Three Indiana Men‘s Basketball Hoosiers Honored by Big Ten Conference Indiana sixth-year center Oumar Ballo, junior forward Malik Reneau, and fifth-year senior guard Anthony Leal were honored by the Big Ten Conference on Tuesday afternoon. Ballo earned Honorable Mention All-Big Ten status as voted on by the conference head coaches and select media members. He adds to his decorated history of all-conference accolades, which includes two All-Pac-12 First Team nods, two Pac-12 All-Tournament Team selections, a Pac-12 All-Defensive Team honor, and a Pac-12 Sixth Man of the Year trophy. The Arizona transfer closed the season with team highs in points per game (13.2), rebounds (9.1), and blocks (1.3). He also averaged a career-best 2.1 assists per night and shot 63.5% (153-of-241) from the floor. Ballo produced 10 double-doubles, nine multi-block games, and three games with five or more assists.
Despite missing the better part of seven games with injury and illness, Reneau was voted to the Honorable Mention All-Big Ten Team for the second-straight season by the media. The Miami, Fla., native averaged 13.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per outing. He shot 55.3% (131-of-237) from the floor and 72.4% (63-of-87) from the free throw line. Reneau tallied double-figure scoring outputs in 18-of-25 games played, added 15-plus in 12 contests, and recorded three 20-point nights. The Hoosiers racked up a 10-2 record in games in which the lefty posted at least 15 points. Leal was listed among the 2024-25 Big Ten Men’s Basketball Sportsmanship Award Honorees. He appeared in 25 games with starts in his final 13 appearances. Leal averaged 3.9 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 2.2 stocks (steals+blocks) in his 13 starts. The Bloomington native recorded at least one steal or block in 16 games with 11 multi-stock performances. The Hoosiers posted a record of 6-3 in Big Ten Conference games when Leal played at least 25 minutes, which included road wins over Ohio State and at Michigan State, and a home victory over in-state rival Purdue. Indiana will begin postseason play in the second round of the Big Ten Conference Tournament against No. 23/RV Oregon at noon Tomorrow at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The game will be available on BTN.
Indiana University Women’s Soccer names Mary Seiffert Assistant Coach Indiana women’s soccer head coach Josh Rife has announced the addition of Mary Seiffert to his staff. Seiffert joins the Hoosiers after three seasons on Rife’s staff at Ball State. “I am very excited and incredibly grateful for the opportunity to continue working with Coach Josh Rife at Indiana University,” Seiffert said.” He has a ‘player-centered’ philosophy that values student-athletes and pushes them to reach for their best everyday both on and off the field. I believe that mentality paired with the rich history and tradition of IU will create a program that is meaningful to be a part of. I am ready to get to work and to invest in this program and IU community!”
At Ball State, Seiffert worked with field players during training with full group and small group and individual sessions. She also prepared scouting reports, additional game prep including film review and was active in recruiting. “I am thrilled to have Mary join us at IU,” Rife said. “She has a ton of experience both in and out of the coaching world that will be a huge asset to our program. She does a great job of connecting with student-athletes and I believe the players will love to work with her.” Seiffert joined the Ball State coaching staff after spending five seasons at Indiana Wesleyan. During her time with the Wildcats, she helped guide the squad to a Crossroads League regular season title, a Crossroads League tournament champion title, and four National Tournament appearances in four years, including an Elite Eight finish in 2019. Seiffert was a part of the USC Regional Staff of the Year that same year.
Prior to her time at IWU, she spent time at Denison University and Olivet Nazarene University. While at Denison, the team made it back to the NCAA National Tournament for the first time in five years. At ONU, she aided in CCAC regular season and tournament titles in 2011. In a combined four seasons at ONU, she won the NCCAA National Tournament, was a runner-up in the NCCAA National Tournament, and made the NAIA National Tournament twice in her last two years.
The Grand Haven, Michigan, native played four years at Cornerstone University from 2004-07. During her time, she was a four-year starter and two-year captain and helped CU win its first WHAC tournament title in 2004, its first WHAC regular season title in 2006 and its first ever NAIA Region Championship and National Tournament appearance in 2007. She was a three-time All-WHAC selection, a two-time All-Region selection, and a two-time NAIA Scholar Athlete. When she graduated, she was the sixth all-time leading scorer, and she still sits at third in career assists and sixth in career points. She won CU’s Outstanding Female Athlete Award in 2006. In 2015, she was inducted into the Cornerstone Hall of Fame. Seiffert currently holds her US Soccer Federation (USSF) A-Senior coaching license and has been a part of the US Soccer SHEChampions program in 2023 and 2024.
Six Indiana University Divers Qualify for the NCAA Championships During Day 1 of the Zone C Diving Championships Six Hoosiers punched their tickets to the NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships Monday on the first day of the NCAA Zone C Diving Championships inside the McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion on the campus of the Ohio State University. Three men qualified on the 1-meter springboard, and three women advanced from the 3-meter springboard – tying Purdue for the most in each competition. Seniors Quinn Henninger – the Big Ten Champion on 1-meter – and Carson Tyler led the way in the men’s event, taking the top two spots with scores of 752.30 and 736.00, respectively. The pairing finished second and third in the event at the NCAA Championships last season. Junior Maxwell Weinrich was the fourth and final diver to eclipse 700 points Monday, also qualifying on 1-meter. Placing 11th and 12th, Junior Dash Glasberg and freshman Joshua Sollenberger just missed out on the 10 qualifying spots available on 1-meter. However, as top 12 finishers, both can still qualify in this event if they meet the qualifying standards in another event.
With another 10 bids available in the women’s 3-meter event, the Hoosier trio of senior Skyler Liu and sophomores Ella Roselli and Lily Witte were among the upper-echelon that secured NCAA berths. All three Hoosiers return from last season’s NCAA Championships roster. Freshman Mary Kate Cavanaugh placed 14th in the event, missing out by 14.35 points, as nine Hoosiers competed in finals Monday. With the three additions to the roster, Indiana’s NCAA Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships expands to 13 after 10 swimmers locked in their spots last week.
RESULTS
Women’s 3-Meter
4. Skyler Liu – 645.45 (NCAA Qualifier)
5. Ella Roselli – 638.50 (NCAA Qualifier)
8. Lily Witte – 634.25 (NCAA Qualifier)
14. Mary Kate Cavanaugh – 563.30 (Finalist)
43. Morgan Casey – 209.90
Men’s 1-Meter
1. Quinn Henninger – 752.30 (NCAA Qualifier)
2. Carson Tyler – 736.00 (NCAA Qualifier)
4. Maxwell Weinrich – 700.25 (NCAA Qualifier)
11. Dash Glasberg – 644.05 (Finalist)
12. Joshua Sollenberger – 637.40 (Finalist)
36. William Jansen – 245.35
Indiana’s Cooper Malamazian Named Big Ten Baseball Freshman of the Week A tremendous week at the plate earned freshman third baseman Cooper Malamazian his first Big Ten Freshman of the Week award, as announced by the conference office on Monday afternoon. It is Indiana’s first weekly honor of any kind this season. Malamazian started all four games at third base last week and finished the four-game stretch hitting 7-for-16 (.438) with five runs scored and five RBIs. He picked up his first career four-hit game in the second contest of a doubleheader at Penn State last Friday (March 7).
In that game, Malamazian broke a program single-game record and single-game freshman record with four doubles. He became just the fourth player in Big Ten history with four doubles in a single game. Malamazian is just the second player in conference history to do it against a fellow league opponent. On top of his offensive performance, Malamazian played flawless defense at the hot corner. He had three putouts and nine defensive assists while making zero errors. He effectively earned the starting nod at third base going forward in head coach Jeff Mercer’s lineup.
Since Mercer took over the program in 2019, Malamazian is the 10th different IU player to earn a Big Ten Freshman of the Week honor. Both Jasen Oliver and Joey Brenczewski earned Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors last season and went on to make the league’s All-Freshman Team at the end of the season. True freshmen have been responsible for 47 base hits this season. Fellow first-year player Jake Hanley leads all Big Ten and NCAA freshmen with 26 base knocks. Hogan Denny has already hit a pair of home runs for the Hoosiers while Will Moore has walked 10 times.
Indianapolis Colts agree to a 4-year $60 Million Dollar Deal with Safety Camryn Bynum Lou Anarumo’s defense is taking shape. A major piece was added Monday when the Indianapolis Colts agreed with former Minnesota safety Camryn Bynum on a four-year, $60 million contract. A source with knowledge of the situation confirmed the transaction, which was first reported by NFL Network. Anarumo’s defenses with the Cincinnati Bengals included impactful play at safety – Jessie Bates – and that’s what will be expected from Bynum. The 2021 fourth-round pick of Minnesota started 54 of 65 games, including 51 over the past three seasons. Bynum, 26, has collected 342 tackles, including five for a loss, along with eight interceptions. He had three interceptions, and 10 passes defended last season. Opposing quarterbacks completed 61.5% of their passes with a 77.8 rating when targeting Bynum last season. He’s forced 16 incompletions the last two seasons, the most by a safety, according to Pro Football Focus. Bynum’s addition almost certainly means Julian Blackmon won’t return.
Along with inserting a cornerstone-type player to the defense, Ballard took an authoritative step toward backing up his intention to be more aggressive in free agency. The $60 million deal for Bynum is the largest allocated by Ballard for a free agent from another team since being named general manager in 2017. And the No. 2 spot really isn’t close. The contenders include Johnathan Hankins’ three-year, $30 million deal in 2017, Philip Rivers’ one-year, $25 million deal in 2020 or the two-year, $23 million deals for Justin Houston (2019) and Stephon Gilmore (’22). Last offseason, Ballard’s only free-agent acquisitions were quarterback Joe Flacco (one-year, $5 million) and defensive tackle Raekwon Davis (two years, $14 million). Davis was released last week. I
Instead, Ballard invested approximately $150 million in guarantees for new deals or extensions for several of his own players. He conceded that was a mistake and resulted in a complacency within the locker room. “The hardest thing to do is evaluate your own team,’’ he said shortly after the Colts finished with an 8-9 record. “I didn’t create enough competition on the roster. There has to be some stress . . . an uncomfortability.’’ Ballard added the Colts aren’t “close’’ to where they need to be and a change in his roster building probably was needed. “We’ve got to be able to address and identify the right avenues to acquire the right players that can move the needle and have not done that in the last four years,’’ he said.
Taylor University Men’s Lacrosse Player Lucas Pacer Named WHAC Defensive Player of the Week A member of the Taylor men’s lacrosse team was named the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Week for a second-straight time, with TU’s Lucas Pacer taking the honor one week after Ben Harrell was recognized. Pacer dominated play in Taylor’s 14-2 win over Midland on Thursday, forcing eight turnovers and scooping up seven ground balls in the win. Pacer also fueled the offense by running the field and assisting a trio of Trojan scores. In TU’s 12-10 loss to RV Benedictine earlier in the week, Pacer aided a tight Taylor defense with four ground balls, and one caused turnover. For the season, Pacer has now amassed 21 ground balls and 11 caused turnovers, while helping TU hold its opponents to just 8.8 scores per contest. The honor is the first for Pacer in his collegiate career and the second the TU men’s lacrosse program this season. With Pacer’s recognition on Monday, Taylor Athletics now boasts 45 athlete-of-the-week awards from the WHAC, MSFA and Crossroads League. Pacer and the Trojans (4-2) will return to action on Saturday, March 15 with a 4:00 pm game at Mount Vernon Nazarene (7-0).