Four Indiana University Women’s Basketball players earn All-Big Ten Honors
Indiana women’s basketball placed four student-athletes on All-Big Ten teams and a pair on the All-Big Ten Defensive Team in the league’s annual postseason honors, announced on Tuesday. Graduate student forward Mackenize Holmes and senior guard Sara Scalia each earned a place on the All-Big Ten first team while senior guard Chloe Moore-McNeil earned second team honors and sophomore guard Yarden Garzon landed on the honorable mention team. All four appeared on the ballots from the coaches and media. This is the fifth-straight year the Hoosiers have placed one or more players on the first team and are one of two schools to have four players appear amongst the All-Big Ten first, second or honorable mention teams.
Holmes closes out her five-year Indiana career as a four-time All-Big Ten selection including a three-time first team honoree. She is a unanimous selection in both the coaches and media voting for the 2023-24 season. The Gorham, Maine native is Indiana’s leading scorer with 20.7 points per game (second in Big Ten), 7.1 rebounds per game, 1.5 blocks per game and shoots a league and nation’s best 67.0 percent. She has scored in double figures in 27 of 28 games this season, a team-high six double-doubles and has 16 20-point scoring efforts along with a pair of 30-point performances. Holmes scored a season-high 32 points in a win over Minnesota and pulled down a season-high 13 rebounds in a win over Penn State. Holmes ranks ninth in the country in field goals (140), 20th in points per game and 21st in total points (579). Most recently, she became the program’s all-time leading scorer and has recorded 2,476 career points to date.
Scalia also concludes her decorated career with her fourth All-Big Ten honor including her first time appearing on the first team. IU’s second leading scorer with 16.3 points per game, Scalia is one of the nation’s best 3-point shooters as she leads the Big Ten with a 43.8 clip from beyond the arc. She has connected on 91 3-pointers in her final season in cream and crimson, blowing away the previous school single season record of 74 makes. The Stillwater, Minn. native has scored in double figures in 25 games this season including a season-high 32 points against Bowling Green. She has nine 20-point efforts and shoots 43.9 from percent this season. Her effort at the free throw line is a team-best, shooting 89.4 percent on the season. In addition to her prolific scoring, Scalia adds 3.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.0 steals and holds a +2.5 assist-to-turnover ratio. She has dished out multiple assists on 20 occasions and 71 total for the year.
Moore-McNeil repeats as a second team selection, leading her team with 4.9 assists per game (136 total) and a +2.7 assist-to-turnover ratio. The Greenfield, Tenn. native adds 10.1 points per game, 3.4 rebounds and a team-high 1.3 steals per outing. She recorded the program’s fourth ever triple double (second ever player) in a win over Michigan State (10 points, 10 rebounds, 11 assists). Moore-McNeil has hit double figures 14 times including a career-high 20 points in the Barn Burner Trophy win over Purdue. From the floor, she is shooting 46.5 percent, 40 percent from the 3-point line and 78.7 percent from the free throw line.
Garzon earns her second All-Big Ten honors in as many collegiate seasons coming in on the honorable mention team. The team’s third leading scorer, she averages 11.7 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game this season. The Ra’anana, Israel sharp shooter holds a 47.3 percent clip from the floor and a 45.5 percent clip from the 3-point line. She has knocked down 56 3-pointers this season and has scored in double figures 16 times while scoring a career-high 30 points against Evansville. Garzon has a pair of 20-point efforts including a team-high 23 points in a win over then No. 19/21 Tennessee.
Holmes and Moore-McNeil are on the All-Defensive team for the second-straight season. Holmes is now a three-time honoree on the league’s defensive unit (2021, 2023, 2024) and is fourth in the Big Ten in blocks (41, 1.5 per game). Moore-McNeil earns a nod from both panels as a lock down defender who is known for frustrating opponent’s leading scorers. She has a team-high 37 steals (1.3 per game) this season and has picked up only 50 fouls this season, one every 17.5 minutes of game action. No. 12 Indiana (24-4) is the 3-seed in the upcoming 2024 Big Ten Women’s Basketball Tournament in Minneapolis this week. It will face either Michigan or Minnesota/Rutgers in the quarterfinals on Friday at approx. 9pm.
Indiana University Men’s Golf finishes 9th in South Carolina
The Indiana men’s golf team shot an 850 (286-280-284; -14) to finish ninth in the team standings at the 12th annual Colleton River Collegiate played from March 4-5 at the Colleton River Club. The Hoosiers, who ranked No. 46 in the latest Scoreboard Rankings powered by clippd, hold an overall record of 70-43-1 this season. Indiana shot under par as a team for the first tournament since going 27-under (837) in a third-place finish at the Quail Valley Collegiate Invitational on Oct. 16, 2023. The Hoosiers also finished under par at the Fighting Irish Classic (837; -3) and the Windon Memorial Classic (823; -29) during the fall schedule. Indiana will have a quick turnaround with the Seminole Intercollegiate beginning on Monday, March 11, at the Seminole Legacy Golf Course in Tallahassee, Fla. Following the team event in the Sunshine State, a group of individuals will compete in the Butler Spring Invitational from April 1-2. Team competition will resume with the Hoosier Collegiate from April 6-7 at The Pfau Course.
Senior Drew Salyers tied for 10th overall with a three-round scorecard of 208 (71-70-67; -8). He provided two birdies and an eagle to his scorecard in the opening round, four birdies in the second round, and five birdies and an eagle in the final round. Salyers has finished inside the top-10 in 18 career events.
Redshirt junior Robert Bender III tied for 26th after shooting a 212 (75-68-69; -4), his lowest score against par this season. He played three birdies in the opening round, half-a-dozen birdies in the second, and five birdies in the final round. Sixth-year senior Noah Gillard shot a 216 (72-70-74; E). He knocked in five birdies in his debut round, a team-high seven birdies in the second, and four birdies in the last round. Graduate Thomas Hursey turned in a scorecard reading 217 (71-72-74; +1). He made four birdie putts and an eagle in the first round, five birdies in the middle round, and four birdies in the final round.
Competing as an individual, freshman Nick Piesen finished at 220 (76-74-70; +4). He provided two birdies and an eagle to his scorecard in the opening round, four birdies in the second round, and four birdies in the final round. Freshman Cole Starnes ended the tournament at 222 (72-76-74; +6). He posted two birdies in the first 18 holes, four birdies over the back nine in the second round, and five birdies in the closing round.
Big Ten Conference Announces Pre-Seed List for the Big Ten Wrestling Championships
The Big Ten Conference announced the pre-seed list for the 2024 Big Ten Championships taking place this weekend. The pre-seeds build the preliminary bracket setup for each weight class in the Big Ten Championships. The seedings are not final at this time. There will be a Big Ten coaches meeting on Friday, the day before the start of the championships, to discuss and finalize seeding. The seed list goes from 1-14 at each bracket. The Big Ten Championships will take place from March 9-10 at the XFINITY Center in College Park, Md.
At this time, Indiana’s ten starters were seeded in the slots listed below. 125: No. 14 Blaine Frazier
133: No. 10 Cayden Rooks
141: T-No. 9 Dan Fongaro
149: No. 8 Graham Rooks
157: No. 3 Brayton Lee
165: No. 9 Tyler Lillard
174: No. 8 Donnell Washington
184: No. 10 Roman Rogotzke
197: No. 10 Gabe Sollars
285: No. 6 Nick Willham
Taylor University Men’s Lacrosse player Aidan Craig named WHAC Offensive Player of the Week
The Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference announced its men’s lacrosse players of the week on Monday evening, with Taylor’s Aidan Craig being named the WHAC Offensive Player of the Week. Craig piled up 10 assists over two matches for the Trojans during their Saint Louis trip, dishing out three in a loss to No. 6 William Penn and adding seven in a 17-4 blowout victory against Missouri Baptist. The senior currently ranks fourth in the NAIA with a WHAC-leading 20 assists in five matches. The award is the second for Craig in his four-year, record-setting, career and gives Taylor a total of 19 Crossroads League, MSFA and WHAC Player-of-the-Week awards during the current 2023-2024 year. Craig and the Trojans (1-4) will be back in action on Saturday, March 9, when they host Columbia (0-3) in a 1:00 pm start at Wheeler Field.
Indianapolis Colts apply Franchise Tag to Wide Receiver Michael Pittman Jr.
As expected, the Indianapolis Colts have applied the franchise tag to Michael Pittman Jr. The one-year, non-exclusive franchise tag carries a value of $21.8 million for wide receivers. It’s believed general manager Chris Ballard and Pittman’s agent, Andrew Kessler, kept trying to reach common ground on a long-term contract Tuesday but were unable to do so prior to the 4 p.m. deadline for using the franchise tag.
Investing the tag for the first time since 2013 (punter Pat McAfee) doesn’t preclude the Colts and Pittman from agreeing on a long-term contract in the coming months the tag extends the negotiating window or the team’s leading receiver actually leaving the franchise that drafted him in the second round of the 2020 draft. Under non-exclusive franchise tag guidelines included in NFL’s labor agreement with the players, a long-term contract still can be achieved prior to a mid-July deadline. Failing that, Pittman would play in 2024 under the one-year deal and the two sides would be in this exact situation next offseason. Also, the non-exclusive tag allows a player to negotiate with other teams and sign an offer sheet with one. If that’s done, the Colts can match every detail in the offer and retain Pittman or allow him to sign elsewhere and receive two first-round draft picks as compensation.
The $21.8 million becomes fully guaranteed as soon as Pittman signs it, and he would be required to attend and participate in all mandatory team functions during the offseason. If Pittman holds off signing the tag, he wouldn’t permitted to participate in offseason workouts, including training camp. Some parameters might be in place for a long-term contract for Pittman. Monday, Tampa Bay re-signed Mike Evans to a two-year contract with a maximum value of $52 million with $35 million guaranteed, although $11 million is tied to incentives. The top eight receivers in the league have contracts that average at least $23.2 million.
Shane Steichen reaffirmed Pittman’s value to the Colts Tuesday morning. “The player he is, the person he is, the competitor he is, the playmaker he is, we love everything about him and we want him to be a Colt,’’ he said. “Just the ultimate competitor. One thing I do respect about Pitt is he’s going to show up and you know what you’re getting every Sunday. You’re going to get a guy that’s going to go make plays and you’re going to get the same guy on the practice field that you’re going to get in the meeting rooms and you’re going to get on game day on Sunday. “To have that type of guy on our football team is huge going forward.’’
Ballard reinforced the team’s commitment to Pittman when asked if Pittman would remain a Colt this season whether it was with the tag or a long-term deal. “Yes,’’ he said. “Yeah. “You pay good players. One thing you never have to worry about with that guy is he empties his tank. He absolutely empties his tank.’’ Pittman has led the Colts in receiving in each of the last three seasons and is coming off his best season: 109 receptions, 1,152 yards, four touchdowns. He ranked No. 5 in the league in receptions and the 109 are tied for fourth-most in team history.
Despite the restrictive nature of the tag, Pittman likely is eager to gauge his value on the open market. “As of right now until March whatever, I’m still a Colt,’’ he said in early January. “I’ve loved my four years here – but I wouldn’t be doing my due diligence if I didn’t explore every option and find the best fit. “I think we want to get a sense of what’s out there.’’ What’s out there is a massive financial bump, either under the franchise tag or through a long-term deal. Pittman’s four-year rookie deal was worth $9.821 million. At the worst, he’ll play in 2024 for $21.8 million.
Iowa’s Caitlin Clark Signs Endorsement Deal with Gainbridge
Iowa Hawkeyes basketball star Caitlin Clark isn’t a member of the Indiana Fever just yet, but that hasn’t stopped her from partnering with the namesake company of her presumed future team’s home arena. Clark, who recently became the all-time leading scorer in the history of NCAA Division I basketball, has agreed to a “multi-year partnership” with Gainbridge to serve as a brand ambassador for the company.
The widely anticipated No. 1 pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft, Clark joins a roster of Gainbridge athletes including 39-time Grand Slam Champion Billie Jean King and 72-time LPGA Tour winner Annika Sörenstam. “I am honored to be part of the company’s deepening commitment to advancing opportunities for women, on and off the court, like this visionary new product for women,’’ Clark said in a statement. “Women of all ages need to think about their long-term financial goals. The ParityFlex product is designed to allow women to begin building their financial future now.”
The ParityFlex product is a new “multi-year guaranteed annuity product created for women, by women,” the company said. “We are thrilled to partner with a generational talent like Caitlin Clark,’’ Group 1001 President and CEO Dan Towriss said in a statement. “We look forward to having Caitlin join Billie Jean and Annika to represent Gainbridge as this new product for women is launched and now available on the Gainbridge platform.” Clark’s signature will be included on the No. 26 Gainbridge Honda driven by Colta Herta and No. 77 Group 1001 Camaro driven by Corey Lajoie in IndyCar and NASCAR races, respectively, on March 10. The Indiana Fever will have the No. 1 pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft, which is April 15.
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