Minnesota Scene: World shot put champion from Lakeville chosen to first Paralympics team

Josh Cinnamo of Lakeville, the reigning world champion in the shot put and the world record holder in his classification, was named to his first U.S. Paralympic track and field team on Thursday.

Also making the team was Aaron Pike of Park Rapids, a specialist in wheelchair distance events. He was selected for his fifth Paralympics, having twice been to the Summer Games (London and Rio) and Winter Games (Sochi and Pyeongchang).

He has competed in biathlon and cross-country skiing in the Winter Paralympics, and in the marathon at the Summer Paralympics. At the recent U.S. Paralympic track and field trials at Breck School, he raced the 800 meters, 1,500 and 5,000.

St. Thomas men's hockey coach Rico Blasi on Thursday announced the hiring of two assistant coaches for the Tommies' first season as an NCAA Division I program: former Colorado College assistant Leon Hayward and former Gophers and Wild player Stu Bickel.

Hayward will start his 15th season as assistant coach this fall, including the past four at Colorado College, where he also served as the program's recruiting coordinator. Hayward, 42, played at Northeastern from 1998-2002 before playing minor league hockey for five seasons. He also coached high school hockey in Connecticut and Massachusetts.

Bickel played for the Gophers in the 2007-08 season and served as a Minnesota graduate assistant from 2018-20. Last season, he served as coach and associate general manager of the Minnesota Magicians of the North American Hockey League. The Magicians won the NAHL's Midwest Division finals and advanced to the Robertson Cup semifinals for the first time in their eight seasons.

Bickel, a Chanhassen native, played 76 NHL games over three seasons, including nine games for the Wild in 2014-15.

The Magicians named former St. Thomas assistant Nick Bydal as their head coach.

Randy Johnson

John Nachtsheim, a member of the Robbinsdale High School and Minnesota Duluth Athletic Halls of Fame, died Thursday.

Nachtsheim, 81, was a standout in football, basketball and track at Robbinsdale High School. He earned football All-MIAC honors three times at Minnesota Duluth, and was the MIAC's co-MVP in 1962.

He signed a contract with the Vikings in 1963, but decided to go into teaching and coaching.

JOEL RIPPEL

Gabi Haack, a senior basketball guard from Elk River, was chosen by Bradley's Varsity Club as its Most Outstanding Female Athlete. Haack, the first three-time first-team All-Missouri Valley selection in program history, was named the MVC's Dr. Charlotte West Award winner, awarded annually for academic achievement, athletics excellence and service and leadership.