B1G /College

Michigan State Garners Women’s Golf Weekly Award Raines Helps Spartan to Second-Best Round in Program History

ROSEMONT, Ill. – Maryland is the favorite to repeat as Big Ten baseball champions, according to the coaches’ preseason poll announced Thursday. Conference coaches also selected three student-athletes from their respective squads to comprise the 39-player Preseason Honors List.

In addition to Maryland, the top-six poll includes Rutgers in second place, followed by No. 3 Iowa, No. 4 Illinois, No. 5 Nebraska and No. 6 Indiana.

In national preseason polls, Maryland is ranked 13th by D1Baseball, 15th by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association and 16th by Baseball America. The Terrapins finished 48-14 (18-5 Big Ten) last season, reaching a regional final on their home field.

The Big Ten baseball season commences Friday with Big Ten games beginning March 24.

Big Ten Preseason Honors List:
Jack Crowder, RHP, Jr., Illinois
Riley Gowens, RHP, Jr., Illinois
Cam McDonald, IF/OF, Sr., Illinois
Matthew Ellis, C, Sr., Indiana
Phillip Glasser, IF, Sr., Indiana
Carter Mathison, OF, So., Indiana
Keaton Anthony, 1B/DH/RHP, So., Iowa
Will Christophersen, RHP, Jr., Iowa
Ty Langenberg, RHP, Jr., Iowa
Jason Savacool, RHP, Jr., Maryland
Matt Shaw, SS, Jr., Maryland
Luke Shliger, C, Jr., Maryland
Tito Flores, LF, Sr., Michigan
Connor O’Halloran, LHP, Jr., Michigan
Mitch Voit, 3B, Fr., Michigan
Trent Farquhar, 2B, Jr., Michigan State
Mitch Jebb, SS, Jr., Michigan State
Casey Mayes, OF, Sr., Michigan State
Brett Bateman, CF, Jr., Minnesota
Boston Merlia, LF, Jr., Minnesota
Tucker Novotny, LHP, So., Minnesota
Max Anderson, IF, Jr., Nebraska
Brice Matthews, IF, Jr., Nebraska
Emmett Olson, LHP, Jr., Nebraska
Alex Calerco, C, So., Northwestern
Ben Grable, RHP, Jr., Northwestern
Stephen Hrustich, C/1B/OF, Sr., Northwestern
Isaiah Coupet, LHP, Jr., Ohio State
Kade Kern, OF, Jr., Ohio State
Trey Lipsey, OF, So., Ohio State
Jay Harry, SS, Jr., Penn State
Travis Luensmann, RHP, Jr., Penn State
Josh Spiegel, C/1B, Sr., Penn State
Evan Albrecht, SS, Sr., Purdue
Mike Bolton Jr., OF, Sr., Purdue
Cam Thompson, 1B/OF, Jr., Purdue
Chris Brito, IF, Sr., Rutgers
Ryan Lasko, OF, Jr., Rutgers
Tony Santa Maria, IF, Jr., Rutgers

MHKY: No. 10/9 Buckeyes vs. No. 4 Wolverines in Series featuring Senior Night and Outdoor Game Teams to meet Thursday in Columbus, Saturday in Cleveland

The Basics

The No. 10/9-ranked Ohio State men's hockey team takes on No. 4 Michigan this week.
Thursday, the teams will meet at 7 p.m. in Value City Arena in Columbus, with the game streamed through Big Ten Plus and on Ohio State Radio. The Buckeye senior class will be recognized pregame and it is the final regular season home game for the squad.
Saturday at 4 p.m. is the Faceoff on the Lake at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland. Big Ten Network will televise the game, with the broadcast on the Fox Sports app, and the call will be on Ohio State Radio.
Ohio State is 17-11-2 on the year, with a 10-9-1-0-0-0 mark in Big Ten play, while Michigan is 20-9-1 and has a 12-8-0-3-2-0 Big Ten record. Ohio State enters the weekend in a three-way tie for third place in the B1G and Michigan is in second, four points ahead of the Buckeyes. Next week is the final week of the regular season.

Buckeye Notes to Know

Ohio State and Michigan met in Ann Arbor in January, splitting the series with a 7-2 Buckeye victory and 4-2 Wolverine win.
Saturday will be the fourth major outdoor game in Ohio State history and the second in Cleveland (with the first at Progressive Field).
The Buckeyes are 10-3-0 at home this year, with a 7-3-0 mark in Big Ten contests in Columbus.
Ohio State is first nationally on the penalty kill (105/118, .890) and in shorthanded goals (9).
This season, 22 Buckeyes have posted at least one point. Eighteen have scored a goal, with 22 notching at least one assist.
Four Buckeyes have 20-plus points: Stephen Halliday (31), Jake Wise (25), Tate Singleton (23) and Mason Lohrei (22). Thirteen have reached double-digit points. Davis Burnside has a team-best 13 goals, Cam Thiesing is second with 11 and Joe Dunlap and Wise have 10 each. Halliday paces the team with 24 assists and Lohrei has 20. Nine Buckeyes have 10+ helpers. Wise is eighth in the NCAA with seven power play goals. Ohio State has an NCAA-best nine shorthanded goals this season, with seven players scoring while down a man. Davis Burnside (in the same game) and Patrick Guzzo each have two shortys to tie for sixth nationally.

Class of 2023

The 13 seniors on the 2022-23 Buckeye squad will be recognized pregame Thursday.
The group includes two Buckeyes in their fifth year at Ohio State - Kamil Sadlocha and Gustaf Westlund, as well as four-year letterwinners Jaedon Leslie, James Marooney, Dalton Messina, CJ Regula, Tate Singleton and Ryan Snowden. Matt Cassidy, Mark Cheremeta and Dominic Vidoli have spent the last three years in the Scarlet and Gray, Jake Wise is in his second year and Scooter Brickey is in his first year at Ohio State.
Over their collegiate careers, this year's seniors have compiled 148 goals, 240 assists and 373 points while seeing action in 1087 games. They have combined for 26 Ohio State Scholar-Athlete accoldes and 16 Academic All-Big Ten honors.

Taking it Outside

The game Saturday will be the fourth major outdoor game in Ohio State history.
The squad first played in the Frozen Tundra Classic/U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Game at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis., vs. Wisconsin Feb. 11, 2006. The Badgers skated to a 4-2 win in front of 40,890 fans.
Jan. 15, 2012, the Buckeyes took on Michigan at the Frozen Diamond Faceoff Classic at Progressive Field in Cleveland, Ohio. The Wolverines topped the Buckeyes, 4-1, with a crowd of 25,864 on hand.
The Buckeyes faced Minnesota in the Hockey City Classic at TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis Jan. 17, 2014. The attendance of 45,021, was the largest for an Ohio State game in program history. The Gophers won the game 1-0 on a second-period goal.

Buckeyes vs. Wolverines

Ohio State and Michigan faced off for the first time in 1964 and after games in 1969-70, 1974-75 and 1978-79, have met at least once each season since 1981-82 when Michigan joined Ohio State in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association.
The Wolverines lead the all-time series, 92-50-14, including 39-27-6 in Columbus and 6-3-0 in neutral-site contests.
The last series in Columbus was Dec. 10-11, 2021, with a 5-2 UM win and 6-1 Buckeye victory. In Ann Arbor Jan. 13-14, Ohio State won game one 7-2 before a 4-2 loss.
Tate Singleton leads the current Buckeyes with 15 games played vs. Michigan and has a team-best five goals and 10 points vs. the Wolverines. Singleton and Wise have five assists each vs. Michigan to pace the team.
Five Buckeyes - Scooter Brickey (Burtchville), Patrick Guzzo (Marysville), John Larkin (Northville), Dalton Messina (Macomb) and CJ Regula (Bloomfield Hills) call Michigan home. Tyler Duke's brother, Dylan, plays for the Wolverines.
Michigan, who enters the series on a seven-game winning streak, is 20-9-1 this season and 12-8-0-3-1-0 in the Big Ten. The squad is second nationally in scoring offense (4.2 goals per game) and seventh in the NCAA on the power play (.254), allowing 3.13 goals a game and stopping 78.3 percent of its opponents' chances with the man advantage.

In the Rankings

This week, the Buckeyes moved to 10th in the DCU/USCHO.com rankings and ninth in the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine poll.
Ohio State started the year No. 16 in the DCU/USCHO.com preseason poll and was No. 18 in the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine preseason rankings. The squad has been ranked in the Top 20 all season and in the Top 10 since Jan. 9.
Ohio State is one of six Big Ten teams in the USCHO Top 20 this week, joining No. 2 Minnesota, No. 4 Michigan, No. 7 Penn State, No. 17 Michigan State and No. 19 Notre Dame.

Ones to Watch

Stephen Halliday has been named to the Tim Taylor Award watch list for the nation's rookie of the year honor.
Dobeš, Mason Lohrei and Jake Wise are all among the candidates for the 2023 Hobey Baker Award. VOTE BUCKEYE FOR HOBEY

A Richter Award Semifinalist Again

For the second year in a row Jakub Dobeš has been named a semifinalist for the Mike Richter Award, the honor given annually to the top goalie in Division I men's hockey.
He is one of nine semifinalists (one of two sophomores) after 41 were on the original watch list.
Dobeš started the first 30 games in net and has a 2.22 goals-against average and .919 save percentage, with 17 wins.
Dobeš became the 24th Buckeye goalie to play in at least 50 games with his start in game one at LIU Nov. 26 and then made his 50th career start in game two at LIU (he is now at 64 starts and 65 appearances). He is in the Top 5 in program history in career save percentage (.928) and goals-against average (2.24) and is one win away from tying for 10th in school history.

Three Stars Honors Go to Minnesota, Notre Dame and Wisconsin
Seniors LaCombe, Moe and Bischel recognized for outstanding play

(ROSEMONT, Ill. – Jan. 24, 2023) – The Big Ten Conference has announced its Three Stars of the Week hockey award winners for games played Jan. 20-21.

First Star
Jackson LaCombe, Minnesota
Sr. – D – Eden Prairie, Minn. – Shattuck-St. Mary’s

Recorded a team-best four points (goal, three assists) in No. 2/2 Minnesota’s split against No. 8/7 Michigan Jan. 20-21 in Minneapolis
Scored a goal with 4:20 left in regulation to force overtime in the Golden Gophers’ 4-3 victory on Jan. 20
Blocked three shots and assisted on Minnesota’s game-tying goal with 2:42 remaining in the third period as the Gophers earned an overtime point on Jan. 21
Earns first weekly award of the season and the second of his career
Last Minnesota honoree: Justen Close (Second Star) on Jan. 17, 2023

Second Star
Jared Moe, Wisconsin
Sr. – G – New Prague, Minn. – Minnesota (Big Ten)

Recorded his fifth shutout as a Badger and his fourth of the season with 22 saves in Wisconsin’s 4-0 victory over No. 7/8 Ohio State on Jan. 20
Stopped 47 of 48 shots for a .979 save percentage and 0.50 goals against average over the weekend
Allowed just one goal in the series, killing off five short-handed situations
Captured his third weekly award of the season and the fourth of his career
Last Wisconsin honoree: Cruz Lucius (Second Star) on Jan. 10, 2023

Third Star
Ryan Bischel, Notre Dame
Sr. – G – Medina, Minn. – Fargo (USHL)

Made 94 saves in Notre Dame’s weekend split against No. 6/6 Penn State on the road
Registered a career-high 52 saves to help the Irish to a 2-1 victory on Jan. 20
Compiled a .959 save percentage while facing 98 shots against the Nittany Lions
Honored for the second week in a row, earning his third weekly award this season and the fourth of his career
Last Notre Dame selection: Ryan Bischel (Third Star) on Jan. 17, 2023

Purdue, Rutgers Score Men’s Basketball Weekly Accolades Loyer and Spencer claim Big Ten weekly honors

(ROSEMONT, Ill. – Jan. 17, 2023) – The Big Ten Conference has announced this week’s Men’s Basketball Player and Freshman of the Week for the week of Jan. 9-16.
Co-Player of the Week
Cam Spencer, Rutgers
G – Sr. – 6-4 – Davidsonville, Md. – Boys Lain School of Maryland – Major: Labor and Employment Relations

Averaged 22.0 points, 5.5 rebounds ad 4.0 assists in 37 minutes per game, as Rutgers downed Northwestern and Ohio State.
Scored 23 points, including the final five points in a 65-62 win at Northwestern, hitting his career-best sixth three pointer to give Rutgers a 63-62 lead with 15 seconds to play.
Posted 21 points, six assists, four steals, six rebounds and one turnover in a 68-64 overtime win over Ohio State, becoming the first player since 2010 to record that stat line.
Garners his first career Player of the Week award.
Last Rutgers Player of the Week: Geo Baker (Feb. 14, 2022)

Co-Player & Freshman of the Week
Fletcher Loyer, Purdue
G – 6-4 – Fort Wayne, Ind. – Homestead – Major: Organizational Leadership

Scored a career-high 27 points in 34 minutes in a win over Nebraska with six three pointers, most by a freshman in program history.
Shot 6-12 from three-point range, setting a new freshman program record for made three-pointers.
Garners his first career Player of the Week award and fourth Freshman of the Week honor.
Last Purdue Freshman of the Week: Fletcher Loyer (Dec. 5, 2022)
Last Purdue Player of the Week: Zach Edey (Jan. 9, 2023)

The NCAA Changes rules of transfer portal

Story by James Parks •
The transfer portal has forever changed college football and how schools create their rosters, and now the NCAA has brought in another new change.

While players going into the portal for the first time will still be able to get immediate eligibility at their next school, the NCAA is trying to stop players from entering the transfer portal multiple times.
What's new: The NCAA Division I Council approved legislation to limit waivers for second-time transfer players. Now, any undergraduates who transfer a second time, or any other time after that, must meet specific guidelines in order to be eligible for immediate playing time starting with the 2023-24 season or risk sitting out a year between transfers.
With exceptions: Under the new rule, players can still get immediate eligibility at their next school if they are transferring due to a physical injury or mental health concern.
Exigent circumstances: And the NCAA will also consider "exigent circumstances" like abuse or sexual assault, but will not consider academic or athletic reasons, like being unsatisfied with playing time on their team.

In recent years, the NCAA has granted waivers for immediate eligibility for football, basketball, and baseball transfers, but will now recommend against that for players who have transferred once during their college careers.

Why the change: The NCAA wants to rein in the number of players using the transfer portal, a figure that has exceeded 2,000 just in the first transfer window after the 2022 college football season. Of those, at least 120 are quarterbacks.
The rule in action: As an example, this new rule would have affected the career trajectory of quarterback JT Daniels. The former 5-star played at USC (2018-19) then at Georgia (2020-21) and then West Virginia (2022) before moving to Rice. Had this rule been in place, Daniels would have needed to graduate between each of his other two transfers or sit out and use up a year of eligibility.
Undergrads only: The new rule applies only to undergraduates and not graduates, who are still eligible to play immediately should they transfer.

Michigan and Ohio State Earn Men’s Tennis Weekly Award Wolverines’ Maloney and Buckeye’s Trotter Named Co-Recipients

ROSEMONT, Ill. – Seniors Patrick Maloney of Michigan and Ohio State’s James Trotter have been named Men’s Tennis Co-Athletes of the Week by the Big Ten Conference for matches played Feb. 15-19.

Co-Athlete of the Week
Patrick Maloney, Michigan
Sr. – Oyster Bay, N.Y. – Oyster Bay

Posted a 4-1 overall record at the ITA National Men’s Team Indoor Championship as No. 4 Michigan advanced to the semifinals
Defeated two ranked opponents at No. 2 singles – fourth-ranked Max Basing of Stanford (6-4, 6-3) on Feb. 17 and No. 33 Pierre-Yves Bailly of Texas (7-5, 6-3) on Dec. 19
The 42nd-ranked Maloney remains perfect on the season with an 8-0 singles record
Joined forces with Ondrej Styler to post wins over Stanford and defending NCAA champion Virginia at No. 2 doubles
Earns his second weekly honor of the season and the fifth of his career
Last Michigan honoree: Andrew Fenty (Feb. 1, 2023)

Co-Athlete of the Week
James Trotter, Ohio State
Sr. – Hyogo, Japan – Sundai Kofu

Finished with a 5-0 record with a pair of singles victories and three doubles wins at the ITA National Men’s Team Indoor Championship in Chicago
Defeated No. 25 Siem Woldeab of Texas (6-2, 7-6) at No. 4 singles on Feb. 18
Helped the top-ranked Buckeyes earn the doubles point in all three matches at the ITAs
Teamed with Andrew Lutschaunig to record top-flight double victories over the fourth-ranked tandem from Texas and the 20th-ranked duo from Virginia
Sports a 13-0 record as the 28th-ranked singles players player in the nation
Earns his second weekly honor of the season
Last Ohio State honoree: Justin Boulais (Feb. 15, 2023)

2023 Big Ten Men’s Tennis Athlete of the Week
Jan. 18: Trice Pickens, Gr., NU
Jan. 24: Patrick Maloney, Sr., MICH
Feb. 1: Andrew Fenty, Sr., MICH
Feb. 8: James Trotter, Sr., OSU
Feb. 15: Justin Boulais, Sr., OSU
Feb. 22: Patrick Maloney, Sr., MICH | James Trotter, Sr., OSU

Tobias Named Big Ten Male Field Athlete of the Week

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Big Ten Conference released its weekly track & field awards on Wednesday. Junior thrower Hayden Tobias was named Big Ten Male Field Athlete of the Week – the first weekly award by a Buckeye this season.
Tobias remained undefeated in the shot put this season with a win in the Music City Challenge invitational section of the men’s shot put. Tobias threw his second PR in three meets this season with a best throw of 20.19m to move him up to a tie for fourth on Ohio State’s all-time records list. He now ranks seventh in the country in the shot put. Tobias also competed in the weight throw (18.04m).

TOLEDO, Ohio - Toledo sophomore Dennis Mutai was named Men's Cross Country Runner of the Week by the Mid-American Conference for his performance last Saturday at the Indiana State John McNichols Invitational.

Mutai won the men's 8K race with a time of 24:17.7, nearly 10 seconds ahead of the second-place runner from Louisville. He led the Toledo men's team to a runner-up finish in a field of 19 teams.

This was Mutai's first individual win as a Rocket and his first conference weekly honor.

Toledo's strong finish moved it up to a No. 9 ranking in the NCAA DI Great Lakes Region

Illinois Earns Men’s Golfer of the Week Honor
Illini’s Adrien Dumont de Chassart claims weekly accolades after recording runner-up finish at the OFCC/Fighting Illini Invite
Golfer of the Week
Adrien Dumont de Chassart, Illinois
Sr. – Villers la Ville, Belgium – College Du Christ Roi

Recorded a runner-up finish at the OFCC/Fighting Illini Invitational with a score of 204 (-6), leading the Illini to a runner-up team finish in a field that featured 11 teams ranked or receiving votes in the GCAA coaches poll
Opened with rounds of 65 and 67, tying Stanford's Maverick McNealy (2015) for the tournament record through 36 holes, to finish nearly five strokes below the course average of 72.68 for the week
Recorded 48 of 54 holes at or below par, highlighted 12 birdies, en route to his 14th-career top-five finish
The three-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree collects his fourth career Golfer of the Week honor
Last Illinois Golfer of the Week: Adrien Dumont de Chassart (April 21, 2022)

B1G Volleyball 9.21.22

To say this week’s Big Ten Conference volleyball schedule is loaded would be a significant understatement. Big Ten teams will compete in no fewer than nine head-to-head Top 25 matches through next Tuesday, including three top-10 contests and two others involving No. 11 Stanford. The Big Ten also will participate in two conference challenges this weekend, taking on the Pac-12 at Minnesota’s Maturi Pavilion, and facing the ACC in Chapel Hill and Durham, N.C.
During the next two weeks, a pair of Big Ten programs will take the floor in matches that could challenge the NCAA regular-season single-match attendance record. No. 2 Nebraska travels to Omaha on Wednesday night (6 p.m. ET on FS1) to take on No. 17 Creighton at the 17,000-seat CHI Health Center, which is not only the site of this year’s NCAA Final Four, but also where the current NCAA attendance record was set in a match between the same two schools (14,022 on Sept. 6, 2018). On Sept. 16, No. 6 Wisconsin will take a swing at the record when it plays host to No. 16 Florida at the Kohl Center (which also seats approximately 17,000). The Badgers can not only top the overall NCAA regular season single-match attendance record, but also the mark for a campus facility (13,870 - UCLA at Nebraska on Sept. 13, 2009).
Two Big Ten student-athletes could reach personal milestones this weekend. Nebraska senior outside hitter Madi Kubik is 18 kills shy of becoming the fourth active Big Ten player with 1,000 career kills. Also, Northwestern fifth-year libero Megan Miller needs eight digs to be the fifth active Big Ten player with 1,000 career digs. Coincidentally, Kubik and Miller were teammates at Nebraska in 2019 (helping the Huskers reach the NCAA Elite Eight) before Miller transferred to Northwestern the following year.
Ohio State etched a spot in program history last Sunday with its 3-1 victory at then-No. 3 Louisville. Not only did it snap the Cardinals’ 24-match home winning streak, but it was also the highest-ranked non-conference opponent the Buckeyes have ever defeated. OSU is in the midst of a remarkably difficult non-conference schedule that has seen the Buckeyes already play four top-15 opponents (No. 2 Texas twice, No. 3 Louisville and No. 15 San Diego), with matches against No. 10 BYU and at No. 5 Georgia Tech on tap this weekend (followed by a trip to Pittsburgh next weekend to meet Tennessee and the host/seventh-ranked Panthers).
The Big Ten continues to lead the nation with a cumulative .770 non-conference winning percentage (57-17 record) this season. Michigan State and Northwestern are off to 6-0 starts, their best debuts since both opened similarly in 2012. Meanwhile, Michigan and Purdue are also 6-0 for the first time since they did likewise in 2018.
Through the opening two weeks of the season, Maryland leads the nation in blocks (3.52/set), while Nebraska is tops in opponent hitting percentage (.077) and Northwestern in second nationally with a .332 hitting percentage. Individually, Michigan’s Jess Robinson is No. 1 in the land with a .568 hitting percentage, while Maryland’s Rainelle Jones is first in the nation with 2.21 blocks/set (the only player in the country averaging better than two blocks per set).
Michigan State fired 17 service aces in its 3-1 win at Navy on Sept. 2. It was the most aces by a Big Ten squad since April 3, 2021, when Rutgers also recorded 17 aces on the road at MSU.
For the third consecutive week, the Big Ten leads all conferences with exactly half (7) of its teams ranked in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) poll. Nebraska is currently ranked No. 2 (earning six first-place votes), with Minnesota up to No. 3 and Wisconsin steady at No. 6. Ohio State is holding at No. 8, with Purdue rising to No. 9, Penn State jumping to No. 20 and Illinois at No. 25. Once more, Michigan is receiving votes in the coaches’ poll.
The Big Ten has announced the most robust volleyball television package in its history with a record-setting 55 matches scheduled for linear television coverage (47 on Big Ten Network, six on ESPN2/ESPNU, two on FS1), with the possibility of further broadcasts to be announced at a later date. In addition, all non-televised Big Ten volleyball home matches are scheduled to be broadcast live on B1G+, the Big Ten Network’s subscription streaming service (bigtenplus.com).
On Aug. 1, the Big Ten Network announced a groundbreaking, multi-year distribution partnership with Volleyball World that will enhance the promotion and coverage of Big Ten Conference volleyball across the globe. As part of that agreement, 70+ Big Ten volleyball matches will appear worldwide on VolleyballWorld.tv. There will also be live streaming of nearly 50 televised Big Ten Network volleyball matches outside of North America and certain Caribbean islands, as well as worldwide streaming of an additional 28 matches from B1G+ inventory, with those matches airing concurrently on B1G+.
For the 16th consecutive season, Big Ten volleyball honored more than 70 Academic All-Big Ten standouts in 2021, as a record-setting 153 volleyball student-athletes were recognized, including a pair of Academic All-America selections in first-team honoree Sydney Hilley (Wisconsin) and second-team choice Diana Brown (Illinois).

To say this week’s Big Ten Conference volleyball schedule is loaded would be a significant understatement. Big Ten teams will compete in no fewer than nine head-to-head Top 25 matches through next Tuesday, including three top-10 contests and two others involving No. 11 Stanford. The Big Ten also will participate in two conference challenges this weekend, taking on the Pac-12 at Minnesota’s Maturi Pavilion, and facing the ACC in Chapel Hill and Durham, N.C. During the next two weeks, a pair of Big Ten programs will take the floor in matches that could challenge the NCAA regular-season single-match attendance record. No. 2 Nebraska travels to Omaha on Wednesday night (6 p.m. ET on FS1) to take on No. 17 Creighton at the 17,000-seat CHI Health Center, which is not only the site of this year’s NCAA Final Four, but also where the current NCAA attendance record was set in a match between the same two schools (14,022 on Sept. 6, 2018). On Sept. 16, No. 6 Wisconsin will take a swing at the record when it plays host to No. 16 Florida at the Kohl Center (which also seats approximately 17,000). The Badgers can not only top the overall NCAA regular season single-match attendance record, but also the mark for a campus facility (13,870 - UCLA at Nebraska on Sept. 13, 2009). Two Big Ten student-athletes could reach personal milestones this weekend. Nebraska senior outside hitter Madi Kubik is 18 kills shy of becoming the fourth active Big Ten player with 1,000 career kills. Also, Northwestern fifth-year libero Megan Miller needs eight digs to be the fifth active Big Ten player with 1,000 career digs. Coincidentally, Kubik and Miller were teammates at Nebraska in 2019 (helping the Huskers reach the NCAA Elite Eight) before Miller transferred to Northwestern the following year. Ohio State etched a spot in program history last Sunday with its 3-1 victory at then-No. 3 Louisville. Not only did it snap the Cardinals’ 24-match home winning streak, but it was also the highest-ranked non-conference opponent the Buckeyes have ever defeated. OSU is in the midst of a remarkably difficult non-conference schedule that has seen the Buckeyes already play four top-15 opponents (No. 2 Texas twice, No. 3 Louisville and No. 15 San Diego), with matches against No. 10 BYU and at No. 5 Georgia Tech on tap this weekend (followed by a trip to Pittsburgh next weekend to meet Tennessee and the host/seventh-ranked Panthers). The Big Ten continues to lead the nation with a cumulative .770 non-conference winning percentage (57-17 record) this season. Michigan State and Northwestern are off to 6-0 starts, their best debuts since both opened similarly in 2012. Meanwhile, Michigan and Purdue are also 6-0 for the first time since they did likewise in 2018. Through the opening two weeks of the season, Maryland leads the nation in blocks (3.52/set), while Nebraska is tops in opponent hitting percentage (.077) and Northwestern in second nationally with a .332 hitting percentage. Individually, Michigan’s Jess Robinson is No. 1 in the land with a .568 hitting percentage, while Maryland’s Rainelle Jones is first in the nation with 2.21 blocks/set (the only player in the country averaging better than two blocks per set). Michigan State fired 17 service aces in its 3-1 win at Navy on Sept. 2. It was the most aces by a Big Ten squad since April 3, 2021, when Rutgers also recorded 17 aces on the road at MSU. For the third consecutive week, the Big Ten leads all conferences with exactly half (7) of its teams ranked in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) poll. Nebraska is currently ranked No. 2 (earning six first-place votes), with Minnesota up to No. 3 and Wisconsin steady at No. 6. Ohio State is holding at No. 8, with Purdue rising to No. 9, Penn State jumping to No. 20 and Illinois at No. 25. Once more, Michigan is receiving votes in the coaches’ poll. The Big Ten has announced the most robust volleyball television package in its history with a record-setting 55 matches scheduled for linear television coverage (47 on Big Ten Network, six on ESPN2/ESPNU, two on FS1), with the possibility of further broadcasts to be announced at a later date. In addition, all non-televised Big Ten volleyball home matches are scheduled to be broadcast live on B1G+, the Big Ten Network’s subscription streaming service (bigtenplus.com). On Aug. 1, the Big Ten Network announced a groundbreaking, multi-year distribution partnership with Volleyball World that will enhance the promotion and coverage of Big Ten Conference volleyball across the globe. As part of that agreement, 70+ Big Ten volleyball matches will appear worldwide on VolleyballWorld.tv. There will also be live streaming of nearly 50 televised Big Ten Network volleyball matches outside of North America and certain Caribbean islands, as well as worldwide streaming of an additional 28 matches from B1G+ inventory, with those matches airing concurrently on B1G+. For the 16th consecutive season, Big Ten volleyball honored more than 70 Academic All-Big Ten standouts in 2021, as a record-setting 153 volleyball student-athletes were recognized, including a pair of Academic All-America selections in first-team honoree Sydney Hilley (Wisconsin) and second-team choice Diana Brown (Illinois).

Big Ten Announces Women’s Basketball Conference Schedule Ohio State begins its conference season on Sunday, Dec. 4 at Rutgers.

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Big Ten Conference announced the 2022-23 conference schedule for women’s basketball on Wednesday. The Buckeyes open conference play on Sunday, Dec. 4 at Rutgers. View the full 2022 schedule HERE.

Ohio State’s home opener for Big Ten play is against Michigan State on Sunday, Dec. 11. Other December Big Ten games include at Northwestern (Dec. 28) and home against Michigan on New Year’s Eve.

The Buckeyes open 2023 at Minnesota on Thursday, Jan. 5. Other road games include Nebraska (Jan. 14), Indiana (Jan. 26), Wisconsin (Feb. 1), Maryland (Feb. 5), Penn State (Feb. 16) and Michigan (Feb. 20).

Ohio State hosts Illinois (Jan. 8), Northwestern (Jan. 19), Iowa (Jan. 23), Purdue (Jan. 29), Minnesota (Feb. 8), Indiana (Feb. 13) and Maryland in the regular-season finale on Saturday, Feb. 25.
Tip times and the television schedule will be announced by the Big Ten Conference on a later date.

Illinois and Northwestern Earn First Weekly Honors of the Season
Illini’s Brown, along with Wildcats’ Akers, Hilinski and Mitchell garner accolades

Co-Offensive Players of the Week
Chase Brown, Illinois
RB – Jr. – London, Ontario – St. Stephens Episcopal (Fla.)

Led the Illinois offense to a 38-6 win over Wyoming in Week 0, rushing for 151 yards and two touchdowns, in addition to three receptions (on three targets) for 16 yards and a touchdown
Brown's 151 yards pushed him past the 2,000-yard milestone for his collegiate career, while his rushing yards are the most in a season-opener by an Illinois rusher since at least 1945
Recorded the first receiving touchdown of his career with a 14-yard TD reception from Tommy DeVito on the game's opening drive
Earns his third career Offensive Player of the Week award
Last Illinois Offensive Player of the Week: Chase Brown (Oct. 25, 2021)

Ryan Hilinski, Northwestern
QB – Jr. – Orange, Calif. – Orange Lutheran

Completed 27-of-38 passes for 314 yards and two touchdowns in Saturday’s win over Nebraska in Dublin, Ireland, becoming the first Northwestern quarterback to throw for 300+ yards and two or more touchdowns without an interception since Brett Basanez against Michigan State in 2005
Finished the first half completing 20-of-23 passes for 216 yards and two touchdowns, while his 20 completions are more than Northwestern had in all but three games last season
Hillinski is the first Northwestern quarterback to complete over 70 percent (71.1) of his passes and throw for 300+ yards since Clayton Thorson against Bowling Green (76.7, 370) in 2017
Earns his first career Offensive Player of the Week award
Last Northwestern Offensive Player of the Week: Evan Hull (Sept. 27, 2021)

Defensive Player of the Week
Cameron Mitchell, Northwestern
CB – Jr. – Bolingbrook, Ill. – Bolingbrook

Recorded his second-career interception in the fourth quarter and returned it 42 yards into Nebraska territory, setting up the eventual game-winning touchdown for Northwestern
Also tallied two pass breakups, tying his career-high
Finished with six total tackles, tied for third-most on the Wildcats
The two-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree earns the first Defensive Player of the Week accolade of his career
Last Northwestern Defensive Player of the Week: Blake Gallagher (Nov. 23, 2021)

Special Teams Player of the Week
Luke Akers, Northwestern
P – Jr. – Nashville, Tenn. – Ravenwood

Downed four punts inside the 20, including three punts pinned inside the 10-yard line on six attempts in Northwestern's 31-28 win over Nebraska in Dublin, Ireland at the 2022 Aer Lingus Classic
Averaged 40.83 yards per punt and downed Nebraska on the 1-yard line on his first-ever punt with the Wildcats
On his final punt of the game, pinned the Cornhuskers on their own 4-yard line with 2:12 remaining in the game, setting up the game-sealing interception
Garners the first Special Teams Player of the Week honor of his career
Last Northwestern Special Teams Player of the Week: Charlie Kuhbander (Oct. 26, 2020)

MAC Media Interviews

Toledo Head Coach Jason Candle on Offensive football

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

TEMPE, Ariz. - The Toledo women's soccer team closed out its non-conference schedule with a 5-0 loss to Arizona State Sunday evening. The Rockets are now 1-4-2 heading into conference play this week.

Arizona State struck early with a goal at the 10th-minute of play and added one more just before halftime to take a 2-0 lead into the locker room. The Sun Devils added three more goals and the Rockets could not overcome the deficit.

Goals and Key Moments

10'| GOAL Kerri Matthews passed the ball to Ava Wright and her shot put Arizona State on the board first.
20'| Karson Hill stopped a straight-on shot from ASU's lead scorer, Nicole Douglas, to deprive ASU of doubling its lead.
33'| GOAL Olivia Nguyen sent a shot from the top of the box just out of reach from Hill to give ASU a two-goal lead.
54'| Douglas went one-on-one with Hill, but Hill denied her shot to the bottom left corner to prevent the first goal of the second half.
66'| GOAL Douglas shot the ball along the left side of the box to score the first goal of the second half and keep ASU in the lead, 3-0.
78'| GOAL Kennedy Mayo carried the ball along the right sideline and shot it to the bottom right corner for the Sun Devil's fourth goal of the night.
79'| GOAL Alexia Delgado fed Eva van Deursen at the top of the box, and her shot landed in the top right corner to extend ASU's lead to 5-0.

Stats, Notes and Numbers

Sunday's game was the first matchup between Toledo and Arizona State in program records.
Brooke Stonehouse got her first start of the season, just the second start in her career.
Hill made a career-high 16 saves, the third-highest number of saves in a single match by a Toledo goalkeeper. Hill trails Christina Drake who made 17 saves vs. Green Bay in 1997.

Up Next
Toledo will open Mid-American Conference play at I-75 rival Bowling Green on Thursday, Sept. 22 at 7:00 p.m.

Ohio (1-0) opened the 2022 season Saturday evening (Sept.3), defeating Florida Atlantic (1-1), 41-38, at Frank Solich Field at Peden Stadium. The night also brought new career highs for redshirt junior quarterback Kurtis Rourke, breaking multiple of his personal records. Rourke hit 345 passing yards, surpassing his 308 yard record and threw four touchdown passes, beating his previous record of three.
• Sophomore Dequan Finn threw for 216 yards and ran for 64 yards to lead Toledo (1-0) to a 37-0 victory over Long Island University at the Glass Bowl Thursday night. Toledo’s defense was virtually impenetrable all night, holding LIU to just 113 yards of total offense. • Eastern Michigan used a stellar offensive outing to earn a 42-34 win against Eastern Kentucky University inside “The Factory” at Rynearson Stadium Friday, Sept. 2. Senior quarterback Taylor Powell led Eastern Michigan’s (1-0) passing attack with 271 yards through the air, tossing three touchdowns and one interception. The signal caller also added one touchdown on the ground.
• Northern Illinois (1-0) built a three touchdown lead midway through the third quarter before holding off a late Eastern Illinois comeback attempt to top the Panthers, 34-27, on Thursday night at Huskie Stadium. NIU had a balanced run/pass attack as Rocky Lombardi threw for 192 yards on 14-of-22 passing and the Huskies combined for 187 rushing yards with running backs Mason Blakemore, Antario Brown and Harrison Waylee each accounting for one touchdown.
• The Joe Moorhead era for Akron Zips football opened with a 30-23 overtime win over Saint Francis (Pa.) on Thursday evening at InfoCision Stadium as junior QB DJ Irons threw for 273 yards and two touchdowns.
Sophomore RB Cam Wiley ran for 85 yards on 21 attempts with two touchdowns

Anders Named to the Bednarik Award Preseason Watch List

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – Bowling Green State University inside linebacker Darren Anders been named to the 2022 Bednarik Award Preseason Watch List, announced the Maxwell Club on Monday (Aug. 1). He is one of five players from the MAC on the list of 90 college football players. The Maxwell Club presents the award annually to the nation's best defensive player.

The Bednarik Award has been presented to the College Defensive Player of the Year since 1994 and is named in honor of Chuck “Concrete Charlie” Bednarik who was an All-American player at the University of Pennsylvania and later a multiple year All-Pro linebacker and center for the Philadelphia Eagles. He is a member of both the College and Pro Football Halls of Fame and was the last NFL player to be a full-time player on both offense and defense.
Anders (North Olmsted, Ohio), who has also been named on the Butkus Award and Nagurski Trophy Watch Lists, was a 2021 first-team All-MAC linebacker, finishing last season No. 1 in the MAC and No. 8 in the nation with 10.3 tackles per game. Anders was one of three players in all of FBS over the last two seasons to rank in the top-15 nationally in tackles and is the only one who returns to CFB in 2022. He was also one of three FBS players in 2021 with 120+ tackles, 3.0+ sacks, 1+ fumbles recovered and 1+ interceptions (one of two through the regular season) and the only one returning to CFB in 2022. Anders has been named a preseason first-team All-MAC honoree by Athlon Sports and Phil Steele.

Anders is the first Falcon since Austin Valdez in 2016 to be named to the Bednarik Watch List. CJ Brown (NIU), Jamal Hines (Toledo), James Patterson (Buffalo) and Jose Ramirez (Eastern Michigan) are the other MAC players that join Anders on the preseason watch list.

Semifinalists for the Chuck Bednarik Award will be announced Nov. 1, 2022, while the three finalists for the award will be unveiled Nov. 22, 2022. The winners of the 28th Chuck Bednarik Award will be announced as part of the ESPN Home Depot College Football Awards Show held on Dec. 8, 2022. The formal presentation of the Bednarik Award will be made at the Maxwell Football Club Awards live from Atlantic City, N.J. on March 10, 2023.