Gopher Women's Soccer Star Shines as Minnesota Athletics Deliver Big Wins
Minnesota's college athletics scene is buzzing with standout performances, from a Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Week honor to a cross country sweep and a basketball star competing on the world stage. Here is a look at the latest results and what is ahead for the Gophers.
Gopher Volleyball Sweeps to Diet Coke Classic Title
The Gophers volleyball team improved to 2-0 at Maturi Pavilion this season with a pair of 3-0 sweeps to win the Diet Coke Classic. Minnesota defeated Miami 25-15, 25-16, and 25-14 on Friday night, with sophomore Kelly Kinney leading the way with nine kills. McKenna Wucherer and Carly Gilk each added eight kills.
On Sunday afternoon, the Gophers swept St. Thomas 25-22, 25-20, and 25-22. Wucherer was dominant, recording 18 kills with only two errors and hitting .615 for the match. Kinney added 10 more kills of her own.
Minnesota heads back to Sioux Falls this weekend for a pair of matches against local schools. The Gophers face South Dakota at 7 p.m. Friday before taking on South Dakota State at 2:30 p.m. Saturday at the Sanford Pentagon. Both matches will stream on Midco Sports Plus.
Gopher Soccer Goalkeeper Earns Big Ten Honor
Minnesota's soccer team headed to Penn State on Sunday coming off a 1-0 upset win over No. 25 Iowa on Thursday night but dropped the match by the same 1-0 score. The Nittany Lions scored the afternoon's only goal in the 34th minute when Aubrey Kulpa connected on a right-footed strike into the bottom right corner following an assist from Olivia Robinson.
Sarah Martin made seven saves in goal for the Gophers. Her strong performances against Iowa and Penn State earned her the Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Week honor on Tuesday, the second time in her career she has received the award. Martin picked up her 14th career shutout against No. 25 Iowa. Over the weekend, she faced 40 shots, allowing only one goal, and made 13 total saves, including six in the shutout of Iowa and a season-high seven at Penn State.
The Gophers return to action Sunday when they host Northwestern at 1 p.m. on B1G+.
Gopher Women's Golf Competes in Home Tournament
The Gopher women's golf team completed its lone home tournament of the season this past weekend with the Annika Intercollegiate at Royal Golf Club in Lake Elmo. Minnesota finished in 12th place out of 12 teams facing stiff competition. Wake Forest won the team competition at 24-under over three days, defeating USC by ten strokes. UCLA's Michelle Xing won the individual title at 9-under. Minnesota's best performance came from sophomore Lauryn Finley, who finished with a three-day score of 8-over.
The Gophers return to action Friday at the Furman University Golf Club in Greenville, S.C., for the Lady Paladin Invitational.
Gopher Men's Golf Opens Fall Season
The Gopher men's golf team kicked off its fall season at the Bearcat Invitational hosted by the University of Cincinnati. Minnesota finished the tournament in a tie for 15th place with a team score of 13-over. Junior Jack Crousore was the top individual finisher, tying for 28th place at 1-over over three rounds.
Minnesota returns home to host the 2nd Swing Gopher Invitational at Windsong Golf Club in Independence beginning Sunday.
Gopher Cross Country Sweeps Cyclone Preview
It was a strong start to the 2026 cross country season for the Gophers as both the men's and women's teams won the team titles at the Cyclone Preview hosted by Iowa State last weekend. The women were led by fifth-year runner Ali Weimer, who was dominant. She dropped an entire minute off her previous best 5,000-meter cross country time to win the event in 16:15.3. For her efforts, she was named the Big Ten Cross Country Athlete of the Week for the third time in her career. She was also named a Runner to Watch by the Big Ten prior to the season.
The men also won the team event, led by a third-place finish from senior Emmit Geres. Also named a Big Ten Runner to Watch prior to the year, Geres finished third in his first-ever 6,000-meter cross country race.
The Gophers will host the 40th Annual Roy Griak Invitational this weekend, but it will look considerably different. The course will no longer be run at the Les Bolstad Golf Club, as the University is actively trying to sell it off for private development. Instead, the new course will be located at Fort Snelling Golf Club. The two-day event begins with the Women's Suzy Wilson College 6K race at 10:30 a.m. CT, followed by the Men's JO Rider College 8K race. Saturday will be reserved for high school and youth events.
Gopher Women's Basketball Star Competes in U23 World Cup
Gopher junior Tori McKinney is in Wuhan, China, with the Team USA U23 3x3 basketball team participating in the U23 World Cup. McKinney was on the USA squad in July that won the 2026 FIBA 3x3 Nations League Americas North Conference in Ñuñoa, Chile, which qualified them for this larger tournament. She is teaming up with the same three players as in July, including McKinna Brackens from Arizona State, Dani Carnegie from Georgia, and Katie Fiso from Oregon.
The USA is the No. 1 seed in Group D and the No. 4 overall seed in the tournament. They begin pool play Wednesday morning against No. 5 overall seed Japan at 4:55 a.m. CT, followed by a matchup with Slovenia at 7:25 a.m. They play their final two pool matches Friday morning vs. Kenya at 2:25 a.m. CT and Australia at 7:25 a.m. CT. Following pool play, the top two teams from each of the four five-team pools will move on to bracket play beginning with the quarterfinals on Sept. 19.
What is Next for the Gophers
With strong performances across volleyball, soccer, golf, and cross country, the Gophers are showing depth and resilience early in the season. Fans can catch the volleyball team in Sioux Falls this weekend, the soccer team hosting Northwestern on Sunday, and the cross country team at the Roy Griak Invitational. The men's golf team will also host the 2nd Swing Gopher Invitational beginning Sunday.
For Iowa sports fans, the Gophers' success, especially the cross country sweep over Iowa State and the soccer win over Iowa, highlights the competitive spirit of the region. As the season progresses, these early wins could set the tone for a strong year ahead.