98 items found for your search. If no results were found please broaden your search.
(05/24/12 12:49am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Through its first 42 games, the IU baseball team looked lost on the diamond in practically every facet of the game. The team couldn’t field, posting a Big Ten-worst .946 fielding percentage and committing a staggering 91 errors. The pitching staff got knocked around on a regular basis, recording a 4.89 ERA. The offense wasn’t bailing them out either, hitting just .258. Preseason All-American Micah Johnson, the team’s do-it-all second baseman and cleanup hitter, had elbow surgery March 7 that kept him off the field for nearly two months.The result: IU stumbled to a 19-23 record, 6-6 conference record and 9-15 road record.Only one of five preseason polls picked the Hoosiers to qualify for the six-team Big Ten Tournament. Some national media outlets predicted IU to finish as low as ninth.It seemed as though the prognosticators would be validated. Now, the Hoosiers (30-26, 16-8) steamroll into the tournament as the two-seed and the hottest team in the Big Ten. IU heads into the tournament having won six straight games, 12 of its last 15 games overall, 10 of its last 12 conference games and its last four conference series.As the two-seed, IU enjoyed a first-round bye and will open action against game two winner Michigan State (36-19, 14-11 in conference) in game three. First pitch is 3:35 p.m. Thursday, May 24, at Huntington Park in Columbus, Ohio. The dramatic turnaround makes this regular season the most satisfying for Head Coach Tracy Smith’s seven years as head of the team, he said. “I’m very proud of what these guys accomplished and (the way they) kicked it in gear and kept on working in spite of Micah’s injury, in spite of the shoddy play,” Smith said. “You get greedy, you sit back now and say, ‘If we had just been a little bit stronger early, we’re potentially looking at an at-large (bid to the NCAA regionals) before going to the (Big Ten) tournament.’“But from where we were to where we are now, I’m very pleased.”Everything seemed to click for IU in its series against Michigan April 27-29, 42 games in. Since the start of that series, IU has an 11-3 overall record and 10-2 conference record, thanks to drastic improvements across the board. In those 14 games, the Hoosiers have a .975 fielding percentage, 14 errors, a staff ERA of 3.87 and are hitting .317.IU closed out the season and Sembower Field on a high note, sweeping Ohio State and securing comeback victories in three of its last four games. “We’re strong all the way around; you see we can calm down if we’re down,” designated hitter Dillon Dooney said. “None of us press or anything. We’ve been down so many times, we all just stay on one playing field and stick to our approach and just keep hitting.” IU will send sophomore lefthander Joey DeNato (7-3, 3.08 ERA) to the mound Thursday. DeNato was named to the All-Big Ten Third Team on Tuesday but has struggled as of late. Since beating Michigan by tossing eight shutout innings, DeNato has not lasted more than five innings in any of his last three starts, while posting an ERA of 7.90. In that span, DeNato’s overall ERA has ballooned from 2.15 to 3.08. Against Ohio State on Thursday, DeNato lasted just 4.2 innings, surrendering 11 hits and five runs, all earned. “He’s maybe a little tired because he’s leaving the baseball up, and that’s generally a sign of fatigue,” Smith said. “Our decision to get him out of there in the fourth — certainly they were up a couple of runs or whatever — but it was also my thought to get him out of there early and give him a little bit more rest for the tournament.” But Smith is sticking with his ace. “We all know he’s a very, very good pitcher in this league, and you haven’t been around this game long if you don’t realize guys go through tough patches,” Smith said. “Joey has been ‘great Joey’ for two years. I think he’ll get back on track. He’s a competitive guy, and rest assured when we roll into the first game of the tournament, I’m not giving the ball to anyone else.”If his front-of-the-rotation starter does falter, though, Smith has the ability to turn to a strong back-end of his bullpen. Righthander Jonny Hoffman (7-1, 2.36 ERA) was the only reliever named to the All-Big Ten First Team.Hoffman leads the team in saves (5) and has allowed just 44 hits in 53.1 innings pitched while opponents are hitting just .223 against him. “He knows he’s going to get the ball in crunch time,” Smith said. “He wants the baseball.” Hoffman struggled in his first two seasons when he pitched using an over-the-top delivery. In 2010, he went 2-3 with an ERA of 8.80 in 45 innings pitched, and 1-0 with a 6.23 ERA in 21.2 innings pitched in 2011.After two seasons of futility, Hoffman completely retooled his delivery and now uses a submarine-style sidearm delivery. “He had the aptitude to do that, he had the desire, the want to do that, and clearly it’s paid off for him,” Smith said. “That kid has grown up a ton. He’s put in the work, he’s dedicated himself and I think he’s now getting the results and sees there’s no shortcuts to success.” As for the offense, Micah Johnson’s return to the lineup May 5 against Nebraska provided a much-needed spark. In his first eight games back, Johnson hit .294 with three doubles, a triple, five stolen bases and six RBI. Johnson went 0-10 for the OSU series but did draw four walks, score two runs and swipe a base. “To get him back now, if he’s gonna miss half the season, I’d rather it be early,” Smith said. “He’s a threat to steal bases, he’s a threat to take away hits and he’s a threat to hit the ball out of the park any time. “My goodness, you’re not kidding. It makes me sleep better knowing he’s back in there.”
(05/21/12 7:41pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach Tom Morris was severely injured in a mountain biking accident near West Wapehani Road and Certified Technology Park on Thursday.Morris suffered a C6 spinal cord injury but had surgery that successfully stabilized his spine the night he was hospitalized, Kathy Beaulieu, Morris’ cousin, said.Morris is recovering at the Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis.“He’s progressing,” Beaulieu said Sunday. “He was out of bed yesterday and today. He moved out of intensive care today and was taken off all medical machinery and medications.”Morris has motion in his arms, shoulders, elbows, wrists and hands, Beaulieu said. Morris has been able to eat meals using utensils on his own the past two days as well as hold a sandwich in his hands. He is also able to sit upright in his bed for a few hours a day.It’s unclear whether or not Morris is permanently paralyzed from the waist down because doctors are still evaluating Morris’ post-surgery progress, Beaulieu said.“At this point he’s not walking,” Beaulieu said. “But there’s no definitive diagnosis on that yet."But Beaulieu said she is confident Morris will give the recovery process his full effort.“He is the toughest person I know and has the best outlook on life,” Beaulieu said. “He is in great spirits and is always very positive. He has a great personality, great attitude. He will give it his all and he’ll fight it.”Assistant Athletic Director for Broadcast Services Jeremy Gray said he became good friends with Morris while rooming with Morris during women’s basketball away trips the past two years. The news was difficult to swallow.“It was a tough night for our family,” Gray said. “It’s devastating when you hear something like that happen to someone who’s a friend to so many and a positive influence on so many.”But Gray was also encouraged by Morris’ progress.“I felt a lot better when I finally got to see him,” Gray said. “He was positive, gave me a thumbs up and had a smile on his face. He’s doing well. “He’s an absolute animal when it comes to working out, a totally positive guy. He is the fittest and strongest person I’ve ever met in my entire life. If anybody is going to make a full recover, it’s Tom.”Beaulie started a facebook page, “Tom’s Team,” to update Morris’ supporters on his status. It can be accessed by clicking here. A post by Chris Virtue on the “Tom’s Team” page May 19 relayed a message from Morris: “I'm in the room with Tom, he wanted to post a message: I want to send out a huge thank you to all of my friends and family for your prayers and support. I love you all and promise I'll work as hard as I can to get back on my feet....LOVE TOM”.Morris’ family is exploring options to establish a public fundraiser for him to help subsidize the expensive recovery, Beaulie said. A way to donate to the fund will be posted on the “Tom’s Team” facebook page when it becomes active, Beaulieu said.Bloomington police Detective Sgt. John Kovach said police were told about the accident at about 3:46 p.m. Thursday when a man approached an officer saying there was an injured man nearby.When discovered, Morris told police that he had been lying on the ground for three hours and could not feel anything from the chest down, Kovach said.Morris was then transported to the Indiana University Health Bloomington Hospital for initial treatment and later flown to Methodist Hospital , Kovach said. Morris told police he didn’t know what happened but thought he only went over the handlebars, Kovach said.Morris was hired as an assistant strength and conditioning coach in 2010. According to Gray, Morris works directly and intensely with the men’s soccer and women’s basketball programs, and has also worked with track & field in the past.
(05/21/12 12:29am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>About six minutes before first pitch Saturday, IU learned that Michigan State earlier that day had beaten Penn State, 8-2. The Spartans’ victory handed IU the two-seed in the Big Ten Tournament and with it, a first-round bye before IU took the field.Not that it deterred the Hoosiers (30-26, 16-8 in conference) from going for the win. The team made its third comeback victory in four games to sweep Ohio State (31-25, 11-13 in conference) on senior day. It was the team’s final game at Sembower Field. “It’s huge, carries on to the tournament,” designated hitter Dillon Dooney said of the win. “We’re rolling right now, everyone’s hitting. We said before the game, ‘Let’s put on one more show for the fans and take this one last time at Sembower.’”IU will play in game four of the conference tournament at 3:35 p.m. Thursday in Huntington Park in Columbus, Ohio. The team enters the tournament on a roll, having won its last six games, 10 of its last 12 conference games and four straight conference series. “I think strategically to have the second seed is very important,” Head Coach Tracy Smith said. “It does allow you to kick back one less pitcher. I was absolutely thrilled that we got that two-seed because we were so darn close and we’ve been playing well.” Saturday’s victory seemed a fitting way to send off Sembower, even if few will miss it. “Heck no,” Smith said Thursday when asked if he’d miss the stadium. “I’ll be the first one to blow this thing up.”Nonetheless, some players said they were happy to finish IU baseball’s tenure at Sembower on a winning note. “It’s huge. I love it,” IU starting pitcher Chad Martin said. “It’s a great way to send off the field. I don’t know if the guys will miss it with that new, fancy stadium coming in, but it’s great that we can look back and say that in the last game here we got a win.” Tied at two entering the bottom of the eighth Saturday, IU first baseman Sam Travis started the winning rally with a one-out single off OSU righthander Josh Desze and advanced to second on an error. Pinch-runner Will Nolden replaced Travis at second and scored the go-ahead run on a Dooney RBI single. A Michael Basil RBI single to left made it 4-2. Righthander Johnny Hoffman (7-1) worked the final 2.1 innings for the win. Lefthander Andrew Armstrong (0-1) took the loss for OSU. Martin was able to keep his composure during what appeared to be a blown call when Ohio State’s David Corna was called safe at home on a bang-bang play.“It’s my last college game on my home field, and I really wanted to send it off with a bang,” Martin said. “Obviously, things didn’t go the way I wanted it early, but I just fought back to keep us in the game.”After allowing a run in each of the first two innings, Martin was able to toss 4.2 straight scoreless frames. In total, he lasted 6.2 innings, allowing two runs on seven hits, with six strikeouts, two walks and a hit batsman.“He took control of the game,” Smith said of Martin. “That’s what seniors should do on senior day. I’m happy for him because we’re going to need him as we roll into this thing.”On Friday, IU blanked the Buckeyes 5-0 behind eight shutout innings from lefty starter Kyle Hart (5-4). Hart allowed just three hits while striking out eight and walking four with 110 pitches. Chris Sujka and Kyle Schwarber each had two hits and two RBIs and scored a run. On Thursday, IU scored nine unanswered runs to cap off a dramatic comeback and win, 10-8. IU sent 11 men to the plate in a six-run seventh inning to cut OSU’s lead to 8-7 and took a 9-8 lead in the bottom of the eight when Travis roped a go-ahead two-run double down the third baseline off OSU righthander Greg Greve (3-3), who took the loss. Dustin DeMuth sparked the late rally with his first career homerun to lead off the seventh, which made it 8-2 for OSU. Schwarber went 3-3 with four RBIs, including a key, bases-clearing double in the seventh that cut Ohio State’s lead to 8-5, while Dooney finished the day 4-5 with two RBIs. Hoffman recorded his sixth win of the season in relief.Even with the Hoosiers’ recent success, Smith refuses to let his team get overconfident. “The regular season’s over now. I don’t care if it’s two-seed, one-seed, six, five,” Smith said. “Everybody is trying to win at this point.”
(05/19/12 10:47pm)
IU found a way to record its second comeback victory in three games and close out a sweep of the Buckeyes and its tenure at Sembower Field in thrilling fashion.
(05/18/12 5:13pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Game two pits IU lefthander Kyle Hart (4-4, 3.52 ERA) against OSU lefty Brian King (4-4, 4.33 ERA). The game will be broadcasted live over BTN.com, with first pitch scheduled for 3:05 p.m.ThursdayIndiana baseball (28-26 overall, 14-8 Big Ten) clinched a spot in the Big Ten Tournament by with a dramatic comeback over the Ohio State Buckeyes (31-23 overall, 11-11 Big Ten) Thursday, erasing a seven-run deficit over the sixth and seventh innings for a 10-8 victory.Closer Johnny Hoffman (6-1) got the win in relief for Indiana. Righthander Greg Greve (3-3) took the loss for OSU.IU sent 11 men to the plate in a six-run seventh inning to reduce OSU’s lead to one, 8-7. In the bottom of the eight, Freshman first baseman Sam Travis roped a go-ahead two-run double down the third baseline off Greve to give Indiana its first lead of the day, at 9-8.“I was just looking for the first available pitch to hit a sac fly to tie the ballgame up, but he gave me a pitch I could hit hard and thankfully it went through the infield,” Travis said.The hit released some frustration for Travis, the team leader in RBI. In his first two at-bats, Travis grounded into inning ending double plays, including in the fifth when the bases were loaded. But he didn’t let it get him down.“I just try not to let it bother me,” Travis said. “As long as the team is doing well, I’m doing well. As long as we’re wining or in the game, I’m fine with that.”The Buckeyes jumped out to an early 4-1 lead through three innings off Hoosier starter Joey DeNato. In the second, David Corna ripped a one out solo home run and Kirby Pellant followed with a single up the middle.A wild pickoff attempt that got away from Travis moved Pellant to third, who then scored on a Greg Solomon RBI double to make it 2-0 Ohio State. A Tim Wetzel RBI single that skipped just underneath DeNato’s glove made it 3-0.In the third, Ohio State took advantage of more Hoosier defensive lapses. Brad Hallberg doubled over the head of leftfielder Will Nolden, who misplayed the ball badly. Nolden initially twisted the wrong way and could not recover in time to make the catch. Two batters later, Corna blooped an RBI double that fell in front of a late-breaking Nolden.Nolden was replaced in the lineup by Tim O’Connor to lead off the bottom half of the inning.“Will can make plays, he just hasn’t playing well defensively,” head coach Tracy Smith. “That’s a concern for us because we like what he’s doing offensively but when it gets down to the nitty-gritty, you gotta take outs when you can get outs. Will’s gonna have a chance to get back in there; I don’t think there was anybody more disappointed than he was.”IU got on the board in the bottom half of the inning when catcher Kyle Schwarber knocked in Chris Sujka. After a Travis single, Schwarber was picked off at second by Buckeyes catcher Solomon, killing the two-out rally.In the fifth, OSU designated hitter Mike Carroll led off with a single but was gunned down by Kyle Schwarber after trying to advance on a ball in the dirt. Schwarber’s defense ultimately saved a run, as Brad Hallberg then drilled a solo shot to left to make it 4-1 OSU.A walk to Patrick Porter and single by Kirby Pellant meant the end of DeNato’s day, who was pulled in favor of right hander Matt Dearden. He promptly struck out Solomon to work out of a jam.DeNato worked 4 and 2/3 innings, allowing 5 runs, all of them earned, on 11 hits. He struck out two and walked two in 90 pitches.Ohio State would tack on two more runs in the sixth (one earned) off Matt Dearden and one in the seventh off Walker Stadler, leaving IU in an 8-1 hole that looked insurmountable. Through six innings, Buckeyes starter Jaron Long had allowed just one run on seven hits, all singles.But Long lost his command and started leaving the ball up in the zone, opening the door for the Hoosiers.Sophomore second baseman Dustin DeMuth led off the first inning with his first career homerun, a blast to right that energized the dugout.“When DeMuth hit that out, we were all on our feet, just going crazy,” Dooney said.But even DeMuth couldn’t predict what was to follow his blast.“At the time, you look back thinking, ‘We’re down 8-2, not that big of a deal,” DeMuth said. “Everyone followed that and put the ball in play more. He (Long) got tired, his movement went away and he started leaving balls over the plate; everyone just rallied around it and the rest is history.”Singles by O’Conner and Sujka followed by Long hitting Justin Cureton with a pitch loaded the bases for Schwarber. He ripped a bases-clearing double to reduce the Buckeye’s lead to three, 8-5.Long, who came in with an ERA of 1.85, was pulled following Schwarber’s double in favor of righthander David Fathalikhani. Long pitched six innings, allowing six runs (all earned) on 11 hits, with two walks and two strikeouts over 107 pitches.Later in the inning, Scwarber scored on a muffed pickoff attempt of Micah Johnson at first base to make it 8-6. Johnson advanced to second, and scored on a Dillon Dooney RBI single that cut the Buckeyes lead to one, 8-7. After a Michael Basil single and Dustin DeMuth RBI single, O’Connor poked a single through the right side. Smith waved around third Dooney, not know for his speed. Dooney was gunned down at the plate on a perfect throw by Corna in right field, preventing the tying run from scoring.But Dooney knew IU wasn’t done there.“When we got down by one, our team is so strong one through nine-- we all hit, we all swing the bat, put the ball in play-- I knew we were going to come back from that,” Dooney said.A Chris Sojka walk and error at third by Hallberg on a bunt by Cureton to open the bottom of the eight allowed Schwarber to sacrifice both runners into scoring position.Schwaber’s execution on the bunt paid off the next at-bat, when Travis delivered the go-ahead blow, sending the home crowd into a frenzy.“Big Kyle (Schwarber) is actually one of our best bunters,” Smith said. “It was a little tough, but there’s probably only one or two times per year you ask that big donkey to bunt, and that was one of them.”Dooney sealed the victory with an RBI single to plate Travis and make 10-8 IU. For the game, Dooney went 4-5 with two RBI.Hoffman allowed just one hit over the final two innings to earn the win.
(05/17/12 12:06am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Heading into the final series of the regular season against the Ohio State Buckeyes, the Indiana baseball team might feel a little more pressure than usual. If it wins the series, the team can clinch second place in the Big Ten and, with it, a first-round bye in the conference tournament. First pitch is scheduled for 3:05 p.m. Thursday at Sembower Field. Lefthander Joey DeNato (7-2, 2.70 ERA) will start for IU against Ohio State righthander Jaron Long (6-2, 1.85 ERA). “I think everybody realizes what’s at stake, but you wouldn’t know it by the way the guys are walking around here,” Head Coach Tracy Smith said. “I like our mentality. It’s a very mature approach. I don’t think you’ll see a lot of pressure.”For the better part of the season, it did not feel that way to the skipper.“I don’t want to say I doubted, but it was one of those things where I’m like, ‘Holy cow, are we every going to figure this out?’” Smith said. “And these guys all along, they weren’t worried about it.” In 41 games prior to the start of the Michigan series Apr. 27, IU had a Big Ten worst .946 fielding percentage and an overall ERA of 4.89. Poor pitching and a lack of fundamentals led to a 19-23 record overall and 6-6 record in conference. The sweep of the Wolverines series April 27-29 seemed to get an inconsistent team on track. Specifically, IU shored up its pitching and defense. “In the Michigan series, it was just guys settling in and not pressing,” Smith said. “Through those times of struggles, it kind of gave this group a little bit more determination, a little bit more confidence.” Now, a streaking IU team (27-26, 13-8 in conference) has a .976 fielding percentage while posting an ERA of 4.10 in 11 games since April 27. In that span, the team is 8-3 overall and 7-2 in conference, winning five of six on the road. Credit vastly improved pitching and defense to the recent surge. “Guys are making plays behind them, too,” Smith said of the pitching staff, which has allowed four or fewer runs each of the last four games. “We’ve actually saved a couple of base hits over the weekend, and we weren’t even coming close to saving base hits. We weren’t even making routine plays for the better part of the year.”The recent turnaround coincided with preseason all-American second baseman and junior Micah Johnson’s return to the lineup, Smith said. Johnson had elbow surgery on Mar. 7. In Tuesday’s 5-4 walk-off win against Evansville, Johnson came through in a big way. He tied the game at four by lining a three-two pitch through the right side of the infield, plating freshman Kyle Schwarber. He then stole second and scored the winning run on junior Trace Knoblauch’s single. “He’s so dynamic on the bases ... it allows us to be a little better offensively,” Smith said. While the team’s pitching and defense have improved, Smith knows his offense must improve as a whole for the conference tournament. In the series this weekend against Northwestern, IU took two of three games despite hitting only .118 with runners in scoring position. “Over the weekend we struck out a gazillion times with guys on third and less than two outs,” Smith said. “We didn’t just not get him in, we just struck out. To me, that’s lack of concentration, lack of focus, and we need to be better than that.”As for the Buckeyes (31-22 overall, 11-10 in conference), Smith knows they’ll give IU a competitive series. “They’re always a very sound team,” Smith said. “To me, it’s going to come down to the teams that make the plays defensively because both teams are going to move the baseball. It’s not real strikeout-dominated pitching staffs.” In 2009, Indiana won the Big Ten Tournament without the benefit of a first-round bye, as a three-seed. “In ’09 we didn’t have that seed and rolled right through the tournament, so we know that can be done,” Smith said. “(The two-seed) is a definite advantage. It allows one more day’s rest. It would sure be nice to have it.” For now, Smith is just focused on the series in front of him. “Our whole mindset every year is we try to win one conference game at a time,” Smith said. “If we need to use 15 pitchers on Thursday to win, we’ll do that. It’s not so much the seeding, it’s just win one game at a time. And then we’ll check the standings at the end of the weekend and see where we fall.”
(05/14/12 12:19am)
It all came down to the final event Sunday at the Big Ten Track & Field Championships in Madison, Wis.
(05/10/12 8:40pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Less the two months into his new job, IU women’s basketball Coach Curt Miller iswasting no time rebuilding a struggling program.Mid-American Conference Freshman of the Year Claire Jakubicek was added to theteam's roster Wednesday after transferring from Northern Illinois University.“We are excited that Claire has elected to join our Hoosier family,” Miller said in a press release. “Claire is coming off an outstanding freshman season at the collegiate level. She is a versatile, hard-working forward that can score both on the perimeter and inside the paint. She is strong and physical which allows her to play bigger than her size.This past season, Jakubicek led the Huskies in scoring with 11 points per game, making her one of three freshmen in the MAC to average double figures. The 5’11” forward shot 46.3 percent from the field and a team-high 95.9 percent from the foul line, and grabbed 5.1 rebounds per game, second on the team.Jakucibek scored in double figures 13 times and set career highs in points (21), rebounds (8) and assists (5) in a win over Chicago State on Dec. 11, 2011. She appeared in 24 games before a broken right foot suffered on Feb. 16 against Ball State ended her season.A native of Cary, Ill., Jakubicek is enrolled in summer classes at IU but will sit out the2012-13 season. She will begin her Hoosier career as a redshirt sophomore in 2013.Before starring at NIU, Jakubicek was a four-year varsity letter-winner at Cary GroveHigh School. She finished her career as the Trojan’s all-time leading scorer with 1,700points and led the Trojans to a 101-19 record during her four seasons. During her juniorand senior seasons, Jakubicek captained her team to back-to-back conference andregional championships.
(08/24/10 1:02am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The doubles tandem of senior Santiago Gruter and junior Jeremy Langer captured the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Summer Circuit doubles title, winning five matches during the tournament Aug. 7 to 11 in Bloomington. The tandem steam-rolled their first two opponents, edged out a 9-8 victory in the quarterfinals, won 8-4 in the semifinals and won the title with an 8-6 victory in the championship match. The Summer Circuit serves as a qualifications tournament for the Main Draw of the All-American tournament the second weekend of October. “It was a good step forward to get guys in the Main Draw,” coach Randy Bloemendaal said. “They did a great job going out there and playing well the entire tournament.”Gruter and Langer faced their toughest test in the third round, where they challenged the University of Illinois tandem of Stephen Hoh and Connor Roth. Down to two elimination match points that would have ended their tournament, the tandem survived both en route to a 9-8 victory. “We played some tight points and ended up coming out of that,” Langer said. “Santy put away a shot to win it, an aggressive shot. It is something we didn’t do enough last season — put away the matches when we had match points. “This is a good start to our year and a good start to the fall. It was a pretty good team. We’re probably going to see them in the regular season, so it felt good to get them now. I think we’re in their heads a little bit.” Gruter said he saw positives and negatives about their match. “I was able to get it done on the doubles and singles side,” he said. “It was the first tournament I’ve played in all summer, so it was hard to get into match rhythm. I know I have to improve a lot, especially on my movement around the court.”Nonetheless, Bloemendaal said he has a positive outlook on the upcoming season. As players participate in workouts and tournaments in the fall, which Bloemendaal said put an emphasis on detailed work, the coach also said he wants his players to pay attention to what they’re doing off the court. “You don’t have down time in tennis — it’s what you do when you’re not on the court that makes the difference,” Bloemandaal said. “It matters how they’re eating, how they’re sleeping, when they’re studying and how they’re managing their time.”Gruter said he embraces that role.“We’re going to have to step up as upperclassmen and lead some of the freshman on, and change the mentality each match,” he said. Langer agreed.“I think we have to really come together as a team,” he said. “I think if we play hard every match for each other and really act like a team, we’ll be successful this year.”
(06/02/10 10:54pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Attention, Fred Glass: The IU baseball team has finished with a winning record three consecutive years and advanced to the Big Ten Tournament three years in a row for the first time in team history. I realize you just christened Cook Hall, but if there’s any team on campus that deserves a new facility based on recent performance and not just reputation, it’s the baseball team.The best way to keep up the momentum backing the baseball program would be a new stadium. I like the 59-year-old Sembower Field; don’t get me wrong. But I think we can do better than the 2,250 seating capacity, which fills up more often than one might think. At the very least, adding some seats could help create a larger fan base while protecting at least a few cars from foul balls. (Really, why would you park your car there at this point, or drive down Fee Lane during a game?)Despite the fact that the men’s basketball team has finished with a combined record of 16-46 the past two seasons, it was given a beautiful new workout facility. Going 16-46 while Butler makes it to the National Championship game isn’t going to convince anyone to come here. If you need further proof, take a look at some of the players who left when Kelvin Sampson did, such as Armon Bassett (who led Ohio University to an upset of Georgetown in this year’s tournament) and Jordan Crawford (who led Xavier to the Sweet Sixteen). But this is IU basketball, the school’s — and arguably the state’s — premier sport. It must return to prominence. I am all for Cook Hall, as I believe it was a necessary move to help the team land big-time recruits.But while basketball earned a new facility with its reputation and revenue-generating ability, IU baseball has earned the right by winning. Coach Tracy Smith has been doing a good job recruiting, landing talented hitters like Josh Lyon, Micah Johnson and Big Ten Player of the Year and conference Triple Crown winner Alex Dickerson. Eight of the incoming 2011 recruits are pitchers, meaning Smith is addressing the team’s well-documented pitching woes.The program is for real and should be rewarded as such. Maybe we don’t have a donor like Alex Rodriguez, who gave $3.9 million to renovate the University of Miami’s stadium, renaming it “Alex Rodriguez Park at Mark Light Field.” But hey, if and when last season’s catcher and current White Sox farmhand Josh Phegley makes it to The Show, maybe he’ll help IU open “Josh Phegley Park at Sembower Field.”
(05/20/10 12:00am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Taking a look at the IU baseball team’s last five wins, one might conclude that the team knows how to win close games. But a closer look at the scores — 10-7, 18-17, 1-0, 11-9, and 12-11 — shows a disturbing trend of needing to out-muscle the opposition. A win is a win, and Tracy Smith’s squad will take them any way they can. But with the Hoosiers (25-24,10-11) locked in a four-way tie for fifth place in the Big Ten conference heading into the final three regular season games, the team will have to get back to the basics, bringing with them solid pitching and defense if they want to make the cutoff for the Big Ten Tournament.With the exception of Matt Carr and Chris Squires combining for a four-hit shutout gem to win the rubber match of a three-game series at Northwestern 1-0 on May 9, IU’s thin pitching staff has been hit hard as of late. On the season, IU has a Big Ten-worst 6.61 team ERA, more than a run worse than fourth-place Michigan State, who took two out of three from the Hoosiers last weekend in East Lansing, Mich. The defense hasn’t helped either, committing 11 errors in the last nine games.Amazingly enough, the team went 5-4 in the stretch, due in large part to a powerful lineup that features arguably the Big Ten’s best 3-4-5 combination of Jerrud Sabourin, Alex Dickerson and Josh Lyon, who have combined to hit .394 with 39 home runs and 145 runs batted in. Dickerson also leads in home runs and RBI as he looks to capture the conference’s triple crown.In all fairness, the team does deserve credit for pulling out victories in many close games while battling injuries that depleted the pitching staff early on. The pitching staff has been so thin at times this year that the team has used Sabourin, the starting first baseman (5.09 ERA in 17 and 2/3 innings pitch, not bad for a position player) on the mound and called up Alex Zerman, a transfer from Illinois Central College, from the club team. Zerman has posted a 6.14 ERA in 7 and 1/3 innings pitched as he works to adjust to Big Ten hitters.The season has been a roller coaster. After taking two out of three from Northwestern in Evanston, Ill., the Hoosiers lost the series in East Lansing, which suggests IU will rebound against the Illini. With the potent offense the Hoosiers have, they only needed decent pitching this season to repeat last year’s third place finish (16-7, 32-27) and Big Ten Tournament magic. Now, they’re fighting just to make it.Once hitters like Dickerson, Sabourrin, Lyon, and second baseman Tyler Rogers graduate or enter the draft, you have to wonder where this team is headed. I, for one, hope Smith starts focusing on recruiting pitching.
(04/20/10 2:02am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>After narrowly missing the cut for the U.S.A. Rugby National Championship, the men’s club team has something to play for — this time on a bigger stage. Wrapping up another successful season, the Mudsharks will play in the first-ever U.S.A. 7’s Rugby Collegiate Championship Invitational from June 4 to 6 at Columbus Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. “We’re gaining a reputation as being one of the strongest teams in the Midwest and definitely one of the up-and-coming teams,” head coach Tom Phillips said. “We’re being noticed by U.S.A. Rugby.” Televised live on NBC June 5 and 6, the round-robin tournament is a departure from the usual 15-on-15 matches the Hoosiers play, instead pitting seven against seven. In 7’s matches, speed is the most important element, according to Phillips. “It’s a completely different game, in which it’s based upon your fastest players,” he said. “Instead of 40-minute halves, you play 7-minute halves. It’s a completely different style of rugby, but it’s really popular world-round, and 7’s is what made the U.S. Olympic squad.” In the wake of 7’s rugby being added to the 2016 Olympics, U.S.A. Sevens and NBC Sports teamed up to showcase some of the country’s best collegiate rugby programs. IU’s competition is stiff, with only four not ranked in uspowerrugby.com’s top 25. “Rugby is the largest participation club sport in the U.S.,” Phillips said. “They’re trying to build support for it.” Falling one game short of qualifying for the USA Rugby National Championship in 2005, 2006 and 2008, the Mudsharks needed to win their first game in the Midwest Final Four to qualify for the 16-team tournament. In November, IU beat Wisconsin 24-11 and Notre Dame 37-27 in the opening rounds of the Midwest Championships but lost to Bowling Green in the final, 21-10.Normally, this would have qualified the team for nationals as a two-seed, but the two-seed from the Midwest was cut from this year’s tournament, which took place in Santa Barbara, Calif., this weekend. “That was really disappointing,” club president Dave Harbeck said. “Our spring would have looked a lot differently had we got there. We’ve been one game short of nationals four of the past five years, which is frustrating.” Harbeck believes that the 7’s tournament gives certain members of the team something to focus on as the season winds down. “For some of these younger guys, it gives them something to really train for,” he said. “As soon as school is out, guys will start training pretty hard.” The Hoosiers are only allowed 12 official roster spots for the 7’s tournament. But Phillips said there are about 20 interested players that can all contribute and that the final decisions will be made in an open tryout situation. “Even if someone doesn’t make the roster of 12, they can still be a big value and help us succeed by coming out and practicing,” he said. “It’s going to come down to the guys that work the hardest. Fitness is a big deal.” Along with the opportunity to represent IU on a national stage comes sacrifice, sophomore outside center Evan Kaufman said. “The coolest thing about it is that we’re all staying and committing for a summer session,” he said. “We all gave up internship opportunities or whatever else would be going on in the summer to stay here and train five days a week.” One challenge facing the tournament squad is the fact that few of the players have ever experienced a 7’s match outside of summer tournaments. “We traditionally put together 7’s in the summer for the social atmosphere,” Harbeck said. Also training for the 7’s tournament squad are Mike Shepherd and Kyle Stroman, who both competed for the U.S. U-20 national team last April. Stroman, who made four international appearances last year and scored five points in a match against Namibia, hopes to bring his experience of playing on a big stage with him. “With the level of seriousness and training we did, we treated it as a job versus a club,” he said. “I’m looking forward to getting to play at a national level and playing higher competition.” Kaufman was similarly excited at the idea of representing his school on a national level and embraces the challenge of training for the tournament. “I’m most excited to play in the Columbus Crew Stadium on national television. It’s just unbelievable,” he said. “It’s about taking ourselves more seriously because we have to.”
(04/16/10 3:02am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Five Club Table Tennis players qualified for the 2010 College Table Tennis National Championship that took place last weekend after building off their success in the Association of College Unions International Regional Tournament in February. “Qualifying for the national tournament — we think that’s a big thing with the competition we had here,” club President Eran Chinthaka said. The tournament began with a round-robin qualifying round that featured three groups of three players each (with a bye for the top seed) and 15 groups of four players each on the men’s side. The top two of each group moved on to play in the 42-player championship bracket. On the women’s side, players in three groups of three and five groups of four competed for 16 championship bracket spots. Chinthaka, Mario Vieweger, Aron Frank, Xuan Wu and Rachel Luo all qualified for IU. Chinthaka and Wu were knocked out of the round-robin tournament and into the consolation bracket with third and fourth place finishes in their groups, respectively. Vieweger and Luo both placed second in their groups to earn spots in the championship bracket. “Mario had to beat a few high-ranked players to get into the championship,” Chinthaka said. “Even without being ranked, we could go out there and beat a lot of players who are highly ranked, which we see as an achievement.” Vieweger lost to Amaresh Sahu of Princeton University in the opening round of the championship matches, while Luo suffered a similar first-round defeat to Livia Mizobuchi (Lidenwood). But Chinthaka made his mark in the consolation bracket, getting to the semi-finals by beating Klevlan Monfared (Wyoming) and Tim Miller (Kentucky) before losing to Cao Yujlan (Minnesota). Chintaka felt the competition in this tournament was particularly tough. “Even though table tennis isn’t that popular in the United States and this part of the country, there are a lot of people who came to the tournament, especially people who represent the U.S. in the Olympics,” he said. At the same time, Chinthaka said he felt like his players were ready from their success in the regional tournament. “I don’t consider those upsets,” he said. “When you look at the players we have seen in our regular tournaments, these players are much better than that. But it’s not an upset; it’s a good achievement for us.”The National Collegiate Table Tennis Association divides the country into 12 regions, and IU hosted the ACUI Region 9 2010 Tournament on February 6.Vieweger took first place on the men’s side, going 6-0, while Chinthaka took third with a 3-1 record, his only loss being to Viewerger. Luo won the women’s side, posting a 3-0 record. Frank (3-1) and Wu (1-1) rounded out the players representing IU.Chinthaka said he hopes that the club’s recent success will attract more players to a team that accepts all playing levels. “We all play each other so that everyone has a chance to learn and improve,” he said. “We have existing players who do very well, and we try to get more members so that the club has a sustainable set of players that can keep up our momentum.” With enough recruiting, Chinthaka thinks he can bring the team back to a high level. “Our team took third in one of the national tournaments a couple of years back,” he said. “We’re not at that stage right now because our players are still developing.” With the 2010 NCTTA Championship complete, bidding for the 2011 venue has already begun. Chinthaka said Bloomington is on that list and the club is vying for hosting duties. “We are part of that effort,” he said. “We are trying to bring in the best players in the country and give our players a chance to play and also give our community a chance to see what this game is all about.”
(03/09/10 4:02am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The IU Cricket Club concluded its in-house tournament with the championship match Sunday in Ora L. Wildermuth Center, with Club Cricket Team A edging out Club Cricket Team B, 58-51.Anju Kambadur led all batsman with 43 runs scored and was named Man of the Match and Best Batsman of the tournament. “I didn’t try to take risks off the good bowlers,” Kambadur said. “When the other bowlers come in, you can take more risks. You start seeing the ball get bigger and bigger.” Kambudar attributes his skill in cricket to playing tennis for most of his life. He said he is not a longtime cricket player like many club members.“The arena is very conducive to tennis shots,” Kambudar said in reference to the confined space. “Straight is where you can score the most runs, and it’s like in tennis where I’m used to hitting straight.“There are people that actually play cricket and are better batsman. In here, it’s like an improvisation on cricket.”Club President Prolay Mondal, the Team B bowler, scored a team-high 32 runs for Club Team B, who fell into trouble late in the match. “Prolay got run out of the second to last over, and that was kind of the tipping point in the match,” said Ali Arrf, a member of Club Team A. “He needed 15 runs in the last two overs.”Mondal said he felt that overall the tournament was a positive experience.The club partnered with the Association for India’s Development in Bloomington — a non-profit organization working on social projects and activism in India and abroad — to help organize the tournament. Mondal said he hopes the partnership will help the club compete in upcoming outdoor tournaments and increase membership this spring.
(03/02/10 2:57am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The Indiana Department of Education unveiled a new student growth model last week, focusing on measuring growth on the Indiana Statewide Testing for Educational Progress tests given each year to students in grades three through eight.“Every child should be able to walk into school and expect at least one year of growth in one year of instruction,” said Superintendent of Public Instruction Dr. Tony Bennett. “This puts a definite value on what growth is.”Instead of looking at whether students pass or fail the ISTEPs, the new model tracks progress using the student growth percentile method, said IDE Press Secretary Lauren Auld.“Our current system only gives a snapshot of student achievement,” she said. “The growth model will compare each individual student to all students who begin at the same level of achievement.”By dividing students into categories and looking at their individual achievements, the model accounts for all students.“In our current system, if all you were thinking about is kids jumping over the bar, as an educator you’ll concentrate on kids that are close to the bar,” Bennett said. “This system makes us focus on all kids.”Martha McCarthy, chair of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at IU’s School of Education, said she believes the new model closes gaps in measuring student progress.The new method considers variables the other model didn’t, McCarthy said.Auld said teachers welcome the reform, adding that they’ve been asking for it for awhile.Bennett said he believes a portal called “The Learning Connection” sets Indiana’s growth model apart from others. It allows parents to view their child’s growth and acts as a networking site for teachers.“If I’m a sixth-grade teacher, I can get on it and look at other school’s aggregate math patterns and call that teacher,” he said.Statewide teacher communication is crucial to evaluate teachers and help them improve, Bennett said. We should see what other schools are doing to get high growth scores, he said.“Let’s begin to share best practices,” he said.The ISTEP was moved from the fall to the spring to measure what students learned during the school year rather than what they remembered from before, Bennett said.Designed after Colorado’s growth model, Bennett said Indiana will be the nation’s poster child for growth models.“Indiana will have the most comprehensive look at individual student growth in the United States by the end of this school year,” he said.Indiana’s growth model is part of the state’s application to “Race to the Top,” a competitive federal stimulus grant for education funding.Indiana’s share would be about $500 million, Bennett said, adding that he hopes Indiana will be at the cutting edge of education reform.“I want Indiana to be the Silicon Valley of education reform,” he said. “When people want to make systemic, bold reform happen in a state, we want them to look right at Indiana.”
(12/08/09 4:24am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Following the nationwide trend to go green, water bottles made by SIGG and Nalgene can be found throughout campus, at the IU Bookstore and T.I.S. College Bookstore.However, recent research has linked negative effects to Bisphenol A, a chemical found in plastics and more recently in SIGG aluminum water bottle liners.“BPA has been found to mimic estrogen and hormones in the body,” said Emily Smith, customer service supervisor at Klean Kanteen, a company that sells BPA-free, stainless steel bottles. “Mainly, they disrupt the endocrine system, and they’ve also been linked to breast and prostate cancers.” A 2003-04 survey conducted by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention found detectable levels of BPA in 93 percent of 2,517 urine samples from people six years and older, according to a National Toxicology Program study. “BPA hasn’t been studied long enough to really know what the effects are on our bodies or the environment,” Smith said. “I think BPA definitely deserves some more looking into by the FDA to determine whether or not we should ban it.” But there was public outcry when SIGG failed to disclose that their bottles contained BPA. Smith said SIGG claimed their bottles didn’t leach any BPA because of their patented leach-proof liner, but never said the bottles were BPA-free.The floodgates of BPA studies were opened, and in April 2008, Canada banned BPA in baby bottles. Meanwhile, the FDA has said it doesn’t recommend that anyone discontinue using products that contain BPA.Smith said she also believes the stainless steel movement is catching on.“They are huge on college campuses, which is a good indicator of a certain shift,” she said. “It’s all about the young people. They’re the future, and these things are important to them, so I just expect that it will continue.” However, not everyone is convinced that stainless steel is a perfect alternative. “You’re replacing a devil you know with a devil you don’t know,” said Matt Patterson, an environmental chemistry and toxicology graduate student. “Stainless steel can leach as well – it just leaches different stuff.” Patterson also sees this in plastic water bottles. “They’ve replaced BPA in plastic water bottles with something else, and we don’t know what the something else is,” he said. “And it’s not necessarily better than BPA.” Kevin Dick, associate at the Delta Institute in Chicago, said the only groups that could be potentially at high risk from exposure to BPA are infants and children.“One of the reasons that BPA was a big deal is because when you’re developing as an infant and you have an estrogen mimic, it might cause all sorts of problems,” he said. “We live in a society that’s really afraid of exposure to things, and I think you just have to remember that your age matters.” Dick, who has a master’s degree in environmental science, said he believes that the responsibility to avoid harmful substances lies with the consumer, and that there’s little to be concerned about with BPA. “People need to just get educated on what’s really a concern and what might be hyped up by the media,” he said. “There are a lot of other things that are released into the environment in greater numbers and larger concentrations that are a lot worse that don’t make the news.” And while some might call for a ban on BPA similar to Canada’s, Dick is not convinced that viable alternatives exist. “There are numerous things in the environment field that are called ‘green products’ that have their own environmental issues,” he said. Bobbie Saccone, a registered dietician at the IU Health and Wellness Center, said concerned students can take steps to protect themselves from exposure to harmful chemicals such as BPA.“I would tell students that if your water bottle is plastic and disposable, be sure that you’re not reusing them because we know that lots of different compounds can leak into the water once it’s exposed to air,” she said. “Also, they should wash their (reusable) bottles.” Saccone is against a ban on BPA and also doesn’t see it as high-risk. “Putting an all-out ban on something like that is going to limit some of your buying choices,” she said. “I would bet that there are a million other compounds that are at the same stage as BPA with research. Overall, I think the risks are minimal, but certainly, handle your products properly.”As for college students, Saccone sees other, more prominent health risks like energy drinks and supplements.“We are throwing a lot of unregulated things in energy drinks, like guarana and ginseng, that have caffeine-like effects, and other types of herbal products that we really know little about,” she said.Saconne also said the marketing of alcohol combined with energy drinks can be potentially harmful from the “up” of caffeine and the “down” of alcohol.“Whenever I teach a class on caffeine, there’s always at least a third of the class that says that they’ve at least tried those types of drinks,” she said.On supplements, Saconne said she sees a lot of self-prescribing and questions their validity.“Generally, the use of supplements are heavily marketed toward college students for either improved performance for athletics, muscle-building, to help you to concentrate or give you energy,” she said. “Supplements are something that people prescribe to themselves. You name it, there’s a supplement for it.”Saconne also said she sees supplements as a big issue on college campuses because they’re difficult to regulate.“There are some regulations in place now, but still you can’t control how much somebody is going to buy of something over the counter, how often they’re going to use it, and so forth,” she said. “And oftentimes use is based on manufacturer’s suggestions rather than science.”
(11/05/09 2:31am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>After being delayed nearly a month because of an illness in the cast, Canadian playwright Lynda Martens’ “Naked in the Kitchen” will premiere tomorrow at the Bloomington Playwrights Project.Winner of the 2009-10 Season Reva Shiner National Full-Length Playwriting Contest, “Naked in the Kitchen” was selected as the best play from the submissions. The Play runs 8 p.m today through Sunday until Nov. 21 and 2 p.m. Nov. at the Bloomington Playwrights Project, 107 W. Ninth St.Tickets are available at the Buskirk-Chumley Box Office or online at buskirkchumley.org. Tickets are $18 for general admission and $15 for students and seniors, or a $5 student rush ticket will be available five minutes before showtime. “We want to create a buzz for every show we do, but what’s special about this show is that it’s the Reva Shiner play,” said Chad Rabinovitz, the BPP’s new artistic director. “We get submissions from all over the world and anywhere between 150 and 300 scripts each year and spend at least an hour a day for an entire year to find the best in the country.” “Naked in the Kitchen” captures a family in transition and underlying turmoil. With their son Michael about to leave for college, Beth and Charlie face a new way of life without him on Michael’s five-year anniversary of being cancer-free. They are unaware that he is withholding a secret. “I think it’s very smart,” director Holly Holbrook said. “There’s a lot of great humor, even though it deals with some pretty heavy stuff.” BPP veteran Jeff Stone, who plays Charlie, said he can easily identify with the play and its family themes. “It’s so much more a slice of very familiar life, as opposed to really stepping into someone else’s shoes or situation,” he said. The cast is rounded out by Meredith Mills as Beth, Gabriel Wallace as Michael and Kyle Hendricks as Michael’s friend Kevin. Hendricks, a senior, said he believes that the family perspective of the show is beneficial even to college students. “I think it’s a really good piece for the college community that we’re in,” Hendricks said. “I think the snapshots of this show, with and without the kids, paint of very real picture of parenting, marriage and things that, as a selfish teenager heading off to college, you don’t really think about.” Mills agreed with Hendricks and Stone that audience members can connect to the play, while offering a specific perspective through her character.“I think it’s really well written and easily accessible to the audience,” she said. “It’s almost a midlife crisis for Beth because she hasn’t been getting the attention sexually from her husband and her son is going off to college. She sort of loses her sense of emotional stability.” Ravonovitz believes that drama like Beth’s is evident throughout the play, and keeps it moving forward and entertaining throughout. “The play tells a great story that’s compelling and interesting from beginning to end,” he said. “This is the kind of play that builds to the final moment. There’s not that lull - it just keeps going up to the moment where you have that final resolution.” Yet there is no succinct resolution, instead leaving the audience with an ambiguous ending open to interpretation. “The play leaves as many questions as it does answer them,” Rabinovitz said. “That, to me, is a good play – something that leaves you thinking more.”
(10/01/09 4:05am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Dean A. Shepherd’s busy schedule just got a little busier.Shepherd, a professor of entrepreneurship at the Kelley School of Business, was recently appointed editor-in-chief of the Journal of Business Venturing.“He is a very busy person,” said Sue Artmeier, assistant director for the Johnson Center For Entrepreneurship & Innovation. “It’s not unusual for him to be here at 5:30 a.m. working on his research.” In addition to research, Shepherd teaches two doctoral courses, two masters of business administration courses, reviews manuscripts for the Journal and works on review boards of other journals. “He’s overseeing the top journal in the entrepreneurship field,” said Donald F. Kuratko, executive director of the Johnson Center. “There can be days where he might, on average, get 10 manuscripts, and he’s got to read and review them.” Kuratko has co-written journal articles with Shepherd and marvels at his colleague’s dedication. “Dr. Shepherd really balances his life,” Kuratko said. “He’s extraordinarily devoted to his research and his work, but his down time is dedicated to his family.” Australian by birth, Shepherd first became interested in the field of entrepreneurship when he earned his MBA from Bond University. He then moved to the U.S. to earn his Ph.D. After assistant teaching jobs at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and the University of Colorado at Boulder, Shepherd accepted IU’s offer of employment four years ago. “I love it here,” Shepherd said. “This is the place for entrepreneurship research.” Kuratko, who is responsible for recruiting new hires, said he wanted to add Shepherd to the faculty to bolster an already renowned entrepreneurial department.“We began to approach the best around the country, asking them if they wanted to be a part of our department,” Kuratko said. “We want to build the best.” Artmeier had similar praise for Shepherd. “In the field, he is considered probably one of the top 10 researchers and experts in the world,” she said. Shepherd said he’s honored by the appointment to the Journal. “I remember when I was in Australia, wondering if I could ever get a paper published in the Journal,” he said. “Now I’m the actual editor. It’s quite an honor and quite a responsibility.” In addition to his recent appointment, Shepherd is the recipient of several national awards, most notably the National Academy of Management Entrepreneurship Mentor Award in 2008. Shepherd said the award is more meaningful than the editor-in-chief appointment, because the award distinguishes him as a top entrepreneurial professor.“Every time I get a Ph.D. student, I see that as my most important responsibility,” he said. “The things I feel most proud of have been my doctoral students that have gone on to be really successful.” Jenny House, a second-year student in the entrepreneurship Ph.D. program, is in one of Shepherd’s seminars this semester. “His style is sort of unpredictable, but that’s what makes it fun,” she said. Once his day of teaching, editing and research ends at 4:30 p.m., Shepherd is completely devoted to his family. “Ever since (the kids) have been born, I’ve never done any work at home,” he said. “When I’m at school, my family doesn’t contact me or intervene in the work day, but when I’m home, I’m there 100 percent.”For life after teaching and researching, Shepherd never wants to give up his passion completely. “I think I’m going to die doing it,” he said. “I can’t see myself retiring. When I get really old, I think I’ll still be doing research, it just might be a little bit different. But I don’t ever see myself not doing it.”