Indiana University Women’s Soccer Sophomore Maggie Ledwith Named December Female Scholar Athlete of the Month Maggie Ledwith has been named December’s female Scholar Student-Athlete of the Month. Ledwith, a sophomore on the women’s soccer team and a finance major in the Kelley School of Business, exemplifies what it means to be a true scholar-athlete. This semester, she earned admission into Kelley’s highly selective and competitive Investment Banking Workshop—an accomplishment that reflects her outstanding academic performance, ambition, and commitment to her professional goals. She has demonstrated exceptional dedication to balancing her academic, athletic, and career responsibilities, proactively improving her time management, setting intentional GPA goals, and leveraging available resources to elevate her performance.
On the field, Maggie started 16 of 17 games for the Hoosiers and led the team in assists, points, and goals. She delivered two game-winning goals, including a final-minute winner against Northwestern that secured IU’s first conference victory of the season. Her grit, composure, and ability to shine in decisive moments make her an invaluable asset to her team. Even as her role and productivity increased on the field, she remained fully committed to her development in the classroom and her long-term career aspirations. I’m tremendously proud of Maggie and excited to watch her continue to grow as a scholar, soccer player, and emerging professional.
Indiana Pacers Drop Their Sixth Game in a Row Kevin Porter Jr. scored 24 points, Ryan Rollins had 23 and the Milwaukee Bucks, playing their seventh consecutive game without the injured Giannis Antetokounmpo, beat the Indiana Pacers 111-94 on Tuesday night. Kyle Kuzma scored 15 and Bobby Portis had 14 points and a team-high nine rebounds as the Bucks shot 51% to snap a three-game losing streak. Former Pacers center Myles Turner, who got booed every time he touched the ball, finished with 10 points and three blocked shots. T.J. McConnell led the Pacers, who dropped their sixth consecutive game, with 16 points off the bench. McConnell had missed Monday’s loss at Boston with left knee soreness.
Pascal Siakam had 15 points and team-high nine rebounds for the Pacers. Andrew Nembhard scored 14 and Bennedict Mathurin had 13 for Indiana, which shot 41%. The Pacers made 8 of 31 3-pointers while the Bucks hit 10 of 30 3-point attempts. Milwaukee led by 18 points in the first half before settling for a 59-44 halftime lead. The Bucks shot 52% in the first half while the Pacers shot 40%. The Bucks extended the lead to 86-61 before the Pacers scored the final seven points of the third quarter. Indiana began the fourth quarter with 10-2 run to trim the lead to 90–78. But the Bucks regained control with a 7-0 run.
The Pacers weren’t quite finished, cutting the lead to 99-90 on Ethan Thompson’s 3-pointer with 4:35 left. That was as close as they got. The Pacers were without Isaiah Jackson, who suffered a concussion during Monday’s game. Antetokounmpo, the two-time MVP, is nursing a right calf strain. Pacers coach Rick Carlisle’s quest for his 1,000th NBA coaching victory was denied again. He’ll become the 11th coach in NBA history to reach the milestone with his next victory.
Notre Dame-USC Football Rivalry on Hold as the Two Sides Fail to an Agreement The Notre Dame-USC series will go on indefinite hiatus after the schools failed to reach an agreement on a new deal to keep one of college football’s most historic intersectional rivalries active. The Fighting Irish and Trojans had one more game left on the books, to be played at USC during the 2026 season, but that’s off now. Notre Dame announced Monday a home-and-home with BYU in 2026 and 2027 that will fill the spot on the Fighting Irish’s schedule normally occupied by USC. The two schools issued a joint statement early Monday afternoon: “USC and Notre Dame recognize how special our rivalry is to our fans, our teams, and college football, and our institutions will continue working towards bringing back The Battle for the Jeweled Shillelagh. The rivalry between our two schools is one of the best in all of sport, and we look forward to meeting again in the future.”
Excluding the 2020 pandemic-interrupted season and three seasons during World War II in the 1940s, the Fighting Irish and Trojans have played every year since 1926. Notre Dame leads the series 51-37-5. Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua and USC AD Jen Cohen spoke Monday morning, trying one last time to come to an agreement on extending the series. In February, Cohen Said. “In an ideal world, we’re going to keep playing each other. With that being said, the landscape has changed dramatically. We’re now playing in a conference where we fly back and forth across the country every other week, and CFP expansion and how you get access to the CFP and how things are seeded and selected. Those, to me, are important, unanswered questions. So, we remain in conversations with Notre Dame about the series. I think we’re clear to each other (that) we’re going to continue to evaluate what’s best, and it’s my job to evaluate what’s best for our student-athletes and our program.”
USC proposed to play the game earlier in the season at a neutral site, but the two sides could not agree to that, either. The Trojans clearly did not want to make their schedule too difficult. In 2024, they played both Notre Dame and LSU in addition to playing a nine-game Big Ten schedule. USC and Notre Dame are two of the country’s most storied programs, claiming a combined 22 national championships, dating back to the days of legendary coaches Knute Rockne for the Irish and Howard Jones for the Trojans. The game has traditionally been scheduled in the middle of the season when it is played at Notre Dame Stadium and as the regular-season finale for both teams when it is played at the Los Angeles Coliseum. The Irish and Trojans have played 36 times with both teams ranked, including earlier this season when Notre Dame beat USC 34-24. Only Ohio State-Michigan (50) and Texas-Oklahoma (45) have played more times with both teams ranked.
Bevacqua has been adamant about wanting the USC series to continue uninterrupted. Instead, the Irish made a quick pivot to Big 12 runner-up BYU, another College Football Playoff contender that ended up on the wrong side of the bubble this season. The Irish and Cougars have played seven times, with Notre Dame winning five. The two programs last met in 2022 in Las Vegas. The new deal calls for the Irish and Cougars to play in Provo, Utah, next season, and in South Bend in 2027. Notre Dame’s schedule in upcoming seasons includes home-and-home series against Auburn, Texas, Michigan State, Michigan, Florida, Alabama and Indiana, as well as a 12-year deal with Clemson.
Taylor University Women’s Soccer Wraps Season with Highest Ranking in Program History The Taylor University women’s soccer team earned its highest ranking in program history after appearing at No. 14 in the NAIA Women’s Soccer Coaches’ Postseason Poll, released on Wednesday. TU, which finished the season with an overall record of 14-3-3 (5-5-2 CL), earned 230 points in the final polling, jumping three spots from the last poll of the regular season after defeating No. 11 Central Methodist in the NAIA Women’s Soccer Championship Second Round. The Trojans tied the program record for most single-season wins, set a new single-season record with 12 shutouts and featured a program-record six individuals recognized on the All-Crossroads League Team. Additionally, TU scored the most goals in single-season team history (52) since 2012 – tying the second-highest mark during the Scott Stan era. The Trojans also produced the second-highest goal differential (43) and conceded the fewest goals (9) since at least the 2008 season. TU appeared in six consecutive Top 25 polls for the third time since 2016 (2016, 2017, 2025). The Trojans previously matched the highest ranking in program history after appearing at 16th in the poll released on Oct. 15.
Taylor University’s Volleyball’s Ellie Frey named Third Team NAIA All-American The NAIA released its 2025 women’s volleyball awards on Tuesday, with Taylor’s Ellie Frey named an NAIA All-American in her debut season in Purple and Gray. Frey was named a Third-Team NAIA All-American on Tuesday after an incredible season leading the Taylor attack as a six-rotation player. The Grand Canyon transfer was electric at the net piling up 501 kills and 4.32 kills per set, each mark ranking sixth in the entire NAIA. Frey hit at a .236 clip and produced 571.5 points as the focal point for a dynamic Trojan attack. The standout junior was phenomenal on defense as well, totaling 3.34 digs per set, second most on the team and the best tally in the Crossroads League of any non-libero. Frey notched 54 blocks for an average of .54 per set as her all-around game was terrific, producing in every phase of the game. Frey stood out at the service line with a team-leading 0.32 aces per set, which was made more impressive by tallying 37 aces and just 13 errors, the best differential in the Crossroads League.
Taylor hosted a NAIA Opening Round match for the first time since 2022 and finished with a record of 20-12 and 11-7 in the Crossroads League. Frey is set to return alongside most of Taylor’s key contributors looking to return to the NAIA National Tournament next season. The outside hitter is the first NAIA All-American for the Trojans since a trio of athletes received the nod in 2022 and the eighth to specifically earn NAIA Third-Team All-American status. 22 different players have now received NAIA All-American status in Taylor volleyball program history, combining for 34 total All-American awards. Taylor Athletics at large now owns eight total NAIA All-American awards in the 2022-2023 athletic year.
Taylor University Women’s Soccer Stars Eliza Luttrell and Campbell Massey Named to CSC Academic All-America Team Taylor University’s Eliza Luttrell and Campbell Massey were named to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-America Second Team, the organization announced on Wednesday. Luttrell and Massey are two of 22 individuals selected to the Academic All-America NAIA women’s soccer teams. Luttrell earned the CSC Academic All-America award with a cumulative GPA of 3.91 in elementary education. The junior forward, who was voted a first-team all-league performer, delivered a standout performance this season, leading the Trojans in goals (12) and assists (8) across 17 appearances to record the program’s highest single-season point total (32) in over a decade.
Massey received CSC Academic All-America distinction with a cumulative GPA of 3.85 in psychology. The junior defender started all 19 matches and was selected as a first-team all-league performer, while anchoring the back line and posting career-high four goals with one assist. Luttrell and Massey became the first TU women’s soccer players to earn CSC Academic All-America status since the 2023 campaign. The previous two honorees were Massey sisters, Claire (2023) and Riley (2021). Overall, the TU women’s soccer program has now featured 13 CSC Academic All-America selections in team history. Taylor student-athletes have combined for an NAIA-best 153 CSC Academic All-America honors in school history, with 151 of those awards coming since 2010.
Five of the 22 members of the 2025 Academic All-America NAIA women’s soccer teams maintain an impeccable 4.0 GPA in their undergraduate work or graduate school. The 11 members of the first team have an average GPA of 3.86, with the entire NAIA team carrying a collective average GPA of 3.88. The CSC Academic All-America program is designed to recognize student-athletes for outstanding achievements in the classroom and on the field. The CSC All-America First and Second Teams were comprised of 11 players each with one goalkeeper, four defenders, three midfielders and three forwards being named to each team. Honorees on the NAIA Academic All-America teams were voted on by CSC members from a pool of CSC Academic All-District award winners.