Sports

IU has chance to clinch top seed

By Aarno Retherford and Aaron Retherford · Friday, Oct. 18,2002 1:22 a.m.

IU has a chance to clinch the No. 1 seed of the Big Ten Tournament outright with a win or tie Sunday. But it won't be easy against a hungry Ohio State team that is coming off a 1-0 heartbreaking loss to Penn State and a 3-0 drubbing of Oakland. The Hoosiers (11-1-2, 5-0-0 in Big Ten) are riding a ten-game winning streak, but the Buckeyes (9-4-0, 2-1-0 in Big Ten) are going to try to get back on track after Penn State ended their six-game winning streak.

All guts and no glory for revamped Hoosier defense

By Alex MelloanRuiz · Thursday, Oct. 17,2002 11:30 a.m.

New to IU this season, women's soccer coach Mick Lyon inherited a unknown defense. Lyon said he knew changes would have to be made in order to remedy an ailing squad that ranked last in Big Ten conference play in both shutouts and goals allowed in 2001. "During preseason, and the first couple of games, I thought we would be an absolute liability at the back," Lyon said. "I knew it was going to be a personal task to put some semblance of good defense together." Fortunately for the Hoosiers, Lyon's teaching worked and IU has improved to fifth in the Big Ten in both goals allowed and shutouts.The team said they felt that during their game against Michigan State the defense finally clicked in the 1-0 shutout. It marked the team's fifth shutout of the season.

Tennis serves as family tradition

By Stephanie Sims · Thursday, Oct. 17,2002 1:36 a.m.

Playing for the IU men's tennis team is a family tradition for senior Zach Held. Both of Held's older brothers played tennis at IU; the oldest played here 12 years ago. But, it wasn't always that clear-cut of a choice for Held, as he opted to go to the University of Michigan for his freshman year before transferring.

Foreign players bring new outlook to American game

By Tyler Rainey · Thursday, Oct. 17,2002 1:35 a.m.

Sports like basketball, baseball and football in the U.S. were once dominated by white American-born players. Today, the sports world is more diverse with people of different races and ethnic backgrounds, and the IU women's tennis team is no exception. Five out of nine women on the team are European.

Newcomer adjusts to college game quickly

By Matt Glenesk · Thursday, Oct. 17,2002 1:34 a.m.

The vast majority of freshman golfers take a redshirt year during their first year at IU. A redshirt allows the athlete to sit out a season to become acclimated with the differences between high school and collegiate playing levels. It's rare to have a true freshman play and contribute to the team's scores. Freshman Molly Redfearn has become the exception to this unwritten rule.

Norway import provides new perspective

By Cory Steger · Thursday, Oct. 17,2002 1:32 a.m.

Growing up in Oslo, Norway, junior Line Espedal said she never thought she would be rowing at a school in the Midwest. In fact, she had never competed in a regatta before coming to school here. What originally attracted her to IU was the Kelley School of Business.

Winning streak continues against Cats

By Alyson Brodsy · Thursday, Oct. 17,2002 1:30 a.m.

IU squeaked out a 2-1 victory against rival Kentucky Wednesday in Lexington. Senior Pat Noonan led the Hoosiers with two goals increasing his team point lead to 24.

World Series will bring Giants and Angels up to bat

By Janie McCauley and Josh Dubow · Wednesday, Oct. 16,2002 1:06 a.m.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Baseball will have another wild-card champion. The San Francisco Giants won the NL pennant on Monday night, setting up a World Series matchup of second-place teams when they play the AL champion Anaheim Angels. Game 1 is Saturday night at Edison Field, with Barry Bonds hoping to succeed in his first trip onto baseball's biggest stage against the Angels, who have never been to the Series and don't have any players who have, either. "Saturday, I'll get there finally," Bonds said. "It's pretty nice. Any World Series is nice."

Golfers swing to 5th place finish

By Josh Weinfuss · Wednesday, Oct. 16,2002 1:05 a.m.

During a fall season that was marked with one bad round every tournament, the IU men's golf team concluded the first half of the 2002-2003 campaign with a fifth place finish at the Xavier Invitational Tuesday in Mason, Ohio. In a course of 48 hours, the Hoosiers bounced around the leaderboard. From starting the first round shooting a nine-over-par, 293 to taking the lead for the middle holes in the second round in which they finished in fourth place with a 287. This left them 12 shots back from the top spot to starting the third round in atrocious fashion, and finishing the round with a 288 which left them 16 shots from the tournament winner, Wright State. "We got off to a horrendous start in the third round, but these guys are tough and battled back as much as we could," coach Mike Mayer said. "They showed a lot of determination." Mayer contributes the awful start Tuesday as a carry over from the end of the second round. He said that a poor second round finish, their play carried over to the third round.

Injured runner returns with success

By Steve Hinson · Wednesday, Oct. 16,2002 1:03 a.m.

Junior Nate Purcell provided the men's cross country team with a pleasant surprise. Coming off a nagging heel injury last season, Purcell was forced into surgery last spring and it was undetermined when he would be back to full strength. Purcell's surgery limited the mileage he was able to run over the summer. His training consisted of running nearly half the amount that the rest of the team. Due to this, Purcell and coach Robert Chapman focused on the later part of the season. "With Nate, we both knew it would be a progressive process as the year goes on," Chapman said. "He's going to get a little better each week." Chapman referred to Purcell as a relief to the pressure of the younger runners. He said Purcell will pick up the slack if anyone falters.

Single senior leads team

By Dan Cohen and Daniel Cohen · Wednesday, Oct. 16,2002 1:01 a.m.

What is so amazing about senior Hillary Toivonen is not that she is the lone senior on a 12-6 squad, or that she has played in over 60 straight matches in three years. Rather, it is that she is doing all of this when doctors told her it couldn't be done. A native of Muncie, Toivonen has defied the odds in her athletic career. In seventh grade, doctors diagnosed Toivonen with scoliosis. Her spinal curvature is off by 36 degrees from the normal curve. A condition to the extent of Toivonen's, especially in the back, creates serious problems for a person as athletic as herself. But it hasn't prevented Toivonen from reaching her goals.

Hitting back in postseason

By Benjy Ekhaus · Wednesday, Oct. 16,2002 12:59 a.m.

As the Anaheim Angels smacked hit after hit in the seventh inning of the ALCS's game five, I watched in awe and excitement. Every time Barry Bonds has been up to bat in the postseason, the intensity grows exponentially, as so often he has either come through himself or seen those behind him get the big hit. I have giddily watched this postseason, realizing that, finally, the bats are back. Sure, for years people have complained that hitting has gotten too easy, and that baseball is trying to increase scoring. But for too long, pitching has dominated the postseason. With the likes of Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, Roger Clemens, Randy Johnson, Curt Schilling and others, powerful hitters have only starred in the regular season spotlight. Too often in the last dozen years, postseason baseball has provided us with low scoring pitchers' duels that eliminated an exciting element of the game. It's not that I don't appreciate solid pitching and the importance of dominant hurlers, but the change of pace is what I will enjoy. This year, the strategy won't be so much of "should the reliever come in now, or wait until the next inning," as it will be "should they pitch to Bonds here, considering how well Benito Santiago has hit behind him in the lineup."

Hoosiers face rivals

By Aarno Retherford and Aaron Retherford · Wednesday, Oct. 16,2002 12:56 a.m.

IU will face Wildcats for the second game in a row, but this match up should prove to be much tougher. The Hoosiers are coming off of 5-1 and 1-0 wins against Wisconsin and the Northwestern Wildcats respectively this past weekend. IU (10-1-2) travels to Lexington to take on rival Kentucky (7-4-0) at 6:30 p.m. tonight. The two teams battled to a 1-1 tie in the preseason, and the Hoosiers look to come away with a victory to increase their winning streak to 10 games. The Hoosiers have dominated the Wildcats traditionally, only losing one of the 15 meetings between the two teams. But, a much-improved Kentucky team has given IU fits recently. IU needed two overtimes to beat Kentucky last year, and without sophomore Danny O'Rourke at the hub of the team, the Hoosiers will have a tough challenge on their hands. O'Rourke sustained a broken bone in his face during warm-ups before the Northwestern game.

Communication minimal for successful sophomore

By Colin Nowling · Wednesday, Oct. 16,2002 12:55 a.m.

In team competition, it is often vital to have good communication and unity amongst teammates. Soccer might be the best example of this technique as players are regularly calling out to their fellow teammates in order to organize plays and set up a possible goal opportunity. Thus when one sees IU sophomore midfielder Josh Reiher on the field and the success he has in communicating with his teammates, it may come as a surprise that Reiher is hearing impaired. Reiher regularly reads lips and sometimes uses sign language to communicate in everyday activity, he does the same on the field. Reiher, who came to IU from Homestead High School in Mequon, Wis., said he played all kinds of sports when he was a child and picked up soccer when he was 6-years-old. Soccer came easiest to Reiher and he said he loves the team aspect of the sport. While he admits communication was, at times, an issue in his younger days, but the IU coaching staff and players have been helpful in getting Reiher adjusted and involved on the field.

Top spots elusive as last round looms

By IDS staff and Alyson Brodsy · Tuesday, Oct. 15,2002 12:46 a.m.

After the first day of play at the Xavier Invitational in Mason, Ohio the Hoosiers are in contention for a shot at the top place during the third and final round today.

Quarterback earns conference honor

By Alyson Brodsy · Tuesday, Oct. 15,2002 12:37 a.m.

Senior quarterback Gibran Hamdan was named co-Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week along with Minnesota running back Terry Jackson for his performance against Wisconsin on Saturday. Hamdan led the Hoosiers from a 19-point deficit to a 32-29 victory over the Badgers.

Hoosiers' late comeback leaves No. 23 Badgers stunned

By Tyler Hoeppner and Tyler V. Hoeppner · Monday, Oct. 14,2002 12:36 p.m.

John Elway led one. Joe Montana had one too. Now senior Gibran Hamdan has a drive that produced late-game heroics and capped off a remarkable come-from-behind victory, his coming over No. 23 Wisconsin. Hamdan led the Hoosiers on a ten play, 76-yard drive that finished with a 20-yard pass to junior Glenn Johnson. Hamdan and Johnson hooked up again on a two-point conversion that gave the Hoosiers a 32-29 lead and erased a 19 point deficit with just 2:16 remaining in the game.

Wolverines too much for IU

By Alex MelloanRuiz · Monday, Oct. 14,2002 1:35 a.m.

IU lost a hard fought match against Big Ten leader Michigan Sunday evening at Bill Armstrong Stadium. The Hoosiers gave up their first home loss of the season to the No. 9 Wolverines in a 2-0 shutout. In the first half, both team's defenses controlled the attacking, and IU was able to prevent the Big Ten's points leader, senior forward Abby Crumpton, from doing any damage. Right from the beginning of the second period, Michigan loaded the guns and started to fire. IU looked vulnerable for the first five minutes but calmed down and got the ball into their attacking third. Yet, that worked in favor of the Wolverines because in the 57th minute Michigan forced a fast break off an errant throw in and took advantage of IU's off balance defense. Freshman Wolverine forward Therese Heaton put the ball past junior goalkeeper Shaunna Daugherty off an assist from Crumpton.

Around the game

Monday, Oct. 14,2002 1:33 a.m.

Women's volleyball ends four-game skid, Field hockey falls to Michigan State.

Team prepares for tournament

By Josh Weinfus and Josh Weinfuss · Monday, Oct. 14,2002 1:30 a.m.

Heading into their last tournament of the fall season, the Hoosier men's golf team is looking for a breakthrough performance -- finally. That opportunity will come at the hands of the 17 other teams on Monday and Tuesday at the Xavier Invitational at the Grizzly Tournament Course at the Golf Center at Kings Island in Mason, Ohio. The par 71, 6,550-yard PGA and Senior PGA caliber course has hosted tournaments for both associations in the last 30 years. "If (the course is) compared to Wisconsin, it's not long, and it's not tree-lined," coach Mike Mayer said. "But it does have holes that demand positioning and accuracy is the key."