IndyCar’s Alex Palou to fire up Indiana football crowd before showdown with Ohio State Five-time NTT IndyCar Series champion and 2025 Indianapolis 500 winner Alex Palou has the honor of charging up the Hoosiers’ home crowd moments before kickoff against Ohio State this afternoon. The job usually held by IU’s mascot, Hoosier the Bison, will take a backseat as Palou will be this weekend’s honorary driver of an Indiana University-themed NTT IndyCar Series race car. “When they told me that I could not only attend one of the biggest games of the year, maybe the biggest game, but also drive and be part of it, I hope people like it,” Palou said. Palou will lead the Curt Cignetti-led No. 5-ranked Indiana football team out of the tunnel right before the Hoosiers face No. 4 Ohio State. Palou is one of IndyCar’s most dominant forces since entering the series full time in 2020. His five IndyCar Series Championships make him one of three drivers in history to win five or more IndyCar championships, alongside A.J. Foyt and Scott Dixon. The Indiana football team takes on Ohio State inside Memorial Stadium this today at Noon.
Indiana University Athletics Expands Partnership with Merchants Bank Through First-Ever Integrated Jersey Patch Program Indiana Athletics and Learfield on Thursday announced an expansion of its comprehensive partnership with Merchants Bank, naming the Indiana-based financial institution the official jersey patch partner of all 24 varsity sports programs. The five-year agreement further strengthens a relationship that currently includes field naming rights with on-field branding at Merchants Bank Field at Memorial Stadium. The Merchants Bank jersey patch will debut on October 17 when Indiana Football hosts Ohio State in Merchants Bank Field at Memorial Stadium’s first-ever match-up pitting two top-five ranked teams. Under the agreement, Merchants Bank branding will appear on uniforms across Indiana Athletics’ 24 varsity sports programs, as well as on coaches’ apparel, including that worn by football head coach Curt Cignetti, men’s basketball head coach Darian DeVries, women’s basketball head coach Teri Moren, and other Indiana coaches. The partnership also includes expanded exposure through in-venue assets, digital platforms, and social media channels across the athletics department.
“Merchants Bank has already established an incredible legacy with us, anchored by their proud presence at Memorial Stadium,” said IU Vice President and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Scott Dolson. “Expanding this partnership to make them our official jersey patch partner across all 24 of our varsity programs is a groundbreaking milestone. This agreement not only highlights our shared commitment to excellence and innovation, but it also reflects the profound impact of partnering with an Indiana-based industry leader as we continue competing at the absolute highest level.”
The announcement comes during a period of unprecedented success and national visibility for Indiana Athletics. As the reigning national champion in football with annual prominence in basketball and Olympic sports, Indiana remains one of the most recognizable brands in college athletics. “As an Indiana University graduate, this partnership is especially meaningful to me and to all of us at Merchants Bank,” said Michael Petrie, Chairman of Merchants Bank. “Indiana Athletics represents pride, tradition, and excellence across college sports. We are honored to deepen our relationship with the Hoosiers and support student-athletes, coaches and fans through a partnership that celebrates our shared commitment to the state we all call home.”
This comprehensive agreement is among the most extensive in collegiate athletics, providing Merchants Bank visibility across every varsity program while creating a consistent brand presence throughout the Hoosier athletics experience. Additionally, Merchants Bank will continue to provide IU student-athletes with comprehensive financial education training programs and support. “Merchants Bank and Indiana Athletics are a perfect fit,” said Chris Sanders, SVP of Learfield Sports Properties. “Both organizations are deeply connected to Indiana, value community impact, and are dedicated to achieving excellence. Expanding this partnership to include jersey patches creates year-round visibility for Merchants Bank while aligning them with one of the most respected and successful athletics departments in the country.”
Indiana University Women’s Cross-Country Runner Katy Zang Finishes Top-10 at Pre-Nationals The men’s and women’s cross country teams concluded their regular seasons on Friday morning from the Lavern Gibson Cross Country Course with several personal best marks and a top-10 finish. The women’s 6K Blue Division started the morning of competition with Katy Zang running another competitive race. She finished sixth overall with a time of 19:20.7. With this placement, Zang finishes all regular season meets with a top-10 finish. Lily Myers and Lucinda Rourke followed with times of 20:39.7 and 20:44.4 (PR) to finish 68th and 77th, respectively.
Maddie Rocchio (20:44.9; PR) and Michaela Quinn (20:57.0; PR) found the final two scoring finishes to put the Hoosiers in seventh place. In the men’s Blue Division 8K, Liam Bauschke (24:19.7) and Sam Quagliaroli (24:27.4) were the top finishers for the Hoosiers. They were followed by Aidan Lord (24:32.5; PR), Tony Provenzano (24:33.3), and Ahmed Saleh (24:36.4; PR) to round out the scoring finishes. In the open races, the women’s team saw strong performances from Jasmine Martoglio (21:53.2), Catie McCabe (22:10.9), and Harper Allen (22:12.5). they all ran personal bests and finished inside the top-100 of the white division race. Indiana will head back to Bloomington before traveling back to Madison, Wisc. As they begin postseason competition. The Hoosiers will prepare for the Big Ten XC championship scheduled for Friday (Oct. 30) from the Thomas Zimmer Championship Course.
Indiana Hoosiers Field Hockey Topped by the Northwestern Wildcats No. 11 Indiana Field Hockey was unable to push past the No. 2 Northwestern Wildcats on Friday afternoon, falling 4-1, at Deborah Tobias Field in Bloomington, Ind. It now holds a 9-4 overall record and a 4-1 record in the Big Ten. Indiana was awarded an early penalty corner in the third minute of play, leading to a blocked shot by first-year midfielder Gabriela Garayo Aranceta to warm up the Hoosier offense. After a back-and-forth battle on the field, Northwestern’s Ilse Tromp put the first goal on the board to make it 1-0 going into the second quarter. The Wildcat advantage wouldn’t last long with third-year forward Mijntje Hagen taking advantage of a penalty corner opportunity, knocking in the equalizer from the right side of the cage.
The tie was short-lived as a penalty corner awarded to Northwestern would set them up to score a goal by Tromp. As play ended in the first half, it was 2-1 Northwestern. After Northwestern’s Ashley Sessa opened up with an early goal after the break, third-year goalkeeper Sadie Canelli was a key piece to the Hoosier defense, making two third-quarter saves. The third frame closed with a goal from Raquel Hofmeister of Northwestern. Neither team could knock one in in the final 15, closing the game 4-1 with the Wildcats holding the advantage.
The Hoosiers held Northwestern to just seven shots on goal, tying it for the second-lowest shot-on-goal stat on the scoresheet this season. They tie with Princeton, who defeated Northwestern last week in an overtime victory. Four Hoosiers recorded a shot on goal each, including lone goal-scorer Hagen, second-year forward Celia Arroyo Cabezudo, fourth-year midfielder Inés Garcia Prado and second-year forward/midfielder Molly Stutte. With it now sitting at 4-1 in conference play, Indiana sits at third in the conference behind 4-0 Maryland and 5-0 Northwestern. IU will stay home for continued conference action against Penn State on Friday, Oct 23 at 3 p.m at Deborah Tobias Field in Bloomington, Ind. Penn State is 2-1 in B1G play and 8-4 on the season.
BYU hosts Notre Dame as Cougars chase signature win in the 1st top-10 game at LaVell Edwards Stadium The buzz over this week’s top-10 matchup between No. 2 Notre Dame and No. 8 BYU was palpable in the Utah Valley long before the season started, and the teams are right where they were expected to be heading into Tonight’s clash in Provo. Notre Dame is 6-0 against the nation’s 63rd-toughest schedule, according to ESPN’s power index, and BYU is 5-0 against the 86th toughest. Now comes the first real test for both.
For the Fighting Irish, this is the next step on the “Leave No Doubt” tour they began in response to being left out of the College Football Playoff after winning 10 straight following losses by a combined four points to two ranked teams. No. 3 Miami is waiting in three weeks. For the Cougars, even though this is one game on one night in one season, it feels bigger than that. It will be the first top-10 matchup ever played at LaVell Edwards Stadium and a potential watershed moment for a program that’s usually good, sometimes very good, but has found greatness elusive.
Yes, BYU was the national champion in 1984 as the only unbeaten and untied team in the country. Critics dismissed it, and still do, as the product of an easy schedule in the old Western Athletic Conference. Six years later, the Cougars upset top-ranked and reigning national champion Miami 28-21 in a game that propelled Ty Detmer to the Heisman Trophy. “We wanted respect. I think we have that now,” Detmer said after the game. The Cougars lost to a middling Oregon three weeks later and the season ended with losses by a combined 82 points to Hawaii and Texas A&M.
In 1996, they won a school-record 14 games, but an early loss to Washington and that flimsy WAC schedule kept them out of the national championship conversation. They finished No. 5 in The Associated Press Top 25 and haven’t appeared in the final top 10 since. More recently, they opened 9-0 in 2024 and were in playoff contention until they lost at home to a 3-6 Kansas team and then at Arizona State. Last year, they were 8-0 and then lost a couple ugly games a month apart against Texas Tech, the first in Lubbock and the second in the Big 12 championship game.
Now, here they are again. A win over the Fighting Irish could help the Cougars get in the playoff as an at-large pick if they don’t win the Big 12 and, just as important, go down as the most impactful victory since the Detmer-led team knocked off Miami 36 years ago. A loss to the Irish wouldn’t end BYU’s playoff hopes, not with the rest of the Big 12 schedule to play, but it would surely be another point of pain for a program that, aside from 1984, has come up short time and again.
Duncan Combs Named All-League and Taylor Trojans Men’s Basketball Picked Third in Crossroads League Preseason Poll The Preseason Men’s basketball All-Crossroads League Team was announced on Wednesday, with Pete Combs being named All-League and the Trojans picked to finish third in the league. Combs was a First-Team All-CL selection a year ago, averaging 14.8 points and 5.0 rebounds. The big man added 2.2 assists while shooting 62.8 percent from the field, which was second highest in the CL and 33rd in the NAIA and an impressive 42.9 mark from beyond the arc. Combs is the top-returning scorer and second-leading playmaker from a season ago. Taylor was tabbed third in the preseason poll behind Grace and Indiana Wesleyan and right ahead of Bethel. Alongside Combs, Starters Carson Gould and Anthony McGhee return as well as key bench pieces from a year ago, Nathan Baker, Levin Smith, Anor Wogar and TJ Davidson. The Trojans are coming off their first NAIA National Tournament appearance since 2017 under the guidance of Head Coach Austin Peters. Peters is set to begin his fourth year at the helm as he has increased the win total every year by three or more games. Taylor begins the 2026-27 season with a pair of games in Arizona beginning with Arizona Christian on Friday, October 23rd at 9:00 pm before facing Park on Saturday, October 24th at 7:00 pm.
‘Let’s fight’ IndyCar driver Jack Harvey diagnosed with cancer still plans to compete in 2027 IndyCar driver and Fox Sports Driver Analyst Jack Harvey announced he’s been diagnosed with cancer. The racecar driver posted on social media Tuesday, Oct. 13, saying in part “Life has delivered a new fight to my doorstep. I have recently been diagnosed with cancer.” According to Harvey, he still plans to be on the grid in St. Petersburg, alluding to the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg in March. He also says he plans to be in a race car in May to prepare for the Indy 500. The driver said he is receiving “excellent care and support” from his team, family and family, along with Dreyer Reinbold Racing, FOX, IndyCar and more. He said in his statement, “I’ve never backed away from a challenge in my life, and this circumstance is no different.” Harvey did not specify the type of cancer he’s been diagnosed with.
Harvey’s full statement can be read below: “My entire career has been about fighting for what’s next. The next opportunity. The next chance to prove myself. The next time I could get back in the car and show what I’m capable of. There have been moments when the path forward was obvious, and plenty when it wasn’t. I’ve had to earn opportunities, fight to keep them, and learn how to keep moving when things didn’t go the way I planned. But through all of it, I’ve never stopped believing that there was something worth fighting for. Life has delivered a new fight to my doorstep. I have recently been diagnosed with cancer. My goals for 2027 have not changed. I plan to be on the grid in St. Pete and strapping back into a race car this May in preparation for the Indianapolis 500. I am receiving excellent care and support from the team around me, my family, friends, DRR, FOX, INDYCAR and many more. I’ve never backed away from a challenge in my life, and this circumstance is no different. So… Let’s fight.“