Sports

Happy Valley rewards

The IU men's soccer team took its 47-game conference unbeaten streak into University Park this weekend to face Penn State, a team that hadn't lost in a nation's best 12 games. In the end, it was IU's streak that was extended to 48.

Wisconsin halts IU's momentum

Anyone who watched the IU women's soccer game Sunday left with a sense of déjà vu in their 5-2 loss to the University of Wisconsin. The Hoosiers said they learned their lesson against Oakland, but the Hoosiers' intensity between the first and second halves was like night and day again.

Three more Hoosiers enter Hall of Fame

Three more murals were added to 129 that already stand watch over the north and south entrances to Assembly Hall. The murals rarely receive more than a glance from the thousands of students who pour into Assembly Hall each winter -- despite the presence of the three words that carry the most weight when it comes to individual achievement in sports -- "Hall of Fame."

on the SIDELINES

Houston wins wild race for final National League playoff berth

HOUSTON -- The Houston Astros charged into the playoffs with their 18th consecutive home victory, capping an incredible turnaround by beating Colorado 5-3 Sunday to win the NL wild card.

Defense's inability to prevent big plays plague team

It was the same song, different day for the Hoosiers. The Michigan Wolverines put away an IU team in the second half of Saturday's contest, 35-14. After threatening from the red zone three times and keeping the game within a touchdown in the first half, Michigan went on a 21-7 rout in the latter half to secure the 35-14 win.

WOLVERINED

Plays come in all ranges and sizes, from small plays that net a few yards to medium plays that keep the team on the field. But Saturday, it was Michigan's "big plays" that resulted in the Hoosiers losing their third straight game, 35-14.

Season gets serious at Notre Dame Invitational

The honeymoon is over for the IU men's cross country team. After several weeks of training and low-key competition, the men travel to South Bend tomorrow for the Notre Dame Invitational, where they will line up against last year's NCAA Champion Stanford University.

Astros lead National League wild-card

HOUSTON -- The Houston Astros have done little wrong in the past month after doing little right for most of the season. After firing their manager and playing catch-up for the past three months, the Astros began Thursday with an improbable lead in the NL playoff race. They were atop the wild-card standing for the first time this season, a half-game ahead of San Francisco and the Chicago Cubs.

Hall of Fame ready for 3 new members

The IU Athletics Hall of Fame needs to make room for three more members Friday night. Former high jumper Dennis Adama, softball pitcher Amy Unterbrink-Poljan and swimmer Tom Stock will join the other 129 former Hoosiers on the walls of the north and south side of Assembly Hall.

IU faces pair of Pennsylvania teams

The IU women's field hockey team returns to competition this weekend to face off against Penn State and Bucknell University. The Hoosiers come in having lost their last three matches, bringing the team to an overall record of 6-4.

Meet showcases top U.S. talent

The east coast has plenty of competition. There's the Yankee-Red Sox rivalry or a Duke University-Univeristy of North Carolina men's hoops match-up. When the IU women's cross country team toes the line today in the Great American Cross-Country Festival in Cary, N.C., it'll witness firsthand the east-coast competitiveness.

Penn State next for No. 6 IU

It is a matchup of streaks. The No. 6 IU men's soccer team takes its 47-match regular season Big Ten Conference unbeaten streak to State College, Pa., today to take on No. 3 Penn State (5-4-0 overall, 0-0 Big Ten). PSU enters the game riding the nation's longest unbeaten streak -- 12 games -- which dates back to last season.

on the SIDELINES

Cubs continue losing streak, fall to Reds in 12 CHICAGO -- Javier Valentin doubled in the go-ahead run with two outs in the 12th inning, and the Cincinnati Reds played spoiler again, sending the Chicago Cubs to a crushing 2-1 defeat Thursday.

McCarthy's hat trick lifts Hoosiers to 3-0 victory

A hat-trick of goals courtesy of freshman Lindsay McCarthy was all IU needed in its 3-0 mid-week, non-conference victory over Oakland University Thursday night.

17-year itch

The IU football team is looking to make a statement -- again. After knocking off then-No. 24 University of Oregon, 30-24, and moving to 2-0, hopes for a successful season began running high around Hoosier football. Two disappointing losses later, IU faces an important battle against No. 18 Michigan at 2:30 p.m. Saturday at Memorial Stadium.

IU eyes revenge with Oakland in town

The IU women's soccer team wants revenge and they want it bad. Last year, Oakland University thumped IU 3-0. This time the Hoosiers are hoping to return the favor when they play host to Oakland tonight at 7 p.m. in what will be the first of a four-game home stand.

IU runner distances himself from pack

Two years ago, at the Penn Relays, senior track and cross country runner Tom Burns impatiently awaited his race in the 3,000-meter steeple chase. With the starting gunshot he quickly set his pace in the middle of the pack. Lap by lap, he slowly began kicking his feet up quicker and pumping his fists harder, contending with the big names in the NCAA.

Linemen focus on clearing a path

The life of a lineman can be quantified in four simple words: All guts, no glory. Play after play, down after down, the big guys in the trenches make hits and open holes for both the running backs and quarterback. If they do their job, the offense prospers; if they don't, the team falters.

Ski and snowboard looking for snow, pumped for winter

With winter just a few short months away, it's time to get out those boots, wax up those skis (or boards) and start praying for snow. Most people don't make the connection between skiing and Indiana, after all, this is a state that has a maximum height of just over 1,200 feet.