Sports

Hoosiers drop halftime lead, fall in second half to Badgers

By John Wustrow · Thursday, Feb. 8,2007 11:28 p.m.

You win some and you lose some. Just one week ago, the IU women's basketball team snapped a five-game losing streak against Wisconsin, beating the Badgers 83-56. But last night, the Badgers got their revenge on their home court, taking a 60-53 win against IU.

Re-assembling at 'The Hall'

By Matt Mattucci · Thursday, Feb. 8,2007 11:23 p.m.

Round 1 went to Illinois coach Bruce Weber and the Fighting Illini. On Jan. 23, the IU men's basketball team suffered a 51-43 road loss to the Illini, which snapped a five-game winning streak. The Hoosiers shot just 29.4 percent from the 3-point line in the loss and failed to reach the free-throw line in the second half of play. Round 2, the Hoosiers say, won't be so easy for Illinois.

Women's track team finds much success

By Aaron Beard · Thursday, Feb. 8,2007 3:13 p.m.

The IU women's track and field team stormed the track last weekend, competing against the defending national champions, Auburn, and many other notable opponents at the Hoosier Relays. The Hoosiers had a strong showing across all events throughout the two-day meet. Seniors Courtney Johnson and Lindsay Hattendorf led IU by posting NCAA provisional qualifying times.

Top recruit rejects IU for Florida

By John Wustrow · Thursday, Feb. 8,2007 11:26 a.m.

For the past few weeks, the question surrounding the IU football team was "Will he or won't he?" On Wednesday, the question was answered. Jerimy Finch, the No. 1 high-school football recruit in Indiana, will not be suiting up for Hoosier coach Terry Hoeppner next season.

IU women swimmers aim for 1st Big Ten championship since 2003

By Brian Buckey · Wednesday, Feb. 7,2007 10:51 p.m.

Although the IU women's swimming and diving team heads into this weekend's Big Ten championships as the highest ranked team in the Big Ten, coach Ray Looze insists they aren't making the trip to Minneapolis as the favorites. "The rankings are based on the dual meet system and are really just speculation," Looze said. "We finished in fourth place last year and, based on the seeds, we're picked to finish third or fourth again this year."

Hoosiers ready for road test against Badgers tonight

By Lee Hurwitz · Wednesday, Feb. 7,2007 10:50 p.m.

It's getting close to that time of year. After winning its last two games, the IU women's basketball team is set to make its case for an NCAA tournament bid. With five games left to play, the Hoosiers (15-9, 4-7) travel to Wisconsin, where they will look to build on their regular season resume against a Badger team in the midst of a two-game losing streak. IU coach Felisha Legette-Jack credits her team's recent success to its focus on present tasks. "We're not going to look ahead and we can't go there," Legette-Jack said. "We're not old enough yet to think about five games. Those thoughts are just way too analytical for our team this year, so we're just going to stay in the moment."

UPDATE 4:32 p.m.: IU announces 2007 football recruiting class; top prospect spurns IU for Florida

By IDS staff and Aaron Beard · Wednesday, Feb. 7,2007 5:29 p.m.

Though IU football coach Terry Hoeppner and the Hoosiers landed a 19-player recruiting class, the coach lost thier most valuable recruit, Warren Central safety Jerimy Finch. Finch signed a letter of intent to play at Florida. In January, Finch gave the Hoosiers a verbal committment to play in Bloomington after spurning a previous verbal committment to play at Michigan.

Paving the way

By DeAntae Prince · Wednesday, Feb. 7,2007 2:53 p.m.

The locker room was divided. The dark-skinned players sat side-by-side, opposite their white teammates before the game. That was the arrangement of the IU football team when George Taliaferro, now 80, led it to its only undefeated Big Ten championship, in 1945. Though he was an All-American running back and a leader who played a large role in the team's success, Taliaferro, who is black, said there were limits to what he was allowed to do at IU. He said he couldn't live in the dorms, and the only two things he did at IU was go to class and play football. "I faced a problem that I think still exists in today's sport," Taliaferro said. "I had to be twice as good as the white players to make the team and retain a spot. This format resulted in me playing with guys who had never played against or with a black person." IU would not be the last place Taliaferro saw this type of separation between his teammates. Taliaferro was the first African-American player ever drafted by an NFL team when the Chicago Bears selected him in the 13th round of the 1949 NFL draft. He instead elected to sign with the Los Angeles Dons of the All American Football League. "The pros weren't any better than the IU locker room, because money was involved," Taliaferro said. He returned to the NFL the following year with the New York Yanks and participated in three Pro Bowls during his six NFL seasons.

Kildow earns first major medal, Miller loses super-G title

Wednesday, Feb. 7,2007 1:11 p.m.

ARE, Sweden -- Lindsey Kildow whooshed a long sigh of relief after earning her first major championship medal. Bode Miller shrugged after finishing 24th and losing his super-G title, then fled the scene.

Rivera latest Cowboys candidate

By Aaron Beard and Jaime Aron · Wednesday, Feb. 7,2007 1:01 p.m.

IRVING, Texas -- Waiting two hours on a Chicago runway, Bears defensive coordinator Ron Rivera wondered if icy weather really was delaying his flight to a job interview in Dallas. "There was a vicious rumor going around Chicago didn't want me to leave so they weren't going to let the plane go," Rivera said.

IU diver set to represent U.S. for second year

By Brian Buckey · Tuesday, Feb. 6,2007 10:47 p.m.

On Jan. 26, IU diver Christina Loukas browsed the USA diving Web site looking for her name. Later that day, Loukas got a call from diving coach Jeff Huber confirming what she saw.

Blue Monday

By Aaron Beard and Steve Herman · Tuesday, Feb. 6,2007 3:35 p.m.

INDIANAPOLIS -- The RCA Dome never felt so good to the Super Bowl champion Indianapolis Colts. After a rain-soaked victory in Miami the night before and then a frigid, bone-numbing homecoming parade through the streets of downtown Indianapolis on Monday night, the Colts finally arrived back at their stadium for a raucous celebration with fans. More than 40,000 of them, just as loud and boisterous as they were when the Colts left the Dome two weeks earlier with the AFC championship, welcomed them home, reveling in the city's first major profesional sports championship in more than 30 years. "It sure feels good to be back in this Dome after playing in that weather last night," shouted Peyton Manning, the MVP in the Colts' 29-17 victory against the Chicago Bears. "On behalf of the players, we want to thank the greatest fans in the world." Most of the fans had been there for hours, patiently waiting for the team to arrive. The parade was supposed to begin about 4 p.m. but got under way late because the Colts' plane from Miami was delayed. "It might be a once-in-a-lifetime thing," Robert Smith of Indianapolis said while watching a giant-screen TV replay of Sunday night's victory over the Bears. Many of the fans were wearing Colts blue. Many held signs such as "We love our Colts" or just a simple "Thank You." Once the team arrived, still wearing their parkas or hooded sweatshirts from the below-zero wind chill outside, it was the Colts themselves who delivered all the thank yous. "You guys are awesome," coach Tony Dungy told the crowd. "For the last 16 or 18 hours, we've been enjoying this championship. We had a team party (in Miami) last night, but we were looking forward to coming home. This is more than we could have ever expected. Thank you for this turnout."

Colts return to giant rally in Dome

By Aaron Beard and Steve Herman · Tuesday, Feb. 6,2007 12:04 a.m.

INDIANAPOLIS -- The RCA Dome never felt so good to the Super Bowl champion Indianapolis Colts. After a rain-soaked victory in Miami the night before and then a frigid, bone-numbing homecoming parade through the streets of downtown Indianapolis on Monday night, the Colts finally arrived back at their stadium for a raucous celebration with fans.

Student Athletic Board asks fans to dress like Sampson

By Michael Sanserino · Monday, Feb. 5,2007 11:31 p.m.

Ryan Nietert knows better. You don't wear white after Labor Day. So when the Student Athletic Board president wanted to rally IU's student fans for the men's basketball team's game against Illinois on Saturday, Nietert didn't suggest a white out. Instead the senior wanted all students to wear a blue shirt and red tie as a tribute to IU coach Kelvin Sampson.

BLUE REIGN

By DeAntae Prince · Monday, Feb. 5,2007 4 p.m.

In the waning moments of Super Bowl XLI, Colts fans at Nick's English Hut did not want to jinx their team. They were afraid anything could happen with time still left in the game. Once the clock hit zero, they were able to start the party. The Indianapolis Colts defeated the Chicago Bears 29-17 on Sunday night to give the Circle City its first major championship -- and many in the Bloomington community celebrated, too. "(The) Colts are a team of destiny," junior Ty Ferraro said. "It's meant be -- everything lined up for them this year. Peyton Manning's the best quarterback in the league." Despite the number of IU students from Chicago, the crowd at Nick's English Hut was full of Colts fans. "I love my Colts," senior Katie Fagan said after the game. "They (were) absolutely fantastic today. (Colts coach) Tony Dungy deserves this more than any other coach in the NFL. I just love it." The IU campus roared in rejoice as the Colts finally won the big game that had eluded them so many times. Despite their love for the Colts, many fans seemed to find more joy in downing the Bears and quarterback Rex Grossman.

Campus readies for 'Super' Sunday

By John Wustrow · Monday, Feb. 5,2007 1:31 p.m.

Are you ready for some football? As the Indianapolis Colts and Chicago Bears prepare to face off in Super Bowl XLI on Sunday in Miami, campus is buzzing with one question: Colts or Bears? "I think its it's split pretty evenly," junior Nick Farrell said. "I see a lot of Colts jerseys and a lot of Bears jerseys. A lot of people from Chicago go here at IU." Farrell, a Colts fan, said the fact there are so many Bears fans at IU, coupled with the campus being just an hour south of Indianapolis, has led to a bit of trash talk for the last two weeks. "Rex Grossman sucks, Peyton Manning sucks," Farrell said, describing the trash talk. "I don't see how you couldn't like Peyton, though." Freshman Tim Perez is also a Colts fan. He said that his residence hall, Teter Quad, is split pretty evenly between fans of both teams -- and it has resulted in some verbal sparring on his floor. "Colts fans always say how Peyton Manning is better," he said. "And Bears fans try to argue that they have a better defense." Incidents around campus involving fans of the two teams have been relatively mild according to sophomore Marc Momcilovich, a Bears fan. Momcilovich has had four-letter expletives yelled outside his door, "but besides that it's no big deal," he said. "We'll see on Sunday." Not everyone at IU is a fan of the Bears or Colts.

No. 59 IU sweeps weekend opponents

By Aaron Beard · Monday, Feb. 5,2007 12:13 a.m.

The IU men's tennis team swept through its weekend matches, posting a 6-1 record in wins against Marquette and Northern Illinois. The No. 59 Hoosiers improved their spring record to 6-1 with Saturday's victories. The only loss of the season came last week against Notre Dame, where the Hoosiers fell 7-0.

Hoosiers cruise to 8-0 record

By Kevin Kane · Monday, Feb. 5,2007 12:12 a.m.

As senior Laura McGaffigan battled Marquette's Kylie Moore through a tie-breaking third set, a row of seven other Hoosiers in the adjacent court encouraging their team captain. McGaffigan took the set, winning the match 6-4, 2-6, 6-3, to cap the first of the IU women's tennis team's pair of Sunday victories against Marquette and Ball State. The Hoosiers won all but one point on the day, sweeping Marquette 7-0 before beating Ball State 6-1.

Men, women individuals place well at Indiana Relays

By Ryan Gregg · Monday, Feb. 5,2007 12:11 a.m.

This weekend's Indiana Relays marked the fourth consecutive meet held in the Harry Gladstein Fieldhouse, and the meet provided a chance for the young Hoosier track and field teams to get a taste of what the Big Ten championships will be like.

No. 20 Hoosiers struggle out west

By Tom Kir · Monday, Feb. 5,2007 12:09 a.m.

The No. 20 IU water polo team headed out west to the Stanford Invitational in Palo Alto, Calif., to face some of the nations' top ranked teams. And the competition lived up to its billing as the Hoosiers dropped all four games they played, falling to 3-5 on the season.