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(09/29/08 4:02am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The IU women’s golf team knew the course in Wisconsin was going to be difficult, but still thought it could come out on top. And so, despite falling to a sixth-place finish Sunday in the Badger Invitational, IU coach Clint Wallman still took some positives away from the tournament. “We didn’t bring our ‘A’ game, but we were still in contention,” Wallman said. The IU coach added that competing well while not at the top of their games is something good teams must do. The team had a solid final round until a 17th hole in which golf balls began landing in the water, with three players having double bogeys and one adding a triple bogey.Junior Anita Gahir was the top finisher for the Hoosiers, tying for fifth overall. Gahir’s effort over the weekend improved on her 39th-place finish in the team’s first tournament last weekend in New Mexico. The Thornhill, Ontario, native finished the tournament with a four-over par 220 (73-73-74).Gahir said she was more comfortable in this tournament, partly coming from increased practice throughout the week with her coach. “I worked on a few things with coach, and they really paid off,” she said. Even though she didn’t play much during the summer after wrist surgery near the end of last season, Gahir said she thought the time off actually helped her, and she now feels fresh to start the new season. Wallman said he liked how Gahir played, adding that it proved that she is a talented golfer. “Anita is one of the best in the Big Ten,” he said. “She knows how to play the game”Junior Laura Nochta, who finished tied for fourth at last weekend’s Branch Law Firm/Dick McGuire Invitational, ended second for the Hoosiers and 22nd overall. Wallman said Nochta did not hit the ball as crisply this week and struggled along with the rest of her teammates with her short game, something he said the team will practice more before its next tournament. After opening up the season with back-to-back tournaments, the Hoosiers now have a long break before resuming action at the Lady Northern Invitational from Oct. 18 to 19 in West Lafayette. Senior Amber Lindgren said she feels the break will be beneficial to the team. “The break before our next tournament is going to come in handy,” she said. “Every tournament, we get more experience and learn from it.”Lindgren admitted the team wanted to do better, especially after coming in as the second-ranked team in the field, but reiterated the importance of experience.“It was a little disappointing,” she said. “We have a couple more tournaments this fall, so hopefully we can learn from this.”
(09/26/08 4:20am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Two years ago, the IU women’s golf team traveled to Madison, Wis., to compete in the Badger Invitational. They did a bit more than that, as they came away with the team championship. On Saturday, the team will return to Madison for the first time since that championship with hopes for a repeat performance. Junior Kellye Belcher, who finished sixth two years ago as a freshman, is confident the team can repeat its past success. “I think we have a really good chance of winning this tournament,” Belcher said. “We played really well on this course before.”The Hoosiers come into the tournament as the second-ranked team in the field and 36th overall in the latest Golfweek/Sagarin National Rankings. Only California is ranked higher, at No. 2 overall. Last weekend, the team traveled to New Mexico for the Branch Law Firm/Dick McGuire Invitational. The course was difficult with especially challenging greens, but as a result, IU coach Clint Wallman feels it prepared his team well for this weekend’s tournament. “It was a difficult golf course,” Wallman said of the New Mexico course. “I really believe it prepared us to go up to Madison and compete.”Wallman said 35 to 43 percent of strokes taken in golf are on the greens, and thus his team has been practicing their putting frequency over the past week.The IU coach added that he feels the team established a good connection in its first tournament. “The team clicked with chemistry and worked hard,” he said. “There was a really good feel amongst all the players.”Junior Laura Nochta had the best finish individually last weekend in New Mexico, as she tied for fourth place. Nochta said with such a good finish early in the season, she believes it will help her in the future. “A top-five finish is always a good confidence booster,” she said. “I’m playing pretty well right now, and I feel confident going into this tournament.”Nochta comes into the weekend as the highest-ranked player in the Big Ten, 19th overall in the NCAA, according to the latest Golfweek rankings.Despite what would seem like a lot of pressure on her to perform well, Nochta said that is not how she sees it. “It’s just going to be me and the golf course and trying to play it the best I can,” she said. The women’s golf team will be seeing several teams this weekend they have not seen before, something Belcher said will relax them more in this tournament. Joining Belcher and Nochta in the lineup will be junior Anita Gahir, senior Amber Lindgren and sophomore Cecilia Orevik. Freshman Sara Poppas will play in her second collegiate tournament as an individual. The team will play 36 holes on Saturday and follow it with 18 on Sunday. Overall, the Hoosiers look to return to Madison and back up on the medal stand, something Nochta feels they are ready to do. “I think we are prepared,” she said. “We have the first tournament under our belt, and the stress and pressure is gone. We are ready to go out and play.”
(09/24/08 4:01am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>This summer’s Beijing Olympic Games captivated a gigantic audience as NBC averaged more than 27 million viewers a night.The Chinese economy is also on the rise with its president, Hu Jintao, suggesting the total value of goods and services produced in China will reach $4 trillion by 2020, according to China Daily.Here at IU, the Chinese language program is one of the most respected in the country, and they just got some help. The IU Center for Chinese Language Pedagogy has received a $1 million grant from the Language Flagship, an initiative of the National Security Education Program within the U.S. Department of Defense. The center will receive the money over three years. One of the goals of the program is to produce global professionals, something Jennifer Liu, director of the Chinese Flagship partner program, believes IU can achieve. “It will allow us to create a link for students in professional programs with interests in Chinese,” she said. Over three years, the flagship program has given out seven grants within a pool of numerous applicants. Liu has extensive experience over her 22-year career in Chinese language education, including authoring a Chinese textbook series used at both Harvard and Stanford universities. Last year, Liu directed the flagship program at University of Oregon and will now utilize her experience to make IU’s program successful. Liu’s program, “Developing Global Professionals with Superior Mandarin Proficiency: Creating a Flagship Model at Indiana University,” will use the grant money to fund scholarships for IU students to travel to China and take classes in their various areas of study. Liu said oftentimes, international students come to the U.S. to attend college, but this program will allow for the reverse. The program will also help students like junior Adam Molon secure internships abroad. Molon, who is pursuing a degree in finance, came to IU having no prior Chinese language experience but said he was influenced to study the language after attending a conference at Northwestern University during his freshman year on the emerging economies of China and India. “The whole reason I started is the Chinese economy is so large,” Molon said. “I finally realized this is something I need to learn more about.”After only one year of studying Chinese at IU, Molon obtained an internship in Beijing, working for a real estate Web site founded by IU alumnus Mo Tianquan. Molon said he enjoyed the experience. “It was fun and challenging, and eventually my language skills got good enough,” he said. Janet Donley, the program administrator of the CCLP who works with Liu, said sending students overseas to China is important to establish closer ties with such an emerging country. “We want to create more citizens in our country that can communicate with the Chinese,” she said. Donley added that this will go a long way toward improving the belief that Americans don’t want to learn foreign languages. “Americans are notorious for bad foreign-language communication,” she said. “The U.S. government is saying we can’t have this anymore.”Other than funding scholarships for students to travel to China, the grant will also allow for additional language and culture courses and faculty, going beyond the fourth level of Chinese. Liu is also adjusting to the changing times through her idea to create online materials that can make her teachings more widespread and interactive. Part of her mission is also to spread her teachings to high school educators to make students better prepared when they get to IU. Upon coming to IU, interested students will learn at an institution known for its Chinese program. “Our program is unique in its scope and intensity,” Liu said. “It can produce students that can be (as good as) native speakers after four years.”
(09/23/08 4:00am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Last week at the Wolf Run Intercollegiate, junior Alex Martin didn’t even crack the top 25, falling in the final round to tie for 28th overall and third-best among Hoosier golfers.What a difference a week makes.This weekend at the Olympia Fields/Fighting Illini Invitational, Martin not only finished first for the Hoosiers, but he finished in a tie for first overall with a 1-under, 209 total score. Martin’s score also helped the team to a runner-up finish to champion Illinois.The one golfer Martin could not beat was Zach Barlow of Illinois.But Martin did top 73 other golfers from an elite field, including defending NCAA Champions UCLA, which pleased IU coach Mike Mayer.“He played in a field with some of the premier players in the country,” Mayer said. “It is quite an accomplishment.”Martin said he was excited to break his previous best 54-hole total of 215, which he set at last year’s Pinehurst Intercollegiate.“It felt good to break through finally,” he said. “It was also good to come through and help the team out.”Illinois carded a total of 852 for 12-over par. IU was 11 strokes behind the Illini and had a final-round score of 283, which represented the third-best of any round all weekend.Martin wasn’t the only Hoosier to record a top-10 finish, as senior Jorge Campillo, the champion at last week’s intercollegiate, finished in a tie for seventh.Campillo improved every round and capped the tournament off with a 1-under-par final round for a total score of 213, which was 3-over par.Fellow senior Seth Brandon recorded a top-25 finish with a total score of 217.Rounding out the scoring spots for the Hoosiers, freshman Chase Wright scored a 14-over par 224 and was 39th overall.Wright, who competed in his first collegiate tournament, said he enjoyed playing at such a good golf course.“It couldn’t be a better place to start my collegiate experience,” Wright said. “To know I contributed was really cool. I will now go back and continue to grow and keep working hard.”Mayer said he thought Wright handled a difficult situation very well.The Hoosiers were paired in the final grouping with Illinois and Oklahoma State to finish the tournament. Martin did not play with Barlow, and therefore did not know the results as he approached the final few holes.After such a strong tournament, Martin said he thinks it will do wonders for his confidence.“I know I can play with the best of them,” he said.Mayer said he was encouraged by the play of his team from start to finish.“We had a good solid tournament from the first putt to the last putt,” Mayer said.
(09/22/08 4:06am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Junior Laura Nochta had a summer of firsts.In the Women’s Ohio State 85th Amateur Championship, Nochta carded her first round under 70, with a course-record 67. A few days later she recorded her first hole-in-one.In her first tournament of this season she also excelled, shooting a 2-under-par 217, which was good for a tie for fourth place. Nochta’s strong finish helped propel the IU women’s golf team to a ninth-place finish in the Branch Law Firm/Dick McGuire Invitational at the New Mexico Lobos’ Championship Golf Course in Albuquerque, N.M. IU coach Clint Wallman came back to the place he called home from 2002-2004 as an assistant coach with New Mexico.Wallman said he thought overall the team did a lot of positive things, and Nochta had a great tournament. “Her ball-striking was phenomenal, and she had good putting,” he said. “Overall, it was a solid event for Laura.”Wallman’s old squad captured the team title with the only under-par score of the tournament, a 4-under total of 872.Pepperdine finished second with 876, while UNLV rounded out the top three spots with an 889. The Hoosiers shot a 38-over-par collectively, for a total of 914.Nochta, who steadily climbed up the leader board after being placed in a 10-way tie for 14th after day one, said she took advantage of her opportunities and played smart all weekend. “I felt the course was a good setup for me,” Nochta said. “I never put myself in bad spots on the golf course.”Nochta, who started the final round on the 10th hole, was one-over-par through her first nine holes. Coming back strong, she birdied hole one, and had back-to-back birdies on holes five and six to pull herself to her final 2-under-par tally. Wallman said another junior, Kellye Belcher, had a great round right out of the gate in her first round with a 1-under 72, which put her in a tie for third.Although Belcher slipped back with rounds of 77- and 78-over the next two days, respectively, she finished second for the Hoosiers and 26th overall.Putting and short game were areas in which many competitors struggled, including Belcher and her teammates. Although Belcher said it was frustrating after practicing that aspect extensively in the week leading up to the tournament, she recognized IU is not there yet.“It shows the team has a little more to go,” she said.After seeing many familiar faces around the course, Wallman said he had a lot of fun watching the team play on such a great course.“It was great to see everyone and play on a golf course in magnificent shape,” he said. Next up the Hoosiers will travel to Madison, Wis., on Saturday and Sunday for the Badger Invitational, where IU captured the team title two years ago.
(09/22/08 1:41am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Some ran, some walked and some road tricycles while others skateboarded their way along Clear Creek trail Saturday with the IU women’s basketball team.Members of the Bloomington community and the IU Athletics Department came together to show their support for the team as part of the first annual “Get Jacked with the Hoosiers.” The event served as a chance for those gathered to meet and greet the players and staff of the team. The day began with team stretching led by basketball captains senior Whitney Thomas and sophomore Jordi Davis.Thomas, a Bloomington native, said she was appreciative of the support from her community.“I’ve lived here my whole life, and the community has always been behind me,” Thomas said. “This is a great event today to have people from the community come.”As the team members finished their group run along the trail and came back to the starting area, they were greeted by their fans, and later they had an autograph session.One fan, William Garcia, skateboarded along the route.Garcia, a graduate assistant athletic trainer with the men’s tennis team, said he enjoyed watching the team work hard.“It was a fun time,” he said. “Even on a fun day, the girls are still working and running hard, so it’s good to see.”IU coach Felisha Legette-Jack said she was excited about this year’s team, which will have a strong group of upperclassmen. She added that she hopes to see a lot of fans come out and support her team.“We can easily say we want to dream about having 3,000 in the stands, but we dream of 17,000 ’cause our goal is to always reach for the moon,” Legette-Jack said.The women’s basketball team this year features four seniors, two of whom are natives of Bloomington. Thomas will be joined by classmates Lydia Serfling, Kim Roberson and Amber Jackson for their final seasons on the team.Legette-Jack said this year’s senior class is very special and it would be a shame if fans did not come out and watch them before they leave IU.“If you don’t get out here and watch them play right now you’re going to miss them,” she said. “They bring something so special to this community that you haven’t seen on any other team.”Davis, an underclassman, has taken on a leadership role and will be a key part of the Hoosiers’ success.Davis said she enjoyed the community support, and it will motivate the team to do even better on the court.“It motivates us to go out and win some games for them to show them that we’re a good team and we’re working hard,” she said.The women’s basketball team will kick off its season Nov. 1 when it hosts the Southern Indiana Eagles at Assembly Hall.Until then, Legette-Jack will prepare her team and live by a mantra one great coach taught her regarding her community: “This is a place where great people come to do great things.”Legette-Jack said she hopes her team will be able to follow it.“This is a place where great people came, and we’re not going to be any different,” she said. “We are here to do some great things, and our prayer is that it comes to pass.”
(09/19/08 4:39am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>During her one year competing for the Hoosiers, Abbie Stechschulte shined on the track. She will now have the opportunity to help the future of the program she loves so much.Stechschulte, who competed for the Hoosiers for one year after transferring from West Virginia, was named to the coaching staff by director of track and field, IU coach Ron Helmer.Helmer said he felt Stechschulte first came to IU because she is optimistic about the future of the program.“Abbie came here a year ago because she was excited about where we were going and the vision we had for the program,” Helmer said.Stechschulte also left for Bloomington because her coach at West Virginia, Jeff Huntoon, accepted a job as the associate head coach at IU.Huntoon said his athlete is the true embodiment of what a student athlete should be.“We feel Abbie will bring enthusiasm and a true appreciation for what it means to be a student athlete at Indiana University,” Huntoon said in a statement.Although one of the primary reasons for coming to IU was to follow a previous coach, Helmer said he and Stechschulte have formed a mutual respect level, dating back to several years ago when Helmer coached at Georgetown.“I came to respect her as a competitor, and she came to respect me as a coach,” he said. During her one year at IU, Stechschulte excelled both on and off the track.On the track, she won the collegiate title in the heptathlon at the 81st Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays on April 3. In doing so, Stechschulte recorded the second highest point total for the event in school history, and automatically qualified for the NCAA Championships.Off the track, Stechschulte dedicated time to her academics and earned a master’s degree in kinesiology, something Helmer said he feels is important.As part of the coaching staff, Stechschulte’s main duty will be recruiting athletes to IU, something Helmer thinks she will do well.“There is a personality and energy there that I think is going to allow her to develop into a really good recruiter,” he said. “If you need useful energy any place, it’s in the recruiting part of what we do.”Huntoon also agreed Stechschulte will be an asset in recruiting.“Her success in so many events on the track will allow her to assist in many areas, and we look for immediate results on the recruiting trail with her many connections,” he said. Stechschulte, a Columbus Grove, Ohio, native, will also help by bringing in athletes from Ohio, a place Helmer said has a great pool of talent.The Hoosiers took four Ohio athletes to the NCAA Championships, including Stechschulte. In addition to coaching, Stechschulte will also continue to train with her fellow coaches, who feel her energy level will be great for the program.“As people compete at a certain level and do so in the right way, they can create a fan base for people to know who they are and respect what they do,” Helmer said.
(09/18/08 4:06am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Six IU graduates reported for duty at naval bases last week, but instead of combating troops from foreign countries, they will combat the effects of aging.The U.S. Navy and the IU school of Health, Physical Education and Recreation have entered into a partnership to create a new program to help raise the fitness level of active-duty service members. The target age for the group is 40 to 60 years old.Carol Kennedy-Armbruster, a faculty member in HPER and the principal investigator of the project, said the participants were excited about the possibility of working with the navy.“They thought it was an awesome opportunity,” she said.The six fitness professionals, five of whom earned fitness specialist bachelor’s degrees from HPER, traveled to naval bases at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, San Diego and Norfolk, Va., on Sept. 8.The former IU students are now employees of IU and are labeled as clinical lecturers. The Navy is paying for their housing, while they are also being paid by IU for their services.The inspiration for this program came when Kennedy-Ambruster gave a presentation on the future of fitness at the American College of Sports Medicine Health Fitness Summit.After the presentation, Kelly Powell, an IU alumna and Navy contact approached her, and the project took off.The Navy considered proposals from several universities but ultimately chose IU due to the University’s strong fitness specialist program.Michelle Miller, the coordinator of the fitness specialist bachelor’s degree in HPER and partner with Kennedy-Ambruster, said she feels IU’s program is very strong. “We believe it is one of the most applied and comprehensive programs in the country,” she said. The Senior Health Assessment Program Enterprise will put the fitness professionals in situations where they will train and come up with new ideas for the active-duty members.Lisa Sexauer, the headquarters Navy SHAPE program manager, said she feels this program will help the sailors combat the effects of aging and decline of health in their target population.Both Kennedy-Ambruster and Miller have experience in the real world and now have turned to teaching the next generation of fitness professionals. Kennedy-Ambruster, prior to her position in the school of HPER, worked as the director of the fitness program at the Student Recreational Sports Center for eight years. She said she feels this experience will be able to improve her teaching skills as well.“It will give us an idea of what is going on in the real world,” Kennedy-Ambruster said.The fitness professionals will work at the naval bases for one year and could secure more permanent jobs afterward.Miller said she sees this program growing and involving more IU students in the future. Part of the reason for this is the fitness specialist program at IU, which she said prepares students well for post-graduate careers.The fitness specialist program turns out 40 to 45 students a year, and has gained national attention to the point where employers are contacting the school of HPER to enlist graduates in professional careers upon graduation.Miller added that she feels this program will greatly benefit the University.“It allows people to see the school of HPER not just as jocks running around playing basketball,” Miller said. “We are here to reach out and impact the health of individuals.”
(09/18/08 4:05am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>In 2002, IU coach Clint Wallman served as an assistant coach for the New Mexico Lobos women’s golf team.That year, his team captured the team title in the Branch Law Firm/Dick McGuire Invitational. Now Wallman looks to win the tournament with his new team – the Hoosiers.The IU women’s golf team is in Albuquerque, N.M.,this week to compete in the 29th edition of the invite, hosted at the Lobos’ Championship Course. Wallman said he is looking forward to the tournament and what he called a semi-homecoming.“It’s going to be a lot of fun,” he said. “It’s one of the oldest golf tournaments out there.”Although the tournament started in 1979, its origins date back much further.From 1956 to 1978, the top women’s teams would compete against the elite men’s program in the William H. Tucker Invitational in one of the sport’s top events of its time.The event grew so popular that eventually it was decided each gender needed a separate tournament. As a result, the women started the Dick McGuire Invitational and the men stayed with the Tucker. In 2003-2004, Branch Law Firm of Albuquerque became the title tournament sponsor for the event.The Hoosier lineup this week will consist of the junior trio of Anita Gahir, Laura Nochta and Kellye Belcher. They will be joined by senior Amber Lindgren and sophomore transfer Cecilia Orevik. Freshman Sara Poppas will compete as an individual.Lindgren said she felt like the team is ready to play and be productive in their first tournament of the season.“I want us all to work hard and make the best of it,” she said.Lindgren added that with four new freshmen this year, she has taken on a leadership role and is trying to help the new players adjust to college life.The 16-team field will include four teams ranked in the Top 30 by the Golfweek preseason poll. They include No. 8 Pepperdine , No. 19 New Mexico, No. 23 TCU and No. 27 UNLV.Wallman has been preparing the Hoosiers for this tournament all week since he has knowledge about the golf course. Nochta said the team has been practicing putts with a lot of break to account for challenging greens.The team also had the opportunity to play the course on a spring break trip last year, but did so with 50-mile-per-hour winds. They hope this week’s conditions will be better.Nochta said she believes the format of the tournament – teams will play 18 holes each of the three days – instead of the common 36-18 split over two days, is better and will give the team more rest.The women’s golf team, which placed 18th in last spring’s NCAA East Regional, will take their first step toward their goal of qualifying for the NCAA Golf Championship with the tournament this week.Wallman said he is eagerly anticipating seeing how the team handles the situation.“Competition tells all,” Wallman said. “We are definitely looking forward to playing.”
(09/15/08 3:45am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Combating heavy winds from Hurricane Ike, the IU men’s golf team battled to a fifth-place finish at the Wolf Run Intercollegiate in Zionsville, Ind.Although IU coach Mike Mayer said he was not thrilled with the way the Hoosiers played as a team overall, he was proud of the play of senior Jorge Campillo, who took top individual honors with a three-round total of 212 (70-70-72).Despite that individual success, however, Mayer said that for his team to be successful on a national level, other players will have to step up and help Campillo.“We are going to have to give him more support,” Mayer said. Campillo said his task in winning the tournament was not easy. “The course played very hard, and I had to be patient,” he said. One surprise for the Hoosiers was the play of freshman David Erdy, who started the tournament in the five-spot for the team. Erdy ended up second for IU, finishing in a tie for 24th overall, with a three-round total of 226. Erdy said he didn’t have the greatest summer in terms of golf but started to get better in the days leading up to his arrival in Bloomington. “I was really confident, because I was playing good golf coming in,” Erdy said. Mayer said he was not incredibly surprised by Erdy’s play, adding that he feels the new Hoosier has great talent and also showed courage and confidence in a tough situation this weekend. Other Hoosiers competing were junior Alex Martin, who finished in a tie for 28th, and seniors Seth Brandon and Brandon Pike, who finished 40th and 62nd, respectively. Senior Drew Allenspach also competed as an individual and finished 64th. Allenspach came back from a first-round score of 86 to shoot 79 and 78 in his next two rounds, respectively. Next up for the Hoosiers is the Olympia Fields/Fighting Illini Invitational at Olympia Fields in Chicago on Sept. 19-21. Mayer said to prepare for their next tournament and other future tournaments, the teams need to work more on fundamentals. “We are going to have to step it up a notch,” Mayer said. “We have a lot of work to do and a lot of time to do it.”
(09/12/08 4:05am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>After recording its best finish at the NCAA Championships since 1980, the No. 18 IU men’s golf team is ready to begin its new season.Senior Jorge Campillo, the defending Big Ten individual champion and All-American a year ago, will lead the team at the Wolf Run Intercollegiate on Saturday and Sunday in Zionsville, Ind. IU will co-host the tournament at the Wolf Run Golf Club with Kentucky.IU coach Mike Mayer is sending out a lineup comprising Campillo, seniors Seth Brandon and Brandon Pike, junior Alex Martin and freshman David Erdy. Senior Drew Allenspach, who played on the team that finished 21st at NCAAs last year, will compete as an individual.Although Allenspach said he was a little disappointed to not have qualified for the team’s top five, he said he thinks the internal competition in the team will ultimately have a positive effect on its performance this year. “It’s encouraging to see others stepping up,” he said. Mayer said he is looking forward to seeing the Hoosiers compete in their first test of the season. “There are a number of very good teams at Wolf Run, and it is going to be a very competitive tournament,” he said in an e-mail. Mayer also added that patience will be important on a difficult course.“What is important is that we go out and play to our potential,” he said. “We need to play intelligent golf and have all the patience we can have to handle a difficult track like Wolf.”The Hoosiers enter the season ranked No. 18, with the preseason All-American Campillo ranked the seventh-best player in the country in the latest Golfweek preseason top 30.Campillo played a lot of golf over the summer. His accomplishments included a win in the Spanish Amateur Championship and placing well in golf tournaments all over the world.However, Campillo said he is excited to return and start the new season, his last in Bloomington.“I’m as excited as my freshman year,” he said in an e-mail. “I can’t wait for this weekend.”The tournament, which will feature 14 teams organized into five groups, will consist of a total of 54 holes, with 36 being played on Saturday and the remaining 18 coming Sunday. Last year, the Hoosiers finished third out of 15 teams and had two golfers – Campillo and Brandon – place in the top five.Allenspach said this year’s schedule is the hardest he has ever played, with many tournaments that will include elite teams that placed in the top 15 at NCAAs. That schedule, along with the experience at NCAAs, is something Allenspach believes will help the team play at a high level this year. “At NCAAs, we saw what it takes to be competitive at that level,” he said.
(09/09/08 4:32am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>During a pole vault career that spanned from his collegiate days at IU in the 1980s through the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, Dave Volz used a technique so effective it is now banned in track and field. The move, now known as “Volzing,” allowed the vaulter to push the bar with their hand, preventing it from falling as the athlete sailed over it. Sixteen years ago, Volz placed fifth in the pole vault in the Olympics. Now, he’s back at IU, volunteering his time to coach pole vaulters on the IU men’s and women’s track and field teams.Chasing the dreamVolz, who was a five-time All-American at IU from 1981-1984, set two American records while at IU and was called the “Best Vaulter in the World” by “Track and Field News” in 1982. But his career has not been without hardship. After winning the NCAA championship in 1981, his freshman year at IU, disaster struck. While in Europe warming up for a competition, he fell over out-of-place warm-up equipment and severed many nerves in his left ankle. Still battling to get back to his previous form, Volz was seriously hurt again in 1986 when he broke his right leg and right ankle. Still, he persevered, fighting for his dream of competing on the ultimate stage — the Olympics.“It was tough from the standpoint that I felt like I didn’t accomplish everything I wanted to,” he said.Volz said when he finally got back to full strength in about 1990, he spent two years training hard, which paid off at the Olympic Trials. He qualified for the U.S. team and vaulted 18-6.5 feet in the Olympics, good enough to earn him fifth place on the world’s biggest stage.With a family to look after, he had to make sacrifices, but Volz said he was grateful to have the opportunity to live out his dream after what he called a long road back.“I don’t know that I could have scripted it any better,” he said. “It was everything I would have hoped it would be.” Life after the OlympicsFor the past few years, Volz has volunteered a lot of his time to his alma mater.Senior Jeff Coover, an All-American last season, said he has learned from Volz’s mental toughness, which has helped him when he gets in difficult situations.“He is definitely a role model for me as far as my attitude,” he said, a tribute to Volz’s hard work after injury setbacks.Junior Vera Neuenswander, who has worked with Volz since she set foot on campus, said she has enjoyed getting to know him and learning from one of the sport’s best.“He is the go-to guy,” she said. “He knows a lot about the event and cares about his athletes.”Volz, who grew up in Bloomington, started vaulting in seventh grade and hasn’t looked back since.Two of his three sons, Drake and Drew, took after their father and pole vaulted at Bloomington High School South. Drake is now a member of IU’s track and field team. Although Volz says he did not pressure his children to follow in his footsteps, he enjoys helping them out.“It’s a nice experience to share with them,” he said.Volz now works with assistant coach Jake Wiseman, who he coached while Wiseman, a 2005 graduate, was at IU.Wiseman said he enjoys working with someone who knows as much as Volz does.“I’m always excited to have him around with his knowledge of pole vault,” Wiseman said.Wiseman proposed a simple comparison to highlight how important Volz’s contributions are to the team, involving IU sprint coach Jeff Huntoon and distance and head coach Ron Helmer. “It would be like coach Huntoon having Michael Johnson, or coach Helmer having Steve Prefontaine to help them,” he said.In addition to helping out the IU vaulters, he is also the vice president of manufacturing for Cook Incorporated in Bloomington. To almost every person he has come in contact with, Volz is considered a great all-around person and volunteers his time without pay to give back to a program that means so much to him.In the future Volz said he would like to continue to help at IU, which Wiseman will gladly appreciate.“For him to spend his time here is great,” Wiseman said. “It says a lot about his character and the person he is.”
(09/09/08 4:12am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>A day after playing in Memorial Stadium, the Marching Hundred traveled to a bit of a bigger venue. Playing in front of a crowd of more than 66,000 fans, the band became the first collegiate marching band to perform in Lucas Oil Stadium, the new home of the Indianapolis Colts. The performance marked the fourth time the Colts have asked the band to play at a home football game. Bill Polian, president of the Colts, and a long-time fan of IU, personally asked the Marching Hundred to play. They gladly accepted.David C. Woodley, director of the Marching Hundred, said he appreciated Polian’s offer to play on opening night at the new stadium. “We were excited and honored for him to think of us,” Woodley said. After being introduced to the crowd, the band rushed onto the field and played “Living on a Prayer.” Their selections involved a lot of movement and featured their percussion section. Although the band only performed for about five minutes, senior Jayme Kasting said she had a lot of fun at the game. “It was very quick and brief, but very amazing,” she said. Kasting added that she enjoyed playing for so many Hoosier faithful.Fellow senior Lydia Karjaka, a tenor saxophone player, said each year she looks forward to playing at the Colts’ games, and the experience of running onto the field was special. “The running really gave us chills,” she said. “Everyone went crazy and was screaming.”Karjaka has played in front of huge crowds before, but she said she enjoyed watching the nervous and smiling faces of the rookies perform for their first time at such a big event. Last year the Hoosier marching band played at another big event, the Insight Bowl, an experience Kasting said was memorable but didn’t have the same home-crowd feel as the Colts’ games. Karjaka said the Insight Bowl was special because after the 14-year drought of not making a bowl game, the team came back to life.“Seeing IU represented in that arena was amazing,” she said. Having traveled to many different venues with the Marching Hundred, Woodley said the Colts’ new stadium had a different feel than most. He cited the seats being higher up and the lack of echo as an example. The performance left a good impression on the staff of the Colts, including Craig Kelley, vice president of public relations. “The band was very good (Sunday night),” he said. “It was a very good in-state component on the night our stadium held its first regular season game.”Karjaka said she enjoyed telling kids back at school about the performance – she said many view band kids as nerds – and thinks the experience will leave a lasting impression on the band.“It was five minutes that every band member can remember for the rest of their lives,” she said.
(09/08/08 2:53am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Since he started working at IU in 1971, Dean of Students Dick McKaig has always been able to relate well to students. When he took the podium Friday at the University Club luncheon, “Class of 2012,” he played the part, dressed in cargo shorts and an IU t-shirt. McKaig also sported a backwards ball cap and had his iPod earphones in, a cell phone and a backpack.McKaig, who announced last week he will retire at the end of the school year, spoke to club members and stressed many differences between students today and students when he first came to IU.To begin his presentation, McKaig pulled from his backpack an informational handout on the trends of college students and then handed out a pop quiz.Some of the trends he pointed to were increased diversity, use of cell phones and less time studying. He also spoke about electronics, pretending to send a text message from his cell phone. He said 75 percent of students say they use instant messenger frequently and many are on Facebook. “I have 621 friends on Facebook,” he said. “They are updating me as I go along.”The pop quiz in the form of true and false questions also sought to compare today’s students with those of 1991, when McKaig first became dean of students.To the surprise of some people, fewer students are interested in joining the Greek community today and more are expected to earn higher grades, McKaig said. Fewer students today reported drinking, while more have faith in the ability of an individual to change society.Gene Stern, a member of the University Club and part-time worker in the IU admissions office, appreciated the results of McKaig’s findings. “I’m very pleased to see how positive the kids are about the University,” Stern said. With 40 percent of IU students coming from out of state, McKaig said many had different expectations and views of the world, being displayed in the way they dressed.“They were dressed in styles that can only be described as New York clubbing,” he said.McKaig also shared a story about watching freshmen “migrate” from their dorms to suspected parties on the day they arrived. Although McKaig reported 72 percent of students said they chose IU for its academic reputation, he admitted most students spend slightly less time studying and more time partying.Overall, McKaig said he has a favorable impression of students today and at IU. “Students are confident and sociable and expect to have a good time and get good grades,” he said.Dale Nelson, the president of the University Club enjoyed the presentation and found it informative and funny.“The dean is always very entertaining,” Nelsen said. “He is very well-liked by the students.”Through all of McKaig’s work, he said he has enjoyed working with the students the most. “They energize me,” he said. “I have been honored to work with them during my time at IU.”
(09/04/08 4:38am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Many students are stressed out this week about chemistry or calculus, but this evening there will be a much easier class: a crash course in shopping. From 5 to 9 p.m. at College Mall there will be free food and prizes ranging from a gift certificate to Blondie’s Cookies and free Chick-fil-A for a year, to the grand prize of the Target Ultimate Dorm Room. Kelly Key, the marketing director for Chick-fil-A said the store was eager to participate and welcome new students to campus. “We enjoy having a youth base of clients,” she said. The marketing office at the mall came up with the idea for the event and approached the Office of Orientation Programs, which was happy to form the partnership. The assistant director for the Office of Orientation Programs, Megan Ray, said she was excited to add another program to its schedule.“Orientation Programs is always looking for ways to enhance the student experience at IU,” she said. “Including helping them connect with the city of Bloomington in different ways.”The campus bus service is also helping out, as it will have representatives at all bus stops to direct people on routes heading to College Mall. Once inside the mall, students will receive a punch card that will have the names of various locations within the mall. Once completed, the card can be turned in for prizes, which will be drawn every hour from 6 to 9 p.m. The final prize drawing will be for the Ultimate Dorm Room from Target, which is a collection of items, including a futon. The cost of the items amounts to more than $600. Radio stations B97 and 105.1 FM will also be on hand to play music as students wander through the mall shopping at the various stores. New and returning students will also be met by special guests from the IU Athletic Department. Student athletes from the women’s soccer, volleyball, men’s soccer, cross country and field hockey programs will sign autographs, hand out posters and interact with fans. Shannon Branson, assistant marketing director for the IU Athletic Department, said she believes it is important for the student-athletes to meet and interact with new students. “It is a great opportunity for our student-athletes to give back and thank a community that shows such tremendous support to Indiana Athletics,” she said. Other stores that will offer special deals include Dick’s Sporting Goods, Inside Scoop, Subway, T.J. Maxx and many more.Ray said she expects many people to come out for the event and could see this becoming a permanent part of the orientation experience. “It’s a great way to celebrate the first week of classes,” she said.
(09/03/08 3:24am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU assistant coach Josh Brewer was named the assistant coach for men’s and women’s golf at perennial powerhouse Southern California on Aug. 22, ending a six-year term at IU. Over the previous six years, Brewer coached alongside IU coach Mike Mayer for the men’s golf team. Brewer also played for the Hoosier golf team from 1994-1998, including representing the Hoosiers at the 1996 NCAA Championships his sophomore year. Brewer’s experience as both a player and a coach attracted Kurt Schuette, the director of golf for USC, to consider him for the job. “Josh has experience at a high level as a player and a coach,” Schuette said by phone Tuesday. Schuette first met Brewer at a U.S. Junior competition in Birmingham, Ala., in July, while both of them were on recruiting trips. Brewer’s hire was necessitated by a rule implemented by the NCAA in January that allowed for an additional person to play the dual role of coach and recruiter. The previous rules allowed only one person to have this position. The Trojans narrowed their search to five candidates before selecting Brewer. Schuette and Brewer discussed the job over dinner, and the latter expressed interest in the position. When initially offered the job, Brewer said he was overwhelmed and excited about the chance to go to a top-notch golf program like USC.“It’s a great opportunity and made me realize that all the hard work I have done has paid off,” Brewer said by phone Tuesday.During the search process, Schuette contacted Mayer for his input. The IU coach spoke highly of Brewer, and said he thought it was a good career move for his now-former colleague. Brewer will go to a more high-profile school, which could help him land a head coaching job in the future. Brewer said his goal is to become a head coach. USC’s men finished third at NCAAs last spring, while the women claimed the NCAA championship. Many of the players on the team are happy for their former coach, said senior Brandon Pike. “This will give him credentials for the head coaching job that we know he wants,” Pike said. Pike added that Brewer loved IU greatly and was a big part of building the Hoosiers into a top 20 program. Brewer – a lifelong IU fan – said leaving the University was not easy, citing memories of watching NCAA basketball championships and athletes like Isiah Thomas and football player Anthony Thompson. The Hoosiers and Trojans will meet at a few major tournaments before the NCAA Championships, including the Isleworth-UCF Collegiate Invitational from Oct. 26-28. Brewer said it will be odd going to tournaments in Trojan colors, but said he still has a special place in his heart for IU. “I will be wishing them the best,” he said, “even though I won’t always be rooting for them.”
(09/03/08 3:15am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU assistant coach Josh Brewer was named the assistant coach for men’s and women’s golf at perennial powerhouse Southern California on Aug. 22, ending a six-year term at IU. Over the previous six years, Brewer coached alongside IU coach Mike Mayer for the men’s golf team. Brewer also played for the Hoosier golf team from 1994-1998, including representing the Hoosiers at the 1996 NCAA Championships his sophomore year. Brewer’s experience as both a player and a coach attracted Kurt Schuette, the director of golf for USC, to consider him for the job. “Josh has experience at a high level as a player and a coach,” Schuette said by phone Tuesday. Schuette first met Brewer at a U.S. Junior competition in Birmingham, Ala., in July, while both of them were on recruiting trips. Brewer’s hire was necessitated by a rule implemented by the NCAA in January that allowed for an additional person to play the dual role of coach and recruiter. The previous rules allowed only one person to have this position. The Trojans narrowed their search to five candidates before selecting Brewer. Schuette and Brewer discussed the job over dinner, and the latter expressed interest in the position. When initially offered the job, Brewer said he was overwhelmed and excited about the chance to go to a top-notch golf program like USC.“It’s a great opportunity and made me realize that all the hard work I have done has paid off,” Brewer said by phone Tuesday.During the search process, Schuette contacted Mayer for his input. The IU coach spoke highly of Brewer, and said he thought it was a good career move for his now-former colleague. Brewer will go to a more high-profile school, which could help him land a head coaching job in the future. Brewer said his goal is to become a head coach. USC’s men finished third at NCAAs last spring, while the women claimed the NCAA championship. Many of the players on the team are happy for their former coach, said senior Brandon Pike. “This will give him credentials for the head coaching job that we know he wants,” Pike said. Pike added that Brewer loved IU greatly and was a big part of building the Hoosiers into a top 20 program. Brewer – a lifelong IU fan – said leaving the University was not easy, citing memories of watching NCAA basketball championships and athletes like Isiah Thomas and football player Anthony Thompson. The Hoosiers and Trojans will meet at a few major tournaments before the NCAA Championships, including the Isleworth-UCF Collegiate Invitational from Oct. 26-28. Brewer said it will be odd going to tournaments in Trojan colors, but said he still has a special place in his heart for IU. “I will be wishing them the best,” he said, “even though I won’t always be rooting for them.”
(08/29/08 4:43am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>After his win at the 2003 Indiana State High School Track and Field Championships in the 400-meter dash, former Hoosier star David Neville set his sights on the Olympics.Going into his freshman year at IU, Neville received bad news. An English class he took in high school unexpectedly was not counted on the NCAA clearing house list, making him ineligible.Despite not being able to practice with the IU team or receive a scholarship, Neville did workouts alone on the track and had his girlfriend, who is now his wife, Arial, time him.He also participated in the Marching Hundred Band and only three years later he signed a professional contract with Nike.Beijing OlympicsThis summer all of his hard work paid off as he qualified to compete in the Olympics and earned a bronze medal in the 400-meter dash and a gold medal as part of the 4x400-meter relay team.“The bronze in the 400 was wonderful,” Neville said in an e-mail. “To know that I put all my hard work and effort into this is something that I will always hold deep in my heart.”Going into the 400-meter race, Olympic Trials champion LaShawn Merritt and 2004 gold medalist Jeremy Wariner received the bulk of the attention, but Neville stayed focused.Neville placed his feet in the starting blocks in lane nine, a difficult lane because the other runners are not visible from the start. As he came to the last 100 meters he appeared to have third place locked up. Then, as the rest of the field closed in on him, he did the only thing he could think of, he dove head first across the finish line, beating the fourth place finisher by a mere .04 seconds.As he crossed the finish line fans from across Indiana, including a former teammate of his, junior Jeff Coover, screamed at their televisions and exploded in excitement.“He put everything on the line,” Coover said. “It was really inspiring.”Neville’s medal in the 400 represents the first IU track medal in an individual event since Willie May took silver in the 120-yard hurdles in 1960.Being a Hoosier“Inspiration,” “motivator” and “leader” are all words that former teammates and coaches have used to describe the impact Neville had on them.Randy Heisler, who now coaches at Ball State, directed the track and field program while Neville competed for IU. Heisler has coached several elite athletes, but said a kid like David comes along very rarely.“David Neville is a coach’s dream,” he said.Heisler remembers going to the cross country course for practice during Neville’s freshman year, the year he was ineligible and could not practice or compete for the Hoosiers.Neville stood under a tree pounding on a drum with his fellow band members, in the midst of a six-hour practice. After Marching Hundred practice, Neville would then practice at the track.From the moment Heisler saw this he knew he had a special athlete.“I knew this kid was dedicated,” he said.While at IU, Neville earned five All-American honors and came away with four Big Ten championships in the 200 and 400-meter dashes combined. He is also the school record holder in the indoor 200 and 400 and as part of the 4x400-meter relay.During Neville’s time at IU he had elite teammates including former NCAA champions Sean Jefferson and Aarik Wilson.IU assistant coach Jake Wiseman, who is second in the record books for the decathlon, remembers traveling with Neville and other high caliber athletes on the team.Wiseman said he never wanted to be the athlete that did poorly, and Neville helped motivate him.“He is a great leader,” Wiseman said. “Not a person you want to let down.”Outside of track and field, Neville is a very religious person and would someday like to be a minister.Heisler said that even though Neville is an extremely talented athlete, he is a better person.“David Neville is what every college wants to have as a student athlete,” he said.For such a great athlete and person his greatest influence does not come from a teammate, parent or coach.“The most influential person in my life for track has been Jesus because he has taught me what real sacrifice is,” he said.
(08/21/08 3:53pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Former Hoosier star David Neville dove across the finish line to secure third place and earn the bronze medal in the 400-meter dash Thursday night in Beijing. Racing on a wet track Neville powered down the final straight away and dove across the finish line, with his chin hitting the ground. Neville completed the race in 44.80 seconds. The race for gold came down to Americans Jeremy Wariner, who won gold in Athens four years ago, and LaShawn Merritt, who beat Wariner at the Olympic Trials last month. Merritt upset Wariner to take the gold, and Neville completed the second straight U.S. sweep of the event. Neville’s accomplishment also represents the first individual medal for an IU athlete since hurdler Willie May in 1960. Neville is not done yet, as he will now team up with both Merritt and Wariner in the 4X400-meter dash later this week, an event in which the U.S. team is the favorite.
(08/19/08 11:00pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Former Hoosier track and field star David Neville will line up to compete for the chance to medal in the 400-meter dash final on Thursday in Beijing. Neville, a five time All-American at IU from 2003 to 2005 qualified for the final after finishing second in his semifinal heat with a time of 44.91 seconds. He will join fellow Americans Jeremy Wariner, who won gold four years ago and LaShawn Merritt in the final. The trio will look to do what the U.S. 400-meter hurdlers did and sweep the top three spots. Aarik Wilson, the other IU alum to make the U.S. track and field roster failed to make the cut for the finals of the triple jump. Wilson won the U.S. Olympic Trials, but has been bothered since May with a stress fracture. His best jump was 52-4 ¾ feet which was 33rd overall. The finals of the 400-meter dash will be at 9:20 a.m. Thursday.