2000

Ah, 2000. Seems like only yesterday. I was just a kid then...of 50. I was still workin' for a living and so I wasn't following our sports teams as closely as I did as a younger man or as closely as I do now. But, I still remember 41-0 and I still remember Kevin Garnett and a sense that the Timberwolves were destined for greatness. I wasn't following Gopher women's hockey yet. My mistake. 

In just their third season, the Minnesota Gopher women’s hockey team won the national title, then contested under the banner of the American Women’s Collegiate Hockey Association (AWCHA). They finished second to Minnesota-Duluth in both the regular season and the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) playoffs. They shocked the Bulldogs 3-2 in the national semi, as Nadine Muzerall scored the winning goal, then beat Brown 4-2 for the title. Laura Halldorson was the first Gopher women’s hockey coach.

• The Augsburg wrestlers won their sixth NCAA title in ten years under coach Jeff Swenson, also winning a record four individual titles. Brock Lesnar won the NCAA heavyweight championship for the Gopher wrestlers to finish his career with a 106-5 record. 

• It was a big year for Minnesota softball. The Long Haul Truckers of Albertville won their second national title. Wes Campbell batted .868, Kris O’Hara hit 17 home runs, and Dennis Pulli was named Most Valuable Player (MVP). St. Mary’s won the NCAA Division 3 title. St. Bernard’s won its fifth state title as Jaime Naglosky was the first pitcher to throw two no-hitters in one tourney. 

• The Minnesota Vikings were a respectable 11-5, but rolled over for the New York Giants 41-0 in the NFC final. The Timberwolves doubled their wins from 25 to 50 as Kevin Garnett posted career highs of 23 points per game, twelve rebounds and five assists and made 37 percent of his three-point attempts. He made as many as 30 percent only one other time in his career. The Minnesota Thunder soccer team went 20-4-4 under coach Buzz Lagos, and finished as runner-up in the United States League A-League (USL-A).

Year	Athlete of the Year	Team of the Year	Fearless Leader	Event of the Year
2000	1. Brock Lesnar, Minnesota Gopher wrestling (NCAA individual champion) 2. Nadine Muzerall, Minnesota Gopher women’s hockey 3. Kevin Garnett, Minnesota Timberwolves	1. Minnesota Gopher women’s hockey (21-2-1, AWCHA champion) 2. Augsburg wrestling (12-1, NCAA Division 3 champion) 3 (tie). Long Haul Truckers softball (national champion) St. Mary’s softball (NCAA Division 3 champion)	1. Laura Halldorson, Minnesota Gopher women’s hockey 2. Jeff Swenson, Augsburg wrestling 3. Buzz Lagos, Minnesota Thunder	1. The Minnesota Gophers beat UMD 3-2 to win their first national women’s hockey title. 2. The New York Giants stomped the Minnesota Vikings 41-0 in the NFC finals. 3. Jaime Naglosky threw 2 no-hitters to lead St. Bernard’s to the state softball title.