Trio of Indiana Women’s Soccer Hoosiers Selected to Big Ten Player to Watch List A trio of Hoosiers including senior goalkeeper Jamie Gerstenberg, sophomore defender Piper Coffield and graduate defender Avery Snead were selected to the Big Ten Players to Watch List, the conference announced on Tuesday afternoon.
Jamie Gerstenberg, Jr., GK-Gerstenberg earns a spot on the watch list for the third straight year. The reigning Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Year who started between the pipes in all 20 of the Hoosiers’ matches. She totaled 52 saves (.765 save percentage) with a .82 goals against average. She set the single-season shutout record with 10 and went 12-4-4 as the primary keeper. The Birkenwerder, Germany native holds Indiana’s career shutout record with 25 clean sheets and tied the single-season Big Ten record. Gerstenberg was also an All-Big Ten First Team selection and will continue to make big strides for the Hoosiers.
Piper Coffield, So., D-Coffield was named to the Big Ten All-Tournament Team and picked up three Big Ten Freshman of the Week awards and one Defensive Player of the Week in her rookie season. She played a total of 1710 minutes, holding Indiana’s backline strong. She scored three goals with two assists and combined for eight points. The Mars, Penn. native scored two game winners on penalty kicks to put the Hoosiers on top last season. Coffield ended last season with .429 shots on goal percentage and aided in the cream and crimson’s single-season shutout record.
Avery Snead, Gr., D-Snead, a graduate transfer from Providence College, earns a spot on the Player to Watch List after looking to make a big impact for the Hoosiers. She joins the Indiana women’s soccer team after spending four-years with the Friars. As a midfielder, she started in all 69 matches and totaled 13 points in her career with six goals and one assist. Snead held .525 shots on goal percentage with four game-winning goals to finish her career. A native of Wrentham, Mass., she was named to the All-BIG East Second Team in 2023, earned All-BIG East All-Freshman Team honors in 2020 and Second Team Honors in 2022. Snead was also named to the United Soccer Coaches All-East Region Third Team. Snead is a two-time NEWISA All-New England Second Team honoree.
Up next, Indiana women’s soccer will begin the season hosting the Tennessee Volunteers Tomorrow Night at Bill Armstrong Stadium with Kickoff Scheduled for 8pm.
Indiana University Women’s Golf announces 2024-25 Season Schedule Indiana women’s golf coach Brian May announced the 2024-25 schedule on Tuesday. The slate includes 10 regular season tournaments, with four coming in the fall and six in the spring. “We are eager to get this year going,” said May. “Our 2024 Big Ten Championship validated the direction our program is headed, and we will hit this season full steam ahead.
“We have some familiar sites and a few new locations, all designed to test our games throughout the year. As always, we will work to have the girls peaking in April and May for a Big Ten title defense, and a post season run to California. We hope to see Hoosier Nation out along the way supporting our young women!” The Hoosiers will hit the ground running with the Purdue Boilermaker Classic from Sept. 2-3 at the Kampen-Cosler Golf Course immediately followed by the Bettie Lou Evans Invitational from Sept. 8-10 at the Champions Trace Golf Club. After a short break, Indiana will return to competition at the Illinois Women’s Invitational from Oct. 7-8 at Medinah Country Club. The fall slate will conclude with The Ally Invitational from Oct. 21-23 at Old Wavery Golf Club.
Spring play will begin with a trip to Naples, Fla. to compete in a tri-match with border rivals Louisville and Kentucky on Jan. 21 at the Shadow Wood Country Club. The Hoosiers will remain in the Sunshine State for the UCF Challenge from Feb. 2-4 at Eagle Creek Golf Club. IU will then take on the field at the Chevron Collegiate from Feb. 24-25 at the Golf Club of Houston. The month of March will consist of two events starting with the Clover Cup from March 10-12 at the Wigwam Golf Club. Indiana will return to the Florida State Match Up for the second-straight year from March 21-23 at the Seminole Legacy Club. The regular season will end at the Therese Hession Buckeye Invitational from April 12-13 at the OSU Scarlet Course. The reigning Big Ten Champions will begin postseason play at the 2025 Big Ten Championships at the Bulle Rock Golf Course in Havre De Grace, Md. from April 18-20. NCAA Regionals will be held from May 5-7 before the NCAA Finals from May 16-21 at La Costa Resort in Carlsbad, Calif.
Indiana University Football’s Aiden Fisher named to the Butkus Award Watch List With just 18 days until the 2024 season officially opens for the Indiana football program, junior linebacker Aiden Fisher was tabbed to the preseason watch list for the Butkus Award. The 40th annual collegiate Butkus Award® Preseason Watch List features 51 linebackers as a nod to the storied “51” pro jersey worn by the award’s namesake, the late Dick Butkus. His tenacious leadership from the middle linebacker position earned him acclaim by NFL Films as the greatest defensive player in football history. Candidates for the collegiate Butkus Award represent 44 colleges and universities from across the country. Founded in 1985, the Butkus Award honors linebackers at three levels while supporting causes important to the Butkus family. Causes include Butkus Takes Heart™ initiative encouraging early cardiovascular screening among adults, and the I Play Clean® initiative encouraging athletes to train naturally without performance-enhancing drugs. A 51-member expert panel of coaches, scouts and journalists guides the selection process.
Fisher has appeared in 23 career games with 11 starts over two collegiate seasons, both at James Madison (2022-23) for now IU head coach Curt Cignetti and defensive coordinator Bryant Haines. He garnered third-team All-Sun Belt as a sophomore after a 108-tackle season with 6.0 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. He started 11 of 13 games in 2023 and was named Sun Belt Conference Special Teams Player of the Week in Week 2 after a blocked punt at Virginia (9/9). Fisher made his first career start in Week 3 at Troy (9/16) and started the final 11 contests, capped by a season-high 17 tackles – 12 solo – in the Armed Forces Bowl versus Air Force (12/23). He posted four double-digit tackle games and three others with nine stops, had one interception, and broke up eight passes. His blocked punt at Virginia also led to a JMU touchdown.
Indiana Pacers Schedule announced for the 2024 NBA Emirates Cup The Indiana Pacers’ road to Vegas begins at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Friday, Nov. 15. The NBA officially unveiled dates for the Group Play games in the 2024 Emirates NBA Cup on Tuesday. The Pacers are in East Group B along with Milwaukee, Miami, Toronto, and Detroit for this year’s NBA Cup (formerly known as the In-Season Tournament). The Pacers put the league on notice a year ago in the first edition of the event, sweeping through Group Play then winning two Knockout Round games to advance all the way the Championship game in Las Vegas. They’re looking to take it one step further this year and bring a trophy home.
Indiana opens Group Play on Friday, Nov. 15 by hosting Jimmy Butler and the Heat at Gainbridge Fieldhouse at 7:00pm. A week later, the Pacers will travel to Milwaukee for a marquee matchup with Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks on Friday, Nov. 22 at 7:30pm in a game that will be nationally televised by ESPN. The Blue & Gold got the best of their Central Division rivals on multiple fronts last season, defeating the Milwaukee in the In-Season Tournament Semifinals in Las Vegas in December and then besting the Bucks in a first-round playoff series in May. Indiana’s next Group Play game will be on Friday, Nov. 29, when the Blue & Gold welcome Cade Cunningham and the Detroit Pistons to Gainbridge Fieldhouse. This continues the Pacers’ tradition of hosting a home game on “Gold Friday,” the Friday after Thanksgiving. The Pacers and Pistons will tip off at 8:00pm to accommodate the annual Circle of Lights tree lighting ceremony earlier that evening on Monument Circle. The Pacers will head north of the border to wrap up Group Play on Tuesday, Dec. 3 against Scottie Barnes and the Toronto Raptors at 7:30pm.
New name aside, the NBA Cup’s format remains largely unchanged from last season. Each team will play a total of four Group Play games two home and two road against the other teams in its group. The three group winners and one “wild card” (the top second-place team from Group Play) in each conference will advance to the Knockout Rounds. The Quarterfinals will be played at NBA arenas on Dec. 10 and 11, with the top two group winners in each conference hosting those games. The Quarterfinal winners will then advance to Las Vegas for the Semifinals on Dec. 14 and Championship on Dec. 17. All games in the NBA Cup aside from the Championship game count towards the regular season standings. To ensure that all teams play 82 regular season games, the 22 teams that do not qualify for the Knockout Rounds will play two regular season games on Dec. 12 or 13 and Dec. 15 or 16, while the four teams that lose in the Quarterfinals will play one regular season game on Dec. 12, 13, 15, or 16.
The Pacers’ run to the Championship game last year was a precursor for Indiana’s later postseason success, as the Blue & Gold won two playoff series to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals. Indiana made one significant move in between those two events — acquiring two-time All-Star Pascal Siakam from Toronto in a blockbuster trade. After helping lead the Pacers’ playoff run, Siakam inked a long-term deal this summer to stay in Indiana. Fellow forward Obi Toppin also re-signed with the Pacers and the team returns virtually its entire roster from last year, including All-NBA guard Tyrese Haliburton (who just won a gold medal with USA Basketball at the 2024 Olympics in Paris), veteran center Myles Turner, and valuable young contributors Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith, and Bennedict Mathurin. The NBA is expected to announce the full 2024-25 regular season schedule later this week. In addition to their Group Play games, the Pacers already know two additional dates they will be playing, as they are taking part in the NBA Paris Games 2025 along with the San Antonio Spurs. The Pacers and Spurs will play two games in the French capital on Thursday, Jan. 23 and Saturday, Jan. 25.
Notre Dame Ranked Seventh in the Associated Press Preseason Football Poll Notre Dame ranked No. 7 in The Associated Press Top 25 preseason college football poll, being the only school in Indiana to grab a spot on this year’s poll. Georgia reigned victorious as No. 1 for the second straight year as the super conference era began with the SEC and Big Ten dominating the top 10 of the rankings. The Bulldogs received 46 first-place votes and 1,532 points in the Top 25 released Monday and the SEC powerhouse finished comfortably ahead of No. 2 Ohio State (15 first-place votes and 1,490 points) of the Big Ten.
New Big Ten member Oregon is No. 3, receiving one first-place vote from the panel of 62 media members who cover college football. Texas, which joins Georgia in the Southeastern Conference this season, is fourth. The Big Ten and SEC each have four teams in the top 10. Conference realignment has reduced the Power Five to the Power Four, with the Pac-12 whittled to just two schools. The Big Ten now has 18 schools. The Atlantic Coast Conference has 17 football teams, and the SEC and Big 12 each have 16. All the movement created an unprecedented preseason poll with just four conferences represented: The SEC leads with nine ranked teams. The Big Ten has six, the Big 12 has five and the ACC has four. Alabama, in its first season without coach Nick Saban since 2006, starts No. 5. No. 6 Mississippi gives the SEC half the top preseason top six. Independent Notre Dame is the highest-ranked team from outside the SEC and Big Ten at No. 7. No. 8 Penn State and No. 9 Michigan give the Big Ten four top 10 teams. Florida State from the ACC is No. 10.
Pair of Indiana High Schoolers to Play for USA Baseball in September USA Baseball will have some Hoosier hospitality on the 15U National Team this year. Freshmen Cooper Collins, of Vincennes, and Gavin Markus, of Greenfield, will both wear the stars and stripes in Atlanta for an international series with Australia in September. The 20-man roster was announced following the 2024 15U National Team training camp, which was held in early August at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, North Carolina. “Due to the high level of talent, competition, and versatility displayed at this year’s Training Camp, determining a 20-man roster for this year’s 15U National Team was a very difficult process,” said 15U National Team manager Rob Shabanksy. “However, after careful consideration, we are confident that the 20 players we have selected can and will find success on the international stage. Most importantly, we are excited that they will represent the stars and stripes in the highest way when competing.”
Markus, a right-handed pitcher, is ranked as the 4th best prospect in the state by Prep Baseball Report. “A two-time Junior Future Gamer for Team Indiana – Markus appears “next in-line” to carry on Indiana’s tradition of producing arm talent,” said Cooper Trinkle, lead scout with Prep Baseball Report Indiana. “The high-waisted, 6-foot-1, 156 pounder oozes athleticism within the delivery and shows clean, quick arm action that produces a mid-80s fastball currently, a number that will sky-rocket as he adds strength to his projectable frame. A strike-thrower, Markus also own one of the top breaking balls in the class, a low-70s offering with slurvey shape that shows flashes of a future-plus pitch.” Markus and Collins, a hard-hitting catcher, know each other well having played travel ball together with the Indiana Bulls.