Gophers' Tori McKinney named Big Ten Freshman of the Week

McKinney is the first Minnesota to take home the award in 11 months.

Tori McKinney / Picture via: GopherSports

Gophers guard Tori McKinney was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week on Monday. She is the first Minnesota player to win the award since Grace Grocholski last February.

NEWS: #Gophers freshman guard Tori McKinney (@tori_mckinney_) has been named Big Ten Freshman of the Week.

In her last 3 games, she has averaged 12.3p, 3.6r and 5a per game. She's the first UMN player to win the award since Grace Grocholski last Feb. https://t.co/fuvBcImvSi pic.twitter.com/Q1jhojW2uj

— Tony Liebert (@TonyLiebert) January 6, 2025

Hailing from Minnetonka, Minn., McKinney has stepped up in a big way since guard Mara Braun went down with an injury. She has started the last 11 games for Minnesota and she has averaged 12.6 points per game. In the last three games, she averaged 12.3 points, 3.6 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game. She scored a career-high 25 points in Minnesota's first Big Ten win of the season against Penn State.

McKinney has been on campus for less than 10 months, but she has already made a huge impact. The Gophers will return to action on Wednesday, Dec. 8 against Rutgers, as they look for their sixth straight win and 16th overall.

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