Gophers fifth-year forward Audrey Wethington took a few minutes to speak to the media this week ahead of her team’s weekend showdown with second-ranked Ohio State. Perhaps the most remarkable thing about it was the fact that Wethington could find the time to chat.
Wethington, 22, has been a regular presence on the Gophers’ line chart since coming to the U following a stellar prep career at The Blake School and has done that while earning a bachelor’s degree in Biology — with a 4.0 GPA — more than a year ago, pursuing a master’s degree in Biological Sciences, and weighing her options regarding which medical school she will attend in the fall.
Earlier this month, Wethington was one of 14 nominees for the Hockey Humanitarian Award given each year to one college hockey player, male or female, judged to be the game’s finest citizen. While announcing the nomination, UMN put out a press release with a lengthy list of all Wethington’s accomplishments, on and off the ice.
“It takes a long time to read everything that she’s been able to do,” Gophers coach Brad Frost said. “When you look at what our program represents, Audrey Wethington is one of those people. She’s dreamt of being a Gopher from early on.”
That Audrey and her older sister Madeline ended up in maroon and gold may have been a surprise to some, considering the fact that their mother, Kerri Brodt-Wethington, was the first head coach for the St. Cloud State women’s program. But their aunt Winny Brodt Brown was one of the first stars for the Minnesota program, and ingrained a part of Gopher Nation in the girls’ psyches from an early age.
Madeline, the 2019 Minnesota Ms. Hockey winner at The Blake School, played five seasons on the Gophers’ blue line and was a late-round draft pick by Ottawa of the PWHL. One of the pro team’s final training camp cuts, Madeline is currently a researcher with the U of M’s Visible Heart Laboratories and is considering her own medical school options.
Audrey said she has gotten good at balancing her time between hockey, schoolwork and the more than 200 hours of volunteer work she has logged at Masonic Children’s Hospital over the past two years, among a host of other community service projects.
“I just find value in … being able to find time for that,” she said. “I’ll be going to medical school next year. Still figuring out where I’m gonna be going, but that’s the plan and I’m really excited for this next journey ahead.”
With the Buckeyes inbound, the focus switches back to hockey, in a big way. Ohio State, coached by former Gophers standout Nadine Muzerall, has won two of the past three NCAA titles and took five of the possible six points from the second-ranked Gophers when they met in Columbus early in the season.
With top-ranked Wisconsin holding an all-but-insurmountable lead atop the WCHA standings, the weekend series between the Gophers (21-5-1 overall) and Ohio State (20-5-3) is realistically a battle for second place.
“It’s not going to define our season one way or another, but you know it’s number two versus number three,” Frost said. “Every point matters right now in the WCHA, and there are national implications as well.”
Friday’s game at Ridder Arena is a 6 p.m. start, with the Saturday rematch facing off at 2 p.m. Both games can be streamed on B1G+.
Related Articles
St. Thomas hands reins to women’s hockey coach Bethany Brausen
Women’s hockey: Gophers skate past Bemidji State outdoors for Hockey Day
Gophers women top Bemidji State on pair of Murphy goals
Important WCHA points at stake as Gophers, Beavers head outside for Hockey Day
Josefin Bouveng hat trick leads Gophers past Minnesota State
Leave a Reply