University of Minnesota Athletics
Golden Goldys Set for Monday, May 1
4/25/2017 12:00:00 AM | Student-Athlete Development
PAST WINNERS
University of Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletics will hold the 11th-annual Golden Goldys, a student-athlete awards gala, at TCF Bank Stadium, Monday, May 1. For the seventh-straight year, the Golden Goldys and Scholar Athlete awards will be held in a joint event. The Golden Goldys is a private event for student-athletes, coaches and the Gopher athletics department.
During the ceremony, Gopher athletics will recognize student-athletes and their athletic and academic accomplishments throughout the season. Athletic awards handed out include the male and female athlete of the year, the male and female rookie of the year, male and female breakthrough performances, men's team coach of the year and women's team coach of the year. The voting includes spring sports of 2016 (baseball, men's and women's golf, rowing, softball, men's and women's outdoor track & field and men's and women's tennis) and the fall and winter sports of the 2016-17 athletic year. New to the event this year, Minnesota's Big Ten Medal of Honor recipients will be announced.
Along with the athletic accomplishments, the department will also honor and recognize the academic achievements of its 700 student-athletes. Academic awards include 4.0 GPA, Big Ten Postgraduate Scholarship, Gladys Brooks and Norman Borlaug Commitment to Academic Excellence Award, Top Five Awards, Richard "Pinky" McNamara Student-Athlete Achievement Award, Community Service Team Award, Outstanding Academic Team Awards, Outstanding Student-Athlete Achievement Award and Outstanding Achievement Award in Leadership and Service.
An event similar to ESPN's ESPYs, the Gopher student-athletes will be in formal/dress attire as the voice of Golden Gopher football and men's basketball, Mike Grimm, will serve as the master of ceremonies.
MALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
MATT FIEDLER, baseball
JUSTIN KARSTADT, gymnastics
NATE MASON, basketball
BRETT PFARR, wrestling
TYLER SHEEHY, hockey
DEREK WIEBKE, track & field
FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
RASHIDA BEAL, soccer
SARA GROENEWEGEN, softball
KIERRA SMITH, swimming
LEE STECKLEIN, hockey
SARAH WILHITE, volleyball
YU ZHOU, diving
MALE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
AMIR COFFEY, basketball
THOMAS LONGBELLA, golf
CONNOR OLSON, cross country
REM PITLICK, hockey
TERRIN VAVRA, baseball
ANTOINE WINFIELD JR., football
FEMALE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
SARAH BACON, diving
ALEXIS HART, volleyball
MEGAN HASZ, cross country
LINDSEY HOREJSI, swimming
MADDIE HOULIHAN, softball
SHANIQUE WRIGHT, track & field
MALE BREAKTHROUGH ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
EMMIT CARPENTER, football
ETHAN LIZAK, wrestling
VINNI LETTIERI, hockey
DEREK WIEBKE, track & field
ALEX WITTENBERG, gymnastics
FEMALE BREAKTHROUGH ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
CHANTAL NACK, swimming
KELLY PANNEK, hockey
RYLIE WARGO, rowing
KAYLA WENNER, softball
SARAH WILHITE, volleyball
MEN'S TEAM OF THE YEAR
BASEBALL
BASKETBALL
GYMNASTICS
HOCKEY
WOMEN'S TEAM OF THE YEAR
SOCCER
SOFTBALL
TRACK & FIELD
VOLLEYBALL
MEN'S TEAM COACH OF THE YEAR
JOHN ANDERSON, baseball
MIKE BURNS, gymnastics
DON LUCIA, hockey
RICHARD PITINO, basketball
WOMEN'S TEAM COACH OF THE YEAR
JESSICA ALLISTER, softball
MATT BINGLE, track & field
STEFANIE GOLAN, soccer
HUGH McCUTCHEON, volleyball
Players Mentioned
