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06/11/2018

Each of Our Top 5 Moments of the 2017-2018 IU Sports Calendar

Another year has come and gone in Indiana athletics, and with it has come a bevy of great moments.

From the Indiana football home opener in August to IU soccer's run all the way up until it came to an end with IU baseball in June, there were plenty of good moments to choose from.

Each of us at The Hoosier Network gave our top five moments of the year below.

Zain Pyarali


5. IU Men’s Basketball beats No. 18 Notre Dame 80-77 in OT
IU needed this win badly after starting the season 5-5 with a home loss to Indiana State. Behind 34 monster points from Juwan Morgan and a major offensive rebound from Zach McRoberts to dish it off to Morgan for the game winning dunk, it seemed like a turning point in the Hoosiers season.



But of course the Hoosiers would fall flat next time out losing to Fort Wayne by 20 at home. In a season with a lot of lows, this was by far Indiana’s best. In a neutral site at Bankers Lie Fieldhouse, Hoosier fans were given a treat at the Crossroads Classic.

4. IU Baseball Walks-Off vs Purdue 7-5 in 13 innings
The Hoosiers were down 5-1 at home against Purdue in a Sunday rubber match game. In an important early conference series against rival Purdue, the Hoosiers came back and tied it 5-5 from a Scotty Bradley solo home run in the seventh.

Indiana would later walk-off and win from Logan Kaletha home run in the 13th inning, but was even bigger in this game was the performance they got out of their bullpen.



Cal Krueger and Matt Lloyd combined for nine strikeouts through eight shutout innings in the win, allowing the Hoosiers to get back in the game and win.

3. IU Women’s Basketball beats Michigan State 111-109 in 4OT in Big Ten Tournament
This was one of the craziest games I have ever seen in person. Four overtimes later Indiana came out on top with a first round victory in the Big Ten tournament over Michigan State.

The best part about it was that Michigan State thought they had won on a buzzer beater at the end of the first overtime, but after review they waved off the bucket and IU finally pulled it out in the fourth OT.

2. IU Women’s Basketball wins WNIT Championship
Although they didn’t make the NCAA Tournament, the Hoosiers went into the WNIT with the mindset that they would win and that’s exactly what happened.

[embed]https://twitter.com/TheHoosierNet/status/980152188558290944[/embed]

Behind a record crowd of 13,000 fans at Assembly Hall, Indiana downed Virginia Tech in one of the loudest atmospheres of the season in that building. It was truly a treat to watch seniors Tyra Buss and Amanda Cahill end their careers with a win and help build the foundation of the women’s basketball program for years to come.

1. IU men’s soccer beats Michigan State in Penalty Kicks to Advance to the College Cup
If you were at this game, you know why this is number one. The Indiana men’s soccer team had a tremendous season and topped it off with an epic run to the national championship. The best game of the season was the quarterfinal vs Michigan State to send them to the final four in Philadelphia.

[embed]https://twitter.com/EdwardKoton15/status/936817547038539776[/embed]

The Hoosiers had to do something in that game they hadn’t encountered all year: play from behind. Michigan State shocked Indiana by scoring in the second minute of the game. But the Hoosiers came back to tie in the second half, force penalty kicks and goalkeeper Trey Muse was phenomenal in the clutch, saving the winning PK and sending IU to Philly as the fans rushed the pitch.

Josh Eastern


5. Katherine Receuver wins Big Ten Cross Country title
Probably one of the more underrated stories of the IU athletics calendar. Receuver not only won the women's individual title, but also set a new 6K course record. The Louisville native also earned All-Big Ten First Team honors and was just the second IU female athlete to win the Big Ten title and first in 27 years.



IU cross country may not get the same publicity as other sports, but this was a worthy accomplishment and deserves some recognition when looking back at this year.

4. Archie Miller's First Season
Yes, this is very broad. But change with Indiana basketball is something that doesn't come around very often. Seeing Miller transform this program in just one season was fascinating. There no doubt were some valleys and times where it looked bleak, but watching every twist and turn was just a part in the process.

Year two will obviously be a lot different, but year one was a fascinating story to watch play out first hand.

3. Indiana football vs. Ohio State
It didn't turn out anywhere close to how IU wanted it to turn out, but I'm not sure there has ever been a game with as much hype surrounding it as this one. The flyover, anthem and packed crowd was part of it. Thursday night, College Gameday and the opener of the season was another. The hype was palpable and for just shy of three quarters, it was raucous.

[embed]https://twitter.com/IndianaFootball/status/904165007637843968[/embed]

Once Ohio State flexed its muscles, IU had no shot. But those three quarters and the build up was one of the coolest IU football moments I've been apart of. It was definitely a top moment for me.

2. Indiana Women's Basketball Senior Day
Tyra Buss and Amanda Cahill are the greatest duo in IU women's basketball history. They ended the season with a WNIT title, but that wasn't my favorite moment of the season. It was February 17 as IU hosted Nebraska. Buss and Cahill's last regular season game at Assembly Hall. The crowd was packed, IU needed a win and that duo played out of their minds.



It was such a special moment for the fans, those two players and the IU program. The energy at Assembly Hall that afternoon was fantastic. Obviously it wasn't their last game, but who knew that at the time?

1. IU Soccer beats Michigan State to Advance to College Cup
This might be a consensus top moment of the year. It doesn't need to be described in detail. Basically, IU trailed for the first time all season, came back to win in a penalty shootout and advanced to the College Cup.



In what was a special season for men's soccer, this was my best moment of the year for IU athletics.

Eddie Cotton


5. Indiana Men's Soccer vs. Wisconsin (Regular Season)
With the Big Ten on the line on Senior Night, Indiana beat Wisconsin in double overtime thanks to one of the most beautiful set pieces I have ever seen in person. Mason Toye took the final seconds of the game as an opportunity to curl in an incredible walk-off winner for the Hoosiers and put beautiful bow on a remarkable regular season for the senior class.

[embed]https://twitter.com/IndianaMSOC/status/922070483486601216[/embed]

The chaos of it all came from the fact that I had absolutely no idea Toye even had the ability to do what he did, and to this day I believe that goal helped to propel him to the top of the MLS Draft. The goal also represented just how different this Indiana team was to years prior.

4. Indiana Football vs. Ohio State
What really seems to define my list seems to be the underlying potential of moments for Indiana Athletics. It makes sense, because that’s what really defines Indiana Athletics at the moment. It seems as if every program at IU is at the precipice of something special. Under a new coach in Tom Allen, Indiana Football continued to preach the idea of “Breaking through.”

No moment embodied that sentiment more than College Gameday’s journey to Bloomington for the Indiana-Ohio State game. With a packed crowd and the national limelight on the program, everything fit perfectly for this ideal “Break through.” It never happened, and that can’t be surprising, but the game itself still meant something. It showed a prime example of what could eventually come to fruition.

3. Romeo Langford Commits to Indiana
Am I allowed to say this?

Romeo Langford’s commitment wasn’t technically an IU sanctioned event, but in all reality it truly was. Everything about it screamed “Hoosier,” and with the result that followed, it’s appropriate. Romeo’s commitment could potentially be an event that we all look back on 10 years from now and recognize how truly important it was for the future of the program.

[embed]

BREAKING: Romeo Langford to Indiana. #iubb pic.twitter.com/e0cZnWLrJ3


— The Hoosier Network (@TheHoosierNet) April 30, 2018


Langford’s commitment loomed over the entire basketball season. It loomed over this entire program. It could potentially be the biggest moment in recent history. So, it has to be considered one of the biggest IU events of the year. With more on the meaning behind Langford’s commitment, head over here to this fancy link: https://www.thehoosiernetwork.com/2018/04/30/romeo-langford-commitment-indiana-basketball/

2. Indiana Women's Basketball Wins WNIT
Indiana’s WNIT Championship was an event more backed by narrative than anything else. The Women’s Basketball team's remarkable run in the WNIT was one that unified a fanbase behind two stars that deserved a perfect ending.

The win gave Tyra Buss and Amanda Cahill the perfect note to bow out on, and also gave this program the ideal momentum builder heading into the future under Teri Moren. With that many fans in the building supporting that group, it’s hard not to ride the momentum into the future. With Jaelynn Penn ready to take the reigns of this team, Teri Moren has the chance to build something special moving forward and this tournament run symbolized all of that.


1. IU Men's Soccer's Elite Eight Victory over Michigan State
The Indiana Men's Soccer team had a special year this past season for a multitude of reasons. As one of the most prolific programs in the nation, greatness is expected out of this group year after year. Even with those expectations, there was something special about the way in which this team propelled themselves to their 19th College Cup in program history. No game was more dramatic than Indiana's Elite Eight matchup against Michigan State.

Within five minutes, the Hoosiers faced their first deficit of the entire season after an early goal from Ryan Sierakowski. From there, rather than crumble, the Hoosiers came back with an all out offensive onslaught. Indiana put on more pressure than it had all season and in the 60th minute Trevor Swartz scored in miraculous fashion off a corner kick.

From there, the match went into penalty kicks. With the season on the line, the Hoosiers put the pressure aside and rode on the back of their freshman keeper Trey Muse. What ensued was one of the best individual performances I have ever seen, and a perfectly warranted rushing of the pitch.

Connor Hines


5. Indiana Swim and Dive's Finish to 2018
While the men's team capturing third place at the NCAA Championships in Minneapolis, Hoosier fans were privileged with witnessing history once again, as Lilly King finished her junior season in stunning fashion. King won the individual NCAA Championships in the 100 and 200 breaststroke for the third-straight year with the fastest time in history on her way to being crowned Big Ten Swimmer of The Year, cementing herself as one of the best to ever compete in the Cream and Crimson.

4. Indiana Baseball's Progress
It wasn't the finish anyone had hoped for, but you can't take away what this program accomplished this past spring. The 1-2 punch of Jonathan Stiever and Pauly Milto were for the most part great on the mound all year long, while the likes of Ryan Fineman and Luke Miller really came into their own, providing a spark at the plate.

Though the team as a whole struggled down the stretch end of the season, the fight was there until the very end, the Hoosiers just narrowly missing a chance to play in the championship game of the 2018 Austin Regional against Texas. To top it off, four Hoosiers were selected in the 2018 MLB Draft: Stiever (White Sox), Miller (Phillies), Logan Sowers (White Sox), and Tim Herrin (Indians).

3. IUWBB Beats Michigan State in East Lansing (1/20/18)
The win made a world of difference for Indiana and really was a major turning point, propelling the team to success down the stretch. Indiana proved to itself and its fans that this group belongs among the best, as Tyra Buss went for 28, Amanda Cahill pitching in with 17 more and nine rebounds. Following the win, the Hoosiers would proceed to win 14 of their next 16 en route to a WNIT championship win in Bloomington

2. IU Men's Soccer Advances to College Cup in PK's (12/1/17)
Trey. Freakin'. Muse. Indiana's freshman goalkeeper showed just about everyone in Bloomington why he's the one who belongs between the pipes, making an incredible diving save against Michigan State in penalty kicks to send Indiana to its 19th College Cup in Philly. IU opens its 2018 campaign against some of the best in the nation (Wake Forest, UNC) and if plays like Muse's are any indication, the expectations (and anticipation) for this program come August will be equally exciting.

1. IUWBB Wins WNIT
I don't think anyone could script a much better last month for two of Indiana's most incredible athletes. Despite some initial disappointment when it became known that IU had missed the NCAA tournament, things absolutely worked out for the best. To see Tyra Buss and Amanda Cahill go out the way they did with 11 straight wins inside Assembly Hall was nothing short of remarkable. Unreal.

Austin Render


5. IUBB/Purdue - Victor Oladipo in town
I am a huge Oladipo fan. He was my favorite Hoosier that I have gotten to watch during my life of being a Hoosier fan and having him back in Bloomington and seeing him getting into the game on the sideline was really cool.

4. IUBB/Notre Dame - Juwan Morgan takeover
Being on the call for this game was so much fun. This was a very good Notre Dame team at the time, with a healthy Bonzie Colson and Matt Farrell, and Indiana came back from a double-digit deficit. Juwan Morgan had arguably his best game as a Hoosier and singlehandedly led IU to their first marquee win of the season.

3. Elite Eight Men's Soccer game vs Michigan State
This was another game I had the privilege to be on the call for. I came to Bloomington as a casual soccer fan, but after the IU soccer season I was much more invested in the team and the game of soccer. This game had it all; packed house, two extremely good teams and a penalty-kick shootout with incredible saves from IU goalie Trey Muse.

2. WNIT Championship for IUWBB/Season as a whole
I got to cover this team from October until March, and the improvement of the team was incredible. Their season included a four-overtime thriller in the Big Ten tournament vs Michigan State and a six-game WNIT home stand that resulted in a championship in front of 13,000+.

Watching the final season of two of the greatest players to ever wear the cream and crimson was special, and it was only fitting that it ended in a championship.

1. IUFB vs. Ohio State game as a fan
I got to watch this game as a fan. It was one of my first weeks in Bloomington, and as a lifelong Hoosier fan, I was just as excited as all the other IU fans in the stadium that night. The place was electric, and IU made it a game for a long time before faltering in the fourth quarter. I don’t think there will ever be an IU football game as packed, loud and electric as that game on that Thursday night.

Mark Timko


5. Peyton Ramsey vs Richard Lagow debate
This would definitely be on the lower end of my top five, and it’s become more irrelevant as the IU Football quarterback debate has gone on. For a season that didn’t bring IU a whole lot of glory, this was something for fans to grab onto and debate about so that they could get their mind off of this season and begin looking forward to the next.

4. IUBB vs Duke
I’m citing this game just because I was a freshman last year and had only experienced IU basketball as a fan, and not a student. While the game wasn’t a win for IU, the crowd was the most electric I had seen all year. With a very certain shooting guard coming onto the floor this upcoming season, I would imagine that gets more fans out to Assembly Hall to see a game. Hopefully, it’s in the fashion of IU and Duke.

3. IUMS in the College Cup
If you aren’t paying attention to IU athletics, this will easily slip under your radar. IU Men’s Soccer is another incredible team that shows promise even after a core senior squad graduated this last spring. Keep your eyes on them for another run towards a championship victory.

2. IUWBB 4OT win vs. Michigan State at Big Ten Tournament
The women got this win after a grueling game versus Michigan State. With record-breaking length for the Big Ten Tournament, this deserves to be noted on the list. The parity that came in this game was incredible, but since Michigan State was an early game and a lower ranked seed, it didn’t surprise many people to see IU get knocked out of the tournament the following game.

1. WNIT Champs
This was arguably the best achievement IU athletics had to their name all year. Tyra and Amanda ended out a great season with a title that’s nothing to scoff at. Now graduated and off to follow their own paths, a women’s team with Teri Moren at the helm looks to aim even higher than the year previous. With some incoming freshman chomping at the bit to get on the floor, every IU basketball fan should get a little excited for this team and their upcoming season.

Jacob Vinson


5. Men’s swimming gets third nationally
The men’s and women’s swimming teams don’t get too much recognition outside of Lilly King usually so I thought that IU getting third on the men’s side was pretty remarkable with all the success that each program has had over the years.

4. Top Ten Baseball Team
Baseball team was one of the hottest in the nation through the first half of the season and still had a successful season as a whole even though they were unable to make the super regionals.

3. Gradual climb/improvement for IUBB
Although the men’s team didn’t perform extremely well there was obvious improvement throughout the season. The players started to buy in as big ten play started and you saw flashes of what Archie can do with a team. Now with lots of talent coming in this team could be fun to watch.

2. IUWBB Wins WNIT
Pretty incredible to watch the growth of the women’s basketball team over the four years of Amanda Cahill and Tyra Buss. They both said they came to IU to create a program that girls wanted to come play for and put IU on the map and that’s exactly what they did.

1 IUMS College Cup run
IU soccer getting back to a prominent position in the college soccer world this past season was awesome. It's my favorite with covering them and being able to broadcast the Elite 8 matchup with Michigan State.
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