Former Indiana University Hoosiers Fernando Mendoza and OG Anunoby Win ESPY Awards Former IU athletes took center stage Wednesday evening at the ESPY Awards in New York. Quarterback Fernando Mendoza was named the Best Men’s College Athlete, while OG Anunoby won for the Best Play. As he led IU to the national championship, Mendoza led the FBS in passing touchdowns (41), passing efficiency (182.9) and points responsible for (288), behind an FBS-best 48 touchdowns accounted for. He was the only FBS quarterback with six games of four-plus touchdown passes and zero interceptions and accounted for at least one touchdown in all 16 games, including 14 with a touchdown pass. Anunoby averaged 21.2 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.4 blocks, 1.4 steals and 1.0 assists in the NBA Finals while shooting 52.5% overall and 50% from three. He hit the game-winning shot as part of a 33-point effort in Game Four. The IU football team was also up for the best team, but that honor went to the New York Knicks. Mendoza was also up for the best breakthrough athlete, but that honor went to Alysa Liu.
Former Indiana University Men’s Soccer Player Palmer Ault Signs First Team Deal with St. Louis City FC St. Louis CITY SC has signed 22-year-old forward Palmer Ault to a first-team contract through the 2027 MLS Sprint Season, with club options for the 2027-28 and 2028-29 seasons. “Palmer has continued to grow throughout the season and has earned this opportunity with his performances with CITY2 and the way he has carried himself on and off the field,” said St. Louis CITY SC Sporting Director Corey Wray. “He is a talented young player with a lot of potential, and we are excited to add him to our first-team environment. Palmer gives us additional depth while we continue to work on strengthening the squad this transfer window.”
Ault had an outstanding first half of the season with CITY2, scoring a team-leading eight goals and earning five assists. He recorded his first professional brace earlier this year against Ventura County FC in CITY2’s 3-2 win. Ault spent time with the first team in both preseason camps earlier this year and has been a regular participant in first team training throughout the season. The Indiana native was selected by the Colorado Rapids in the second round (36th overall) in the 2025 MLS SuperDraft before returning to Indiana University for his senior season. Prior to joining the Hoosiers, Ault spent three years at Butler University, where he scored 37 goals and recorded 22 assists. Ault enjoyed his best collegiate season in 2025, recording 16 goals and 10 assists to earn Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year. He was also unanimously named to the All-Big Ten First Team.
Edgewood and Indiana University Graduate Taylor Minnick Promoted to Assistant Softball Coach at Florida Atlantic University Florida Atlantic Softball Head Coach Jordan Clark has announced the elevation of Taylor Minnick to an assistant coach after serving as the team’s graduate assistant in 2026. Minnick helped guide the Owl outfield in ’26 and will take on an expanded role with hitters as well as the outfield in 2027. “Taylor came to us as a graduate assistant from Indiana where she had a hall of fame worthy career. She has exceeded all expectations and poured into the program in that role. There was no question that she needed to be a full-time assistant. There are few people you come in contact with that you can’t let go and Taylor is one of them. She elevates our team and will continue to bring championships to Paradise. She is going to help create elite minded hitters.”
Before her coaching career began, Minnick concluded a decorated playing career at Indiana from 2022-25, earning two All-American nods and three NFCA First Team All-Region honors. The Hoosiers made three consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances with Minnick patrolling the outfield. In her senior campaign, ending with a First Team All-American Selection, she led the nation with 26 doubles and was No. 4 in batting average at .484. Minnick finished her collegiate career as Indiana’s all-time leader in batting average (.390) home runs (45), RBI (204), and doubles (61), and is tied for second in walks (117), tied for third in hits (234), and fourth in runs (140). The Bloomington, Indiana native’s promotion enhances Coach Clark’s coaching staff where under her watch, the Owls have two American Conference regular season championships as well as the league’s Coaching Staff of the Year recognition in both 2024 and ’25. Florida Atlantic has won 34+ games in all four years with Coach Clark at the helm.
Indiana University Baseball’s Hogan Denny and Team USA Fall to Japan in the Gold Medal Game The United States Collegiate National Team (3-1) went toe to toe with Japan (3-1) for 11 innings in the title game of the World Collegiate Baseball Championship on Wednesday evening at Intercontinental Stadium in Taichung City, Taiwan but ultimately fell short 6-3 to finish runner up at the inaugural event. The game was tightly contested and went back and forth, as each team tallied just five hits each across the 11 innings. Despite taking a lead in the third, Japan responded by tying the game in the seventh and eventually taking the lead in the 10th. The U.S. answered in its half of the inning with a run, but Japan once again responded in the 11th with three runs to eventually secure the extra-inning win.
After two scoreless innings, the U.S. broke the deadlock in the third thanks to a 2-RBI single by Gavin Kelly. Ryker Waite led off the side by reaching on an error, Derrick Pitts followed with a bunt single, and after another error moved them both into scoring position, Kelly delivered his team-leading eighth hit of the tournament to bring both runner’s home. Starting pitcher Tomas Valincius threw four innings of one-hit ball with six strikeouts to keep the U.S. ahead early on. Aidan King took over in the fifth and sixth and delivered two shutout innings, but Japan managed to tie things up in the seventh with two runs of its own. Back-to-back errors allowed Kai Watabe to reach base and eventually move to third, and then a sacrifice bunt by Takara Yamasoto allowed him to score the first run. Kazuki Inoue followed with a double to center field and crossed home plate on Yuzuki Nakayama’s single to center field for the tying run.
Japan looked to take its first lead of the game in the eighth, as it managed to load the bases on one out, but reliever Jackson Barberi tallied back-to-back strikeouts to escape the jam. He proceeded to toss another hitless inning to keep Japan at bay. After a pair of three up, three down frames in the ninth to force extra innings, Japan took its first lead of the game in the 10th. With runners at first and second as part of the international tiebreaker rules, a sacrifice bunt followed by a groundout to short brought the go-ahead run across. The U.S. responded in the bottom half of the inning thanks to a RBI single by Pitts to left field, scoring Anthony Pack Jr. after he moved to second on a groundout double play. Kelly and Pitts each turned in two-hit performances, and both finished the tournament on a four-game hit streak.
In the 11th, Japan scored three runs to take its lead back. With runners at second and third, a defensive miscue by the U.S. brought both of them home. Following a two-out walk to put runners at the corners, a single to left field by Keiya Nishino drove in the final run of the frame. The stars and stripes looked to rally in the bottom frame, loading the bases thanks to Nico Partida’s walk after runners were once again placed on first and second to start the side, but a strikeout and popout ended the threat and gave Japan the victory. Indiana University Hoosier and Mooresville Native Hogan Denny are one of three Indiana Natives on the team along with Infielder JD Stein of Carmel and the University of South Carolina along with Left-Handed Pitcher Ethan Lund of Fishers and Oklahoma State University.
Indiana Fever Fall to the Golden State Valkyries 88-75 Snapping a Two-Game Winning Streak After two and a half weeks away from Gainbridge Fieldhouse, the Indiana Fever returned home Wednesday night to host the Golden State Valkyries. Indiana went 3-1during the four-game road trip, but fell to Golden State, 88-75. Caitlin Clark played her second straight game on a minutes restriction as she continues to manage a lingering back injury. She logged 26 minutes, finishing with 13 points on 4-for-14 shooting, including 1-for-8 from three. Despite Clark’s off night, Kelsey Mitchell stayed hot. The ninth-year Fever guard scored 20 points with three triples, extending her double-figure scoring streak to 39 games. Alongside Clark and Mitchell, center Aliyah Boston and guard Sophie Cunningham both scored in double figures. Boston finished with 15 points and seven rebounds, and Cunningham added 10 points off the bench. Golden State was better than Indiana in five team categories, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks, and turnovers. With the loss, the Fever drop to 14-10. Indiana hosts the Seattle Storm Tonight at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Indiana Pacers Fall to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the NBA Las Vegas Summer League The Indiana Pacers fell to the Minnesota Timberwolves in an NBA Summer League contest, 114-98 on Wednesday. With the loss to the Timberwolves, Indiana’s Summer League record falls to 1-3. Indiana fell behind quickly, trailing Minnesota 35-24 by the end of the first quarter. The Pacers’ last lead came with just over two minutes left in the first quarter, when Indiana held a narrow 22-21 advantage. From there, Indiana played the final three quarters mostly dealing with a double-digit deficit. Second-round draft pick and former Purdue star Braden Smith totaled eight points, six rebounds, and eight assists while shooting 50 percent from the floor.
Smith is averaging 7.2 points, 6 assists, and 5.2 rebounds per game while shooting 27 percent from the field in the Summer League. During Wednesday’s loss to Minnesota, second-year Pacer Jalen Slawson led Indiana’s offense. The 6-foot-7-inch forward scored 20 points and added nine rebounds, three assists, and four blocks. Slawson has averaged 20.5 points per game across Indiana’s four Summer League contests, leading the team. Last year’s second-round draft pick, Taelon Peter, added nine points, including three made triples, during Wednesday’s loss. The 6-foot-3-inch guard has averaged 9.5 points per game across four Summer League games. The Pacers have one Summer League game remaining, but it has yet to be scheduled.
Indianapolis Colts Announce Gameday Themes for the 2026 Season The Indianapolis Colts’ season opener is less than two months away, and the gameday themes for the team’s home games this season have been announced. Week 1 (vs. Ravens) – Home Opener with special pregame festivities and fan experiences Week 3 (vs. Texans) – Rivalry Uniform Game Week 6 (vs. Titans) – Adam Vinatieri Ring of Honor Induction and Crucial Catch Week 9 (vs. Cowboys) – White Out Week 10 (vs. Dolphins) – Salute to Service Week 12 (vs. Giants) – Kicking the Stigma and My Cause My Cleats Week 16 (vs. Bengals) – Indiana Nights uniform Week 18 (vs. Jaguars) – Regular Season Finale The Colts rivalry uniform has yet to be released. It is a league-wide initiative by the NFL that celebrates division rivalries and community pride. Vinatieri played 14 seasons with the Colts and helped lead them to their Super Bowl XLI victory. He is the NFL’s all-time scoring leader and holds the record for most field goals made. The Colts’ Indiana Nights uniforms return for the fourth straight season, featuring a black helmet.