Complete Northwestern Release

Five Big Ten student-athletes have been named to the watch list for the Johnny "The Jet" Rodgers Return Specialist Award, awarded to the nation's top return specialist. The award, now in its second year, is named after former Nebraska player Johnny Rodgers. Big Ten student-athletes on the preseason watch list are Nebraska's Ameer Abdullah, Northwestern's Venric Mark, Ohio State's Jordan Hall, Purdue's Raheem Mostert and Wisconsin's Jared Abbrederis. To be eligible, a player must be a primary return specialist (punt and/or kickoff), be ranked among the national leaders in return and display "leadership, courage, desire, respect for authority and discipline." A list of 12 semifinalists will be selected in late October, and four finalists will be announced in November. The winner will be selected in December.

All times are ET

Austin Regional
NORTHWESTERN vs. Texas, 1 p.m.
NORTHWESTERN vs. Texas, 3:30 p.m. (if necessary)

Louisville Regional
Game(s) to be televised by ESPN2
MICHIGAN vs. Louisville, 1 p.m.
MICHIGAN vs. Louisville, 3:30 p.m. (if necessary)

Louisville Regional
Games televised by ESPN
MICHIGAN vs. Louisville, 3 p.m.
Valparaiso vs. Kentucky, 5:30 p.m.
Game 2 winner vs. Loser Game 1, 8 p.m.

All times are ET

Austin Regional
Northwestern vs. Texas, 5 p.m. ET

Louisville Regional
Michigan vs. Kentucky, 4:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2

Illini Take Home National Title: Trailing by more than two points with two rotations to go, Illinois rallied to finish atop the team standings at the 2012 NCAA Championships. The Illini claimed their 10th national championship, but first since 1989, after posting a final team score of 358.850. The Illini are the third Big Ten program in the last six years to win the national championship (Penn State in 2007 and Michigan in 2010). Penn State finished third and Michigan was sixth in the team finals. RECAP

Three Win Individual National Championships: Illinois' C.J. Maestas and Paul Ruggeri and Michigan's Sam Mikulak each claimed individual titles at the NCAA Championships. Maestas came away with the still rings crown, teammate Ruggeri won the vault title, and Mikulak took home the high bar championship. It marked the fourth straight year Big Ten gymnasts combined for three or more individual crowns at the national meet. RECAP

Ruggeri Claims Nissen-Emery Award: Illinois senior gymnast Paul Ruggeri won the 2012 Nissen-Emery Award, presented annually to the nation's top senior male gymnast, becoming the fourth Illinois gymnast to win the honor. The award honors career excellence in gymnastics along with good sportsmanship and high academic performance. RECAP

Illini Win Big Ten Championship: Totaling a team score of 352.950 points, Illinois held off the field at the 2012 Big Ten Men's Gymnastics Championships to take home the team title. The Illini claimed their fourth straight conference championship, becoming the first conference program to win four in a row since Minnesota achieved the feat from 1977-1980. The win gave Illinois its 27th team championship in program history. RECAP

Maestas Leads Crop of All-Big Ten Honorees: Illinois' C.J. Maestas won Big Ten Gymanst and Freshman of the Year honors following his performance at the Big Ten Championships. The 2012 all-around champion was part of an Illinois sweep of the major awards as Justin Spring was named Coach of the Year. First team All-Conference honorees included Maestas and Paul Ruggeri of Illinois, Broderick Shemansky of Iowa, Sam Mikulak and Adrian de los Angeles of Michigan, Ty Echard of Ohio State and Felix Aronovich, Craig Hernandez and Scott Rosenthal of Penn State. RECAP

Nebraska Claims First Big Ten Championship: Nebraska earned its first Big Ten Championship after tallying a team score of 197.100 at the conference meet. The Huskers finished nearly one point ahead of second-place Ohio State, which concluded with a total of 196.225. Minnesota (195.950) was third, followed by Michigan (195.975), Illinois (195.850), Penn State (195.700), Iowa (195.425) and Michigan State (194.675). RECAP

Earning Conference Honors: At the conclusion of the Big Ten Championships, the conference awarded its Gymnast, Freshman and Coach of the Year winners. Penn State's Sharaya Musser took home Gymnast of the Year accolades, the third time in four seasons a Nittany Lion has won the honor, Nebraska's Jessie DeZiel claimed Freshman of the Year honors, and Husker mentor Dan Kendig was named Coach of the Year. In addition, 12 gymnasts were selected to the All-Championships Team based on their performances at the conference meet. RECAP

All Eight Compete in Regional Events: Each Big Ten women's gymnastics squad took part at NCAA Regional competitions, with Nebraska and Ohio State earning berths to the national championship meet. Also, Illinois' Alina Weinstein, Michigan's Katie Zurales and Joanna Sampson, Minnesota's Dusti Russell and Kayla Slechta, and Penn State's Sharaya Musser advanced to the NCAA Championships based on their individual finishes. RECAP

All-Big Ten Seasons: The Big Ten Conference announced its women's gymnastics All-Big Ten squads, with seven members on the first and second teams. The All-Conference teams featured the top-six performers in the all-around and the top six in each of the four events, based on the student-athletes' regional qualifying average. Illinois' Kelsey Joannides, Nebraska's Jessie DeZiel, Lora Evenstad, Janelle Giblin and Emily Wong, Ohio State's Sarah Miller and Penn State's Sharaya Musser earned first-team status. Student-athletes from Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska and Penn State were also represented on the second team. RECAP

Seven players were chosen as first- or second-team All-Great Lakes Region standouts, including first teamers Marisa Bast of Northwestern, Cassidy Bell of Penn State and Whitney Massey of Wisconsin. Michigan's Amanda Chidester, Sara Driesenga and Haylie Wagner, and Michigan State's Kylene Hopkins were named second-team honorees.

Ohio State's Alicia Herron headlined the Big Ten contingent on the All-Midwest Region squad, earning first-team honors. Illinois' Pepper Gay, Iowa's Megan Blank and Nebraska's Ashley Hagemann were named to the region's second team.

The Class of 2012 will be inducted at the 55th NFF Annual Awards Dinner on Dec. 4 at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City. They inductees will be honored guests at the National Hall of Fame Salute at the Allstate Sugar Bowl in New Orleans on Jan. 2, 2013, and will be officially enshrined in the summer of 2013.

Purdue Release

Minnesota 4, Iowa 1 (Game 2); Iowa 5, Minnesota 4 (Game 3)
Game 1: The bottom of the Golden Gopher lineup came up big in the first game of the doubleheader as both Alex Davis and Erika Smyth knocked in runs to help Minnesota pull off a 4-1 victory over Iowa. Sara Moulton had a good day in the circle as she held the Hawkeyes to only six hits while striking out the same amount. RECAP
Game 2: Senior Liz Watkins' fourth inning grand slam propelled the University of Iowa softball team to a 5-4 victory over Minnesota in game two of the Saturday doubleheader at Jane Sage Cowles Stadium. The Gophers won the opener, 4-1, but the Hawkeyes claimed their fifth straight series, taking 2-of-3 games on the weekend. RECAP

Indiana 6, Michigan State 5 (Game 2); Indiana 6, Michigan State 5 (Game 3)
Game 1: It took extra innings but the Indiana Hoosiers (29-25, 13-10 Big Ten) extended their win streak to five games with a 6-5 victory over the Michigan State Spartans at Secchia Stadium on Saturday afternoon in game one of a doubleheader. Shannon Cawley's deep sac fly to center field plated the eventual winning run in the eighth inning for the Hoosiers. RECAP
Game 2: The Indiana Hoosiers finished the regular season with a 6-5 victory over the Michigan State Spartans at Secchia Stadium in game two of a doubleheader on Saturday afternoon. The Hoosiers picked up its second three-game sweep in as many weekends in Big Ten play. By reaching 30 wins, it is the first time since 1989 and 1990 that the Hoosiers have posted back-to-back 30-win seasons (37 wins in 2011). Indiana has also won the last six games in East Lansing against the Spartans. RECAP

Nebraska 4, Wisconsin 1
The Nebraska softball team earned a third-place finish in the final Big Ten Conference standings with a 4-1 victory over Wisconsin in front of the third-largest crowd in school history on Saturday at Bowlin Stadium. The Huskers unofficially set a new record for the World's Largest Softball Tailgate on Saturday, drawing 1,752 fans to the event. Illinois held the record with 1,445 fans in attendance at its 2007 World's Largest Softball Tailgate. Saturday's Husker crowd was the third-largest in school history. With the win, Nebraska ended the season with a 33-22 record, including a 15-1 record at Bowlin Stadium. The Huskers finished 14-9 in conference play, finishing third in the league standings. RECAP

Northwestern 10, Illinois 2
Trailing by a run entering the fourth inning Saturday at Sharon J. Drysdale Field, Northwestern sent its senior class out on top with a nine-run Armageddon in the frame, eventually defeating Illinois, 10-2 (6), on Senior Day. Northwestern finishes the regular season on a six-game winning streak and with wins in eight of its last nine games. The Wildcats are 27-27 on the year, 14-10 in the Big Ten. RECAP

Ohio State 4, Penn State 1
The Ohio State softball team finished out the 2012 campaign on a strong note, claiming a series victory at Penn State Saturday with a 4-1 victory vs. the Nittany Lions. With two wins at Penn State, the Buckeyes become the first team this season to claim a series win at Beard Field. Ohio State concludes the season with a 31-23 overall record and a 10-13 mark in Big Ten play. RECAP

Wisconsin 3, Nebraska 1 (Game 1); Nebraska 6, Wisconsin 4 (Game 2)
Game 1: After two scoreless innings in the day's first game, Wisconsin (34-18 overall, 13-9 Big Ten) jumped out to a two-run led in the top of the third. A pair of singles and a wild pitch put runners on second and third for Shannel Blackshear. A bloop single down the right field line was all it took to score both runners and give Wisconsin a 2-0 lead. Nebraska (32-22, 13-9) answered right back in the bottom of the inning, forcing Cassandra Darrah to work out of a bases-loaded jam. A strike out and two fly outs ended the inning and kept the Badgers' lead intact, 2-1. Powell stepped in to pinch hit for Wisconsin in the top of the seventh and chose the perfect time to hit her first home run of the season. A rocket over the left field fence gave Wisconsin the insurance run it needed. RECAP
Game 2: The Huskers fell behind 4-0 after one-half inning of play when Wisconsin scored four times in the top of the first inning on only one hit. Nebraska tied the game with four runs of its own in the bottom of the third and added two more in the bottom of the fifth to salvage a doubleheader split with the Badgers. Sophomore right-hander Tatum Edwards (9-5) rebounded from the poor start to earn the win. After the four-run first, Edwards allowed only three base runners the rest of the game, including one who reached on an error, one who reached on a passed ball after a third strike and one who drew a walk. On the game, Edwards fired a one-hitter and allowed four runs (three earned). RECAP

Northwestern 3, Illinois 2 (Game 1); Northwestern 7, Illinois 3 (Game 2)
Game 1: In a classic late-season Big Ten battle Friday at Sharon J. Drysdale Field, Northwestern battled back twice from one run deficits against Illinois to claim a 3-2 win the first game of a doubleheader. RECAP
Game 2: Northwestern stole five bases during a four-run first inning Friday in the second game of a Big Ten doubleheader against Illinois at Sharon J. Drysdale Field, eventually breaking its program single-game record with eight steals in a 7-3 win over the Illini. RECAP

Ohio State 5, Penn State 2 (Game 1); Penn State 6, Ohio State 5 (8)
Game 1: Led by senior pitcher Mikayla Endicott, the Scarlet and Gray defeated Penn State, 5-2, in game one at Beard Field. Endicott, a native of Roseburg, Oregon, posted a two-hit performance vs. the Nittany Lions to improve to 18-13 overall. In seven innings of work, Endicott limited the PSU bats to two runs - both unearned - with seven strikeouts. She improves to 6-6 in Big Ten play this season. RECAP
Game 2: Penn State stared at the wrong side of a doubleheader sweep but prevailed thanks to timely hitting to win game two 6-5 in eight innings. Bell and Walker combined to go 5-for-7 with three runs at the top of the lineup as the Nittany Lions overcame its fourth three-run deficit in the last five games at Beard Field to win. In all four games Penn State trailed entering the seventh and notched its nation-leading fifth victory when trailing in the seventh. RECAP

Iowa 1, Minnesota 0 (8)
The University of Iowa softball team posted a 1-0, eight inning victory at Minnesota on Friday night at Jane Sage Cowles Stadium. The victory keeps the Hawkeyes 1 1/2 games back of league-leading Michigan with two games to play. "I am proud of the team and how they hung in there and kept battling until the end and finally pushed the run across," said UI head coach Marla Looper. "It was a great team effort, and it was nice to be able to get a run across in the eighth." RECAP

Indiana 4, Michigan State 2
Indiana (28-25, 12-10 Big Ten) extended its winning streak to four with a 4-2 victory over Michigan State (11-40, 0-21 Big Ten) at Secchia Stadium on Friday afternoon. Samantha Berenter had a pair of RBI singles to pace the offense. Meaghan Murphy (14-11) earned the win by allowing two runs on eight hits over four innings. Lora Olson came on to allow just one hit over the final three innings to earn her first career save. RECAP

Illinois at Northwestern
Game 1: Friday, 3 p.m., BTN.com
Game 2: Friday, 5 p.m., BTN.com
Game 3: Saturday 2 p.m., BTN.com

Indiana at Michigan State
Game 1: Friday, 5 p.m.
Game 2: Saturday, 3 p.m., BTN
Game 3: Saturday 5 p.m., BTN

Iowa at Minnesota
Game 1: Friday, 8 p.m., BTN
Game 2: Saturday, 3 p.m.
Game 3: Saturday, 5 p.m.

Purdue at Michigan
Game 1: Friday, 6 p.m., BTN
Game 2: Saturday, Noon
Game 3: Saturday, 3 p.m., BTN delay at 7:30 p.m.

Wisconsin at Nebraska
Game 1: Friday, 6 p.m.
Game 2: Friday, 8 p.m.
Game 3: Saturday, 2 p.m.

Ohio State at Penn State
Game 1: Friday, 4 p.m.
Game 2: Friday, 6 p.m., BTN
Game 3: Saturday, 1 p.m., BTN.com

Indiana 4, Nebraska 2
On Senior Day at the IU Softball Field, it was freshman Shannon Cawley's three-run home run in the first inning that propelled the Indiana Hoosiers (27-25, 11-10 Big Ten) to a 4-2 win and weekend sweep of the Nebraska Cornhuskers (31-21, 12-8 Big Ten) on Sunday. Sophomore pitcher Meaghan Murphy (13-11) was outstanding yet again in the circle for Indiana, keeping the hard-hitting Nebraska batters off balance all day. She went the distance for her 16th complete game of the year and allowed two runs on eight hits. Murphy was 2-0 this weekend against the Huskers with a 2.00 ERA and two complete games. RECAP

Purdue 12, Minnesota 2
The Boilermaker bats exploded on the Minnesota softball team for 12 runs on 13 hits in the series finale with the Gophers, which also saw senior Katie Hackney strike out four batters in the winning effort. Purdue scored in 12 runs on 13 hits and two Gopher miscues, while Minnesota managed two runs on seven hits and an error in the mercy rule contest. Senior Molly Garst and junior Maia Monchek led the Boilermaker bats with three hits apiece, while junior Erika Petruzzi and Danielle Fletcher each posted two hits. RECAP

Northwestern 8, Michigan State 0
Junior Meghan Lamberth tossed a two-hit shutout and Marisa Bast gave Northwestern an immediate lead with a first-inning grand slam Sunday to lead NU to a series sweep of Michigan State with an 8-0 (5) win at Secchia Stadium. RECAP

Ohio State 2, Iowa 1
With the bat of freshman catcher Shelby Pickett, the Ohio State softball team defeated Iowa, 2-1, Sunday at Buckeye Field on Senior Day. The Buckeyes (29-22, 8-12 Big Ten) conclude the home schedule with a victory and recognized seniors Mikayla Endicott, Katie Simonton, Vanessa Spears and Alicia Herron following the conference win. With the score tied, 1-1, freshman Taylor Watkins began the rally with an infield single followed by walk by Spears, a fielder's choice by Herron and a walk by sophomore Evelyn Carrillo. With two outs and the bases loaded, the scene was set for the OSU freshman catcher. Pickett, a native of Temecula, Calif., connected on a 2-2 pitch for an RBI single up the middle to score Watkins from third base and claim the big win. RECAP

Indiana 4, Nebraska 2 (Game 1): Indiana 6, Nebraska 2 (Game 2)
Game 1: The Indiana Hoosiers (25-25, 9-10 Big Ten) used a two out three-run double by Cassie Gogreve in the first inning to get by the Nebraska Cornhuskers (31-19, 12-6 Big Ten) by a score of 4-2 at the IU Softball Field in game one of a doubleheader. Meaghan Murphy (12-11) was brilliant in the circle for Indiana, allowing just two runs - coming on a home run in the seventh inning - on seven hits with a walk and three strikeouts. RECAP
Game 2: For the second time on Saturday, senior Cassie Gogreve delivered a big hit for Indiana (26-25, 10-10 Big Ten) as the Hoosier won game two of a doubleheader with Nebraska, 6-2, at the IU Softball Field. Gogreve's two-run triple in the fifth inning help Lora Olson earn the win and put the Hoosiers one game over .500 for the season. After driving in three runs in game one against the Cornhuskers (31-20, 12-7 Big Ten), Gogreve continued her prowess at the plate in her final home series with the triple to right field that drove in the fourth and fifth runs of the game. RECAP

Minnesota 5, Purdue 3 (Game 1): Minnesota 5, Purdue 2 (Game 2)
On a day filled with rain, the University of Minnesota softball team snuck in two victories over Purdue at Jane Sage Cowles Stadium on Saturday. The Golden Gophers showcased their power in both contests to defeat the Boilermakers, 5-3 and 5-2. The Maroon and Gold reset their single season home run record by blasting five home runs to reach a total of 51 on the season. The two wins also put Minnesota at the 30-win mark for the second-straight season with both coming under second-year head coach Jessica Allister. The last time the Maroon and Gold posted back-to-back 30-win seasons was in 2003 and 2004. RECAP

Northwestern 15, MIchigan State 1 (Game 1); Northwestern 5, Michigan State 1 (Game 2)
Game 1: Northwestern exploded for 14 hits and 15 runs in the first game of a Big Ten doubleheader Saturday at Michigan State's new Secchia Stadium, run-ruling the Spartans in a 15-1 (5) decision. RECAP
Game 2: Freshman Amy Letourneau took a no-hitter into the fifth inning of Saturday's second game of a doubleheader at Michigan State, eventually earning a 5-1 win in an NU sweep of the day. RECAP

Iowa 2, Ohio State 0 (Game 1); Iowa 13, Ohio State 5 (Game 2)
The University of Iowa softball team kept pace in the Big Ten Conference title race by sweeping the doubleheader at Ohio State on Saturday night at Buckeye Field. The Hawkeyes opened with a 2-0 victory in the first game before cranking out 16 hits in a 13-5 victory in the night cap. "I am proud of how the team came out and took care of business today," said UI head coach Marla Looper. "You can't win them all if you don't win the first one. We had to come back the second game, but we did a nice job of that." RECAP

Michigan 5, Wisconsin 1 (Game 1); Michigan 7, Wisconsin 5 (Game 2)
The No. 23-ranked University of Michigan softball team used a four-run third inning in a 5-1 win against Wisconsin in the first game before recording 14 hits in a 7-5 victory to sweep a doubleheader Saturday afternoon (May 5) at the Goodman Complex. Freshman LHP Haylie Wagner was the winning pitcher in both contests to improve to 27-5 on the season. She threw all 7.0 innings in the opener, giving up one run on seven hits with four strikeouts, and pitched 4.2 innings of relief in the nightcap, yielding four runs on four hits. RECAP

Nebraska at Indiana
Game 1: Saturday 2 p.m., BTN.com
Game 2: Saturday, 4 p.m., BTN.com
Game 3: Sunday, 1 p.m., BTN.com

Iowa at Ohio State
Game 1: Saturday, 6 p.m., BTN
Game 2: Saturday, 8 p.m., BTN
Game 3: Sunday, 2 p.m., BTN.com

Michigan at Wisconsin
Game 1: Saturday, 1 p.m., BTN.com
Game 2: Saturday, 3 p.m., BTN.com
Game 3: Sunday, 1 p.m., BTN.com

Northwestern at Michigan State
Game 1: Saturday, 1 p.m.
Game 2: Saturday, 3 p.m.
Game 3: Sunday, 1 p.m.

Purdue at Minnesota
Game 1: Saturday, 1 p.m.
Game 2: Saturday, 3 p.m.
Game 3: Sunday, 1 p.m.

Ohio State infielder Alicia Herron and Purdue infielder Molly Garst earned first-team honors in District 5, while Nebraska pitcher Ashley Hagemann and outfielder Nikki Haget were named to the District 7 first team.

Complete information on the awards and a complete list of the honorees can be found here.