This year marks Gophers men’s gymnastics head coach Mike Burns’ 20th year coaching with Minnesota.

Burns started coaching for the University of Minnesota in 2005. He has been with the team since they were still considered Division I, and he stayed with the team even after they lost that title.

Burns actively impacts his players every day with his coaching style. Multiple team members said that he feels like a friend and a coach.

Kellen Ryan, a University graduate who played his last gymnastics semester with DI team Penn State, has known Burns since he was 10 years old. Ryan met Burns at the Gophers gymnastics camp, and it was Ryan’s dream to be a part of the Golden Gophers.

Despite the devastating loss of DI status, Ryan said he still decided to join the Gophers with the hopes of being able to transfer to a DI team. He added that he loves the way Burns runs his program.

“I like that it still feels like a Division I program even though we don’t currently have that title,” Ryan said. “He’s been my mentor and also a really cool friend.”

Ryan added that one of the things that is important for a coach is to be able to relate to their players, and he feels like he can completely relate to coach Burns.

Burns said that one of his personal goals while coaching gymnastics is finding a cause-and-effect relationship. He said that it is sometimes easy to see how a routine failed, but it is not always easy to know why it failed.

“It is like a detective game,” Burns said. “You are trying to work your way back to the beginning of the source of the problem.”

This type of coaching style helped his players discover new things about themselves as athletes.

Brandon Kim, a junior on the gymnastics team and newly appointed captain, said Burns helped him realize that perfection is not attainable. Going into college gymnastics, Kim said he believed that the main point was finding perfection in all his routines.

Kim said that Burns helped him realize otherwise.

“My biggest takeaway from this program is that it is good to have high expectations for yourself, but you need to be reasonable about the process,” Kim said.

Kim added that as a perfectionist himself, Burns’ advice helps him focus on the process and what is happening in the moment rather than focusing on the what-ifs.

Burns supports his players in their own practice as well as their personal endeavors. 

Gymnastics sophomore Paul Acker recently competed in the French National Gymnastics Championships. 

Acker is a dual citizen between France and the U.S. and was chosen to compete in the championship. He said that he had lots of support from Burns throughout the process. 

“He was immediately supportive,” Acker said. “It was great to know that I had the support of a coach.” 

Acker said Burns encouraged him to go to the event, even though it was between two big competitions for the team. Burns also helped Acker build an individual routine for the championship. 

Kim said Burns helped him pack, drove him to practice every day and drove him to the airport. 

However, Kim also clarified that while Burns can feel like a friend, he is still very much their coach and they should communicate with him as such. 

Burns said that gymnastics has done a lot for him and changed him into the person he is today.

“I like this person more than the person I was before,” Burns said. “It has just provided a lot for me. I feel duty-bound to keep it going here.”

What is your favorite college memory? 

I’ll share something from academics and athletics. A favorite memory of mine as a student-athlete on the women’s ice hockey team was playing Worcester State at the DCU center as well as all of the playoff hockey over the years. This year we had our most wins in program history. In academics, presenting my senior thesis before my faculty and fellow students last fall was another great memory from my time at Anna Maria.

What’s your biggest post-grad goal and how will your AMC education help you achieve it? 

My biggest goal following graduation is to earn a master’s or doctorate degree in physical therapy. While this is a competitive and rigorous program, my time here as a health science student has provided me with the knowledge and tools to achieve this. Various courses such as anatomy & physiology, neuropsychology, and genetics have fuelled my interest in the sciences and challenged me academically. I have also had the opportunity to shadow physical therapists in the community which has allowed me to better understand the profession and gain experience in the field.

What was your go-to study spot? 

My favorite spot to study would be NU kitchen in Worcester. This is typically where I would go to work on my senior thesis. Another great spot is a study room in St. Anne’s where I usually go to study with friends to prepare for an exam.

Who has been your favorite professor? 

Every health science faculty member has had such a great influence on my academic experience that I can’t pick one favorite. Dr Marden, Dr. Gow, Dr. Griffon, and Dr. P are a few professors who have really helped me through the last four years. I am so grateful for their guidance and support.

DENVER — Home is where the heart is, and for University of Denver men’s hockey coach David Carle, his home is in Denver.

“We chose to make the decision we thought was best for our family,” said Carle when asked about factors that contributed to him signing a multi-year extension.

Carle was perhaps the most coveted candidate during the NHL’s most recent coaching vacancy cycle, so much so that some pundits believed a jaunt north on Interstate 25 to supplant Jared Bednar at Ball Arena may be worth the risk for the Colorado Avalanche.

His record speaks for itself. Carle’s 0.694 career winning percentage is the highest all-time among DU hockey coaches. Two national championships, four Frozen Four appearances, and it seemed a natural progression in Carle’s career to test pro hockey’s waters.

When Denver7 asked why the time wasn’t right to make that jump, Carle’s answer was as pragmatic as it’s been consistent:

“I’ve stated it before, there’s no issue in being patient,” said Carle. “27 of 32 jobs have turned over in the last three years. Some of those jobs have turned over multiple times. It’s a reality that I’d be foolish to put my head in the sand and not think it’s a real thing.”

Job security, although high on his list of reasons, wasn’t at the heart of what’s keeping Carle at DU.

“This is, I think, the best job outside of the NHL,” said Carle. “Potentially a better job, and some guys in the NHL would trade with me if they had that opportunity. I love working with our players, I love working in this environment. We love living in Denver, we think it’s a wonderful place to raise our kids.”

With three kids vying for dad’s attention, including a 7-week-old, Carle said keeping his life consistent while continuing to build up the Pioneers’ program ended up being an obvious choice.

“The investment that the school continues to put into our hockey program to ensure that it’s at an elite level is much appreciated,” said Carle.

As it relates to investment, Carle is putting his money where his mouth is to keep Denver competing for national championships.

He’s committing to a multi-year major gift pledge to support current and new initiatives within the hockey program. Carle will be the first Denver Athletics head coach to join the department’s Gold Standard Society. His gift will directly support the Murray Armstrong Hockey Student-Athlete Enhancement Fund and the Athletics Excellence Fund.

“In today’s changing college athletic landscape, we are grateful for philanthropy and season-ticket holder support more than ever to help our program stay at the highest level,” said Carle. “The legacy of Denver hockey wouldn’t be where it is without the foundation laid by coach Murray Armstrong. My family and I are honored to support the Murray Armstrong Fund and become members of the Gold Standard Society with the signing of this agreement. I would invite others to honor Murray’s legacy and support current and future initiatives of Pioneer Hockey at a time when it is as crucial as ever.”

Carle’s impact will reach beyond Denver’s campus. His goal is to impact the entire sport of college hockey in a positive way.

“I’ve spoken a lot on the NCAA regional format and trying to get that changed,” said Carle. “College hockey is a wonderful thing, and we all owe it a lot. Our effort is to try and grow it and make it better.”

ATHENS, Ga.  — Sam Landry didn’t permit a base hit outside of the infield, fanning seven en route to a complete game performance in No. 2/2 Oklahoma Softball’s (44-7) 4-1 win against No. 9/10 LSU (41-14) in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) Tournament Quarterfinals Thursday, May 8.

OU got all of its run production from Cydney Sanders and Sydney Barker who combined for four RBIs. Sanders launched a two-run home run and took a hit by pitch with the bags loaded, while Barker singled in a run.

OU 4, LSU 1

OU pushed across one run in the first inning on three walks and an RBI hit by a pitch from Cydney Sanders. 

Neither pitcher budged over the next two frames until the Sooners scratched across another run for a 2-0 lead in the fourth. Sanders drew a leadoff walk before pinch runner Chaney Helton took second base on a wild pitch. Ailana Agbayani pushed her up another 60 feet with a groundout and Sydney Barker delivered an RBI single.

Insurance came via the bat of Sanders as she launched a two-run home run in the bottom of the fifth to push the lead to 4-0. Ella Parker doubled ahead of the home run and eventually scored. 

LSU loaded the bags in the sixth, but Landry worked through the middle of the LSU order and only permitted one run as the Sooners took a 4-1 lead into the seventh. Landry retired the side in the final frame, earning her 15th complete game.

Pitchers of Record

Win: Sam Landry (19-4)

Loss: Sydney Berzon (17-7)

Statistical Snapshot

• Cydney Sanders | 1-for-1, HR, 3RBIs, BB, HBP
• Sydney Barker | 1-for-3, RBI
• Ella Parker | 1-for-3, R, BB
• Sam Landry | W, CG, 7.0 IP, H, ER, 4BBs, 7Ks

Notes

• Sam Landry posted her 15th game with at least five strikeouts and the 50th game of her career with at least that total
• OU is 9-4 against top-10 teams this year
• Landry posted her 15th complete game of the season
• It was the Sooners’ first ever game in the SEC Tournament
• Sanders posted the 56th home run of the season

Up Next
No. 2/2 Oklahoma meets No. 6/7 Arkansas in the SEC Tournament Semifinals Friday, May 9 at 4 p.m. ET / 3 p.m. CT. The game will be broadcast on ESPN2. The Razorbacks are seeded fifth in the SEC Tournament. 
 

La CRESCENT — Eriah Hayes set all of the scoring records for the La Crescent-Hokah boys hockey program during his four seasons on the varsity team, from 2003-07.

He had a front row seat over the past six years to watch his records be broken by 2024 La Crescent-Hokah graduate Wyatt Farrell.

But after six seasons at the helm of the program he grew up dreaming of starring for — then actually starring for — Hayes has decided to resign as head coach of the La Crescent-Hokah boys hockey team after six seasons in that role.

Hayes, a former Division I college and high-level pro hockey player, has more than one reason for stepping away from the high school program. He and his wife Katie have four children now; Hayes would like to spend more time with them than the grind of the winter sports season allows. He also wants to devote more time to the Five7 AAA developmental program he has started within the past five years.

Specifically, Hayes will spend two or three days per week coaching an Eau Claire-based Tier I AAA team this winter. Justin Kendall, one of his top assistant coaches at La Crescent-Hokah, will make the move, too, and continue to coach with him. They’ll lead a team of 2013-born players from across Wisconsin.

“That age group, one thing that excites me is just how hard-working this group of kids is,” Hayes said. “Every single kid has aspirations to play at the Division I (college) level. The work they put in on a day-to-day basis, that’s what I’m most excited about.”

La Crescent-Hokah Schools is in the process of searching for a new varsity coach.

Whoever fills those skates will have a relatively full cupboard to work with, and more help on the way. Hayes built up a program that went to the Section 1, Class 1A semifinals — the deepest the Lancers have ever gone in the playoffs — twice in his six seasons. They won a program-record 24 games in 2023-24, a team that sparked a bit of a hockey revival in the town tucked in the extreme southeastern corner of the state.

That group was led by then-seniors Wyatt Farrell and Noah Gillette. Farrell tied former Little Falls star Ben Hanowski’s state record for goals in a high school career (196), while Gillette finished second in the state in scoring (47 goals, 86 points).

“It’s definitely a tough thing to step away from,” Hayes said, “but I’m really excited to see the numbers in our youth program. The high school team, with the year we had last year, it’s helped our youth program immensely, the numbers we have, all the way down to our mite and squirt levels.”

Hayes and his family will continue to live in La Crescent — “we’re not moving; my roots are deeply planted in La Crescent,” he said.

“I’ll still be heavily involved in the youth hockey association,” he said. “My daughter will be on a squirt team next year, so I’m hoping I can help coach her team, too.”

The Lancers went 9-14-4 in 2024-25, a year after losing perhaps the best senior class to come through the program, a class led by Farrell and Gillette.

La Crescent-Hokah had a 75-66-6 record in Hayes’ six seasons as head coach. It reached the section semifinals in 2021, falling to Mankato West, and in 2024, when it lost a fast-paced, entertaining 4-3 decision against Dodge County.

Hayes and his wife, Katie, moved back to southeastern Minnesota in the fall of 2017, when Eriah retired from playing pro hockey at age 29 after suffering multiple concussions and a fractured skull. A 6-foot-4, 210-pound right-shot forward, Hayes played three-plus seasons of pro hockey, including scoring one goal in 19 games in the NHL, all with the San Jose Sharks, the team that signed him out of Minnesota State University, Mankato, in 2013.

“I think it was my 13th game, against Calgary, and Patty Marleau made a really nice feed to me,” Hayes told the Post Bulletin in 2017, of his only NHL goal, which came in the 2013-14 season and was one of Marleau’s 574 career assists with the Sharks. “I’ll always remember getting to play alongside guys like Joe Thornton, Joe Pavelski and Brent Burns. Scoring a goal was the cherry on top.”

Hayes also played 164 games in the American Hockey League, the top minor league in the world. He scored 29 goals and had 32 assists, for 61 points, with the Worcester Sharks (2013-15) and Chicago Wolves (2015-16).

He played four seasons of Division I hockey at Minnesota State, from 2009-13, accumulating 52 goals and 44 assists, for 96 points. He scored 20 goals as a senior, his best college season, under then-first year MSU head coach Mike Hastings.

That college career came on the heels of an outstanding high school and junior hockey career. Hayes played for the North American Hockey League’s Topeka (Kan.) Roadrunners in 2007-08, putting up 30 goals and 56 points. He was elevated to the USHL the following year, where he had 27 goals and 45 points for the Waterloo (Iowa) Black Hawks.

Prior to that, Hayes set Lancers records with 135 career goals and 232 career points, marks that stood for 17 years. He’s proud to leave the La Crescent-Hokah high school program in a great spot.

“It means everything,” he said. “When you take over a program, that’s the ultimate goal is to grow the game of hockey in your area and I feel like we’ve done a good job of that. The numbers at the youth level speak for themselves. There’s a buzz with hockey in La Crescent and I think it’ll be that way for a long, long time.”

The La Crescent-Hokah boys hockey program had its best stretch ever over the past six years, with former Lancers star Eriah Hayes as the team’s head coach. Here’s a year-by-year look at the Lancers’ success under Hayes:

Season	Record	Playoffs
2024-25	9-14-4
2023-24	24-3-0	Reached Section 1A semifinals
2022-23	18-8-0
2021-22	14-11-1
2020-21	6-14-0	Reached Section 1A semifinals
2019-20	4-16-1
TOTAL	75-66-6	— —

After President Donald Trump and Nick Saban met at Coleman Coliseum, it was announced that Trump might pass an executive order to increase oversight in NIL payments after the whole Tennessee-Iamaleava situation. Well, the first step towards that already appears to be in motion.

Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports reported on Wednesday that Trump is planning to form a presidential commission on college athletics that will work towards fixing the issues plaguing college football and Saban is to co-chair the commission along with Texas Tech NIL collective founder Cody Campbell, per “The Athletic” and Pete Nakos respectively.

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Trump is expected to engage directly with the commission, which will conduct an in-depth review of the current landscape, from Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) regulations to transfer portal mechanics and revenue distribution.

“College sports is a highly subsidized public good and should be regulated like the public good it is. A presidential commission offers the chance to bring fiscal sanity; restore regional conferences and competitive balance; and protect the future of non-revenue and Olympic sports,” A spokeswoman for Rep. Michael Baumgartner said in a statement to “The Athletic”.

Saban, who led Alabama to six national championships and established himself as one of college football’s most respected figures, will bring a coach’s perspective to policy discussions traditionally dominated by administrators and legislators.

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Critics warn that federal intervention could challenge the NCAA’s traditional autonomy and provoke legal disputes over funding and enforcement powers.

Stakeholders across the sport are watching closely, as any recommendations could reshape eligibility rules, revenue streams, and the overall competitive framework for seasons to come.

Related: Tennessee Gives Update on Touted QB Joey Aguilar