Around The Game

Crew team battles windy conditions, altered courses\nWindy weather forced the crew team to deal with delayed and re-routed race courses at the Jayhawk Invitational in Lawrence, Kan., Saturday and Sunday. But the Hoosiers handled Mother Nature and the rest of the six-team field by capping off their weekend with a first-place finish in the novice four boat competition. \nWith the victory, IU handed host Kansas one of two Jayhawk losses during the weekend. Sunday's weather improved, allowing the teams to use the full 2,000-meter course. Only 1,500 meters were used Saturday.\nThe Hoosiers' first varsity four squad stumbled against Kansas, finishing more than 30 seconds behind the winners. The first varsity eight boat also sputtered, finishing fifth in 7:14.2. Massachusetts claimed that race with a time of 6:56.2. Tulsa captured the other heat in 6:56.5 to finish second overall.\nThe first novice eight finished second in its race, 21 seconds behind Kansas and 13 seconds ahead of third-place Kansas State.\n"The racing went very well this morning," coach Mark Wilson said of Sunday's competition. "The Hoosiers bettered every race from Saturday. The varsity eight had a strong row and held on to Kansas State for the first half of the race. The varsity four is getting more together as they have more opportunities to race."\nIU won its novice eight heat Saturday morning and finished second overall, behind Kansas. IU posted a 4:39.1, while the Jayhawks raced to a time of 4:30.5.\nThe varsity four boat finished fifth, three seconds behind Iowa but 28 seconds behind winner Kansas. The IU varsity eight squad earned third place in its heat and sixth overall. Iowa won the varsity eight race.\nFour boats battled the wind in the afternoon, collecting two second place finishes, a third and a fourth. The first novice eight took second in its heat and second overall in 4:31.7. The Hoosiers edged out the winner of the second heat, Iowa, by 0.6 seconds. Kansas won the race in 4:18.3. The novice four placed second in 5:10.7, while the varsity four took third in 4:56.8. The first varsity eight raced to a 4:21.5 finish for fourth place.\n"Overall, it was a very good weekend," Wilson said. "We're ready to think about what we can do better this week technically to get ready for Dayton and Cincinnati."\nIU returns home to play host to Dayton and Cincinnati Saturday at Lake Lemon.\n38 Hoosiers earn\nBig Ten conference academic honors\nThe Big Ten announced Monday 38 IU student athletes earned academic All-Big Ten honors for the 2000-2001 winter sports season. \nConference-wide, 397 students were named Academic All-Conference. The 397 come from all winter sports, with 145 women's swimmers and divers leading the way. Sixty-eight wrestlers made the team, 48 men's swimmers and divers, 47 women's gymnasts, 35 women's basketball players and 21 men's basketball players. \nTo be eligible for Academic All-Big Ten honors, student-athletes must be a letterwinner in at least their second academic year at their institution and carry a career grade-point average of 3.0 or better. \nDiver Mamie Goodson was one of only two student-athletes to maintain a 4.0 grade-point average. Fellow swimmers Hiroki Naganobori earned a 3.93 and Anne Williams a 3.95. \nIU's other top honorees are men's basketball players Kirk Haston (3.30), Kyle Hornsby (3.29) and Jarrad Odle (3.0). Women's basketball player Heather Cassady earned the honor with a 3.40.\nRandle El named All-American \nby 'Playboy'\nMoving from quarterback to wide receiver didn't hurt Antwaan Randle El's status, at least as far as Playboy is concerned.\nIn fact, the magazine is calling the IU senior a "multiple threat."\nRandle El has been invited by Playboy to be a member of its 2001 Preseason College All-America Football Team. This marks the second time in three seasons IU will be represented on the magazine's All-America Football team. \nRandle El plans to attend two Dream Team photo sessions in Phoenix, May 11-13. \nWhen the team is announced in the October issue of the magazine, Playboy is expected to name Randle El as the first-ever "multiple threat" position player in the 45-year history of the team. \nIn 1999, IU defensive end Adewale Ogunleye was named to the squad. Ogunleye plays for the Miami Dolphins. \nRandle El, who also played baseball and basketball for the Hoosiers, is expected to graduate this summer and play the 2001 season as an IU graduate. Among active players, the elusive Randle El is first on the Big Ten's career passing list and second on the league's career rushing list.\nWith only 69 more rushing yards and 195 more passing yards, Randle El would become the only player in college football history to pass for 6,000 yards and rush for 3,000 yards in a career.