Local Sports News: June 28, 2026

Curt Cignetti “Compete Best When I am Angry” Has Chips on his Schedule for all 12 Indiana University Football Opponents Fair warning to Howard: Curt Cignetti has found something to be angry about your Sept. 12 trip to Bloomington. No, Cignetti is not picking on the FCS program, he’s getting ready for the 2026 season — a campaign that features an entirely new dynamic for the 65-year-old head coach: The defense of a national title. One of the mainstays of Cignetti’s championship culture is the elimination of complacency. You’ve likely heard him recite the program dogma. There’s no smiling on the sideline with a big lead. Every play has a life of its low. Never too high, never too low. There are no warm fuzzies.

We could go on and on with the Cignetti-isms. But the bottom line — the man is at war with complacency. Even as the reigning national champion, Cignetti is not planning to change much about the day-to-day operation of his program. After all, it has worked out pretty well to this point. And one of the features of his approach finding an edge and ensuring he is coaching and the team is playing with a chip on their shoulders. There are early indicators the players have turned the page. You don’t see or hear much in around the practice facility or Memorial Stadium that suggests anything significant happened in January. Since his arrival, Wisconsin transfer offensive lineman Joe Brunner said he never hears anything about last season. He says the team is locked in, professional, and all about 2026. But Cignetti isn’t going rest assuming things will take care of themselves.

One of his favorite tools is identifying something about each opponent the team can rally around. A common theme over the last two years has been disrespect directed at the Hoosiers. But that’s where things are a little different this time around. While not everyone believes IU will successfully defend its national title, you won’t find much disrespect or doubt directed towards Indiana these days. So, Cignetti is finding it. Every once in a while you’ll hear clues that he’s paying attention to what the outside world is saying. And he’s been working on that recently.

Cignetti has found something to get the competitive juices flowing for every game this fall. “I wrote down my 12 chips,” Cignetti told Adam Breneman in a lengthy sit-down interview. “We play 12 teams.” Cignetti is not revealing the chip on his shoulder for Howard or anyone else on the 2026 schedule, but he did explain where his competitive streak comes from. “When I grew up, there wasn’t much to do,” Cignetti said. “You played basketball, baseball, football, you played sports in the back. You were always competing. And you become a competitor, right? And you like to win. Well, I always competed best when I was angry. When I didn’t like the guy, I was competing against, that always brought out the best in me. “So I mean I’ll find some things.” Some will be easier than others. Already there are predictions IU will lose at Michigan, where the Hoosiers haven’t won in nearly 60 years. And many believe Ohio State will return to the top of the Big Ten this season. But all 12? Even Howard? “Absolutely.”

Former Indiana University Men’s Basketball Head Coach Bob Knight’s 1987 National Championship Ring is Being Auctioned Legendary IU basketball coach Bob Knight’s 1987 national championship ring is being auctioned off. The ring is currently listed at Sotheby’s with an estimated sales price of $60,000 to $80,000. It is described as a 10 karat gold ring with various jewels. Knight auctioned all of his national championship rings, his Olympic gold medal, and other items in 2012. He said at the time he was doing it to raise money for his grandchildren’s college education.

He was never into putting such items on display in his home. “I’ve got stuff I didn’t even know I had,” Knight said at the time. “I don’t put anything up in the house. If you came into the house, you would think I was a mailman. And I don’t even wear rings.” The 1987 ring went for $54,000 in 2012. An individual named Jim Taubenfeld won the ring. Knight passed away in 2023 at the age of 83.

Indiana University’s Shay Ciezki and Trelee Banks-Rose Named to the Big Ten Conference 112th Medal of Honor Class The Big Ten Conference is celebrating its 112th class of recipients who earned the Big Ten Medal of Honor from their respective institutions during the 2025-26 academic year. Established in 1915, the Big Ten Medal of Honor is the conference’s most prestigious award. It was the first award in intercollegiate athletics to demonstrate support for the educational emphasis placed on athletics. The Big Ten Medal of Honor is awarded to one male and one female student-athlete from the graduating class of each member institution who has demonstrated excellence on and off the field throughout their collegiate career. This year’s class comprised student-athletes from 14 sports. Big Ten schools currently feature more than 14,000 student-athletes, but only 36 earn the award on an annual basis. Since the Big Ten Medal of Honor was first presented more than a century ago, 1,724 student-athletes have earned this unique distinction. Those names are permanently displayed at the Big Ten Office in Rosemont. Below is a listing of this year’s recipients:

2026 Big Ten Medal of Honor Class-
Illinois-Kenta Miyoshi, Tennis and McKenna Schaefbauer, Tennis.
Indiana-Trelee Banks-Rose, Track & Field and Shay Ciezki, Basketball.
Iowa-Will Ryan, Cross Country/Track & Field and Ava Bayless, Wrestling.
Maryland-Will Schaller, Lacrosse and Kori Edmondson, Lacrosse.
Michigan-Josh Eernisse, Ice Hockey and Abby Tamer, Field Hockey.
Michigan State-Ozan Baris, Tennis and Nikki Smith, Gymnastics.
Minnesota-Derik LeCaptain, Football and Amaya Battle, Basketball.
Nebraska-Asher Cohen, Gymnastics and Axelina Johansson, Track & Field.
Northwestern-Nick Martinelli, Basketball and Madison Taylor, Lacrosse.
Ohio State-Bruce Thornton, Basketball and Lena Hentschel, Diving.
Oregon-Matthew Erickson, Cross Country/Track & Field and Anna Simmons, Lacrosse.
Penn State-Levi Haines, Wrestling and Tessa Janecke, Ice Hockey.
Purdue-Trey Kaufman-Renn, Basketball and Daryn Wright, Diving.
Rutgers-Athan Kaliakmanis, Football and Charlee Crawford, Track & Field. UCLA-Chase Dodd, Water Polo and Lauren Betts, Basketball.
USC-Dillon Klein, Volleyball and Maribel Flores, Soccer.
Washington-Jonah Coleman, Football and Lucy Newlin, Soccer.
Wisconsin-Ben Dexheimer, Ice Hockey and Caroline Harvey, Ice Hockey.

Breezy Burnett Signs with Indiana University Softball Indiana Softball head coach Shonda Stanton announced the signing of transfer Breezy Burnett to the program on Friday . Burnett comes to Bloomington after spending the last four seasons at Minnesota. She is from Jacksonville, Fla. and is an outfielder. From 2023-25, Burnett had 144 starts in 157 games played for Minnesota’s outfield. In the 2024 and 2025 seasons she started all 103 games. Burnett has career totals of 55 runs, 81 hits, including 27 extra base hits and 53 RBI to go along with a .983 fielding percentage. In 2025, she led her team with three triples. The same season, she hit a walk-off single in a win over Miami (Ohio) (Feb. 8) and launched a grand slam in a win at Wisconsin (April 21). In 2024, she led the team with 13 stolen bases. She missed the entire 2026 season due to injury. Burnett is also a three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection (2024-26).

She attended Trinity Christian Academy in Jacksonville for high school and played for coach JR Borden. At Trinity Christian, she was a four-time district champion and three-time regional champion while helping her team win a Florida Class 4A State Championship as a freshman in 2019. Burnett was a blue chip prospect, being ranked the No. 29 overall player in the class of 2022 by Extra Innings Softball. She was named to the 2022 Alliance League All-Star Team Watch List, representing the Southeastern Fastpitch League. Burnett was also a 2021 All-State First Team selection and named to the 2021 All-County Second Team. She played travel ball with Lady Dukes Lamar Gold from 2019-21. Her team was the PGF Nationals runner-up in 2021.

Bloomington South Girls Track and Field Coach Jill Rensink Resigns Jill Rensink has reached the finish line as well. Following the best cross country and track seasons in program history, the Bloomington South head coach announced she is stepping down, as is her husband, Jay, who coached South’s jumpers. “I came from a track background in Canada and came down here on scholarship,” Rensink said. “My primary event was the 800, so helping with the 400 was within my wheelhouse. I was comfortable with that. “That allowed me to work more with the sprint group down to the 100, and that was a great learning experience and allowed me to dig a little bit deeper into different types of training.”

Some of South’s all-time best have run under her watch, from Amiyah Davis and Lily Myers to Ellie Barada, Violet Hall, Adriene Shaevitz, the Martoglio twins and Lexi Kollbaum. Together, they rewrote much of the Panthers’ record book. But coaching is also about those who are not record-breakers but are still important to team goals as well. “The past six years have been a lot of fun and challenging,” Rensink said. “We got really lucky to have six years of continuous inflow of kids with talent. And trying to figure out how to train them properly has been a lot of fun. “I think with any coach, the better the team, the more challenging it is to meet everybody’s needs and keep them progressing at the right rate and keep them healthy. You can’t just look at your good kids, but the lineup as a whole when you get to bigger meets and the team has a chance to do things. Jay was always talking about how it’s a huge circus juggling lineups that kids could handle.”

Working with 43-year coaching veteran Larry Williams and his wife, Missy, was a blessing. “Larry has been a wonderful mentor,” Rensink said. “When I first stepped into the cross-country position, he was showing me the ropes and all the administrative stuff and walking me through that. “Missy coached for 25 years, so her experience, expertise and knowledge and she was such a great sounding board and support person. I was able to bounce a lot off her. And Larry continues to be supportive and helpful over the years. I’m also grateful I got to work with Tom Stokes as well. They have very different approaches in how to coach, so to have that experience and be a sponge and gain as much knowledge as I could. “Even just in that area, Justin (Helmer) and Charlie (Warthan) at North. It’s such a great group of coaches in the area who were all wonderful inspirations to me.” North track is also resetting with Warthan and Rick Rumple, the Cougars’ long-time jumps coach and former Owen Valley coach, both retiring. Rumple will continue to run the Indiana Track Club.

Former Indiana University Quarterback Brendan Sorsby Not Allowed to Join the Canadian Football League Another door has closed for Brendan Sorsby’s immediate football future, as the CFL said Friday that the quarterback will not be allowed to join any of its teams for the upcoming season. “Upholding the integrity of the league and ensuring fair competition are paramount to the CFL,” the CFL said in a statement to USA Today. “The allegations involving Brendan Sorsby are serious and concerning. “At this time, the CFL will not register a contract for him, and no team will be permitted to add him to its negotiation list.” Sorsby had not publicly expressed interest in playing in Canada, but his options are limited after the NFL decided Tuesday not to hold a supplemental draft.

Sorsby admitted to betting thousands of times on college and pro sports, bets that totaled upward of $90,000 and included 40 wagers on Indiana football while he was on the team. He had attempted to regain his eligibility to play at Texas Tech for the 2026 season but withdrew a lawsuit against the NCAA after initially receiving a temporary injunction to play. Sorsby’s attorney, Jeffrey Kessler, had told ESPN that the NFL’s decision not to hold a supplemental draft was a CBA violation and that they would pursue possible action with the NFLPA.

Indiana Pacers Announce 2026 NBA Las Vegas Summer League Schedule The NBA announced Friday the game and broadcast schedules for the 2026 NBA Summer League, which will take place July 9-19 at the Thomas & Mack Center and Pavilion in Las Vegas. All 76 games will air live on Prime Video or ESPN platforms. The Indiana Pacers will play four games from July 10-15, beginning Friday, July 10 at 4:30 p.m. ET against the Cleveland Cavaliers. After each team’s first four games, the top four teams will advance to participate in the playoffs, beginning with a semifinal doubleheader on Saturday, July 18 at 6:30 p.m. ET and 8:30 p.m. ET on Prime Video. The two winning teams from the semifinal games will meet in the championship game on Sunday, July 19 at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN. The 26 teams that do not advance to the four-team playoff will play a fifth game on either July 17, 18, or 19.