Stars honored at showcase

After working hard all year long, IU athletes got to dress up and have some fun at the first-ever Spirit of Indiana Showcase awards ceremony Monday night.

Dozens of athletes received awards ranging from academic honors to leadership awards. In the past, they received their accolades in much smaller ceremonies that usually involved just one team.

This year, however, Athletics Director Fred Glass and the rest of the athletics department decided to make the award process a bit more glamorous, including an opening act that featured Daniel Weber and Brice Fox performing “This is Indiana” and a closing act that involved the singing talents of freshman basketball player Victor Oladipo.

Many of the athletes in attendance amused players and coaches alike with their stylish attire.

“It’s fun having a formal thing like this,” senior basketball player Matt Roth said. “You don’t normally see all your teammates and your fellow athletes dressed up. It’s kind of humorous. It’s fun. ... It’s different from anything we’ve had as athletes here.”

The formal atmosphere was no accident, as Glass wanted to draw inspiration not from other Big Ten schools, but from the Academy Awards. The ceremony was complete with a red carpet and receptions before and after the ceremony. At the pre-party, camera flashes and laughter filled the room.

“I am in heaven with all these beautiful athletes dressed so elegantly and behaving so well,” IU women’s basketball coach Felisha Legette-Jack said. “I think I’m more excited than the kids are.”

Interspersed between the awards were performances from athletes, from baseball player Jonny Hoffman playing the IU fight song on bassoon to cross country runner Ben Bizuneh delivering a comedy show that had some audience members howling with laughter. Sportscaster and award presenter Don Fischer brought a little more wit to the show by delivering little comments as athletes came to the stage to accept awards.

The newest award, which Glass created this winter, was the Spirit of Indiana Director’s Award. The award honored one senior male and one senior female athlete for displaying the true essence of what it means to be a Hoosier.

Football player Ben Chappell and softball player Sara Olson received the respective awards, ending what may have been the first of many Spirit of Indiana Showcase awards ceremonies.