Untested receivers show optimism
A glance at last season's statistics shows the 2001 IU football team will lack experienced receivers. Senior Antwaan Randle El, who switched from quarterback to receiver this spring, said otherwise.
A glance at last season's statistics shows the 2001 IU football team will lack experienced receivers. Senior Antwaan Randle El, who switched from quarterback to receiver this spring, said otherwise.
For the second consecutive weekend, the IU women's indoor track team will travel to a non-scored meet. The only difference is that seven athletes trek to compete in the Florida Relays at the University of Florida, while everyone else journeys north to the Purdue Open. After scorching the track at Arizona State last weekend, the seven athletes headed to Gainsville, Fla., plan to improve on their NCAA provisional qualifying marks in seven events against some of the toughest competition in the nation.
After a brief yet successful stint at home, the women's tennis team travels to West Lafayette to challenge Purdue at 10 a.m. Sunday at the Lafayette Sports Center. IU (10-6, 1-2 Big Ten) brings the momentum of a three-game winning streak to a series that has never been overly competitive. Purdue (3-10, 0-3 Big Ten) has been on the losing side 40 out of the 41 times the Hoosiers and Boilermakers have tangled.
The Illinois men's tennis team hasn't lost a Big Ten match since April 13, 1997. The site of that loss? Bloomington. The Fighting Illini will return to the IU Tennis Center at noon Saturday for a shot at revenge and a Big Ten record. Since its loss to IU nearly four years ago, Illinois has won 48 consecutive Big Ten matches, just one short of the record 49 set by Michigan from 1971 to 1976. With a win against the Hoosiers Saturday and a win at Purdue Sunday, the Illini, who have won four consecutive Big Ten titles, could capture the new record.
The men's soccer team opens its spring season at 7:30 p.m. today at Bill Armstrong Stadium with a match against IU-Purdue University at Indianapolis. The Jaguars are a familiar opponent, and one that gave the Hoosiers trouble the last time the teams met. When IUPUI came to Bill Armstrong Stadium last season, IU needed goals from junior Pat Noonan and senior Ryan Mack in the final five minutes to pull out a 2-0 victory. Noonan and Mack lead the Hoosiers once again this spring.
Minnesota's and IU's baseball teams are spiraling in different directions. The Golden Gophers (13-11), last year's regular-season Big Ten champions, have won four of their last five games by an average of 11 runs. The Hoosiers (15-10-1) have lost three of their last five games, including a 7-5 loss to IU-Purdue University at Indianapolis (4-13), which scored five runs in the ninth inning Tuesday.
The University of Michigan shocked everyone last year when the underdog Wolverines shut out top-ranked Iowa 2-0 in the Big Ten Softball Championships to take home the conference crown. But if the national polls are any indication, the Wolverines enter Big Ten action this week facing yet another uphill climb in their title defense.
Softball players Stormy Hanson and Brooke Monroe think they have a bond that will last a lifetime. How do they know they've forged a lifelong friendship? Perhaps it's because Hanson can wake Monroe at 3 a.m., for fear Bigfoot is outside her window.
The softball team has struggled to a 10-19 pre-conference record, and it won't get any easier with conference play set to begin today. IU embarks on its goal of making it to the Big Ten tournament with a doubleheader against Wisconsin (17-12) at 2 p.m. at the IU Softball Field. "I think Wisconsin is definitely going to be a tough opponent," coach Diane Stephenson said. "I talked to the team, and we definitely know we have to step it up a notch to be competitive in the Big Ten."
While coaches often prepare the game plan and athletes execute on the field, there is another group of people at IU that helps the athletic teams achieve -- the student athletic trainers.
The IU women's soccer team opened its spring schedule Saturday with a 2-0 win against St. Louis. IU got on the board in the first half when the Hoosiers played a deep ball in the Biliken zone where IU freshman Kim Sturm one-timed a ball past the SLU keeper. Freshman Shelly Gruszka added the assist.
Lin Loring, in his 24th season as the women's tennis coach, can add another award to his list of accomplishments. Loring has been selected as 2001 recipient of the Bill Orwig Medal by the IU Alumni Association.
The IU softball team dropped both games of a doubleheader against Louisville Tuesday. The Hoosiers (10-19) lost the opener 5-4 and were shut out in the second game 5-0. With the win, the Cardinals improve their record to 22-11.
IUPUI scored five times in the top of the ninth inning to defeat IU 7-5 Tuesday at Sembower Field and snap the Hoosier's 14-game win streak against the Jaguars.
Men's golf team finishes 11th in tournament The men\'s golf team finished tied for 11th place in the rain-shortened Dr. Pepper Intercollegiate this weekend in Pottsboro, Texas.
Chilly weather kept the softball team from playing its doubleheader against Ball State Sunday. Today the Hoosiers will get another chance to do battle if the weather cooperates.
Scoring 30 or more points per game was not a problem for the IU football team last season. It was the 40 or more points given up by the defense that drew concern.
Before the baseball team faces 2000 Big Ten champion Minnesota this weekend in Bloomington, the Hoosiers will prepare for the Golden Gophers with a mid-week game against a team that's won less than one fifth of its games.
This weekend, the water polo team will compete against familiar foes as the Hoosiers travel to Ann Arbor, Mich., for its second weekend of Collegiate Water Polo Association conference play. IU is the only undefeated team in CWPA.
After a stretch of matches on the road, the women's tennis team finally has a match at their place this weekend. In fact, it has two. IU plays at home for the first time in more than a month after getting one win in five tries on the road, dropping their record to 8-6, 1-2 in the Big Ten.