O C T O B E R 2 0 1 4 / S K I - U - M A H / 1

As we start the 2014-2015 seasons, I am look-ing forward to an outstanding year for all of ourstudent-athletes in the classroom and in compe-tition. This issue of Ski-U-Mah recognizes astudent-athlete from every Gopher program,giving us the opportunity to celebrate the facesof Gopher Athletics as we enter the coming year.

When we consider the faces of GopherAthletics , no roundup of those who representour department would ever be complete withoutmention of the great Bob McNamara, whopassed away earlier this summer.

Bob’s accomplishments as a Gopher student-athlete were superior. He was a four-time letter-winner for the Gopher Football team from1951-1954, twice earning First Team All-Big Tenhonors, as well as First Team All-America recog-

nition in 1954. He also played two seasons forthe Gopher Men’s Basketball team, earning a let-ter in 1953.

Beyond his accomplishments as a student-athlete, Bob became one of the greatest advo-cates the University of Minnesota has everknown. His fingerprints are all over this campus.He played a significant role in building TCF BankStadium, the Baseline Tennis Center, SiebertField and many other facilities, both athletic andacademic, on our campus. The McNamaraAcademic Center, used daily by Gopher student-athletes, was named for Bob and his brother,Pinky.

More than anything else, Bob took incrediblepride in being a Minnesotan, and in being aGopher. He had a warm and welcoming person-

ality that enchanted almost everybody and hispride in the University was infectious. When itcame to rallying support for a cause, I’ve nevermet anyone who was as genuine and as passion-ate as he was. For Gophers everywhere, I’d liketo thank him for everything he did during his won-derful life on behalf of the University ofMinnesota.

There will never be another Bob McNamara.He is one of the true faces of Gopher Athletics.

Thank you Bob, and go Gophers!

Norwood Teague, Director of Athletics

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TABLE OF

6BRANDONEGGUM

12PAUL

MONTAGUE JR.

7DALY

SANTANA

8WHITNEYTANEY

9CEDRIC

THOMPSON

10MO

WALKER

11BRADFROST

13HALEY

HELVERSON

19MIKE

GUENTZEL

14BLAYNEDULIAN

15TERRYGANLEY

16JENNYHANSEN

17ADAMWILCOX

18KJERSTINMEYER

20MATHIEUFROMENT

26DARYLTURNER

21STEFANIEGOLAN

22JESSICAPLANT

23LOGANSTORLEY

24TREVORYEDONI

25KAITLYN

RICHARDSON

T H E F A C E S O F G O P H E R A T H L E T I C S I S S U E

O C T O B E R 2 0 1 4 / S K I - U - M A H / 3

CONTENTS

S K I - U - M A HO C T O B E R 2 0 1 4 / I S S U E 7 / V O L . I I

t h e o f f i c i a l m a g a z i n e o f G o p h e r A t h l e t i c s

27LAURABUSH

33JESSICA

MERCHANT

28RACHAELBONA

29GEOFFYOUNG

30MADELINEHANLEY

31CONNOR

SCHAEFBAUER

32ERICKLEIN

34BECCADYSON

40CARMENLAGUNA

35JON

DuTOIT

36RACHELBANHAM

37JESSIKAMOZIA

38STEVE

PLASENCIA

39AMANDA & ALEX

BECKMAN

41GOLDYGOPHER

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE

4 CREDITS5 EDITOR’S LETTER

44 OUTTAKES

T H E F A C E S O F G O P H E R A T H L E T I C S I S S U E

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S K I - U - M A HI s s u e 7

DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS Norwood Teague

SENIOR ASSOCIATE ATHLETICS DIRECTOR FOR STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS Chris Werle

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF / ASSISTANT ATHLETICS DIRECTOR FOR CREATIVE SERVICES Jeff Keiser

EDITOR / WRITER Jake Ricker

CONTRIBUTORS Maddie Greene, Justine Buerkle, Michelle Traen

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY Eric Miller

STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Courtney Anderson

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER Jim Rosvold

SPECIAL THANKSTony’s Diner

Luke Day, University Aquatic CenterPutt’er There Mini Golf

Marty Moen, Bell MuseumThe Institute of Child Development

Phil Platt, Campus ClubMark Engebretson, Walter Library

Advertising: 612.626.2300

GOPHERSPORTS.com

Ski-U-Mah is written and designed by University of Minnesota Athletics and is provided as a courtesy to our fans and may be used for personal and editorial purposes only. Any commercial use of this information is prohibited without the consent of University of Minnesota Athletics.

for questions about the editorial content in this issue of Ski-U-Mah, please email keiser@umn.edu.

O

O C T O B E R 2 0 1 4 / S K I - U - M A H / 5

ne of my favorite aspects of Ski-U-Mah is the incredible photog-raphy. For this issue, we decided to depart from our usual formatof several in-depth feature stories and important news items toput a different twist on telling the story of Gopher Athletics. Wephotographed one student-athlete from each of our teams and12 head or assistant coaches and allow you a chance to get toknow a little bit more about them. Some of the individuals wechose are easily identifiable, while others may be new to theGopher community or not as well-known. One of the primarygoals of this publication has been to tell the hidden and some-times behind-the-scenes stories of our Athletics Department. Ihope you enjoy the stories we share in this issue.

This issue of Ski-U-Mah was a labor of love. We are blessedto have wonderfully talented staff photographers in Eric Millerand Courtney Anderson. We had 39 different photo shoots, inlocations all over campus and beyond, in the span of about onemonth. We shot nearly 10,000 frames. These photo shootsstarted with Director of Athletics Norwood Teague, whom wedrove all over campus in a golf cart, including a stop at TCF BankStadium to climb on to the roof, where we found out that Nor-wood is a bit skittish with heights. The list of photo shoots cul-minated with sophomore swimmer Daryl Turner, who muscledthrough a two-hour shoot at the Aquatics Center. It was perhapsthe most dramatic one of all, with photographer Eric Miller float-ing out to the middle of the 50-meter pool with a lifeguard buoyand his camera to capture the perfect reflection off the water.Ultimately, it ended up being one of my favorite photos, whichyou can see on page 26.

One of the truly awesome and unique aspects of collegiateathletics is the constant variety. Sports change with the seasons.Watching a gymnastics or swimming meet is a very different ex-perience than taking in a football game. We have student-ath-letes who traveled thousands of miles to attend the U of M,while many are from just a few minutes away. In collegiate ath-letics, there is always something new and different on which tofocus. Putting this issue of Ski-U-Mah together has capturedthat.

It was so much fun meeting each of the student-athletes andwatching them react to having a professional portrait sessiondone, many for the first time. The same went for the shoots withour coaches, many of whom are not just co-workers, but goodfriends.

I hope you enjoy “The Faces of Gopher Athletics.” Thank youfor your continued support of our student-athletes and coaches!

LEADING OFFA NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

Jeff Keiser Assistant Athletics Director for Creative Services

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BRANDON EGGUMWrestling | Head Assistant Coach

In the late 1990s, Brandon Eggum racked up 115 victories, earning three All-America awards and two BigTen individual titles for Gopher Wrestling. Now as theprogram’s head assistant coach, almost everything

about him is still instantly recognizable when he stepson to the mat. Broad shoulders, square-jawed, faceshowing the single-minded focus on winning… but he certainly dresses differently. The style of Eggum andhis fellow coaches often stands out at any meet as theresult of a friendly rivalry between them to see who candress the best at every event, further evidence thattrue competitors never lose that need to compete.

photo by Eric Miller | taken at rail yards behind TCF Bank Stadium

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DALY SANTANAVolleyball | Junior

While many Gophers have competed for their nationalteams at some points in their careers, Daly Santana isone of the few to do before their playing careers atMinnesota. Santana, a former captain of the Youth National Team in her native Puerto Rico, joined the national team in 2012 for the Pan American Cup andthe World Grand Prix. Those experiences helped

Santana earn a unanimous selection to the FreshmanAll-Big Ten team, an accolade that cemented her as a

leader for the Gopher Volleyball team.

photo by Eric Miller | taken in Southwest Minneapolis

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WHITNEY TANEYWomen’s Tennis | Associate Head Coach

Whitney Taney knows a thing or two about winning. A historic career at Edina High School yielded a recordof 166-0 and five individual state championships. In fact, she only lost two sets in high school. The winning

continued at the University of Michigan, where she graduated in 2011 with the school record for career doubles victories and three All-Big Ten honors in tow. In just her second season on the Gophers’

staff in 2012-13, the team achieved its highest win total in more than a decade.

photo by Courtney Anderson | taken at Baseline Tennis Center

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CEDRIC THOMPSONFootball | Senior

By graduating high school in 2011, Cedric Thompsonbecame the first in his family to own a diploma. Now asenior captain on the Gopher football team, Thompsonwill become the first college graduate in his family thisspring. Thompson’s father said something poignant tohis son when he graduated high school, something

Thompson cherishes to this day. He told him he was nowthe lion of the family – the leader – and to embrace thatdestiny. A tattoo on Thompson’s left arm and a charm on his necklace serve as constant reminders of his emotional connection to the “King of the Jungle.”

photo by Courtney Anderson | taken at the Bell Museum of Natural History

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MO WALKERBasketball | Senior

Mo Walker stands out in a crowd, towering over most people at just shy of seven-feet tall. What’s equally striking about Walker is the gracewith which he controls that unwieldy frame, pivoting and pirouetting around opponents near the basket to slide into prime scoring positionsand rack up points two at a time. After recovering from a serious knee injury and dropping more than 70 pounds, the Toronto, Ontario native

emerged last year as a major inside scoring threat for the Gophers, contributing mightily to the team’s NIT Championship run.

photo by Courtney Anderson | taken at Van Cleve Park

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BRAD FROSTWomen’s Hockey | Head Coach

No one in athletics ever wants to be “the guy that follows the guy” or, in the case of Head Women’s Hockey Coach Brad Frost, “the guy thatfollows the woman,” Laura Halldorson, three-time National Champion and matriarch of the Gopher program. Modest, at times overwhelmingly

so, Frost portrays himself as a caretaker when he is, in fact, a masterful leader in his own right. Under his guidance, the Gophers haveamassed a record of 224-38-17, won two National Championships and ran off an incredible 62-game winning streak, an NCAA record.

photo by Courtney Anderson | taken at Ridder Arena

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PAUL MONTAGUE JR.Gymnastics | Junior

Paul Montague, Jr. grew up between Madison and Milwaukee, an area of the country heavily populated by Badger fans. After a decoratedhigh school career that included Wisconsin state championships in three different events and runner-up finishes in two others, Montague

made the unlikely choice to attend Minnesota and has since established himself as one of the Gophers most dedicated gymnasts. Montague earned the team’s Spirit of Gopher Gymnastics award as a freshman, the team’s Most Improved Gymnast Award as a

sophomore and will enter his junior season as a team captain.

photo by Eric Miller | taken at Northrop Memorial Auditorium

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HALEY HELVERSONSoccer | Junior

Whether she is scoring game-winners for the Gopher Soccer team or watching her father, Scott, officiate NFLgames, Haley Helverson has always been drawn to the sports world. An aspiring sports administrator with a

competitive drive and a stunning personality, she has proven to be an asset on and off the field for the Maroon andGold. Leading her team to victory is nothing new for Helverson. She scored the game-winners against Wisconsin

and No. 7 Penn State last season and helped the Gophers earn numerous shutouts in 2014.

photo by Courtney Anderson | taken at Elizabeth Lyle Robbie Stadium

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BLAYNE DULIANCross Country . Track & Field | Junior

With his tall and lanky build, Blayne Dulian looks the part of a Division I cross country runner. While perfect for long-distance running, simply having thenatural frame to run is far from sufficient to succeed at the collegiate level. Greatness demands a relentless focus on racking up miles, up to 90 milesweekly at peak training times, something he references in a casual tone not befitting the incredible nature of those numbers. That type of work burns an extraordinary amount of energy, so Dulian’s routine requires both hours of training and a careful eye toward regularly replenishing thousands of calories.

photo by Eric Miller | taken in Dinkytown

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TERRY GANLEYHead Coach | Women’s Swimming

Most current Gopher student-athletes struggle to even imagine collegiate athletics not including women’s sports. For current HeadWomen’s Swimming Coach Terry Ganley, that hardly imaginable idea was the reality of her childhood but, fortunately, not for her

collegiate career. In 1974, Ganley (pictured in Cooke Hall Pool where she competed as a collegian) became the first female All-American from the U in any sport. Since that time, Ganley has coached nearly 100 different All-Americans while leading the Gopher

program for which she once competed at an elite level.

photo by Courtney Anderson | taken at Cooke Hall Pool

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JENNY HANSENWomen’s Gymnastics | Associate Head Coach

With the exception of one season, Jenny Hansen has been withGopher Women’s Gymnastics since her freshman year on theteam in 2000. As a gymnast for the Gophers, Hansen served asteam captain and registered what were, at the time, top-ten performances in the program’s history in balance beam, floor exercise and vault. In her role as associate head coach, she’spassing along her experience and expertise in those events, focusing her time on teaching those skills to current Gophers.

photo by Eric Miller | taken at the M Bridge on the East Bank campus

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ADAM WILCOXHockey | Junior

Less than 15 miles from Mariucci Arena, in South St. Paul, Adam Wilcox spent his childhood dreaming of pulling downthe mask and defending the net for the Golden Gophers. While that’s certainly a big dream for any young goalkeeper,Wilcox’s performance the past two years supercedes big dreams and borders on the absurd. As a freshman, Wilcox

posted a single-season school record .921 save percentage, a prelude to a sophomore season when he broke his ownrecord with a .930 save percentage and led the Gophers to the national championship game.

photo by Eric Miller | taken at Mariucci Arena

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KJERSTIN MEYERRowing | Junior

As a sophomore last season, Kjerstin Meyer competed on both the first and second varsity four teams and tasted vic-tory at three different meets. That kind of success early in a rowing career demands endless hours at the University ofMinnesota Boathouse, working on rowing machines and dropping boats into the Mississippi River for training sessions

as the sun rises over the river’s east bluffs. For Meyer though, there’s no more beautiful place on the campus.

photo by Courtney Anderson | taken at Mississippi River Flats by the U of M Boathouse

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MIKE GUENTZELMen’s Hockey | Associate Head Coach

If hockey is the quintessential Minnesota sport, Mike Guentzel may very well be the quintessential Minnesotan. Guentzel grew up on the state’s Iron Range, earned First Team All-State honors as a high school

senior and joined the Gophers as a defenseman in 1981. He contributed to a WCHA Regular Season Championship the following season, the first of 12 banners – conference regular season or tournament

championships or National Championships – Guentzel has helped the Gophers raise as either a player or acoach. These represent more than one-third of the 34 such banners hanging in the Mariucci Arena rafters.

photo by Eric Miller | taken at Mariucci Arena

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MATHIEU FROMENTTennis | Senior

Nationally ranked NCAA doubles tennis player, finance and risk management insurance major, self-taught piano player and violinist – Mathieu Froment is something of a renaissance man. Froment hails from a town nestled into the last few kilometers of France near the Belgium and

Luxemburg borders, an inconspicuous place that produced an equally quiet, yet accomplished, young man. That quiet nature despite strong abilities hasbeen recognized by the team as well, which has awarded him the Bob McNamara Unsung Player of the Year award each of the past two seasons.

photo by Eric Miller | taken at Campus Club, Coffman Memorial Union

STEFANIE GOLANSoccer | Head Coach

Soccer is a heavily nuanced game. It demands incredible attention to detail and the ability to

execute subtly to create something dynamic andbeautiful. For Head Soccer Coach Stefanie Golan,these elements of soccer intersect with her othergreat passion, illustration and drawing. Entering herthird season at the helm of Gopher Soccer, Golan’sknack for embracing tiny details with a bigger picturein mind led the team to its third NCAA Tournamentappearance in the past 15 years last season, settingthe frame for what could one day be a masterpiece.

photo by Eric Miller | taken at Weisman Art MuseumO C T O B E R 2 0 1 4 / S K I - U - M A H / 2 1

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JESSICA PLANTSwimming & Diving | Senior

A 4.0 GPA basically since the nursery, Jessica Plantstudies Classical Civilizations and Art History at the U ofM. She recently completed a field school in Italy whereshe participated in an archeological dig examining Romanartifacts, the latest in a series of major life events that

included her earning an endorsement from the U of M asa finalist for the Canadian Rhodes Scholarship (Plant isoriginally from Winnipeg). She’s equally prolific in the

pool, where she’s earned four All-America honors duringher career, including two First Team All-America nods.

photo by Eric Miller | taken at Walter Library

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LOGAN STORLEYWrestling | Senior

It would be easy to fall into culture shock moving from tiny Roslyn, S.D. (pop. 180) to the Twin Cities.Though his surroundings may have changed, Logan Storley looks completely at ease in his new home, especially when he steps onto the wrestling mat. A six-time letterwinner in high school, Storley not onlystepped in and immediately competed for the Gophers – a rarity in collegiate wrestling – but has been an

All-American all three years he’s been on campus.

photo by Courtney Anderson | taken on East Bank Campus

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TREVOR YEDONITrack & Field | Sophomore

For track and field athletes, knee injuries lurk out of sightbut never completely forgotten, like a distantly howlingwolf. When competition means leaping, tearing an ACL

can forever change an athlete’s future. Suffering a secondtear to the same ligament is virtually synonymous with

career-ending. Then there’s Trevor Yedoni, who overcametwo ACL tears to not only don the Maroon and Gold, butwin the 2014 Big Ten Outdoor Long Jump Championship,

Minnesota’s first men’s long jump conference championship since 2006, and the Big Ten Freshman ofthe Year Award, the first Gopher to earn that distinction

since 1997.

photo by Eric Miller | taken at Bierman Track & Field Stadium

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KAITLYN RICHARDSONSoftball | Senior

When she left Arizona four years ago, Kaitlyn Richardson (Katie as she introduces herself)knew things in Minnesota would be a little differentthan living in the desert. She’s come to appreciatethat Minnesota experiences all four seasons morethan any of the other differences, but there’s really

only one season that matters to Richardson – softballseason. Following her junior season, Richardson

became just the third player in program history to earntwo All-America honors.

photo by Eric Miller | taken in Dinkytown

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DARYL TURNERSwimming & Diving | Sophomore

Amid high expectations – he was a four-time All-American and Colorado State Swimmer of the Year inhigh school – Daryl Turner made a splash as a freshman on the Gopher Men’s Swimming and Divingteam. In his first collegiate dual meet against Arizona State, Turner took first in all four events in whichhe swam (two individual, two relays). He went on to earn the conference’s Freshman of the Week fourdifferent times, score points in all five of his events at the Big Ten Championships and become an All-American for his work on Minnesota’s 200-yard freestyle relay team at the NCAA Championships.

photo by Eric Miller | taken at University Aquatic Center

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LAURA BUSHVolleyball | Associate Head Coach

The road to the highest levels of collegiate women’s volleyball started in the small farm town (pop. 450) of Strasburg, Illinois forLaura Bush. Emerging from a sea of towering corn stalks and billowing wheat, Bush grew into an All-American for Illinois, a

successful assistant at Michigan State and then a head coach leading programs at both Marquette and Auburn. She’s among a select group which have both played and coached in the NCAA Women’s Volleyball Final Four, a stage she reached twice while at

Illinois, once with Michigan State and once with the Gophers, in 2009.

photo by Courtney Anderson | taken on St. Paul Campus

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RACHAEL BONAHockey | Senior

Rachael Bona has played in the National Championship game each of her three seasons as a Gopher, winning two national titles. She’salso played on the top line in each of those games, a position she assumed in the middle of her freshman year and has not conceded since.Bona piled up 61 points in 41 games last season, third-best in the entire country, and earned an invitation to the prestigious USA Hockey

Festival to try out for the USA 22-and-under squad.

photo by Jim Rosvold | taken on East Bank campus

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GEOFF YOUNGMen’s Tennis | Head Coach

Tennis is life for ninth-year head coach Geoff Young. As a youth in Ohio,he claimed the top position in the Midwest section 18-and-under men’stennis rankings in 1989, and then accomplished the feat again as a

doubles player the following year. He went on to earn All-Big Ten honorstwice at Northwestern before launching his coaching career. His wife,Dana (Peterson) was an All-Big Ten player and four-year letterwinner forthe Gophers from 1992-96 and is currently the head pro at the BaselineTennis Center. Young’s three kids are all active in tennis and two are

nationally-ranked.

photo by Eric Miller | taken at Van Cleve Park

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MADELINE HANLEYGymnastics | Junior

Being a gymnast has been a part of who MadelineHanley is since she was three years old. It’s a uniquesport with different demands than most, aspects thatHanley has always embraced. Prior to coming to Minnesota from her hometown of Danielsville, Pa.,

Hanley was a three-time qualifier for the Junior Olympic Championships competing in several events. Injurieshave limited Hanley to uneven bars in her two seasonas a Gopher, but her abilities continue to shine through– she was named Second Team All-Big Ten in the event

last year.

photo by Courtney Anderson | taken at the Institute for Child Development, East Bank

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CONNOR SCHAEFBAUERBaseball | Junior

Whether a bat’s made of wood or aluminum, ConnorSchaefbauer understands how to swing it. Last

season he broke out for the Gopher Baseball team,leading the squad in batting average, multi-hit games,total bases, triples, stolen bases and runs. When thecollege baseball season ended earlier this summer,Schaefbauer joined the Rochester Honkers of theNorthwoods League, a wood bat league that allowscollegiate players to participate while maintaining

NCAA eligibility. With the Honkers, Schaefbauer hit.307, racking up multiple hits in 14 of his 37 games.

photo by Courtney Anderson | taken at Siebert Field

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ERIC KLEINFootball | Head Strength and Conditioning Coach

Gopher Football’s Head Strength and Conditioning Coach Eric Klein joined Coach Jerry Kill two decades ago at Saginaw ValleyState. His loyalty, and his undeniable success at building strength, agility and endurance in student-athletes, took him around thecountry with Kill, from Michigan to Kansas to Illinois and, eventually, back home. Klein, who graduated from Apple Valley High

School in suburban Minneapolis, didn’t take the direct route back to Minnesota but now that he’s here, his home state school isbenefitting from his experience and expertise.

photo by Courtney Anderson | taken at Gibson-Nagurski Football Complex

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JESSICA MERCHANTAssistant Coach | Softball

As an assistant coach for the Gopher Softball team the pastfour seasons, Jessica Merchant has been instrumental in the

program’s resurgence from a team that won just two conferencegames in 2010 to a team that’s won 30 or more games fourstraight years and qualified for the NCAA Super Regional lastyear, a first in program history. Merchant showed her ability tolead before she ever assumed a coaching position. In 2005, shecaptained a Michigan team that won the National Championship.

photo by Courtney Anderson | taken at Jane Sage Cowles Stadium

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BECCA DYSONCross Country and Track & Field | Junior

Any time someone is competing at the collegiate level, he or she is an exceptional athlete. Becca Dyson is exactly that as a cross country runner for the Golden Gophers, but the sport was an afterthought for Dyson in

high school, who didn’t begin distance running until her junior season. Dyson’s first endurance sport passion wasNordic skiing. In her younger years, she spent more time plotting her way down snow-covered trails than runningover sun-speckled grass courses, but that aerobic training has helped her compete against more experienced

distance runners throughout her cross country career.

photo by Courtney Anderson | taken at Coffman Memorial Union

JON DuTOITGolf | Junior

Growing up in Chaska, Minn., Jon DuToit had the privilege of playing at nearby Hazeltine National Golf Club, a course at which he still caddies duringthe offseason. DuToit fell in love with the game trying to plot his way around that world-class course and its challenging design helped sharpen his

skills. A six-time letterwinner and state champion in high school, DuToit has three top-10 finishes in two seasons with the Gophers and contributed all four of his rounds to the team score at last season’s Big Ten Championships, which Minnesota won for the first time since 2008.

photo by Eric Miller | taken at Putt’er There, Como Park in St. Paul

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RACHEL BANHAMBasketball | Senior

Entering her senior season, Rachel Banham has entrenched herself in the conversation among the greatplayers in the history of Gopher Women’s Basketball.Banham answered lofty expectations immediately whenshe stepped on campus as the defending MinnesotaHigh School Player of the Year according to everymajor media outlet, earning Big Ten Freshman of theYear and team Co-MVP honors. In the years since,

Banham has twice earned All-America recognition andis on pace to become the program’s all-time leading

scorer.

photo by Courtney Anderson | taken at Northrop Mall

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JESSIKA MOZIATennis | Junior

She was a prep tennis star from Colorado who declined scholarship offers to walk on at Minnesota. By hersophomore year, she had earned a scholarship. While that’s a wonderful story by itself, it’s only one chapter of

who Jessika Mozia is. She’s a passionate writer who has been published several times. She’s a pre-med student with plans to become an orthopedic surgeon. She’s a concert violinist who earned honors for her

abilities in high school. Mozia’s story is much more than that of a tennis player, but she’s pretty good at that, too.

photo by Eric Miller | taken at Baseline Tennis Center

STEVE PLASENCIAMen’s Track & Field and Cross Country

Director

To say Steve Plasencia was one of the great Ameri-can distance runners of his generation requires no ex-aggeration. The Director of the Gopher Men’s Track

and Field and Cross Country programs earned five All-America honors during his running career at Minnesota

before moving on to compete for the U.S. in fourWorld Championships, two Olympic Games (1988 and1992) and narrowly missing out on qualifying for athird. Plasencia, who continues to run avidly and hasrun over the Stone Arch Bridge that he is pictured onthousands of times, still owns four Gopher crosscountry records those he coaches every day are

striving to break.

photo by Courtney Anderson | taken at Stone Arch Bridge

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ALEX AND AMANDA BECKMANTrack & Field | Juniors

Since they were little, Amanda and Alex Beckman have navigated life together as twins. The unique situation ofhaving a sibling so similar has advantages and drawbacks but when one of those similarities is exceptional athleticabilities, a twosome becomes formidable in competition. That’s the case for the Beckmans, who carted home pilesof accolades in multiple events in high school before coming to the Gophers and competing in the heptathlon andpentathlon. Both placed in the top 10 at the Big Ten Indoor Track and Field Championships. In fact, they finished

back-to-back.

photo by Eric Miller | taken at Bierman Track & Field Stadium

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CARMEN LAGUNAGolf | Senior

Carmen Laguna began playing golf in southern Spain, whereshe grew up in a town just outside Seville. Though no onewill ever confuse Minnesota with the Mediterranean, the differences haven’t changed how Laguna plays the game.After a strong freshman season, Laguna had the second-

best season stroke average in program history as a sophomore (74.93), a number she bested last year whenshe set a new program record for stroke average (74.19),leaving her with two of the three best statistical seasons in

Minnesota history as she enters her senior year.

photo by Courtney Anderson | taken at Nicollet Island Pavilion

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GOLDY GOPHERMascot

A fixture at all Gopher Athletics events since 1952, GoldyGopher is one the nation’s most accomplished mascots,

regularly placing among the top five at the Universal Cheer-leaders Association Mascot National Championships. Goldyhas claimed two National Championships – the first in 2011,

then again in 2013 – and is a three-time Capital One All-American Mascot Team selection.

photo by Eric Miller | taken at Coffman Memorial Union

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