University of Minnesota Athletics
Photo by: Brad Rempel
Gophers Celebrate 2019 WCHA Regular-Season Title
3/4/2019 6:30:00 PM | Women's Hockey
Minnesota was presented with the Julianne Bye Cup, the new WCHA regular-season trophy, on Monday.
MINNEAPOLIS – The WCHA regular-season champion Golden Gopher women's hockey team was presented with the inaugural Julianne Bye Cup before practice on Monday afternoon. WCHA Women's League Commissioner Katie Million and the trophy's namesake Julianne Bye celebrated the 2018-19 regular-season championship with the Gophers.
"It's my honor to present the perpetual trophy for the WCHA women's league regular-season champions," Bye said. "The WCHA stands as the premier women's college hockey conference, proudly showcasing the talents of incredible female student-athletes. WCHA teams have been a force in women's hockey since the league's inception, and I marvel at the growth and skill, talent, and high standard of hockey that is still played every day.
"This trophy celebrates and recognizes these outstanding accomplishments. As a life-long lover of the game of hockey, it is important to me that future teams, coaches, and staffs recognize that women are supporting women to grow the game we all love. My message to the regular-season champions is to raise this trophy with pride and joy. Congratulations on your hard work and drive. You are the WCHA regular-season champions!"
This season marked the Gophers' 10th regular-season conference title in program history and the first since the 2014-15 season. With its 6-3 win over Bemidji State on Feb. 22, the Maroon & Gold clinched at least a share of this year's regular-season title; Minnesota completed the sweep over the Beavers on Feb. 23 and wrapped up the season with a 19-4-1 mark in WCHA play and ultimately secured the WCHA title outright when Ohio State and Wisconsin tied in their final game of the regular season.
Earlier this month, the WCHA Women's League announced that it would present a new regular season championship trophy named in honor of long-time women's hockey advocate Julianne Bye; the Julianne Bye Cup will be awarded yearly to the winner of the WCHA regular-season championship.
Bye's love for the game of hockey began as a child watching the 1960 Winter Olympics and has been a strong advocate for the women's game for several decades. She was instrumental in the launch of the women's hockey program at the University of Minnesota and has been one of the WCHA's biggest boosters since the Women's League was founded in 1999.
Bye, a long-time supporter of Gopher Athletics, was a recipient of the Golden Gopher Director's Award in 2006 for her outstanding service and commitment to the University of Minnesota's Athletic program and its student-athletes. She endowed a Gopher Women's Hockey Scholarship in honor of her mother, and she is a long-time season-ticket holder for several Gopher teams: football (46 years), men's basketball (27 years), women's hockey (23 years), volleyball (18 years), softball (two years), and women's basketball (one year).
"We are thrilled that our regular season championship trophy will now bear the name of one of strongest supporters of the WCHA and women's hockey," Million said. "The Julianne Bye Cup will become one of the most coveted trophies in the women's game."
The Julianne Bye Cup is a custom-made perpetual traveling trophy that will be presented to the winner of the WCHA regular season championship each year. The trophy will travel from champion to champion at the conclusion of each regular season. The Cup rests on a three-tier base that includes the trophy name and the Julianne Bye story on the first tier along with engraved plates with each championship school's name.
The WCHA postseason continues this weekend as the Gophers look to defend their WCHA Final Faceoff crown, beginning with the league semifinal round on Saturday. No. 1 seed Minnesota faces No. 4 Minnesota Duluth in the first semifinal at 2:07 p.m. CT at Ridder Arena. No. 2 seed Wisconsin and No. 3 seed Ohio State meet in Saturday's second semifinal game at 5:07 p.m. CT, and the semifinal winners face off for the WCHA postseason title and the league's automatic bid into the NCAA tournament at 2:07 p.m. CT Sunday.
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"It's my honor to present the perpetual trophy for the WCHA women's league regular-season champions," Bye said. "The WCHA stands as the premier women's college hockey conference, proudly showcasing the talents of incredible female student-athletes. WCHA teams have been a force in women's hockey since the league's inception, and I marvel at the growth and skill, talent, and high standard of hockey that is still played every day.
"This trophy celebrates and recognizes these outstanding accomplishments. As a life-long lover of the game of hockey, it is important to me that future teams, coaches, and staffs recognize that women are supporting women to grow the game we all love. My message to the regular-season champions is to raise this trophy with pride and joy. Congratulations on your hard work and drive. You are the WCHA regular-season champions!"
This season marked the Gophers' 10th regular-season conference title in program history and the first since the 2014-15 season. With its 6-3 win over Bemidji State on Feb. 22, the Maroon & Gold clinched at least a share of this year's regular-season title; Minnesota completed the sweep over the Beavers on Feb. 23 and wrapped up the season with a 19-4-1 mark in WCHA play and ultimately secured the WCHA title outright when Ohio State and Wisconsin tied in their final game of the regular season.
Earlier this month, the WCHA Women's League announced that it would present a new regular season championship trophy named in honor of long-time women's hockey advocate Julianne Bye; the Julianne Bye Cup will be awarded yearly to the winner of the WCHA regular-season championship.
Bye's love for the game of hockey began as a child watching the 1960 Winter Olympics and has been a strong advocate for the women's game for several decades. She was instrumental in the launch of the women's hockey program at the University of Minnesota and has been one of the WCHA's biggest boosters since the Women's League was founded in 1999.
Bye, a long-time supporter of Gopher Athletics, was a recipient of the Golden Gopher Director's Award in 2006 for her outstanding service and commitment to the University of Minnesota's Athletic program and its student-athletes. She endowed a Gopher Women's Hockey Scholarship in honor of her mother, and she is a long-time season-ticket holder for several Gopher teams: football (46 years), men's basketball (27 years), women's hockey (23 years), volleyball (18 years), softball (two years), and women's basketball (one year).
"We are thrilled that our regular season championship trophy will now bear the name of one of strongest supporters of the WCHA and women's hockey," Million said. "The Julianne Bye Cup will become one of the most coveted trophies in the women's game."
The Julianne Bye Cup is a custom-made perpetual traveling trophy that will be presented to the winner of the WCHA regular season championship each year. The trophy will travel from champion to champion at the conclusion of each regular season. The Cup rests on a three-tier base that includes the trophy name and the Julianne Bye story on the first tier along with engraved plates with each championship school's name.
The WCHA postseason continues this weekend as the Gophers look to defend their WCHA Final Faceoff crown, beginning with the league semifinal round on Saturday. No. 1 seed Minnesota faces No. 4 Minnesota Duluth in the first semifinal at 2:07 p.m. CT at Ridder Arena. No. 2 seed Wisconsin and No. 3 seed Ohio State meet in Saturday's second semifinal game at 5:07 p.m. CT, and the semifinal winners face off for the WCHA postseason title and the league's automatic bid into the NCAA tournament at 2:07 p.m. CT Sunday.
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