Profiles of Inspirational and Persevering Athletes Exhibiting the Olympic Spirit – Gabriele Anderson Grunewald

It would be unthinkable not to include Gabriele Anderson Grunewald in any listing of inspirational and persevering Minnesota athletes who exhibit the Olympic spirit. Gabriele is from the cross country powerhouse of Perham, MN (both boys and girls teams were state runner-up this year). Always a contender to win, she placed as high as 4th

Lindsay Nielsen, Minneapolis – Profiles of Inspirational and Persevering Athletes Exhibiting the Olympic Spirit

A politician named Tim Penny once told me the most courageous members in Congress were those who had faced physical death because political death was then not frightening. He proceeded to tell me about three politicians (both parties) whom he considered of strong political character: two veterans wounded significantly in wars, the other who had

Johanna Olson, Wadena – Profiles of Inspirational and Persevering Athletes Exhibiting the Olympic Spirit

This posting is the first of a series of five that will feature extraordinary Minnesota athletes who have demonstrated remarkable personal and physical strength, incredible perseverance, and just plain guts. If you have nominations or comments, please submit them. I was reminded of this first person by Brent Lorentz, a lawyer I met while making

Similarities Abound for Gopher Teams at Big 10 Cross Country Championships: Madeline Strandemo; Bethany Hasz, Megan Hasz, Alexandria; Matthew Thomas Welch, Proctor; Charlie Lawrence, Foley

The Gopher teams matched each other in many ways at today’s Big 10 Championships at the Les Bolstad Golf Course on the St. Paul campus of the University of Minnesota: both teams placed 4th, each team had three runners place in the top 20, the teams were predominantly composed of Minnesota athletes, and none of

Not in the News, But This Was a Headlining Event

On Saturday, October 22, Augsburg College hosted the induction of three Greco-Roman wrestlers–two from Minnesota–into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum: Lindsey Durlacher (Illinois) and identical twin brothers Dave and Jim Hazewinkel (Coon Rapids, 1962 graduates of Anoka High School). Dave Hazewinkel, wrestling at 57 kg won two World Championship medals (silver

Minnesota Runners at La Crosse

Competing in three races at La Crosse over the weekend, the U of M women’s cross country team participated in the Nuttycombe Invitational and its Open Meet on Friday and the Neubauer Invitational on Saturday. Megan Hasz (Alexandria) led the team with a 28th- place finish in 20:44 as they competed with running powerhouses from

When an American Running Record Was Set at Macalester’s Track

A day after winning the Minnesota State College Conference cross country championship on a 4-mile course in Bemidji in 19:19, Van Nelson set a 30-kilometer American record in 1:37:16.4 at the Macalester track on October 31, 1965. The phenomenal performance was a full 8 minutes less than the recognized record set by Dick Haines two

The Weekend’s Non-Marathon Runs

While Dominic Ondoro’s record-setting Twin Cities Marathon time of 2:08:51 was capturing headlines, there were three other competitive runs in conjunction with the main event over the weekend: the 5K, 10K, and 10-mile distances. Minnesota athletes continued their strong tradition of successful distance running. Unattached runners at the U of M took five of the

City of Lakes Marathon–Pre-Twin Cities Marathon Era

With the Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon scheduled next Sunday, October 9, it seems fitting that the early Minnesota marathons be addressed. While many people deserve credit for putting marathoning on the Minnesota map, Patrick D. Lanin, Ron Dawes, Jeff Winter, and Jack Moran certainly were among the sport’s earliest and greatest promoters in the state.

1970 US Team Set 24-Hour Distance Record

While attending the Roy Griak Invitational last Saturday, Don Timm (Burnsville), a runner on the 1969 Big 10 cross country championship team told me how he knew a runner named Phil Camp. They had trained together–presumably as a pre-Olympic training center–in the state of Washington in 1970. It was decided that about one-half of the

Roy Griak Invitational: Women’s Gold Division

Ranked 25th in the country, the U of M women’s cross country team matched the men’s team by placing 9th in the competitive and challenging Roy Griak Invitational at Les Bolstad Golf Course in St. Paul on Saturday. True freshman Bethany Hasz (Alexandria) was the first Gopher runner to cross the line as she finished

Griak Invitational: Men’s Gold Division

Led by the strong running of Minnesota athletes Matthew Thomas Welch (Proctor) and Obsa Ali (Richfield) as they maneuvered to the top ten runners, the U of M Gopher men’s team captured 9th place in the prestigious Griak Invitational at Les Bolstad Golf Course on the St. Paul campus. This is the second consecutive strong

Women’s National Cross Country Championship–Open Division

Debuting in 1964, the women’s cc national championships has had only one Minnesota athlete crowned as its champion: Emily Brown (West Allis, WI, U of M) in 2007 at the Agricultural History Farm Park in Derwood, MD. It was a dominant win as Emily cruised through the 8 K race in a time of 26:58–more

Minnesota Athletes in Professional Baseball; Women’s Gymnastics

With professional minor league baseball’s season winding down, here are some statistics about a few Minnesota athletes at this time. Austin Athman (Cold Spring, U of M) was drafted by the Detroit Tigers baseball organization in the 14th round and is batting .276 in the New York-Penn League. He has 12 extra base hits in

Fall Sports Action has Sprung into Action at the University of Minnesota (U of M)

My brother Jim Mader and I witnessed the victory vs Oregon State on Thursday night. Minnesota athltes starting on the offensive side of the ball for the football team are Jonah Pirsig (Blue Earth, OL) and Mitch Leidner (Lakeville, QB). On defense, Andrew Steltner (Owatonna, DL) and Adekunle Ayinde (Blaine, CB) have claimed starting positions.

St. Paul, Minnesota has had very few Olympians in Boxing and Only One Known Athlete in Fencing

Widely known in the 1970s, Duane Bobick grew up in a family of 13 children in Bowlus, Minnesota, a small town located between St. Cloud and Little Falls. He was a superb athlete at Royalton High School and enlisted in the US Navy soon after graduating. With an 82-inch reach and a famed left jab,

Women’s Soccer Games Begin Today at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro

Women’s soccer games begin today at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Two superb Minnesota athletes have had prominent roles as Olympians in the sport: Briana Scurry, a graduate of Anoka High School, and Manny Lagos, a St. Paul Academy graduate. Briana was an all-state athlete in basketball, soccer, and track and field. She

Let’s Take Flight Today with Shani Johnson and Amanda Smock

. Friends and triple jumpers Shani Johnson and Amanda Smock have a lot in common: both are Olympians (Shani, 2008; Amanda, 2012), possess a strong background in gymnastics, have persevered through injuries, express a faith-life that is important to them, and are as one coach said, “beautiful inside and outside.” Shani is from Apple Valley

Minnesota Athletes at Rio (Summary)

Hassan Mead (Minneapolis South, University of Minnesota) placed 11th in the 5,000-meter run final. Stillwater High School and U of M graduate Ben Blankenship placed 8th in the 1,500-meter run final. Living in Arden Hills for a few years, badminton pairs player Paula Lynn Obanana and her playing partner did not place. Rugby was reintroduced

Day 10 p.m. at Eugene: Minnesota has a second Olympian!

Ben Blankenship dug down deep to recapture third place (3:36.18) from a hard-charging Lee Manzano after Manzano had edged ahead. It was reminiscent of Carrie Tollefson momentarily losing the lead of the 1500 meter finals in the 2004 Olympic Trials and then pulling ahead to win. Very exciting! Jess Lehman of the University of Minnesota

Day 9 at Eugene: Minnesota has a new Olympian

Day 9 at Eugene: Minnesota has a new Olympian! In a stirring and rousing 5,000-meter run, Hassan Mead claimed second place with a furious sprint and time of 13:35.70 behind 41-year-old Bernard Legat. Two gutsy runners staked out a 20 meter lead and the pack did not catch them until three laps to go. Galen

Day 8 at Eugene: Great news about two Minnesota athletes!

Gabriele Anderson Grunewald (Perham) ran a 4:11.86 and Ben Blankenship (Stillwater) in the fastest qualifying time of ran a 3:44.24 to qualify for the 1500-meter finals! Ben ran strongly and won his heat after leading the majority of the race. Gabe finished sixth in her heat with an impressive sprint and qualified on time. Sadly,

Day 7 at Eugene: A steady drizzle began after a few events.

Ben Blankenship (Stillwater) finished first in his heat of the 1500-meter run and Heather Dorniden of Rosemount (married to Ben Kampf) and Gabriele Anderson Grunewald (Perham) both qualifed for the semifinals on the women’s side. Gabriele Anderson Grunewald had competed in the 5000-meter run about two hours earlier–a gutsy performance. Heather had a strong finish

National Men’s Cross Country Championships–Open Division

With the start of the high school and college cross country season, here is some researched information on elite runners competing at the national level of an often overlooked race: the National Cross Country Championships. Past winners have included Frank Shorter, Jack Bachelor, Craig Virgin, and Alberto Salazar. But many Minnesota athletes have also made

Joel Maturi, Featured Speaker; U of M Women’s Volleyball Team

Today Joel Maturi was the program speaker at C.O.R.E.S. (Coaches, Officials, Reporters, Educators, and Sports Fans) at a luncheon in Bloomington. Joel was the University of Minnesota ( U of M) Athletic Director from 2002-2012. During his tenure he oversaw the difficult merging of the men’s and women’s athletic departments, attended hundreds of athletic events,