We all knew that the Big 10 was strong in softball, but how’s this for a number: 13. That’s how many players were selected by the NFCA (National Fastpitch Coaches Association) to the All-Region teams that are broken down into nine regions across the country. This once again gives credibility to the strength that the conference has in terms of having quality players and teams not only top to bottom, but also on a national level. Read the rest of this entry »

Last season, Illinois’ football team went back into a territory that it hadn’t been to since the turn of the century: the BCS. Sure, they got smacked around by USC, but no one in their right mind thought that the match up was even to begin with: the Illini got a little bit too much of a boost, and USC was disrespected. The end result was one of the biggest routs in several years of the BCS. Still, ’s team took away from it a great deal of humility and experience. And now, the Illini continue the trend into unfamiliar territory–being ranked in the preseason. Read the rest of this entry »

Sure, when you consider that a state college player of the year award normally goes to the universities that are the biggest and best overall, it’s really not a surprise that the Michigan college athlete of the year went to a player from Michigan State. However, when you really consider the number of division 1 schools in the state as well as the levels of talent at both MSU and Michigan alone, it stands to reason that whomever wins it–regardless of which university they come from–is pretty darn special. Read the rest of this entry »

The first for the last. That’s what the summation of the Big 10 Women’s softball tournament really breaks down to; Northwestern beat Iowa 1-0 to win its first conference tournament crown, but it will be its only one for the immediate future, as the conference tournament is being disbanded as voted on by Big 10 coaches to extend the regular season, thus giving more of a chance to teams for NCAA seeding and placement. Read the rest of this entry »

While #1 seed UCLA came out firing in the NCAA Women’s Golf Central Regional, ending up at five under as a team. However, sixth ranked Purdue hasn’t backed down, standing in third after day one at even par. While the draw they had wasn’t exactly the best in the world as UCLA has long been the favorite, the Boilermakers still have a great chance at taking the title if they can remain consistent and not believe the hype about the Bruins (or maybe just step it up!) Read the rest of this entry »

Women’s volleyball has always had a strong following in the Big Ten, dating back to the early 80s when Illinois really broke onto the national scene normally dominated by California teams. Since that time, the programs throughout the conference have grown in size and stature amongst the masses, and when Penn State joined the Big Ten, not only did they bring one of the most storied football programs, they also brought a great tradition in volleyball (both men’s and women’s). Read the rest of this entry »

Katie Brown had a good weekend. That’s an understatement. The Iowa Hawkeyes’ sophomore was only sent down 1 time in six at bats against the Illinois Fighting Illini softball team this weekend, and the times that she did get on, she put on maximum damage by having 3 HR, 1 double, and six RBI with an absolutely amazing 2.500 slugging percentage to take home the co-Big Ten player of the week. Read the rest of this entry »

For the second time in three years, the Penn State Men’s Volleyball team has made it to the promised land–the NCAA Championship. After defeating seventh-ranked Ohio State (YEY BIG TEN!) in four games out in California, the Nittany Lions now go on to face big and bad Pepperdine in the final. Penn State is now 29-1 on the year, while the Buckeyes close out at 20-8. Read the rest of this entry »

Ya gotta love college spirit, don’t ya? This weekend, the Minnesota Golden Gophers athletic department will host the “Golden Goldys” which rewards the best individual student-athletes and teams from the University of Minnesota for the Spring 2007 teams through the Winter 2008 teams. The event will be hosted by former standout Ben Utecht and his lovely wife Karyn. It’s a formal event, no less, including a “maroon” carpet. (What else?) Read the rest of this entry »

Purdue and Maryland have not met for over 11 years in women’s basketball, but throughout that course of time, both programs have remained strong and in the national spotlights. With the 2008 ACC/Big 10 challenge match ups released today, they will get a chance to see who’s program has come along the most as they square off in one of the marquee matchups of the annual head-to-head competition. Both teams figure to finish in the top three of their conference and preseason wise should be pretty high up there in the national rankings as well, so if you get a chance, don’t miss this game. Read the rest of this entry »