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Piper Marten (photo by Eric Miller)

Softball
What a difference a year should make for the softball Gophers. Typically a mainstay near the top of the Big Ten, the Gophers have slipped the last two years, first with thin pitching and last year with poor run production. That should change in 2002, according to co-head coach Lisa Bernstein. "We're a lot better than last year," she says. "We were really just a hitter away last season." That hitter may be junior Jordanne Nygren of Farmington, New Mexico, who sat out last year after hitting .320 with 28 home runs and 106 RBI in her first two seasons. She'll join all-region outfielder Tammi Hays, a senior from Hastings, Minnesota, in the outfield. Speed will come from freshman Stephanie Sward of Maplewood, Minnesota, while returning infielders Shelly Nichols, a junior from Austin, Texas, and sophomore Hailee Nanchy of Ontario, California, showed in fall that they should provide extra power to support Nygren in the middle of the lineup.

But the team's real strength is its pitching. Junior Angie Recknor of Minnetonka, Minnesota, returns after posting a 0.99 earned-run average last year. Sophomore Piper Marten of Farmington, New Mexico, broke Recknor's single-season strikeout record last year and recorded a 0.80 ERA. Freshman Lyn Peyer of Chanhassen, Minnesota, brings

Ryan Lewis won a Big Ten title, as did four of his teammates and his Gopher team. Next up: The NCAA meet where Minnesota will attempt to become the first team besides Iowa to defend a national title in at least three decades.

strong off-speed pitches and should be a perfect complement to the hard-throwers.

"We are going to be very solid throughout the lineup," Bernstein says. "We'll focus on offense to start the year because last season we were 32 and 1 when we scored two or more runs. If we score first, our pitchers are good enough to finish it." After last year's ninth-place conference finish, Bernstein sees the team again among the top four programs and competing for a place in the NCAA tournament. "This is going to be a very fun team to watch and to coach," she says. "They are very versatile players and we can make a lot of moves with them."

Update: The Gopher softball team was 19-5 through March 10 and poised to crack the nation's top 25.

Baseball
With six starters returning, young but experienced pitchers, and a handful of recruits expected to contribute, a fifth consecutive NCAA tournament berth seems a reasonable goal for the 2002 baseball Gophers. But replacing two star pitchers and three power hitters--including Jack Hannahan, the Big Ten's 2001 most valuable player--make that goal more challenging. "I think our tough early schedule will help us find out who can really step up and play and who will emerge as leaders on this team," says head coach John Anderson. "Looking back over the last four

Sam Steidel

years, we've had really good chemistry and really good leadership. Developing that will be the telling sign for us."

The all-Minnesotan outfield returns intact with seniors Jason Kennedy of Minnetonka and Scott Howard of Apple Valley and 2001 freshman all-American Sam Steidl of Alexandria, who hit .401. Howard could see time in the infield as well this year. The middle of the infield returns with junior Luke Appert of Cottage Grove, Minnesota, at second and junior Scott Welch of Missoula, Montana, at short. Injuries last year meant five freshmen got plenty of pitching experience, led by Jay Gagner of Cumberland, Wisconsin, who developed into a strong starter. Junior C.J. Woodrow of Plymouth, Minnesota, and junior college transfer Nate Broehm of Winona, Minnesota, will likely start the year in the rotation as well.

"I think by the time the Big Ten season comes around we'll know what we have," Anderson says. He fully expects the Gophers to be among the top four teams in the conference again. "I'm a believer in competition. Our tough nonconference schedule will make us better when we get to the big games late in the year. . . . I think we have the talent and could put the pieces together. Nobody is interested in stopping [the string of NCAA appearances]."

Update: The Gopher baseball team did find

Shani Marks (photo by Eric Miller)

tough going early, having just a 4-9 record through March 10.

Women's Track and Field
Something of a changing of the guard has occurred on the Gopher women's track and field team. In recent years, the team has depended upon all-star throwers to pile up points, but this year the sprinters, hurdlers, and jumpers may be the ones leading the team. Three school record holders are back in senior Jessica Schuster of Minneapolis (400 meters), sophomore Tahesia Harrigan of Tortola, Virgin Islands (100 and 200), and junior Erika Findlay of Whitewater, Wisconsin (pole vault).

Junior Shani Marks of Apple Valley, Minnesota, is a two-time Big Ten champ (indoor 600 and outdoor triple jump). Frosh Barbora Spatakova of Prague, Czech Republic, will compete in hurdles and jumps as well as the heptathlon, where she was one of the best junior athletes in the world. Senior Linda Lindqvist of Aland, Finland, will also try the multi-event disciplines as well as the javelin, where she is a two-time Big Ten champion and all-American. Sophomore Darja Vasiljeva of Jelgava, Latvia, and frosh Lisa Dyer of Moorhead, Minnesota, will likely be the top middle and long distance threats. Gary Wilson, 17-year head coach, will focus on the Big Ten outdoor meet in May, where the Gophers were third last year. "I don't know if we can win

Lyndon McDowell

it, but I think we can give people a run," he says.

Update: Tahesia Harrigan took second in the country in the indoor 60 in March, breaking her own school record and equalling the best-ever Gopher women's indoor finish.

Men's Track and Field
The Gopher men's track and field team is loaded with talented, but young, athletes, which makes it hard to predict how they might fare this year. "There tends to be more erratic performances in younger athletes," explains head coach Phil Lundin. For the team to follow up on its 1998 and 1999 Big Ten titles, "a lot will depend on how well the young athletes develop and adjust to this level of competition and academics."

Among the top returning athletes is senior Lyndon McDowell of Port Elgin, Ontario, an NCAA finalist in the decathlon who can contribute in a number of open events as well. Most members of the nationally ranked long relay teams return as well, led by 400-meter NCAA finalist Mitch Potter, a sophomore from Isanti, Minnesota, and school 800-meter record holder Toby Henkels, a junior from Worthington, Minnesota. Senior Andy McKessock of Owen Sound, Ontario, was 2000 Big Ten one-mile champion before redshirting last year.

The freshmen are ranked one of the 10-best recruiting classes in the nation and include numerous top Minnesota

Karen Stordahl (photo by Eric Miller)

high schoolers. Karl Erickson of Rochester is a four-time state discus champion and set a freshman shot-put record in his first college meet. Tony Riter of Shoreview set the state 800-meter record last year, and Robb Merritt of Hastings broke the 30-year-old state 200-meter record that was held by 1976 Olympian Mark Lutz.

While long sprints and middle distance are the strengths of the team, Lundin looks for big things from his jumpers as well. Junior Omar Clemmons of Memphis, Tennessee, was Big Ten long-jump runner-up last year and is joined by freshman Steffen Langraff from Berlin, whose best jump would be second in school history. Sophomore Chris Dixon of Burnsville, Minnesota and freshman Thomas Flensborg-Madsen of Denmark will be among the top triple jumpers in the conference.

Update: The Gopher 4X400 and distance medley relay teams eadch earned all-American honors with top finishes at the NCAA indoor meet in March.

Women's Golf
Karen Stordahl (left) came within a few shots of breaking the school fall scoring record in 2001, ending up one-half stroke behind 1989 all-American Kate Hughes's record average of 75. Stordahl, a junior from Owatonna, Minnesota, won the Lady Razorback Invitational in Arkansas by 10 strokes in October, leading the Gophers to the team title in the 15-team

Simon Nash

tournament.

Men's Golf
Simon Nash (right), a sophomore from Brisbane, Australia, led the Gophers to four high finishes in fall tournaments. A solid first five of Nash; junior Wilhelm Schauman of Djursholm, Sweden; sophomore Justin Smith of Moon Township, Pennsylvania; sophomore David Morgan of Rochester, Minnesota; and junior Matt Anderson of Edina, Minnesota, give the Gophers a chance to compete for a fifth consecutive trip to the NCAA tournament.

Quotebook
"I've had a lot of players come to me and ask a lot of questions. . . . Of course they're concerned. Kids don't have their heads in the sand." -Gopher baseball coach John Anderson on the effect athletic budget worries are having on his team

Quotebook
"I called Brenda Oldfield this weekend and left her a message asking what we have to do to get some attention. . . . Really, though, this is great. In the fall we both had a lot of questions about our teams, so that makes this even better." -Gopher women's hockey coach Laura Halldorson after her team earned the top ranking in the country by sweeping the University of Minnesota-Duluth in January and extending its unbeaten string to 18 games. The same weekend, Oldfield's basketball team beat fifth-ranked Wisconsin to up their record to 14-3.