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(11/17/06 4:51am)
The No. 14 Hoosiers are off to a red hot start at 4-0. They are fresh off a meet in which they dominated No. 11 Texas, winning eight of the 13 events. IU will look to carry its momentum into this weekend when the women's swimming and diving team hosts the 11th annual IU Open Invitational at Counsilman-Billingsley Aquatic Center. The Hoosiers will host Florida International, Purdue and Louisville for both swimming and diving. They will also compete against Cincinnati, Rice and Washington State for swimming and Stanford, Kentucky, Pittsburgh and Miami University of Ohio for diving.\nJunior diver Christina Loukas has yet to falter on the springboards, winning all eight of the events in which she has taken part. \nOn the swimming side, senior Leila Vaziri has led the Hoosiers, winning Big Ten Swimmer of the Week two different times this season.\nAfter a week without competition, IU is ready to get back in the water, coach Ray Looze said. \n"We've had a full week of practice and have been able to work on a lot of our fundamentals," Looze said. "This is a great opportunity for us to compete at home and work on our relay teams and let some of the kids swim in their off events. This will help us improve our versatility."\nThe invitational will consist of preliminary heats in each event followed by a final race.\n"I'm really excited. This is our first prelim-final meet," freshman Emily Lanteigne said. "This will be good experience for the Big Tens. It's a little bit more exciting for me because I usually swim faster in the final swim. Hopefully this meet will help with my seeding for the Big Ten meet"
(11/07/06 3:59am)
The IU women's swimming and diving team notched an upset win against the University of Texas on Saturday at the Lee and Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Center. The No. 14 Hoosiers outscored No. 11 Texas 138-105 to remain unbeaten on the season, moving to 4-0. \nIU controlled the meet from the start and ended up winning eight of the 13 events. \n"This is one of the biggest dual meet wins in the history of our program," IU coach Ray Looze said. "They are a nine-time national champion, and they haven't lost very often at their home pool."\nIU started off strong when the 200-yard medley relay team of Leila Vaziri, Sarah Stockwell, Presley Bard and Annica Lofstedt raced out to a first-place finish. \nVaziri also took first in the 200-yard freestyle, and Lofstedt won the 50-yard freestyle. Bard won the 200-yard backstroke, and sophomore Allison Kay got in on the action, winning the 400-yard individual medley. The Hoosiers ended the meet with the 400-yard freestyle relay team of Lofstedt, Clarissa Wentworth, Emily Lanteigne and Bard taking first place. \nOn the diving side, two-time Big Ten Diver of the Week and junior Christina Loukas continued her dominance, winning the 1-meter and 3-meter diving competitions. In the 1-meter diving event, senior Lindsay Weigle and freshman Brittney Feldman finished fourth and fifth, respectively. In the 3-meter diving event, Weigle took second, while Feldman finished fourth. \n"Overall, this was a good meet for us against some very good competition," assistant diving coach Todd Waikel said. "This was a nice meet for us to come in and perform well."\nLooze said the win was big for the Hoosiers and will allow them to carry some momentum into the Big Ten dual meet season.\n"This was a huge win for us," Looze said. "This is a nice step forward and a nice win in a hostile environment"
(11/07/06 3:58am)
The IU men's swimming and diving team met its match this weekend in Austin, Texas. The Hoosiers were unable to pull off the upset bid, falling short against No. 3 Texas and No. 4 University of California, Berkeley in a double dual meet at the Lee and Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Center. IU fell to Texas 210-149 and California 204-165, bringing its record to 2-3 overall.\nThe Longhorns dominated the two-day competition, winning 12 of the 20 events. \n"Texas is obviously a national title contender," IU coach Ray Looze said. "They are top five in the country, and in my opinion, they're the best team in the country."\nThe Hoosiers did manage to get two first-place finishes out of juniors Ben Hesen and Pat Penoyar. Hesen took first in the 100-yard backstroke, and Penoyar won the 200-yard breaststroke.\nSophomore Steffan Troxel finished second in the 1,650-yard freestyle, with junior Alex Brunfeldt taking third in the same event. \n"Overall, we just ran up against some very stiff competition," Looze said. "We came in hoping to pull off the upset, but the reality was that we went up against two very tough teams."\nOn the diving side, junior Taylor Roberts earned a first-place finish in the 3-meter diving event, and juniors David Legler and Justin Montrie finished behind him in third and fourth place. In the 1-meter diving event, freshman David Piercy took fourth place, with Montrie and Legler finishing fifth and sixth, respectively. \n"We had some good training when we got there, and overall we performed pretty well," assistant diving coach Todd Waikel said. "Taylor Roberts and David Piercy were the highlights of our efforts."\nAlthough IU didn't get the results it was looking for, the Hoosiers were able to draw some positives from their road trip.\n"I think we were able to get the necessary experience for the Big Ten Championships and later, the NCAA Championships, which was one of our goals coming in," Looze said.
(11/03/06 4:59am)
The IU men's swimming and diving team will travel this weekend to Austin, Texas, to challenge No. 4 University of Texas and No. 6 University of California in a dual meet. The Hoosiers, coming off a weekend during which they split meets against Northwestern and Arizona State, are looking to build on their 2-1 record.\nTexas has yet to compete in a dual meet but took home first place Oct. 13 in the Big 12 Relays. California is off to a 2-0 start with wins against the University of the Pacific and California State University-Bakersfield.\nFresh off two tough meets last weekend and a good week of practice, the Hoosiers are primed to face the top-notch competition, junior Todd Patrick said .\n"We're a little tired from last weekend," Patrick said. "I feel like we're really prepared though. We have some new faces who have looked good lately and are ready to step up for us."\nAlong with the young talent, junior returning stars Ben Hesen and Taylor Roberts have paced the Hoosiers' squad. Hesen earned the National Collegiate Swimmer of the Week award from collegeswimming.com, and Roberts was awarded Big Ten Diver of the Week. \nDistance coach Mike Westphal said even though they will face tougher competition this weekend, the coaches haven't made significant changes to the lineup.\n"We are going up against two very good teams," Westphal said. "We don't feel like we need to make any major changes though. The guys are going to go out there and swim their normal events."\nWestphal also believes nerves won't be a large factor for the team in this competition. \n"We have upperclassmen that have been in Big Ten and national competitions," Westphaul said. "They are used to the pressure and can share their experiences with the younger guys. We're just motivated to get down there and race"
(11/03/06 4:58am)
The IU women's swimming and diving team has gotten off to a hot start, racing out to a 3-0 record. The No. 17 Hoosiers will put their unblemished record on the line as they travel to Austin, Texas, to face No. 11 Texas Saturday. The Longhorns are 1-1, with a loss to No. 6 Stanford University Oct. 27 and a win against the University of Nebraska Oct. 12. Texas finished second in the Big 12 Relays Oct. 13.\nThe Hoosiers tallied convincing wins last weekend against Northwestern and Arizona State University. \nIU has been very strong on the diving side, led by returning All-American seniors Heather Chapman and senior Lindsay Weigle and two-time Big Ten Diver of the Week junior Christina Loukas.\nDiving coach Jeff Huber has focused on developing good habits in practice, and he's seen it pay off in competition. \n"We've really been improving." Huber said. "We're trying to continue what we've been doing. We really want the divers to be able to buy into the mental preparation and the pre-performance routines. It helps when you are able to see improvement in the competition."\nOn the swimming side, IU has been led by four returning All-Americans: seniors Annica Lofstedt, Leila Vaziri and Clarissa Wentworth and sophomore Allison Kay. Vaziri earned Big Ten Swimmer of the Week honors this past week. \nAlthough Texas marks their toughest competition to date, the Hoosiers are confident that they can rise to the level of the competition.\n"They are one of our biggest competitors on the national level," Chapman said. "It's really about listening to the coaches and trying to execute what they have told us. We're just trying to commit to what we've practiced and bring that out in competition"
(10/30/06 5:01am)
The IU men's and women's swimming and diving teams hosted Northwestern on Friday and Arizona State University on Saturday at the Counsilman-Billingsley Aquatic Center. The No. 12-ranked men's team was unable to defeat No. 8 Northwestern, falling 163.5-136.5. The Hoosiers rebounded with a victory over No. 19 Arizona State, 156-132. \nThe No. 17 women's team beat Northwestern 174-120 and Arizona State 155-134. \nThough the men's team struggled for first place finishes against a strong Northwestern squad, it was able to bounce back with a strong overall team performance against Arizona State. \n"Northwestern is a very good team. They were able to put out very good guys in every competition," IU coach Ray Looze said. "We won more events and swam much better against Arizona State. We knew they were going to be tough, but we thought we could come away with a victory." \nJuniors Ben Hesen and Pat Penoyar led the men's team this weekend with strong performances in both meets. Hesen, an All-American, tied for first in the 100-yard backstroke and won the 200-yard backstroke against Northwestern. He also won the 100-yard and 200-yard backstroke and the 100-yard butterfly against Arizona State. Penoyar won the 100-yard breaststroke against Northwestern and the 100-yard and 200-yard breaststroke against Arizona State. \nOn the diving side, junior captain Taylor Roberts paced the Hoosiers, earning a first place in the one-meter and three-meter diving events against Northwestern and in the one-meter diving event against Arizona State. \nThe women's team continued their dominance, moving to 3-0 on the season. The diving duo of Big Ten Diver of the Week junior Christina Loukas and senior captain Lindsay Weigle led the women's team to victory. Loukas and Weigle finished first and second respectively in the one meter and three meter diving events against both Northwestern and Arizona State. \nOn the swimming side, sophomore Sarah Stockwell won the 100-yard breaststroke in both meets and won the 200-yard breaststroke against Northwestern. Sophomore Allison Kay won the 200-yard individual medley against Northwestern and won the 400-yard individual medley and 500-yard freestyle against Arizona State. \nAlthough both Hoosier squads performed well this weekend, they'll need to be on top of their games this upcoming weekend when both teams head to Texas. The men will face No. 4 University of Texas and No. 6 University of California. The women will face No. 11 Texas. \n"The experience this weekend will help us a great deal," Looze said. "We are going to face very tough competition"
(10/17/06 3:27am)
Kadour Ziani leaped over a small child huddled on the ground and hung in the air for longer than seemed possible. Then, at the peak of his jump, he scissor-kicked a basketball that was lodged in the corner of the rim. \nThe feat was a move that Ziani calls the "Kick the Rim." Even though it wasn't a dunk, the crowd that had gathered at Sherwood Oaks Christian Church for Universlam was in awe of Ziani's incredible display of athleticism and flexibility.\nZiani said that by accomplishing the "Kick the Rim," he holds the world record at 10 feet for touching the highest point with his foot. \n"Before I would touch the rim with my head and my nose," said Ziani, who turns 34 today. "Then, I figured, I'm flexible, so I'll try it with my feet. It wasn't really about the record, though. I wanted to send a message to people of the power of dreaming and believing."\nZiani continuously glided gracefully through the air, twisting and turning his body in ways only few can imagine. Each dunk was more improbable than the one before, and he left a lasting impression on his fellow dunkers. \n"It was amazing. He can do things a lot of other guys can't," said Jenelle Carter, a freshman at Illinois State University. "He's so flexible. He's like a ballerina in the air."\nMarshall Moses, a four-star recruit, according to rivals.com, came all the way from North Carolina to take part in the event. He was equally amazed at Ziani's dunking ability.\n"He's not very tall, and he's not really that strong," Moses said. "Man, can he dunk, though. I've seen Vince Carter and LeBron James do dunk contests, and he's right up there with those guys, if not better."\nZiani said his amazing flexibility comes from a lot of hard work but mostly patience.\n"When you plant tomatoes, you have to water them every day, but you have to wait," Ziani said. "Success is about a lot of water and a lot of time."\nZiani possesses a strong sensibility and enjoys discussing his philosophy about his dunking. To Ziani, dunking is not about the fame or notoriety that comes as a result. Instead, it's a way for him to find an identity. \nZiani's favorite dunk, he said, is the "double windmill," which many other people have tried to emulate. \n"I'm proud that people try to copy my dunk," Ziani said. "By dunking, I'm trying to express myself and create diversity and personality. If people start calling me 'Double Windmill' instead of Kadour Ziani, I would be happy."\nAaron Allen, a senior at IU and good friend of Ziani's, was at Universlam getting footage for an upcoming documentary he plans to release. Allen runs Flying 101, a film company dedicated to showcasing dunkers. Like Ziani's approach to dunking, Allen boasts that he takes a different approach to filming his documentaries.\n"Most dunking videos that you see are one large showcase with hip-hop music," Allen said. "I plan on using a lot of interviews to try to find out what makes dunking so special. I want to get at the dunkers' philosophies and how dunking affects them. The theme for the film is mind over matter"
(10/11/06 4:00am)
The IU men's club volleyball team hosted the seventh annual Hoosier Fall Classic Oct. 7 in the HPER Wildermuth Gym. Twenty teams made the trip to Bloomington to participate in the day-long preseason event.\nIU welcomed teams from all over the Midwest and around the country, including Big Ten rivals Illinois and Purdue. \nThe Illinois A squad team won the tournament.\nThe tournament consisted of group play, followed by an elimination tournament. In the group stage, IU defeated DePaul University (25-15, 25-17), held on to beat Purdue B (25-20, 26-24) and then fell to the IU alumni team (26-24, 25-21). These initial matches gave IU the opportunity to work out potential lineups and get everyone match experience, sophomore John McSorley said. \n"We played pretty well in the first two matches," McSorley said after the Purdue B match. "We let up a little bit during the second game against Purdue. The important part, though, was that everyone got a chance to get in there. We were testing out lineups to see if we could find the right combination."\nAfter group play, IU advanced into the gold bracket of the playoffs. The team was unable to advance past the first round game against Purdue. After losing the first match, the Hoosiers fought back to win the second match. However, IU came up just short in a competitive third match, with Purdue winning the game 25-18, 14-25, 15-13.\nArmy senior Kyle Vonderheide said this was a new experience for the squad.\n"This was our first time at the competition," Vonderheide said. "We wanted to experience the Midwest competition. It's very different than what we get playing on the East Coast. We're just trying to develop fundamentals that come in handy during the regular season."\nThe Vanderbilt University team made the trip from Tennessee to experience the competition the Midwest has to offer. \n"There's a better level of play in the Midwest than what we usually go up against," Vanderbilt coach Ken Debelak said. "We wanted to play some good teams and have fun in the process."\nAlthough the loss was disappointing, the IU team was able to concentrate on what it needs to work on before the regular season, senior Alex Lepp said. \n"We weren't stressing too much on the results of the matches," Lepp said. "We were focused on finding team chemistry and figuring out what we need to improve on. Defensively, we need to improve overall, and we need to find out a way to dig more hard balls. On offense, we need more attacks from the middle and right side."\nIU will travel to Miami University of Ohio and Illinois in November to continue to prepare for regular season play.
(10/03/06 2:31am)
Years after its original release, New York film producer Steven Montgomery re-released a 25th anniversary edition of "Hobie's Heroes."\nThe film documents legendary IU diving coach Hobie Billingsley and his training of young divers. The new version has been updated and includes several new bonus features.\n"The images of the film are breathtaking," Billingsley said in a statement contained in the DVD extras. "'Hobie's Heroes' shows everything I was trying to do and hoped for in my career as a coach. I have never found the film to age, for its message is as pure as it was when it was first made."\nBillingsley served as IU's head diving coach for 30 years, from 1959 to 1989, and trained six Olympic medalists during his prestigious career.\n"A lot of coaching is about perseverance and having faith in yourself," Billingsley said. "You try to continue to make people better as you try to make yourself better."\nMontgomery, a former Junior Olympic diver himself, first came into contact with Billingsley while attending his summer diving camp in Indiana. After graduating from New York University and beginning a career as a filmmaker, Montgomery decided that Billingsley's story was worth documenting.\n"People around Indiana often spoke of Hobie as a legend," Montgomery said. "Sports are often used as a metaphor for life, and Hobie was able to help people overcome their fears. I felt that his story is very inspirational for everyone."\nThe original edition of "Hobie's Heroes," released in 1980, was broadcast on TV stations such as PBS, Nickelodeon and USA. The documentary, filmed in Bloomington, helped introduce the sport of diving to many viewers. \nAlthough "Hobie's Heroes" won film festival awards in the 1980s, it was originally filmed on 16mm film, a deteriorating medium, Montgomery said. \n"In a way, the updating was a preservation effort," he said. "I wanted a new generation of people to see this movie."\nTwenty-five years later, Montgomery reunited Billingsley and the original cast of divers and filmed an update to the original version, including several new bonus features.\nThe DVD provides viewers with an update on the divers, including a review of what the divers have accomplished since their training along with how their time training with Billingsley shaped the rest of their life. In another bonus feature, Billingsley is shown reciting the "Judge's Oath" during the opening ceremonies of the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. \nBillingsley recently celebrated his 80th birthday in Bloomington. Many of his former divers and fellow coaches, along with Montgomery, were able to share the occasion with the former coach. \nBillingsley still possesses the characteristics that made him such a successful coach and motivator, Montgomery said. \n"He looks different, but he still has that same vigor and an incredible sense of humor," Montgomery said.\nMontgomery said he believes his film has the power to inspire its viewers because he himself has found inspiration from working with Billingsley. \n"Over the past 25 years, Hobie has come to mind often," Montgomery said. "He taught me that it is part of the meaning of a person's life to struggle"
(09/20/06 4:26am)
It's almost impossible to walk through student neighborhoods without seeing students flinging colored beanbags through the air, trying to land them in or around a small hole carved in a wooden board.\nThe name of the game is cornhole, and it has become a staple of college life at IU and at campuses across the nation. \nKeeping in line with this trend, Recreational Sports will be offering cornhole as one of the fall intramural sports. \n"We're really enthused to see cornhole come into the mix, especially with its growing popularity," Intramural Sports Council President Matt Stoltz said. "With football season and tailgates in full swing, this is the perfect time for it to be introduced as an IM (intramural) sport."\nSign-ups for cornhole will be held Wednesday Sept. 20. Teams of two players will be able to compete in one of four leagues: men's, women's, co-ed and fraternity. \nCornhole is a recreational sport that is often played at outdoor events such as cookouts and tailgates. One of the reasons for its popularity is its appeal to players of all different athletic abilities. Unlike other, more athletic sports, anyone can be good at cornhole. \nLast year, Spirit of Sport held a cornhole tournament that was open to everyone. With 16 registered teams, the tournament was a great success, said Spirit of Sport advisor Joanne Orrange.\n"Spirit of Sport is a great way to test out potential intramural sports," Orange said. "We saw that cornhole was very well received and students were having a lot of fun."\nAfter the success of cornhole at the Spirit of Sport, an independent group came to the Intramural Sports Council presenting the idea of making cornhole an intramural sport. The presentation met relatively little opposition.\n"We saw that it drew way more people than expected at the Spirit of Sport," Stoltz said. "There seems to be so much interest, and we felt we should open it up to a whole new crowd."\nSince this will be the cornhole's first year as an intramural sport, it is hard to predict how big of a hit it will be, said director of intramural sports, Shauna Robbins. \n"Our goal is to draw about 50 teams," Robbins said. "The first year is usually a guess, so we could end up with any number of teams."\nStoltz also understands that cornhole might start out slowly, but ultimately he believes it will be a success.\n"The first year is about getting the name out there; it can be rocky sometimes," Stoltz said. "This is a good year to get it started, and I think numbers will increase in the years to come"
(09/13/06 4:00am)
During a normal weekday, Tim Fick teaches social studies at Aurora Alternative High School in Bloomington. But every weekday afternoon, he's at Woodlawn Field with a sliotar and a hurley.\nFick is trying to market the ancient Celtic sport of hurling to IU students and eventually start a club.\nMost of all, however, Fick is looking to get students involved with the sport he loves. \nFor the past year, Fick has been a member of a hurling team in Indianapolis. The team, only a year old, has been participating in competitions around the area and has an upcoming match against Purdue. Purdue's squad, which started with four members, has grown in popularity and now consists of 25 players. \nFick hopes to see the same interest in the club at IU.\n"I'd like to meet new men and women who want to learn to play hurling," Fick said. "I want to see members improve their basic hurling skills, but my main goal is for this to be fun." \nWhile the club at IU might not be able to participate in intersquad competitions immediately, Fick is willing to adjust. He plans to have small scrimmages and send members to Indianapolis to play with his Indianapolis team on Sundays. \nFick was first introduced to hurling on a trip to Ireland 15 years ago.\n"I was blown away by the energy and passion," he said. "I went out and bought a stick and ball right away."\nThe sport dates back almost 2,500 years. Hurling has a rich history and was even used as a substitute for warfare, Fick said.\nWidely regarded as the fastest game on grass, Fick said, hurling seems to encompass elements of many other popular sports. The goal posts resemble football uprights with a soccer goal underneath. The stick, or hurley, looks like a field hockey stick, and the ball, called a sliothar (or sliotar), is a softer version of a baseball.\nWhile these comparisons seem obvious, the gameplay is harder to describe. \nThe object of the game is to get the ball through the uprights for one point or past the goalie and into the netted goal for three points. The field skills include scooping the ball, executing hand passes and batting the ball downfield -- all which incorporate elements of lacrosse, rugby and baseball.\nHowever, the comparisons vary from player to player.\n"I'd say hurling is a lot like hockey on grass," Fick said. "It's as quick and physical as hockey."\nAfter playing for the first time Thursday, two IU students offer different opinions.\n"It has a very simple style," senior Tom Noguchi said. "I would call it a mixture between tennis and baseball."\nEven though hurling is similar to other more common sports, the game requires practice to learn.\n"Once you get it down, it's not too bad," senior Mitch Olsen said. "To me, it's like a cross between field hockey, ultimate frisbee and football."\nBased on the growth of his team in Indianapolis, Fick is confident that the hurling club at IU will be a success. \n"I think it's just a matter of time before it catches on," Fick said. "It's such a great sport"
(09/06/06 3:20am)
As the summer slowly begins to cool down, the IU Cycling Club season is heating up.\nThe club will send a team of 14 members to the Collegiate Track Nationals Sept. 20 to 24 in Indianapolis at the Major Taylor Velodrome.\nLast year the team placed sixth overall and is looking to build on that this year. \n"We would like to place as best we can in the overall point standings," senior rider Sasha Land said. "Our best shot of winning nationals is by winning as a team. One on one, we might not be able to match up with some of the other riders, but overall, as a team, we have the potential to finish very strongly."\nThe Track Nationals consist of individual events as well as a series of team competitions, all adding points to the Team Omnium, the overall team competition. The Team Omnium is made up of several events, including sprints and pursuits. The pursuits are popular among riders because they force participants to complement their physical riding skills with elements of strategy, preparation and mental toughness.\nJunior member Pam Loebig will ride in the Italian Pursuit, which involves teams of six riders, usually four male and two female. Team members line up in a pace line and ride around the track, with the slowest team member dropping out at the end of each lap. The race continues in this fashion until only one rider is left to finish the race. \n"You have to have a deep team (for the Italian Pursuit)," Loebig said. "It still involves a lot of strategy, but once you get on the track, it's all about who's the strongest rider."\nSenior member Chris Chartier said he is eager to participate in another kind of pursuit. The Team Pursuit is a race against the clock for teams of four riders.\n"I love this event because it is a combination of strength, team understanding and bike handling skill," Chartier said. "When it is done well, it is a beautiful event to watch." \nRiders have been training hard individually throughout the summer, but going into a competition that will require a strong performance out of the entire team, the group is expanding its focus.\n"We've been getting to the (Major Taylor) Velodrome about twice a week lately," Chartier said. "The important thing for us now is to work on getting the team events to run smoothly." \nThe team is poised to translate its many hours of training into success on the track. As the event draws closer, the team has its eye on the prize.\n"The team goal is to come back to town wearing the stars and bars, the jersey that the national champions get." Chartier said.