Indiana University Athletics
IU Athletics November Month in Review
12/2/2005 12:00:00 AM | General
Dec. 2, 2005
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - The month of November furnished an array of electrifying moments for IU Athletics. To pay tribute to the impressive exploits offered by the Hoosiers, IUHOOSIERS.com hits rewind to highlight what IU had to offer this past month.
Field Hockey
• - Earning their highest seed of No. 2 at the Big Ten Tournament, the Hoosiers traveled to Iowa's Grant Field. Taking on the No. 7 seed, Northwestern in the first round, IU advanced to the second round of play for the first time in program history with the 2-1 overtime win. Scoring for the Hoosiers against the Wildcats were senior Nikki Orciuch and junior Lydia Schrott, who scored the game-winner off a pass from senior Mallory Reabold. In the second round, the Hoosiers faced a tough Ohio State team. Against the Buckeyes, IU scored three goals off six shots, with tallies from Schrott and seniors Kayla Bashore and Ryan Woolsey. The 3-1 win marked the first time IU has played for the Big Ten Tournament crown. In the championship game against the defending Big Ten Tournament champion Michigan, IU got off to a slow start and never recovered from a 3-0 deficit and taking home second place.
• - En route to the Hoosiers best season in program history, five Hoosiers took home honors at the Big Ten awards banquet. For the first time in IU field hockey history, Bashore was named the Big Ten Player of the Year. Sophomore goalkeeper Haley Exner, junior Morgan Miller and Schrott all picked up first team All- Big Ten accolades, while Reabold earned the Sportsmanship Award for Indiana.
• - The Hoosiers earned their first bid to the NCAA Tournament on Nov. 8 and traveled to Winston-Salem, N.C. In the first round 3-2 win over No. 5 North Carolina, IU was led by Schrott's second hat trick of her career. Schrott was not the only Hoosier that was unstoppable, Exner recorded an impressive 13 saves. Advancing to the Elite Eight, IU faced the two-time defending national champions, Wake Forest. Despite a valiant effort, the Hoosiers fell 5-0, but rounded out the magical year with an overall record of 17-5.
• - Bashore, Miller and Schrott picked up first team All-Region awards, while Exner was a second team All-Region selection as announced by the National Field Hockey Coaches Association on Nov. 14. On Nov. 22, Bashore became the first Hoosier to be selected as a first team All-American. Schrott, who led the team in scoring with 17 goals, picked up second team All-America honors as well.
Football
• - Safeties Will Lumpkin and Will Meyers, defensive tackle Russ Richardson and running back Yamar Washington earned selections to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District V football team. Indiana, Minnesota and Southern Illinois represent the only schools in the district to net four honorees on the squad.
• - Indiana senior defensive end Victor Adeyanju, senior linebacker Kyle Killion and redshirt freshman James Hardy were recognized on All-Big Ten teams. Adeyanju was a second team selection by the conference coaches and conference media, while Hardy was a second team honoree by the media and Killion earned honorable mention laurels from the media. Additionally, senior defensive tackle Russ Richardson was selected as Indiana's representative for the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award (each team had one honoree).
• - Freshman wide receiver James Hardy was selected to the Rivals.com Freshman All-American second team. The 6-7 Fort Wayne, Ind., product grabbed 61 receptions for 893 yards and 10 touchdowns in his first season as a Hoosier. Hardy is one of six Big Ten freshmen selected to the Rivals.com Freshman All-American team.
• - Junior safety Will Meyers became the first Indiana football player to be named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America First Team. Meyers is the fifth Hoosier (six times) to earn Academic All-America honors and the first since John Hammerstein was selected as an All-American in 1994-95.
Men's Basketball
• - In the final polls of November (Nov. 28, 2005), the Hoosiers were ranked 16th in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches poll. IU also found itself among the Associated Press top-25 Nov. 28 poll, coming in at No. 17 in the nation.
• - Senior forward Marco Killingsworth showed why he is one of the best basketball players in the nation against No. 1 Duke on Nov. 30. Facing the reigning National Defensive Player of the Year, Shelden Williams, Killingsworth hit 15-of-20 shots and accounted for a career-high 34 points to go along with 10 boards. The last player to score 30 or more points against Duke was Nick Collison of Kansas on March 27, 2003. Additionally, his 34 points and 10 rebounds marked the first 30-plus point and 10-plus rebound effort since Alan Henderson had 41 points and 13 rebounds at Michigan State on March 9, 1994. Furthermore, the Montgomery, Ala., native's 15 field goals were the 18th most for a single game in school history. It was also the most field goals scored in a game by a Hoosier since Andrae Patterson went 15-of-29 from the field against Duke in the Preseason NIT on Nov. 29, 1996.
• - Through the first four games this season, IU has collected 97 assists, an average of 24.25 assists per contest. Compared to last year, the 2004-05 Hoosiers had just 51 assists through the first four contests, an average of 12.75 per game. The 97 assists are the most in any four-game stretch in IU school history. Indiana had back-to-back 29-assist games against Florida A&M (Nov. 21) and Western Illinois (Nov. 26).
• - Through four contests thus far, the Hoosiers have shown their stroke from beyond the arc. IU has connected on 44-of-82 three-point attempts on the campaign, including 16 three-pointers against both Florida A&M and Western Illinois. The 16 threes are tied for the second-most in school history with the 16 IU hit against Alaska Anchorage on Nov. 21, 2001. Additionally, the 32 trifectas were the most in a two-game stretch in school history.
• - After a 100-63 win over Florida A&M and a 102-79 victory at Western Illinois, the Hoosiers posted back-to-back 100-point wins. The last time an Indiana team accomplished this feat came during the 1998-99 campaign. That year, IU defeated San Francisco (106-54) and Drake (102-46) on Dec. 20 and 27, respectively.
Men's Cross Country
• - The men's cross country team had two meets in the month of November. The Hoosiers hosted the NCAA Great Lakes Regional on Nov. 12 in Bloomington, needing a strong race to earn an at large bid to the NCAA Championships. Led by All-American Sean Jefferson, the Hoosiers brought home a sixth-place finish, and its fourth straight trip to the NCAA Championships and its fifth trip in the last six years.
• - On Nov. 21 IU traveled to Terre Haute, Ind., for the NCAA Championships where Jefferson earned All-America honors for the third time in cross country and the sixth time overall (including track and field).
Men's Soccer
• - Indiana men's soccer team defeated then-No. 1 Akron, 1-0, in overtime on a goal from senior midfielder Brian Plotkin. On senior night, Plotkin tallied the game-winner off assists from freshman Lee Nguyen and senior Jordan Chirico in the 95th minute. In front of the sixth-largest crowd in school history of 4,884, Plotkin set off a celebration following his goal. He was later named the Soccer America National Player of the Week.
• - Senior midfielder Brian Plotkin was named the 2005 Big Ten Player of the Year on Nov. 10 at the Big Ten Championship Banquet. He joined a list that includes five other Hoosiers. It marked the ninth occasion in the 15-year history of the Big Ten Conference that an IU player earned the Player of the Year accolade. The Lisle, Ill., native joined the likes of Brian Maisonneuve (1993 and 1994), Lazo Alavanja (1997 and 1998), Aleksey Korol (1999), Ryan Mack (2000) and Pat Noonan (2001 and 2002) to earn the honor. Along with earning the Player of the Year, Plotkin was the only player that was a unanimous first team All-Big Ten selection.
• - Freshman forward Lee Nguyen became the eighth IU rookie to earn Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors. He joined a group that includes current assistant coach Todd Yeagley (1991), Lazo Alavanja (1995), Dema Kovalenko (1996), Nick Garcia (1997), senior Mike Ambersley (2001), Plotkin (2002) and junior Jed Zayner (2003) in earning the honor. Nguyen also was the lone Big Ten freshman to earn first team all-league honors. Against Wisconsin on Nov. 10, Nguyen assisted on the Hoosiers' game-winning goal by senior midfielder Jordan Chirico. It was Nguyen's conference-leading 12th assist of the season. The number also marked the IU freshman record, eclipsing the mark of 11 previously held by current IU assistant coach Todd Yeagley.
• - The Hoosiers had a trio of players named first team All-Big Ten, while two others were second team choices. Senior midfielder Brian Plotkin, junior forward Jacob Peterson and freshman forward Lee Nguyen were first team honorees, while juniors Josh Tudela and Jed Zayner were second team choices. It marked the third time in Plotkin's Hoosier career that he was named a first team all-conference selection. It was the second straight season Peterson was a first team honoree after he earned the distinction in 2004. As a freshman in 2003, he was a second team choice.
• - Freshmen Lee Nguyen and Brad Ring were named to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team. The team started in 2003. The Hoosiers had a trio of selections in 2003 with juniors Jacob Peterson, Jed Zayner and Julian Dieterle earning the distinction. IU did not have an All-Freshman Team selection a season ago. Nguyen was one of seven unanimous All-Freshman Team selections. Ring was one of four midfielders named to the rookie squad.
• - Senior midfielder Brian Plotkin, junior forward Jacob Peterson and junior back Jed Zayner were among 15 semifinalists named by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America for the Missouri Athletic Club (M.A.C.) Hermann Trophy. The M.A.C. Hermann Trophy is college soccer's version of the Heisman Trophy. Last season, former Hoosier Danny O'Rourke took home the hardware as the national player of the year. Indiana is one of just two schools with multiple players among the semifinalists. IU has the largest contingent with three, while UCLA has a pair in Patrick Ianni and Marvell Wynne. The list of 15 players is comprised of two backs, six midfielders and seven forwards. The semifinalists were selected by a panel of NCAA Division I coaches who comprise the selection pool.
Women's Soccer
The Indiana women's soccer team concluded its 2006 season with its fourth straight trip to the Big Ten Tournament on Nov. 3-6. The Hoosiers garnered the sixth seed heading into the conference tournament and drew third-seeded Michigan State in the first round. Despite a solid effort, the Spartans had just enough to advance past IU into the second round, ending the Hoosiers season. IU finished 7-10-2 overall and 3-6-2 in Big Ten action.
In postseason awards, senior midfielder Kristen Zmijewski nabbed first team All-Big Ten honors while freshman forward Molly Kruger was tabbed to the All-Freshman team. Sophomore midfielder Katy Stewart grabbed Big Ten All-Tournament team laurels for her efforts against the Spartans while Zmijewski also garnered Indiana's 2005 sportsmanship award to round out the accolades.
Men's Swimming and Diving
• - The No. 11 Indiana men's swimming and diving team put together an undefeated month of November as it went 3-0 in dual meet action with conquests of Louisville, Southern Illinois and Wisconsin.
• - Four divers have secured zone qualifying scores so far this season. Senior Ryan Fagan, junior Brian Mariano, senior Jesse Rappaport and sophomore Taylor Roberts all punched their ticket to the NCAA Zone C Diving Championships, March 10-12, in Columbus, Ohio.
• - Overall, 11 top-10 efforts have been recorded in IU record books this month.
| Hoosier | Event | Place |
| Todd Patrick | 50 free | 8th |
| Todd Patrick | 100 free | 9th |
| Sergiy Fesenko | 1,000 free | 6th |
| Ben Hesen | 100 back | 3rd |
| Nick Walkotten | 100 back | 9th |
| Kevin Swander | 100 breast | 8th |
| Nick Walkotten | 100 fly | 9th |
| Nick Walkotten | 200 fly | 5th |
| Ryan Fagan | 1m dual | 6th |
| Ryan Fagan | 3m dual | 8th |
| Brian Mariano | platform | 7th |
• - Over the Thanksgiving weekend, junior Colin Russell earned a spot on Canada's Commonwealth Games roster. The Commonwealth Games will be held in Sydney, Australia, March 15-26, 2006.
Men's Tennis
• - Senior Dmytro Ishtuganov and sophomore Dara McLoughlin advanced to the semifinals of the Big Ten Indoor Singles Championships Main Draw (Nov. 11-14), giving the Indiana men's tennis team exactly half of the final four in the main draw. Ishtuganov and McLoughlin each picked up four victories to advance to the semifinals at the Michigan State Indoor Tennis Center.
• - Senior Dmytro Ishtuganov, the 13th-seeded player in the Big Ten Indoor Singles Championships Main Draw, advanced to the finals of the tournament before falling in a difficult three-set match, 6-4, 1-6, 6-1, to Nolan Polly of Wisconsin. Ishtuganov defeated sixth-seeded Bryan Koneicko of Ohio State in the semifinals to advance. The Kiev, Ukraine, native cruised past the 120th-ranked player in straight sets, 6-2, 6-1. Ishtuganov finished the fall season at 7-4.
Volleyball
• - Senior Mandy Eberle's nine block assists against Wisconsin, which tied her own tally against Evansville on Sept. 27 for the most in a four-game match in University Gym history, also broke Indiana's single-season block assists record and total blocks record. Previously, IU standout Cydryce Carter (1997) and Katie Pollom (2002) owned the block assists standard with 139, while Pollom held the total blocks mark with 153 in 2002. Eberle's block assist tally wound up at 140, while her total blocks ended at 155. Notably, Pollom attended the contest to witness the record-breaking performance.
• - Freshman Erica Short eclipsed Indiana's single-season freshman kill mark against Purdue on Nov. 19. The Orrville, Ohio, product finished with 398 putaways, which cleared the former record total of 364 set by Christina Archibald in 2001.
Women's Basketball
• - The Hoosiers opened up the season playing back-to-back ranked opponents. While the IU fell to both No. 5/6 Baylor and No. 13/15 Notre Dame, both games were close and the Hoosiers came away with some confidence. They went on to pick up two more wins over Youngstown State and Belmont.
• - On Nov. 29, first-year head coach Sharon Versyp claimed her 100th career victory after the Hoosiers defeated Belmont, 68-51. She became just the second IU coach to earn their 100th win while coaching at Indiana.
Women's Cross Country
• - The women's cross country team came into the month looking for their fourth straight trip to the NCAA Championships, but came up just short after hosting the NCAA Great Lakes Regionals. IU placed three runners (junior All-American Jessica Gall, junior Lindsay Hattendorf, and freshman Wendi Robinson) in the top 25, earning them All-Region honors.
• - Gall and Hattendorf both finished in the top ten and earned individual spots to the NCAA Championships. Gall once again had a strong showing finishing 32nd overall and earning her a second All-America distinction in as many years.
Women's Swimming and Diving
• - The No. 18 Indiana women's swimming and diving team posted a 3-1 ledger during the month of November. Overall, the Hoosiers downed Illinois, Louisville and Southern Illinois, while falling to then-No. 12 Wisconsin.
• - All six divers have secured zone qualifying scores so far this season. Senior Heather Chapman, sophomore Ashley Greene, sophomore Christina Loukas, senior Lisa Silvestri, sophomore Jade Summerlin and junior Lindsay Weigle each punched their ticket to the NCAA Zone C Diving Championships March 10-12 in Columbus, Ohio.
• - The following swimmers have recorded top-10 performances in school history this season (listed by event):
| Hoosier | Event | Place |
| Annica Lofstedt | 100 free | 3rd |
| Sarah Stockwell | 100 breast | 6th |
| Kristy Winck | 200 breast | 7th |
| Sarah Stockwell | 200 breast | 8th |
| Annica Lofstedt | 100 fly | 4th |
| Allison Kay | 100 fly | 10th |
| Allison Kay | 200 fly | 8th |
| Allison Kay | 400 IM | 10th |
Women's Tennis
• - The Indiana women's tennis team wrapped up fall play this month at the Western Michigan Duals. At the Duals, Indiana picked up an impressive four singles wins over Big Ten foe Purdue and swept Kansas in doubles on day two of competition. On the tournament's first day of play, IU won six of eight singles matches against DePaul and a pair of doubles wins over host Western Michigan. Senior Sarah Batty heads into the spring season with a 6-4 singles record, and paired with junior Laura McGaffigan, tallied seven wins and only four losses in doubles. IU's four freshmen, Alba Berdala, Marah Calvo, Sigrid Fischer and Stephanie Heller got off to exceptional starts as Hoosiers.
• - At the fall's first tournament, Berdala claimed the Flight A singles crown at the Bronco Invitational. Heading into the spring campaign, Berdala is 8-3 in singles, while fellow freshman Sigrid Fischer is 10-4. For the fall, the Hoosiers are 58-32 in singles competition and 20-16 in doubles. IU officially kicks off the 2005-06 campaign on Sunday, Jan. 15 against Miami (Ohio) at 9:30 a.m., and Western Michigan at 2:30 p.m.
Wrestling
• - The Indiana wrestling team started off the 2005-06 season strong, finishing first in its only team event in November at the Mat Town Invitational. The Hoosiers took the title by more than 40 points over second place, and placed 13 grapplers in all. Overall, three Hoosiers wrestled to their respective weight class titles, including defending national champion and No. 1-ranked Joe Dubuque (125), All-American and No. 5-ranked Brandon Becker (157) and junior Matt Cooper (149).
• - To begin the season, Indiana journeyed to the Missouri Open where it faced tough competition. At the open, the Hoosiers matched up against five teams ranked in the top 25, and 12 individual grapplers ranked in the top five of their respective weights. Senior Brady Richardson grappled to the 197-pound title at the event, while seven Hoosiers found their way to the top-eight podium.
