University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers Recognize Scholarship Supporters at Banquet
10/17/2018 9:03:00 PM | Athletics
Nearly 200 University of Minnesota student-athletes joined scholarship donors and other Gopher supporters on Wednesday evening at TCF Bank Stadium to celebrate the accomplishments of Gopher teams and student-athletes from the previous year, as well as the donors who support athletic scholarships and make those accomplishments possible.
"We have so much excitement surrounding all of our sport programs, but there is one central theme to all of them – the generous support of our donors who fund our student-athlete scholarships," said athletics director Mark Coyle in his remarks. "Every day, I am appreciative for you giving back to this great University, both with your loyalty as well as financially. Our student-athletes are extremely fortunate to have such dedicated supporters and champions as you."
Joining Coyle during the event was University of Minnesota President Eric Kaler, who noted several of the Gophers' academic accomplishments in addition to their competition. Two Gopher student athletes, Temi Ogunrinde of women's track and field and Tyler Sheehy from men's hockey, were honored with the Patty Berg and Henry Williams Legacy Awards, which are given annually to recognize an outstanding male and female student-athlete at the University of Minnesota.
Ogunrinde, the recipient of the Patty Berg Award, is a 2018 All-American in hammer throw and the Big Ten Conference's two-time defending champion in hammer throw along with holding Minnesota and Big Ten records in hammer. She has had the opportunity to compete on the international stage, representing Nigeria where she has dual citizenship. She set the Nigerian national record in hammer throw last summer. In the classroom, Temi completed a double major in Entrepreneurial Management and Public/Non-profit Management. She is a CoSIDA Academic All-American, a Big Ten Distinguished Scholar, and a two-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree. Temi is currently working on her Masters of Public Policy.
Sheehy, who received the Henry Williams Award, was the Big Ten Player of the Year, a First Team All-American and a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award during his sophomore season. A two-time team captain, the senior forward helped the Gophers to Big Ten regular-season championships in 2015 and 2016 -- the 2016 title marked Minnesota's sixth-straight regular-season conference championship (an NCAA record). Sheehy has already earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Minnesota, graduating this summer. He is a two-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree.
More than 500 Gopher student-athletes receive some form of scholarship support each year, with nearly half of those receiving support from endowed scholarships. Endowed scholarships are a particularly sustainable funding source, as the initial contribution is invested as principle and a portion of the annual return then fuels the endowed scholarship, covering expenses such as tuition, books, and room and board. That long-term stability helps donors to these scholarships leave a lasting legacy of support for Gopher Athletics and provide critical funding toward the department's scholarship bill.
If you are interested in supporting endowed scholarships - and receiving and invite to next year's event - please contact the Golden Gopher Fund at (612) 626-GOLD (4653) or ggf@umn.edu.
"We have so much excitement surrounding all of our sport programs, but there is one central theme to all of them – the generous support of our donors who fund our student-athlete scholarships," said athletics director Mark Coyle in his remarks. "Every day, I am appreciative for you giving back to this great University, both with your loyalty as well as financially. Our student-athletes are extremely fortunate to have such dedicated supporters and champions as you."
Our student-athletes gathered last week to recognize and thank the donors that help them achieve their dreams! pic.twitter.com/kXTSUc0Bh2
— Minnesota Gophers (@GopherSports) October 22, 2018
Joining Coyle during the event was University of Minnesota President Eric Kaler, who noted several of the Gophers' academic accomplishments in addition to their competition. Two Gopher student athletes, Temi Ogunrinde of women's track and field and Tyler Sheehy from men's hockey, were honored with the Patty Berg and Henry Williams Legacy Awards, which are given annually to recognize an outstanding male and female student-athlete at the University of Minnesota.
Ogunrinde, the recipient of the Patty Berg Award, is a 2018 All-American in hammer throw and the Big Ten Conference's two-time defending champion in hammer throw along with holding Minnesota and Big Ten records in hammer. She has had the opportunity to compete on the international stage, representing Nigeria where she has dual citizenship. She set the Nigerian national record in hammer throw last summer. In the classroom, Temi completed a double major in Entrepreneurial Management and Public/Non-profit Management. She is a CoSIDA Academic All-American, a Big Ten Distinguished Scholar, and a two-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree. Temi is currently working on her Masters of Public Policy.
Sheehy, who received the Henry Williams Award, was the Big Ten Player of the Year, a First Team All-American and a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award during his sophomore season. A two-time team captain, the senior forward helped the Gophers to Big Ten regular-season championships in 2015 and 2016 -- the 2016 title marked Minnesota's sixth-straight regular-season conference championship (an NCAA record). Sheehy has already earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Minnesota, graduating this summer. He is a two-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree.
More than 500 Gopher student-athletes receive some form of scholarship support each year, with nearly half of those receiving support from endowed scholarships. Endowed scholarships are a particularly sustainable funding source, as the initial contribution is invested as principle and a portion of the annual return then fuels the endowed scholarship, covering expenses such as tuition, books, and room and board. That long-term stability helps donors to these scholarships leave a lasting legacy of support for Gopher Athletics and provide critical funding toward the department's scholarship bill.
If you are interested in supporting endowed scholarships - and receiving and invite to next year's event - please contact the Golden Gopher Fund at (612) 626-GOLD (4653) or ggf@umn.edu.
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