at the Big Ten Championship. She made her NCAA debut, finishing in 21:15.2 at the Midwest Regional and clocking a time of 21:11.5 at the NCAA Championship.
"I think Maddie is the most obvious choice for most improved," Hopkins said. "Last year she was our 10th runner. To go from that position to being top-20 in the Big Ten, top-150 in the country, is phenomenal. We haven't had a jump like that in I don't know how long. To be able to make that progress in 12 months is pretty special. Testament goes to her maturity, her level-headedness, and her desire to be good. She doesn't get ruffled. In all areas, she's probably the most improved."
Wasowicz participated in five races, running a career-best 22:05.9 to place 29th overall as the fourth Gopher in the open race at the Wisconsin adidas Invitational. She also ran in the Griak Invitational (23:44.4), Greater Louisville Classic 5K (18:41.17), Oz Memorial (23:33.1) and Jack's Run (23:30.1). Wasowicz also served as an alternate at the NCAA Midwest Regional and NCAA Championship for the first time in her career.
"Tess is someone who has had a rough first couple years," Hopkins said. "She was a stud out of high school, really, really talented and highly recruited. She's had some injuries and things to overcome in her career so far. Even as late as this summer, she hit some roadblocks with some pain, but she came in this fall at training camp and was finally up there where she knew she was physically capable of being. To see that was pretty cool, and then for her to have the chance to go to the regional and national meets and learn is going to pay huge dividends down the road. She's come a long way physically but also a long way mentally and emotionally just asserting herself into that group."
Barczi completed her first full 6K race this season as a redshirt sophomore. With two full years as a Gopher under her belt, Barczi showed Hopkins her commitment to improving as a runner and being a dedicated member of the team in 2015. Primarily an 800-meter runner, Barczi trains through the cross country season and made great strides in her third season as a Gopher.
"Amelia is kind of a fun one," Hopkins said. "She's more of an 800-meter runner. She's not really a cross country kid, and that's fine. We had some conversations last year that this might not be the right thing for her. She wasn't necessarily buying in 1,000% and she was hurt a lot. To her credit, she went away for the summer and came back completely different. She was much fitter, in shape, healthy, all that stuff. She's still in that 800m group, but instead of just trying to hang on, she's up in the mix and leading workouts. She's racing with that group and would be one of the first 800m runners instead of one of the last. This year, she ran her first complete 6K and was up in the mix of everything. It was great to see. Her mental and physical transformation was evidence that she really wants to do this."
Blue Collar Award - Patty O'Brien and Taylor Mikkalson
Hopkins describes the Blue Collar award as going to the team's "worker bees," the consistent runners who get the job done. The 2015 award went to redshirt freshman Patty O'Brien and redshirt junior Taylor Mikkalson.
"Blue collar is like it sounds," Hopkins said. "It's for those people who show up to practice every day and do their jobs, and I think both Patty and Taylor are the epitome of that. They are talented runners and they make their training groups better. They're both kids whose names repeatedly come up when I ask other members of the team who they like to train with. They jump off the page every time."
O'Brien ran in five races, including a career-best 21:39.2 in her Big Ten Championship debut. She ran during the open race at the Wisconsin adidas Invitational, finishing 18th as the second Gopher in 21:39.3. O'Brien also ran in the Oz Memorial (22:58.4), Griak Invitational (23:25.8) and the Greater Louisville Classic 5k (18:10.63). She served as an alternate at the NCAA Midwest Regional and NCAA Championship.
"Patty is driven and she wants to be good," Hopkins said. "She had a good year this year and is always getting better. With her, she has that blue collar work ethic, but she also wants to tear your face off when she's racing. She is a tough, tough competitor. That rubs off on her training group in a way that's not threatening or trying to one up people. She wants to be good and she's going to bring people up with her."
Mikkalson ran six races, including running a career-best 21:49.4 in the open race at the Wisconsin adidas Invitational where she placed 23rd overall as the third Gopher. She led Minnesota at Rocky's Run in 23:25.1 and traveled to the Greater Louisville Classic 5K (18:12.68). Mikkalson also served as a captain this season.
"Taylor is so positive and upbeat," Hopkins said. "She also does her job. She's talented, and she does every workout the way it's supposed to be done. She's a good runner and she brings other people with her."
Carl Barylak Inspiration Award - Stacey Swatek
The Carl Barylak Inspiration Award, named after the devoted and loving father of former Gopher captain Katelyn Barylak, is given annually to an athlete who inspires other people.
"We do this award every year as an homage to the father one of our captains in the mid-2000s," Hopkins said. "Carl passed away of cancer at the end of Katelyn's career. He was awesome and so supportive."
Redshirt senior Stacey Swatek was given the award after returning for her fifth and final season of cross country eligibility and serving a leadership role on the team despite many other demands on her time while student teaching and working on her Master's of Education. Hopkins described Swatek as "one of those people that everybody loves to be around." Swatek ran a career-best time of 21:32.9 in the open race at the Wisconsin adidas Invitational in her final season along with serving as an alternate for the NCAA postseason for the first time in her career.
"Stacey jumps off the board this year as somebody who wasn't even necessarily going to come back," Hopkins explained. "She was student teaching all fall. She planned to come back for track season because that's where her heart lies. Halfway through the summer, she sent me an email asking about the possibility of coming back for cross country. She worked her tail off all summer. Not only did she have a huge improvement and make our Big Ten team, but her level of maturity, how far she's come, and the way she thinks holistically about the program made her deserving of this award. She didn't run at regionals and nationals, but her presence affected the group and made the group better, which is a huge thing."
Comeback of the Year - Kaila Urick
After finishing eight on the team and 20th overall at the season-opening Oz Memorial, Urick improved throughout the season, finishing in Minnesota's top five for five of seven races and earning All-Big Ten Second Team honors. She placed 14th in 20:29.0, a season-best, as the second Gopher finisher at the Big Ten Championship. She placed 27th overall and third on the team in 21:03.7 at the NCAA Midwest Regional and 153rd overall and fourth on the team in 21:13.6 at the NCAA Championship as well.
"If you look at the results, Kaila had kind of a rocky start to the year," Hopkins said. She had a great summer of training, but then things just weren't clicking for the first month of the season. It was frustrating and hard for her. To her credit, she really took ownership of it, and I guided her along the way, but being mentally tough enough to go from where she was at the Oz to being an All-Big Ten honoree is phenomenal. There are not a lot of athletes in the country who have the mental fortitude to start like that and finish the way she finished."
Coaches Award - Caitlin Dillon and Ally McSherry
This award is given to the student-athletes who go above and beyond to help the program. This year, redshirt junior Caitlin Dillon and sixth-year senior Ally McSherry were recipients of the Coaches Award for their leadership and commitment to the team.
"The coaches award is given to the kids you know as a coach you can turn to, not necessarily for performance although that's part of it, as leaders who are willing to do whatever the program needs," Hopkins said.
Dillon ran in five races this season, including recording a career-best 6K time of 23:00.41 at the Tori Neubauer Invitational. Along with showing significant improvements in her times this season, Dillon embraced a role of connecting the team. She made sure the top group and the second group always knew what was happening while the other was racing, Hopkins explained.
"Caitlin Dillon has just always had a great outlook," Hopkins said. "She's always had a passion for the sport and a passion for the team. She is always the first one to be follow along and report to the rest of the group if the top group was competing while the rest of the team was back on campus. She did a stellar job, and that's something that she really gravitated towards and it helps the team. That's the bottom line. She makes the team better because of those little things."
McSherry also contributed to the team off the race course. She did not compete with the Gophers this fall because she did not have cross country eligibility remaining, but she still served an important leadership role on the team.
"With Ally not necessarily having cross country eligibility remaining but being around, she was able to train with us some but also had time on her hands to do some of the extra things, help with recruiting and be a mentor to some of the younger runners," Hopkins said. "She wasn't necessarily a captain, but she was always willing to pitch in."
Academic Commitment Award - Melissa Cabak
This year's Academic Commitment Award was given to redshirt junior Melissa Cabak. She ran in six races, including Rocky's Run (24:35.1) and the Blugold Invitational (23:39.8), and she posted a season-best at the Tori Neubauer Invitational (23:07.43), while completing her chemical engineering degree. An Academic All-Big Ten honoree, Cabak exemplifies what it takes to be a student-athlete.
"First of all, Melissa is brilliant. That's just the way it is," Hopkins said. "To go through four years of this program and be in the chemical engineering program is unbelievable. To be able to balance any kind of a commitment to a sport with all of her academics and do it at a level where she's able to maintain a 3.8 GPA in that world is even crazier. It speaks for itself. Melissa is a good example of if someone is driven to do both, you can make it work. She's done a great job of mentoring others who want to go into the tougher majors and showing them how to make it manageable while staying passionate about the sport. She easily could have quit a couple years ago and just focused on school, but she's been committed to both at a very high level."
Iron Gopher - Stacey Swatek
The winner of the Iron Gopher Award is selected by the team's strength and conditioning coach, given to the athlete "that goes the extra mile in the weight room," according to Hopkins. Redshirt senior Stacey Swatek ran in five races for the Gophers and posted a career-best time of 21:32.9 in the open race at the Wisconsin adidas Invitational. Swatek also made her Big Ten cross country debut, served as an alternate at the NCAA Midwest Regional and NCAA Championship, and received the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award.
###
Players Mentioned
