Nov. 21, 2010
[ONE // three football teams looking for one title]
The second-to-last weekend of Big Ten play saw all but three teams eliminated from the race for the conference title, as Michigan State, Ohio State and Wisconsin each improved to 6-1 in league play. The Spartans, Buckeyes and Badgers can each clinch at least a share of the Big Ten Championship with victories in their regular-season finales next Saturday. In Saturday’s action, MSU rallied to defeat Purdue, 35-31, OSU came back to edge Iowa, 20-17, and Wisconsin jumped to a big lead and won 48-28 at Michigan. The other two conference games were both played at neutral sites, with Penn State defeating Indiana, 41-24, at FedEx Field in Landover, Md., and Illinois beating Northwestern, 48-27, at Wrigley Field in Chicago. For full recaps on each Big Ten contest on Nov. 20, click on this link.
[TWO // fox sports to carry big ten football championship]
The Big Ten Conference has reached a media agreement with FOX Sports to serve as the official broadcast partner of the 2011-16 Big Ten Football Championship Games. The inaugural Big Ten Football Championship Game will be played in prime time on Dec. 3, 2011, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, with the winner earning the Big Ten Championship and a chance to play in the Rose Bowl Game or Bowl Championship Series National Championship Game. For more information, click on this link.
[THREE // indiana’s isiah thomas named big ten icon]
Indiana's Isiah Thomas was named this past Tuesday as Big Ten Icon No. 10. The countdown of Big Ten Icons, presented by Discover and hosted by Keith Jackson, continues at 9 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Nov. 23, with a profile of the Chicago-raised point guard who led the Hoosiers to the 1981 NCAA championship under coach Bob Knight, earning Most Outstanding Players honors for his efforts. Thomas averaged 14.6 points and 5.5 assists as a freshman and was selected to the 1980 U.S. Olympic Team, which never played due to U.S. boycott of the Moscow Games. To take a look inside Thomas’ Big Ten Icon locker, click here.
[FOUR // ohio state field hockey concludes season in national semifinal]
The Ohio State field hockey team saw its season come to an end Friday afternoon following a 3-1 loss to No. 1 Maryland in the first NCAA semifinal appearance in school history. Senior forward Jena Cacciatore scored the lone Buckeye goal in the first five minutes of the game. Along with its first NCAA Final Four appearance, the 2010 Buckeye campaign will go down as one of the best in program history after breaking multiple single-season records, including most wins (18), points (213), goals (71) and assists (71) to go along with sharing the Big Ten regular season championship.
[FIVE // nearly two dozen field hockey standouts earn regional honors]
The NFHCA announced this past Thursday 22 Big Ten student-athletes were selected to the 2010 Longstreth/NFHCA Division I All-Region Teams. As a member of the Mideast Region, Penn State placed three on the first team and one more on the second team. Kelsey Amy, Ayla Halus and Jess Longstreth were named to the first team, while teammate Brittany Grzywacz earned second team All-Mideast status. The Big Ten's 18 other student-athletes were named as first- or second-team All-West Region members. First-team members included Michigan's Paige Laytos, Rachael Mack and Meredith Way, Michigan State's Molly Cassidy, Jantine Steinmetz and Sabine van den Assem, Northwestern's Chelsea Armstrong, and Ohio State's Aisling Coyle and Berta Queralt. Second-team All-West Region members included Indiana's Brenna Moeljadi, Iowa's Jessica Barnett, Michigan's Alicia Mayer, Michigan State's Kristen Henn, Northwestern's Nikki Parsley and Ohio State's Jena Cacciatore, Aisling McKeon, Paula Pastor-Pitarque and Jenn Sciulli.
[SIX // buckeyes’ coyle tabbed as region’s top player]
In addition to earning All-Region honors Thursday, Ohio State's Aisling Coyle was named the West Region Player of the Year. The junior midfielder is the first Buckeye to receive the honor. Coyle, whose impressive season was highlighted by her 24 goals for 55 total points, will be in the running for NFHCA Division I National Player of the Year that will be announced on Nov. 24. The co-captain earned Defensive Player of the Year, first team All-Big Ten and first team All-West Region.
[SEVEN // ohio state women’s soccer advances in ncaa tournament play]
Ohio State remains the lone women’s soccer team left in the 2010 NCAA Tournament, after capturing a 3-2 victory over second-seeded Virginia in Charlottesville, Va., on Saturday. The No. 3 seed Buckeyes scored the game’s first three goals and held off the Cavaliers in the national quarterfinals. In other Big Ten action, Minnesota dropped a 1-0 decision to Georgetown in the round of 16 on Saturday in St. Paul, Minn. The Hoyas scored with less than a minute remaining in regulation play to defeat the Golden Gophers and end their season at 14-6-3 overall. Click here to go to Tournament Central.
[EIGHT // big ten men’s soccer five for five]
The Big Ten is five for five after the first and second rounds of the NCAA Men’s Soccer Tournament. Indiana, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State and Penn State, who all earned bids to the NCAA Tournament, have moved on to the third round of action. Michigan State, the only unseeded Big Ten team, got past Oakland 2-0 in the first round and No. 13 and unbeaten Butler 1-0 in the second. The Spartans will next play No. 4 North Carolina. Big Ten Champion and No. 10 seed Michigan kept its winning streak alive by defeating Central Florida, 2-1. The Wolverines will be pitted against No. 7 South Carolina in their next matchup. No. 14 Indiana capped off Sunday night with a 5-1 win over Tulsa and will now have the task of going up against 2009 NCAA runner-up and No. 3 seed Akron. In other tournament action, No. 15 Penn State beat Old Dominion 4-1 and No. 16 Ohio State advanced after a 2-1 victory over Providence. The Nittany Lions will face No. 2 Maryland, while the Buckeyes will play the No. 1 seed and unbeaten Louisville. All third round action will take place on Sunday, Nov. 28. Click here to see complete results of Big Ten teams in NCAA men’s soccer action.
[NINE // cross country runners and coach earn regional honors]
The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association announced its regional Athlete and Coach of the Year awards this past Thursday, and two Big Ten coaches and a pair of female runners were honored for their efforts. On the men’s side, with Wisconsin head coach Mick Byrne was named the Great Lakes Region Coach of the Year after leading the Badgers to their eighth consecutive Great Lakes regional title. On the women’s side, Michigan State’s Emily MacLeod (Great Lakes) and Minnesota’s Stephanie Price (Midwest) earned top honors among athletes in their respective regions. Spartan head coach Walt Drenth also took home the Women's Coach of the Year award in the Great Lakes Region. The NCAA Championships take place Monday, Nov. 22, in Terre Haute, Ind. For a complete Big Ten preview of the NCAA Championships, click here.
[TEN // conference’s “big ten” named to naismith preseason watch list]
The Big Ten leads all conferences with 10 players on the 2010-11 Naismith preseason watch list, the Atlanta Tipoff Club announced on Tuesday. The 50-player watch list was compiled by the Atlanta Tipoff Club's Board of Selectors, which based its criteria on player performances from the previous year and expectations for the 2010-11 college basketball season. The Naismith Trophy presented by AT&T will be awarded at the 2011 NCAA Men's Final Four in Houston. The list of Big Ten players on the watch list includes: Illinois’ Demetri McCamey, Michigan State’s Kalin Lucas and Durrell Summers, Northwestern’s John Shurna, Ohio State’s William Buford and Jared Sullinger, Penn State’s Talor Battle, Purdue’s JaJuan Johnson and E'Twaun Moore, and Wisconsin’s Jon Leuer.
[ELEVEN // purdue women take home preseason wnit crown]
Finally this week, congratulations to the Purdue women’s basketball team on capturing the Preseason WNIT crown on Sunday. The Boilermakers won the title with a 67-58 victory over a talented DePaul team to move to 4-0 on the season. Purdue's Brittany Rayburn scored 21 points and was named the tournament’s most valuable player, while forward Drey Mingo was named to the all-tournament team with a 21-point and 13-rebound performance.
