IU men's lacrosse trumps Pittsburgh
For IU men's lacrosse midfielder Jason Bowman, his team's 12-8 win over the University of Pittsburgh was indicative of what the team is capable of -- but also of what is holding the squad back.
For IU men's lacrosse midfielder Jason Bowman, his team's 12-8 win over the University of Pittsburgh was indicative of what the team is capable of -- but also of what is holding the squad back.
Cincinnati natives freshman John Mellencamp and sophomore Kevin Noschang will get a chance tonight to show their former youth coaches how they have developed at the collegiate level. The IU men's soccer team will play a double-header tonight with a split-squad versus IUPUI at 4:30 p.m., with the Cincinnati Kings of the United Soccer Leagues Second Division following at 7:30 p.m.
EVANSVILLE -- The IU baseball team continued its road trip last night with an 11-4 loss at the University of Evansville, marking its fifth loss in the first six games of an 11-game road stint.
INDIANAPOLIS -- As Joakim Noah came off the RCA Dome floor Monday night, he turned to the corner full of Florida fans and flexed every inch of his seven-foot wingspan. Those arms had just risen up and tallied 16 points and six blocked shots -- an NCAA tournament record. Now, finally for Gator fans, those arms spread out and welcomed Florida to its first NCAA tournament title celebration.
PHILADELPHIA -- Jimmy Rollins stretched his hitting streak to 37 games Monday with a double in the eighth inning of Philadelphia's season opening 13-5 loss to St. Louis. Rollins ended the 2005 season with a 36-game hitting streak, the ninth-longest over one season in big league history, and the longest in the majors since 1987, when Paul Molitor hit safely in 39 consecutive games. Rollins extended his streak by lining a 3-0 pitch off Adam Wainwright down the right-field line. He got a standing ovation from those remaining among the sellout crowd of 44,614 at Citizens Bank Park, tipped his hat to the fans and made sure he got the ball for a keepsake.
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Nobody can start the Nets on a winning streak quite like coach Lawrence Frank. In the last 30 years, New Jersey has been on a 10-game winning streak or better all of five times. The last three all came under Frank, and two of those were this season -- something only the Nets have done. Now New Jersey is on a 12-game roll, two victories away from the franchise record set, perhaps not coincidentally, when Frank took over for the fired Byron Scott two season ago. And to think Frank was the subject of job-security whispers as the Nets struggled early in the season.
Coming off of a successful opening weekend of Big Ten play and a day off Monday, the IU softball team is playing with Aces. And they're not playing cards. The Hoosiers will take on in-state rival Evansville Purple Aces today in Bloomington -- their first matchup with a fellow Indiana team this season. IU, off to its best start since 1997, has seen a quick turnaround after playing four games last weekend to open the Big Ten part of its season. The team scored victories against Ohio State and Penn State, whom they had not beaten since the 2004 season. Even with the quick turnaround, IU coach Stacy Phillips said she was not worried about the effects it might have on her team.
Four games into the Big Ten schedule, the IU baseball team returns to Indiana today, but remains in the midst of an 11-game road trip as it takes on the Evansville Purple Aces at Charles H. Braun Stadium. While even mid-week non-conference games are important for IU coach Tracy Smith's team, they serve a different purpose than the four-game conference series that lies ahead at the end of the week.
CINCINNATI -- Perhaps it was the pitching practice he got over the weekend or inspiration from the new baseball bat that outfielder Ken Griffey Jr. gave him. President George W. Bush had lots of oomph in his arm to throw out a strong first pitch for the Cincinnati Reds' home opener. Bush became the first sitting president to throw a ceremonial pitch in Cincinnati as the Reds took on the Chicago Cubs. The ball to catcher Jason LaRue was high and off the plate, but Bush called it "my best pitch, which was kind of a slow ball."
With a 5-2 win over Wisconsin on Sunday, the No. 26 IU women's tennis team propelled coach Lin Loring to his 300th Big Ten victory. The benchmark puts Loring in the company of legends. Former basketball coach Bob Knight and former baseball coach Bob Morgan are the only other coaches in IU history to have achieved 300 conference victories. Loring said the milestone was a reflection of the hard work of many people over the course of his 29 years at IU.
INDIANAPOLIS -- After spending several hours breaking down UCLA's defense Sunday, Florida's assistant coaches stepped out of the cramped video room for a short break. They were admittedly tired and maybe a little overwhelmed. The Gators haven't faced anyone like the Bruins, whose smothering, hounding, tempo-controlling defense could pose problems in the NCAA championship game Monday night.
Four members of the IU women's track and field distance team competed in the Stanford Invitational in Palo Alto, Calif., notching two personal bests -- a regional qualifying mark and the second fastest 5K time in school history. Junior Jessica Gall made some gaudy predictions before the meet began and took it upon herself to follow through. "We would like to qualify as many people as possible for the regional meet and then get a lot of people through to nationals," Gall said.
IU recorded victories over Ohio State and Penn State for the first time since 2004 and won its Big Ten opener for the first time since 1997 this weekend, a successful beginning to what the Hoosiers hope will be a successful conference run. The Hoosiers started out the weekend with two games against Ohio State on Friday and Saturday. On Friday, IU took the victory 4-1.
The IU men's tennis team felt the effects of gusty winds swirling around the Varsity Tennis Courts during its first outdoor match of the season. After fighting off the wind and some pesky opponents, the Hoosiers defeated Wisconsin Friday, thanks in part to a come-from-behind effort by junior David Bubenicek in the No. 2 singles slot. After Bubenicek anchored the 4-3 win, the Hoosiers lost a tough 4-3 affair with No. 59 Northwestern Sunday, ending IU's eight-match winning streak.
Not even Mother Nature could stop two siblings from battling each other in IU's 1-0 win against Cincinnati Friday evening in front of about 300 people. Originally scheduled for an evening contest in Bill Armstrong Stadium as part of the Midwest Soccer Coaches Symposium, IU moved the contest to Memorial Stadium because of Friday morning's rain, which made Jerry Yeagley Field unplayable. But at the last minute, the game moved indoors to the John Mellencamp Pavilion because of lightning leading up to the game.
The IU men's track and field team kicked off the outdoor season in fine form at this weekend's Diet Pepsi Invite in Gainesville, Fla., while three distance runners traveled cross-country to Palo Alto, Calif., for the Stanford Invitational. This year's performances were substantially checked by inclement weather.
Still sore from its loss dealt by Michigan State, the women's rowing team jumped right back into action to capture four out of five events during the weekend. Both novice 8 boats tested the waters first, completing each of their races with first-place honors. The mostly freshman second novice 8 shell, led by Allison Parman and Madison Spruell, darted quickly out of the gate to open a two-boat lead against the University of Dayton. The team's speed, which gradually grew to a four shell gap between the boats, earned it a time of seven minutes, 30.4 seconds at the finish line. Dayton concluded their race at 8:13.2.
The IU baseball team opened conference play this weekend by dropping three of four on the road against Michigan State. The Hoosiers lost two one-run decisions, falling to 8-14 overall and 1-3 in conference. "We're battling, we're just not getting over the hump," IU coach Tracy Smith said. "We just need to get that big hit or make that big play."
INDIANAPOLIS -- Recent trends suggest new basketball coach Kelvin Sampson and IU could be more likely to receive NCAA sanctions than his former school, the University of Oklahoma, NCAA President Myles Brand said Thursday.
NEW YORK -- South Carolina certainly didn't begin the season hoping to repeat as NIT champions.