Indiana University Women’s Basketball Bounces Back with win at Washington The Indiana Hoosiers ended their two game Big Ten West Coast Road Trip with a 73-70 win over Washington Huskies Monday Night at Alaska Airlines Arena in Seattle. The Hoosiers are 13-7 overall and 5-4 in the Big Ten and will return to action on Sunday afternoon when they face the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Noon in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. Yarden Garzon scored a career high 35 points for the Hoosiers and it was her second 30 plus point game in her career after she scored 30 against Evansville on December 18, 2023. Garzon who had struggled from the field in the last three games went 8-10 from three-point range and 13-18 from the field and hit her only free throw attempt.
Sydney Parrish added 16 points and Karoline Striplin added 11 as the Hoosiers scored 71 of their 73 points from their starting lineup. Chloe Moore-McNeil scored 7 Points, Shay Ciezki added 2 points, and Lexus Bargesser scored the only 2 points off the bench. Indiana finished 21-59 from the field for 45%, 13-23 from three-point range for 56% and 10-11 from the free throw line for 91%. Indiana pulled down 21 rebounds, dished out 18 assists, 6 steals, 4 blocks and committed 17 turnovers.
Washington falls to 13-8 overall and 4-5 in the Big Ten will head to Ohio State on Sunday and Penn State Next Wednesday. Dalayah Daniels paced four Huskies in double figures with 21 points. Sayvia Sellers and Davia Coppinger added 11 points apiece and Elle Ladine scored 10 points. Washington pulled down 25 rebounds, dished out 16 assists, 8 steals, 4 blocks and committed 17 turnovers.
Indiana led 21-16 after the first quarter as Washington outscored the Hoosiers 15-8 in the second quarter as the Huskies went into the locker room leading 31-29 at the half. Indiana exploded for a 30-point third quarter and held the Huskies to 15 points as Indiana led 59-46 going into the fourth quarter. Washington outscored Indiana 24-14 as the game was tied 68-68 with 1:46 left. Sydney Parrish drained a three pointer to make 71-68 with 1:25 left. Savia Sellers hit two free throws with a minute 1:10 to go to make it a one-point game 71-70. Yarden Garzon scored on a jumper with 53 seconds left as Hannah Stines three pointer at the buzzer was off the mark and Hoosiers beat the Huskies in Seattle for the first time in program history and lead the all-time series 3-1.
Bloomington Radio Personality Tony Kale to be Inducted into the Indiana Sportswriters and Sportscasters Assocation Hall of Fame For the 29th year, the Indiana Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association is pleased to announce its incoming Hall of Fame Class, set to be inducted at its annual awards banquet to be held on Sunday, April 6 at Valle Vista Country Club in Greenwood. This year’s Class of 2025 includes the following people who have graced Hoosier newspapers, radio stations, and television airwaves during the past several decades:
Curt Cavin, Indianapolis Star & Indycar.com _ After graduating from Franklin College, Cavin quickly found full-time employment with the Indianapolis Star beginning in 1987. Cavin scribed about both high school sports and Indiana basketball for more than a decade while also writing about motor sports. By 2001, Cavin had become The Star’s lead motor sports writer, covering Indy 500s, Brickyard 400s and the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix. Cavin served as a contributor to WTHR for many years as well as hosting “Trackside” with Kevin Lee, which is in its 18th year of airing on 93.5 and 107.5 The Fan in Indy. Cavin shifted into INDYCAR administration in 2016, and he now writes all things motor sports for INDYCAR and Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Len Davis, WGL Radio, Fort Wayne (deceased) _ From 1949 to 1980, Davis called over four thousand basketball games on the airwaves of WGL Radio, averaging a clip of over 90 games per season. The exploits of Davis over the airwaves weren’t limited to high school hoops as his range of events broadcast spanned activities such as the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League to weekly stock car races. After retiring from WGL, Davis continued doing basketball games on local cable television for a decade. Davis was a winner of the Distinguished Service award from the IHSAA in 1995, and passed away in 1997.
Brian Hammons, WXIN/WRTV/Golf Channel _ The Anderson native began his broadcast career with WRTV in Indianapolis while still a student at Butler University. That would eventually lead to being part of the Indiana Pacers television broadcasts and then becoming sports director at WXIN in Indianapolis. In 1994, Hammons then had the opportunity to be one of the first voices and faces of The Golf Channel, which launched in January of 1995. Hammons hosted Golf Central and did play-by-play for PGA, LPGA, and Champions Tour events, and even had a role in the movie Tin Cup.
Tony Kale, WCLS Bloomington/Ellettsville _ Kale has spent 38 years gracing the radio airwaves of the state of Indiana, and the last 37 of those have included doing play-by-play for high school sports. All of those have been in the area surrounding Bloomington, whether that’s WLSO in Spencer, WSKT in Ellettsville, or now WCLS based in Bloomington. Kale was the 2009 Marv Bates Award winner from the ISSA, and is approaching nearly 1,400 career games called, including six state championship appearances. Tony serves as the voice of the Edgewood Mustangs, handles numerous Owen Valley broadcasts, and hosts the morning show on WCLS as well.
Vince Turner, Elkhart Truth/WTRC Radio _A member of the Elkhart County Sports Hall of Fame, Turner spent nine years chronicling all things Elkhart sports and then an additional 13 years talking about them. Turner has previously received awards from Indiana football, wrestling, and baseball coaches, as well as athletic directors. Over the airwaves, Turner called area high school football and basketball, plus Notre Dame basketball as well. These days Turner is a communications specialist for the Goshen Chamber of Commerce.
Curt Rallo _South Bend Tribune: Rallo spent 38 years covering everything South Bend sports for the Tribune, ranging from Notre Dame, Big Ten, South Bend SilverHawks/Cubs baseball, to major league sports in both Chicago and Indianapolis. These days, Rallo still covers the Irish for the Associated Press, in addition to baseball for MILB.com in the Midwest League. Rallo was a winner of the IHSAA Distinguished Media Service Award in 1996. Rallo also teaches at Penn High School in both the English and journalism departments and has done so since 2001.
In addition to these new Hall of Famers, the Indiana Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association will recognize winners of annual honors such as the Marv Bates Sportscaster of the Year, the Corky Lamm Sportswriter of the Year, the Bob Williams Helping Hand Award, and the Ron Lemasters Lifetime Achievement Award. Those winners are as follows:
Marv Bates Sportscaster of the Year: Todd Kibbey, Regional Radio Sports Network _ While Kibbey has been active in play-by-play since 1993, he made the move across state lines to Indiana in 1998, and has been either courtside or in a press box ever since. Kibbey spent four years calling games for WJOB in Hammond, and then joined Regional Radio Sports in 2002. Kibbey has covered a variety of teams for RRSN in the last 23 years, but has been the primary voice of Lowell High School football since 2012, and East Chicago Central hoops for the last three seasons.
Corky Lamm Sportswriter of the Year: Justin Sokeland, WBIW.com _ Sokeland has 38 years of experience covering Indiana and national sports. Sokeland is currently the high school sports editor and publisher for WBIW.com and BNLathletics.com, covering nearly every Bedford North Lawrence High School sporting event. Sokeland also produces a daily morning sports report for WBIW radio. Sokeland worked as the Indiana high school basketball reporter and golf writer for the Louisville Courier-Journal from 2004-16, and was a writer and Sports Editor for the Bedford Times-Mail from 1986-2004.
Bob Williams Helping Hand Award: Bill Wagner, Assistant Athletic Director for Communications, Depauw University _ Wagner, affectionately known as ‘Wags,’ has been a fixture of all things DePauw sports since 1986. Wagner is a member of the College Sports Communicators Hall of Fame and has worked off-campus events ranging from the Pan Am Games in 1987 to the 2010 NCAA Final Four. He has served on CSC’s Academic All-America Committee for over 20 years, was on the CSC Board of Directors for three years and elected the first president of D3SIDA (2008-11). Wagner oversees communications for all 23 intercollegiate athletic programs at DePauw, and the annual Monon Bell Classic between the Tigers and Wabash College, perhaps the biggest game in all of small college football which has aired on ABC, AXS TV, Fox Sports Indiana, and now ISC Sports Network over the years. He has served as the media host for over 100 NCAA Division III competitions including three national championships.
Ron Lemasters Lifetime Achievement Award: Pat McKee, Indianapolis Star _ McKee covered a variety of teams and events for The Star, primarily on the high school sports beat. Following his days of covering sports, he spent 11 years coaching them at a very high level, serving as the girls’ basketball coach at Columbus North, leading the Bull Dogs to the 2015 4A state championship. McKee has remained active both as a writer and with basketball, as he assists the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association’s administration of the Indiana-Kentucky All-Star series, maintaining and adding to the records database for both the game and all of Indiana high school basketball. He was a winner of the IHSAA Distinguished Media Service Award in 2002 and the ISSA Corky Lamm Award in 2005. He was inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008 and the ISSA Hall of Fame in 2009.
These ten honorees will be recognized at the association’s annual banquet on April 6, which begins at 2 p.m. at Valle Vista Country Club in Greenwood. Tickets are available with a meal included for $50. To order tickets, send a check for $50 to Fred Inniger, ISSA Treasurer, 3011 Noble Hawk Drive, Kendallville, IN 46755. Also, those wanting to renew their memberships to the ISSA, or to become new members, send $25 to Fred for your annual dues. Please order your banquet tickets before March 24. The Indiana Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association was founded in 1946. The ISSA created its Hall of Fame 50 years later in 1996. The Hall of Fame currently has 147 members including this year’s honorees.
Former Indiana University Football Player Mike Katic Hired by Barstool Sports Mike Katic helped Indiana football set a program record with 11 wins in 2024, and now he’s joining Barstool Sports after exhausting his collegiate eligibility. Katic, the starting center for the Hoosiers, appeared on Barstool’s live midday show, “The Yak,” on Monday to talk about the new venture. Dan Katz, also known as Big Cat and the host of “The Yak,” speculated that Katic could have been drafted between the fourth and sixth rounds of the 2025 NFL Draft. Katic started 50 games on the offensive line during his six-year Indiana career, beginning in 2019, and he was voted a team captain in 2023. But instead of pursuing a professional football career, Katic took a job with Barstool. “I’m pumped. This is what I think I was born to do,” Katic said on The Yak. “Football’s great, but I think this is my thing.”
“I’m so blessed to be here. Great decision. I was doing the combine thing today, and I was like, ‘You know, if this job didn’t come up, I would actually be training for the actual combine.’ So I’m really excited to be here.” Katic originally declared for the 2024 NFL Draft after Indiana made a head coaching change from Tom Allen to Curt Cignetti. But after conversations with Cignetti and offensive line coach Bob Bostad, Katic decided to withdraw from the draft and return to Bloomington for one more season. He helped the Hoosiers achieve a historic season, making the first 12-team College Football Playoff.
“Best decision I ever made,” Katic said Nov. 30 after defeating Purdue 66-0. Katic will officially begin at Barstool Sports on March 1, though it’s unclear what his exact role will be within the company. “We don’t even know what he’s gonna do, but he’s here,” Katz said. Katic may spend time working alongside former NFL head coach Jon Gruden, who was hired by Barstool in November. “I’m pumped to work with him and break down film and just talk ball, man,” Katic said.
Katic’s profile page on the Indiana roster says he majored in criminal justice, but media appearances as a member of the football team inspired him to pursue a sports media career. “It’s my passion, media,” Katic said. “I went to Big Ten Media Days in Lucas Oil [Stadium], and after that, people were coming up to me like, ‘You should be in front of a camera. You look natural up there.’ And I was like, ‘You know what,’ and then I did a bunch of interviews and podcasts throughout the year, and I was like, ‘You know what, this is what I truly love to do, and I just want to explore it.’ Barstool is like a dream job of mine. It just happened so fast.” Katic also has a fellow Hoosier to thank for connecting him with Barstool. “Anthony Leal, who’s on the men’s basketball team – so Dave [Portnoy, who owns Barstool Sports] went to Hoosier Hysteria, which is like the basketball pep rally, and Anthony reached out to Dave on my behalf and Dave told him to email him,” Katic said. “I sent him three clips of me in the media, and he’s like, ‘Yeah, you’re hired.’”
Indiana University Baseball receives #25 Preseason Ranking in Baseball America Poll Indiana baseball has made a NCAA Tournament regional in the last two seasons and one national publication believes the Hoosiers have what it takes to make it three in a row. Baseball America released its preseason top 25 poll on Monday and Indiana is ranked No. 25. Indiana has a lot to offer in its everyday lineup. Devin Taylor is the Big Ten Preseason Player of the Year after he hit .357 with 20 home runs and 54 RBI in 2024. Taylor is MLB draft eligible after the 2024 and is projected to be a first-round draft pick. Taylor is the first Indiana player to be All-Big Ten first team in his first two seasons. Baseball America also named Taylor its Big Ten Preseason Player of the Year. Indiana also has All-Big Ten shortstop Tyler Cerny (.315, 10 HR, 60 RBI) back. He is one of three returning infielders as second baseman Jasen Oliver (.285, 10 HR, 37 RBI) and third baseman Josh Pyne (.315, 3 HR, 39 RBI) are also back.
Catcher Jake Stadler (.278, 1 HR, 27 RBI) and designated hitter Andrew Wiggins (.309, 3 HR, 15 RBI), also return. Indiana could have more to offer via transfers and incoming freshmen. First baseman Jake Hanley, from Mooresville, Ind., was named the Preseason Big Ten Freshman of the Year. Outfielder Korbyn Dickerson (.235 in limited action) is also expected to contribute. A.J. Shepard will not be back as Indiana announced he took a medical waiver. A top 400 recruit, he only played three games before he was injured near the start of the 2024 season. Where Indiana has a big question mark is its pitching. Indiana had a 6.53 ERA in 2024. None of Indiana’s primary starters from 2024 return in 2025.
Jacob Vogel (2.31) and Drew Buhr (3.31) have the best ERAs of any returning Indiana pitchers – both were relievers in 2024. Indiana will hope Southern Indiana transfer Gavin Seebold (7-2, 3.93 ERA), Saint Louis transfer Jackson Yarberry (6-3, 6.33 ERA) and Indiana State transfer Cole Gilley (6.61 ERA) will bring something to the table. Seebold, Gilley and Yarberry are possible starters along with Ben Grable, a Northwestern transfer who missed the 2024 season, and Aydan Decker-Petty (6.32 ERA). Indiana will also hope for a bounce back season from senior pitcher Ryan Kraft. He was a first-team All-Big Ten relief pitcher in 2023 with a 2.48 ERA, but his ERA jumped to 7.27 in 2024. He could be in the mix to be in the starting rotation as well.
Indiana was 33-26-1 in 2024 and advanced to the Knoxville Regional at Tennessee. The Hoosiers went 1-2 in the Knoxville Regional. Indiana defeated Southern Mississippi in the opening round, but then lost to the host Volunteers, and then to Southern Miss in an elimination game rematch. Indiana is the second-highest ranked Big Ten team in the poll. Oregon is the top-ranked Big Ten team in the No. 19 spot. The Ducks were a Super Regional team in 2024, and they return eight of their nine everyday players. National runner-up Texas A&M is ranked No. 1 in the poll. Indiana has made three straight NCAA Tournament appearances twice in program history – from 2013-15 and 2017-19.
Indiana Fever announce Jackie Maynard as AVP of basketball communications The Indiana Fever on Tuesday announced the hiring of Jackie Maynard as associate vice president of basketball communications, a newly created role within the organization. Maynard joins the Fever with 14 years of experience in sports communications and public relations, having spent the previous 12 seasons working in professional women’s sports. Reporting to Fever Chief Operating Officer and General Manager Amber Cox, Maynard will oversee all aspects of basketball communications for the Fever, including department strategy and serving as the primary contact between the team and the media. “I am incredibly excited to join the Indiana Fever. From my first conversation to the last, it was clear that everyone, at every level, is invested in setting the standard for fans, players and the community,” Maynard said. “I look forward to joining a franchise that has been committed to the growth of women’s basketball for over two decades and I’m ready to do all I can to help the Indiana Fever become the preeminent women’s sports franchise in the world.”
A native of Rochester, N.Y., Maynard comes to Indianapolis after a nine-season tenure with Orlando City SC of Major League Soccer and the Orlando Pride of the National Women’s Soccer League. Leading Orlando’s communications team, Maynard was responsible for all communications and media strategy for both professional sides, the organization’s MLS NEXT Pro franchise and events at Inter&Co Stadium. Most recently, Maynard and her team were awarded with the inaugural NWSL Communications Team of the Year following a historic season for the department which saw a 121% increase in global media coverage for the Pride. In 2020, Maynard was also a key contributor to a campaign that saw the Pride Win Sports Business Journal’s “Best in Sports Social Media” award.
Over her time in Central Florida, Maynard also oversaw media projects for the opening of two training facilities and Inter&Co Stadium, the team’s $155 million privately funded stadium, which opened in 2017. As the stadium’s communications lead, Maynard was deeply involved in media strategy for high-profile events such as the 2019 MLS All Star Game, 2018 and 2022 World Cup Qualifiers, the 2022 Special Olympics USA Games Opening Ceremony, numerous U.S. Soccer matches and planning for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup. Starting her career in women’s sports in 2013 with the Western New York Flash, Maynard has built relationships and managed media relations for a number of elite athletes including six-time FIFA World Player of the Year Marta, U.S. Women’s National Team stars such as Alex Morgan, Abby Wambach and Carli Lloyd, and international soccer stars Kaká and Nani. Prior to her time in professional soccer, Maynard also worked in the National Hockey League and collegiate athletics.
Indiana Native and Olympic Gold Medalist Nick Goepper win gold at the X Games in Aspen, Colorado Lawrenceburg, Indiana, native Nick Goepper is continuing his comeback on the slopes. He won gold this past weekend at X Games Aspen in the Ski SuperPipe event. Goepper started competing in the event in 2024. Goepper competed for a decade in Slopestyle, winning four gold and two silver medals. He also has three Olympic medals from the 2014 Games in Sochi. Goepper hopes to return to Team USA in 2026 for the Milano Cortina Games.