Oct. 28, 2012
[ONE // wisconsin runs streak to 14 in the big ten]
Wisconsin won its 14th consecutive and 46th overall Big Ten Men’s Cross Country Championship on Sunday, placing four runners in the top 10 en route to the title. The Badgers were led by Maverick Darling, and Mohammed Ahmed, who placed second and third, respectively. Indiana’s Zach Mayhew took home the individual crown, running the 8,000-meter course in 23:29. Michigan placed second in the team standings with 65 points, while Indiana finished third with 79 points. Indiana’s Andy Bayer and Michigan’s Dan Lowry rounded out the individual top five. The complete All-Big Ten teams and championship results can be found here.
[TWO // wolverines run to ninth conference crown]
Michigan won its first Big Ten Women’s Cross Country championship since 2006, placing five runners in the top 20 to earn its ninth overall conference title on Sunday. Michigan State’s Sara Kroll finished first individually on her home course, completing the 6,000-meter race in 20:12 to mark the sixth individual title in Spartan history. The Wolverines posted a winning score of 55, as Rebecca Addison placed third and Amanda Eccleston finished 10th. Michigan State notched 75 points en route to second place. Penn State took third with 96 points. Iowa’s Mareike Schrulle followed Kroll in second place among individual runners, while Michigan State Leah O’Connor and Penn State’s Rebekka Simko rounded out the top five, placing fourth and fifth, respectively. All-Big Ten honors were also handed out and for a complete list of those as well as full championship results, click here.
[THREE // field hockey tournament bracket announced]
After earning it first Big Ten Championship since 2008 and sixth overall on Sunday afternoon, Penn State earned the No. 1 seed and an automatic spot in the semifinals of the 2012 Big Ten Field Hockey Tournament. The tournament will be held at the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa, with opening-round matchups played on Thursday, Nov. 1. The tournament winner will earn the Big Ten’s automatic berth to the NCAA Championship. With Iowa, Michigan and Northwestern tied at 4-2 in the standings and 1-1 records amongst the group, Northwestern earned the No. 2 seed based on their win over top-seeded Penn State. Michigan earned the No. 3 seed in the tournament based on their head-to-head record against Iowa. Rounding out the field was No. 4 Iowa, No. 5 Michigan State, No. 6 Ohio State, and No. 7 Indiana.
[FOUR // women’s soccer tournament bracket released]
After winning its 15th consecutive Big Ten Championship, Penn State earned the No. 1 seed in the 2012 Big Ten Women's Soccer Tournament. The tournament will be held on the Indiana campus in Bloomington, Ind., with opening-round matchups played on Wednesday, Oct. 31. The tournament winner will earn the Big Ten's automatic berth to the NCAA Championship. The Nittany Lions are undefeated since Sept. 8, posting a 10-0-1 Big Ten record this season. Penn State's conference title marks the most consecutive championships by a Big Ten women's program in any sport. Ohio State earned the No. 2 seed, while No. 3 Michigan, No. 4 Minnesota and No. 5 Illinois closed out the top five. No. 6 Wisconsin, No. 7 Nebraska and No. 8 Iowa rounded out the eight-team field.
[FIVE // tune in to the tube for big ten championship action]
For the first time, BTN will provide full coverage of the Big Ten fall championships and tournaments, including live broadcasts during the 2012 Big Ten Field Hockey Tournament, Big Ten Men’s and Women’s Soccer Tournaments and delayed coverage of the Big Ten Men’s and Women’s Cross Country Championships. Coverage of the quarterfinals for men’s and women’s soccer and field hockey will be streamed live for the first time on the Big Ten Digital Network (BTDN). The semifinals and finals for each event will be available on both BTN and BTN2Go. For more information and a complete schedule of the BTN’s coverage of this year’s fall championships, click here.
[SIX // big ten basketball leading the country]
The Big Ten leads all conferences with five men’s basketball teams ranked in the Associated Press (AP) top 25 preseason poll, released on Friday. Indiana enters the season ranked No. 1, while No. 4 Ohio State and No. 5 Michigan round out the poll’s top five. Michigan State comes in at No. 14, and Wisconsin is ranked No. 23. Minnesota is receiving votes outside the top 25. The Big Ten is the first conference since the Big East in the 2008-09 season to have three teams ranked in the top five of the preseason AP poll.
[SEVEN // hoosiers heralded as big ten favorite]
Already named the preseason No. 1 team in the nation by several publications, Indiana has been chosen as the Big Ten favorite heading into the 2012-13 season as voted on by a panel of conference media and announced on Thursday. The media also tabbed Hoosier sophomore Cody Zeller as the Preseason Player of the Year. Michigan and Ohio State, two of the three teams that shared the 2011-12 Big Ten title, were selected to finish second and third, respectively, in the conference. Zeller was a unanimous pick to the Preseason All-Big Ten Team and was joined on the squad by the Wolverines' Trey Burke, the Buckeyes' Aaron Craft and Deshaun Thomas and Penn State's Tim Frazier.
[EIGHT // hill, bentley share big ten women’s basketball preseason honor]
The Big Ten announced on Thursday that Ohio State's Tayler Hill and Penn State's Alex Bentley shared conference Preseason Player of the Year accolades from the women’s basketball coaches, while Hill earned the nod from a selected media panel. It is the second straight season Bentley was named Preseason Player of the Year. Penn State was selected as the preseason favorite by both the coaches and media. Nebraska and Ohio State were selected to finished second and third by the media, while the Huskers and Purdue were tabbed as the second and third selections on the coaches’ side. For a complete look at the preseason honors, including the coaches’ and media preseason all-conference team, click here.
[NINE // sparty parties in Madison, buckeyes victorious at beaver stadium]
Michigan State forced Wisconsin to extra sessions on the gridiron Saturday and knocked off the host Badgers 16-13 in Madison. No. 9 Ohio State held off Penn State 35-23 at Beaver Stadium, while Nebraska’s defense put forth an impressive effort in a 23-9 outcome against Michigan. Kain Colter once again led the Northwestern Wildcats to the win column, scoring a 28-17 victory over Iowa. Indiana and Minnesota both earned their first Big Ten wins of the season, as the Hoosiers topped Illinois 31-17 and the Golden Gophers defeated Purdue, 44-28.
[TEN // getting closer to gridiron honors]
Several Big Ten football standouts were recognized this past week by a number of national award organizations. The National Football Foundation (NFF) & College Hall of Fame named Nebraska's Rex Burkhead and Northwestern's Patrick Ward two of 15 recipients of the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Awards. Burkhead and Ward were selected from a nationwide pool of 147 semifinalists from among all NCAA divisions and the NAIA. The two Big Ten student-athletes are now finalists for the 2012 William V. Campbell Trophy, which recognizes an individual as the absolute best scholar-athlete in the nation. Defensive tackle John Simon of Ohio State and linebackers Max Bullough of Michigan State and Chris Borland and Mike Taylor of Wisconsin were named quarterfinalists for the Lott IMPACT Trophy, which honors the student-athlete who has the biggest IMPACT on his team on and off the field. Michigan's Denard Robinson and Ohio State's Braxton Miller were named semifinalists for the Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award, presented annually to the nation's best college quarterback. Illinois' Jonathan Brown, Michigan State's Bullough and the Penn State duo of Gerald Hodges and Michael Mauti were named four of 12 semifinalists for the Butkus Award, given annually to the nation's top linebacker and named for Hall of Famer and Illini legend Dick Butkus. Finally, Nebraska's Taylor Martinez was one of eight quarterbacks named "Stars of the Week" by the Manning Award, the only national quarterback award that includes the candidates' bowl performances in its balloting.
[ELEVEN // seven shine at ita regionals]
A total of seven Big Ten tennis stars concluded play this past week at the USTA/ITA Regional Championships. In the Midwest Region, Ohio State's Peter Kobelt captured the singles title, while Illinois' Tim Kopinski and Farris Gosea teamed up to win the doubles crown. On the women’s side, four players came out on top at the USTA/ITA Regional Championships. Northwestern's Kate Turvy won the singles title at the Midwest Regionals, while Penn State's Petra Januskova was the singles victor in the Atlantic Region. Illinois' Melissa Kopinski and Rachael White took home the doubles crown in the Midwest Region.
[TWELVE // buckeye soccer standout recognized by nscaa]
Finally this week, Ohio State women's soccer player Tiffany Cameron was named Disney Soccer/NSCAA Player of the Week, it was announced on Wednesday. The senior forward scored eight points on four goals two weeks ago in the No. 25 Buckeyes' wins over No. 17 Michigan and Michigan State. She also posted her eighth game-winning goal and now owns the program's single-season record in goals. Cameron was also named the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week for her efforts for the second time this season.
