Gophers athletics has declared Sunday to be Kathleen Ridder Day. Her memory will be honored at a Gophers women's hockey game, and volleyball and soccer matches that day.
Ridder was one of the University of Minnesota's most ardent supporters of women's athletics. A lifelong philanthropist and advocate of equal rights for women, Ridder championed various social causes throughout her life. She died on April 3, 2017.
The Gophers women's hockey team will hold a ceremonial puck drop before Sunday's 2 p.m. game against Team Korea with Ridder's daughter, Kathleen Ridder Crampton, and the team will wear helmet stickers in her honor.
Kathleen Ridder and her husband, Robert, were instrumental in the building of Ridder Arena, the nation's first arena dedicated to women's hockey which bears their name.
The Golden Gopher Fund will host a brunch to honor Ridder Sunday morning. Afterward she will be recognized when the volleyball team plays Michigan State at noon at Maturi Pavilion and the soccer team plays the Spartans at 1 p.m. at Elizabeth Lyle Robbie Stadium.
Klasse wins 17th title
Leigh Klasse of Keller Golf Club shot a closing 6-over 78 to win the MGA Senior Women's Amateur at Crow River GC in Hutchinson, Minn. Her 151 total beat Claudia Pilot by three shots; it was her 17th women's senior title in state tournaments since becoming eligible to play in them in 2010.
