Women's Golf

Five-year collective bargaining agreement awaits approval

By Alyson Brodsy and Ronald Blum · Sunday, Oct. 29,2006 6:21 p.m.

ST. LOUIS -- Bud Selig and Donald Fehr sat in the center of a dais, flanked by players and owners. For the second time in four years, they were proclaiming labor peace. "The last agreement produced stunning growth and revenue," Selig said. "I believe that five years from now people will be stunned how well we grew the sport." The five-year collective bargaining agreement, which runs through the 2011 season, is subject to ratification by both sides. The deal makes relatively minor changes to the previous agreement and doesn't alter baseball's drug rules. "This is the golden era in every way," Selig said. "The economics of our sport have improved dramatically, and that's good. That, after all, made for a more wholesome atmosphere. We didn't have to quarrel about a lot of things. So overall, it was a very, very important part of the environment that continues peace."

IU blows out Michigan State 46-21

By Tim O Brien and Tim O'Brien · Sunday, Oct. 29,2006 5:40 p.m.

Coming off a disappointing loss at Ohio State last weekend, the IU football team bounced back in grand fashion Saturday, defeating Michigan State 46-21. The Homecoming victory lifted IU to 5-4 overall and 3-2 in conference.

UPDATE: Hoosiers take Big Ten title

By Michael Sanserino · Friday, Oct. 27,2006 11:23 p.m.

The IU men's soccer team clinched the Big Ten regular season championship with a 1-0 victory over the Wisconsin Badgers Friday night.

UPDATE:BEHRMAN DEFENSE RESTS

Friday, Oct. 27,2006 12:13 p.m.

The defense rested its case Friday morning in the trial against John R. Myers II after only a day and half of presenting its case to the jury.

Sampson's team still adjusting to intense new practices

By Eamonn Brennan · Friday, Oct. 27,2006 11:58 a.m.

The "bubble drill" sounds easy enough. Maybe gentle, even. It goes like this: a coach throws the ball off the hoop -- which is covered by a plastic "bubble" -- and it bounces wildly while four players under the hoop leap and grab for it. That's when the no fouls, no rules, no-holds-barred fight begins. Work hard enough, make it through the grasping and writhing and clawing, and you might get the ball. Congratulations. You get to go again in a couple minutes. Oh, and if you get out-rebounded? Start running, chump.

NCAA to recommend new, tighter controls on spending

By Alyson Brodsy and Steve Herman · Friday, Oct. 27,2006 1:05 a.m.

INDIANAPOLIS -- The NCAA will recommend tighter controls on spending by its member athletic departments, with the reforms coming from the schools themselves rather than through the adoption of national standards. A reform structure similar to one adopted recently for academic standards won't work for spending because the NCAA does not have authority to dictate how its member schools should manage their operating budgets, NCAA President Myles Brand said Thursday.

Hoosiers seeking No. 3 Big Ten seed

By John Wustrow · Friday, Oct. 27,2006 1:03 a.m.

It's been a motto for the IU women's soccer team all season long: The next game is the most important game of the players' lives. In terms of important games, Friday's road game against Purdue (12-4-3, 5-3-1 Big Ten) could certainly qualify. The Hoosiers (9-5-4, 5-3-1 Big Ten) look to snap a three-game losing streak, work toward a higher seed for next weekend's Big Ten Tournament and try to earn an NCAA Tournament bid -- not to mention they are playing their in-state rivals. "I think we've refocused and are prepared for a huge game this Friday," senior midfielder Carrie DeFreece said. "I think we're going to take out our anger from the frustration from the last three games and have a good game this weekend."

Landfall marks IU's last shot

By Kevin Kane · Friday, Oct. 27,2006 1:02 a.m.

This weekend is the IU men's golf team's last chance. Since the beginning of the season, the Hoosiers have professed their expectations and desires to have success in the fall. With a few exceptions, this fall has mirrored last year's. Beginning play today in the Landfall Tradition in Wilmington, N.C. -- IU's last event until February -- the Hoosiers have one last chance to do something memorable before 2007. Before IU surged through the spring toward an NCAA berth last season, the team struggled in the fall, multiplying the pressure on the players to play at a high level in every spring event. The Hoosiers got away with their competitive procrastination. In the six spring tournaments before the Big Ten Championship, IU won two events and finished below the top three only once. The Hoosiers were determined to start this season as they ended their last in hopes of a more comfortable route to another NCAA bid. However, with one finish in the top five thus far, IU has hardly accomplished its goals. Though the Hoosiers proved last year a great second half of a season can yield a postseason berth, they would like to end the fall on a positive note.

No. 14 IU looks to snap 2-game losing streak

By Matt Dollinger · Friday, Oct. 27,2006 1:01 a.m.

October has been a long month for the IU field hockey team. Rewind to the first of the month to a Hoosier team that was on an 11-game winning streak and coming off a victory against the previously unbeaten Ohio State Buckeyes. Now fast-forward to the present to where lies a Hoosier team that has lost three of its last five games, including its last two. "A season has its ups and downs, and the last two weeks have definitely been our down cycle," IU coach Amy Robertson said.

Indianapolis' high-powered offense meets Broncos' stingy defense

By Alyson Brodsy · Friday, Oct. 27,2006 1:01 a.m.

DENVER -- A blizzard covered the Mile High City during the week, so maybe it's not too early in the NFL season to start talking about really significant games. Indianapolis at Denver is about as colossal as an October game can get. "I love a game like this because it doesn't get any bigger," Broncos wide receiver Javon Walker said. "It reminds me of back in college with Florida State getting ready for Florida or Miami. It's a big game. It's going to be magnified. People are talking about it."

Redshirt sophomore makes leap from Division-III school

By Lee Hurwitz · Friday, Oct. 27,2006 1 a.m.

Running cross country at IU was one of the last things on Kristina Trcka's mind. Two years ago, the redshirt sophomore was running cross country at Earlham College, a Division-III school in Richmond, Ind. After finding her teammates didn't quite have the level of competition or excitement that she did, Trcka opted to transfer to IU after her freshman year.

Byaah! A bowl game

By Alyson Brodsy and Andrew Shaffer · Friday, Oct. 27,2006 12:59 a.m.

Who coaches the IU football team? Is it Terry Hoeppner or former Democratic presidential frontrunner Howard Dean? On Monday, Hoeppner wrote a letter to the student body asking for a crowd of 50,000 to attend Saturday's Michigan State game. Hoeppner, like Dean, has sorely overestimated his public's enthusiasm. In 2004, Dean was running away with the Democratic nomination for president when he gave a screaming sermon that made him appear, well, certifiably insane. Soon enough, it was Dean's staunch supporters, rather than his chances for the nomination, that were running away.

Hoosier players: This is a must win

By Jake Brown and Jacob Brown · Friday, Oct. 27,2006 12:57 a.m.

It's time for the IU football team to ditch the old cliches: This is not just another game. "It's fair to say (this is a must-win game). Every game that we have is a must-win game," junior cornerback Tracy Porter said. "Put in the predicament we're in now, this is a must-win game for us." The situation IU finds itself in is simple. There are four games left on the schedule, and the Hoosiers must win two to achieve their goal of playing in a bowl game for the first time since the 1993 Independence Bowl.

IU welcomes Spartans for homecoming

By Tim O Brien and Tim O'Brien · Friday, Oct. 27,2006 12:56 a.m.

Two games and two very different results. Last week, the IU football team traveled to Columbus, Ohio, to take on Ohio State. The Hoosiers scored first against the No. 1 Buckeyes, but they were unable to score again, losing 44-3. That same weekend at Northwestern, Michigan State orchestrated a 35-point comeback -- the largest in NCAA Division I-A history -- as the Spartans defeated the Wildcats 41-38. "They have had some unusual finishes this season," IU coach Terry Hoeppner said of Michigan State during his weekly press conference. "If you watch how it happened, a lot of it was them making plays on offense, defense and special teams. Momentum is a matter of your attitude."

Familiar footing

By Jackie Faine and Jacqueline Faine · Friday, Oct. 27,2006 12:54 a.m.

Underdogs no more, the IU men's cross country team is prepared for the Big Ten Championships Sunday morning at the IU cross country course. It looks like home will have its advantages. The young and inexperienced squad has made up for lost time and is primed for its shot at the spotlight. The solution is simple: Hit the course hard and don't let up.

Bearded lady challenges norms; takes pride in her facial hair

By Mal Hackleman · Friday, Oct. 27,2006 12:45 a.m.

Jennifer Miller can be called several things -- performer, award winner, lesbian, juggler, clown, NYU professor, social activist. Yet for all of her accomplishments, the thing about Miller that draws the most attention from those around her is her beard. Addressing a crowd on campus Wednesday as part of a gender studies lecture, Miller recalled her life as a bearded lesbian and discussed gender ambiguity with those in attendance. Miller said at age 17, she began to notice a change in herself. Not only did she come out of the closet as a lesbian, but she also began to notice the growth of excessive facial hair around her lips and chin.

Myers trial at halfway point

By Sarah Core · Friday, Oct. 27,2006 12:44 a.m.

The murder trial of John R. Myers II hit its halfway point Wednesday as the prosecution rested its case. Two weeks into the trial that could solve the six-year-old mystery of IU student Jill Behrman's disappearance and death, some aren't convinced the state can win the case. "There's no evidence," said law professor Craig Bradley, who specializes in criminal law and procedure and has been paying attention to media reports on the trial. "All (the prosecution has) is a couple of vague statements about this guy saying he felt guilty about something." The state, led by Morgan County prosecutor Steve Sonnega, has presented a case outlining its belief that Myers, an Ellettsville resident, was distraught over a breakup with his girlfriend.

Kazakh students organize event to educate IU community about their country

By Zachary Osterman · Friday, Oct. 27,2006 12:42 a.m.

More than 75 people gathered in the Indiana Memorial Union's State Room East Thursday night to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the Republic Day of Kazakhstan, when the country declared its sovereignty within the Soviet Union in 1990. The event featured traditional and modern Kazakh music, trivia and history of the country, dinner and a presentation about Kazakhstan's past. The holiday was particularly relevant given the upcoming theatrical release of "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan" featuring comedian Sacha Baron Cohen's portrayal of a Kazakh man, which many see as offensive to the Kazakh culture. Kazakh language professor Zaure Batayeva did not want to make the film the topic of the event, but instead hoped those who attended left with a true sense of what their culture actually is.

IU battles Badgers for Big Ten title

By Michael Sanserino · Friday, Oct. 27,2006 12:42 a.m.

Forget about coach Hep wanting 50,000 fans at "the Rock." There's another "Hoosier Nation Challenge" this weekend. The No. 20 IU men's soccer team battles Wisconsin at 8 p.m. Friday at Bill Armstrong Stadium, and senior midfielder John Michael Hayden wants 7,000 fans at the game. "That'd be nice," he said. If the Hoosiers win, they clinch the Big Ten regular season championship -- something they failed to do last year for the first time in nine years. "I'm putting out a request for fans to come out and support, wet or dry," IU coach Mike Freitag said. "Our guys like to come out to great crowds that we've had. It's important for us to get a Big Ten championship."

Online Only: Falling for fall

By Alyson Brodsy and Sarah Shipe · Friday, Oct. 27,2006 12:40 a.m.

I've always maintained that IU spends way too much money on landscaping. To lure freshmen to campus, groundskeepers work tirelessly perfecting every last pansy, sunflower and magnolia. Most of the time, I take this meticulous planning for granted. However, when mid-October rolls around, I take the scenic route to class. While the forecast has been especially dreadful this month, the deciduous trees have not failed to disappoint. One in particular, the Red Maple, radiates a pigment that would make a ruby jealous. The sight of this tree takes me on more detours than I've encountered in downtown Chicago. One look at my daily planner tells the story: I am in serious need of some excitement and spontaneity. Planning classes, workouts, homework, teaching and, in most instances, sleeping and eating down to the 15-minute increment is incredibly mundane.