B1G /College

MAC Announces 2021 Football Preseason Media Poll

DETROIT, Mich. The poll was announced at the conference's annual MAC Football Media Day at Ford Field and was determined by the league's media members.

The Eagles received 44 points, finishing ahead of Northern Illinois (29). Ball State was selected to repeat as West Division champions with 114 total points, followed by Toledo (104), Western Michigan (112), Central Michigan (68), then EMU.

In the East Division, Kent State was selected first with 112 total points ahead of Ohio with 96 total points. Miami finished third with 94 points, followed by defending East Division Champion Buffalo with 93 points, then Akron (39) and Bowling Green (28).

Six teams received votes to win the annual Rocket Mortgage MAC Football Championship Game between the winners of the West and East Divisions. The Cardinals garnered seven votes, while Toledo (5), Kent State (4), Western Michigan (3), Buffalo (2), and Miami (1) were each featured on ballots.

MAC East Division
1. Kent State (11) – 112 points
2. Ohio (2) – 96 points
3. Miami (5) – 94 points
4. Buffalo (4) – 93 points
5. Akron – 39 points
6. Bowling Green – 28 points

MAC West Division
1. Ball State (11) – 114 points
2. Toledo (7) – 104 points
3. Western Michigan (4) – 103 points
4. Central Michigan – 68 points
5. Eastern Michigan – 44 points
6. Northern Illinois – 29 points

2021 Rocket Mortgage MAC Football Championship Game Winner: Ball State (7), Toledo (5), Kent State (4), Western Michigan (3), Buffalo (2), Miami (1)

Big Ten Announces Baseball All-Big Ten Honors and Individual Award Winners

Nebraska’s Spencer Schwellenbach earns Big Ten Player of the Year plaudits

ROSEMONT, Ill. -- The Big Ten on Sunday announced the 2021 baseball individual award winners and All-Big Ten teams, as selected by the conference coaches. Nebraska’s Spencer Schwellenbach was named the Big Ten Player of the Year, Iowa’s Trenton Wallace earned Pitcher of the Year honors, Nebraska’s Max Anderson claimed Freshman of the Year recognition and Huskers head coach Will Bolt was named the Big Ten Coach of the Year.

Schwellenbach becomes the first Nebraska standout to claim Big Ten Player of the Year honors. A shortstop and reliever for the Huskers, Schwellenbach ranks thrid overall in saves (8), fourth in assists (109), third in runs (41), sixth in walks (27) and seventh in RBI (35). The team captain has pitched 25.1 innings with a 0.71 ERA and 29 strikeouts.

Wallace becomes the first Iowa hurler to earn Big Ten Pitcher of the Year accolades. In 73.0 innings pitched, the left-handed starter currently paces the Big Ten in wins (7), strikeouts (106) and ERA (2.34). Wallace is the second Hawkeye pitcher to strike out more than 100 batters in a single season, joining Jim Magrane, who struck out 110 during the 1999 season.

Anderson becomes the second Nebraska player to capture Big Ten Freshman of the Year plaudits and the first since 2016. The third baseman leads the conference in hits (60) and is eighth in the league with a .337 average.

Bolt was named the Big Ten Coach of the Year, becoming the second Nebraska head coach to earn the honor. Bolt guided the Huskers to their second Big Ten Championship and first since 2017.

The Big Ten also announced the Sportsmanship Award honorees from each institution. The students chosen are individuals who have distinguished themselves through sportsmanship and ethical behavior. These students must also be in good academic standing and have demonstrated good citizenship outside of the sports-competition setting.

The complete list of All-Big Ten teams and award winners can be found below.

Player of the Year: Spencer Schwellenbach, Nebraska
Pitcher of the Year: Trenton Wallace, Iowa
Freshman of the Year: Max Anderson, Nebraska
Coach of the Year: Will Bolt, Nebraska

All-Big Ten First Team
C – Luke Roskam, Nebraska
1B – Anthony Calarco, Northwestern
2B – Ted Burton, Michigan
SS – Benjamin Cowles, Maryland
3B – Jackson Raper, Illinois
OF – Grant Richardson, Indiana
OF – Ben Norman, Iowa
OF – Jaxon Hallmark, Nebraska
SP – Trenton Wallace, Iowa
SP – Steven Hajjar, Michigan
SP – Cade Povich, Nebraska
RP – Spencer Schwellenbach, Nebraska
DH – Justin Janas, Illinois
At-Large – Shawn Goosenberg, Northwestern

All-Big Ten Second Team
C – Griffin Mazur, Michigan
1B – Conner Pohl, Ohio State
2B – Zack Raabe, Minnesota
SS – Benjamin Sems, Michigan
3B – Max Anderson, Nebraska
OF – Chris Alleyne, Maryland
OF – Tito Flores, Michigan
OF – Kade Kern, Ohio State
SP – Gabe Bierman, Indiana
SP – McCade Brown, Indiana
SP – Cameron Weston, Michigan
RP – Ryan Ramsey, Maryland
DH – Matt Wood, Penn State
At-Large – Michael Trautwein, Northwestern

All-Big Ten Third Team*
C – Ryan Hampe, Illinois
1B – Jimmy Obertop, Michigan
2B – Izaya Fullard, Iowa
SS – Branden Comia, Illinois
3B – Chris Brito, Rutgers
OF – Zaid Walker, Michigan State
OF – Ben Nisle, Purdue
OF – Miles Simington, Purdue
SP – Andrew Hoffmann, Illinois
SP – Garrett Burhenn, Ohio State
SP – Seth Lonsway, Ohio State
RP – Willie Weiss, Michigan
RP – TJ Brock, Ohio State
DH – Mike Bolton, Purdue
At-Large – Cole Barr, Indiana

All-Big Ten Freshman Team
C – Luke Shliger, Maryland
2B – Paul Toetz, Indiana
SS – Mitch Jebb, Michigan State
3B – Max Anderson, Nebraska
OF – Morgan Colopy, Indiana
OF – Kade Kern, Ohio State
OF – Ryan Lasko, Rutgers
SP – Riley Gowens, Illinois
SP – Jason Savacool, Maryland
SP – Nick Powers, Michigan State
RP – John Modugno, Indiana
DH – Ethan O'Donnell, Northwestern
At-Large – Matthew Shaw, Maryland
At-Large – Brice Matthews, Nebraska

Sportsmanship Award Honorees
Nate Lavender, Illinois
Collin Hopkins, Indiana
Grant Leonard, Iowa
Elliot Zoellner, Maryland
Joe Pace, Michigan
Andrew Morrow, Michigan State
Jack Wassel, Minnesota
Joe Acker, Nebraska
Charlie Bourbon, Northwestern
Joe Gahm, Ohio State
Conor Larkin, Penn State
Trent Johnson, Purdue
Kyle Muller, Rutgers

Michigan, Notre Dame and Wisconsin Earn Three Stars Honors Badgers’

Michigan, Notre Dame and Wisconsin Earn Three Stars Honors
Badgers’ Caufield earns First Star accolades after recording his second hat trick of the season

First Star
Cole Caufield, Wisconsin
F – So. – Stevens Point, Wis.

Posted three goals and a pair of assists last week to help the Badgers sweep Ohio State

Recorded a pair of helpers in Friday’s 2-1 overtime victory for his third-straight multi-point game
Registered his second hat trick of the season and the third of his career on Saturday to become the first Badger since Jason Zent in 1993 to record three career hat tricks
Earns his fifth career weekly award and his fourth of the season
Last Wisconsin honorees: Ty Pelton-Byce (First Star) and Linus Weissbach (Third Star) on Feb. 23, 2021

Second Star
Dylan St. Cyr, Notre Dame
G – Sr. – Northville, Mich.

Posted back-to-back shutouts at Michigan State last weekend

Stopped all 56 shots faced on the weekend and left the series with an active shutout streak of 125:27, dating back to game two at Wisconsin (Feb. 20)
Posted his second consecutive shutout, his third of the season and the fifth of his career on Saturday, stopping 29 shots in the 2-0 victory
Claims his first career weekly honor
Last Notre Dame honoree: Alex Steeves (Second Star) on Feb. 23, 2021

Third Star
Matty Beniers, Michigan
F – Fr. – Hingham, Mass.

Recorded a trio of goals to lead Michigan to a 1-0-1 mark against Arizona State last weekend
Notched his first career hat trick to lead the Wolverines to a 4-1 win over the Sun Devils on Friday night
Took five shots on goal and scored on three, finished with a +3 rating and won 57.1 percent of his faceoffs
Claims his first career weekly honor
Last Michigan honoree: Cam York (Second Star) on Feb. 16, 2021

This week in the B1G

Player of the Week
Luka Garza, Iowa
C – Jr. – 6-11 – Washington, D.C. – Maret School – Major: Business

Averaged 30 points, five rebounds, and 1.5 blocks in a pair of victories over Northwestern and No. 19 Michigan
Connected on 10 field goals in both games averaging .625 from the field and shot .667 from the three-point line for the week
Poured in 33 points, bolstered by a career-high 11 free-throws made, in a seven-point triumph over the Wolverines on Friday
Posted 77 points in two games versus Michigan this season, the most points by any Big Ten player versus a single opponent in regular season conference play over the last 20 seasons
Now has four 30+ scoring games this year, the most by a Hawkeye since Peter Jok (5) in 2017 and ranks fourth nationally and most by any player from a Power 5 conference this year
In Iowa's win at Northwestern, led all scorers with 27 points and scored Iowa's first 10 points of the game as well as posted 14 straight points in the second half
Earns the second Player of the Week accolade of his career; was a two-time Freshman of the Week honoree in 2017-18
Last Iowa Player of the Week: Luka Garza (Dec. 9, 2019)

Freshman of the Week
CJ Fredrick, Iowa
G – 6-3 – Cincinnati, Ohio – Covington Catholic – Major: Sport and Recreation Management

Scored in double figures in a pair of Iowa wins, posting 11 points at Northwestern and 21 points versus No. 19 Michigan averaging 16 points per game for the week
Shot .750 from the three-point line versus the Wolverines and .667 from the field
Tied personal bests in assists (5) and steals (2) in the win at Northwestern
Also tied a personal best with 21 points in a home win versus the Wolverines
Helped Iowa win its seventh game of the last nine outings, including the Hawkeyes’ third win over a ranked team this season
Earns his first Big Ten Freshman of the Week honor of his career
Last Iowa Freshman of the Week: Joe Toussaint (Jan. 6, 2020)

MAC Media Interviews

Toledo Head Coach Jason Candle on Offensive football

MAC:BSU Cardinals QB Drew Plitt looks to repeat in 2021

With an outstanding cast around him Ball State Univ. QB Drew Plitt led the Cardinals to the MAC Championship and a bowl win over San Jose State. He is very confident and can beat you with his arm or legs. MAC Media Day

2021 Big Ten Women’s Gymnastics All-Conference Teams Announced Michigan with four first-team honorees, Minnesota with seven overall selections

ROSEMONT, Ill. -- The Big Ten Conference announced the 2021 women’s gymnastics all-conference teams and Sportsmanship Award recipients on Wednesday. The all-conference teams were determined on the basis of national qualifying scores (NQS) accumulated by student-athletes during the 2021 season.

A total of nine different Big Ten programs are represented on this year’s all-conference teams, including seven schools among the 15 first-team all-conference selections. Michigan leads the way with four first-team honorees, while both Big Ten regular-season champion Iowa and Minnesota have three gymnasts named to the All-Big Ten First Team and Rutgers has two.

Illinois and Minnesota each have four second-team all-conference selections on the 15-person squad, while Penn State features two student-athletes on the All-Big Ten Second Team.

Also on Wednesday, the Big Ten recognized the 10 women’s gymnastics Sportsmanship Award honorees. The student-athletes chosen are individuals who have distinguished themselves through sportsmanship and ethical behavior. These student-athletes must also be in good academic standing and have demonstrated good citizenship outside of the sports-competition setting.

The 2021 Big Ten Women’s Gymnastics Championships will be held Saturday at the University of Minnesota’s Maturi Pavilion in Minneapolis. The afternoon session (featuring Maryland, Nebraska, Ohio State, Penn State and Rutgers) will start at noon (CT), while the evening session (which includes Illinois, Iowa, Michigan and Minnesota), will begin at 5:30 p.m. (CT). Both sessions will be televised live on the Big Ten Network and will also be streamed live on the FOX Sports app.

The 2021 women’s gymnastics All-Big Ten teams and Sportsmanship Award recipients can be found below.

2021 WOMEN’S GYMNASTICS ALL-BIG TEN TEAMS

FIRST TEAM
JerQuavia Henderson, IOWA
Clair Kaji, IOWA
Adeline Kenlin, IOWA
Audrey Barber, MD
Sierra Brooks, MICH
Abby Heiskell, MICH
Gabby Wilson, MICH
Natalie Wojcik, MICH
Mya Hooten, MINN
Ona Loper, MINN
Lexy Ramler, MINN
Kynsee Roby, NEB
Cassidy Rushlow, PSU
Belle Huang, RU
Hannah Joyner, RU

SECOND TEAM
Nicole Biondi, ILL
Shaylah Scott, ILL
Mia Takekawa, ILL
Mia Townes, ILL
Lauren Guerin, IOWA
Reese McClure, MD
Naomi Morrison, MICH
Mary Korlin-Downs, MINN
Maddie Quarles, MINN
Tiarre Sales, MINN
Hannah Willmarth, MINN
Anika Dujakovich, NEB
Jenna Swartzentruber, OSU
Alissa Bonsall, PSU
Ava Verdeflor, PSU

BIG TEN SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD HONOREES
Mallory Mizuki, ILL
Allie Gilchrist, IOWA
Sanya Glauber, MD
Abby Brenner, MICH
Baleigh Garcia, MSU
Hannah Willmarth, MINN
Anika Dujakovich, NEB
Jenna Swartzentruber, OSU
Lauren Bridgens, PSU
Belle Huang, RU

By: Michael Marot, AP Sports Writer
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) — Juwan Howard understands the power of patience. It should serve No. 3 Michigan well this week.
Thirty seasons after first arriving in Ann Arbor as part of the famed Fab Five, the second-year coach watched Franz Wagner match his season high with 21 points and Isaiah Livers finish with 16 points and 10 rebounds as the Wolverines pulled away or a 73-57 victory at Indiana — and to the precipice of Howard’s first Big Ten crown.
“There’s a reason I think Michigan is championship good,” Hoosiers coach Archie Miller said. “To me, they’re really complete and they have a great opportunity to go as far as anyone in the country.”
But if Michigan keeps playing this well, it could be just a formality.
The Wolverines have won seven straight and are 5-0 since resuming play following a COVID-19 pause. They’ve also won eight straight over Indiana, three in Bloomington, and it didn’t take Michigan long to break this one open.
Mike Smith started the decisive 10-0 spurt with a 3-pointer midway through the first half and capped it by making two free throws for a 32-21 lead. After the Hoosiers answered with five straight to cut the deficit to six, Michigan went on a 10-3 run for a 42-29 lead.
“Today’s emphasis was energy,” Howard said. “We knew we weren’t going to walk in here and just get a win. I knew Indiana would be prepared and they would come out with great energy. But we emphasized that we had to be ready from the jump ball and they were ready from the jump ball.”
Livers opened the second half with three straight 3s to expand the margin and the Wolverines sealed the victory with an 8-0 spurt that made it 59-42 with 11:23 to play. Now they’ll wait to see if that’s enough to capture their first conference regular-season title since 2014.
Aljami Durham led Indiana (12-12, 7-10) with 15 points while Race Thompson added 11 points and six rebounds. Indiana has lost three straight and four of its last five as they fight for an NCAA Tournament bid.
Michigan: Sure, the Wolverines can score. But they can defend, too. Michigan made Indiana uncomfortable against full-court pressure, stayed in front of the Hoosiers in half-court defense, and challenged shot after shot. It’s no wonder the Wolverines seem destined for a No. 1 seed.
Indiana: The Hoosiers trailed 22-21 with 8:36 left in the first half — and then let another one get away. Indiana has shown promise with a sweep of Iowa and overtime losses to three ranked foes: Wisconsin, Florida State and Illinois. But as the season winds down, Miller’s squad needs to finish strong.

MAC Commissioner DR. JON STEINBRECHER
on the state of college athletics/MAC

Kent State Grad Players give the Flashes a chance for a great 2021

Miami Wins 25th Reese Trophy

Cleveland, Ohio – For a Mid-American Conference record 25th time, Miami University has captured the Reese Trophy as the top men’s athletic program during the 2020-21 academic year. The RedHawks have seized back-to-back honors as the top men’s athletic program, marking the first time Miami has won consecutive Reese Trophies since 2004-05 when it won three straight.
Miami competes in seven men’s sports and won two Mid-American Conference Championships during the 2020-21 academic year. The RedHawks programs won the Conference title in men’s track and field for the first time in 1993 and captured the men’s swimming and diving championship for the first time since 2019 with 932 team points and the program’s ninth overall MAC championship.
In cross country, Miami finished as the runner-up at the Conference meet with 64 team points, while the football program finished tied for third in the MAC East Division with a 2-1 league record in a shortened season.
Miami finished the baseball season ranked eighth in the league with a 18-22 MAC record, ending 25-31 overall. In golf, Miami finished with a team score of 929 for a fourth-place finish at the MAC Championship at Sycamore Hills Golf Club. In basketball, the RedHawks finished the season seventh with a 9-8 MAC record.
For the Reese Trophy, points are awarded based on each school’s finish, with the overall total divided by the number of sports sponsored by each school. The men’s trophy is named for former MAC Commissioner David E. Reese. Reese was the first-ever MAC Commissioner and served the Conference from its inception in 1946 until 1964.
2020-21 Reese (Men’s) Final Standings
1. Miami
2. Western Michigan
3. Ball State
4. Kent State
5. Central Michigan
6. Buffalo
7. Toledo
8. Eastern Michigan
9. Akron
10. Ohio
11. Northern Illinois
12. Bowling Green

SCHRUM NAMED NIKE® HORIZON LEAGUE OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK

INDIANAPOLIS – Oakland men's soccer forward Dawsun Schrum was named Nike® Horizon League Offensive Player of the Week, announced by the league office on Friday.

Schrum, a junior from Sterling Heights, Mich., posted three goals with two assists totaling 11 points helping Oakland to a pair of wins over Milwaukee and Cleveland State.

Schrum had a hand in all of Oakland's four goals scoring two while assisting on the other two accounting for six total points in the Golden Grizzlies' thrilling 4-3 win over Milwaukee. For his efforts, he was one of 12 student-athletes named to the College Soccer News Men's National Team of the Week (ending Mar. 14) and was a TopDrawerSoccer.com Men's DI Team of the Week Honorable Mention (Mar. 15).

Schrum also recorded a goal for the second consecutive game in Oakland's 3-2 win over CSU helping the Golden Grizzlies finish the regular season home league schedule a perfect 5-0 at the Grizz Dome.

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Iowa and Rutgers Earn Big Ten Weekly Women’s Basketball Awards
Hawkeyes’ Clark and Scarlet Knights’ Guirantes share latest conference honors

Co-Player AND Freshman of the Week
Caitlin Clark, Iowa
Fr. – G – West Des Moines, Iowa – Dowling Catholic – Major: Undeclared
• Recorded her first career triple-double on Dec. 22 with 13 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists in the Hawkeyes’ win over Western Illinois
• Posted the 10th triple-double in program history (tying for the second-most by one school in NCAA Division I history) and the first by an Iowa student-athlete since March 27, 2015 (Samantha Logic vs. Baylor in NCAA Sweet Sixteen at Oklahoma City)
• Had the first triple-double by a Big Ten freshman since Dec. 19, 2017, when Nebraska’s Kate Cain (22 points/14 rebounds/11 blocks) did so against Florida Atlantic
• Earns the third Big Ten Player of the Week award of her career
• Last Iowa Player of the Week: Caitlin Clark (Dec. 14, 2020)
• Collects the fourth Freshman of the Week award of her career
• Last Iowa Player of the Week: Caitlin Clark (Dec. 14, 2020)

Co-Player of the Week
Arella Guirantes, Rutgers
Sr. – G – Bellport, N.Y. – Bellport – Major: Global Sports Business (Master’s)
• Registered her first career triple-double on Dec. 23 with 17 points, 10 rebounds and a career-high 11 assists in a win over Manhattan
• Tallied the third triple-double in program history and first by a Scarlet Knight since Feb. 8, 2011, when Khadijah Rushdan (13 points/10 rebounds/10 assists) pulled off the feat against Pittsburgh
• Joined Clark in posting the first triple-doubles on consecutive days in Big Ten women’s basketball history; the Big Ten also has three of the five triple-doubles recorded by NCAA Division I student-athletes this season (Indiana’s Grace Berger had one on Nov. 25 against Eastern Kentucky)
• Earns the fourth Big Ten Player of the Week award of her career, and the second this season
• Last Rutgers Player of the Week: Arella Guirantes (Dec. 21, 2020)
Big Ten Women’s Basketball Weekly Honor Roll
Jaelynn Penn, Sr., G, IND: Collected a season-high 19 points, five rebounds, team-best four steals and three assists in the Hoosiers’ win at Big Ten foe Minnesota on Dec. 23
Julia Ayrault, So., G, MSU: Finished just shy of a double-double in Michigan State’s Dec. 22 win over Oakland, logging 14 points (6-8 FG) and nine rebounds in only 20 minutes of action
Kayana Traylor, Jr., G, PUR: Registered her second consecutive 20-point game on Dec. 23 in a conference win over Nebraska, winding up with 21 points and seven assists

IAMI, Fla. - Jalisha Terry reached double figures for the fifth consecutive game scoring a season second-best 19 points going a perfect 7-for-7 from the free throw line with four assists and three steals leading Oakland to a 61-55 win over Jacksonville State to close out FIU Thanksgiving Classic play with a undefeated 2-0 mark on Sunday afternoon. Chloe Guingrich added 12 points on 6-of-9 shooting while Kayla Luchenbach chipped in with 10 points.

Guingrich and Luchenbach also lead the way on the glass with six rebounds each while Sydney Gouard and Brianna Breedy each grabbed five boards.

Defensively, Oakland posted 12 points off 14 turnovers while holding JSU to just 3-for-21 from 3-point range. In Classic play, the Golden Grizzlies held both opponents for a combined 7-for-36 (19.4%) from behind the arc.

Each team scored 13 points as Oakland led at the half, 30-24. The third and fourth quarters turned out the be mirror opposites as the Gamecocks outscored the Golden Grizzlies 21-10 to take 45-40 lead at the end of the frame.

Oakland returned the favor in the fourth quarter outscoring JSU 21-10 highlighted by a 11-1 run to take the lead, 51-46, at the 6:36 minute mark.

After JSU cut the lead to one at 51-50, Luchenbach added a pair of free throws and a layup followed by a pair of free throws from Terry, a jumper from Guingrich and another pair of free throws from Kahlaijah Dean to close out the game for good.

Oakland travels to Michigan on Sunday, Dec, 8 at 2 p.m.

PEORIA, Ill. -- Sept. 8- Mackenzie Schneider recorded eight kills, hitting .318, plus seven digs and seven service aces, tying the school record, as the Oakland volleyball team completed a five-set, come-from-behind win over Belmont Saturday at the CEFCU Bradley Invite.

Brittany Welch led all players with 18 kills, and added nine digs and three blocks.

Abby Neidinger recorded a career high 16 kills and a .406 hitting percentage. Also registering double digit kills was Jamie Walling with 13.

Lindsay Wightman (16), Madison Ross (14) and Katelyn Johnson (10) each recorded double digit digs, while Megan Hobler and Jessica Reidl each led Oakland with five blocks. Hobler was named to the all-tournament team after a stellar defensive outing on the weekend, recording 18 total blocks, good for 1.38 blocks per set, in the three matches.

The Golden Grizzlies (4-2) will return to action on Sept. 10 with a home match against Bowling Green.