Maxwell Football Club Honors Curt Cignetti and Fernando Mendoza with National Awards For the second time in 2026, Atlanta had a distinctly cream and crimson feel as the Maxwell Football Club presented its two highest season honors to Hoosiers on Saturday. Indiana head football coach Curt Cignetti and quarterback Fernando Mendoza were each honored by the organization with the Geroge Munger Award and Maxwell Award, respectively. Cignetti earned the George Munger Award, given to the organization’s national coach of the year. He has won 14 of the 17 national coach of the year awards he was eligible to win between the 2024 and 2025 seasons. The second-year Hoosier headman is the first FBS coach to win consecutive national coach of the year awards from the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA), Associated Press, ESPN Home Depot, The Sporting News and Walter Camp Foundation.
He is the first-ever Division I head coach to start 10-0 in consecutive seasons at different schools. (James Madison, 2023; Indiana, 2024) and is one of three coaches all-time to begin his Power 4 coaching career with consecutive 10-0 starts. His first two Indiana teams own the only double-digit win seasons in program history (11 – 2024; 16 – 2025), and the 16-0 record tied the 1894 Yale squad for the best record in college football history. A program-best 12 All-America selections over his two seasons include two-time honorees Aiden Fisher and D’Angelo Ponds, while IU claimed four conference specialty awards in 2025: Graham-George Offensive Player of the Year and Griese-Brees Quarterback of the Year (Mendoza), Rimington-Pace Offensive Lineman of the Year (Carter Smith) and Bakken-Anderson Kicker of the Year (Nico Radicic).
Mendoza led the nation in passing touchdowns (41) and touchdowns responsible for (48), both set IU single season standards. He is the third Big Ten quarterback since 2000 with three-straight games of at least four passing touchdowns and zero interceptions – C.J. Stroud (Ohio State; 2021) and Kyle Orton (Purdue; 2004, four straight). The Miami, Florida, native was also the only FBS quarterback since at least 1996 with multiple games of at least 90 percent completion and four touchdown passes versus Power 4 opponents. In 2025, Mendoza was the lone FBS quarterback with five games of 4-plus touchdown passes and zero interceptions and paced the FBS in percentage of passes that resulted in a touchdown at 10.8%, over one point higher than the next closest passer (Julian Sayin, Ohio State; 9.2%).
He threw a touchdown pass in 14 of 16 games in 2025 and posted five games with both a passing and rushing touchdown. He threw 41 touchdowns to just six interceptions and tied for No. 2 on the team with seven rushing touchdowns. Along with the Maxwell Award, Mendoza claimed the Heisman Trophy, AP College Football National Player of the Year, Davey O’Brien Award, Manning Award, Walter Camp Award, Hispanic Football Hall of Fame College Player of the Year and the Chicago Tribune Silver Football.
He was a consensus All-America, earned Graham-George Offensive Player of the Year and Griese-Brees Quarterback of the Year. The third Hoosier to earn Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year with Anthony Thompson (1988 & 1989) and Antwaan Randle El (2001), Mendoza was the seventh IU signal caller and first since Randle El in 2001 to earn first-team All-B1G honors Since 1950, he is just the third Hoosier to claim the first team spot at quarterback along with Randle El and Harry Gonso (1967). He was the Big Ten Championship Game MVP, Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl Offensive MVP and College Football Playoff National Championship Game Offensive MVP. His play in the postseason also earned him the quarterback nod on the AP All-College Football Playoff Team.
Ella Troutt Throws Nine Strikeouts & Indiana Hoosiers Softball Team Take the Series After initially giving up a home run in the first batter faced, Ella Troutt settled in the circle and went the distance controlling the game. That would be the only run she’d allow and would only give up three more hits in her 6.0 innings pitched. The sophomore dictated the game, throwing nine strikeouts while the Hoosiers hit well on offense. The combination proved successful as Indiana defeated Rutgers, 6-1, on Saturday afternoon to win the series and mark its fifth win in a row. The Hoosiers are now 21-5 on the year and 4-1 in the Big Ten.
Rutgers’ Sam Rowher hit a home run over the left field wall in the game’s first at bat to put the Scarlet Knights up 1-0. • It didn’t take long for Indiana to respond as Aly VanBrandt doubled, Alex Cooper walked and then Avery Parker drove them all home with a crushed ball that hit the scoreboard in left field. Madelyn Strader hit a bases-clearing double in the bottom of the third to score two more runs and make it a 5-1 game. Alli Gavin would give the Hoosiers another insurance run when she hit a sac fly to left to score Strader. Troutt threw two strikeouts in both the fifth and sixth innings to get her game count of nine. Rutgers got two runners on in the top of the seventh before Cassidy Kettleman made a miraculous catch to end the game back tracking to the left field wall on a deep ball hit by Siera Hoekstra. Troutt’s nine strikeouts are a career high. Her 6.0 innings of work gave her the win to improve her season record to 5-4. Parker’s 3-run home run marked her 10th home run of the season; to give her the team lead this season. Indiana’s win marks its second-consecutive series victory after defeating Minnesota in the Big Ten opening series, 2-1. The Hoosiers have won 11 games in a row over Rutgers and are currently on a five-game winning streak since March 7. Six different Hoosiers registered a hit with Madelyn Strader notching two. Indiana and Rutgers will close out the series with an 11 a.m. first pitch this morning at Andy Mohr Field.
Indiana University Baseball Drops the Second Game of the Oregon Series Besides a solo home run from sophomore outfielder Cole Decker, there was no offense to be found on Saturday (March 14) afternoon for the Indiana Baseball team (7-11, 1-4 B1G). The Hoosiers had a hard time getting to Oregon starter Collin Clarke in a 5-1 loss at PK Park. The Ducks did their damage in innings two through four to take the middle game of the weekend and clinch the series. Graduate student southpaw Tony Neubeck (L, 1-2) gave up a trio of home runs but managed to get through four innings. He recorded five strikeouts and walked just one batter.
Freshman right-handed pitcher Ivan Mastalski did a good job in relief, scattering one hit in two scoreless frames. Freshman right-handed pitcher Kellen English and redshirt senior righty Pete Haas recorded the final six outs of the game. IU’s top seven hitters couldn’t find a hit against a talented Oregon pitching staff. Sophomore outfielder Hogan Denny and freshman second baseman Landen Fry each had hard-hit balls robbed by outstanding defensive plays from the Ducks’ outfielders. IU threatened a bit in the sixth inning with two runners on and no outs but couldn’t get anyone around to score. The Hoosiers will look to salvage the series this afternoon as sophomore southpaw Brayton Thomas heads to the mound. The contest will be broadcasted nationally on Big Ten Network at 3:30 p.m. ET/12:30 p.m. PT. Zach Mackey (PxP) and Scott Pose (Color) will have the call.
Indiana’s Trelee Banks-Rose Closes the NCAA Indoor National Championship by Finishing 4th in the 200 The Indiana University track and field team closed the 2026 NCAA Indoor National Championship with its highest individual finish in four years. Trelee Banks Rose closed his weekend competing in the men’s 200-meter finals. After finishing both heats, Banks came out as the fourth fastest finisher, earning five team points for the Hoosiers. He becomes the first Hoosier to earn first-team All-American honors in the 200-meter event since Kind Butler (2012) set the previous school record broken earlier this season. Banks is also recorded the highest placement by an Indiana athlete in any event since 2022 when Rikkoi Braithwaite finished second in the men’s 60-meter sprint. “I could not be happier for Trelee and his fourth-place finish in the 200m. In very competitive fields in the 800m, Veronica [Hargrave] and Cam [Marshall] gained valuable experience that will help them as we transition to the outdoor season. These three have had a tremendous indoor season and all of them should feel very proud.” Following Friday’s performances, Veronica Hargrave and Camden Marshall earned second-team All-American honors in their respective 800-meter competitions. Marshall earned his fourth All-American honor (second in individual events) Hargrave earned her second honor.
Patient Approach at the Plate Fuels 17-run Victory for Taylor University Softball Against Bethel Taylor walked 16 times in a 17-4 victory over Bethel (5-11, 1-3 CL) before dropping the nightcap in Crossroads League action on the road Saturday. The offense surge from Friday’s sweep of Mount Vernon Nazarene continued for the Trojans in the opener on Saturday on the road against Bethel, with 17 runs for a dominant run-rule victory. Four players registered hits for TU, as Bella Browning led the bunch with a career-best four base knocks. The sophomore shortstop had four RBI, a pair of doubles and scored twice as she has excelled in the three hole this year.
Joining Browning with multiple hits were Kaylee Larkin, Jayci Kitchen and Madisyn Standridge. Standridge had a double and two RBI in two at bats along with a pair of walks and three runs scored in her best game of the season. Larking continued her power surge this week with another double and a pair of RBI, while Kitchen continued to get on base with two hits and two walks and three runs scored. The Pilots took the lead in the bottom of the first with a pair of runs before Taylor exploded for four in the second to take the lead. Browning and Standridge both laced RBI doubles in the second as TU gained the lead for the first time. Standridge delivered the first big hit with an RBI double to drive in ava Everman before Browning had a two-RBI double to push the lead to 4-2.
Bethel responded with a run in the bottom of the frame and threatened in the third with the first two runners reaching. Katie Kottlowski came in and shut the door on the Pilots and kept the lead intact before the offense blew it away in the next two innings. The lefty threw three innings and allowed one run while striking out three for her second win of the season. The Taylor offense exploded for six runs in the fourth after the first three batters walked, and Browning had another two-RBI double, followed by a two-RBI double of the bat of Larkin. An RBI walk by Addison Messer preceded a sacrifice fly by Delaynee McCreary to cap the scoring in the frame.
Seven runs in the fifth were due mostly to a patient approach at the plate which saw Bethel walk in four runs as the lead ballooned to 17-3 at the end of the inning. The Trojans offense could not find push a run across in the nightcap, falling 4-0 despite nine hits and four walks from the offense. The clutch hit evaded the Trojans as they left a runner on base every inning. Messer had her best collegiate game with three hits in three at-bats while Larkin and Standridge continued their strong play as each got a pair of singles, but no extra base knocks for TU kept the offense down. Bethel scored once in the bottom of the first and hit a three-run home run I the bottom of the sixth as Kottlowski was effective inside the circle in six innings. The senior hurler had five strikeouts and one walk in the loss after picking up the win in relief in the opener.
Fletcher Roemmich’s Walk-Off Blast for Taylor University Baseball Seals Series Sweep of Spring Arbor Fletcher Roemmich delivered the biggest hit of the weekend for the Trojans with a walk-off solo home run to secure a series sweep of Spring Arbor (10-10, 6-6 CL) on Saturday at Winterholter Field. No. 3 Taylor’s record of 22-3 is the programs best mark to start a season, one game better than an incredible 21-4 start a season ago. The remarkable start has TU tied atop the Crossroads League standings with Marian (16-5, 10-2 CL) and is the third best mark in the NAIA this season. Extra innings felt imminent in the final game of a four-game series against Spring Arbor before Roemmich launched a two-out, solo home run down the left field line to secure a 3-2 win in walk-off fashion.
A tight game in the series finale was due to the outstanding arm of Colin Snyder for the Cougars, who threw 6.2 innings and allowed three runs to a Trojan offense, which had score 46 runs in its previous three games against Spring Arbor and is averaging over ten runs a game this year. Taylor fell behind in the top of the first and had to wait until the fourth inning before knotting the score at one. Jordan Malott was hit by a pitch and Tyler Allemeier pinch ran for him. Brennan Frickel roped a single past the shortstop to put runners on the corners for Sam Gladd. Gladd sent a deep fly ball to right, which was knocked down by the wind and ended in a deep sacrifice fly.
The Cougars responded with a run in the fifth before Taylor leveled it at two in the sixth. Brayden Manning began the frame with a walk and advanced to third on a line drive off the pitcher by Frickel. Gladd drove in Manning on a groundout to set up a dramatic seventh. Spring Arbor began the top of the seventh with a double and quickly had a runner on third with nobody out after a wild pitch. A fantastic diving stop by Frickel at second provided the first out and held the runner at third before Nathan Frady fanned the leadoff batter for the second out. Frady then induced a grounded back to the mound to get out of the inning with the teams deadlocked, setting up Roemmich’s blast to end the game.
Frady picked up the win in the opener in relief, firing 2.2 innings of scoreless ball. The junior right hander struck out a pair and allowed two baserunners en route to his second win of the season. Th opener on Saturday was all Trojans, who rolled to a dominant 14-4 run-rule victory. Seven runs in the first inning as Taylor drew six walks in the frame. The Cougars had a quick trigger with the starter, who departed before recording an out six batters into the contest. Malott and Luke Sutter delivered the only two hits in the inning, each RBI singles as every batter in the lineup reached base. Spring Arbor scored in the second, but Taylor responded with a trio of runs in the bottom of the inning. Gladd had an RBI single, and Frickel hit a line drive to right which evaded the right fielder who dove for it, resulting in a two-RBI triple.
Another run by the visitors in the fourth was answered with a pair of sacrifice flies by TU in the bottom of the inning before Manning delivered a bases-loaded two-RBI single in the fifth to extend the advantage to 14-2. The Cougars mounted a comeback in the seventh, plating a pair of two-out runs and loading the bases before a grounder in front of the plate allowed Kaden Wu to tap the plate for the final out of the game. All nine starters in the lineup had at least one RBI, while all but one crossed the plate as everyone got involved on the offensive outpour. Lane Lewis collected the victory on the mound, pitching four innings and striking out three while allowing just one unearned run. No. 3 Taylor (22-3, 10-2 CL) takes on Mount Vernon Nazarene (13-8, 7-5 CL) on the road in a four-game set beginning with a doubleheader on Friday, March 20th, with first pitch scheduled for 1:00 pm.
Taylor University Men’s Lacrosse Drops Top-10 Clash at Wheeler Field The No. 8 Taylor men’s lacrosse team hosted No. 10 Indiana Tech on Saturday in the first-ever top-10 showdown for the Purple and Gray at Wheeler Field. The guests spoiled the day however, dominating play in the early going and rolling to a 24-12 win. The Warriors (3-2, 1-0 WHAC) set the tone immediately with a score 10 seconds into the match and utilized a relentless and quick-hitting attack that put Taylor in an 8-1 deficit early into the second period. Tech took full advantage of an out-of-sorts TU squad in the opening period, feasting on 10 Taylor turnovers and unleashing 25 shots, with 15 on-target attempts.
Taylor finally found its footing and punched back with three-straight scores in a two minute span that brought TU within 8-4 with 10:08 to play in the first half. Goals from Ezra Jenkins, Henry Cooper and Jack Kaiser were assisted by Will Saxby, Jackson Dale and AJ Harris to briefly put momentum on Taylor’s side. The surge would be short-lived however, as Indiana Tech closed the half with four-unanswered tallies and struck for three more in the first 4:03 of the third period to pad the lead. In the end, Taylor never recovered from the nightmarish start and ended the game down 65 to 42 in total shots and 40 to 18 in shots on goal. Cooper and Dale tied for the team lead with four scores each, with Cooper adding six ground balls and Dale posting four assists, five ground balls and a caused turnover. David Celesti closed with 16 faceoff wins in 28 chances and nine ground balls, and Lucas Pacer finished with seven ground balls and four caused turnovers. No. 8 Taylor (5-2, 1-1 WHAC) will have another top-10 clash at Wheeler Field in one week, when No. 3 Aquinas (5-0, 1-0 WHAC) comes to Upland for a 3:00 pm start on Saturday, March 21.