Around Sports

Track and field
Coover, Drouin lead men’s team to top 15 finish

The Hoosiers had six top 10 performances, seven All-Americans and a top 15 finish March 13 and 14 at the National Championships in College Station, Texas.

Freshman Derek Drouin and senior Jeff Coover placed second and fourth in the high jump and pole vault, respectively. IU coach Ron Helmer said the successes of the two athletes didn’t happen in a similar fashion.

“Derek’s and Jeff’s performances came about for two very different reasons,” he said. “Jeff’s career has been one of steady progress, while Derek is a very youthful and talented athlete.”

Also placing seventh and scoring points for IU was the distance medley team, consisting of sophomores Ben Hubers and De’Sean Turner and seniors Evan Bardach and John Gunnell.

Overall, the men’s team scored 15 points, good for 14th place nationally. The top 15 finish was the ninth-highest total ever for the indoor season and the best since 2005.

For the women’s track and field team, junior Vera Neuenswander placed sixth in pole vault. Her finish represents the first time the women’s team has scored points in the National Championship since 2004.

Also competing for the women’s team were seniors Molly Beckwith and Wendi Robinson. Beckwith competed in the 800-meter run and placed 10th, failing to make it out of the preliminary round. Robinson also stalled in prelims and finished 14th in the finals of 5,000-meter run.

Helmer said he knew IU was capable of a great performance because the limited spaces add to the championship’s competitiveness.

“Anyone who qualifies for the NCAA meet in track and field has the ability to do well at the championships because there are typically only 14 to 17 athletes qualified per event,” he said.

The Hoosiers return to action Friday when they begin the outdoor season in the Alabama Relays.

Helmer said despite the strong indoor season, there is work to be done before the team is successful outside.

“We need to stay the course and continue to improve,” he said.  “We have so much more to do before we are close to the level we need, want and can be at as a team.”

– By Ari Shifron

Softball
Hoosiers drop Big Ten opener to Gophers

One pitch made the difference for the Hoosiers (3-21, 0-2) in their loss to Minnesota on Sunday.

The 2-0 defeat marked the second time in as many days IU failed to score a run against Minnesota pitcher Briana Hassett.

“She doesn’t miss her spots, but if she does, it is down and in,” IU coach Michelle Gardner said.

Hassett was able to hold the Hoosiers scoreless and allowed only two hits in IU’s Big Ten opener Saturday en route to a 6-0 win for Minnesota. 

After they failed to keep the game close on Saturday, senior pitcher Ashley Hobbs did everything in her power to make sure it would not happen again.

She held Minnesota scoreless on one hit through five innings. But in the sixth, Minnesota first baseman Malisa Barnes put the only runs on the scoreboard with a two-run home run.

The loss by Hobbs drops her record to 1-6, but her coach said she still appreciated her performance.

“Hobbs pitched a phenomenal game,” Gardner said. “She had one bad pitch in the entire game.”

Getting the offense going is something Gardner said she will continue to stress to her team as they move forward in the Big Ten schedule.

“They got the timely hitting that they needed, and we didn’t,” she said.

– By Connor O’Gara

Baseball
Smith’s group loses 6 of 8 in spring trip

If the IU baseball team (7-13) was troubled before, then the spring trip did nothing to soothe its many and varied problems, as the team dropped six of eight in only a week’s time.

The Hoosiers traveled to Winter Haven and Lakeland, Fla., where they played at Chain O’Lakes Stadium and Henley Field. No matter where they played or whom they faced, IU struggled.

They posted huge losses of 28-17 against Northern Iowa and 11-1 versus Stetson, magnifying the absence of timely hitting and pitching ability to stop big-run innings.

Both plagued IU throughout the trip, causing the team to drop close games. The Hoosiers lost 9-8 to Jacksonville State and 12-9 to Central Connecticut State. IU was also defeated 2-0 by Ohio State and 6-3 at the hands of Eastern Illinois.

The two wins posted by the Hoosiers were landslide victories. Wins of 15-7 and 10-1 against Bowling Green and Hartford, respectively, highlighted a trip marked with negatives.

Junior pitcher Eric Arnett (4-1) performed in both of IU’s only wins, proving to be the most consistent player to touch the mound. He pitched IU to a win in the first game of its spring trip against Bowling Green, going six innings, with nine hits and five runs. He was relieved by freshman Drew Leininger, who performed for three innings and only allowed five hits and two earned runs.

Arnett saved his best performance for Hartford, pitching seven innings and allowing only one run.

Although IU didn’t receive the most crucial of hits, many batters performed well – juniors Josh Phegley and Jake Dunning were the most notable of the group. Phegley was consistently effective although he was walked on many occasions. After a standout sophomore season, he is now batting .411 with 27 RBI and 6 home runs – all team highs. 

­– By DeAntae Prince

Wrestling
Escobedo fails to win 2nd title, finishes 5th

On a mission to defend his 125-pound national championship, IU junior wrestler Angel Escobedo came out of the gate fast on the first day of the NCAA Championships but couldn’t keep his momentum on the second day.

IU finished 26th at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, scoring 22 points. Escobedo finished fifth, failing to defend his national title from one year ago. Junior 174-pound grappler Trevor Perry also made it past day one by pinning Boston’s Hunter Meys in a span of only 17 seconds. He finished just short of an All-American honor.

Escobedo began his campaign by posting a shutout of Brian Owen of Boise State (5-0), followed by a 2-1 win against Jarrod Garnett of Virginia Tech. Escobedo’s final win of the year came against a familiar foe in Zach Sanders of Minnesota, who he defeated earlier this season in Minneapolis. Escobedo won the match, beating Sanders 8-1.

Escobedo ran into No. 2 Troy Nickerson of Cornell in the semifinal matchup but was unable to keep his hope of a repeat title alive.

With about 30 seconds remaining in the duel, Escobedo went for one last shot at Nickerson after escaping from his hold. Nickerson gained two points for the riding time, and that proved to be enough for a semifinal bid.

Leading 2-1, Nickerson was able to evade Escobedo’s shot and landed out of bounds as the clock ran out, ending Escobedo’s hopes for a second title in two years.

That loss and another in the wrestleback semifinal to Northwestern’s Brandon Precin resulted in a fifth-place finish for Escobedo.

Though he didn’t win the national championship, Escobedo became one of just seven three-time All Americans in IU wrestling history. The most recent to accomplish the feat was Joe Dubuque in 2006.

Perry won two of his next three matches, with his final match of the year coming in the third round of the 174-pound wrestlebacks. That win came in a 12-4 major decision against Ryan Burk of Iowa State. Perry later lost to Penn State’s Quentin Wright and finished just short of All-American standing.

– By Frank Therber

Women’s Golf
Hoosiers place 3rd in Hawaii

The IU women’s golf team rebounded from an eighth-place start to finish third Wednesday at the Dr. Donnis Thomas Invitational in Honolulu.

“Even though we were behind, we knew that if we came out and posted a good number, we would be in the mix for a top 3 finish,” IU coach Clint Wallman said. “When you are focused you can make up ground quickly.”

Junior Laura Nochta finished the highest individually for IU, with a sixth-place finish. Nochta joined IU senior Amber Lindgren and juniors Kellye Belcher and Anita Gahir in the top 25.

IU started the event in eighth place out of 12 teams and climbed into seventh place in round two before making its move to third on the final day. Wallman said the slow start was due to personal mistakes.

“If you combine poor execution with poor strategy, then you can be in for a really bad day,” he said. “This course can really penalize you if you are not diligent.”

The Hoosiers will compete in the Mountain View Collegiate from March 28 to 29, an event that has smiled upon IU in the past. The Hoosiers took home its team and individual titles last season.

– By Ryan Winn

Water Polo
No. 18 IU only scores 1 win in 5 matches

After splitting its four games last weekend at the Loyola Marymount Tournament, the IU water polo team played tough but only came away with one win this weekend at the Aztec Invitational.

The Hoosiers began the weekend with a win against Brown on Friday night in San Diego, beating the Bears, 9-8.

On Saturday the No. 18 Hoosiers lost 6-2 to No. 4 Hawaii and 9-6 to No. 9 San Jose State. They were defeated in a rematch against No. 6 California, 8-1, and also fell 9-6 when they faced No. 5 San Diego State.

IU coach Barry King said he thought the team missed a few opportunities that could have changed the outcome of the games.

“I thought we fought hard all game,” he said in a press release after the Hawaii game. “If we take advantage of our six-on-five chances, and have a few bounces go our way, then it’s a different game.”

– By Andrew Wyder