Ready to run
IU coach Mike Davis has long said he wants to construct a transition game, but he just hasn't had the tools to build it. In years past, preseason plans to pick up the pace have generally been foiled as the season unraveled.
IU coach Mike Davis has long said he wants to construct a transition game, but he just hasn't had the tools to build it. In years past, preseason plans to pick up the pace have generally been foiled as the season unraveled.
A dream game for senior Brian Plotkin ended on a sour note as the midfielder will miss the first game of the Big Ten tournament Thursday. When center referee Abiodun Okulaja gave Plotkin a yellow card in the 68th minute it meant more than getting Plotkin's name in the ref's book. For his fifth yellow card of the season, Plotkin must serve a one-game suspension.
IU coach Mike Freitag and his three seniors are so focused on tonight's match with No. 1 University of Akron, they said they pretty much forgot about another important event -- Senior Night. Not only will fans be treated to the team ranked No. 1 in the latest National Soccer Coaches Association of America poll, but this could be the last time Hoosier fans see seniors Mike Ambersley, Jordan Chirico and Brian Plotkin put on their uniforms and play on Yeagley Field.
The Penn State volleyball team will bring a few things to Bloomington when it leaves State College, Pa., for its matchup with IU on Friday. The Nittany Lions will bring a No. 3 national ranking, a 21-2 overall record, a 12-0 conference record, a three-game lead over the second place team in the Big Ten and a junior middle hitter by the name of Kim Holm.
Walking into the Frank Southern Ice Arena, the smell of dirty socks fills the air. Commonly called "The Frank," the arena is dark, drab and features a relatively small skating area. Many opponents come into this arena thinking the shanty-like appearance will correlate to a washed-up IU hockey team. But what they soon find out is this ice arena serves as one of the toughest places for opposing teams to play in.
With Hoosier Hysteria now passed and three weeks of practice under its belt, the IU women's basketball team will take the court for the first time this season tonight as the Hoosier Lady Stars come to town for an exhibition matchup.
NEW YORK -- Seattle right fielder Ichiro Suzuki, Minnesota center fielder Torii Hunter and Oakland third baseman Eric Chavez won their fifth straight Gold Gloves Tuesday. Boston catcher Jason Varitek, Texas first baseman Mark Teixeira and Toronto second baseman Orlando Hudson were first-time winners, while New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter and Blue Jays outfielder Vernon Wells won for the second straight season.
It's been called table soccer, table football and even babyfoot, but most people know it as foosball. With its unique mix of soccer and puppetry, it's a very common pastime for people of all ages. What is not widely known, however, is that a club for this sport exists at IU.
Monday night, the Mike Standerski All-Stars wrapped up their second consecutive undefeated season by defeating the Pi Kappas 30-15 in the intramural whiffleball championship. The win makes 15 in a row for the All-Stars, bringing their three-year record to 21-2. "It's amazing," said junior Justin Ross. "We were upset when we didn't win our freshman year, but this has been unbelievable. It's fun to say you're back-to-back champions at a university like this. You don't get that opportunity every day, no matter what the sport is."
Five years ago this month, Sean Jefferson, along with twin brother John, decided to run for the Hoosier cross country team. At the time, they had solid personal bests and elite credentials in both cross country and track. Sean was a multiple-time Florida state champion in the 3,200-meter and set the state record for the event. Despite this success, Sean's cross country abilities were less clear. Since his arrival at IU, Sean Jefferson has set an IU freshman record in the 5,000-meters with a time of 13 minutes, 58 seconds, earned three All-American awards and won an NCAA mile title. In addition, Jefferson made his presence known at the NCAA's highest level with a convincing mile victory at the 2004 Indoor Track and Field Championships, finishing in 4:00.2.
DECATUR, Ga. -- Atlanta Hawks center Jason Collier died from a sudden heart rhythm disturbance caused by an abnormally enlarged heart, an autopsy showed. The state's chief medical examiner, Dr. Kris Sperry, said Tuesday his testing showed that electrocardiograms administered to Collier, who died Oct. 15 after having breathing troubles at his Georgia home, in 2003 and this year showed "some indication of electrical abnormalities."
With three games left in its season and two wins still needed for bowl appearance, IU has lost senior linebacker John Pannozzo for the remainder of the season. Pannozzo is IU's second-leading tackler and the captain of a defense struggling for stops in the late stages of their Big Ten campaign.
IU was selected as the No. 3 team in the Big Ten this season at Big Ten media day this weekend in Chicago. The Hoosiers were predicted to finish behind Michigan State, who claims the top spot, and defending Big Ten champion Illinois. "It's the first time we've been picked that high in a long time" said IU coach Mike Davis. "I think when you go from two, three, four, five and six, every (team) is the same ... I think we have about eight teams that could make it to the tournament (from the Big Ten)." IU finished fifth in the Conference last season with a 10-6 conference record. The team jumped Minnesota and Wisconsin in the preseason rankings as it returns four starters and adds Auburn transfers Marco Killingsworth and Lewis Monroe.
When the IU men's soccer team trailed by three goals with 17 minutes remaining, it took an 18-year-old freshman to bring the Hoosiers back. For his efforts against Maryland and Notre Dame, College Soccer News named freshman forward Lee Nguyen as its National Player of the Week. Nguyen's two assists and one goal also earned him Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week.
For 89 minutes and 50 seconds Saturday night, the IU men's soccer team was again coming up short in a game it felt it should be winning. For 89 minutes and 50 seconds, the University of Maryland thought it had figured out what it took to finally beat the Hoosiers. For 89 minutes and 50 seconds, a record crowd of 6,203 fans cheered on the Terrapins, anticipating one of the biggest regular season wins in school history.
Tennessee has gone from preseason No. 3 to not even receiving a vote in The Associated Press Top 25. The Volunteers (3-4) fell from the rankings Sunday for the first time in three years after losing 16-15 to South Carolina and old nemesis Steve Spurrier. No. 1 Southern California, No. 2 Texas and No. 3 Virginia Tech, all 8-0, hold the top three spots in the media poll for the sixth straight week. USC received 57 of 65 first-place votes, adding two from last week, and extending its record streak at No. 1 to 28 straight polls. The Trojans beat Washington State 55-13 on Saturday Texas received eight first-place votes, down two from last week, after having to rally from a 19-point deficit to beat Oklahoma State 47-28.
Road travels were again hard on the IU women's volleyball team as it was defeated by Big Ten rivals Iowa and Minnesota over the weekend. Both squads held "Pack the House" nights against the Hoosiers, adding momentum to the competitive environment, and IU coach Katie Weismiller said feedback from the fans was astonishing.
DETROIT -- The Detroit Lions were bailed out after one ill-advised Jeff Garcia play in the fourth quarter, then the Chicago Bears burned them on another in overtime. Garcia's across-the-body pass was picked off by Charles Tillman and returned 22 yards for a touchdown with 8:43 left in overtime Sunday, lifting Chicago atop the NFC North with a 19-13 win over Detroit.
The No. 9 IU men's swimming team fought a tough battle on the road at Minnesota, but came up short 163-137 despite an impressive diving performance. No. 11 Minnesota claimed a sum of nine titles at the meet while IU took seven.
The No. 16 IU women's swimming and diving team emerged with an impressive road win Saturday by defeating the No. 23 Minnesota Golden Gophers 177.5-122.5. The Hoosiers were able to respond appropriately to what IU coach Ray Looze called a "prize fight" between the two talented Big Ten teams.