206 items found for your search. If no results were found please broaden your search.
(11/28/05 3:53pm)
MACOMB, Ill. -- For the third straight game, the IU men's basketball team topped 50 percent shooting and 99 points in its 102-79 victory against Western Illinois University Saturday night.\nAfter only five minutes, No. 20 IU (3-0) owned a double-digit lead, making seven of its first nine shots, including three three-pointers. On the night, IU drained 16 total long balls, the second highest three-point total in school history.\nThe Hoosiers also had a successful evening passing the ball, registering assists on 29 of their 36 field goals.\n"We've never passed the ball like this," IU coach Mike Davis said. "I love this team because of the unselfish play. We have guys on this basketball team that can score 20 points on any given night, but they'll let the 20 come to them." \nSenior Marco Killingsworth let a 20-point game come to him for the second time this season, pacing the Hoosiers with 22 points on 8-for-11 shooting. The Auburn transfer quieted the 5,021 in attendance early, slamming home IU's second basket of the game. He never relented from there, missing only one shot (a three-pointer) in the first half.\n"Just wait on that double team, that's what we've been saying," Killingsworth said. "Get it, hold it, wait on that double team and kick it out because eventually you're going to get your shine on."\nSophomore Robert Vaden had his coming out party in the Hoosiers' first road game, scoring a career-high 22 points, after scoring just 20 points in IU's first two games combined. The sophomore also set his career high for assists in the first half alone with six -- totaling eight for the game. \n"I think (Vaden) is one of the most underrated players in the country," Davis said. "I really appreciate him because he played (power forward)."\nThe Hoosiers had five players score in double figures, the most of the season. \nAmong the leading scorers were Killingsworth (22), Vaden (22), junior Rod Wilmont (15), senior Marshall Strickland (13) and junior Errek Suhr (13). Wilmont started for the first time this season and led IU with nine rebounds, while Suhr is the only bench player to hit double figures in all three games this year.\n"Errek Suhr is always the same," Davis said. "I hope people forget to read the scouting report on him because he's always open."\nThe Leathernecks hung with IU for much of the second half -- scoring 47 points to IU's 49. Forward Marlon Mahorn rose to the occasion in Western Illinois' first home game against a ranked opponent in more than 50 years. The nephew of former NBA great Rick Mahorn led the Leathernecks with 17 points behind a 4-for-5 three-point shooting effort.\nNext, IU will welcome No. 1 Duke to Assembly Hall Wednesday. The Hoosiers have yet to be tested for a full 40 minutes, and Davis hopes to keep it that way.\n"There are two things that coaches say that kind of puzzle me," he said. "That they want to be in close games, and they want to peak at the right time. I want to play well the whole year, and I don't want any close games"
(11/18/05 3:53pm)
During his freshman year, Sean Kline threw Assembly Hall into a frenzy with a between-the-legs slam that won him the Hoosier Hysteria dunk contest.\nIn his junior year, Kline threw Assembly Hall into a frenzy of a different sort -- one of heckels and boos.\nNow in his fifth and final season with the Hoosiers, Kline will start tonight's game against Nicholls State University back on Branch McKracken court. And with the past behind him, Kline is ready to redefine himself -- again.\n"I've got a different mentality," he said. "This is the last year. It's no holds barred -- this is it. If you don't get it done now, you're never going to get another opportunity."\nKline starts tonight at forward in place of injured sophomore D.J. White, but fans shouldn't expect to see the same player that incited jeers last season. The fifth-year senior lost weight in the offseason, bringing his playing weight back to a more suitable 233 pounds. Several teammates cited Kline's quickness and agility as the most visible difference between this year and last.\nA season-ending knee injury marred Kline's sophomore season, and the effects carried into last year. So with the team struggling and Kline still recovering, senior guard Marshall Strickland feels the IU faithful took much of their frustration out on the forward. \n"He was kind of the scapegoat," Strickland said. "People picked on him, but we all rallied around him. We had his back even when he was playing bad and I think that has really paid off because he's a better player and a stronger person."\nIU's No. 23 played in 18 games last season, starting only three. The knee injury hindered his playing time in December and January, shortly after he recorded eight points and three rebounds in a start against Charlotte University. But oddly enough, the hampering knee opened more playing time for the then-freshman forward White. With the roles now reversed, it will be Kline looking to take advantage of increased playing time due to White's broken left foot.\n"I think he can just come in and play his game," Strickland said. "He's not going to be looked on to be a star... He doesn't have to come on the floor and be Karl Malone."\nIt's easy to forget that five years ago Kline came to IU as a highly touted all-state player. He graduated from Huntington North High School as the school's all-time leading scorer, rebounder and shot blocker, and regularly put up more than 20 points and 10 rebounds on any given night. \nBut even though most of the IU student body wasn't around for those days, there are still those around the Big Ten that remember.\n"I still like Kline," Iowa coach Steve Alford said. "He's a blue-collar kid that's just tough as hell."\nStrickland and Kline, the only two players at IU with four years of experience, sat down at the start of the season to discuss their wide-ranging times and emotions at IU. The conversation gave the seniors a scope for their upcoming senior season. \n"We realized it's our turn to take this over," Strickland said. "Sean has the right mindset right now that he wants to lead this team and wants to leave a winning legacy."\nThe formation of that legacy begins at 6 p.m. tonight in Assembly Hall.
(11/10/05 4:30am)
If there is a blessing to the injury of sophomore forward D.J. White, it's the timing. \nJust two days after the announcement that White will miss at least six weeks with a broken foot, the No. 23-ranked Hoosiers welcome the Division II University of Indianapolis Greyhounds for their final exhibition game. Fifth-year senior Sean Kline will take White's starting position after scoring 13 points in IU's last game against St. Joseph's College (Ind.).\n"(Losing White) is disappointing because he was playing so well," coach Mike Davis said. "But at the same time, Sean Kline is playing very well. He is a fifth-year senior, so you are not replacing a sophomore with a freshman; you are replacing him with a fifth-year senior."\nStarting Kline will give IU four seniors among its starting five -- three of whom are in their fifth year. Fellow fifth-year seniors Lewis Monroe and Marco Killingsworth will start at point guard and forward, respectively, while senior Marshall Strickland will start at shooting guard. Sophomore Robert Vaden, playing small forward, will round out the starters.\n"(The exhibition games) definitely help," Monroe said. "We have a chance to get everybody out there, and win or lose, it doesn't count. It gives us a chance to work things out and try some new things and find out what works."\nFinding the proper way to replace last year's Big Ten Freshman Player of the Year is certainly a priority for Davis tonight, but he said the No. 1 objective is staying healthy.\n"I just want to get everyone through this game," he said. "If we can get through this game healthy, I don't care what the score is."\nDavis said he would "love" to be able to sit the starters for the entire second half and give the less-experienced players some quality court time. Featuring three transfers and three freshmen (two from foreign countries), playing time will be a hot commodity for the IU bench.\n"We just need guys to step up and play well while people are out," Vaden said. "I got some good experience last year, and it really helped out, and I think it can help these guys too."\nUnfortunately for IU, White's injury will force freshmen forwards Ben Allen (Australia) and Cem Dinc (Turkey) to speed up their transitional period as they adjust to Hoosier basketball. Davis said he has been particularly impressed with Allen's play recently, and nobody has been shy about touting the raw, physical abilities of Dinc.\nAnother option in combating the loss of White will be a smaller lineup, pinning Vaden at power foward, Davis said. The Hoosiers are just as deep at guard as they are at forward with juniors Earl Calloway and Errek Suhr and sophomore A.J. Ratliff, who is expected to return from a thumb injury in a couple of weeks. \n"I played some (power forward) last year, so if Ben, Cem or Kline can't play I would have to step in," Vaden said. "I have some experience down there, so I don't think it would be a problem."\nTip-off for tonight's game is scheduled for 8 p.m. at Assembly Hall.
(11/09/05 4:54am)
Sophomore forward D.J. White doesn't know how he injured his left foot, but he knows how long it will keep him out -- at least six weeks.\nMonday's MRI revealed that White broke his left foot during last Friday's 93-65 win over St. Joseph's College (Ind.). White said although he doesn't remember how or when the injury occurred, he has to deal with it regardless.\n"I was kind of surprised (to find out it was broken)," he said. "On the court (Friday), I knew something was wrong with it. There was so much pain and discomfort ... But I have no clue how it happened."\nInitial projections gave the reigning Big Ten Freshman of the Year at least six weeks to heal, which would bring White back by mid-December. But IU head coach Mike Davis said the last thing he wants to do is rush the recovery process.\n"If we can get him back by the Ball State game or the Butler game (Dec. 23), that would be great for us," Davis said. "That would give him two games under his belt (before the Big Ten schedule) ... But even if it is Jan. 5 or 6, we're not going to rush it because he's too valuable to rush."\nNot all the news on the injury front Tuesday was bad, though. Sophomore guard A.J. Ratliff shot around at practice, and even participated in some one-on-one drills as the afternoon concluded. Sporting a protective cast on his right hand, Ratliff still seemed to have his shooter's touch -- draining seven straight threes during one stretch of his shootaround. \nDavis said Ratliff should be back in time for the Nov. 21 game against Florida A&M University. That would give the sophomore two games to prepare before IU welcomes No. 1 Duke to Assembly Hall Nov. 30.\nStarting the season without Ratliff and White, the Hoosiers will be missing an average of 19.1 points and 7.7 rebounds per game. Both sophomores were expected to be major contributors on both sides of the ball, but Davis said depth has been a team strength since day one.\n"I thought we were probably deeper than any team in our conference," he said. "But we had depth. If we lose anybody else there's no depth anymore."\nThough Davis refused to acknowledge any silver lining to the recent downpour of bad news, White provided the only positive spin on the injury.\n"If I'm going to be out, it's good to be out now," he said. "I'm going to miss a couple big games, maybe, but I've got the Big Ten and maybe the NCAA Tournament to look forward to"
(11/07/05 5:37am)
Six-foot-nine forward D.J. White cast a larger than normal shadow Friday night, shrouding a 28-point win with a shadow of doubt after he left the halftime locker room on crutches and sat out the second half. \nThe reigning Big Ten Freshman of the Year injured his left foot in the first half of a 93-65 win over Saint Joseph's College (Ind.). Though premature reports said White could miss six to eight weeks, IU coach Mike Davis spoke to the media during halftime of Saturday's football game and said he didn't even know when or how White hurt himself, let alone how long he will be out.\n"Hopefully, D.J. comes back in a week or so," Davis told reporters. "The X-ray showed that it wasn't a stress fracture or nothing like that ... I'm not a doctor, but (trainer Tim Garl) and those guys said that he could be out no less than a couple of weeks. The minimum is a couple of weeks for sure."\nProving correct Davis' preseason sentiments about team depth, senior forwards Marco Killingsworth and Sean Kline filled the void in the paint and combined for 30 points on 13-19 shooting. Davis said Kline's lingering injury prevented him from playing to his full potential last season, but Friday's performance was representative of how well the senior has been playing in practice this year.\n"It was a blast for the whole team," Kline said. "We're sick of beating on each other. When you get a chance to get out there with some fresh blood it's always fun."\nThe exhibition game also gave Hoosier fans their first look at the faster-paced IU offense. The three guard entourage of senior Lewis Monroe, junior Earl Calloway and senior Marshall Strickland provided the spark to IU's up-tempo game, combining for 10 of the team's 18 assists, many of which came in transition.\n"We wanted to play like that last year but we didn't have enough guys to do it," sophomore forward Robert Vaden said. "We've got enough guys on our bench this year to get up and down the court a lot."\nVaden may have sported the most complete stat line, leading the Hoosiers in minutes, points, assists and field goals. His 17 points tied for the game high with Killingsworth, who went 7-8 from the field, but missed six free throws. The Auburn transfer said he didn't know what caused his 3-9 free throw performance, but at times he was "praying up there."\n"I have no idea what was going on in Marco's head tonight," Davis said. "I'm not going to say he's a better free throw shooter, because if I say that he'll go one for 10 in the next game."\nDespite the success shooting the ball, it was the Hoosiers' \ninability to rebound that caught Davis' eye as an area most in need of improvement before the regular season begins. Saint Joseph's dominated the boards, amassing 49 rebounds to IU's 38. The Pumas were particularly in control of the glass on their own end, generating 19 offensive rebounds.\n"We hired Sidney Green, who is an ex-head coach and played in the NBA for a long time," Davis said. "He's a big guy, and that's his job -- to make sure we're a better rebounding team."\nJunior guard Rod Wilmont did not play in Friday's game for unknown reasons but is expected to return soon.\n"Wilmont has got to take care of a couple things before I play him -- his in-house situation -- but he'll be back soon," Davis said.
(10/18/05 5:29am)
Colts fans, don't say it. Don't even whisper it. \nI can handle the massive influx of Manning jerseys every Monday, and I can even handle all the shots at my beloved Packers (they'll still win the NFC Suck ... I mean North).\nWhat I don't want to hear is even the slightest sound of word "undefeated." \nYes, they are the last remaining team with an unblemished record. Yes, they have a punishing defense and an offense capable of dropping 45 points on any given Sunday. They even have a rather favorable schedule with the recent demise of the Patriots, and the Steelers and Chargers coming to Indianapolis. But until the Colts start playing up to their own abilities rather than their opponents', they are also going to have a very bad loss in the very near future.\nMonday night, Indianapolis took care of St. Louis, and in today's papers it looks like another lofty win. But a team with a hospitalized coach nearly had Colts nation flatlining for half a football game Monday. And as good of a quarterback as Jamie Martin is ... I'm sorry I can't even finish that sarcastically. But Indy fans get the point. If St. Louis Quarterback Marc Bulger stays in that game, it's very plausible that the Colts don't.\nNow, I titled this column after a timeless Dylan classic because I believe a very hard rain is a-gonna fall on the Colts in the near future. But I'm not trying to rain on the parade here. I have to admit they are certainly the best team in the league right now, and I would probably take them to play in Detroit this January. I'm sorry Colts fans if I just gave you the kiss of death (I picked the Vikings to win the Super Bowl before the season). If any boating/stripping/oral sex incidents occur during Indianapolis' upcoming bye week, I take full responsibility. \nGetting back to football, understanding that I expect big things from the Colts, all I'm asking is that you fans keep mum for a while. In the day and age of bandwagons and ESPN, I won't be surprised to see Chris Berman busting out his '72 Dolphins schtick in his next rendition of Boomer's Top 126, I mean, 10. \nAll I ask is that everyone realize the Colts are not playing great football. They are winning, but they are winning games while playing down to their opponents. They struggled against the Browns, needed two defensive touchdowns against the 49ers and relied on the cheapest play in football to knock out the Rams' starting quarterback. (Why don't QBs take a hint and just fall to the fetal position after they throw a pick? They know every 300-pound lineman is looking for a free "block" on a defenseless pretty boy).\nSo keep celebrating Colts fans -- you certainly have every reason to. Just don't get ahead of yourselves because at this rate, the first good team to come along will add a little black to the boys in blue.\nThat hard rain will come soon enough. Just don't let your heads get so big that they pull you under.All I ask is that everyone realize the Colts are not playing great football. They are winning, but they are winning games while playing down to their opponents. They struggled against the Browns, needed two defensive touchdowns against the 49ers and relied on the cheapest play in football to knock out the Rams' starting quarterback. (Why don't QBs take a hint and just fall to the fetal position after they throw a pick? They know every 300-pound lineman is looking for a free "block" on a defenseless pretty boy).\nSo keep celebrating Colts fans -- you certainly have every reason to. Just don't get ahead of yourselves because at this rate, the first good team to come along will add a little black to the boys in blue.\nThat hard rain will come soon enough. Just don't let your heads get so big that they pull you under.
(10/14/05 5:03am)
For more than a year, senior forward Marco Killingsworth has been trying to break down the door to Assembly Hall.\nHe flirted with the court last season but kept a coach's eye view from the bench as he served his year of ineligibility after transferring -- enough to drive a man mad. \nBut Killingsworth never stopped swinging -- bruising at every practice, pushing his team at every game.\nAnd with Hoosier Hysteria set for 9 p.m. tonight, the Assembly Hall lights are beginning to shine through the crack in the door.\nHoosier faithful: Heeeere's Marco.\nKillingsworth's agonizing wait to play college basketball is finally over as he will don the cream and crimson for the first time as an eligible athlete tonight. It's been a grueling year and a half for Killingsworth, but he admits with an eager look in his eye that it has only increased his appetite for Big Ten \nbasketball.\n"I'll tell you what, man, I ain't played in a whole year, and I'm real hungry. I'm starving," he said. \nThe 6-foot-8, 265-pound senior got his first taste of the Big Ten this summer when he spent 10 days in Spain playing in the Big Ten Foreign Tour. He didn't take long to adjust, leading all scorers with 16 points in the team's fourth game and tallying a double-double in the final game. Killingsworth left Europe as the team's leading scorer, averaging 15.2 points to compound his 7.4 rebounds per contest. \n"Playing in Europe in my first game after my first two points, I was just down there celebrating and (my) coach said, 'Get back down the court man,'" Killingsworth said. "I just couldn't believe I was really back out there playing."\nThe Auburn transfer will step right onto an IU frontcourt that features fellow Alabama native and last season's Big Ten Freshman of the Year D.J. White. Together the two forwards are expected to change the face of an IU program that has long lacked a dominant inside presence.\n"We're going to go inside every time down the court," head coach Mike Davis said. "I don't want to come down and jack up a shot. I want to push it past and try to get a lay up ... we want Marco and D.J. and those guys to touch the ball almost every possession."\nThe duo of Killingsworth and White certainly won't be short on support, as a trio of tall counterparts has been assembled to give IU one of its most threatening frontcourts in years. Six-foot-nine senior forward Sean Kline is entering his last season and is joined by two 6'10" foreign freshmen. \nThe ability of freshmen Ben Allen, from Australia, and Cem Dinc, from Turkey, to step outside and shoot the ball might complete the inside-outside threat the Hoosiers look to establish, Davis said. \n"I'll back up D.J. and Marco inside and step outside and maybe shoot the three," Allen said. "Whenever they need a break, I'll be stepping in and playing whatever minutes I can get."\nKillingsworth said spending an entire season on the bench gave him more of a coach's perspective and helped smarten up his game. That said, the past 18 and a half months have been some of the most frustrating times for Killingsworth.\n"Seeing them lose those first couple games, man it hurt me," he said. "We had a chance to win at least four of the six we lost."\nBut the wait is over and thousands of Hoosier fans will assemble tonight to make Killingsworth feel right at home on Branch McKracken Court. \n"I feel real good about (transferring) now because I know I'm going to play," he said. "I was skeptical last year about it ... But now I really, really feel this is the best thing I could have done"
(10/06/05 4:00am)
Let's be honest, there are few people in American history who have a better story to tell than Bob Dylan. For the greater part of a decade, Dylan seemed to have a toe in almost every social pool, and that chunk of time (early to mid-1960s) is the sole focus of Martin Scorsese's new DVD "No Direction Home." When you team up one of the greatest living storytellers with one of the greatest living stories, it's impossible not to get a hit.\nThe documentary travels from Robert Zimmerman's transformation into Bob Dylan in Greenwich Village to his arrival on the national scene. Commentary from Dylan and close friends, selections of live performances and a slew of negative responses to Dylan "plugging in" on his 1965 European Tour are injected into the story of Dylan's career.\nFor many, this movie is a must, but that's not to say it's perfect. For fans, you'll want more, and for casual Dylan listeners, you'll want much less (c'mon, it's 207 minutes of talking heads and folk music).\nThe diehard Dylan lover should take this DVD with a grain of salt. Scorsese has his name on the cover, but Dylan's manager Jeff Rosen co-produced the collection of clips and obviously contributed his own colors to how Dylan would be painted. \nScorsese/Rosen's frustrating "touch-and-go" happens all too much. One interview takes you into the hotel room where Dylan met the Beatles (one of the most important and influential moments in music history), but just as your interest is piqued as to what happened, the story is over. Along those same lines, Scorsese reads part of Dylan's acceptance speech to the Emergency Civil Liberties Union shortly after the assassination of John F. Kennedy. The selected part of the speech is powerful to say the least, but the film certainly doesn't touch the part of that speech where Dylan said he identified with Lee Harvey Oswald. \nBasically, the questionably commercialized "No Direction Home" weighs on the side of safety and casts Dylan as a "not-so-radical" radical. \nThere are thousands more words that could be written about this film -- about the understanding gained from seeing Dylan shy away from categorization and the labels the media tried to place on him, or about the beautiful imagery used in the film as both the beginning and end portray a man desperate to find himself; desperate to find his direction home. But much like "No Direction Home" doesn't have enough time to fully capture Bob Dylan, this review doesn't have enough space to fully capture "No Direction Home"
(10/06/05 2:19am)
Let's be honest, there are few people in American history who have a better story to tell than Bob Dylan. For the greater part of a decade, Dylan seemed to have a toe in almost every social pool, and that chunk of time (early to mid-1960s) is the sole focus of Martin Scorsese's new DVD "No Direction Home." When you team up one of the greatest living storytellers with one of the greatest living stories, it's impossible not to get a hit.\nThe documentary travels from Robert Zimmerman's transformation into Bob Dylan in Greenwich Village to his arrival on the national scene. Commentary from Dylan and close friends, selections of live performances and a slew of negative responses to Dylan "plugging in" on his 1965 European Tour are injected into the story of Dylan's career.\nFor many, this movie is a must, but that's not to say it's perfect. For fans, you'll want more, and for casual Dylan listeners, you'll want much less (c'mon, it's 207 minutes of talking heads and folk music).\nThe diehard Dylan lover should take this DVD with a grain of salt. Scorsese has his name on the cover, but Dylan's manager Jeff Rosen co-produced the collection of clips and obviously contributed his own colors to how Dylan would be painted. \nScorsese/Rosen's frustrating "touch-and-go" happens all too much. One interview takes you into the hotel room where Dylan met the Beatles (one of the most important and influential moments in music history), but just as your interest is piqued as to what happened, the story is over. Along those same lines, Scorsese reads part of Dylan's acceptance speech to the Emergency Civil Liberties Union shortly after the assassination of John F. Kennedy. The selected part of the speech is powerful to say the least, but the film certainly doesn't touch the part of that speech where Dylan said he identified with Lee Harvey Oswald. \nBasically, the questionably commercialized "No Direction Home" weighs on the side of safety and casts Dylan as a "not-so-radical" radical. \nThere are thousands more words that could be written about this film -- about the understanding gained from seeing Dylan shy away from categorization and the labels the media tried to place on him, or about the beautiful imagery used in the film as both the beginning and end portray a man desperate to find himself; desperate to find his direction home. But much like "No Direction Home" doesn't have enough time to fully capture Bob Dylan, this review doesn't have enough space to fully capture "No Direction Home"
(08/31/05 5:40am)
It's a picturesque day for golf. \nClear skies, fresh grass and a gentle breeze all provide the setting for a Saturday afternoon tournament. \nOn hole No. 8, James Stogdill lofts a shot high into the afternoon sky. The pin is certainly reachable from the tee box, and as Stogdill's shot drifts ever closer to its target, gentle gasps of hope begin rising from his foursome. Everyone knows it's going to be close, and as the shot begins to descend upon the pin's little clearing, the gasps grow louder to a buzz of anticipation. \nIt's got a chance, and by now everyone wants to see it happen.\n"Ka-ching." Ace.\nThe buzz becomes a roar, and a celebration ensues that would leave most traditional golfers shaking their heads. But that's because Stogdill and his foursome aren't playing traditional golf -- they're a part of a growing number of disc golfers, taking part in the Bloomington Disc Golf Club's 2005 Hoosier Partner Doubles Tournament.\nTwenty-six people -- students and non-students alike -- made it out to Saturday's tournament, that categorized the participants into three skill levels. Partners shot two rounds, playing worst shot for the first round and best shot for the second. On the par-54 course at Crestmont Park, tournament champions Mark Moore and James Collins were able to post scores of 50 and 39. \nBloomington resident Tim Murphy organized the tournament, and explained what it took to compete with some of the top-level participants.\n"I, personally, get out (to play) about three times a week," he said. "There are some 'course rats' that get out here everyday though."\nOne of those 'course rats' is IU graduate Jason Nawrot, who's competed in tournaments throughout the Midwest, Texas and Florida to name a few. \n"I started when I was about 12 or 13, and eventually it became more competitive," he said. \nDespite the competitive setting for Saturday's tournament, an onlooker may have been confused by the relaxed and informal feel between the participants. As each group finished its rounds, foes became friends again -- sharing laughs and cigarettes while Beck's latest CD kept the mood light. \nMurphy stood behind a broken picnic table for what was called the "award ceremony," but was orchestrated more like a family reunion. Murphy announced a series of places and names, but regardless of the number before each pair, the applause never varied.\nAs for Stogdill, he cashed in on $100 for his hole-in-one. It's customary in traditional golf that clubhouse drinks come compliments of the lucky swinger. And though drinks may have been shared after the round, it certainly didn't \nhappen in a clubhouse.
(04/18/05 6:42am)
After losing by literal inches last year, Teter got a taste of revenge Friday winning the 18th women's Little 500.\nAfter two long years of training and one gut-wrenching loss, the euphoria could finally set in.\n"I can't believe it," said Teter Katie Douglas. "I mean, I did it. Everyone was just like 'Forget about the pace, forget about the pace,' and I did it. I don't know how I did it, I really don't know how."\nAs the race drew near the final lap, the usual suspects of Teter, Kappa Kappa Gamma and Kappa Alpha Theta seemed to be reliving the 2004 race, with all three setting the pace on the lead lap. With fewer than five laps remaining, each team made its exchange -- a moment reflective of the entire race for all three.\nTeter spent most of the day in the shadows. While both Kappa and Theta fought to stay away from one another, Teter tagged along for the ride.\n"(Everyone) discounted Teter and it was a mistake to do that today," said Theta coach Tom Schwoegler. "They rode a great race, they were smart and we totally underestimated them today."\nEarly in the race, Kappa mounted a sizable lead over the rest of the field by lap 30, leading by nearly a quarter of a lap. Theta, hoping to catch Kappa, worked with the Teter women to pull and draft to slowly creep back in the picture.\n"We had a couple big mistakes in the beginning," said Teter senior Jessica Lindemann. "We had to fight back in it, and ultimately we were able to bring it back."\nWith more than half of the race complete, the usual suspects were back, with Theta leading the way. But once again, Teter benefitted from the rivaling greek teams, this time working with Kappa, who was struggling to stay in the pack after losing senior Meredith Horner to illness early in the day.\nHaving a partner to draft off of allowed Teter to conserve a little more energy. After working with other teams for much of the race, Teter was able to use the final laps to work against them, and nobody stood a chance.\nLindemann took the bike on lap 96 and instantly started sprinting around turns one and two. Theta and Kappa could not catch the fresher Teter squad. By the last lap the lead was nearly the length of the entire straightaway. Teter went on to win in a time of 1 hour, 8 minutes and 18 seconds\n"This year was a lot better for us because we were on the front so we had to ride strong and sew it up, whereas last year it was tense because we were fighting it out until the very end," Lindemann said.\nFor Theta, the final exchange gave senior Liz Milne her final Little 500 laps. Her push secured second place as she distanced herself from Kappa. Theta battled to stay in the race all day, seemingly fighting from behind right from the start. And the final laps were no different.\n"That was a crazy, exciting and tough race," Milne said. "It was the hardest race I've been in, in all three years here."\nFor the Kappa team, their last exchanges were symbolic in a different sense. Horner, the team's senior leader, had to leave the track in tears at lap 69. She had spent the last 30 to 40 laps before that crouched down in their pit with the flu.\nHorner's mother, Karen, admitted she never thought Meredith would be strong enough to get back in the race. But on lap 96, Horner took the final exchange of her career and churned out four final laps. Then, in a emblematic 'passing of the torch,' she handed the bike to junior Jess Sapp for the final lap of the race.\n"When I think of Meredith she's all heart," Lindemann said. "I'm proud of her getting back in there."\nIn the end, Teter claimed victory, but nobody left the track defeated. Each team carried smiles on their faces and memories in their hearts as the 18th running of the women's Little 500 concluded. The race itself symbolized the end of a season that saw some of the most talented riders ever to grace the gravel, Schwoegler said.\n"I think there were a lot of hall of fame laps put on the track today by a lot of riders." \n-- Contact Sports Editor Brian Janosch at bjanosch@indiana.edu.
(04/18/05 6:14am)
After a week that challenged the hearts of the Kappa Kappa Gamma squad, race day brought more of the same.\nEarlier in the week, tragedy struck the sorority with the passing of Kappa junior Ashley Crouse. The event changed the team's entire approach, preventing them from preparing in their typical fashion. The past week left the team with little sleep, hindering their ability to focus on the race until late Thursday. In the end, it would be that lack of sleep and nourishment that would seal the team's fate.\nBut Kappa rode through, and by Friday afternoon, they were huddled in a tight circle in the infield before the race talking strategy with their coaches. As a prayer recognized their friend, the four women formed another tight circle, leaning their heads in against one another -- physically and emotionally supporting each other. Above the team hung a large, blue banner that read "Riding for a reason." \nIt was time to start the healing process.
(04/15/05 6:32am)
Some things are bigger than sport.\nFor an entire year, Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority's primary focus rested on winning its second consecutive Little 500. That was until a gray Honda station wagon collided with a red Jeep Cherokee right outside the Kappa house late Monday evening. Kappa sorority member and former Little 500 teammate Ashley Crouse was in the backseat of the Jeep. She was pronounced dead early Tuesday morning.\nSuddenly, for the Kappas, the Little 500 couldn't be more secondary.\nAfter the news of their friend's passing settled in, seniors Meredith Horner and Kelsey Cooper, junior Jess Sapp and sophomore Caroline Andrew gathered to discuss whether or not they should ride in the race. In the end, the decision wasn't made based on any of them. It was made based on what Crouse would have wanted.\n"I don't think we ever would have quit because Ashley wouldn't want us to," Horner said.\nIn the Crouse family, April doesn't mean spring -- it means Little 500. Ashley's brother Charlie Crouse rode last year for Phi Gamma Delta, and Ashley tried riding for Kappa her freshman year. \n"Her learning the basics was fun to watch," Horner said with a smile. "She was so funny and charismatic."\nCrouse decided against staying on the bike after getting involved with other organizations including leadership positions with IU Dance Marathon and the IU Student Association. But her love of the event never ceded. \n"Every time there was a series event, I think she was more excited than we were," Sapp said. \nCrouse began to make a habit of leaving little notes of encouragement for her former teammates. Horner described every note as "really encouraging and very positive -- just like she was."\nCrouse and Sapp shared a class together, and when Sapp fell ill and missed Miss-N-Out just a week ago, Crouse made Sapp's health her priority.\n"(Crouse) said, 'Don't go to class, I'll get you the notes, I'll let you know of anything that's going on. You need to rest up for biking,'" Sapp said. \nLater today, when Kappa takes the track, they will sport their own encouraging note reading "A.L.C." -- Crouse's initials. There will also be a moment of silence held before the race, and Kappa, along with friends and family, will be wearing blue ribbons to recognize their lost friend.\n"We'll always have in our minds that she would be supporting us," Horner said. "We'll have another little angel with us that day."\nA lot has changed in a week. The team in the best position to win this year's Little 500 suddenly doesn't really care about that anymore.\nSome things are bigger than sport.\n"It's tough because we know she would be the first one down at the track for the team cheering them on," Charlie Crouse said. "It's unfortunate she won't be there, but we know her spirit will be down with that team."\n-- Contact Sports Editor Brian Janosch at bjanosch@indiana.edu.
(04/12/05 4:15am)
On a snowy January day in Michigan, nine women glided on skis across the plane like one working unit.\nWell, maybe they glided -- for a little while. \nA couple of them spent most of the time staggering, trying to keep their balance like Bambi learning to walk, while the rest lost their balance just from laughing so hard.\nThe nine may not be one harmonious unit, but they're content being one hilarious unit. Besides, the harmony can be saved for the bicycles.\nOn those bicycles, the nine women represent one of the most storied Little 500 teams in the history of the women's race. 2004 champions Kappa Kappa Gamma began training for a repeat as soon as the celebration ended. From sunny Florida, to snowy Michigan, Kappa had the luxury of enough riders for two teams, but the challenge of only racing one. \nThe Kappas return three riders from last year's title run, leaving one roster spot for six girls. Five riders becoming spectators on race day seems like it would spell five times the potential for conflict -- but not for Kappa. They see five times the potential for future greatness. Even if they all can't ski.
(04/07/05 5:04am)
Even with teams flying around the track a dozen times, the real action in today's Team Pursuit event might be happening in the bleachers.\nThe final leg of the Spring Series Event will bring all four riders of every team to the track to complete 12 laps. Team Pursuit probably provides the best opportunity to scout the depth of other teams, said Alpha Chi Omega senior Kathleen Shaw.\n"In the other events, you can see everybody individually," Shaw said. "But when you see them as a team, it shows off their depth, and strengths and weaknesses. You can see if this person is pulling every lap, other teams know who to watch out for."\nThe No. 3 qualifying Alpha Chi Omega team actually won't participate in Team Pursuit this year because other time constraints for riders. Shaw said that "it's a lot harder than people think to get everybody together."\nBeyond the scouting aspect, Team Pursuit also provides riders the chance to practice on-track communication. Miss-N-Out champion and Bella Veloce senior Abby Cooper said good communication is a necessity for a top Little 500 performance.\n"You need to know when someone needs off the bike," Cooper said. "You need to be able to communicate."\nIn last year's Team Pursuit, Teter blew away the competition finishing more than 16 seconds ahead of second place Kappa Kappa Gamma. Their time of 8 minutes and 3.86 seconds set a record for fastest women's Team Pursuit time.\n"(All the series events) just require a lot of really, really hard pushing, and hard riding the whole time," Kappa senior Meredith Horner said. "The only benefit of Team Pursuit is you get to draft."\nThe event will start with all four riders lined up in the infield. When the race begins, every rider rushes to their bike lying on the track, then starts peddling. Strategy generally results in riders switching off from the "pull-position" or the position in front of the pack, Horner said. The rider pulling takes the brunt of the resistance as the other three riders drift behind.\n"You just try to stay together as a team," Horner said. "There's a lot of communication. If the pace needs to be slowed, you have to communicate that way."\nBeing the last event, Team Pursuit is the last chance for teams to show whether or not they can contend.\n"I think a lot of teams will do really well," Cooper said. "There are so many deep teams out there."\n-- Contact Sports Editor Brian Janosch at bjanosch@indiana.edu.
(04/01/05 5:30am)
There's been a continuing trend in the women's field ever since the Spring Series Events were instituted in 2000. \nThat year, eight riders finished within ten seconds of the Individual Time Trials winner. The next year there were 27. In 2002, it was back down to nine, but in 2003, back up to 30. Last year, eight riders finished within the ten second window, and this year, the trend continued. \nTwenty-one riders finished Wenesday's ITTs within ten seconds of first place, even though that first place time was a new ITT record set by Kappa Alpha Theta senior Liz Milne. Tomorrow's Miss-N-Out will pit all that talent against each other in a bracket format sure to push the field to faster times.\n"By having such a close field it will push all the girls to be even better," said Kappa Delta sophomore Lindsey Manck, who finished 10th in ITTs. "We'll see how far they can actually go."\nMiss-N-Out places every women's rider in a giant bracket that dwarfs the size of the NCAA Men's Basketball tournament. Riders then take the track six at a time and begin racing. As each lap is finished, the last-place rider is eliminated until only three riders remain. Those three move on to the next round.\n"As long as you are faster than the slowest rider (each lap), you are set," said Kappa Kappa Gamma junior Jess Sapp. "You don't have to strain yourself in the first couple heats because as long as you're faster than the slowest rider, you are conserving energy and moving on."\nBasically, the event often draws comparisons to a game of musical chairs -- a reason why many riders claim Miss-N-Out as their favorite series event.\n"It's a lot more laid back," said Delta Zeta senior Lynn Englum. "People don't feel like they are evaluating each other. It's really more of a game -- just for fun."\nHalf the final heat from last year's competition returns, including Sapp, who finished third last year behind Theta's senior Nicole Vincent and now-graduated Teter rider Bri Kovac.\n"(Miss-N-Out) is definitely my favorite," Sapp said. "It's so much fun, especially because it's a game going back and forth, you slow down then speed back up. There is some strategy as opposed to ITTs."\nMiss-N-Out may be a game in the eyes of some, but after a final lap sprint determined the outcome of last year's race, practice like this can never be overlooked.\n"It kind of simulates what the end of the race will be like," said Cycledelics junior Megan Church. "It teaches us how to use race strategy."\n-- Contact Sports Editor Brian Janosch at bjanosch@indiana.edu.
(03/30/05 5:59am)
Two weeks before last year's photo finish in the women's Little 500, Kappa Kappa Gamma and Teter held a preview in the Individual Time Trials. Kappa placed four riders in the top 15 while Teter placed two, the top two spots.\nToday, five of those seven top finishers will return to the track for the 2005 ITTs. And just to make things a little more interesting, two heats will feature a rider from each team.\n"I'm really excited about my heat because it kind of gives you the drive to push a little bit harder," said Teter senior Mia Dragan who finished 13th last year in ITTs. "I like that I am in there because I'm with better people so I can go for the person in front of me."\nDragan joins Kappa senior Kelsey Cooper -- 8th place finisher last year -- in the 9:35 p.m. heat. Just a half an hour before Dragan and Cooper start peddling, two other teammates will take to the track. Kappa senior Meredith Horner and Teter senior Jessica Lindemann will make their run at 9:05 p.m. Lindemann held the second-best time last year behind graduated teammate and ITT record holder Bri Kovac. Horner finished ninth last year.\n"It's definitely nerve-wracking," Horner said. "It can be the toughest event for some people just because you're on your own, you're out there for four laps -- it's a hard event. Sometimes you have a good day, sometimes you have a bad day, I always just have fun with it."\nThe final member of the Teter-Kappa returning five is senior Jess Sapp of Kappa. Sapp had the third-best time last year, and bested Teter's Kovac on the final lap of the Little 500 last year to secure the victory for Kappa.\nSapp will run much earlier in the day in the 4:20 p.m. heat, joining yet another top-15 rider from last year, Kappa Alpha Theta senior Nicole Vincent.\nSapp's 4:20 run, along with the 9:05 and 9:35 heats, should provide the majority of the fireworks featuring nothing but returning riders -- nine of whom finished in the top-30 last year.\n"ITTs are really just about pushing yourself to the maximum of your ability," Lindemann said. "Drafting has to become more of a rest."\nITTs don't necessarily offer a good representation of race-day performances. Riders generally stay on the track for more than four laps, and ITTs don't offer a chance to draft off other riders. Nonetheless, ITTs warrant an approach all their own.\n"You have to really manage your time when doing ITTs," Dragan said. "The first lap you have to get up to speed. The second you try to chill, but your adrenaline is high so it's hard. In the third you are hurting, and by the fourth you've got to come home."\nITTs officially begin at 4 p.m. with the first men's heat. Heats will continue until 10:20 p.m.\n-- Staff Writer Andy Romey contributed to this report. Contact Sports Editor Brian Janosch at bjanosch@indiana.edu.
(03/28/05 6:33am)
It's hard to improve upon winning the pole position and the Little 500 in 2004, but Kappa Kappa Gamma already managed to find a way.\nSaturday, Kappa seized the pole position again, but this time they proceeded to set the track record in the process.\n"It wasn't perfect," said senior Kelsey Cooper. "We bobbled our exchanges a little bit, but with things like that, you just have to think that if we would have gone any faster we could have wrecked."\nAs Kappa took the track before their record-breaking run, Delta Gamma was just walking off it with heads held high. \nAfter wrecking in their first attempt, Delta Gamma surprised everyone -- even themselves -- by grabbing the pole position. With a large crowd cheering the team on, Delta Gamma jumped into each other's arms and screamed as though they had just won the actual race.\n"When our last rider crossed the finish line we all looked up, and we knew we had a good run, but we were just overjoyed," said sophomore Libby Hipla.\nDelta Gamma qualified in 14th last year and finished the race in sixth position. This year's team has the intensity needed to improve upon that finish, Hipla said.\n"We knew that we had solid returning riders, and myself included, we had really strong rookies," Hipla said. "We were focused from January that we were going to do well."\nRounding out the rest of the top two rows will be Alpha Chi Omega in the third spot, followed by Alpha Phi, Kappa Alpha Theta and last year's runner-up, Teter Cycling. After finishing third last year, Theta nearly avoided disaster after botched exchanges in each of their first two runs.\nTeams like Theta, Teter and Kappa all benefited from a solid core of experienced leaders. Even a team like Delta Gamma sports two returning riders. But for the first-timers among those teams, nothing tops their first real taste of Little 500 action.\n"Being an athlete and a competitor by nature, it is a totally different feeling," Hipla said. "You all come together for one goal and it's really exciting when you do something great like (take the poll)."\nThe pole position gets the glory, but in reality, it's anywhere among the top two rows that is the really sought after position, Kappa senior Meredith Horner said.\n"It's nice being up front in case of a wreck in the beginning," she said.\nIndividual time trials are the next event on the docket and will be held Wednesday.\n-- Contact Sports Editor Brian Janosch at bjanosch@indiana.edu.
(03/25/05 5:05am)
For 178 women, spring begins tomorrow.\nNever mind the 50-degree forecast after a week of peddling in windbreakers. For 178 women, spring means Little 500, and Little 500 season officially begins tomorrow.\nAt 8 a.m. the entire cast of 178 will divide into their 32 teams and hit the track at Bill Armstrong Stadium for qualifications.\nFour riders will run four laps to determine who will lead the first of 100 laps on April 15. Each rider will mount the bike for a lap, which means each rider needs to make an exchange. But it also means each rider has a chance to cost their team precious seconds.\n"I think it's the most challenging and nerve-wracking (event)," Milne said. "There is some room for error, but a lot seems like it has to be perfect.\nMother nature proved herself more challenging than a perfect exchange this past week, limiting practice time and even preventing teams from getting on the track. \nOther teams were ready for this day long before returning to a dampened Bloomington. Teams like Kappa Kappa Gamma and Kappa Alpha Theta had a far easier time practicing exchanges in San Diego and Florida.\n"We would have liked to practice for quals a few more times (this week)," said Theta senior Liz Milne. "But spring break can compensate for bad weather."\nTheta, like Kappa, returns three veterans to this year's squad. Senior Kappa rider Kelsey Cooper explained it as a "comforting" feeling having plenty of experience.\n"I've been riding with Meredith (Horner) for three years," Cooper said. "Things have become pretty routine."\nVeteran riders are able to fall back into routine, but when six other riders are fighting for the remaining roster spot, routine breaks pretty quickly, Cooper said. \n"It pushes everyone a lot harder than in the past," Cooper said. "It always keeps everyone in check ... Everyone is in agreement that we want our best riders out on the track, so their's not too much unhealthy competition. It all starts with (Horner) and trickles down."\nSome teams don't have that built in competition. Abby Cooper leads Bella Veloce, a squad of three, into quals without the benefits of a sunny spring break trip or the support of an entire sorority. \n"That's the fun of our team," Cooper said. "We are new and we've had to come from the bottom and start from scratch. We work together as a team and keep each other motivated. All the support from friends and family is really important, too, because we don't have house support."\nBella Veloce spent spring break in Bloomington. They had the track practically to themselves, but even an optimist had to admit the difficulties.\n"It was pretty bad at the beginning and bad at the end, but it was great there in the middle," Cooper said.\nSpring will begin tomorrow at 8 a.m. with highs calling for the fifties, but with rain due, maybe the southern trips won't have been so beneficial.\n"We ride in anything," Cooper said regarding the wet weather due for Saturday. "It'll give us an edge."\n-- Contact Sports Editor Brian Janosch at bjanosch@indiana.edu.
(03/02/05 5:54am)
March 1, 1954\nAn early morning slumber deadens IU.\nThrough the darkness, five students creep with their arsenal of protest in hand. \nWhen dawn breaks on IU's historic grounds, it uncovers the sea of green. The green pamphlets and the green buttons won't create an instant media frenzy. Those are more typical symbols of student unrest.\nIt's the campus full of students wading to class through thousands of green chicken feathers. \nIt's a symbol of protest that couldn't be further from typical.\nIt's the birth of the green feather movement that would throw IU into the eye of a national storm of controversy.
