University of Minnesota Athletics
Six Gophers Receive Weekly Conference Awards
2/23/2016 12:00:00 AM | Athletics
Gopher Athletics had six individuals receive weekly conference awards, which capped off a some monumental performances for the Maroon and Gold. Check out all the award winners here.
Men's Basketball: Jordan Murphy Snags Second B1G Weekly Honor
Jordan Murphy earned his second Freshman of the Week award, after an upset win over Maryland last week.
Murphy scored his seventh double-double of the season this past Thursday, helping lead the Gophers to the upset win over then-No. 6/5 Maryland, 68-63, at Williams Arena. He scored 17 points, one shy of the team-high, and added a game-high 11 rebounds while also contributing one block and one steal in 26 minutes of action against the Terrapins. The performance marked Murphy's fourth-straight double-figure scoring game and ninth in the last 10 contests.
The Gophers return to action on Tuesday, hosting Rutgers at 7:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased HERE.
Women's Basketball: Rachel Banham named Big Ten Co-Player of the Week
Rachel Banham was named Big Ten Co-Player of the Week, the third conference Player of the Week selection of the season.
Banham scored 116 total points in three games over the past week. Against Iowa last Monday, Banham tallied 35 points including a game-winning at the buzzer. She added another 29 at Indiana before she piled on 52 at Michigan State. Those 52 points vaulted her into first on the Big Ten's career scoring list with 2,921. In East Lansing, Banham also surpassed her own Minnesota season record for 3-pointers. She has 97 this season.
Minnesota closes out its home regular season on Wednesday when it hosts Ohio State at 7 p.m. Tickets can be purchased HERE.
Women's Gymnastics: Mable Garners Third-Straight Gymnast of the Week Accolades
Lindsay Mable, gathered her third straight and 12th career Big Ten Gymnast of the Week honor after an outstanding performance last week.
The honor comes after Mable collected four first-place wins in Minnesota's victory over Iowa State and Air Force with an overall score of 195.525. Mable earned first on Vault (9.875), Bars (9.900), Beam (9.900) and in the All-Around (39.550). She also collected a third place finish on Floor with a 9.875 performance.
Mable and Minnesota returns to the Sports Pavilion this Saturday, 4 p.m., to host the Best of Minnesota, while it also signifies Senior Night. Click HERE to purchase tickets.
Softball: Sara Groenewegen Adds Seventh Career Weekly Honor
For the seventh time in her career, Sara Groenewegen was named the Big Ten Pitcher of the Week, after her great performance last weekend in Las Vegas.
Groenewegen was nearly untouchable on the mound when she threw an ERA of 0.88 and only gave up five hits in 16 innings of play. She threw two complete games including her fourth career no-hitter against Virginia Tech and was just one walk away from a perfect game. She stuck out 20 batters and now has 52 this season. Her opponents only managed a .096 batting average against her.
Minnesota returns to the diamond this weekend in Tempe, Ariz. At the Diamond Devils Tournament taking on Mount St. Mary's, Arizona State, Saint Francis (PA) and Houston twice.
Women's Hockey: Gophers Take Home Two Weekly Awards
Kelly Pannek: WCHA Offensive Player of the Week
Pannek led Minnesota with four points on one goal and three assists, including scoring the overtime game-winner in game two as it solidified a sweep over Wisconsin. For the weekend, she had two shots on goal and was plus-three. She was on the ice for four of the Gophers' eight goals in the series. Pannek had a .615 winning percentage in the faceoff circle in the series as well, winning 24 of 39 draws.
Amanda Leveille: WCHA Defensive Player of the Week
Leveille backstopped the Gophers to two wins over their border rival, making a career-high 66 saves on 69 shots faced in the series, including a season-high 35 saves in her 30th career shutout in game one. She made a season-best 35 saves in Friday's 4-0 win, picking up her eighth shutout of the season. Leveille then followed up with 31 saves in the team's 4-3 overtime win on Saturday to improve to 23-3-1 on the season.
Leveille, Pannek, and the Gophers begin the 2015-16 postseason by hosting Ohio State in a WCHA First Round best-of-three series at Ridder Arena this weekend. Fans can purchase tickets HERE.
Players Mentioned
