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(09/14/07 4:47am)
The NCAA tournament has been a goal for the women’s soccer team the last three years, but the Hoosiers have always come up short. This year’s senior class is trying to change that.\nThe six members of the class – midfielders Beverly Markwort and Kate Nierman, forwards Suzie Teixeira and Lindsay McCarthy, defender Katy Stewart and goalkeeper Megan Reinhardt – are hoping that their leadership and four years of experience can propel their team into the postseason.\n“We have 20 games left and we know that,” Stewart said. “So every single game is important to us – whether we are playing at home or on the road or whoever it is. Every single game is important to us all looking forward to making the tournament and would be a great way to cap off our senior year. We know that we are capable of it; we just have to prove it on the field.”\nThe class was originally around eight or nine players deep, Stewart said, and the six that are still playing for the team said that sticking together through the last three years has made them extremely close. \n“We’ve been through a lot, that’s for sure,” Stewart said. “We are a really core group now. There were eight or nine of us that came in our freshman year, and we have all stuck it out together. We all hang out and some live together, so we just have a lot of off-the-field friendships that are important to us.”\nMarkwort echoed Stewart’s sentiments.\n“We have all grown, changed and then come together,” she said. “For me, being here four years, I have seen senior classes, but never really known what it’s actually like to be in one. It feels good, and I’m glad to know we all want the same things: to have our best year and go out with a bang.” \nLast year, the Hoosiers were looking like the best team in the Big Ten, opening conference play with a record of 5-0-1. A loss at Northwestern, however, sent the team’s season into a tailspin they would never recover from. IU lost its last four regular season games and exited the Big Ten tournament with a 2-1 first round loss to Michigan to conclude the season. \nHistory, however, is just that: history. The team is looking for this year to be the year they accomplish their goal of getting to the NCAA tournament.\n“(Getting to the NCAA tournament) means a lot,” Teixeira said. “A lot of us have been playing for 18 years, and it is just crazy that it is our last season. So we want to put everything out there and give it all we can to make the tournament this year, and hopefully go as far as possible.”\nThe senior class knows this year’s team has the potential to make that breakthrough, but it will not be easy to get there. Stewart said it will have to be their leadership late in the Big Ten season that will determine how far IU goes.\n“We have the top four teams in the Big Ten as our last games, which is a hard feat for anyone,” Stewart said. “I think just having the experience going into those games, a lot of us have had a lot of playing time throughout our four years. Knowing Illinois, Purdue, whoever else at the end of the season – we know what it takes to play against them and beat them.”\nThe Hoosiers are currently 2-1-1 and will host a pair of games this weekend on their way to starting the Big Ten season and any postseason thereafter. They will take on the Samford Bulldogs (3-1-0) at 7 p.m. Friday and Ball State (2-2-0) at 2 p.m. Sunday. Both games will take place at Bill Armstrong Stadium.
(09/10/07 4:09am)
The IU women’s soccer team claimed a 2-1 upset victory Sunday afternoon over No. 19-ranked University of Southern California and it did so in a rather dramatic fashion. \nNinety minutes of play passed, and the game was winding down. Bill Armstrong Stadium announcer Jeremy Grey began his usual countdown of the final 10 seconds of regulation. \nTen seconds left, nine seconds – it looked like the Hoosiers might drop a close, hard-fought game at home against No. 19 USC. Eight seconds left – fans began to gather their belongings. Seven seconds, six seconds – the USC defense failed to clear the ball, which had been dancing around the goal for the majority of the second half, and suddenly the ball wound up at the feet of freshman forward Leigh Anne Cummings.\nCummings popped a chip shot toward the goal that casually floated over Trojan goalkeeper Kristin Olsen and bounced to the back of the net, tying the game.\nAfter the game restarted, Grey finished his countdown – five seconds, four, three two, one – overtime.\nThe momentum shift caused by Cummings’ goal was apparent. The USC players lined up for the start of overtime with their heads low and their hands on their waists. The Hoosiers came out clapping and bouncing, excited to play. Forty-nine seconds later, the ball bounced to the left foot of sophomore forward Kristin Arnold, who blasted a shot into the back of the net to win the game with a 2-1 score.\n“The ball was bouncing up, and I think it deflected off one of their players,” Arnold said of her last goal. “I remember taking a touch with my left foot, and I’m not left-footed, but I thought I might as well hit it with my left, and I just hit it and it just kind of went in.”\nUSC’s only goal came during a first half in which they were mostly control. In the 19th minute, Trojan forward Amy Rodriguez scored on USC a counterattack after a shot on goal by IU.\nAt halftime, coach Mick Lyon held his team in the locker room as long as possible, stressing composure and that the game was still in reach at 1-0.\n“Being a very young team, we didn’t deal with the pressure and the style they were playing very well,” Lyon said. “We spent a lot of time at halftime mostly to disrupt the other team. I don’t have to come out of the locker room until the referee comes and drags me out. I’ll take the time we need, and I was really just settling the players down and challenging them to mature and challenging them to the physical aspect of this game.”\nThe win improves the team’s record to 2-1-1 and is their first victory over a ranked opponent since 2005.\n“It was definitely an important win for our program because it got us pumped up and now we know we can beat ranked teams,” Cummings said. “We know that we are right up there with them, that we should be ranked up there too and that no matter what, even if we are down, we can pull together and get the win.”\nThe win against USC meant IU also won the Hoosier Classic, as they finished the weekend tournament with a 1-0-1 record. \nOn Friday night, neither the Hoosiers nor the Loyola Marymount Lions could score, and the game ended in a tie.\nFreshman goalkeeper Lauren Hollandsworth picked up her first career shutout as the Hoosiers and Lions battled to a stalemate Friday night \nin Bloomington.\nBoth teams traded control and momentum throughout regulation and two overtime periods, but spoiled chances mixed with noteworthy goaltending left the game 0-0 after 120 minutes of play. \nThe Hoosiers’ next contest will be Friday at Bill Armstrong Stadium as they host the Samford Bulldogs.
(09/07/07 4:41am)
The IU women’s soccer team is fancying a little payback this weekend, IU coach Mick Lyon said, as they host the third annual Hoosier Classic this weekend at Bill Armstrong Stadium.\nAt 7 p.m. Friday, the Hoosiers will square off against the Loyola Marymount Lions. The Lions come to Bloomington with an 0-2-0 record and will also face Maryland (1-0-1) at 11 a.m. Sunday.\nThe Hoosiers will finish their weekend against USC at 1:30 p.m. Sunday afternoon. USC comes in undefeated at 2-0-0 and ranked No. 19 in the latest National Soccer Coaches Association of America poll.\nThe Hoosiers lost 6-0 the last time they squared off against the Trojans. The match was at USC in 2005, but has not been forgotten by the players and coaches who were there.\n“Any time you play a team that you have played before and lost to, it’s a big rivalry,” senior midfielder Katy Stewart said. “So we’re just going to look to come out and show them a little bit about what Indiana soccer is like now.” \nStewart also said the current Hoosier squad is more prepared than the squad in 2005, a sentiment Lyon shared.\n“We had to make a little bit of changes last time when we went out there and that upset us a little and we really never got into stride and USC really took it to us,” Lyon said. “So we fancy that we ought to give them a little bit of payback.”\nStewart, a co-captain on the squad, said that for preparation, her squad would look at film of USC and talk about them, but believes the Hoosiers will go out and play their own game against the Trojans.\n“We are going to play our game,” Stewart said. “We are doing different things with our lineups and stuff like that, but it’s not because of them, it’s because of the way we want to play against them.”\nUSC comes into the contest with young talent. The Trojans have five starting freshmen on their squad who have all contributed in their first two games, but it is freshman Megan Ohai who made the largest impact. So far this season, Ohai has registered a team high three goals, two of which have been game-winners.\nThe Hoosiers, however, have contributing underclassmen as well. Last weekend, sophomores Kelly Lawrence and Natalie O’Bryan and freshman Chloe McKay each recorded their first career goals in a 4-3 come from behind win against Jacksonville. Freshman goal keeper Lauren Hollandsworth has also contributed significantly goal. \nHollandsworth split time in the Jacksonville match Sunday with senior Megan Reinhardt after playing a full 90 minutes against Florida. Against the now- No. 14 Gators (1-1-0), Hollandsworth only let in one goal and had five saves. \nHollandsworth discussed what it was like to be a freshman goalie on the squad.\n“At the beginning, it was really stressful being around all of the older girls, but now I am really comfortable with them,” Hollandsworth said. “They are all really nice and really good players and when you play with good players it makes you want to step up and play better.”\nUSC will face off against Maryland at 4:30 p.m. Friday, followed by the Hoosiers’ match against Loyola Marymount.
(09/03/07 4:44am)
After falling to No.13 Florida 1-0 in its season opener last Friday, the IU women’s soccer team bounced back with a 4-3 double-overtime victory against Jacksonville Sunday.\nDespite putting numerous shots on goal, the Hoosiers found themselves down 3-2 late in the second half. Then in the 81st minute, sophomore midfielder Christie Kotynski crossed a pass to teammate Kelly Lawrence, who headed a shot past Jacksonville’s keeper to tie the game.\nThe goal not only tied the game, but reminded Kotynski of a similar goal last season. \n“It was kind of funny, it was like a goal last year, only Kelly was sending the ball to me,” Kotynski said. “I cut back, put it to my left foot and crossed it, and she was wide open on the back post and did a perfect header right in. It was amazing.”\nThe score remained tied through the end of regulation and the first overtime. In the 102nd minute of the contest, Kotynski sent in the game-ending goal off of a pass from senior forward Suzie Teixeira. \n“She did a little fake and sent it right to me,” Kotynski said. “I placed it in the bottom right corner with my left (foot).”\nTwo other Hoosiers tallied goals in the contest. Sophomore midfielder Natalie O’Bryan scored in the third minute of play and freshman midfielder Chloe McKay connected in the 28th.\nThe double-overtime win was even more significant considering the team was able to overcome the fatigue from a close battle with Florida two nights before.\nThe Hoosiers were able to put 35 shots on goal against Jacksonville, but were only able to muster four against Florida, none of which hit the back of the net.\nDespite losing to the Gators, IU coach Mick Lyon was happy with how his players performed. \n“We never want the players to be happy in losing, but certainly I thought we played very well and gave Florida everything they could handle,” Lyon said. “We missed a couple of chances towards the end of the game that not only could have tied it, but actually won the game.”\nAnother positive from the weekend for the squad was the play of freshman goalkeeper Lauren Hollandsworth. Hollandsworth made five saves against the Gators in her first collegiate game.\nThis week, IU will be preparing for their Hoosier Classic home opener against Loyola Marymount on Sept. 7 at Bill Armstrong Stadium. The Hoosiers will also face No. 25 USC on Sept. 9.
(08/31/07 4:26am)
Going in head first, the IU women’s soccer team is looking to not only be physically prepared for the start of their season, but also ready mentally.\nThe team will be in Gainesville, Fla., Friday night to start their season with a match against the No. 13 Florida Gators. The Gators will provide a stiff test for the Hoosier squad, one that IU coach Mick Lyon knows will be representative of games to come for his team.\n“We have been letting (the players) know that this is going to be the first game for us,” Lyon said. “It’s going to be a cracking game with high-level competition, and this will be an early example of what it is like to play a top Big Ten game.”\nLyon then said that for his team to be completely prepared for Florida, they have to also worry about the mental side of their game.\n“When you play good teams, you have to remember to be as mistake-free as possible,” Lyon said. “That means execute things to 100 percent, and to do that you have to be completely focused.”\nSenior midfielder Katy Stewart said focusing on the game a few days beforehand really helps her focus while competing.\n“As an individual, you need to think of your role with the team and on the field,” Stewart said. “Just thinking about when you have been successful in the past and trying to make that happen again. Even sometimes just closing your eyes and seeing yourself on the field, so when you actually get there it’s more natural, and you feel more comfortable because you have already thought about it.”\nAfter their match with Florida, the Hoosiers will play Jacksonville University at noon on Sunday in Jacksonville, Fla.\nThough Jacksonville does not rank as high as Florida, the match will still prove difficult, since the Hoosiers have little recovery time between games.\n“(Playing two games in the same weekend) is hard when you have a big game on Friday, because it takes a lot out of you for Sunday,” senior midfielder Beverly Markwort said. “But we have been talking about exercises you can do after the game – stretching and keeping loose will help.”\nStewart echoed her teammate’s sentiment.\n“The way we look at it is we play one game at a time,” Stewart said. “So, Friday night we are going to go out and give everything we have, and work after the game to get ourselves ready to come out at 100 percent again Sunday, because it’s not like we can give half on Friday and half on Sunday. We have to give everything at every game and look at it one game at a time.”\nAfter Jacksonville, the squad will have a week off before hosting the Hoosier Classic the weekend of Sept. 7.
(08/23/07 4:00am)
The IU women’s soccer team dropped its only exhibition match of the preseason 5-0 to the University of Missouri Tigers on Tuesday night in Columbia, Mo.\nIU let in five goals, despite defense one of the team’s greatest strength. The Hoosiers gave both their goalies chances in the exhibition. Junior Megan Reinhardt guarded the net in the first half, letting up two goals while making one save. Freshman Lauren Hollandsworth subbed in for the second half, letting in three goals but deflecting six Tiger shots.\nThe Hoosier offense only managed four shots on goal the entire match.\nDespite a rough start, the Hoosiers will rely on their experience and defense to be the backbone of the team as they try to prove preseason rankings wrong.\nIU, which had a 5-4-1 record last year, is predicted to finish in the middle of the conference at sixth, according to the Big Ten coaches’ preseason poll. \nBut with 15 team members returning, including six starters, the Hoosiers will field an experienced squad. All of them are looking forward to a challenge. \nLast year’s squad also focused on defense, letting in a school-record low of 15 goals. IU coach Mick Lyon said this year’s squad will also depend on a back line that struggled against Missouri.\n“Games can be won on defense – certainly I know we have to score goals – but defending your own goal and stopping the other team from scoring is going to be our primary starting point,” Lyon said. “I certainly expect us to be ever-dominant in the back as we have been. I don’t know that we will set a school record again, because it is difficult to set a record every year, but we will be extremely competitive in the defensive unit for sure.” \nEven with such a strong defense, improving on last year’s season will be tough considering the schedule the team has been dealt. \nThe squad will face five teams ranked in the preseason top 25. Their season opener will be at No. 13 University of Florida. The Hoosiers will host No. 25 University of Southern California on Sept. 9. \nDuring conference play, the Hoosiers will face the preseason rankings’ top five Big Ten teams on the road, including nationally ranked No. 7 Penn State, No. 15 Purdue and No. 20 Illinois.\n“You’ve got to play a tough schedule if you want to get prepared for Big Ten games,” Lyon said. “All 10 of our Big Ten games are incredibly tough, whether we are playing Penn State, who ranks at the top, or Iowa, who is at the bottom.”\nTo gear up for the tough schedule and to keep fit, many of the Hoosiers participated in club teams over the summer. Five sophomores – defender Jessica Boots, forward Kristin Arnold and midfielders Nikki Bonacorsi, Christie Kotynski and Natalie O’Bryan – played for the Carmel Cyclones.\nWith help from the Hoosier players, the Cyclones won the Under-19 division at the United States Youth Soccer National Championships in July.\n“It gave me a chance to really get to know the other girls on a different level. Not only as just friends, but getting to know their different styles of play,” Boots said. “Being together all summer was just a really good time.”\nLyon said those sophomores and their summer experiences will be instrumental to the team’s season.\n“The sophomore class was very big last year and is outstanding in talent and experience. And that is the group that we are relying on to really help us come through,” Lyon said. \nThe Hoosier’s season will kick off Aug. 31 as the Hoosiers travel to Gainesville, Fla., to take on the No. 13 Gators.
(06/21/07 4:00am)
Even though I lauded "The Departed" as the best film of 2006 -- and it certainly was the best film made last year -- my true No. 1 was Jean-Pierre Melville's "Army of Shadows," from 1969, which finally received a U.S. theatrical release after Rialto Pictures restored it. Thanks to The Criterion Collection, the DVD is available for those who missed it or, like myself, have been dying to own a copy. \nIn the wake of Hitler's occupation of France, numerous resistance factions banded together to topple the Nazi war machine. "Shadows" tells the tale of one of those factions, led by Philippe Gerbier (Lino Ventura), and the complex lives of its members, from the false identities they assume to the backstabbing they commit to save their own hides. \nThe film is dark, moody and has enough atmosphere to suffocate someone -- all trademarks of the Melville style, but also a historical reflection from Melville, who actually fought in the French Resistance. This is one of Ventura's greatest performances, which says a lot, considering he hated Melville and they never spoke on the set. Ventura is so effective at getting into the mind of the character that he remains dead silent most times, only muttering a few lines here and there and letting his supporting cast, which includes the likes of Jean-Pierre Cassel and Simone Signoret, do most of the talking.\nThis is easily one of the best DVD releases of 2007. With an in-depth commentary track by film historian Ginette Vincendeau and on-set interviews with Melville, the cast and even real-life Resistance fighters, the release reveals plenty of information on this almost-forgotten masterpiece. Perhaps the greatest artifact on this compilation, though, is a 1944 black-and-white documentary short which shows footage of the Resistance finally toppling the Nazi regime in the streets of Paris. \n$40 might be a hefty price tag, but filmmaking of this caliber is a rarity. Whether you rent it or blind-buy it, "Army of Shadows" won't disappoint you.
(06/07/07 4:00am)
After "Silence of the Lambs" was released, moviegoers came to a general consensus that each of the following Hannibal Lecter sequels would be OK -- not incredibly awful, but less original and with less shock value (and less Jodie Foster) than the original. And even though it's technically a prequel, "Hannibal Rising" feels as though it fits with its other post-1991 predecessors. \nThe movie begins with 8-year-old Hannibal Lecter and the rest of his family leaving their home in Lithuania during World War II to escape German bombs. German planes suddenly fly overhead and begin shooting, killing everyone on the ground and leaving Hannibal to care for his little sister Mischa.\nBut not long after Hannibal watches his parents die, a group of looting German soldiers storm the cabin they are staying in. Starving and unable to find food, they force Hannibal and Mischa to provied them with sustenance. \nThe plot then fast-forwards eight years to Hannibal living in an orphanage. He never speaks; he only screams during his nightmares. Disturbed and troubled, he is determined to get revenge for what has been done to him and is intent on finding the German men who tore his life to pieces years ago.\nAlthough this film falls in line with the other mediocre Hannibal Lecter sequels, it makes for an interesting viewing because of its sympathy-for-the-devil angle. The movie sheds light on what brought out the monster in Hannibal, and viewers may sympathize with him. Ulliel does a good job of mirroring Anthony Hopkins' Hannibal in a younger form, even if he is never quite as scary. \nThe DVD extras offer commentary from director Peter Webber and producer Martha de Laurentiis, who offer insight into the film and point out little details from each scene. There is also a behind-the-scenes featurette, "Hannibal Rising," trailers and teasers, deleted scenes and a look at how production designer Allan Starski created the sets. The deleted scenes are mainly extensions of other scenes kept in the unrated version of the movie, so there is nothing too extreme like alternate endings here. It would've been interesting to hear from Lecter mastermind Thomas Harris, who wrote the Hannibal novels and the screenplay for this film, in the audio commentary, but like the film itself, the extras fail to rise past mediocrity.
(06/04/07 1:11am)
The IU track and field squads will be sending four athletes to the 2007 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships this week, with the women’s squad sending three of those four athletes.\nFreshman Vera Neuenswander is the Big Ten champion in the women’s pole vault and is currently the top-ranked freshman in the nation, according to www.trackshark.com. Her outdoor season’s best of 4.12 meters, which she set in Bloomington on May 4 at the Billy Hayes Invitational, has her placed eighth overall in the nation. \nThough only a freshman, this competition will not be Neuenswander’s first chance at being part of an NCAA championship event. On March 10, Neuenswander participated in the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships, where she came into the meet ranked 14th and finished 12th. Neuenswander said she is hoping her experience at the indoor championships will help her during this meet, where she is seeded 10th.\n“It is exciting to be 10th, but I know at the same time that I can jump higher,” she said. “And going in knowing that anything can happen makes me more confident.”\nNeuenswander’s teammate, senior Jessica Gall, is also no stranger to national meets as she is a two-time cross-country All-American and competed at outdoor nationals last year. She will be competing in the meet in the 10,000-meter run. On May 11, Gall was crowned Big Ten champion, winning the 10,000-meter run, but it was her time of 33:54.65 at the Stanford Invitational on March 31 that has her ranked 22nd in the nation, according to trackshark.com. \n“(The experience) will definitely help,” Gall said. “I’ll know competition and I ran the 10k last year at nationals. It is a grueling race, but I have a great coach who has me peaking at the right time. And this being my last race for IU, I am really motivated.” \nThe last woman who will be representing IU on the national stage is senior Lorian Price. Price will be competing in the 100-meter hurdles at the event. Last weekend at the NCAA Mideast Regional, Price recorded two consecutive personal bests as she improved her qualifying times for the championships.\nFor the 100-meter hurdle preliminaries at the regional she ran a new best of 13.44 seconds, improving on her previous record of 13.56 seconds. Then for the finals, Price knocked even more time off of her best with a run of 13.42 seconds, good enough for eighth place at the regional and an at-large bid to participate at the national meet. Price will go into the meet seeded 24th.\nThe lone men’s competitor from IU will be sophomore Blayne Burkholder, who will be participating in the pole vault. Burkholder earned himself an automatic bid to compete by finishing third at the regional meet with a clearance of 5.06 meters. He will go into the meet seeded 24th with his personal best mark of 5.15 meters set on May 13, en route to earning a Big Ten championship.\nThe event, hosted by Sacramento State University in Sacramento, Calif., begins Wednesday and ends Saturday.
(05/23/07 11:59pm)
The IU track and field squads will take their five Big Ten champions and many other athletes to Columbia, Mo. Friday to compete in the NCAA Mideast Regional. The regional meet is an opportunity for competitors to finish near the top of their respective events and earn themselves a bid to compete at the NCAA Track and Field National Championships.\nIU has a total five Big Ten champions: two pole vaulters, two long jumpers and one distance runner.
(05/15/07 7:18pm)
Despite gathering five Big Ten champions, neither the men nor the women squads of IU track and field could bolster a top five finish at the outdoor Big Ten championships.\nThe women’s team was close, and an observer of the team noted they definitely are improving.\nFreshman Vera Neuenswander’s second place finish at the indoor Big Ten championships, where she battled sophomore Mallory Peck of Purdue for the highest step of the podium, was a surprise to everyone but Neuenswander and her coaches. This time around, however, everyone knew Neuenswander was going to put on a show.\nThe number one-ranking freshman in the nation, seventh overall, battled Minnesota’s standout freshman Alicia Rue. The two hit marks of 3.80 meters and 4.05 meters. Setting the height to 4.10 meters – two-hundredths of a meter shy of Neuenswander’s personal best of 4.12 meters, a school and Big Ten record – the pair missed their first two attempts. Rue was unable to clear the mark on her third attempt as Neuenswander did, earning the women Hoosiers its first Big Ten champion in the Pole Vault.\n“Coach (Jake) Wiseman and coach (Dave) Volz have to be the best pole vault coaching duo in the nation,” women’s interim head coach Judy Wilson said.\nIt is hard to argue with Wilson when sophomore Blayne Burkholder of IU was also crowned Big Ten champion in the pole vault. The competition was sent into a jump-off with Purdue senior John Porter. Burkholder cleared a mark of 5.15 meters in his last attempt as Porter failed to clear the bar, giving Burkholder the title.\nBurkholder’s classmate Jeff Coover finished in third. Both improved their regional qualifying marks to 5.15 meters.\nThe Hoosiers had a pair of Big Ten champions in another event. Seniors Kiwan Lawson and Lorian Price both climbed to the top of the podium to earn Big Ten long jump champion titles. \nLawson cleared 7.79 meters en route to a new personal best, his second Big Ten championship in the long jump this season and third Big Ten championship overall, as he also won the 200-meter dash championship at indoors.\nPrice won the competition, clearing 6.46 meters on her first attempt. The distance was a new personal best for Price, who currently ranks eighth in the nation and comes in at third all-time at IU.\n“Kiwan really competed well,” men’s interim head coach Wayne Pate said in a statement Saturday. “I was really happy and am very excited for him. ... Lorian went out on all cylinders. ... I knew that she was capable of going out and performing at that level.”\nSenior Jessica Gall finished her tremendous track and cross country careers by making a move from third with a lap and a half left in the 10,000 meter run to earn IU another Big Ten title. She finished the race with a time of 34.27.07.\n“An old coach used to say that championships call for championship performances, and we had those,” Wilson said. “That was exactly what Neuenswander, Price and Gall did. And then there are a lot of people in the supporting cast who did a great job. You have to be a good teammate.”\nThe men finished in eighth place, down from fifth place at the indoor Big Tens.\n“We had a bad day (Sunday) when we needed a good one to finish in third,” Pate said. “Our 4x1- disqualified in the first event of the day and that really knocked the wind out of are sails. The kids tried hard, but the chips didn’t fall into place.”\nAll was not totally lost for either squad this weekend, however. Both teams gathered even more regional qualifiers, bringing the total up to 15 athletes in 17 events and an additional three relay squads. The Hoosiers will participate in the Mideast regional meet in Columbia, Mo., on May 25-26, where they will be vying for spots in the NCAA national meet.\n“We had a lot of young kids come and do some things,” Pate said. “The future looks bright and I am excited to have them come through and move up the ranks.”
(05/14/07 12:03am)
EVANSTON, Ill. – Their season ended with a 4-1 loss to No. 5 Northwestern in the second round of the NCAA championships Saturday afternoon, but the Hoosier women’s tennis team didn’t seem to mind. The team acted the same way they had the day before, after their defeat of No. 43 Boise State – joking with each other, smiling and taking pictures with their families and coaches.\nThe fact is that the team had nothing to be upset over. At the beginning of their season, the team was placed in the middle of the Big Ten conference with a mediocre record. At the end of the season, the Hoosiers had achieved a 9-1 record in the Big Ten conference and a 21-7 record overall. Four of those losses came to teams ranked in the top 10 nationally and the last three to teams in the top 25.\n“I was really happy with the season we had,” Head Coach Lin Loring said. “I couldn’t be more pleased with the girls. ... In January, we felt like we would probably be 5-5 in conference and a national ranking somewhere 55 to 60. So to go 9-1 in conference and the second round of the NCAA (tournament), we couldn’t be happier.”\nWith a strong breeze off Lake Michigan no more than a block away on Friday, playing conditions were anything but pleasant. But that didn’t seem to bother the No. 24 Hoosiers as they defeated Boise State four wins to two in a best of seven series.\nThe match was not an easy one for the Hoosiers. With the teams tied in the match at two, sophomore Alba Berdala and senior Laura McGaffigan had to come from behind in their third sets to win the number one and two matches, respectively.\nOn Saturday, the Hoosiers began their bout against Northwestern in control of the doubles matches, but the Wildcats battled back to earn the point. From there, Northwestern didn’t look back, winning the match 4-1.\n“I feel like we fought every single match so hard throughout this entire season,” McGaffigan said. “I feel like we played with so much heart, we can’t be too mad at ourselves. And Northwestern is always a good team. We came out here and fought as hard as we could, and there was not much more that we could have done.”\nMcGaffigan finished her career by earning IU’s only point versus Northwestern, defeating the No. 43 singles player in the nation, freshman Samantha Murray 6-3, 6-3. \nBerdala was poised to gain another point for IU when Northwestern gathered its last needed point of the day. Berdala was leading No. 13 sophomore Georgia Rose 6-3, 3-3 when the match ended, marking with it the end of Indiana’s season.\n“It just simply wasn’t one of the better teams we had at IU, but they didn’t know it,” Loring said. “We forgot to tell them they weren’t supposed to be that good. I’m serious, they just very much overachieved with the talent we had and the team’s chemistry accounted for a lot of that. The team got along great.”
(05/10/07 12:08am)
Led by the Big Ten Coach of the Year, two All-Big Ten athletes and an attitude that says they don’t have anything to lose, the Hoosier women’s tennis team will head to Evanston, Ill., to compete Friday in the NCAA regional tournament.\n“We were, at the beginning of the season, picked at fifth or sixth because we lost our senior, Sarah Batty, who graduated an All-American, and we really didn’t replace her,” head coach Lin Loring said.\nThough Loring thought his team would have to fight for fifth or sixth, the team finished second in the Big Ten behind Northwestern. According to Loring, this was because every member of the team stepped up, and his players agree.\n“I think it’s that we have a solid team,” senior Laura McGaffigan said. “Everyone came through when we needed them to. It was never just one person winning everything.”\nMcGaffigan, one of the squad’s two captains, plays at No. 2 singles and pairs up with sophomore Alba Berdala for doubles play. \n“It’s a lot of fun to play with Alba,” McGaffigan said. “She is very laid-back. We match up well together and play together well.”\nThe pair certainly does play well together. Together this season they had a 7-3 record, including a 2-0 record against ranked opponents.\nOn April 8, the duo dealt the No. 13 pairing of Northwestern’s Georgia Rose and Alexis Prousis their first loss of the season. Then on April 15, Berdala and McGaffigan defeated the No. 45 pairing of Brooke Beier and Mallory Voelker of Purdue.\n“Laura is an amazing doubles partner,” Berdala said. “She is the kind of person who makes it fun to play. She makes me want to play harder.”\nBoth Berdala and McGaffigan were named All-Big Ten athletes this year, while Coach Loring was named Big Ten Coach of the Year for the fifth time in his career.\nLoring holds the all-time record for having coached the most wins in women’s tennis, with 696 career victories. He has been at IU for 30 years and led the women’s team to a national championship in 1982. The championship was the first for any women’s sport at IU.\nIn the first round of the tournament, the Hoosiers, ranked 25th nationally, will face the No. 43 Boise State Broncos. The two teams have never faced each other, and Loring said he welcomes the challenge of a new opponent.\n“We don’t know anything about them,” Loring said. “We looked at some (of) the scores, and they are obviously very good. We played a little tougher national schedule, but they have done well – they are like 42 nationally.”\nCoach Loring also said Boise State was a well-rounded team because every player except for their number one has a winning record. This did not seem to bother Loring who, confident in his squad, said it would come down to the matchups at each level of the teams.\nIf IU beats Boise State, they will face the winner of the match between No. 5 Northwestern and No. 63 Western Michigan. IU is looking forward to a possible rematch with Northwestern, whom they lost to earlier this year 4-2.\n“They are ranked really high,” Berdala said, “but we don’t really have anything to lose if we face them.”\nFriday could mark the end of the season for the team, but that doesn’t seem to be on the players’ minds.\n“I just think that if (we) go out and have great performances where everyone does their part we will be fine,” McGaffigan said. “We have had a really great season and are really excited for Friday.”
(05/10/07 12:06am)
The culmination of a long season of indoor and outdoor meets for the IU track and field squads is in sight. This weekend, the squads will be traveling to Penn State for the Outdoor Big Ten championships.\nFor the women’s team, their formula is set – strong senior leadership earning their expected points and an up-start freshman class stealing points other teams expect to get.\nThe head of the women’s senior class is Stacey Clausing. Clausing is the workhorse for the squad. This week, she was named Big Ten track athlete of the week after running a leg in the 4x100-meter relay that qualified for the NCAA Mideast regional meet.\nThis was after she ran and qualified in the 200-meter dash and ran in the 100-meter dash where she finished second overall. At any meet, Clausing could run up to five events, said women’s interim head coach Judy Wilson. \nClausing qualified for the NCAA Mideast regional in the 200-meter dash, 400-meter dash and has a leg of the 4x100-meter relay squad that has qualified.\n“(The award is) well deserved,” Wilson said. “Stacey has done a lot for our program, and I don’t think she is done. We’re hoping to get the 4x400-meter relay squad qualified for regionals this weekend, and she will be running in that.”\nThe standout freshman on the squad is undoubtedly pole-vaulter Vera Neuenswander. Neuenswander is ranked the No. 1 freshman pole-vaulter in the nation and sixth in the nation overall. Last weekend, she set an IU record for women’s pole-vault with a mark of 4.12 meters.\nBut it was Neuenswander’s second place performance at the Big Ten indoor meet where she set a Big Ten record with a clearance of 4.11 meters that, according to Wilson, got everyone on the team excited and led to IU doubling their point total from the previous year.\n“At these meets, anything can happen,” Wilson said. “We just need to go and compete. If the seniors can perform well, it will set a tone for the team, and we have a big class of 22 freshmen, which are the ones who are on the bubble of scoring that we need to get scoring.”\nOn the men’s side, the bottom line is to simply perform, because they are a threat to finish anywhere in the top five with the talent they have after finishing fifth at the Indoor Big Tens.\nSophomore sprinter Wil Glover injured his hamstring, leaving big holes in the 100-meter dash and 4x100-meter relay squad. Luckily, junior Marcus Thigpen, football running back and sprinter, is good at running through holes. He was able to help the squad qualify for regionals, but the team would have been much stronger had both Thigpen and Glover been running.\nThe good news is that men’s interim head coach Wayne Pate has his jumpers healthy and assistant coach Robert Chapman has his distance team running the best they have all year.\n“Our distance crew is going to show up, I’m counting on it,” Pate said. “Our runners have been running well. Coach Chapman has done a great job in preparing them and hopefully they’ll be ready to run.”\nThe jumpers were the team that gathered the most points for the Hoosiers at Indoor Big Tens. Junior Kyle Jenkins took first in the triple jump and Senior Kiwan Lawson won the long jump.\n“Kyle and Kiwan did well at indoors and now know what to expect and what it takes to win,” Pate said. “Hopefully we have worked on the right things and it all comes together. Our goal is to do better than we did at indoors.”
(05/04/07 4:00am)
Every freshman comes to IU in search of their identity, and even if they think they know it, it will change throughout the year. Senior track and field standout Kiwan Lawson was no exception to this rule.\nLawson had a rough transition from high school to collegiate track. Now, wrapping up his career with the team, he took time to reflect on those problems and how his coach has helped him through them to be what he is today, a Big Ten champion in the indoor long jump.\n“Freshman year was tough for me,” Lawson said. “I had a few home problems, but really just issues in finding myself and having doubts as to whether or not I was ready for collegiate track. I had real identity problems coming in and being in the shadows, as all eyes were on (former Hoosier) David Neville and the Jefferson twins.”\nAccording to Lawson’s coach, interim head coach Wayne Pate, it isn’t uncommon for a freshman on the squad to have transition problems.\n“Of course he struggled his freshman year; most freshmen do,” Pate said. “Most kids were the stars of their high school teams – that’s how they got to college – and no longer are top dog. That’s where it is our job as coaches to help them through that time.”\nThough Lawson might not have been the focal point of the team his freshman year, this year was different. During the indoor Big Ten Championships, eyes were finally on Lawson, and he definitely was a sight to see.\nLawson took 3rd in the 200-meter dash and earned himself the title of Big Ten champion when he finished first in the long jump in front of family and friends at IU’s Gladstein Fieldhouse. \n“That was probably the best time of my career here at IU,” Lawson said. “My friends came down and it was great getting that first Big Ten title in front of them.”\nLawson has been chasing that title his whole career at IU, a title that would have come a lot sooner than his senior year if not for injury. \nAfter finishing third in the long jump at the indoor Big Tens his freshman year and qualifying for the regional meet during outdoors, Lawson has not been able to stay healthy enough to compete in an outdoor season.\nDuring the indoor season his junior year, Lawson took second in the long jump at Big Tens and was set for nationals when he suffered an injury. He still competed at nationals but finished last, leaping 6.88 meters – nowhere near his personal best of 7.75 meters. The same injury kept Lawson from competing during that outdoor season.\n“I can’t explain how hard it is to not be able to perform,” Lawson said. “It is no longer personal when outdoors come because I have a relay team to compete with. But I think that it is good for athletes to get setbacks early, because it makes them stronger.”\nThis year, the strength that Lawson gained growing up led to his being named a team captain by Pate.\n“It has been good working with (Lawson),” Pate said. “We’ll be sorry to see him go. He has been a good leader and team captain and has done a lot to add to the team. Once in a while I see him off to the side talking with the younger athletes about technique, and that is what you want out of a leader.” \nAs Lawson and his coach gear up for the outdoor Big Ten championships and then for one last shot at the outdoor national championships, they also have one more meet to go. Lawson and his team will be competing along with the women’s team today as IU hosts the Billy Hayes Invitational. \n“I’m anxious for (the Big Tens), because it has been a long season,” Lawson said. “The coaches have been going easy in practice, because I need to have my body at its freshest. Hopefully I will be able to move up the regional list.”
(04/26/07 4:00am)
The 98th running of the Drake Relays in Des Moines, Iowa this weekend will play host to the Hoosier track and field squads as they look to fill that bus headed for the NCAA Mideast Regional the weekend of May 25 and 26.\nSo far, the Hoosiers have eight athletes headed to Columbia, Mo., for the regional, but the Hoosier squads could add to that total in bunches at the Drake Relays. That is because this weekend’s meet is primarily made up of relay events for the runners. \nAssistant coach George Freeman said the Drake Relays are historic and very traditional in that sense.\n“(The meet) became popular in the mid-’50s,” Freeman said. “Back then it was almost like an extravaganza, sort of like a carnival. The lines of the (dirt) track used to be perfectly painted on, now it just has a really nice track with a rich history.”\nOther than nostalgia, the relays will provide IU with a level of competition they have not come up against this year. The competition will be similar to what they will be facing at the Big Ten championships May 11-13.\nFreeman said that he hopes the strong level of competition will push his athletes harder, and that more of them will qualify for the regional meet. \nBoth the men’s and women’s 4x100-meter relay teams and 4x400-meter relays teams are on the cusp of qualifying.\n“I think both teams should qualify this weekend,” Freeman said. “We should also qualify in the four-by-two, which is an odd event for us, because we normally don’t run it.”\nThis will be the first time all year that IU has competed in the 4x200-meter relay.\nSophomore John Gunnell will be running a leg of the 4x400-meter relay team. Gunnell did the same last weekend at the Cardinal Invitational in Louisville, where he ran the anchor leg of the relay and the squad ran a time 3:13.75.\n“3:10 is qualifying. I’m hoping we will run a 3:07,” Gunnell said. “In order to do that everybody has to be good, and we will have to have good handoffs, not like last weekend. Last weekend we almost ran out of our lane on the handoff.”\nGunnell said that the team wasn’t worried about handoffs this week and spent time running shorter distances and taking longer rests to focus on speed. \nThe 4x100-meter relay team will be missing a key member this weekend. Sophomore Wil Glover has an injured hamstring and coach Freeman said that he is considering redshirting Glover for the rest of the year so he can fully recover.\n“We might just let him rest for the rest of the year – we aren’t sure,” he said. “We would be disappointed if we had to, but we don’t want to hurt him. He has worked so hard to get to that next level of performance, but his hamstring just hasn’t been able to hold up.”\nGlover was replaced by two-sport athlete junior Marcus Thigpen last weekend, and will be again this weekend. Thigpen’s teammate from the Hoosier football team, senior Tracy Porter, began working out with the track squads this week as well.\n“Porter is out here now, and we are anxious to see how his speed is,” Freeman said.
(04/23/07 4:00am)
Forgive the math, but for a women’s sprinter to qualify for the regional meet in the 100-meter dash, she must cover the 100 meters in 11.75 seconds or less, which would average her speed out at roughly 19 mph. \nSo imagine, plowing through another person at that speed. IU’s junior sprinter Zakiya Robinson did just that in a warm up for her dash.\n“She was prepared to come out of the blocks and collided with a guy,” IU sprinting coach George Freeman said. “She hurt her rib and knocked the air out of her. She is fine now but she missed the 200- and 100- (meter dashes), and we were looking forward to her running in those.”\nFreeman said that Robinson should be able to run in next weekend’s Drake Relays.\nOther than Robinson’s setback the IU track and field teams had a strong meet at the Cardinal Invite hosted by Louisville.\nThe meet was unofficially scored between Louisville, IU and Indiana State. The coaches kept score as if the meet were a head-to-head team competition, even though it was an open invitational. Freeman said that keeping score really pushed his athletes to compete harder.\n“We were at the point where Stacey (Clausing) wasn’t going to run in the 4-by-400-meter relay, but she did and they ran their fastest time,” Freeman said. “Audrey Smoot ran a really good split, which wouldn’t have happened unless we ran it. The scoring keeps our competitive edge sharp.”\nEarlier in the day, Clausing, a senior sprinter, recorded her first regional qualifying mark of the outdoor season in the 400-meter dash with a time of 54.42 seconds. She finished first in the event.\nAlso winning her event was senior Lorian Price, who ran a time of 13.77 seconds in the 100-meter hurdles. Her teammate and classmate Courtney Johnson finished right behind her in second with a time of 13.80 seconds. That time was also a regional standard time, the third for Johnson this season.\nThe men’s track and field team also had a strong meet, particularly from its standout freshman thrower.\nEric Werskey improved his regional standard in the shot put with a toss of 17.48 meters, finishing second. Werskey qualified for the regional meet in both the shot put and the discus throw.\n“Eric is in a spot where he could win in the shot and/or the discus at the Big Tens, but he has to be able to put it together in the same weekend,” throwers coach Wil Fleming said.\nHe said for Werskey to do that, Fleming is going to change practices around. Instead of throwing either the discus or the shot one day, he will have Werskey do both in the same practice.
(04/20/07 4:00am)
Originally, the IU track-and-field teams had the Little 500 weekend off. But when the Indiana Relays were canceled April 7 due to bad weather, their coaches added this weekend’s Cardinal Invitational to their schedule.\nThe meet will be Friday and Saturday at the University of Louisville’s Cardinal Park.\nThe coaches of IU track and field hope their squads compete aggressively this weekend at the open invitational and gather more individual regional qualifying times.\nOne way the coaches are encouraging this is by unofficially scoring the meet. That means the coaches of the Louisville Cardinals and the Indiana State Sycamores will keep score as if the meet were a team meet, not a normal open meet.\n“The Cardinal Invite is an open meet, so it brings in random athletes to compete,” IU sprinters coach George Freeman said. “What we want to do is keep score between the Cardinals, us and the Sycamores. Our athletes always compete better when the meet is scored – this one will be scored, but not officially.”\nAccording to the coaches, if the meet were scored and the results turned into the NCAA making them official, athletes who have been redshirted or who are just not using eligibility – running unattached – for their teams would not be allowed to compete.\n“In track and field, you can’t have unattached athletes scored in meets, because that would lose their eligibility for the year,” IU women’s interim head coach Judy Wilson said. “It helps the competition when you have unattached athletes compete – for example, post-collegiate athletes.”\nFreeman hopes that with the level of competition and the fact the meet will be scored will make his athletes perform better. So he is taking nearly all his sprinters to this away meet, something the teams normally do not do.\n“We have roughly a full team going,” Freeman said. “We’re looking at leaving only four out of 19 sprinters.”\nTwo of Freeman’s sprinters who won’t be making the trip are sophomore Wil Glover and junior Doug Dayhoff. Both are nursing minor injuries. To cope with their losses, Freeman plans to move sophomore John Gunnell into Dayhoff’s leg of the 4x100-meter relay squad, and will possibly bring two-sport athlete Marcus Thigpen into the meet to take over Glover’s races.\nThe men’s sprinting squad has yet to have an athlete qualify for the regional meet in late May, but Freeman hopes this weekend could change that.\n“I’ve worked them so hard, but now we have been doing more things on speed and I have pulled them out of the weight room,” Freeman said. “Now that it’s warm out, they will run faster, because sprinters need heat. It was only 40 degrees in Missouri, and there is no way you can run fast in that.”\nThe women’s team is also hoping to capitalize on the warm weather and get more regional qualifications, Wilson said. They are planning on taking a nearly full squad as well, with 25 or 26 athletes traveling.\n“We are hoping to get warm weather and more people qualified for regionals,” Wilson said. “Last weekend was great getting to see where the regional meet will be held, and this weekend will be good training for next weekend’s Drake Relays, where we are hoping to face really strong competition.”
(04/16/07 4:00am)
Apparently no one told the men’s and women’s track teams that the weather in Columbia, Mo., would be miserable, and that they wouldn’t be able to perform well at the Tom Botts Invitational. That or the teams simply were not listening as, despite horrid conditions, the men and women combined to win 15 events.\n“The weather was bad, and the times reflected that,” said IU sprinter’s coach George Freeman. “But it was like the team was hungry and had a great meet.”\nThe invite was a relatively small one because IU went up against host Missouri and rival Purdue. \n“The meet originally had six teams scheduled to participate, but the weather scared some of the teams off,” Freeman said.\nThe weather was 48 degrees and raining both days of the invite, according to The Weather Channel, but it didn’t faze Hoosiers and senior sprinter Stacey Clausing. Clausing competed in the 200- and 400-meter dashes and ran a leg in both the 4x100-meter relay and the 4x400-meter relay.\n“I really pushed her,” Freeman said. “But after the meet was over, she told me that she liked being pushed.”\nClausing won both of her dashes and helped the relay squads win both of their events.\nAnother winner on the women’s side was senior Courtney Johnson, who posted another regional qualifying time of 13.89 seconds in the 100-meter hurdles. Teammate senior Lorian Price finished second with a time on the cusp of qualifying for the regional meet – 14.01 seconds. Price also finished first in the long jump.\nThe men’s squad also featured many first-place finishes this weekend. Junior sprinter Keith Heerdegen took first in the 200-meter dash after finishing second in the 100-meter.\n“Keith ran a great time,” Freeman said. “It didn’t matter to him where the wind was blowing or if it was raining.”\nHeerdegen’s time of 21.59 seconds in the 200-meter dash is a new personal best.\nOff the track, field athletes were also bringing blue ribbons. Cutting through the wind and rain, freshman Eric Werskey won the discus throw with a regional qualifying distance of 51.78 meters. And indoor Big Ten champion Kiwan Lawson won the long jump with a leap of 7.18 meters.\nAll in all, the times were not the best that these Hoosier squads will put up, but IU’s showing tenacity to perform no matter what is a tribute to the team’s character, said men’s interim coach Wayne Pate.\n“We won a lot of events, and it was nice to be able to do that,” he said. “The team had a lot of character in that in a meet like this, you can throw the times out of the window, but they still went out there and competed. They showed a lot of heart this weekend, and that makes a coach happy.”
(04/13/07 4:00am)
Despite unfavorable weather for meets, the men’s and women’s track and field teams will continue to clear hurdles this season. \nAfter canceling last weekend’s Indiana Relays, the teams will be taking their top athletes to Columbia, Mo., this weekend to compete in the Tom Botts Invitational held by the University of Missouri.\nAs with every outdoor meet, the teams hope to have their athletes post regional qualifying marks. The athletes who post these marks will be able to compete in the regional meet, which will also be hosted by Missouri. The regional meet is where these athletes will then try to qualify for nationals by finishing in the top five for automatic qualification or finishing sixth or seventh to enter a wild card pool.\nOne event where the Hoosiers, especially the women, routinely send athletes to the regional meet and then on to nationals is the steeplechase. The steeplechase is a 3,000-meter run with four barriers and one water pit strewn out every 400 meters. \nAccording to women’s interim head coach Judy Wilson, the team has had two women compete at nationals and place high enough to earn All-America honors since the team started competing in the event in 2002.\n“It takes tough people for the steeplechase,” Wilson said. “It is grueling to watch, because you hit a hurdle and it will fall, but if you hit one of these barriers that sucker won’t budge.”\nOne athlete who feels she is tough enough for the steeplechase is junior Maura Ratcliff. Wilson hopes that Ratcliff can hit a regional qualifying time in the event soon. \n“It is definitely a possibility,” Ratcliff said about her coach’s hopes. “I am trying to keep my eyes ahead to that.”\nWith the event combining a distance race with obstacles normally reserved for sprints, Ratcliff said that the event can be difficult to train for.\n“It’s an interesting event, running fast while getting over barriers and the water pit,” Ratcliff said. “You have to balance your time between the two.”\nAccording to Ratcliff, steeplechase athletes do a lot of training to get their legs strong for jumping the barriers, and then also run 1,500-meter runs and 3,000-meter runs to build up enough speed and endurance for the race.\nThe teams are hoping that their training and the momentum from their last meet on March 31 will carry into a strong performance at their toughest invite yet.\nOn March 31, the teams had four athletes qualify for the regional meet.\nFor the men, sophomore Jordan Kyle ran a personal best in qualifying with a time of 14:03.83 in the 5,000-meter run. Freshmen thrower Eric Werskey also qualified for the regional meet. He posted a mark of 16.85 meters in the shot put.\nThe women’s side also had two qualifiers. Senior Courtney Johnson sprinted her way in to the meet with a time of 13.63 seconds in the 100-meter dash. Senior Jessica Gall had probably the best day of all of the Hoosiers though, as she posted a time of 33:54.65 in the 10,000-meter run. That time was a personal best for Gall and would place her second all-time at IU in the 10,000-meters.\nTo carry this momentum will be difficult, however, as the temperature in Columbia will be in the low 40s and wet, according to Weather.com, vastly different from the weather of Palo Alto, Calif., where they competed March 31.
