News

Derreck Robinson, a graduate of DeLaSalle High School, recently passed away at the age of 43. Robinson had an impressive athletic resume from his time playing football and basketball at DeLaSalle, to the Iowa Hawkeyes football team, and then the NFL. 

Jimmy Abdo, a graduate of Edina High School, recently made it to the quarterfinals of the United States Golf Association (USGA) 125th U.S. Amateur Championship.

Matt Wilkinson, a graduate of Minnetonka High School, recently qualified for the Olympics in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. Wilkinson started running the steeplechase at Carleton College and won two NCAA titles with the Knights. He also competed for the University of Minnesota.

Gabby Billing, a Breck School graduate, was recently named the Hockey Partnerships Coordinate for the Minnesota Wild. Billings spent her first four collegiate seasons playing hockey for Dartmouth College, before transferring to the University of St. Thomas

Nate Schmidt, a graduate of St. Cloud Cathedral, recently became the first St. Cloud hockey player to hoist the Stanley Cup. Schmidt, who was a defenseman for the Florida Panthers, played in 80 games in the 2024-2025 season. On July 1, 2025, Schmidt signed a three-year contract with the Utah Mammoth.

Chet Holmgren, a graduate of Minnehaha Academy, recently won an NBA championship with the Oklahoma City Thunder. During the Western Conference finals, Holmgren's former coach and teammates reflected on his high school career and journey to the NBA.

After 40 years, a page was set aside for Blaine baseball’s longtime statistician and assistant coach Bill Zenner. He was recently honored in a celebration at the Blaine Baseball Complex.

Two adapted bowling coaches, Steve Tischer of Cambridge-Isanti and Alyssa Nelson of North Branch Area, recently spoke with the County News Review about the unique opportunities their programs offer.

Eden Prairie High School’s Linda Wallenberg has been named Minnesota’s Teacher of the Year. She has been in the classroom for nearly five decades and is also a nationally renowned gymnastics coach.

Ahmed Amin recently took the reins as the principal at Minneapolis South High School. Amin, a graduate of Minneapolis Roosevelt, was a teacher at Roosevelt and principal at Sanford Middle School before accepting his current position.

On March 14, Dan Jourdain, Jonathan White and Phillip Johnson became the first all-Indigenous three-man referee crew to officiate a Minnesota basketball state tournament game.

Shelly Foster, a graduate of Cass Lake High School, was recently inducted into the 2025 North American Indigenous Athletics Hall of Fame. Foster walked on the Stanford University Volleyball team in the spring of her sophomore year and played two season for the Cardinals as a libero.