Local Sports News: September 5, 2024

Indiana Fever Head Coach Christie Sides Named WNBA Coach of the Month for August Indiana Fever Head Coach Christie Sides has been named WNBA Coach of the Month for August after guiding Indiana to a 5-1 record during the month, the league Announced Wednesday. Sides is the first head coach in franchise history to win WNBA Coach of the Month after guiding the Fever to its first postseason bid since the 2016 season.

During August, the Fever led the entire league in scoring, averaging 89.7 points per game, which included a season-best 100-point scoring effort in its 100-81 win against the Chicago Sky on August 30. Indiana also took the top spot in the league for the most 3-point field goals made with 72 made from beyond the arc in August. Indiana’s offense was the highest rated among all teams in August at 110.7. To start the month off, Indiana’s 98-89 victory against the Phoenix Mercury on August 16 was the first time since the 2015 regular season Indiana has swept its regular season-series with Phoenix. On August 28, Indiana beat the Connecticut Sun, 84-80, for the first time since the 2021 regular season. 

Indiana University Women’s Golf Ties for Fourth at the Boilermaker Classic The Indiana Hoosiers women’s golf team tied for fourth at the Boilermaker Classic played at the Kampen-Cosler Golf Course in West Lafayette over Labor Day Weekend with a 54-hole score of 902 (298-301-303; +38). The tie for fourth place marked the best finish by the Hoosiers in a season-opening tournament since earning runner-up honors at the IU Fall Kickoff to begin the 2013-14 season. “This was not the finish we were hoping for,” head coach Brian May said. “The feedback was needed. We will get back to work and be ready for the Bettie Lou Evans Invitational next week.”

In her debut tournament with the Hoosiers, junior Madison Dabagia shot a 225 (78-75-72; +9) to pace the Hoosier attack and finished t-16th overall. She secured six total birdie conversions with two coming in each round. Redshirt senior Caroline Smith matched Dabagia’s line and shot a 225 (74-74-77; +9). She tabbed birdies on five holes, including a team-high four in the second round. Junior Faith Johnson tied for 24th at 227 (76-72-79; +11). She played four birdies across the three rounds. Junior Chloe Johnson shot a 230 (75-80-75; +14) with four birdies. Redshirt junior Maddie May played a scorecard of 237 (73-81-83; +21) with a team-best five birdie conversions. Indiana will return to competition at the Bettie Lou Evans Invitational hosted by the University of Kentucky from Sept. 8-10 at the Champions Trace Golf Club in Nicholasville, Ky.

Caitlin Clark Earns WNBA Player and Rookie of the Month for August Indiana Fever rookie guard Caitlin Clark was named both WNBA Eastern Conference Player of the Month and WNBA Rookie of the Month for August, the league announced Wednesday. This is the third time Clark has earned Rookie of the Month honors after being named Rookie of the Month in May and July. This is the first time she has been named the WNBA Eastern Conference Player of the Month. Yesterday, Clark was recognized as the WNBA Eastern Conference Player of the Week for the second time in her career. 

In August, Clark averaged 24.0 points per game, 8.5 assists per game and 5.2 rebounds per game. Clark led the league in assists for August and continues to lead the league in assists overall with an average of 8.4 assists per game. In each of Indiana’s six games in August, Clark recorded at least 19 points, five assists and four rebounds. Clark has now recorded five games recording at least 20 points and 10 assists, which is the most by any player in a single season in WNBA history. Along with assists, Clark leads all rookies in scoring (18.7 ppg), steals (1.4 spg), free throw shooting (89.7 percent) and minutes played (35.4 mpg).  The Fever finished with a 5-1 record for the month of August and most recently tied its season-best in scoring in a 100-93 decision against the Dallas Wings on Sunday. In Sunday’s win, Clark became the seventh rookie in WNBA history to record at least 600 points and became the highest scoring rookie in franchise history with 617 points leading into the Los Angeles game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

Indiana University Softball Announces 2024 fall schedule Indiana Softball head coach Shonda Stanton has announced the team’s 2024 fall schedule. The Hoosiers will play seven total games over the course of three weekends this fall with five of the games being held at Andy Mohr Field. All home games offer free admission to fans.  Indiana will open the fall slate with a game against Danville Area Community College on Sep. 22. Two weekends later, Indiana will host Indiana State for a 10-inning game on Oct. 5 followed by a game against College of Lake County on Oct. 6. The weekend of Oct. 11-13 will be a full slate of softball for Team 52. On Friday, Oct. 11, Indiana will travel south to take on Louisville for a doubleheader. Indiana will play two home games across Saturday and Sunday, with Indiana Tech (10 innings) and Lake Land College, respectively. 

Indiana Softball 2024 Fall Ball Schedule (All times listed in EST)  Sunday, Sep. 22 | vs. Danville Area Community College | 12 PM Saturday, Oct. 5 | vs. Indiana State (10 Innings) | 1 PM Sunday, Oct. 6 | vs. College of Lake County | 1 PM Friday, Oct. 11 | at Louisville (DH) | 4 PM Saturday, Oct. 12 | vs. Indiana Tech (10 Innings) | 1 PM Sunday, Oct. 13 | vs. Lake Land College | 1 PM

Indiana Fever Clinch WNBA Playoff Spot for the First Time Since 2016 Following losses from the Atlanta Dream and Chicago Sky on Tuesday night, the Indiana Fever officially clinched a spot in the WNBA Playoffs for the first time since the 2016 regular season. For more information regarding the Indiana Fever and the 2024 WNBA Playoffs, fans may visit FeverBasketball.com or text ‘Fever’ to 42576 for the latest updates. The 2024 postseason will be the franchise’s 14th playoff appearance as Indiana reached the playoffs 12 consecutive times from 2005-2016 and made its first postseason appearance in 2002. The 2024 WNBA postseason will begin on Sunday, September 22.

The top eight teams regardless of conference will qualify for the playoffs and be seeded based on their record. The first playoff round follows a best-of-three format where the teams are seeded based on their regular-season record. The first-round series games will include a 2-1 format in which the higher seed will host Games 1 and 2 and the lower seed will host Game 3 if necessary. The semifinals and WNBA Finals will each feature a best-of-five series following the 2-2-1 format with the higher seed hosting Games 1, 2 and 5, and the lower-seeded team will host Games 3 and 4 in their respective series.

IU Athletics and Teamworks Influencer launch Indiana NIL Exchange Indiana University Athletics has partnered with Teamworks Influencer to launch the Indiana NIL Exchange, a dedicated, customized portal to connect IU student-athletes with businesses for name, image, and likeness opportunities. Free to both the student-athletes and businesses, Indiana NIL Exchange is a one-stop-shop that streamlines the NIL process from start to finish. From the initial communication to a payment platform to automatically generated tax forms, Indiana NIL Exchange simplifies the process while also ensuring all agreements are compliant with IU Athletics’ Name, Image, and Likeness guidelines. In addition to supporting both parties throughout the NIL process, Indiana NIL Exchange also features robust educational resources on a host of NIL-related topics, including brand building and financial literacy. “From the start, IU Athletics has been a leader in supporting our student-athletes in maximizing their NIL opportunities, and this is the latest example of that commitment,” said IU Vice President and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Scott Dolson. “This technology is a tremendous resource to both parties, and it will enable our student-athletes to continue to maximize their personal brands and market themselves to businesses who can benefit greatly from these partnerships.”

After registering on Indiana NIL Exchange, businesses will be given access to a database of Indiana University student-athletes. Businesses will then be able to search the database by a variety of criteria to identify the best candidates for NIL opportunities. Businesses can then message the student-athlete directly to request contact information. IU Athletics and Influencer are not involved in any NIL negotiations. Once an NIL agreement is reached, a customized form that is compliant with IU Athletics’ Name, Image, and Likeness Policy is generated and forwarded to IU Athletics. Indiana NIL Exchange also includes a payment processing platform allowing businesses to securely submit payments to the student-athletes while also creating a 1099 form for more efficient tax reporting. “We are excited to partner with Indiana University to launch a fee-free NIL marketplace,” said Teamworks Influencer General Manager Sean Kelly. “The launch of the Indiana NIL Exchange will unlock new opportunities for their student-athletes, allowing them to monetize their brand and pursue NIL deals at a larger scale.”

About Teamworks Influencer -Influencer, available on Teamworks’ Operating System for Sports™, is the leading athlete brand-building and NIL business management app for elite sports organizations. The Influencer athlete app educates student-athletes, coaches, and staff for the NIL era in a safe and compliant environment. Powered by our best-in-class content delivery engine, student-athletes can easily access and share content with their fans. Influencer’s Exchange helps companies, fans, and collectives easily find, communicate with, pay, and report NIL transactions with student-athletes, maximizing their NIL earning potential and streamlining reporting for their institution and personal tax returns. To learn why more than 90,000 student-athletes at 270 elite collegiate and professional sports organizations have partnered with Influencer, visit teamworks.com/influencer.

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