Sept. 26, 2010
[ONE // big ten football shocks the scoreboard in week four]
The Big Ten posted an 8-2 record during the final full Saturday of non-conference action, including seven teams surpassing the 30-point mark, three squads breaking the 60-point barrier and two teams tallying 70-plus points. Ohio State scored 73 points against Eastern Michigan, while Wisconsin produced 70 points against Austin Peay. The last time a Big Ten team scored 70 points in a game was when Penn State tallied 70 points against Akron on Sept. 4, 1999. The eight winners Saturday included Indiana (35-20, Akron), Iowa (45-0, Ball State), Michigan (65-21, Bowling Green), Michigan State (45-7, Northern Colorado), Northwestern (30-25, Central Michigan), Ohio State (73-20, Eastern Michigan), Penn State (22-13, Temple), and Wisconsin (70-3, Austin Peay). Falling on the weekend was Minnesota (34-23, Northern Illinois) and Purdue (31-20, Toledo).
[TWO // a “good” list to be on]
The Big Ten topped all conferences in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) with four of the 11 FBS selections to the 2010 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team, which was announced Tuesday. Big Ten selections to the Good Works Team were Indiana's Ben Chappell, Michigan State's Kirk Cousins, Northwestern's Corbin Bryant and Penn State's Stefen Wisniewski. A total of 112 players across all collegiate levels were nominated for the award, the most ever in the 19-year history of the program. In order to qualify for the Good Works Team, each player must be actively involved and committed to working with a charitable organization, service group or community service while maintaining good academic standing. The Allstate AFCA Good Worlds Teams were established in 1992, recognizing the extra efforts made by college football players off the field.
[THREE // buckeye golf legend nicklaus named big ten icon]
Jack Nicklaus was named Tuesday as Big Ten Icon No. 18 on the Big Ten Network's Big Ten Icons top 50 countdown. In 1961, he won the Big Ten Championship by 16 strokes and also captured the NCAA championships for the Buckeyes. The Columbus native and lifelong Buckeye fan was the first player to win the NCAA individual championship and the U.S. Amateur in the same year. In an essay for www.BigTenIcons.com, former Chicago Tribune sports editor Dan McGrath wrote, "it's no exaggeration to say Nicklaus revolutionized golf, setting records that might never be approached, let alone broken." To read the full essay and to watch a video feature on Nicklaus, visit his Big Ten Icons locker at www.BigTenIcons.com. The Big Ten Icons countdown, presented by Discover, continues at 9 PM ET on Tuesday, Sept. 28, with a profile of the legendary Ohio State golfer. The episode includes new, exclusive interviews with Nicklaus, Bob Knight, Arnold Palmer and many others.
[FOUR // big ten volleyball hits the small screen]
Big Ten volleyball will enjoy extensive broadcast coverage in 2010 with 25 matches to be televised to a national audience, it was announced by the conference office Tuesday. The Big Ten Network will broadcast 22 matches, while ESPN2 will televise three others. In addition, Big Ten volleyball will also be showcased on www.bigtennetwork.com, as 46 conference matches will be streamed live. Sixteen of those streamed events will be rebroadcast on the linear network during the season through the Big Ten Network’s “Student U” platform. In total, 71 Big Ten matches will be broadcast nationally through the conference’s media agreements. Each conference squad will appear on the Big Ten Network three or more times in 2010, with every school having at least one home match televised nationally. The conference’s six NCAA Championship-qualifying teams from 2009 – Illinois, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Ohio State and Penn State – will combine for 32 national TV appearances. The three-time defending national champion Nittany Lions will make eight appearances on linear networks. Of the 22 matches produced by the Big Ten Network, 18 will be live broadcasts, while each of ESPN2’s contests will be Friday matches that will air delayed at 1 p.m. ET the following Sunday.
[FIVE // big ten volleyball begins; illini ends penn state streak]
Big Ten volleyball began this week with Illinois, Michigan and Northwestern winning both of their respective contests. But it was the ninth-ranked Fighting Illini that stole the headlines, topping No. 2 Penn State 3-2 on Friday to end the Nittany Lions’ 65-match Big Ten winning streak. Illinois then swept Ohio State on Saturday to share the conference lead. Michigan used a 3-0 sweep over Iowa and a 3-2 win over Minnesota to sit atop the conference, while Northwestern topped Indiana 3-1 and Purdue 3-2. Minnesota blanked Michigan State 3-0 on Friday, but the Spartans bounced back with a 3-1 victory over Iowa. In other action, Wisconsin fell 3-2 to Ohio State and was then shutout against Penn State on Saturday.
[SIX // conference campaign begins in men’s soccer]
Week one of the 2010 Big Ten men’s soccer campaign is in the books and Indiana, Michigan State and Ohio State all share the lead at 1-0. The Hoosiers captured a 3-2 victory at No. 20 Penn State on Friday, while No. 23 Ohio State blanked Michigan 1-0 on Saturday and No. 15 Michigan State shutout Northwestern on Sunday, 2-0. In non-conference action on Friday, Wisconsin fell 1-0 in overtime at No. 16 Creighton.
[SEVEN // women’s soccer opens big ten play]
The Big Ten women’s soccer season opened Thursday with a thrilling 1-1 double-overtime tie between No. 18 Minnesota and Iowa. The Hawkeyes took to the field again on Sunday only to battle in another double-overtime session, ending in a scoreless draw against St. Louis. Speaking of scoreless ties, Wisconsin and Purdue went 110 minutes Friday without scoring a goal. That same night, Northwestern topped Indiana 2-1, but then fell to Purdue 1-0 on Sunday. The Hoosiers fell 1-0 in overtime to Wisconsin on Sunday, while three other Big Ten contests were shutouts. Minnesota topped No. 20 Illinois 1-0, Penn State bested Michigan State 1-0, and Ohio State blanked Michigan 2-0.
[EIGHT // big ten field hockey season underway]
In Big Ten field hockey this week, Michigan captured a 2-1 win over New Hampshire on Friday and a 2-0 upset at No. 14 Penn State on Sunday. Speaking of upsets, Northwestern topped No. 6 Ohio State 3-2 on Friday, while the Nittany Lions bested Indiana 1-0. The Hoosiers ousted Bucknell 2-1 in penalty strokes on Sunday and Iowa dropped Central Michigan 1-0.
[NINE // several conference women’s golf teams in action]
Seven Big Ten women’s golf teams were in action this past weekend, including five teams that opened tournament play on Sunday. Top-ranked Purdue recorded a school-record 54-hole score of 19-under-par 845 (279-282-284) at the Mason Rudolph Women's Championship, but it was not enough to capture the team title. The Boilermakers started the final day trailing by one stroke and shot a 284 to finish two strokes behind No. 16 LSU (278-282-283--843). Purdue bested its lowest three-round team total by seven strokes as the previous low 54-hole tournament score was an 852 (279-282-291) at the 2008 Indiana Invitational at Crooked Stick Golf Club in Carmel, Ind. At the Mary Fossum Invitational in East Lansing, Michigan State (297-298-301--896) finished third in its own 11-team field, while Michigan (317-308-312--937) placed sixth. After two rounds of the Badger Invitational, Wisconsin (282-300—582) leads the 11-team field and Iowa (299-297—596) is fourth. At the Golfweek Challenge in Vail, Colo., Minnesota sits eighth in the 18-team tournament after a first round 298 and will play 18 holes on both Monday and Tuesday. Through one round of play at the 54-hole UNCG Fall Classic in Greensboro, N.C., Penn State is currently in a tie for fourth place at 308.
[TEN // on the ground running at the griak]
Both the Minnesota and Penn State men’s and women’s cross country teams were in action this week at the 25th annual Roy Griak Invitational at the University of Minnesota Les Bolstad Golf Course in Falcon Heights, Minn. The Griak, which featured 327 teams and 3,358 competitors in 2009, is annually is one of the largest cross country meets in the nation. In the Men’s Gold race, Minnesota finished fifth with 136 points, followed by Penn State in ninth at 221. Minnesota senior Ben Blankenship was the conference’s top finisher in 10th at 24:31.1. In the Women’s Gold event, the Golden Gophers placed seventh with 185 points, while Penn State was ninth at 260. Minnesota junior Stephanie Price finished second with a time of 20:40.8.
[ELEVEN // minnesota’s whalen representing red, white, blue…and maroon and gold]
Finally this week, we stay in the state of Minnesota and congratulate former Golden Gopher women's basketball standout Lindsay Whalen, who began competing this week on the 12-member USA Basketball Women's World Championship Team at the 2010 FIBA World Championships. Team USA started 3-0 this week with Whalen averaging 4.7 points and 3.3 rebounds per contest. Whalen, who was a standout in Minneapolis from 2001-2004, averaged 9.0 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game in Team USA's four exhibition contests.
