Jenna Wenass leads Gophers into a new era
MINNEAPOLIS -- Jenna Wenaas has read 14 books since May. Some fiction, some to help hone her mental game.
"Managing expectations for myself. Like, if I get blocked, hey it's next point, because my team still needs me in it, type of thing," said Wenaas.
The team will need her, in a new era, without the graduated All-American and two-time Big Ten player of the year, Stephanie Samedy.
"I kinda just want to do whatever I need to do," said Wenaas. "So I don't necessarily want to be Stephanie, but if the team needs a player like Stephanie, I definitely would like to be that player and would like to be that player."
"She continues to want to become the best that she can be," said Gophers head coach Hugh McCutcheon. "She's getting better all the time. It's great to coach an athlete that's so focused on improvement."
After a breakout season last fall, the workload for Wenaas as a junior will be heavier. The season starts in her home state of Texas.
"It would be cool to win in front of my family and friends and stuff, but bottom line, we're just going to go in, do our job, and get out," stated Wenaas.
Last year, Minnesota lost in the elite eight to eventual national champion Wisconsin. Yearly, teams aim high within the sports' toughest conference.
"We all think we can win the Big Ten," said Wenaas. "We think we could be national champions and so every day it's like, we're working now to be good in December."
The 2022 Gophers, led by Jenna Wenaas, starting a new chapter.