Indiana University Athletics
24 Sports, 1 Blog: Issue No. 1
6/15/2011 12:00:00 AM | General
June 15, 2011
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Most of the students are home for the summer. These are the days where it is easy to find a parking spot in sleepy Bloomington. Most IU fans across the country are on or are planning their summer vacations. Like the city of Bloomington itself, this is the time of year where things really slow down for IU Athletics.
Though the level of activity these days is nowhere near the full tilt madness of mid-November, there have been some interesting and exciting developments in IU Athletics over the last few weeks. Below are some quick hits detailing some of the highlights.
A True Contender
A casual glance at the results would lead IU fans to believe that Ron Helmer's track and field programs performed quite well at the NCAA Championships. The men logged a 20th place finish, while the women ended up finishing 23rd. But taking into consideration that the men were able to finish 20th despite competing without the injured Derek Drouin and the redshirting Andy Bayer, a 20th place finish is nothing short of remarkable. Drouin is arguably the best field athlete in the country, while Bayer is in the same conversation in distance running.
Here's the scary part for Indiana's competition in 2012. Drouin (three-time NCAA champion) and Bayer will be back competing for NCAA titles next season, while most of the principals who led IU to this year's 20th place finish will be back as well. Indiana has been elite in distance and field events in recent years, but with the 4x100 team earning All-America accolades in Des Moines, it appears that that the Hoosiers are going to be tough to deal with in sprints too. With all those pieces coming together in 2012, Indiana will be a true title contender next season.
The women's team also returns its share of All-America talent next season and has a strong chance to make a run at a Big Ten Championship.
Cody
Incoming freshman and Indiana Mr. Basketball, Cody Zeller has played incredibly well in hotly contested All-Star games the last few weeks. In two games against the Kentucky All-Stars, Zeller scored 35 points, hauled in 24 rebounds, and blocked three shots in two Indiana wins. In a game against the Indiana Junior All-Stars, Zeller scored 26, while pulling down 19 boards.
Anyone else ready for Hoosier Hysteria?
A Hureau-ic Run
It was one of the great under-the-radar stories of the year in IU Athletics. Sophomore women's tennis player Leslie Hureau was a THIRD alternate for the NCAA Singles Championships. On very late notice, she slid into the field of 64. And then she started winning.
Hureau won tight match after tight match until she reached the round of 16. By reaching the `Sweet 16', Hureau became Indiana's first singles All-American since 1992.
Hureau will be back next season and will play alongside a solid group of returners and the 6th ranked recruiting class in the country. Lin Loring has done nothing but win matches since being named head coach in the late 1970's, and with Hureau leading the way, he is in strong position to continue those winning ways in 2012.
Dickerson and Monar Make a Run at the Bigs
Baseball players Alex Dickerson and Blake Monar were drafted in last week's Major League Baseball Amateur Draft. Dickerson was taken by the Pirates with the first pick in the 3rd round, while Monar was selected in the middle rounds by the Washington Nationals. I think both are a good fit.
The Pirates are looking for Dickerson to play first base and that is a position where the Pirates have a real need. Selfishly, it means that Dickerson will play in the N.L. Central and I'll have plenty of chances to watch him play in Cincinnati, St. Louis and Chicago. It will also be nice to watch one of the three greatest hitters in IU history (Ted Kluszewski and Mike Smith being the others) play some ball in Victory Field as a member of the Pirates AAA affiliate, the Indianapolis Indians.
The lefty breaking ball specialist Monar joins a Nationals organization that has some of the best young prospects in the game in Bryce Harper and Stephen Strasburg. With that devastating curve, Monar could find himself in the enviable position of throwing that pitch to left handed hitters who have just seen seven innings of Strasburg's 100 mph heat. Not a bad place to be.
Players Mentioned
