University of Minnesota Athletics

Leadership U: Student-Athletes

Student-Athlete First Year Experience Course

  • OUE 1086/1087 is a course for first-year student-athletes designed to assist in the transition from high school to higher education or from another institution to the University of Minnesota. Course topics include academic skills, self-awareness, identity development, self-authorship, and understanding student-community responsibility through diverse perspectives. This course will provide tools to build positive relationships and enhance the overall college experience by addressing challenges associated with the first year experience.  The course introduces students to campus and community resources to increase success in both their academic and athletic careers.
  • All incoming student-athletes receive leadership training focused on developing emotional intelligence through the use of the DISC behavioral assessment and the Emotional Quotient Inventory (EQi).The Leadership U team has developed a customized curriculum and workbook that student-athletes complete in the discussion sections of the OUE course. Focused on self-awareness, the curriculum gives student-athletes opportunities to reflect on their core values, motivations, and greater purpose. These are the core competencies that help our student-athletes build capacity for leadership which will serve them for years to come.

Sophomore Summit

The Sophomore Summit is an exclusive leadership opportunity for sophomore student-athletes. The Summit is a one day, off-site retreat where student-athletes from across sports will come together to engage in leadership development and career exploration.

Sophomore Summit - April 2023


Golden Gopher sophomore student-athletes across twelve sports gathered for a day of programming at McNamara Alumni Center on Sunday, April 16th. During the Sophomore Summit, the L.I.N.K. staff facilitated programming surrounding networking, leadership development, and career exploration. → READ MORE

Sophomore Summit - January 2023


Gopher sophomore student-athletes across seven sports gathered for a day of programming at McNamara Alumni Center on Sunday, January 15th. The Sophomore Summit helped the student-athletes prepare for their next steps in their career, and provided them the tools, support, and resources to become the best leaders they can be. → READ MORE

Leadership Retreat

The Leadership U Retreat is the kickoff to the Leadership Council. This retreat is a weekend of leadership training off-site where student-athletes across sports will come together and develop new leadership skills revolving around the following areas: communication, motivation, self-awareness, situational awareness and accountability.

2023 Leadership Retreat 


Leadership U staff & student-athletes traveled to Southern California for our annual Leadership U Retreat June 22-25. During our stay at the Chula Vista Elite Athlete Training Center, 18 of our Gopher student-athletes took a deep dive into building their personal brand, discovering their personal strengths and values, and exploring their self and social awareness. → READ MORE

2022 Leadership Retreat 


University of Minnesota Athletics had 14 student-athletes attend a Leadership U Retreat, July 21-24 in Indianapolis. It was the first off-campus Leadership U Retreat since 2019. Attending the event was Jaydon Antoine (men's track and field), Katie Borowicz (women's basketball), Tiarre Sales (gymnastics), softball's Madeline Ehlke and Delanie Cox, rowing's Madeline Lange, Cady Isom, Grace Loescher, Ella Saunders, Mallory Garfield and Tallulah Sweet and women's cross country's Ava Hill and Taylor Kreitinger and Sydney Kretlow. → READ MORE

Leadership U Council

Leadership U provides cross-team leadership opportunities to student-athletes across Gopher sports in order to develop and practice leadership skills. The Leadership Council provides Gopher student-athletes the opportunity to troubleshoot leadership challenges with their peers in real time. 

"There is no one leader. What really makes a team successful is having different types of leaders that can work together to reach the different groups of people you have within your team." - Emily Brown