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(07/25/02 8:23pm)
This weekend is what the Hoosier wrestling team has been working toward all season. Four wrestlers will travel to Albany, NY to participate in the NCAA Championships this Thursday.\nFor one person, it's his last shot at the national title he covets. For another, it's his first championship. For the other two, it's their chance for redemption and to improve on last year's results.\nSenior Viktor Sveda, junior Greg Schaefer, sophomore Coyte Cooper, and freshman Pat DeGain will all compete at nationals this weekend.\nSveda is making his fourth-straight trip to the championship. He's a two time All-American with his best finish last year at third. Sveda (30-5) is seeded No. 5 and will take on Dave Colabella of James Madison. Colabella is 25-11 on the year.\nAlthough this is his last chance at the national championship, Sveda said he can't let the pressure bother him.\n"I have to go into it and wrestle my best," Sveda said. "It will only hurt me if I put too much pressure on myself. If I wrestle my best, I know I will get the result that I want."\nSchaefer is making his second appearance at the championship after being selected as the wildcard for the second time.\n"I think I'm pretty fortunate (to go) as a wildcard," Schaefer said. "Hopefully this year I can reinforce the reason the coaches voted me in. I'm just looking forward to it."\nSchaefer is 24-8 on the year. He will take on Willie Harris (19-5) of American University.\nCooper has been on a roll as of late. He finished third at the Big Ten Championships and felt he could have won it all. Cooper (21-8) would like to improve on the second-round loss he suffered last year.\n"This year I know that I can win. Last year I worried about how good everyone else was," Cooper said. "I believe that I can win every match that I step into. The coaches believe that I can win it."\nCooper is seeded No. 12 and will take on Jason Mester (9-6) of Central Michigan.\nDeGain is participating in his first national championship. DeGain (20-9) said he imagines this to be like nothing he has ever experienced before.\n"I expect it to be the toughest tournament I've wrestled in," DeGain said. "I just want to go in there and do the best that I can. I have to go in ready."\nDeGain will take on No. 11 seed David Shunamon (26-7) of Edinboro University.\nCoach Duane Goldman has high hopes for the four wrestlers that will compete. He knows what they are capable of doing.\n"They work all season for this. You have to take it one match at a time," Goldman said. "It's time to believe that they can do this"
(07/25/02 8:23pm)
Home, sweet home. \nAfter the IU water polo team started its first 20 matches on the road, the No. 15 Hoosiers (11-9, 3-0 Collegiate Water Polo Association) play host to the Indiana Invite today and tomorrow at the Counsilman-Billingsley Aquatic Center at the Student Recreational Sport Center.\n"It should be a lot of fun," junior Kristin Stanford said. "It will be good to have people we know in the stands."\nCoach Barry King said he thinks playing at home can be both a positive and a negative.\n"When it's your first at home, sometimes you don't prepare as well when you play at home because you don't go through the same routines," King said. "But there is the excitement of playing at home in front of a pro-Indiana crowd. It's a sport that people seem attracted to."\nIU has been on a winning streak as of late, getting victories in seven of its eight matches over spring break. \nDuring the break, Stanford moved into first place on the all-time goals list with 144, passing the previous record of 139 held by former Hoosier Deb Simone. IU needs Stanford's offense as well as strong defense this weekend against several tough foes.\nTonight, the Hoosiers take on Princeton (9-1) at 7 p.m. Princeton shares the No. 15 ranking with IU. The Hoosiers lost to Princeton 11-10 earlier this season. This time they are hoping for a little redemption.\n"There is a little bit of a revenge factor," Stanford said. "We just need to play hard and play the whole game. We need to take advantage of the opportunities we are given."\nThe Hoosiers' first match Saturday will be at 9:45 a.m. against the club team from Purdue. IU has had success in the past against the Boilermakers, winning both contests by a combined score of 33-2. King said he believes his team's success this weekend depends on how it plays defense.\n"Clearly we need to play defense the way we did the last two weeks. If we do that, we will be able to find the offense," Kind said. "If we have a good counter attack, we'll be in good shape."\nThe Hoosiers' final match will be against rival Michigan. IU lost to No. 13 Michigan (12-10) earlier this year 10-9.\n"Michigan is our big rival, so we really want to beat them," sophomore Kristy Streefkerk said. "We know that we can beat them both (Michigan and Princeton). We have to do what we know we can do"
(07/25/02 8:23pm)
For those who wanted to be Little 500 riders but didn't want to put in the time, there's the Mini 500. The Mini 500 is the tricycle race tonight that brings together the seriousness of the actual race, with the humor of crazy costume designs and team presentations.\nThe Mini 500 will take place at Assembly Hall tonight at 7:30. Admission is free with a Little 500 ticket. It's $8 at the door without.\nThe Mini 500 was started in 1955 as a way for women to get involved in the festivities of Little 500. Now it's turned into a large event that includes over 60 teams. Besides the actual trike race, there are seven awards that go out. The awards include such categories as dazzling dressers, spectacular team banner and spectacular spill. Senior Maggie Broom said that the Steering Committee had to create more awards this year.\n"Every year the teams have been more and more creative (with their costumes)," Broom said. "We felt we had to add more awards. Maybe it will get people to become even more creative then before."\nSenior Brett Spitzer is a member of the Indiana University Student Foundation Steering Committee that runs this event. He said it's a good tradition that gets many more people involved in the Little 500 activities.\n"It's a really good time for the students," Spitzer said. "It's for those who really didn't want to put in the effort, time, and money of the actual race."\nThe theme for this year's event is "Trikin' in the U.S.A." The Steering Committee thought it would be good to go with a patriotic theme. \nThere are three divisions for the race: men's, women's and coed. The race itself consists of two laps per team, half a lap by team member. There is a tournament format that will determine the winner.\nThe Nasty Boyz is the top mens' qualifier. Charlie's Angels are the number one seed for the women. Captain Planets is the top co-ed team.\nBroom believes that there are two types of teams that enter the Mini 500. There are those who take it seriously and practice and then there are those who are out for a good time. Broom thinks it's important to have both types.\n"It's good to have a combination. It's adds to the whole night," Broom said. "Sometimes the people who are here just for fun actually advance. They surprise themselves."\nSenior Shannon Hoffman is in her fourth year of riding in the race. She is part of the Evan's Scholars team, Charlie's Angels. Her team is the defending champion and finished second the year before that. She said she started riding in the Mini 500 because she wanted to be a part of the festivities.\n"I wanted to be a part of Little 500," Hoffman said. "I think it's fun to explain to people the idea of riding tricycles. It's kind of fun. We are pretty confident we'll win again."\nSophomore Adam Barry is a member of the Hoosier Hicks. He said his team's costume design is a secret. He is a member of Evan's Scholars, and said he is riding to represent his house.\n"Our (Little 500) bike team didn't qualify this year so we have to represent. This gives the people in our house something to cheer for," Barry said. "We plan to win. We're just really good. We plan on leaving it all out on the track."\nIUSF member, junior Nicole Rosi hopes many people will come out in support of the event.\n"People just do it to have fun," Rosi said. "It's just another event that people can feel a part of"
(07/25/02 8:23pm)
Let the races begin. \nMini 500 has officially kicked off the the "Greatest College Weekend" -- the Little 500. After 60 teams started the race, only three were left at the end of the night and were able to call themselves Mini 500 Champions.\nIt boiled down to three teams in each division. Charlie's Angels, members of Evans Scholars, repeated as champions in the women's race. El Caminos won a close race and were the champions of the co-ed race. Delta Sigma Pi won the men's race.\n"We got second last year and had to come back to win this year," Delta Sigma Pi junior Jason Melis said. "It was just crazy. It's not the same caliber of the Little 500, but I'm on a tricycle. How great is college if you can get into wars on a tricycle."\nAn electrical guitar version of the National Anthem started the night. The teams paraded into Assembly Hall to the cheers, applause and laughter of the few thousand fans who came to see the event. \nMany teams received laughs because of their unique costume themes. There were those painted head to toe in green. Others wore yellow and purple. Fraternity men were running around in diapers. Star Wars characters and even Spiderman made an appearance. With the IU Student Foundation All-Star band rocking the house with "R-O-C-K in the USA," the races were ready to begin.\nTeams raced as hard as they could to the cheers of their friends, and there were the occasional spills, at which the crowd laughed and applauded when the member got back up. All of the racers appeared to enjoy themselves.\n"This was outstanding. We made a good run," Phi Gamma Delta senior Jeff Arnold said. "We were in superhero outfits, which didn't help. The capes slowed us down. Otherwise we would have won."\nSome trikers were out just for the fun of the night but won a couple of heats and surprised themselves. Some competitors came just to display their costumes.\n"We wanted a funny theme and name. We wanted something that would stick out," said sophomore Dan Moore, member of the Small Pickles Among Large Cucumber team. "We wanted something that everyone would remember the next day."\nIn the middle of the night, seniors James Boyd and Regina Cross were named King and Queen of Little 500. Both were quite shocked at the honor.\n"I was kind of surprised," Boyd said. "I've been a rider and a coach. This is kind of a culmination of the whole thing."\nPhi Delta Theta took home first prize in the costume contest. The Phi Delts' theme was "The Mullets Ride Again," with each member dressed to the part. Delta Sigma Pi's fans were named Fans of the Night. Many people from the community came out as well.\n"The event sounded like fun," Bloomington resident Marg Winterfeld said. "I liked all the camaraderie, the costumes and all the other nonsense."\nIUSF Steering Committee members were very pleased with the turnout. Senior Maggie Broom felt the night was a total success.\n"It was one of the best Mini 500s I've ever been to," Broom said. "The crowd was huge. The live band was great. Everyone was into the race."\nSenior Brett Spitzer of the Steering Committee couldn't agree more. He said he was impressed with the large turnout and hopes it is a sign of things to come.\n"I'm very pleased with the way everything went tonight," Spitzer said. "Everything ran smoothly. There were no major problems. I'm glad so many people were here.\n"It shows that this event is growing in popularity. The most important thing is that everyone enjoyed themselves and had a good time"
(04/26/02 5:24am)
This weekend the Hoosiers travel to Princeton, N.J., in hopes of securing a national championship berth. IU is the fifth seed in Collegiate Water Polo Association Eastern Championships.\nThe No. 17 Hoosiers open the weekend Friday against No. 16 Brown University, the fourth seed this weekend. IU defeated Brown earlier this year 5-4. Even though IU won the last contest between the two teams, coach Barry King was not happy with the way his team performed on offense.\n"The last game was not a good offensive effort," King said. "Our success will depend on our defense. If we can hold them to four goals again, we'll be fine."\nKing said it's important to get off to a good start against Brown. Sophomore Melissa Pietras said it will help the Hoosiers the whole weekend.\n"It's important to play well against Brown because it starts the tournament," Pietras said. "You have more drive and more confidence to take into the second and third games."\nThe Hoosiers will meet ninth-seeded Iona on Saturday. King said he doesn't know too much about Iona but expects the match to be a battle.\n"They have been getting better the last couple of years. We expect it to be a tough match," King said. "Our tournament starts with high-level competition. We have to open strong and keep going."\nJunior Kristin Stanford said the Hoosiers need to have a high intensity level throughout the tournament. Pietras said that intensity also needs to carry throughout the entire length of a match.\n"We have to be able to finish games," Pietras said. "We have to play a good four quarters. We usually don't do that."\nThe Hoosier defense has carried the team, but King believes the offense will have to help take the burden off the defense. So does Pietras.\n"Our defense has been really consistent and is getting better," she said. "We just need to take some pressure off the defense by scoring some goals. We have to limit missing shots."\nPietras said the team needs to convert on their 6-on-5 opportunities. Last week in the Michigan loss, the team was 1 for 12 on their power-play chances. Stanford said it comes down to shot selection.\n"We want to limit our turnovers," Stanford said. "We need to have a good shot selection and be patient on offense."\nKing said he thinks his team is capable of winning the championship this weekend. He said the whole season has been leading to this.\n"I told them that we've been playing the level of water polo needed to win," King said. "Now it's just going in there and getting it done"
(04/25/02 4:12am)
There are a lot of things that run through a goalkeeper's mind when their team is on defense. They have to direct players where to go and set up the defense. They do all this while watching the ball and preparing themselves to make that split-second decision to stop the ball.\nCoach Barry King said he believes his goalkeeper has those qualities, which is why senior Kirsten Mayberry has been so successful in her career. He said he thinks much of it can be attributed to her personality.\n"The goalkeeping position is just a little different, and it takes someone different to play back there," King said. "It's such a vocal position, and you have to be a leader."\nKing compared a goalkeeper to a quarterback in football. Assistant coach Matt Anderson said he sees the position as being similar to a catcher in baseball.\n"Goalies are involved in every play," Anderson said. "They are the last line of defense, and they start the offense."\nSenior Molly Fonner said she believes the team is able to gamble a little more with Mayberry back in goal. This comes from the team's confidence in their goalkeeper.\n"Defensively we can take more risks with her back there," Fonner said. "We know that we can get out of our counter-attacks because we have such confidence."\nIn addition to being very vocal, Mayberry has to be aware of what is going on around her. She has to direct her teammates into defensive sets while concentrating on the other team and being ready to react.\n"I have to know who has the ball and what they could do with it," Mayberry said. "We do drills to improve our reaction time. Some people have. Others don't."\nSenior Night, Mayberry had the chance to score goals rather than have goals scored on her when she came out of her goalkeeper position to play in the field. She was able to score her first two career goals that night.\n"It was fun getting out there and seeing what the rest of the team goes through," Mayberry said. "But it was tiring because I am not a swimmer."\nWhen Mayberry does have goals scored on her, King believes she is able to bounce back quickly. He said that Mayberry is able to separate the game into singular moments, which has helped her mentally.\n"If you make a mistake as a goalie, a goal is scored," King said. "You have to be able to handle the responsibility. You have to disassociate yourself from one play from the next."\nHoosiers said they hoped Mayberry will be able to continue to be solid in the goal as they head into the Eastern Championships this weekend. The team will need a leader. Fonner said she knows that Mayberry can be that leader.\n"She really leads our defense from back there," Fonner said. "To be a good leader, you have to be a good communicator"
(04/24/02 5:33am)
The Hoosiers have advanced to the Eastern Championships after taking third place at this past weekend's Collegiate Water Polo Association Southern Division Championship. IU went 3-1 during the weekend.\nThe Hoosiers started off the weekend with a victory Friday night over host school Villanova. The Hoosiers dominated the entire match and won 19-5, tying a couple of school records along the way. The Hoosiers tied a record with 18 assists, and the team was one goal and one steal short of hitting other records with 19 and 24, respectively.\nJunior Kim Steele tied a record with five assists. Freshman Krista Peterson, junior Kristin Stanford and senior Molly Fonner each scored four goals apiece.\n"We played really well off the bat," Stanford said. "We played solid defense and good offense. It was a good way to start off the weekend."\nIU continued to play well in its first match Saturday. The Hoosiers took on Washington and Jefferson and won 18-3. Junior Ginger Wang scored five goals, and senior Melissa DeBiasse had five steals.\n"We just played our game," freshman Sharna Nelson said. "We didn't feel any pressure, and that helped with our confidence."\nIn their second match Saturday, the Hoosiers took on rival Michigan. The Hoosiers went into the half with a 5-4 lead. Unfortunately, mistakes cost the Hoosiers, and they fell 11-7.\nOnly two players scored for IU. Stanford had four goals, while Nelson chipped in with three. Stanford described the loss as frustrating. Nelson said the team just couldn't capitalize.\n"Basically, we need to minimize our exclusions," Nelson said. "We lost our concentration. They were able to take the upper hand and gain confidence. We have to want to win and not be afraid to lose."\nHead coach Barry King said the level of play was similar in both halves, but the Hoosiers just failed to finish their advantages.\n"We didn't convert on our power plays," King said. "It came down to stopping everything that they threw at us, and we didn't."\nThe Hoosiers had a chance to bounce back Sunday, and they did so by defeating George Washington 16-7. The win gave the Hoosiers a third-place finish for the tournament.\nSenior Kirsten Mayberry had 11 saves in goal, tying a season-high for her. Peterson, Wang and Nelson each had three goals. Stanford said she was happy the team was able to play well following the Michigan game.\n"It was good for us (to win). We played pretty solid," Stanford said. "It was good to play solid and get us set up for next weekend."\nKing said he talked to his players prior to the George Washington match about putting the Michigan loss behind them.\n"We talked about our preparation after the Michigan loss," King said. "We wanted to prepare for Easterns. We started a little slow but finished strong. That was good. It provided a little momentum."\nThe Hoosiers are now 18-13 on the year and take that record to Princeton, N.J., to compete in the Eastern Championships this Friday through Sunday. The Hoosiers will play Brown, which they defeated 5-4 earlier this season.
(04/19/02 5:03am)
The IU water polo team begins its postseason play Friday as it competes in the Collegiate Water Polo Association Southern District Championships. The top five teams in the District advance to the Eastern Championships.\nThe event is being held throughout the weekend at Villanova University. A good showing at the tournament will help the Hoosiers receive a good seed in next week's Eastern Championships.\nIU starts the weekend with a match against Villanova Friday night. The Hoosiers defeated Villanova earlier this year 13-6. Saturday, the Hoosiers take on Washington and Jefferson, whom they beat 19-1 back in early March. Coach Barry King said it's important to get off to a good start.\n"We expect to get to Easterns. Our goal, our season and our practice schedule is structured so that we are playing at our highest level at the end of the season," King said. "We want (the momentum) to carry over into next week. It validates our plans so far this year."\nBased on Friday and Saturday's results, the Hoosiers will be seeded for a tournament format for the rest of the weekend. A match-up with rival Michigan will be likely in the semifinal round.\n"Our main competition is going to be Michigan," senior Molly Fonner said. "We're working on matching our strengths against their weaknesses."\nFonner said the Hoosiers will have to play strong defense to be successful.\n"We have to avoid man-down situations and counter-attacks from them," Fonner said. "They haven't developed as many shots in their halfcourt against us."\nKing sees his team's success lying in its ability to shoot the ball. Over the last several games, the Hoosiers have generated many opportunities but have been unable to finish.\n"We need to score goals. It sounds trite, but we've lost games because our team has shot the ball poorly," King said. "We've created good chances. We just shot poorly."\nJunior Kristin Stanford said the team needs to continue to play good defense. King agreed.\n"We've been more than happy with our level of defense in the last month," King said. "Now we just need to take it up one more gear, and we'll be fine."\nStanford hopes the team will play well this weekend and build some momentum for next week.\n"It's important to get a good seed," she said. "It will be good for our confidence. It will help us going into Easterns"
(04/17/02 4:17pm)
Desire. That's what the Sigma Phi Epsilon team is all about. \nSenior captain Michael Zycinski knows it. So does their coach Jeff Tackbary. They believe that this team has the desire needed that will lead them to the top.\n"They have a lot of focus," Tackbary said. "My job is to get them into peak condition for the race."\nZycinski leads a team that returns only two riders from last year's team that finished in third place. Senior Mark Downing is the only other returner with Zycinski. Sophomore David Jordan and junior Eric Derheimer are the other two riders for Sigma Phi Epsilon.\nDespite losing two riders, Tackbary said this team is stronger than the one from last year. He believes that Jordan and Derheimer are better than most rookies. Both were in the top 32 in the Individual Time Trials.\n"They have great attitudes and are adjusting well. They know that the more effort you put in, the more you'll get out of it," Tackbary said. "Their learning curve is great. Those guys will have to break out of a shell. There's nothing like race day."\nTackbary is in his second year as coach of Sigma Phi Epsilon after three years as a rider. He believes his main goal is to pass on his knowledge of the race.\n"I see my job as maintaining and translating the knowledge I've learned," Tackbary said. "There's a big mental aspect to the race. I try to relax the guys and keep them headed in the right direction."\nThe best thing going for Sigma Phi Epsilon may be their captain, Zycinski. Derheimer said Zycinski has taught him a lot about the race already. Jordan credits Zycinski's leadership.\n"We knew that Mike was coming back this year and really wanted to win," Jordan said. "When we're out on rides, he really pushes us to the max."\nTackbary believes that Zycinski is exactly what you look for in a captain.\n"Michael is the best leader that you can have," Tackbary said. "You have to have a leader that can motivate and lead. He makes my job easier."\nSigma Phi Epsilon is expecting a good finish after placing third last year. They've been riding in races since last summer. Jordan said the team does put a lot of pressure on themselves to win. Downing said it's part of racing every year.\n"We go into every season as a victory for us," Downing said. "We think that we can win every year."\nDerheimer said the team is prepared, and it will all come down to race day.\n"I think we have a good chance to win. But the race is always unpredictable," Derheimer said. "I think we've done all we can in preparation for the race."\nThe race will come down to who wants it the most. Zycinski knows it will come down to desire.\n"These guys are really focused," he said. "We know we want to win"
(04/17/02 4:07pm)
It's not where you start but rather where you finish. These middle-of-the-pack qualifying teams hope to put all their training, experience, and coaching together in hopes of winning it all.
(04/11/02 4:21am)
Five members on the water polo team are from California. None are from Indiana, a state where high schools do not have water polo as a varsity or club sport. This can make for some challenges when fielding a team here at IU.\nCoach Barry King said the majority of the better water polo players are on the coasts. He said he is able to recruit from there, but his troubles lie in finding walk-ons.\n"The lack of Indiana players hurts when looking for a quality walk-on," King said. "They don't always have the best experience that someone from the coast might have."\nKing said the water polo travel schedule helps in the recruiting process. The team routinely travels out to California for tournaments. King said the team's success at those tournaments helps him out.\nSenior Kirsten Mayberry is a team member from California. She said King talked to her high school coach after seeing her in a match. She said it was a tough adjustment for her at first.\n"The first semester was rough in getting to know people," Mayberry said. "As I got to know the team better, it was an easier fit. I knew the team was growing, and I wanted to be a part of that."\nSenior Louanne Hovater, a Texas native, agreed there was an initial adjustment, but she really liked the school.\n"The water polo program was one that I felt I could grow in," Hovater said. "I just really liked the school. It took a while to get used to the people though."\nKing believes the school's reputation helps in the recruitment process. Academics and the campus attract many people to the school.\nJunior Kristin Stanford is from Cincinnati and chose the school based on location. She said she also chose IU because of the success of the team.\n"Everyone wants to come to a good program," Stanford said. "The more we demonstrate that, the easier it will be to get recruits."\nKing knows that it comes down to winning. A winning team will attract players from all over the country.\n"We could have the best campus, the best academics, the best of all of that, but the bottom line is that our team has to be competitive," King said. "Right now we are consistently competitive with the best team. We have to get to the point were we consistently beat them. I think we're on our way"
(04/08/02 6:03am)
The water polo team went into this weekend with a few goals in mind: play tough defense, convert power plays and beat Michigan. The Hoosiers came close to accomplishing all of those things.\nIU hosted the Collegiate Water Polo Association Conference Weekend Saturday and Sunday. The Hoosiers opened up the weekend with a match against Slippery Rock.\nAs in the past, the Hoosiers dominated Slippery Rock 16-7 thanks to four goals apiece from freshman Krista Peterson and sophomore Melissa Pietras.\nIU took on No. 15 Michigan on Saturday. The Wolverines jumped out to a quick start, netting four goals in the first quarter. The Hoosiers responded and only allowed three goals the rest of the game, but the early deficit was too much to make up. IU lost 7-5.\n"There were a few unlucky calls in the first (quarter)," freshman Sharna Nelson said. "It takes a good team to come back from that."\nNelson led the Hoosiers with two goals. The team might have netted more than five goals had so many shots not hit off the posts. Head coach Barry King said those are the breaks of the game.\n"We got into a spurt where we shot the ball well. Then it went away," he said. "If we had a foot of space on those shots, we win by four goals. \n"We had a boatload of opportunities but couldn't convert. We just didn't shoot the ball well."\nBut the Hoosiers did get shots, and that pleased Nelson.\n"The important thing is that we generated opportunities," Nelson said. "We just need to polish our shooting."\nThe Hoosiers had a quick opportunity to bounce back after the defeat with two early morning matches Sunday. They opened the day against Mercyherst.\nIU did rebound and defeated Mercyherst 15-2. Junior Ginger Wang scored three goals for the Hoosiers. In the second match of the morning, IU defeated Gannon 12-6. Pietras was the top scorer again with four goals.\nIn their final match Sunday, the Hoosiers dominated Penn State Behrend 19-5. The Hoosiers (15-12, 7-1 CWPA) jumped out to an early 5-0 lead and never looked back. Senior Molly Fonner scored four goals, and senior Kirsten Mayberry came out from her goalkeeper position to score her first career goal.\n"The teams we played today are newer teams, so they aren't as competitive," Fonner said. "We were able to rotate a lot. We worked on refining our skills today."\nKing was more impressed with the way his team passed the ball around.\n"They demonstrated a way to share the ball today," King said. "They looked for the open people. It was nice to see. We need to learn how to stick the ball. We just have to finish when we create."\nThe Hoosiers will take a weekend off before traveling to the CWPA Southern Division Championships in Villanova, Penn. That event will take place April 19-21.
(04/05/02 4:27am)
This weekend is an important one for the women's water polo team. It plays host to the Collegiate Water Polo Association Conference Weekend. The Hoosiers hope to produce some victories that will help their seeding in the Conference Championships.\nThe events will take place this Saturday and Sunday at the Counsilman/Billingsley Aquatic Center at the Student Recreational Sports Center. IU plays twice Saturday and three times Sunday.\nThe matches will be the last home matches of the year for IU. Coach Barry King said he is confident his team is more prepared for its last home matches.\n"We have our first home weekend out of the way," King said. "We know what distractions to avoid. I like the advantage (this weekend)."\nThe No. 16 Hoosiers start the weekend with a match against Slippery Rock at 3:15 p.m. Saturday. IU has had success in the past against Slippery Rock, winning both contests last year by a combined score of 30-6.\nAlthough Slippery Rock is not considered top competition, King hopes his team will compete hard.\n"We approach every game as a learning opportunity," he said. "We can learn about ourselves and learn about the team."\nIn their late match Saturday, the Hoosiers will take on No. 15 Michigan at 7 p.m. The Hoosiers consider Michigan to be one of their main rivals and said they would love to beat the Wolverines at home.\n"It would be huge (to beat them)," freshman Krista Peterson said. "It would help us get a good seed (in the CWPA Southern Division Championships April 19-21)."\nSenior Kristin Stanford also said she wants to hand Michigan a defeat. The Hoosiers haven't beat Michigan since April 2000.\n"We really want to beat Michigan. We're playing them at home," Stanford said. "It's important to make sure we do the things that make us a good team."\nThis will be the third match against Michigan this year. The Hoosiers lost the first match 10-9 and dropped the second match 9-7 in overtime. \n"We know we played two matches well enough to win those, and so we're not thinking we can't do it," King said. "We have to execute."\nThe Hoosiers have an early start Sunday, with their first match starting at 8 a.m. against Mercyherst. They follow that game up with a 9:30 a.m. match against Gannon. IU defeated Gannon earlier this year 19-10. IU finishes off the day against Penn State Behrend at 2:30 p.m.\nStanford said the team will have to play solid defense to be successful. King said he wants his team to convert on its power play opportunities. Peterson said she wants the Hoosiers to play hard the entire game.\n"We just need to dominate on offense," Peterson said. "We need to keep our lead and stay with it. We usually lose that. We need to play with confidence the entire game"
(03/28/02 6:04am)
Junior Kristen Stanford has a very specific goal in mind. She wants to go to the NCAA Championship. But first, they have to get through the Collegiate Water Polo Association Eastern Championships.\nAs Stanford's coach and teammates noted, Stanford's leadership and work ethic will help carry the team there. Stanford said team leadership roles are fairly spread out over the upperclassmen and she tries to help out. Senior Molly Fonner thinks Stanford is a good leader.\n"She is not always outspoken, but she says what's on her mind when it needs to be said," Fonner said. "She leads in other ways."\nOne of those ways is Stanford's work ethic. "She leads by example more than verbally by working hard every practice," coach Barry King said. "She comes to practice early. She does the things that people look at."\n Stanford's hard work has definitely paid of this season and in her career. She is first on the team with 39 goals and is second in assists with 19. She also contributes on the defensive end with 30 steals, good for second on the team. \n In the game against Loyola Marymount, Stanford became the all-time leader in goals at IU with 140. She currently has 147 goals. Despite that accomplishment, Stanford doesn't take it too seriously.\n "I didn't even know about it when I set it," Stanford said. "I was kind of excited when I found out though. But we're a team. The more we play as a team, the better we'll be."\n King said that Stanford came to the program with a lot of physical skills but little knowledge of the sport. King believes that Stanford's work ethic has made her into the player she is.\n"She has a devotion to practice and has worked to become a pretty good player," King said. "She sets a standard that the team as a whole has adhered to."\nFonner believes that one of Stanford's best abilities may be her attitude.\n"She has a very positive attitude," Fonner said. "She has a lot of physical ability. She is a good offensive threat and plays good defense as well. She's willing to accept any challenge."\nKing knows that Stanford still has some things to work on in order for her and the team to be successful.\n"She needs to continue to convert the opportunities that she is getting," King said. "She needs to limit her turnovers and improve on defense. If we get the rest of the group to raise the level of their defense, we'll be right in the mix"
(03/08/02 5:38am)
The IU water polo team will have a busy break. It heads to Pennsylvania this weekend for a series of matches before heading out to California for several more competitions.\nThis weekend the Hoosiers compete in the Collegiate Water Polo Association Conference Weekend. They travel to Grove City, Penn., Saturday to take on Grove City College, Mercyhurst and Washington & Jefferson.\nThe Hoosiers have never faced Mercyhurst. IU defeated Grove City and Washington & Jefferson by a combined score of 29-2. \nIU looks to build on that past success.\n"It's an important weekend in the sense that they are conference teams," senior Molly Fonner said. "We've beaten them before. We've had two weekends off. This weekend is more to get back in the grove."\nThe Hoosiers finish up the conference weekend when they travel to Slippery Rock, Penn., to take on Gannon. IU won last year's match-up 20-8. \nCoach Barry King believes this weekend is important to get back in the rhythm of playing.\n"It's been three weeks since we touched a ball in competition," King said. "We need to sharpen the things we've done. This weekend will be a good start. Wins are always good for confidence."\nKing said he is happy with the way his team has practiced in the past couple of weeks. He is hoping that the hard work will pay off.\n"(Wins) validate the effort you put in," King said. "They've done well at practice and in the weight room. But the competition gets a little tougher after break."\nAfter the trip through Pennsylvania, the Hoosiers head west to take on Cal State-Bakersfield and the University of California-Irvine in back-to-back weeknight matches. The first game will be played Wednesday night, followed by the Irvine match Thursday. IU defeated UC-Irvine earlier this year 5-4.\nFonner said she hopes the Hoosiers can sustain their intensity level throughout the entire match. She said the team had bad stretches last time it played, and it cost them in a couple of one-point games. \nSophomore Kristy Streefkerk agreed.\n"We have to make sure we play with intensity all the way to the end of the match," Streefkerk said.\nThe Hoosiers make their final stop March 15 in Los Angeles, Calif., when they take part in the Loyola-Marymount Invitational. They face the host school Saturday. Sunday, they compete against California-Baptist and Redlands. \nIU shut-out California-Baptist Feb. 10 for its first shutout since 1998. King hopes that his team will perform well after all of its time off.\n"I think we'd really like to see improved recognition of what the other teams are doing against us defensively," King said. "Fundamentally, we want to see good passes, clean touches and good vision"
(03/07/02 5:51am)
It's crunch time for the Hoosiers and they know it. They begin their post-season starting with the Big Ten Championships this weekend in Champaign, Ill. The event will be held March 9-10 at Assembly Hall.\nThe Hoosiers know they have to perform well in order to continue their seasons. Only the top four places in each weight class advance to the National Championships March 21-23.\nIU is looking to improve on last year's results in which they placed eighth overall. Senior Viktor Sveda hopes to become IU's first individual champion since Roger Chandler last accomplished the feat in 1997.\n"I'm not going to be happy unless I win it all," Sveda said. "I'll take it one match at a time. Even if I don't win, I have to realize it's not the end of my season."\nCoach Duane Goldman has had two weeks to prepare his team for the Championships. After tough workouts last week, Goldman has tapered off this week in order to get his wrestlers healthy.\nWinning the Big Ten Championship as a team or as an individual is no small task. Nine of the eleven teams are ranked in the top 25 with five teams in the top 10. Goldman knows this tournament will present his wrestlers with a tough environment.\n"Most of them have been in pressure situations before," Goldman said. "They all understand that they have to go through the Big Ten to order to get to Nationals."\nGoldman said his guys will have to perform better than the seeds they received in order to do well in the Big Tens. Only three Hoosiers have a No. 5 seed or better. Sveda is ranked No. 2 at 184 pounds with a possible rematch against No. 1 Andy Hrovat. Hrovat defeated Sveda earlier this season at the National Wrestling Coaches Association All-Star Classic. \nSophomore Coyte Cooper is No. 5 in the 141 weight class. Freshman Pat DeGain also has a No. 5 ranking at 197. DeGain knows that a strong mindset will be important during the tournament.\n"I want to wrestle like I have in the past," DeGain said. "I know that it will be a tough tournament. When I make it through, I know I will have another tough tournament. Tough matches are part of the sport."\nAlthough the road is tough, Goldman hopes that his team will respond.\n"I hope that each individual performs to his ability," Goldman said. "Each guy is going to have to step it up"
(03/06/02 5:15am)
Freshman Sharna Nelson's first experience with snow was not a good one. Having never seen snow before, Nelson didn't know what to expect. She knew it was soft on top but didn't realize it is was so soft underneath.\n"I stepped right in it and I sunk right through," said Nelson, who came to IU to join the women's water polo team. "I had snow up to my knee. I hate snow and always complain about it. I hate having to put on multiple layers just to go outside."\nNelson is from Australia, where she said the coldest temperatures get down to 40 or 50 degrees. Her only other American experience was a trip to California, where the climate is similar to her own. Having been here only two months, Nelson has had to adjust to a lot of new things. Senior Kirsten Mayberry said she thinks Nelson has done a good job so far.\n"She's adjusted really well," Mayberry said. "She gets along real well with everyone on the team. Her play adds a lot to our team."\nCoach Barry King agreed that Nelson has done a great good adjusting, considering she's only been here since January.\n"It always takes a little bit of time to adjust to what your teammates do," King said. "She had to get used to playing with different people. She only had three weeks from the time she arrived to the time we had our first match."\nNelson's road to IU was not a typical one. Instead of being recruited to come play, Nelson contacted the school. Nelson knew that IU would be a great place for her. She was not only drawn to the team but also to the academics.\n"I felt the coaches and players were friendly, but the school was right as well," Nelson said. "My parents and I knew it would be a good school."\nAssistant coach Matt Anderson had connections through the United States Youth Program and inquired about Nelson. Through these connections, the coaching staff was able to talk to some people in Australia about her.\n"We got some good recommendations about her," King said. "There was a hole on our team that she could fill. It was a good risk on both our parts, our inviting her and her coming here."\nThrough 12 games, Nelson has shown many of the signs that got the coaching staff excited about her play. She is second on the team in shots, second in goals and third in assists. Her performance at the Princeton Invite in February earned her Collegiate Water Polo Association Player of the Week.\nKing said she believes Nelson's success comes from her very accurate shot and the depth at which she can score.\n"She gives us a consistent threat from the outside," King said. "We really needed that. She's very strong defensively as well. She has great vision."\nWith her success, Nelson has been receiving e-mails from friends who want to know about the States. She said that many are interested in playing here.\n"My friends back home say they want to come over here," Nelson said. "Who knows? We may have a whole bunch of Australians on the team next year"
(02/19/02 6:39am)
The IU water polo team started off its weekend by running its win streak to four games. Unfortunately, the weekend turned bad as the Hoosiers dropped their final two matches, losing by a total of two goals.\nThe No. 16 Hoosiers began their weekend by knocking off No. 19 Brown 5-4. Although down 3-1 after the first period, IU picked up its defense and allowed only one more goal the rest of the game. Freshman Sharna Nelson scored the game winning goal with 1:51 left. Senior Molly Fonner led the Hoosiers with two goals and three steals.\n"It was good for us to beat Brown," junior Kristin Stanford said. "They were the best team in the East last year."\nNelson said it was good the Hoosiers were able to keep the ball rolling from last weekend. Head coach Barry King was also pleased.\n"We played extremely well," King said. "We continued to do the things that we had done in the previous weekend. We controlled the match."\nIn its second match of the day, IU defeated conference foe Villanova by jumping out to a quick 4-0 lead and ended up winning 13-6. Fonner, Nelson, sophomore Kristen Jonikaitis and junior Jamie Marley all had two goals while five other tallied one.\nThe final match on Saturday pitted IU against the University of Massachusetts. The Hoosiers dropped a close one 10-9 after sophomore Kristy Streefkerk missed a tip-in. IU led 5-4 at halftime but gave up three straight goals to start the second half. Stanford led IU with three goals, two assists and two steals. Stanford said the team needed to play better defense. Nelson said it was the result of not executing.\n"We didn't play that well," Nelson said. "We didn't do what the coaches told us to do. We started the day on a high and ended low."\nOn Sunday, IU took on Princeton, which shares the No. 16 ranking with IU. Again the Hoosiers (4-8) dropped a close game by the score of 11-10. Freshman Krista Peterson scored a career high five goals to lead to Hoosiers. Fonner chipped in with three goals but was ejected with 4:14 remaining after receiving her third kick-out.\nThe Hoosiers led late in the game but were unable to hold on to the lead allowing three goals in the fourth period.\n"It frustrated us," Stanford said. "It makes us want to beat them even more later in the year."\nKing was disappointed in his teams' inability to hold late leads.\n"It's tough when we score 19 goals and not win," King said. "We gave up leads in the fourth quarter. We need to focus a little more and work on growing that lead."\nThe Hoosiers will be in action in two weeks at the Collegiate Water Polo Association Conference weekend. They will battle Grove City College, Washington and Jefferson, and Mercyherst on Saturday. They finish that weekend against Gannon.
(02/18/02 6:10am)
In front of nearly 5,000 spectators, the IU wrestling team dropped a tough match against No. 2 Iowa 26-12. IU (8-11, 0-7 Big Ten) won only three matches but came close in several others. \nThree matches were decided by four points or less against an Iowa team (15-4, 5-2) that has nine wrestlers ranked in the top 20.\nJunior Greg Schaefer started off the day with a victory over No. 6 Luke Eustice, giving the Hoosiers the early lead. Schaefer, who had dropped his previous two matches, pinned Eustice in 1:24. Schaefer said this victory was the result of staying positive through the tough matches.\n"I had some pretty bad matches in a row," he said. "I worked in things that I was doing right and things I was doing wrong. I prepared for the end of the season. I've had confidence in myself all year, but I still have to wrestle tough."\nHead coach Duane Goldman said Schaefer executed well and broke a close match wide open. He also said as a team, the Hoosiers wrestled really well against the No. 2 team in the country.\n"(Viktor) Sveda needs to start a little sooner," Goldman said. "(Jason) Bader stepped in and fought hard. (Pat) DeGain dominated his match but gave up some freshman mistakes that made the match close."\nSveda battled No. 5 Jessman Smith. Although Sveda fell into an early hole, he was able to pull out the 7-4 victory.\n"I'm used to (falling behind early)," Sveda said. "I've always done that. But with the crowd, I was able to fight back. It kind of woke me up."\nSenior Brian Smiley dropped a close match to No. 5 Cliff Moore. Sophomore Coyte Cooper also fell in a tight match, 8-5. DeGain recorded a win on the day by defeating Trey Clark 6-5. \nIn the final match of the day, senior D.J. Radnovich took on the No.1 heavyweight in the country, Steve Mocco. A controversial moment occurred when Radnovich apparently pinned Mocco, but the call was not made. Radnovich lost 7-5.\nRadnovich's performance was one of several that pleased Sveda.\n"Coming in here against the number two team, we did well," he said. "If some matches go the other way, we could have been right up there with them. It shows that we are improving."\nSchaefer was also impressed.\n"For the most part, the guys did really well," he said. "The guys got in early holes but couldn't finish. Overall, we battled pretty well."\nThe Hoosiers will be in action next Friday against Eastern Illinois in their final home match of the year. The final Big Ten match will be against Northwestern next Sunday.
(02/15/02 5:31am)
The Hoosiers head to the coast again this weekend, but this time they will be heading east. IU (2-6, 0-1) participates in the Princeton Invite Saturday and Sunday. \nSaturday, the No. 16 Hoosiers will take on No. 19 Brown in the morning, with matches against Villanova and the University of Massachusetts later in the day. Sunday, IU will battle against host Princeton, who shares the No. 16 ranking with IU.\nThis weekend is significant for the Hoosiers, as three of their matches will be against conference teams. \nHead coach Barry King said he feels it's important for the Hoosiers to get off to a good start.\n"This is an important weekend," King said. "Three of the top six teams in the conference will be there. It's important to lay down that we're pretty good."\nJunior Kirstin Stanford said this weekend is also important for future tournaments.\n"We would like to get a good seed for Easterns (the conference championships)," Stanford said. "We want to come out and beat those teams."\nThe Hoosiers are coming off two consecutive victories from last weekend, including a shutout of Cal-Baptist, IU's first since 1998. \nKing credits his team's success in those matches to defense. Last week's defense was led by senior Molly Fonner, who had nine steals last week and earned Collegiate Water Polo Association Conference Player of the Week.\nKing said strong team defense will be the key this weekend. Stanford agrees.\n"We need to build off the Cal-Baptist match," Stanford said. "We should keep playing solid defense and continue our counter-attacks."\nKing said he would also like to see an improvement in his team's offense. He said the defensive problems that the team had last week were the result of bad offense.\n"We need to be more patient on offense," King said. "That (our offensive mistakes) turned into goals for the other team."\nFreshman Sharna Nelson said the team needs to pay more attention to what the other team's defense is doing.\n"We need to react to what their defense is showing us," Nelson said. "We will have better shots then."\nNelson said the two victories last weekend were good for the team's confidence. Nelson also believes that the team still has some work to do.\n"We went against the top competition, so it gives us confidence," Nelson said. "We need to play more as a team, not as individuals. At times we've been selfish. We just need to bond more"