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(10/26/07 5:14pm)
Now it’s for real. \nAfter regular season meets with little meaning, the stakes are high this time for more than one reason at the Big Ten Championships on Sunday in Columbus, Ohio. \nNot only has the postseason arrived, but two points are on the line in the AT&T Crimson & Gold Cup, the annual inter-sport contest between IU and Purdue. The Hoosiers will look to return the cup to Bloomington for the third time in four years after losing to their rivals in West Lafayette last year.\nBesides the Crimson and Gold Cup, the fact that the meet is part of the postseason has an effect on the Hoosiers.\nSophomore Jordan Kyle, who has been the highest-placing Hoosier in every meet so far this year, understands the added pressure of postseason play. \n“There is more of a level of professionalism (this weekend),” Kyle said. “Everyone wants to run well, and it changes the mentality on where you want to place.”\nKyle also thinks he can improve on last year’s 16th-place finish at the Big Ten Championships.\n“I think I can finish in the top eight this year,” he said. \nOn the women’s side, IU junior Lauren Keefe said the Hoosiers will not change the way they run this weekend, even though it is postseason play.\n“We’re planning on approaching this meet like any other,” Keefe said. “(IU) coach (Ron) Helmer has set goals for us and we hope to approach it that way.”\nKeefe was also hoping for the best finish ever for herself.\n“Personally, I hope to get a personal record and be under last week’s time,” Keefe said.\nThe meet for both the men’s and women’s team begins at 11 a.m. with the women’s race being six kilometers and the men’s race being 10 kilometers.\nFollowing this weekend, postseason action continues on Nov. 10 in Bloomington with the NCAA Great Lakes Regional Championships. This meet is when elimination begins, as the Hoosiers must place in the top two to go to the NCAA Championships on Nov. 19.
(10/26/07 3:45am)
Winter is approaching, and it is starting to get too cold to play golf. Before golf courses freeze altogether, however, the Hoosiers have one last tournament to close out the fall season.\nIU has finished all four tournaments in the top three this season and IU coach Clint Wallman said this Monday’s Edwin Watts/Palmetto Intercollegiate in Kiawah Island, S.C. is an opportunity to earn another top finish even if it has no added meaning compared to other tournaments.\n“We certainly are looking to end our fall season on a good note, but it’s one event out of 11,” Wallman said. \nLast year, the Hoosiers placed a season-low 11th in the same tournament, but Wallman thinks this year will be better.\n“I think having played in this tournament one time before gives us an understanding of the course and this helps us significantly in preparation for the event,” Wallman said.\nIn an effort to get the best possible finish, IU will make a lineup change for the tournament. IU will stay with seniors Elaine Harris and Lauren Harling as well as sophomore Laura Nochta as they have all year. However, sophomore Anita Gahir has missed the past couple tournaments with an injury and was replaced in the lineup by junior Amber Lindgren.\nGahir will return from injury this tournament, while Lindgren will play in place of sophomore Kellye Belcher, who has competed in every tournament this year. \nWallman said the lineup change was because of Lindgren’s strong play and not because Belcher hasn’t played well. \n“Amber has had a great qualifying round and played really well,” Wallman said. “(The switch) is a testament of the depth of our team and not a knock on Kellye as she is a great player.”\nThe Hoosiers will compete against 20 teams in this tournament, which is the highest number they have competed against this year. The quality of this tournament is also strong as IU will play against three higher-ranked teams, according to golfweek.com. \nAfter this week’s tournament, the Hoosiers return to action in February for an exhibition Ryder Cup-style match against Wisconsin on Feb. 8. Regular season tournament play starts again on Feb. 19 in Parrish, Fla. at the Central District Invitational.
(10/15/07 4:56am)
The IU men’s and women’s cross country teams were left scratching their heads after placing in the middle and back of the pack respectively this weekend at the Pre-Nationals in Terre Haute. \nJust one race before the Big Ten Championships on Oct. 28, the Hoosiers were left with more questions than answers after the men’s team placed 18th and the women’s team placed 34th.\nIU coach Ron Helmer had a conflicted reaction after then’s race. \n“I wasn’t really excited, but I was not overly upset,” Helmer said. “Our training (has been) going well, but we didn’t race at the level we could.”\nHelmer said because of where the women are now, he thought they ran about the same as their male counterparts.\n“(The women) probably ran an equivalent race (to the men),” he said. “The previous two weeks is the best workout we have ever had, and hopefully, if we rest, we’ll take a step forward (as the) women’s goals are modest.”\nThe men’s team was led by sophomore Jordan Kyle, who finished in 62nd place with a time of 24 minutes, 14 seconds. Kyle’s finishing position came in stark contrast to his two wins in the first three races of the season. \nHelmer attributed the dropoff to fatigue.\n“Jordan is training well, but he may not be rested enough,” he said. \nIU’s six other runners placed between 89th and 170th place.\nOne of those runners was junior Timothy McLeod, who placed 93rd and said afterward he was unsatisfied with the way he ran and that he will need to improve for postseason competition.\n“Personally, it was not a good race for me, and I will have to step it up at the Big Ten in two weeks,” McLeod said.\nOn the women’s side, sophomore Sarah Pease paced IU, finishing 119th with a time of 21 minutes, 58 seconds.\nHelmer said Pease’s time was encouraging, as it marked the best time she has ever run in a collegiate event.\nFollowing Pease was junior Kristina Trcka, who placed 170th and said afterward she felt OK with the run even though it was not as fast as her time last year. \n“I was about 13 seconds slower than last year, but I am in better shape, so it was a good race,” Trcka said.\nRounding out the field for the women were five other runners who placed between 194th and 246th place. \nLooking ahead to the Big Ten Championships, Helmer said the men’s and women’s teams will need to stay in shape to be more competitive there. \n“We have done a lot of work and it is just a matter of putting together a good solid workout so our legs are there when we need them,” he said.
(10/12/07 4:46am)
IU is getting a sneak peak this weekend of what it would be like to run for the National Championship.\nWhile there is not as much at stake in this race, the Hoosiers will get a chance Saturday to run at the Lavern Gibson Cross Country Course in Terre Haute, the site of this year’s National Championship.\nIU coach Ron Helmer is confident that the men’s team, ranked fifth in the Great Lakes Region, will run well. However, he is less certain about where the women’s team might finish.\n“(If) we get a Top 10, it would be a great step forward,” Helmer said, referring to the men’s team. “If (the women) run as well as they did at Minnesota, I expect we will be a far better team, but (finishing) in the top half of the field is a stretch.”\nThe field for this weekend will be broken down into four races: two for the men and two for the women. Seventy-nine men’s teams and 76 women’s teams will be competing.\nThe IU men’s team will run at 11 a.m. in the 8,000 meter Blue Race against 38 other teams, while the women will compete at 12:20 p.m. in the 6,000 meter Blue Race against 37 other teams. \nFollowing this race, the Hoosiers will need to be in top shape as postseason competition begins Oct. 28 in Columbus, Ohio, with the Big Ten Tournament. IU will then host the Great Lakes Regional Championship on Nov. 10, where they must finish in the top two if they hope to return on Nov. 19 to Terre Haute to compete for the National Championship.\nHelmer said the last meet in Minnesota gives a pretty good gauge as to where the Hoosiers are headed.\n“I was happy with (our effort at Minnesota), and it was a good indication of where we are as a team,” Helmer said.
(10/10/07 4:18am)
Three seems to be the number of choice for the IU women’s golf team lately. At the Johnie Imes Invitational in Columbia, Mo., IU netted its third straight third-place finish and placed three golfers in the Top 11.\nIU coach Clint Wallman said his team is capable of even better results.\n“We have things we need to work on,” Wallman said. “We haven’t hit on all cylinders, but when we do, we will be fine.”\nLeading the way for the Hoosiers individually for the second straight tournament was sophomore Laura Nochta, who placed fifth. Nochta shot an even par in the first round to tie for the lead. But after playing the front nine of the second round at 5-over-par, she fell back. She then settled down, and played the final 27 holes at a combined 5-over to grab fifth place.\nOne stroke behind Nochta was senior Elaine Harris, who placed sixth. Harris played the front nine of the first round at an even par, but slid back to shoot 5-over-par on the back nine of the round. She then rebounded to shoot just 6-over on the final 36 holes.\nHarris said she was proud of herself afterward for turning around her tournament.\n“I started to question myself,” Harris said. “I could have lost faith in my putting, but instead got my momentum back.”\nNext in line for the Hoosiers was sophomore Kellye Belcher, who placed 11th. Belcher played the first 45 holes of the tournament in the Top 10, but had a rough time on the back nine at 8-over-par to close the tournament. \nAlso competing as an individual for the Hoosiers in her first competitive collegiate tournament was freshman Emily Johnson, who after shooting an 87 in the first round, rebounded to place 23rd by shooting 77 and 79 in the last two rounds. \n“Emily really rebounded from a tough start, which is a confidence booster for her,” Wallman said.\nRounding out the IU lineup were junior Amber Lindgren and senior Lauren Harling, who finished 26th and 28th respectively.\nHarling said afterward that she was not pleased with her play.\n“I just haven’t played well all year,” Harling said.\nMissouri won the tournament, and Julia Potter captured the individual title for the victorious Tigers.\nIU returns to action for the final time this fall on Oct. 28, when they compete at the Kiawah Island Invitational in Kiawah Island, S.C.\nWallman said familiarity with the course and improved play should pay big dividends and improve the Hoosiers’ season-worst 11th-place finish there last year. \n“We have experience there now, and we are a much better team than last year,” he said. “If we do what we are capable of doing, we will improve on that finish.”
(10/08/07 4:20am)
Despite three top-five finishes to open the season, the IU women’s golf team feels they could be doing better and finishing even higher.\nThe next opportunity for the team to achieve a more satisfying finish comes today and Tuesday, when the Hoosiers compete in the Johnie Imes Invitational in Columbia, Mo.\nIU coach Clint Wallman said he is confident his team will step up and perform even better.\n“We are working hard (to improve), and in every tournament you figure out what to do better,” Wallman said.\nSophomore Kellye Belcher said the team’s performance is disappointing because she thinks the Hoosiers have the talent to be great. \n“We’re frustrated because we have the team to dominate,” Belcher said. “Not everyone has been good at the same time.”\nBelcher also identified what has held her game back so far. \n“Sometimes, I am not analytical with myself and it gets me off my game,” she said. \nSenior Elaine Harris also said she thinks she can get a top finish this week, but said everyone else in the tournament feels the same way.\n“Everyone wants to win,” Harris said. “Anyone you talk to will say that and think they can win.”\nAlso competing in the tournament for IU besides Belcher and Harris will be sophomore Laura Nochta, junior Amber Lindgren and senior Lauren Harling.\nThe other teams competing against IU in the tournament will be Bradley, Drury, Eastern Illinois, Memphis, Missouri, Northern Iowa, Princeton, the University of Missouri-Kansas City and Wichita State. \nThe tournament begins at 8:30 a.m. on both days, and those wishing to following the tournament can do so at www.golfstat.com, which will provide periodic updates. \nHarris said the long trip to the tournament will help the team bond.\n“We’re working on team morale, and the bus ride there will be a fun trip,” she said.
(10/01/07 4:18am)
The IU women’s golf team has placed sky-high expectations on itself this fall. \nDespite leaving the Wolverine Invitational in Ann Arbor, Mich., with their third straight Top 5 finish to open the season, the Hoosiers thought they should have done better.\nIU coach Clint Wallman said his squad had the personnel to get a victory \nthis week.\n“This team is loaded with talent,” Wallman said. “We can win any tournament and had an opportunity to win this one \nand didn’t.”\nSophomore Laura Nochta led IU individually in scoring, notching a career-best second-place finish. The team placed third.\nNochta said she was happy with her individual play afterward.\n“I made birdies, which I have not been doing,” Nochta said. “I didn’t hit the ball as hard as I could, but my short game was really good, so overall, I am pleased.”\nAlso competing for IU were senior Elaine Harris and junior Amber Lindgren, who both placed 17th. Sophomore Kellye Belcher placed 21st. \nSenior Lauren Harling, who placed 32nd, completed IU’s lineup. \nHarling said she believes both she and the team had a better finish in them than what they ended with.\n“I didn’t play as well as I could, and the team really didn’t play well, as this was our worst tournament,” Harling said.\nNotre Dame won the tournament as a team, and Wisconsin, IU, host Michigan and Eastern Michigan rounded out the Top 5, respectively.\nIU returns to action one week from today when the team competes in the Johnie Imes Invitational in Columbia, Mo. \nWallman said the Hoosiers have some work to do \nbefore then.\n“We have some things we need to improve on,” he said. “Even though you can’t always play well, this wasn’t our best tournament as a team.”
(09/28/07 4:32am)
After warm up meets with no implications on postseason play, the Hoosiers now head to the Roy Griak Invitational in Minneapolis, and possible postseason berths are on the line. While every team goes to the Big Ten Championships and Regional Championships, a good showing in this tournament will strengthen IU’s chances of sending individual runners to the national championship if the team does not finish well as a whole at regionals. \nIU coach Ron Helmer is not taking this added incentive lightly, even though he hopes to approach this meet like any other one.\n“There is obviously a different sense of urgency,” Helmer said. “Still, it hasn’t changed our approach to training as we will perform against the very best competition (this weekend).”\nFor the men’s team, competition begins at 12:10 p.m. Saturday and the course will be eight \nkilometers long. \nIU sophomore Jordan Kyle, who has won IU’s first two preseason meets against limited competition, hopes for another strong run in this meet.\n“The competition is superior to the last two races, so winning might be a bit optimistic but a top five (finish) would be good,” Kyle said. “Since the previous races were a warm-up and this meet is one of the bigger deals of the season, we must show more professionalism and run at our best.”\nThe women’s race will start 45 minutes after the men’s race at 12:55 p.m. and will be six kilometers long. \nSince the competition is so fierce, IU sophomore Sarah Pease, who has lead the team with two top-10 finishes this year, would not predict where she might finish this race.\n“We’ve raced hard so far as a team,” Pease said. “Hopefully, it will be my best race of the season.” \nHelmer also said the fact that this meet is IU’s farthest from home this season will have no effect on how the team runs.\n“It will be a relatively painless trip,” Helmer said. “Traveling is part of college athletics so the travel distance is no big deal and we will approach this race as just another meet.”
(09/27/07 4:30am)
The Hoosiers are heading back to fairy tale land this weekend to compete in the Wolverine Invitational in Ann Arbor, Mich. \nThe Michigan Golf Course is the sight where last year the Hoosiers, ranked 52nd at the time, were dubbed the “Cinderella Team” of the NCAA Regional Tournament by golfweek.com after finishing fourth and making it to Nationals for the first time since 1998.\nNow, five months later, the 20th-ranked Hoosiers, are not sneaking up on anyone as they have two Top 5 finishes to start the year and will look for number three this weekend.\nIU coach Clint Wallman said the Hoosiers need to go out and just take care of business.\n“This is a very competitive field,” Wallman said. “The bottom line though in golf is that you don’t play the other teams, but you play the golf course instead.”\nWith that said, Wallman is excited to head to a course the Hoosiers know so well.\n“We are familiar with the surroundings and hopefully that helps us with preparation,” he said.\nIU sophomore Kellye Belcher concurred with Wallman. \n“It gives us confidence (to play on a course we know so well),” Belcher said. “We can play the course and have three good rounds, and we also have a little edge knowing the places on the green.”\nIndividually, Belcher was confident she could perform well.\n“I think I can win (the tournament) this weekend,” Belcher said. “My putting, speed and stroke is coming along, so I hope at the very least for a Top 10 (finish).”\nSenior Lauren Harling also was confident she could place high.\n“I’d like to win – which is one of my goals this year – but I’d like a top 10 at the very least,” Harling said.\nThe tournament will run all day Saturday and Sunday. \nWallman said the Hoosiers cannot get overconfident since they have had success on this course in the past.\n“Last year was great here, but we must play and be focused on this particular point in time,” he said.
(09/27/07 12:01am)
In most collegiate sports, the regular season is a warm up for postseason play. This especially applies to the IU men’s and women’s cross country teams, where the entire season culminates in the Big Ten and NCAA Championships.\nThis year, the Big Ten Championships for both Hoosier squads will be at 11 a.m. Oct. 28 in Columbus, Ohio. The women’s race will be six kilometers and the men’s race will be 10 kilometers.\nIU coach Ron Helmer said he is unsure what will happen come late-October at this point in the season. \n“It is hard to say how we’ll do, and I don’t know what to expect,” Helmer said. \nWhen asked to predict where IU would finish in the Big Ten Championships, Helmer expressed modest expectations.\n“I suspect we’ll end up doing well, but we have a lot of work to do,” Helmer said. “There will be many good teams there, and we may not be better than sixth or seventh, but it is too early to tell.”\nAfter the Big Ten Championships, the Hoosiers will host the NCAA Great Lakes Regional Championships Nov. 10. \nElimination rounds begin after the regional round, and only two teams from each of the \nseven regions get to run at the NCAA Championships as well as several individual runners. Fortunately for the Hoosiers, if they are one of these teams their quest will take them to a familiar place not too far away. Terre Haute, Ind., will host the championships Monday, Nov. 19, at a venue IU is familiar with and will compete at during the Pre-Nationals meet Oct. 13. \nLast year on the men’s side, the Hoosiers placed sixth in both the Big Ten and Regional Championships and failed to qualify for the NCAA Championships, but sophomore Jordan Kyle represented IU as an individual and placed 33rd, garnering an All-American honor.\nKyle returns to the Hoosiers this year and is very excited about the team’s prospects in the Big Ten Championships. \n“The team is developing and I think we can surprise a lot of people,” Kyle said. “Everyone seems to be racing well, so I think we can have a really good showing there.”\nWith six of their top seven runners back from last year, the Hoosiers hope to place better than last season and will be very disappointed if they place sixth in postseason play again. \nOn the women’s side, IU placed seventh last year in both the Big Ten and the Regional Championships. Former Hoosiers Jessica Gall and Lindsay Hattendorf represented the team at the NCAA Championships. With Gall and Hattendorf graduated and with only one returning runner from last season, many unknowns surround this year’s squad.\nNewcomers like sophomore Sarah Pease will look to run well in the six-kilometer Big Ten Championships course.\n“We don’t run six (kilometers) often,” Pease said. “ I’d like to be a personal best in the race though.”\nPease was also unable to guarantee a specific placing for herself. \n“I will see where I am at, and hopefully, I am right were I should be at by then (to finish well),” she said.
(09/24/07 4:01am)
Taming lion country was not a difficult task for the 20th-ranked Hoosiers as they came away with their second straight Top 5 finish to open the season.\nPlaying at the Lady Northern Invitational in State College, Pa., IU came away with a third-place finish.\nIU coach Clint Wallman said he was proud of the Hoosiers for rebounding on the final day of the tournament after a slow start.\n“It makes me proud to rally from a tough start,” Wallman said. “Nothing is perfect the whole time, so you have to (play well when you can).”\nLeading the way for the Hoosiers and finishing sixth for the second straight tournament was senior Elaine Harris. She was followed by sophomore Kellye Belcher, who finished 16th while senior Lauren Harling and junior Amber Lindgren both finished 25th. \nRounding out the lineup for the Hoosiers were sophomores Laura Nochta and Anita Gahir, who placed 29th and 42nd, respectively.\nWallman said it is good to know that even when the Hoosiers do not win they still finish strong.\n“We can play with (anyone) when we are playing well,” Wallman said. “It is good that our bad days are still good finishes, which is exciting.”\nKent State won the tournament as a team, while Michigan State, IU, Northwestern and Ohio State rounded out the top 5 in a tournament that saw 14 teams compete. \nKira Mixner, of Kent State, won the tournament, finishing with three strokes better than Michigan State’s Laura Kueny. \nThe Hoosiers return to action Saturday when they will compete in the Wolverine Invitational in Ann Arbor, Mich. The Hoosiers should have good memories of the U-M Golf Course as they carded two fourth-place finishes there last year, including one in the NCAA Regional Championship that sent the Hoosiers to their first national championship appearance since 1998. \nWallman said that despite the good times so far this year, he wants the Hoosiers to improve their overall play.\n“We want to improve (as a team),” he said. “We have good stretches so far, but have not put anything together long term, so we hope to sustain consistency.”
(09/21/07 4:31am)
The Hoosiers are off to Nittany Lion country to try to tame Penn State’s Blue Golf Course this weekend.\nWith a second-place finish at last weekend’s Mary Fossum Invitational in East Lansing, Mich., the 20th-ranked IU women’s golf team now faces a full field of 14 teams at the Lady Northern Invitational in State College, Pa., this weekend. \nIU coach Clint Wallman said the Hoosiers have a few things to work on if they are to succeed at State College.\n“We need to improve on some things from last week, but our goal is to be in position to win tournament on the last day,” Wallman said.\nIU will also face a little bit of a wrinkle this weekend, as this tournament marks one of the few times this year the Hoosiers will play on a course they have not played on in the past. Wallman, however, is unconcerned. \n“It is the first time on this golf course for a lot of teams,” he said. “We have planned well for it, and it is not a really big hurdle as this is just another golf course.”\nIU sophomore Anita Gahir, who will be one of the Hoosiers competing this weekend, said a new golf course can just as easily be an advantage. \n“Starting at a new golf course means not having bad memories,” Gahir said. \nGahir also said she is hoping for a solid performance this weekend.\n“I’d like a top-10 finish,” she said. “I want to go out and play like I did the final day at Michigan State, and I’ll have a \ngood chance.”\nSenior Lauren Harling also said she is hoping for a good finish this weekend. \n“A top-10 finish would be nice as, I have not had (a top-10 finish) since I have been at Indiana, and I look to improve every week,” Harling said.\nThe tournament takes place all day Saturday and Sunday, and those wishing to follow the results will be able to get periodic updates throughout the tournament on www.golfstat.com.\nWallman thinks IU has the chance to come out on top when it is all said and done on Sunday.\n“If we go out and do our best, we will be there at the end of the tournament with a chance to win,” Wallman said.
(09/17/07 3:24am)
Sophomore Jordan Kyle said before Friday’s Indiana Intercollegiates in West Lafayette that he needed to run his own race to do well in the meet. Mission accomplished for Kyle, who won his second straight race to open the season with a time of 24 minutes and 39 seconds.\nIU coach Ron Helmer said afterward he was impressed with his team, though he knows they will improve more as the season progresses. \n“The guys ran great, but we’ll be a better team when we get everyone going,” Helmer said.\nAs a team, IU finished second with 55 points, while Indiana State won the meet with 47 points. \nRunning for IU along with Kyle were juniors Timothy McLeod, Brennon Plotner and Mark Fruin, who finished the meet in fifth, sixth and seventh places respectively. Sophomore Tyler McCreary and junior and Indiana Daily Student staff writer Paul Coover placed 36th and 59th respectively. Competing as a whole in the meet on Friday were teams from Indiana of all sizes, as Purdue, Southern Indiana and Butler finished in positions three through five, with scores of 136, 138 and 186 respectively.\nOn the women’s side, sophomore Sarah Pease led IU in sixth position with a time of 18 minutes and eight seconds. \nHelmer was proud of Pease and saw major improvement over last week for the women’s team as a whole. \n“Sarah Pease ran real well, and we “ran far better race than a week ago,” Helmer said.\nAlso running for IU were senior Maura Ratcliff, freshman Natalie Goolik, junior Caity Lauer, sophomore Jenny Kulow and junior Lauren Keefe who finished the race in 19th, 28th, 30th, 37th and 41st places, respectively. \nPurdue won the meet on the women’s side with 49 points, while Ball State finished second with 74 points. \nThe Hoosiers placed third as a team, with 120 points. DePauw and Indiana State rounded out the top five with 120 and 130 points, respectively.\nThe Hoosiers return to competition Sept. 29, when they travel to Minnesota for the Roy Griak Invitational. \nHelmer said he is looking forward to the future of IU cross country despite some early trepidation. \n“We have work to do, but I am pretty optimistic (about the rest of the season),” Helmer said. “The men should be really good as a team, and the women are getting better, even though I am not sure how that all meshes and cuts together.”
(09/13/07 3:52am)
A full field of competition will meet the IU men’s and women’s cross country teams at the Indiana Intercollegiates, at 3:30 p.m. Friday in West Lafayette. The Hoosiers will compete against Indiana colleges of all sizes and athletic associations, including the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics and the National Junior College Athletic Association.\nIU coach Ron Helmer said he views this weekend’s meet as a journey. \n“(This competition) is another step along the way,” Helmer said. “I do not care if we finish first or last as nothing matters until postseason play.” \nHelmer is referring to the fact that every team in the country is eligible for postseason play in the Big Ten Championship and the NCAA Regionals. The elimination of teams begins afterward when two teams from each region are selected to compete for the national championship. \nLooking ahead to this weekend, junior Lauren Keefe, who placed fifth on the team and 25th overall last weekend at the Indiana Invitational, said she has a plan to improve her time Friday.\n“I definitely need to work on the middle four (kilometers) of the race,” Keefe said. “If I can run well at the beginning and have a strong finish, I feel good.” \nSophomore Jordan Kyle who won last week’s race against limited competition said the Hoosiers have a different strategy for running against a fuller field this weekend.\n“When you have more competition, it means running your own race,” Kyle said. “You cannot go after other people and you cannot run too fast too early.” \nHelmer still wants IU to run hard even though he hopes the best is yet to come. \n“There are more important things down the road and this (meet) is not really our focus,” Helmer said. “However, we still need to be the best we can be this weekend.”
(09/10/07 4:56am)
The IU women’s golf team lived up to increased expectations this weekend, earning a second-place tie at the Mary Fossum Invitational in East \nLansing, Mich.\nComing off of their first national championship appearance since 1998, the Hoosiers looked poised to return. IU placed all of its golfers in the top 30 over the weekend. \nLeading the way for the No. 30 Hoosiers were senior Elaine Harris and sophomore Laura Nochta, who both tied for \nsixth place. \n“I was very happy with my play today and pretty pleased overall,” Nochta said. “We were disappointed we didn’t get a victory, but we gave (Michigan State) a run for their money and can take what we learned today into the next tournament.”\nHarris said she was upbeat despite the fact that IU failed to win the tournament.\n“We wanted to win as a team, but we played well and have a good perspective where we are at,” Harris said. “Individually, I am really excited with what I can do this year, and being a senior gives me a new prospective.”\nAlso competing for the Hoosiers were sophomores Anita Gahir and Kellye Belcher, who both placed 12th, and senior Lauren Harling, who placed 24th. Playing as an individual, junior Amber Lindgren placed 28th. \nIU coach Clint Wallman thought the team could have won had the tournament lasted just a little longer.\n“We played solid and gave ourselves an opportunity to win but ran out of holes,” Wallman said. \nHost Michigan State won the tournament, while Kent State and IU tied for second. Michigan and Iowa rounded out the top five. \nCapturing the individual title by a landslide was Michigan State’s Laura Kueny, who finished eight strokes better than teammate Sara Brown. \nIU returns to action in two weeks when the team will compete in the Lady Northern Invitational in State College, Pa. \nWallman said he thinks the Hoosiers can take what they learned this weekend to \nPenn State.\n“We did a lot of things well, and we are now prepared for our next event,” he said.
(09/10/07 4:54am)
Racing a teammate for a win can be a huge boost.\nThat was the position IU sophomore Jordan Kyle found himself in during the Indiana Invitational last Saturday in Bloomington. With the only competition coming in the form of IU men’s cross country team was able to use Saturday’s invitational as a warm-up for season competition. \nKyle and teammate junior Timothy McLeod raced neck and neck to the finish line, with Kyle winning by one second. Kyle’s final time was 26 minutes and three seconds, while McLeod’s was 26 minutes and four seconds. \n“We were trying to push each other,” Kyle said, referring to himself and McLeod. “A lot of times you will be running near someone at the end, so (having someone to compete with) was good motivation.”\nKyle said he was pleased with his performance.\n“It was the beginning of the season, so we have a lot of work to do, and the time was not bad for a first meet.” \nRounding out the top five on the men’s side were IUPUI’s Brad Wheeler, unattached runner Ben Hubers and IU freshman Jacob Rich.\nOn the women’s side, the Hoosiers faced much tougher competition in the form of visiting team Michigan, first-year IU coach Ron Helmer said.\nBall State, IUPUI and one unattached runner also competed on the women’s side.\nSophomore Sarah Pease led the way for IU. Pease crossed the finish line ninth, with a time of 19 minutes and one second, while junior Kristina Trcka, sophomore Jenny Kulow and senior Maura Ratcliff placed 15th, 22nd and 23rd respectively. \nRatcliff said that she was pleased with her time.\n“(The time) was good for a first race,” Ratcliff said. “It was a good effort and not too bad for an intro race.”\nMichigan’s Erin Webster won the race on the women’s side, with a time of 17 minutes and 38 seconds. Helmer said the race was a tough gauge of his teams’ ability, because they didn’t have much competition to grade their performance against. However, Helmer said the meet gave him a good measure of where his teams stand early in the season, and what both the men and women can improve upon as the season continues.\n“The guys had less competition, so there was not much credibility based on what happened today,” Helmer said. “The men can still be a good team, and the women will get better because they want to.”
(09/07/07 4:43am)
Most students use Saturday to sleep late after a stressful week of class and homework. \nFor the IU men’s and women’s cross country teams, Saturday means getting up for an early-morning run at the Indiana Invitational, held on the IU cross country course.\nThe women’s run starts at 9 a.m., with IUPUI, Ball State and Michigan all in attendance. \nThis is a rebuilding year for the women’s team, since they return only one runner from last year’s top seven, IU coach Ron Helmer said. The team is confident despite being unsure what to expect. \n“We have had lots of roster changes,” senior Maura Ratcliff said. “Many people must be ready to fill the shoes of the departed (runners).” \nThe meet itself it is a friendly match without implications on postseason competition. \nJunior Kristina Trcka is still taking the meet seriously.\n“We need to use this meet as a gauge to see where we are after summer training,” Trcka said. \nThe men will run shortly after the women, starting at 9:30 a.m. against IUPUI. \nLike the women, the men are excited about opening the season.\n“This is just a workout to put our spikes on and get acclimated,” junior Brennon Plotner said. \nOpposite their female counterparts, however, the men’s squad opens its season with high expectations, returning six of its top seven runners, junior Timothy McLeod said.\n“We only lost one guy from our top seven,” McLeod said. “We are looking to improve on last year, and we have a really great group of guys.\nHelmer, in his first year at IU, sees different challenges when it comes to coaching two teams on opposite ends of the spectrum.\n“Both teams have separate, distinct challenges,” Helmer said. “The men have high expectations to live up to while the women have low expectations, but being a brand new team is hard.” \nLike his players, Helmer is not overlooking the value of this friendly meet.\n“Every meet is important,” Helmer said. “This weekend is preparation for championships and is important for experience.”
(09/07/07 4:42am)
Success means increased expectations. \nAfter starting last season ranked 107th in the Golf Coaches Association of America preseason ranks, IU went out and won its first tournament on the way to making its first appearance in the national championship since 1998. \nThe Hoosiers start this season ranked No. 30, but IU coach Clint Wallman is unfazed by the expectations.\n“There is a maturity and experience factor, and we recognize we achieved unique things,” Wallman said. “However, we are concentrated on here and now so we can get back to nationals next year.”\nBoosting IU’s chances of reaching nationals for the second year in a row is the fact that the squad returns its entire starting lineup. Led by senior Elaine Harris who captured the individual title at the Mountain View Collegiate last March, the team will also depend on senior Lauren Harling and sophomores Kellye Belcher, Anita Gahir and Laura Nochta.\nNochta, who played a large role in IU’s success with two top-10 finishes last year, was excited to see the team return intact. \n“We are lucky to have every single girl coming back from the starting lineup,” Nochta said. “We get along well as a team, and it is amazing to be together.” \nWith last season behind them, IU now starts this season at the Mary Fossum Invitational in East Lansing, Mich., on Saturday and Sunday.\nIU competed on that course last season, placing seventh during the regular season and fifth in the Big Ten Championships.\nWallman was happy to be starting the season in familiar territory.\n“This is the same team as at the Big Ten Tournament,” Wallman said. “We are familiar with this golf course, and this will help us, as we played five rounds here last year.”\nNochta agreed. \n“We have an advantage knowing the course,” she said. “We know where we are safe on the course and where we are not.”\nThis weekend’s tournament will last all day Saturday and Sunday. The team’s scores will be updated periodically online at www.golfstat.com.
(08/30/07 4:35am)
Students living in dorms have an extra reason to bleed cream and crimson this year. \nHowever, unlike their on-campus counterparts, many of those residing off campus may miss out on a number of IU games available to them on TV. \nThe Big Ten Network, which is set to launch today, will carry a minimum of three IU football games, at least six conference IU men’s basketball games and likely more Hoosier athletic events which will be announced later, according to the Big Ten Network’s Web site. This weekend, BTN will broadcast Saturday’s home football game against Indiana State as well as Sunday’s men’s soccer match between IU and UCLA. \nStudents living off campus who are not served by DirecTV or AT&T U-verse will miss these games until the Big Ten strikes a deal to have its network carried elsewhere. Many cable companies, including Insight Cable, which serves the majority of customers in the Bloomington market, have said the network is too expensive and will place it only on an exclusive sports package which costs an extra $17 a month. The Big Ten is demanding placement on what Insight calls its Classic Cable Package, which is its most widely distributed package and costs $40 a month. The Big Ten is asking for $1 per month for the channel, but officials have said this figure is negotiable as long as the BTN is part of the cable companies’ most widely distributed package.\nStudents living on campus, however, are not subject to this corporate tiff as they are served by IU’s Campus Cable TV and will probably see BTN in about two weeks.\n“We are waiting on some equipment, and the network will probably not be ready for this Saturday’s game, but very soon,” said Mark Kuchefski, the IU spokesperson for Campus Cable TV. \nCampus Cable TV is IU’s in-house cable system which currently includes 43 channels and serves all students living in dorms as well as most academic buildings and the Indiana Memorial Union. \nSenior Steve Bowser, who lives off campus and has Insight for his cable provider, was excited to hear that he could come on campus to view these games.\n“I will definitely find a place on campus to watch games on the Big Ten Network,” Bowser said.\nKuchefski specifically said while he cannot guarantee it, he is hopeful the channel will be up and running on Campus Cable TV by the time IU takes on Akron, Sept. 15. The network will be seen either on channel 97 or 98. \nFreshman Brendan Sheehy lives on campus and is a sports fan, but was not all that interested to hear that he would have BTN available to him.\n“It doesn’t excite me all that much, and it is not a big deal,” Sheehy said.\nSophomore Jeremy Rosenthal lives in Varsity Villas, but since he is served by DirecTV, he will have access to games from his apartment despite not living on campus.\nWith Campus Cable’s decision to carry BTN, students will only miss IU games that air on ESPNU. This channel is available in Bloomington with the sports packages provided by Insight Cable and DirecTV and on AT&T U-verse’s basic package. Airing on ESPNU will be IU’s football game at Western Michigan on Sept. 8 and the men’s basketball game at Southern Illinois on Dec. 1. \nIU’s remaining games not on BTN or ESPNU will air on the widely distributed ESPN, ESPN2 or CBS, which is available on basic service to all providers that serve the Bloomington market.
(07/26/07 12:46am)
Whether consumers will be able to see the Big Ten Network when it launches August 30 remains the big question, as many of the large cable operators have balked at the network, saying it is too expensive. \nAware of this predicament, Big Ten Network President Marc Silverman and Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delaney came to IU on Tuesday to explain the network’s appeal and how people will be affected if it is not widely distributed.\n“(The network) is going to be offering more Big Ten coverage than ever before,” Silverman said. “There will be more Indiana and Purdue games on air on this network than have ever been seen in the marketplace.”\nDelaney said a good number of football and basketball games will be shown on the network.\n“(The network will air) 40 percent of all football games and 60 percent of all the men’s basketball games,” Delaney said. \nThe network, of which the Big Ten owns 51 percent and Fox owns 49 percent, will air 24 hours a day, seven days a week for the next 20 years. In terms of which live games will be seen on the network, ESPN, CBS and ABC will continue to air the same number of games, but all games on ESPNPlus – WTTV in Bloomington – will now air on the Big Ten Network.\nLast year, eight of IU’s 12 football games aired in Bloomington, with three airing on ESPN. All 32 of IU’s men’s basketball games aired in Bloomington, with 13 on ESPNPlus. \nThe channel can be seen in Bloomington and Indianapolis on DirecTV, which has a national agreement with the Big Ten Network.\nAlso, IU students living in dorms will have access to the Network on IU’s in-house cable system at some point. \nThe major obstacle currently facing the Big Ten Network is that an agreement has not yet been reached with Insight Communications, which serves Bloomington cable subscribers through the end of 2007, and Comcast, which will serve subscribers thereafter. \nCable operators, particularly Comcast, have said the network is too expensive, and as a result, they want to put it on a sports tier which costs an extra $5 a month. Comcast has said it is the second most expensive network behind ESPN, charging $1.10 per customer nationally. \nDelaney disagreed.\n“It is not accurate (that this is the second most expensive network),” Delaney said. “The Big Ten Network rates a dollar in the region and about a dime outside the region, which results in a 30-cent rate nationally.” \nSilverman said he believes the reason cable operators want the network on a more exclusive tier is because of profit but said they may find a drawback they are not thinking about at the moment.\n“If (cable operators) put it on a sports tier they will generate more revenue,” Silverman said. “But they could lose a couple of subscribers since DirecTV is readily available carrying it in their most basic level of service.” \nSilverman also recommended people call their cable company now if they want the network.\n“I think we are telling people they should contact their cable operators (if they want the network), since they do not want to lose subscribers, and cable companies do not want to hear from irate customers,” Silverman said.\nHe also said the network, if successful, has great benefits to offer.\n“The ability for this network to really shine and show more of what is going on at each of these schools is a great benefit for us to offer,” Silverman said.