June 17, 2012
[ONE // and the nominees are…]
Over the past week, the Big Ten has been using its website and social media accounts to highlight the 24 nominees for the conference's Jesse Owens Male and Suzy Favor Female Athlete of the Year Awards. Award winners are voted on by a pre-selected media panel and will be announced live on BTN's season-ending awards show on Monday at 6:30 p.m. CT. For a complete look at this year’s nominees, follow the Big Ten’s Twitter account (bigtenconf) by clicking here.
[TWO // and the award goes to…]
BTN will recognize the best of Big Ten sports in 2011–12 with the fifth annual BTN Awards show at 7:30 p.m. ET Monday. Dave Revsine, Mike Hall and Rick Pizzo will host the one-hour show. The announcement of two prestigious Big Ten Conference awards, the Suzy Favor Award, for the best female student-athlete, and the Jesse Owens Award, for the best male student-athlete, will highlight the evening’s festivities. The show also will feature interviews with selected award winners, both coaches and players. Nominees for Men’s Coach of the Year are Indiana basketball’s Tom Crean, Michigan football’s Brady Hoke, Michigan State basketball’s Tom Izzo, and Penn State wrestling’s Cael Sanderson. Nominees for Women’s Coach of the Year are Northwestern lacrosse’s Kelly Amonte Hiller, Minnesota ice hockey’s Brad Frost, Illinois volleyball’s Kevin Hambly, and Penn State basketball’s Coquese Washington. The other award categories and nominees can be found by clicking here.
[THREE // riley reels in top honor]
Illinois' Andrew Riley has been named National Men's Track Athlete of the Year, the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Association announced this past Wednesday. The Illini senior became the first male in NCAA history to win the 100 meters and 110 hurdles at the same outdoor championships.
[FOUR // track stars..and stripes]
Eighty-seven Big Ten student-athletes have been named USTFCCCA All-Americans, based on their performances at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships. Illinois' Andrew Riley was one of four men to earn All-America honors in three events. First-team recognition is awarded to student-athletes that earn a top-eight finish at the national championships, while second-team honors are awarded to ninth to 16th place finishers.
[FIVE // right on track]
Big Ten men’s and women’s cross country and track and field programs were honored this past week in the Program of the Year voting, established by the USTFCCCA. The NCAA Division I Program of the Year Award is awarded annually to the most outstanding cross country/track & field programs. The award honors the institution that has achieved the most success in each academic year (spanning the cross country, indoor track & field, and outdoor track & field seasons) based on the institution’s finish at the NCAA Division I Championships. On the men’s side, Indiana finished second overall, followed by Minnesota and Wisconsin tied for eighth and Ohio State in 10th. As for the women, Wisconsin placed 13th overall with Michigan State right behind in 14th. In order to be eligible for the award, teams must qualify for each of the NCAA Championships. Scoring is based on the team’s finish at each NCAA Division I Championship in cross country, indoor track & field, and outdoor track & field (i.e. 1st = 1 point, 2nd = 2 points, 31st = 31 points) with the lowest total score for all three championships combined determining the award recipient.
[SIX // and the votes are in]
Michigan and Northwestern received votes in the final USA Softball and National Fastpitch Coaches Association polls of the 2012 season this past week. The Wolverines appeared at No. 15 in both rankings, while Northwestern was among teams receiving votes outside the top 25.
[SEVEN // scheduled to play for team usa]
Michigan's Amanda Chidester, the 2012 Big Ten Player of the Year, was added to the United States National Team roster this past week, joining former Wolverine teammate Jordan Taylor and current Iowa assistant coach and former Hawkeye Stacy May-Johnson as former Big Ten standouts on the national team. Chidester capped her Michigan career with her fourth Big Ten Championship and leading the Wolverines to the Super Regionals.
[EIGHT // big ten tennis stars selected by usta]
Three Big Ten tennis standouts made up one-third of the nine-member the 2012 United States Tennis Association Collegiate Team, the USTA announced this past Tuesday. Former Illinois standout Dennis Nevolo joins Michigan’s Evan King and Ohio State’s Chase Buchanan on the squad, which competes on the USTA Pro Circuit. The USTA Collegiate Team is an elite training program for the top American collegiate tennis players. The program began in 1996 and is funded by the USTA. It is designed to provide college players with valuable exposure to the USTA Pro Circuit in a team-oriented environment during the year. The USTA selected players based on performances at the NCAA Championships, the ITA All-Americans and the National Indoor Championships.
[NINE // spartans in studio]
Members of the Michigan State coaching community recently stopped by the Big Ten Network’s studios in Chicago to check out just how easy it is to put on a show and broadcast to millions. This past Wednesday, the BTN put several Spartans in a live show setting, which included members in the production area, graphics, makeup, and on-air analysts. Check out the highlights by clicking here.
[TEN // back to school]
As we continue to wind down the 2011-12 season and ease into summertime, before we jump right into football season next month, the Big Ten Network is once again providing conference fans the opportunity to follow their favorite teams all in one day. Big Ten School Days, offered on both the BTN and BTN2Go, is a program dedicated solely to one school each day throughout the summer. Nonstop programming involving Michigan State, Minnesota, Nebraska, and Northwestern took place this past week. For a complete look at the schedule for the upcoming week as well as dates for the rest of the summer, please click here.
[ELEVEN // wolverines lose michigan men]
Finally this week, the University of Michigan lost two giants in two consecutive days as tennis legend Barry MacKay died Thursday at age 76, while football All-American Bob Chappuis passed Friday at the age of 89. MacKay was the first tennis player inducted into the prestigious Michigan Hall of Honor, in 1980, and was elected to the NCAA Tennis Hall of Fame in 1987. The first NCAA All-American in the history of the Wolverine program, MacKay captured the 1957 NCAA singles title to clinch Michigan's first and only national team championship. Chappuis, who was also a two-year letterman in baseball for the Wolverines, was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1988 and was inducted into the Michigan Hall of Honor in 1984. He ended his Michigan football career as the 1948 Rose Bowl MVP, setting two records for total offense and pass completions in a 49-0 victory over Southern California. He continues to hold the Big Ten Conference single-season passer rating record (175.3 rating) and the U-M season mark for yards per completion (18.8 avg.).
