A timeline of a handful of modern key moments in the field of Minnesota women’s sports:
In 1999, Minnesota Lynx make their WNBA debut
In 2008, Wrestler Ali Bernard on her way to Beijing Olympics
In 2011, the Minnesota Lynx make it to the WNBA finals for the first time
In 2017, St. Paul’s Suni Lee sees her Olympic dream on the horizon
These and more that you can hear in this curated collection.
[This collection was curated by Shandi Burrows, Archival Assistant]
June 11, 1999 - MPR’s Michael Khoo reports on Minnesota Lynx as they begin their first season in the Women's National Basketball Association, hosting the Detroit Shock at the Target Center in Minneapolis. Khoo highlights the excitement for a hometown women's basketball team.
October 6, 2000 - MPR’s Annie Feidt reports on the University of Minnesota's newest varsity team, the women's rowing team, as it prepares for its first competition. They will race in the Head of the Mississippi regatta, a three-mile race on the Mississippi River that cuts through the middle of campus.
November 22, 2000 - MPR’s Patty Marsicano reports on the University of Minnesota's Women's Athletic Department, as it turns 25, and shares how the department has grown since its start in 1975. Marsicano interviews a variety of student athletes, as well as the women’s athletic director at U of M.
February 5, 2001 - MPR’s Chris Julin reports from Cloquet High School, “checking” the growing popularity of high school girls hockey. In 2001, 120 Minnesota high schools have girls hockey teams and two-thirds of the girls playing high school hockey in the entire country live in Minnesota.
March 21, 2001 - MPR’s William Wilcoxen previews the first Women's Hockey Final Four. Wilcoxen interviews players and fans about their feelings on the first NCAA Women’s Hockey Championship, which is being hosted at the University of Minnesota’s Mariucci Arena.
July 4, 2001 - A day before Independence Day, a record 15,000 soccer fans turned out at the National Sports Center to wave Old Glory and cheer the U.S. national women's team in its 1-0 victory over Canada in a holiday exhibition match. MPR’s William Wilcoxen captures the day.
December 14, 2001 - Mainstreet Radio’s Chris Julin profiles the reigning national champion Bulldogs, University of Minnesota-Duluth women’s hockey team. But they're a bit confused about their identity this season, as the team's roster changes from game to game. Several of the team's stars are taking off a week here and there to train for the Olympics…and they're playing with four different national teams.
December 14, 2001 - MPR sports commentator Jay Weiner speaks on why University of Minnesota merging men's and women's athletic departments is a mistake.
January 31, 2002 - Mainstreet Radio's Tom Robertson interviews and reports on two Bemidji sisters, Kari Erickson and Stacey Liapis, as they prepare to compete in the Olympics as curlers. The two, coached by their dad, will compete in Salt Lake City for Olympic gold.
May 1, 2002 - MPR’s Marisa Helms reports on the 28th Berg Celebration, being held on the Minneapolis campus at University of Minnesota. This annual event to honor women athletes at the University of Minnesota has special significance in 2002, because recently university officials announced they will merge the men's and women's intercollegiate athletics departments.