MIKE PALMQUIST: FORTUNATE TO BE PART OF MINNESOTA RUNNING SCENE

April 11, 2024 An energetic 4th-grade kid living in Hibbing, Mike Palmquist, born in 1957, says, “I just started running around the school, a four-block area, and I’d feel better.”  It was the start of an illustrious running career for the oldest of seven children—all who would perform well in cross country and track—of James

TERESA DAHLEM: MANY MENTORS AND TRACK COACH’S ADMONISHMENT LED TO SUCCESSFUL ATHLETIC, OFFICIATING, AND EDUCATION CAREERS

December 13, 2022 It was probably a cultural shock to the Dennis and Nancy Dahlem family when they moved in 1974 from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Appleton, Minnesota (population 1,789 in 1970), a community 30 miles east of Big Stone Lake on the South Dakota border. The third of four children, Teresa had been active in

TINA KAMPA: PLAYING BIGGER

May 18, 2022 Adopted as an infant by Todd and Jean Kampa, Christina “Tina” was born in Bogota, Colombia, in 1999 and is now a 5’ 0” woman who has played Division I hockey with a big heart.  Starting out on figure skates, time on the ice was not easy for Tina.  “Getting a pair

GOPHER ACHIEVEMENTS

Readers may remember (or can scroll down and read) an article about the miraculous recoveries and courage of former Gopher baseball player and San Diego Padres coach Mark Merila. His son, Boston (St. Michael-Albertville), is now on the roster of the Gophers. Here’s a link to a recent article featuring more about him> https://gophersports.com/…/baseball-rounding-the-bases… Bethany

ELIZABETH YETZER SPEHAR: NO MATTER HOW I PERFORM, I AM LOVED

With older siblings following their mother’s footsteps, Elizabeth Yetzer says, “It [running] was a big part of my parents’ lives and we saw that modeled.  Naturally, you just kind of hop in.”  Jake, Rebekah, and Annie were the older siblings and Mary Stepka, the state runner-up in the mile run to future World Cross Country

MINNESOTA ATHLETES AT THE PAN AM GAMES; SWIMMING OLYMPIC TRIALS CUTS; AND REGAN SMITH

Sincere and hearty congratulations to Regan Smith (Lakeville) for setting two world records at the World Championships in South Korea! The 17-year-old athlete won individual titles in the 100- and 200-meter backstroke and swam the opening leg in the 4 x 100-meter medley. The quiet, modest swimmer is the youngest member on the senior national

MINNESOTA VOLLEYBALL PLAYERS ON NATIONAL TEAM; GRANDMA’S RACE THIS WEEKEND

Minnesota has impressive representation on the 25-player USA Volleyball Nations League (VNL) roster: Sarah Parsons (Eden Prairie), Tori Dixon (Burnsville), Lauren Gibbemeyer (St. Paul), and Paige Tapp (Stewartville) are on the team and all but Tapp are returning members. Sarah Parsons and Paige Tapp recently helped a professional team in Stuttgart claim the German league

SINGING FOR THE UNSUNG MINNESOTA ATHLETES

As a classroom teacher, it was always fun and rewarding to learn of the contributions students have been able to make in society. A student struggling academically became a gifted mechanic while a somewhat uncoordinated girl became a star softball player at Apple Valley; a roommate, Arne Graff, persevered to become a prominent physician at

Minnesota Has a National Swimming Champion, New M Club Hall of Fame Members

Teen swimming sensation Regan Smith (Lakeville) tied with Kathleen Baker for the 200-meter backstroke national championship title in Irvine, California, in a time of 2:06.43. Regan qualified for the senior World Championships last year as a 15-year-old! Also having a strong meet was Lindsey Kozelsky (nee Horesji from Albert Lea, U of M) tied for

Cheers For Achievements, Historic Race!

Lots to cheer about . . . Congratulations to Hugh McCutcheon, head coach of the University of Minnesota (U of M) women’s volleyball team, on the announcement of being inducted into the International Volleyball Hall of Fame. Several U of M athletes from Minnesota received Academic All-District awards: Lindsey Smits (Lakeville, track), Derek Wiebke (Kasson,

Duluth Races, More Minnesota Sports Hall of Fame Inductees

Several races were hosted in Duluth in conjunction with Grandma’s Marathon and many runners with Minnesota connections had notable achievements. Carrie Tollefson a recent Villanova University Hall of Fame inductee, won the women’s William Irvin 5K with a time of 18:21 while Team USA Minnesota runner Tyler Jermann placed an impressive 12th in the marathon.

Many Spring Sport Successes

Spring burst on the landscape suddenly after heavy snowfalls in April, but it has brought a pair of wonderful Big 10 championships to University of Minnesota women in softball and outdoor track and field and the baseball team is currently leading the conference. Many Minnesota athletes had outstanding performances at the Marine Corps U. S.

The cross country World Cup series concluded and we want to celebrate the successes the Minnesota athletes and their teammates.

Congratulations to Jessie Diggins (Afton, graduate of Stillwater High School) capturing second place overall in the prestigious endurance series of nearly 30 races spreading from late November to mid-March with the Winter Olympics sandwiched in between. Teammate Sadie Bjornsen placed 6th overall to make for an impressive American showing and the by far the the

This is the second part of a sports series on autumn sports.

Congratulations to Darrell Thompson (Rochester John Marshall), Krissy Pohl (Brooklyn Park, picture below), and Heather Van Norman for being inducted into the Minnesota State High School League Hall of Fame last Sunday. Officials, athletic and activity coaches, and administrators also joined the elite group. More than 40 players on the current University of Minnesota football

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