Indiana University Athletics
Hometown Hoosiers: Bloomington, Ind.
11/20/2006 12:00:00 AM | General
Nov. 20, 2006
Story by Emily Hanover
As part of an ongoing series, IUHOOSIERS.com will take a look at the hometowns of Hoosier student-athletes throughout the year. The third in the series is Bloomington, Ind.
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Bloomington, Ind., serves as the home away from home for a majority of the Indiana University's 38,900 students. For student-athletes Katy Stewart (women's soccer), Lydia Serfling (track and field), Whitney Thomas (women's basketball), and Paul Young (wrestling) B-Town is much more than just a college campus and their home away from home. It's the place they learned to cheer for the Cream and Crimson, it's where they learned the importance of a ball and a hoop, and it's the town each of them called home long before they donned an Indiana uniform.
While each of these four athletes has a different background all four understood that IU offered them the best of both worlds- a great education and a chance to be surrounded by family and friends.
"I have always wanted to go to IU," Thomas said, a tri-captain of the women's basketball team. "I've lived here my whole life, and it's always been where I wanted to continue my career. I've always been a Hoosier fan!" Thomas is not the only member of her household to wear the Indiana colors, as she followed in the footsteps of her older brother Kyle, an offensive linemen on the Indiana football team.
Stewart, a junior on the women's soccer team, can always find a familiar face in the stands of Yeagley Field.
"It's a really good feeling knowing that whether we win or lose, my mom is always going to be there to give me a hug after the game," the South alum said. "IU gives me the chance to have a great mix of soccer and school, since I wanted to study business. It was the perfect fit."
Even though the campus is in their hometown, these student-athletes are still in uncharted waters.
"Most people don't understand that Bloomington is like two different towns- the campus and the `growing up here' life." Young said, a freshman experiencing his first taste of Bloomington as more than just his hometown. "The campus is completely different than where I live and before I came to IU, I never had any reason to be on campus. Right now, I am experiencing the university just like any other student."
Bloomington's two high schools, North and South are intense crosstown rivals and this competition extends to the alumni.
"The two schools are really competitive and everybody looks forward to playing each other," North alum Whitney Thomas said. "It always seemed that South was good at certain sports and North was good at others. In the past there have been upsets, and I'm sure there are more to come in the future."
Within this rivalry also comes some good-natured ribbing.
"North and South will always have that rivalry feel to it and as a whole South really doesn't like North," Young said, who is a South alum like Stewart.
"It doesn't matter what has happened in the season beforehand," Stewart said. "That match up is always a hard fought gritty battle that can justify a season."
The battle for bragging rights between the North Cougars and the South Panthers is a huge part of what makes Bloomington history so special and unique, and one that is often recognized by IU students who have not always called Bloomington their home.
Bloomington is also home to its share of celebrities. A friend of the university and a big fan of the athletic program, John Mellencamp can be found at numerous sporting events cheering on his team. In the realm of professional sports, the NFL's Chicago Bears rely on quarterback Rex Grossman, a Bloomington North alum, and in the NBA the Charlotte Bobcats and the New York Knicks also have some North blood, with Sean May and Jared Jeffries on their respective rosters.
Representing the North and South sides of Bloomington on various Hoosier athletic teams are the following:
Senior Errek Suhr (men's basketball/North)
Sophomore Carrie Deal (volleyball/North)
Senior Sarah Diehl (volleyball/South)
Fifth-year senior Nick Sexton (football/North)
Freshman Jordan Canada (football/South)
Freshman Ben Chappell (football/South)
Redshirt freshman Kevin Sparks (soccer/South)
Redshirt sophomore Kiki Wallace (soccer/E.O. Smith/Storrs, Conn.)
Freshman Kurt Kinser (wrestling/South)
Redshirt Paul Young (wrestling/South)
Freshman Dane Fox (track and field/North)
Junior Ryan Smith (track and field/North)
Freshman Emily Crohn (softball/North)
Sophomore Trevor McConnell (baseball/South)
Senior Lindsay Weigle (swimming and diving/South)
