University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers in the Polls: December 7
12/7/2016 12:00:00 AM | Athletics
Check out how the ranked Minnesota athletic programs fared last week, with a summary of each ranked Minnesota team below. Tickets for all upcoming home events are available by visiting mygophersports.com.
Volleyball - #1
Last Week: The Gopher volleyball team powered its way through the opening two rounds of the NCAA Tournament, sweeping North Dakota and Hawaii at the Sports Pavilion to earn their 14th Sweet 16 berth.
This Week: The No. 2 seed Golden Gophers, hosts No. 15 Missouri at 7:15 p.m., followed by No. 7 North Carolina and No. 10 UCLA at 9:45 p.m. Winners of both Regional Semifinals move onto the Regional Final, Saturday, at 9 p.m.
Women's Hockey - #2
Last Week: In a Border Battle featuring the top two teams in the nation, the Gophers split with Wisconsin in Madison over the weekend. Minnesota took the opener 2-0 before an 8-2 Badger victory.
This Week: The Maroon and Gold travel to Boston for a two-game series at Boston University, their final action of 2016. Puck drop is set for 6:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, respectively.
Men's Gymnastics - #4
Preseason: The Gophers were selected fourth in the College Gymnastics Association (CGA) preseason poll. It's the highest preseason ranking in head coach Mike Burns' tenure, now spanning 13 seasons.
Coming Up: Minnesota welcomes the public to the program's annual Maroon vs. Gold intrasquad meet on Dec. 14 at the Sports Pavilion. The meet will begin at 4 p.m.
Wrestling - #10
Last Week: Minnesota competed in two meets. In Las Vegas at the Cliff Keen Invitational, unranked 157-pounder Jake Short and the nation's second-ranked 197-pounder Brett Pfarr won individual titles. At the UNI Open, redshirt sophomores Ethan Lizak and Tommy Thorn led the way, winning titles at 125 and 141 pounds.
Coming Up: The Gophers will jump back into their dual meet schedule next weekend when the team heads to the Great Lakes State for its first two Big Ten duals of the season. Minnesota will begin the trip with a visit to East Lansing to take on Michigan State on Friday night. On Sunday, the Maroon and Gold will be in Ann Arbor to challenge No. 10 Michigan.
Men's Hockey - #11
Last Week: The Maroon and Gold opened their Big Ten schedule at home, splitting a series with Ohio State at Mariucci Arena. Minnesota won the opener Friday night, 5-3, before falling 8-3 on Saturday in the finale.
Coming Up: Minnesota closes out the first half of the season next weekend with a conference road trip to Michigan State. Game times are 5:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. from East Lansing on Friday and Saturday, respectively.
Women's Swimming & Diving - #16
Last Week: Brooke Zeiger won her second individual title Saturday at the AT&T Winter National Championships in Atlanta. The Gophers won eight titles overall at Winter Nationals, as the women's team won four relays. In Minnesota's own Jean K. Freeman Invitational, the Gophers wrapped up the meet with more personal records.
Coming Up: The Gophers will not return to action until the new year, facing Hawaii in Honolulu on January 7.
Also Receiving Votes: The Gopher men's basketball team received a vote in the Associated Press poll while the men's swimming & diving team earned two votes in the CSCAA poll.
Players Mentioned
