95 Indiana University Student Athletes honored as Big Ten Distinguished Scholars
The Big Ten Conference announced Monday that 1,695 students on varsity rosters have earned the Big Ten Distinguished Scholar Award. The list includes students from all 14 institutions plus Johns Hopkins and Notre Dame and 38 different sports who have recorded a minimum grade-point average (GPA) of 3.7 or higher for the previous academic year. The 2023-24 class of Distinguished Scholar Award recipients includes 385 students who maintained a perfect 4.0 GPA during the previous academic term.
“IU Athletics takes great pride in supporting our student’s opportunities to succeed at the highest level, and that includes in the classroom,” said IU Vice President and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Scott Dolson. “These 95 students have performed at a level academically that is on par with the very best of all IU students, and they’ve done that while balancing the significant demands that go along with being a student-athlete. Congratulations to our Big Ten Distinguished scholars for this very well-deserved and prestigious award.” Distinguished Scholar Award recipients must have earned Academic All-Big Ten recognition in the previous academic year, must have been enrolled full time at the institution for the entire previous academic year (two semesters or three quarters) and earned a minimum GPA of 3.70 or better during the previous academic year, excluding any summer grades. The Academic All-Big Ten threshold is a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher for a student’s academic career.
BIG TEN DISTINGUISHED SCHOLARS
Women’s Basketball
Lexus Bargesser
Mackenzie Holmes
Sara Scalia
Baseball
Ty Bothwell
Ty Rybarczyk
Brock Tibbits
Field Hockey
Anna Mozeleski
Taylor Etling
Arabella Loveridge
Football
Cooper Jones
Aaron Stewart
Max Williams
Men’s Golf
Noah Gillard
Thomas Hursey
Women’s Golf
Beatriz Junqeira
Rowing
Anya Hardwick
Lily Haupt
Allie Beth Currier
Abbey Armstrong
Madeline Anderson
Ara Cowper
Frances McCorkle
Chelsie Lindauer
Summer Stogsdill
Avery Thorpe
Jania Hackett
Jessica Bastos
Lydia Casiano
Sophie Bowden
Men’s Soccer
Luka Bezerra
Andrew Goldsworthy
Maouloune Goumballe
JT Harms
Austin Himebaugh
Jack Wagoner
Women’s Soccer
Olivia Albert
Sofia Black
Natasha Kim
Sydney Masur
Olivia Rush
Olivia Smith
Marisa Grzesiak
Sarah Sirdah
Ava Akeel
Dani Jacobson
Elizabeth Johannes
Jaelyn Pallas
Emma Payton
Softball
Aaliyah Andrews-Patterson
Brooke Benson
Avery Parker
Women’s Swimming and Diving
Morgan Casey
Brearna Crawford
Mya DeWitt
Anne Fowler
Ching Hwee Gan
Cat Minic
Anna Peplowski
Ella Ristic
Men’s Swimming and Diving
Josh Matheny
Joseph Radde
Carson Tyler
Gavin Wight
Jassen Yep
Men’s Tennis
Nishanth Basavareddy
Carson Haskins
Jagger Saylor
Men’s Track and Field
Micah Camble
Tyler Carrel
Travis Hickner
Parker Raymond
Tyler Sierks
Hunter Smith
Skylar Stidam
Nathan Stone
Women’s Track and Field
Emily Herndon
Taylor Jarosinski
Kelly Moran
Claire Overfelt
Kylee Poulton
Maddie Russin
Tori Schmidt
Kai Snell
Volleyball
Kaley Rammelsberg
Carly Mills
Water Polo
Zoe Crouch
Louisa Downes
Grace Hathaway
Grace Klingler
Sarah Lolli
KiKi Mein
Sophie Sollie
Wrestling
Mason Alley
Jeffrey Rhemrev
Jacob Bullock
The Assembly Ball to Face the Valparaiso Alumni Team the Cru in the First Round of the Basketball Tournament at Hinkle Fieldhouse
IU themed Assembly Ball has a first-round opponent in the 2024 edition of The Basketball Tournament. They’ll face Valparaiso alumni team The Cru. Assembly Ball was determined to be the No. 1 seed in the eight-team regional in Indianapolis. Assembly Ball features former IU players Jordan Hulls (as a player and coach), Juwan Morgan, Devonte Green, Miller Kopp, Yogi Ferrell, Miller Kopp, Race Thompson, and Troy Williams. A matchup involving IU and Purdue alumni is possible in the second round. Assembly Ball’s first game will be on Friday, July 19 at 8pm Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind and will be televised on the Big Ten Network. Rounding out the Assembly Ball roster are Kristian Doolittle (Oklahoma), Rion Brown (Miami), Julian Gamble (Miami), and Keith Hornsby (LSU)
The Basketball Tournament is a 64-team, open-application, single-elimination tournament played across the U.S. each summer since 2014. Now in its 11th year, TBT has paid out more than $13M in prize money to 10 champions over the years. The winning team takes home $1 million. The TBT utilizes the Elam Ending, which means every game ends on a made basket. The TBT will be hosted across eight regionals. All regional events are hosted by an alumni team representing a college basketball program. TBT’s regionals will run July 19-24. One team from each region will advance to TBT’s quarterfinals, which will take place July 29-30. TBT’s semifinals will be played on Aug. 2, and the $1 million winner-take-all championship will be played on Aug. 4.
Fans can buy tickets to the Butler regional by clicking here.
Indiana University Football Lands Lawrence North Wide Receiver and One Time Illinois Commit for 2025
Class of 2025 Wide Receiver Davion Chandler has flipped his commitment from Illinois to Indiana, he has announced. “After lots of thoughts and prayers I have decided to decommit from Illinois and flip my commitment to Indiana,” he wrote in an X post. An Indianapolis product, who just committed to Illinois a couple weeks ago, Chandler was on a previously planned official visit to IU this weekend. The 6-foot and 170-pound Chandler will follow current Hoosiers Donaven McCulley and Omar Cooper as Lawrence North H.S. standout wide receivers who chose to play in Bloomington.
“With IU it’s very close to home. My head coach went there. They got two receivers from my high school there right now,” he told On3’s Steve Wiltfong. “They were my first offer. Really love it in Bloomington and I don’t think nobody recruits me like them.” According to the On3 Average, Chandler is a 3-star, the No. 811 overall player in the class, and the No. 129 wideout. As a junior Chandler had 40 receptions, 779 yards and 13 touchdowns. He also returned two kicks for scores and had a rushing touchdown. Chandler had initially picked Illinois over Wisconsin and IU, and also had offers from West Virginia, Michigan State, Iowa, Vanderbilt, Louisville, Boston College, Kansas and Purdue, among others.
Indiana University Volleyball’s Mady Saris Makes the Canadian Roster for the NORCECA Women’s Final Six
A regular participant in the youth ranks for her home country, rising senior outside hitter Mady Saris earned her first senior team call up on Tuesday (June 25) morning. Volleyball Canada announced its roster for the NORCECA Women’s Final Six Pan American Cup in the Dominican Republic that began Wednesday and will go through Monday with Saris making the team. The 6-foot-1 outside hitter has participated with Canada in the past, winning silver in the 2018 NORCECA Championships and qualifying for the 2019 FIVB Volleyball Girls’ U18 World Championship in Cairo, Egypt. After participating in training camps with the Volleyball Nations League team, Saris earns a spot in the roster to head to the Dominican Republic this month.
Saris, a native of Burlington, Ontario, has produced 865 kills (2.75 p/s) in three seasons with the Indiana program. She’s appeared in 90 matches, adding 421 digs and 73 service aces for the Hoosiers. Saris produced a career high 427 kills in 2022 and returns for her senior season this fall. Canada’s pool play matches are today against Mexico and tomorrow against the United States in Group A. The top two teams in each group advance to the semifinals on Saturday while the bottom finisher in each group is set for a fifth-place consolation match on Sunday. The final of the NORCECA Women’s Final Six is set for Sunday evening in Santo Domingo.
Indianapolis Colts named finalist for 2024 Sports Humanitarian Team of the Year ESPY Award |The Indianapolis Colts are being recognized as a finalist for a national award for their work with the Indy community. ESPN announced Monday that the Colts were selected as one of four finalists for its 2024 Sports Humanitarian Team of the Year ESPY Award — an honor the team mostly earned for its work through Kicking The Stigma, its mental health initiative. The goal is to raise awareness about mental health and removing the stigma often associated with mental health disorders to promote healing. Over $30 million has been committed through the initiative since it started in 2020. To learn more about Kicking The Stigma, click here. The award is presented every year to a team or club that demonstrates how teamwork can “create a measurable impact on a community or cause.” The NWSL’s Angel City FC, the NBA’s Miami Heat and the NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles are the other three finalists up for the award.
Indiana Fever waive 2024 Second Round Pick Celeste Taylor
The Indiana Fever announced that it has waived its second-round pick from this year’s WNBA Draft. Indiana waived Guard Celeste Taylor on Tuesday and activated forward Damiris Dantas. Taylor was selected 15th overall in this year’s draft. The former Ohio State Guard played in only five regular season games for the Fever this year, averaging just 3.2 minutes per game. She has scored a total of 3 points this entire season.
Back in February, the Fever announced it had signed Dantas to a multi-year contract. Dantas, who was the 12th overall pick in the 2012 WNBA Draft, has not played at all this season due to injury. “Dantas gives us a WNBA veteran with experience in the post and her international experience in the Olympics will also benefit our team,” Fever General Manager Lin Dunn said in a news release after Dantas’ signing back in February. “She will be a tremendous addition on both ends of the floor as well as in our locker room.” Dantas last played in the WNBA back in 2022 with the Minnesota Lynx. That season, she averaged 5.1 points and 3.8 rebounds for the Lynx. The Fever is gearing up to face the Seattle Storm Tonight at 10pm.
It will be the third straight road game for Indiana. The Fever is coming off a one-point loss to the Chicago Sky on Sunday afternoon. The defeat snapped the Fever’s four-game winning streak. “Defensively, we have to be a lot better,” Indiana guard Caitlin Clark said on Tuesday. “Obviously we really struggled there in the fourth quarter. I think we fouled too much. And like I said after the game, I think we got away with that vs. Atlanta and then it really kind of caught us vs. Chicago.” This will be the third time this regular season that the Fever has played the Storm. Seattle won the previous two meetings.
Indiana State Women’s Swimmer Chloe Farro to represent Aruba at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris Indiana State rising senior Chloe Farro will be representing her home country of Aruba at the 2024 Paris Olympics as the Savaneta, Aruba native qualified for the 50-meter freestyle swimming event. Farro will be competing in the 50-meter prelims on Saturday, August 3, at the Paris La Defense Arena, starting at 11am.
“I’ve been dreaming about making the Olympics ever since I was 12 years old, and now that dream has become my reality,” Farro said. “Through the extreme highs and extreme lows, I persisted. I am forever thankful for all those who believed in me and never gave up on me. I wouldn’t be here without you! I’ll see you all in Paris.”
Farro received an Olympic scholarship from IOC vice-president Nicole Hoevertsz back in 2022 in a formal ceremony meant to offer financial support to an athlete to prepare themselves better, at the highest levels and help them achieve the qualifying times for their specific events. The scholarship was granted to athletes “with the technical level to be able to qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games”. “From the first time I met Chloe, I’ve known her dream was to represent Aruba at the Olympics,” ISU head swimming & diving coach Josh Christensen said. “Over the last few years, it became clear that goal was possible. Her belief, determination, and consistent work ethic have made that dream a reality and we are so proud of her and excited that she has earned this amazing opportunity. We can’t wait to cheer her on as she races in Paris!”
Farro has competed on the international level multiple times throughout her career at Indiana State including the recent 2023 Federation Internationale De Natation (FINA) World Championships back over July 19-30, 2023. She competed in both the 200-meter Freestyle and 50-meter Fly events over the event held in Fukuoka, Japan. Other international competitions Farro has competed for Aruba during her time at Indiana State include the 2022 FINA Word Championships (Budapest, Hungary), the 2021 FINA Short Course World Championships (Abu Dhabi, UAE), and the 2021 Junior Pan American Games (Valle, Columbia).