Indiana University Football names Rod Carey Offensive Coordinator after parting ways with Walt Bell
Indiana head football coach Tom Allen announced on Sunday afternoon that Rod Carey will replace Walt Bell as the program’s offensive coordinator, effective immediately. Carey has served as a quality control coach with the Hoosiers since the start of the 2022 season, while Bell served as offensive coordinator over the same period. “I felt we need a new direction on the offensive side of the ball,” Allen said. “Rod brings a wealth of experience and success along with a familiarity with our personnel. “I wish Walt and his family the best moving forward and thank him for his contributions to our program.”
Carey went 64-50 as head coach at Northern Illinois University (2012-18) and Temple University (2019-21) with seven bowl appearances. He posted a 52-30 overall mark and a 38-10 Mid-American Conference record at Northern Illinois, with two MAC championships and four West Division titles. NIU went 12-0 in his first full campaign and was ranked nine-straight weeks, rising as high as No. 16 in the national polls. Carey coached seven All-Americans, including the program’s first two-time All-American in defensive end Sutton Smith. He joined the Huskies as an offensive line coach in 2011, added run game coordinator duties in 2012, and took over as offensive coordinator following the team’s first game that same campaign. Carey was named head coach on Dec 2, 2012.
Indiana University Men’s Soccer travels to Kentucky
Indiana men’s soccer (3-3-3, 0-1-2 B1G) kicks off October with consecutive road contests, starting with a midweek matchup at Kentucky (3-6-0, 0-3-0 Sun Belt) this evening. Fans can watch the match on the ESPN+ digital platform. Kickoff is set for 7pm at the Wendell and Vickie Bell Soccer Complex. Indiana is among the country’s best in two key statistical categories: The Hoosiers rank No. 9 in goals against average (.556) and No. 12 in shots per game (16). IU has kept clean sheets in five of its nine matches this season. Captain and senior defender Joey Maher made his 70th career appearance and start for IU in its last match against Michigan. In those 70 matches, Maher has helped the Hoosiers keep 36 clean sheets.
Kentucky is 3-6-0 and 0-3-0 in Sun Belt Conference matches, but all three of its wins have come at home. The Wildcats are led by 12th-year head coach Johan Cedergren, who has compiled a 135-62-33 record at Kentucky. Junior forward Logan Dorsey leads the Wildcats with three goals while sophomore defender Max Miller has collected a team-best four assists. Kentucky was selected to the NCAA Tournament in each of last five seasons coming into the 2023 campaign. Indiana has historically dominated the matchup, winning 26 of 33 matches since the series began in 1973 as well as 17 of the first 18 meetings. Indiana is 3-0 against Kentucky in the NCAA Tournament all-time. In their last tournament meeting, Victor Bezerra became the third Hoosier to score a hat trick in an NCAA Tournament match while leading IU to a 3-0 win over the Wildcats.
Alliyah Boston of the Indiana Fever named 2023 WNBA Rookie of the Year
Indiana Fever center Aliyah Boston has been named the unanimous 2023 WNBA Rookie of the Year, the WNBA announced today. Boston received all 60 votes from a national panel of sportswriters and broadcasters. She is the second player to win the WNBA Rookie of the Year Award with the Fever, joining Tamika Catchings (2002). Boston was also awarded the Associated Press Rookie of the Year on September 12. In addition to winning the WNBA Rookie of the Year Award, Boston leads the 2023 WNBA All-Rookie Team. She is joined by Seattle Storm guard-forward Jordan Horston, Minnesota Lynx forwards Dorka Juhász and Diamond Miller and Washington Mystics guard Li Meng. Boston is the ninth player in franchise history to make the WNBA All-Rookie Team, joining NaLyssa Smith (2022), Queen Egbo (2022), Julie Allemand (2020), Teaira McCowan (2019), Kelsey Mitchell (2018), Tiffany Mitchell (2016), Natalie Achonwa (2015) and Tan White (2005).
Boston shot a WNBA-high 57.8 percent from the field, becoming the first rookie to lead the league in that category in a season while also averaging 14.5 points, 8.4 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.3 blocked shots in 31.2 minutes in 40 games. Boston was selected as a starter for the 2023 WNBA All-Star Game, becoming the sixth rookie to start an All-Star Game and the first since 2014. She was named the WNBA Rookie of the Month in three of the four months of the season (May, June and August). The 6-foot-5 Boston led all WNBA rookies in points, rebounds, steals, blocks and minutes per game. She became the first rookie in league history to have at least 550 total points and 325 total rebounds in a season. Her rebounding total (335) was the second highest by a first-year WNBA player, behind Tina Charles (398 in 2010).
Making an immediate impact in the WNBA, Boston averaged 15.8 points and shot 70.9 percent from the field in her first six games of the season. She finished the season with a rookie-leading 11 double-doubles. Boston posted 20 points and a career-high 14 rebounds to go with three assists, two steals and two blocks against the Las Vegas Aces on June 26, marking the second time a WNBA rookie ever reached each of those five totals in a game. On September 1 against the Dallas Wings, Boston recorded 27 points, 11 rebounds and five assists, making her the fifth rookie to have at least 25 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in a game.
Indiana selected Boston with the first overall pick in the 2023 WNBA Draft. In a decorated collegiate career at the University of South Carolina, Boston was a four-time recipient of both All-America honors and the Lisa Leslie Award as the nation’s top center, and a two-time winner of both the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year and SEC Player of the Year awards. In the 2021-22 season, she led the Gamecocks to the national championship and was the consensus National Player of the Year. In honor of being named the 2023 WNBA Rookie of the Year, Boston will receive $5,150 and a trophy designed to commemorate the achievement.
Indiana University Wrestling announces 2023-2024 season schedule
The Indiana Wrestling program has announced the team’s schedule for the 2023-24 season. The Hoosiers will compete 12 dual matches and six invitationals or championship events. For Indiana’s duals, there will be eight Big Ten matches and four in the non-conference. The season will start with The Citadel Invite on Nov. 5 in Charleston, S.C. The next week, Indiana will compete in its first dual against Rider on Nov. 10 at home in Wilkinson Hall. The dual against Rider will be held in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, this is the second year in a row that the wrestling program will feature a dual in that venue. The rest of the pre-Big Ten slate will feature tournament trips to Philadelphia and Bethlehem, Pa. for the Keystone Classic on Nov. 19 and Sheridan Invitational on Dec. 22, respectively. A road dual at Princeton on Dec. 3 and home dual versus Central Michigan Dec. 9 will come in between those two tournaments. For their last event prior to Big Ten competition, Indiana will have the Southern Scuffle in Chattanooga, Tenn. on the docket.
Indiana’s Big Ten duals will start with road trips on the weekend of Jan. 12-14 at Rutgers (1/12) and Penn State (1/14). Then, the Hoosiers will have three straight home duals against Maryland (1/21), Purdue (1/27) and Michigan State (2/4). To close out the Big Ten season, Indiana will go to Ohio State (2/11) and then in the final conference weekend host Michigan (2/16) and go to Northwestern (2/18). To end the regular season, Indiana will host Chattanooga on Feb. 23. The Big Ten Championships will take place from March 9-10 in College Park, Md. and the 2024 NCAA Championships will be held from March 21-23 in Kansas City, Mo. The 23-24 schedule features duals against six teams who finished in the top 25 of the 2023 NCAA Championships team standings, including three top ten teams and defending Big Ten and national champion, Penn State.
Indiana University Women’s Soccer and Minnesota play to a scoreless draw
The Indiana Hoosiers Women’s Soccer team was looking to bounce back from a 2-1 loss at Ohio State last Thursday and played the Minnesota Golden Gophers to a 0-0 draw Sunday afternoon on Jerry Yeagley Field at Bill Armstrong Stadium. Indiana Head Coach Erwin van Bennekom was sick and was watching the game from his office in the Jerry Tardy Center on the Northside of the Stadium. He came down to the sidelines with 25 minutes left in the match, but assistant coach Tim Verschusen was coaching the team. “Disappointed in the result and not our best game today” Verschusen said after the match. “Give our girls credit for fighting to the end and not given up along with Minnesota for making this a tough defensive game” Verschusen said.
The game was scoreless in the first half as the Hoosiers had three shots on goal to one for Minnesota. Neither team had a shot on goal and Megan Plaschko and Jamie Gerstenberg did not make a save between the pipes for their respective teams. Indiana committed six fouls and the Golden Gophers committed two. Each team had 1 corner kick and Minnesota was called for offsides once. Minnesota got their only shot in the first half at the 6:16 mark with a shot by Izzy Brown. Paige Webber took the first shot for Indiana at the 19:35 mark, followed by Hope Parades in the 38th minute and Ava Akeel at the 42:31 mark. The First Half had a combined 50 throw ins with neither team controlling the possession playing solid defense.
In the second half the Hoosiers Marisa Grzesiak had a shot in the box that went wide of the net off on the cross into the box from Anna Bennett 56 seconds in. Minnesota got a chance shot 59 second left when Izzy Brown sailed a shot over the crossbar. The Gophers Sophia Barajesth battled with Jamie Gerstenberg for the first shot on goal of the game at the 50:13 mark and Gerstenberg her first save of the match. Indiana’s Camielle Hamm got a yellow card for unsporting at the 51:19 mark. Lauren Costello got a shot off her head at the 53:20 mark. Minnesota’s Christa Van Loon had two shots within 15 seconds as Gerstenberg made her second save with the second shot on target. Elle Britt got a great shot off with the left foot sailing it over the cross bar at the 68:57 mark. Britt got the Hoosiers first shot on target at the 71:21 Mark as Megan Plaschko made her first save for the Golden Gophers. Paige Webber launched a shot that went wide to the left side of goal at the 77:48 mark and then Webber had another shot off target at the 83:27 mark. The Hoosiers were taking control of the game as Marisa Grzesiak had a shot off target at 86:54 mark. With a minute and 16 seconds left Minnesota’s Sophia Boman had a shot of target. Indiana had one last chance with 2 seconds left as Grezsiak’s shot went wide right of the goal and the game ended in a draw.
Indiana outshot Minnesota 11-7 but the Gophers had 3 shots on goal to just one for Indiana. Megan Plascho made 1 save for Minnesota for her 6 shutout of the season and the 16th of her career. Indiana’s Jamie Gerstenberg made 3 saves gets her 7 shutout of the season and 22nd of her career with one shutout away from tying the school record of 23 set by Bethany Kopel from 2017-22. “It will be great for Jamie when that time comes” Verschusen said. “It’s been a total team effort between her, and the back line and they have all made each other good” Verschusen Said. The Hoosiers committed 17 fouls and Gophers five. Indiana had 3 corner kicks to 2 for Minnesota. The Golden Gophers were called offsides 3 three times and Indiana once. Indiana is 9-1-3 on the season and 3-1-1 in the Big Ten while Minnesota is 4-4-4 and 0-3-2 in the Big Ten. Indiana is 11-19-3 all time against the Golden Gophers. The Hoosiers travel to West Lafayette on Sunday for a Golden Boot matchup with the Boilermakers.
Indiana University Volleyball sets Wilkinson Hall attendance record
The Indiana Volleyball team set a Wilkinson Hall attendance record on Saturday night as 2,632 fans packed the five-year-old building to watch the Hoosiers battle No. 2 Nebraska. The previous attendance record at Wilkinson Hall, set vs. No. 9 Purdue with 2,512 fans in 2022, was easily smashed with a sellout announced to the general public last Thursday. Saturday night’s attendance is the largest in a volleyball-specific arena in program history. The Hoosiers announced a crowd if 8,182 for a match vs. Ohio State in Assembly Hall on October 17, 2008, ahead of IU’s annual Hoosier Hysteria basketball tip-off event. IU has pulled in a crowd of 2,000-or-more people eight occasions since moving into Wilkinson Hall ahead of the 2019 season. Indiana beat Iowa 3-0 on Friday and fell to Nebraska 3-1.
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