Simley’s Jake Short and Apple Valley’s Jaryn Pipkins made history Tuesday as winners of the St. Paul Downtown Lions Club amateur athlete of the year awards during a banquet at the Prom Center in Oakdale.

Short, the top-ranked 152-pound wrestler in the nation, is the first winner from the Inver Grove Heights-based high school.

Pipkins, a basketball and track and field standout, is the third winner from Apple Valley, but first female winner from the high school. Continue reading at www.twincities.com

MARSHALL, Minn. – Southwest Minnesota State University head wrestling coach Jesse Nelson announced today the signing of 13 student-athletes for the 2013-14 season. Matt Arnold, Ashton Bartlett, Trent Butcher, Derek Carlson, Trevor Mahlum, Craig Mass, Antonio Meikel, Vaughn Monreal-Berner, Hunter Rehbein, Dylan Riggle, Colton Stoddard, Devin Tortorice and Colton Vekved have all signed letters of intent to continue their academic and athletic careers at SMSU.

The 13 student-athletes bring SMSU’s 2013-14 recruiting class to 15 as today’s signees join Taylor Curtis and Eugene Martin who committed during the early signing period last November. Continue reading »