Around IU Sports

Men’s Tennis

Team looks to continue last weekend’s success

Good things seem to come in triplets for the No. 44 Hoosiers, who started off their season with three wins in last weekend’s triple header.

This weekend the men look toward another triple-header, beginning with the New Mexico Military Institute in New Albuquerque, N.M., their first meeting with the team.

“It’s going to be a couple of tough matches, especially against New Mexico,” sophomore Santiago Gruter said. “They’re going to be playing at home, so it’s important to have a lot of energy at the beginning of the match.”

After starting with only two losses at singles and none at doubles, IU will face No. 42 New Mexico. This match will be the schools’ third meeting since 1986.

“When we’re warming up we just figure out what their weaknesses are, what their strengths are in the first couple games,” Gruter said.

The triple-header will be completed Saturday afternoon against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, the first matchup between the No. 75 Islanders and the Hoosiers.

“Our goal is to come together as a team, get three doubles teams that can compete out there and six guys in singles,” Gruter said. “Our ultimate goal is to win.”
– By Stephanie Kuzydym

Track and Field

Longest meet of year awaits Hoosiers

For the first time this year, one day will not be enough to complete every event.

The Gladstein Invitational will take place both Friday and Saturday, instead of just Saturday like IU’s first two events this season.

At those two events, the Indiana Open and Indiana Invitational, IU won a combined total of 19 events and had eight athletes qualify provisionally for the national championship.
IU coach Ron Helmer said the event will be a good test for the Hoosiers.

“It is our first two-day meet, so we will see how we hold up in a two-day format, which is what the championship is,” Helmer said.

Molly Beckwith, who qualified provisionally for the national championship in the 800-meter run, said she hopes to get better this weekend.

“It was very exciting, but I have room to improve still,” Beckwith said. “I was expecting to run that fast and provisionally qualify, though.”
– By Ari Shifron

Women’s Tennis

No. 30 Hoosiers play 2 unranked teams

With coverage of the Australian Open airing nightly, the IU women’s tennis team looks ahead to its own competition-filled weekend.

Coming off a pair of 4-3 wins to begin the season, the No. 30 Hoosiers will take on Marquette and Ball State Sunday at 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., respectively, at the IU Tennis Center.

Marquette will be straight off a match against Michigan on Friday. Sophomore Myriam Sopel said the Hoosiers are looking forward to having a fresh start against Marquette and are not worried about not having a match on Friday as well.

“Even if we don’t play a match right before, we work hard already,” Sopel said. “I don’t think it really matters what we have. We are ready to compete. Even if it’s not the same pressure or kind of competition, we have practice. We will not underestimate them.”

Working on consistency drills and focusing on its doubles throughout the week, the team is looking to calm the tight-match fever from last weekend’s double header. 

Even with the pros’ fire-powered forehands and scorching backhands, Aussie fever hasn’t taken total control.

“It inspires me a lot, watching pros, but I’m not saying ‘Oh, I love this one. I’m going to try to do the same,’” Sopel said. “I’m just taking tips.”
–By Stephanie Kuzydym

Wrestling

Individual success main focus for IU

For the better part of three months, the focus of IU’s wrestling program has been success on the team level. While that goal is still on the minds of the No. 21 Hoosiers (13-2), their main focus has now turned to the individual level, beginning with Friday’s first conference match against No. 14 Penn State (7-6).

IU coach Duane Goldman said this time of the year is crucial because of post-season seedings at stake for each of his wrestlers.

“We’ve got quite a few competitions behind us, and we’re hoping to start seeing the full picture,” Goldman said. “It’s not the end of the year, but we’d like to see the aspects of our wrestling team come together.” 

IU will wrestle eight conference matches before the Big Ten Tournament in University Park, Pa., in March.

Sophomore Paul Young (165 lbs.), who finished 3-0 last weekend in the IU Quad meet, said early-season matches are a good lead-up to this part of the season.

“You’re starting on a new slate,” Young said. “We’ve had a good week of practice, and I feel like coach did a really good job of preparing us.”

Defending 125-lb. national champion Angel Escobedo said every practice and match is important at this stage.

“There are no off days, because every opponent is ranked, and that’s the biggest thing with the Big Ten,” he said.  
– By Frank Therber

Water Polo

IU kicks off season in Michigan

Competing against three Top 20 teams in two days will challenge IU’s defense this weekend.

The IU water polo team will begin its season at the Michigan Kick-Off in Ann Arbor, Mich., and IU coach Barry King said he is looking forward to the difficult matchups.

“Yeah, you always want to gauge yourself with good challenges,” King said in an e-mail. “It’s not useful to you this time of year to play competition that doesn’t test you as a group.”

The Hoosiers will take on No. 3 UCLA and No. 5 California on Saturday and No. 14 Cal State Northridge and unranked Colorado State on Sunday.

King said any upset will come from playing strong defense.

“We need to grind some and we need to limit people’s offensive opportunities by playing good, solid defense,” King said.
–By Andrew Wyder