Hoosiers have last title shot
The IU hockey team will get only two games to erase last weekend's Great Midwest Hockey League tournament semifinal loss before it goes to the American Collegiate Hockey Association finals next weekend.
The IU hockey team will get only two games to erase last weekend's Great Midwest Hockey League tournament semifinal loss before it goes to the American Collegiate Hockey Association finals next weekend.
Coming off a strong 3-2 tournament, including an 8-3 victory over San Jose State, the Hoosier softball team faces a five game weekend in Tampa, Fla. The South Florida Tournament pits IU against Maryland and Hofstra Friday and then Seton Hall and the hosting South Florida Bulls Saturday.
The IU women's swimming and diving team finished the first day at the Big Ten Swimming and Diving Championships in a fourth place tie, but within eight points of co-leaders Wisconsin and Penn State.
The IU baseball team will have to wait at least another couple days to start their season. The squad had been scheduled to play Morehead State over the weekend in Morehead Ky., but rain, snow and ice canceled the season opener.
This time last year, junior Mike Minton could not even throw a shot put without excruciating pain from a ball of cartilage that had formed in his elbow. Now, he is winning invitationals against competition from around the country. This past weekend the No. 17 men's track and field team traveled to Plainfield, Ind., for the Canon IV Classic meet where Minton easily won the shot put. This was his second victory in as many weeks.
First came a win against Iowa in Assembly Hall 89-68. Then it was the surprise ending at Wisconsin 49-48 that gave the women's basketball team a two game winning streak. They look to continue the streak when they play Northwestern (7-17, 2-11 Big Ten) tonight at the Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston, Ill. IU (11-11, 4-8) last met this Northwestern team at Assembly Hall and defeated the Wildcats 62-52. It was a game where three Hoosiers scored in double figures.
IOWA CITY, Iowa -- When the Hoosier's road losing streak began over a month ago at Ohio State, Coach Mike Davis lamented that his team lacked a true leader, a floor general who could pull the team together during tough times and infuse some confidence. After the Hoosiers' home win against Michigan Feb. 12, he said he had decided to take over the leadership role rather than look to any of his seniors.
IOWA CITY, Iowa -- The men's basketball team did something a little different Wednesday night. Against Iowa in Carver-Hawkeye Arena, the Hoosiers picked up a halftime lead. And this time, they didn't squander it. For the first time in seven tries, and not since Dec. 31, 2002, IU picked up a road win against the Iowa Hawkeyes, 79-63.
Being stuck in middle of the "Storm of the Decade" felt a little sweeter for the women's water polo team after coming off its successful weekend. They finally made it back to Bloomington two and half days after they were supposed to return. After finishing their four win and no loss performance at the Princeton Invitational in Princeton, N.J., the No. 12 Hoosiers were part of the millions stranded throughout the Northeast because of the largest snowfall of this winter season.
Senior sprinter Danielle Carruthers has assembled an impressive resume in her four years of running for the IU track team. During last year's outdoor Big Ten Championships, Carruthers won the 100m hurdle title with a time of 12.68, making her the owner of the fastest time in the world. Carruthers was the runner-up at the NCAA Indoor Championships in the 60-meter hurdles. She won the 60-meter dash at the Big Ten Championship meet and in the process set an IU and meet record.
Senior Stormy Hanson will leave IU as one of the most productive softball players in Hoosier history. A Las Vegas product, Hanson will likely compete for All-Big Ten honors this spring. As a junior, Hanson led the Hoosiers in nine offensive categories while splitting time at third base and catcher. But this season Hanson will make a permanent home behind the plate. "I'm glad that this season I can just focus on one position," Hanson said. "With catching, you have to have leadership and the ability to guide the team, and I feel I am capable of doing just that."
One year ago, all that separated the IU women's swimming and diving team from a championship was a few inches. If it were not for a disqualification due to a false start, the Hoosiers would have captured their first Big Ten Championship since 1981. Today the 2003 edition of the Hoosiers look to avenge the heartbreaking loss it suffered, as the Big Ten Conference Championship Meet begins tonight on the Purdue campus.
Ten wins and three ranked teams later, the IU men's volleyball club team is ranked No. 1. The team beat the University of Arizona in an exhibition game on Feb. 7 and went on to win the Desert Thunder tournament later that weekend. After playing well in pool play on Saturday, the team was ranked No. 2 in the Gold Division heading into Sunday's elimination round. On Sunday, IU defeated U.C. Davis in the quarterfinals, a team that senior captain Jeremy Levy said would be a tough test before the tournament.
The Big Ten season is beginning to wind down and the men's basketball team (15-9, 5-6) is rounding the home stretch with three of its last five on the road, where the team has not won a game since New Year's Eve. While the Hoosiers have exhibited strong play in the first halves of many of those games (e.g. Louisville, Michigan State, and Wisconsin) they have had problems finishing teams off after halftime.
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- A weight-loss drug containing a stimulant probably contributed to the heatstroke death of Baltimore Orioles pitching prospect Steve Bechler, a coroner said Tuesday. Bechler had been taking an over-the-counter supplement that contained ephedrine, which has been linked to heatstroke and heart trouble, Broward County medical examiner Dr. Joshua Perper said.
Senior forward Jeff Newton was honored as co-Big Ten Player of the Week after getting a double-double in back-to-back games this week. It is the first time Newton, who shares the award with Wisconsin guard Kirk Penney, has received recognition for this weekly accolade.
After last weekend's Stanford Invitational junior Melissa Pietras made a bold and confident statement about her Hoosier team heading into this weekend's Princeton Invitational. "It's now time for us to go out there and win some games, I don't see any reason why we shouldn't go undefeated this weekend," Pietras said.
Coach Duane Goldman has maintained all season long that his team is young and learning, but is still talented. "This year we want to get them some experience and get them to learn to win," Goldman said of his underclassmen at the start of the year. "It should be really exciting for the future."
In the Big Ten, it's difficult to win matches when your team is not healthy, especially when you open up against two of the top programs in the country. The Hoosiers (5-5, 0-2 Big Ten) learned that the hard way on Saturday and Sunday as they were defeated 5-2 by No. 33 Wisconsin and 7-0 to No. 11 Northwestern Wildcats here in Bloomington.
IU entered this weekend's tough New Mexico State tournament with no season experience and a new head coach, but came out 3-2 with victories against San Jose State, Eastern Illinois and Bowling Green. They lost to Marshall and Southwest Texas State.