Tara S

Caitlin Clark is a Superstar Who’s in Right Place at Right Time with the Right People

January 26, 2022 by Tara S

Iowa sophomore guard Caitlin Clark speaks on her accomplishments, her hopes for the remainder of the season and her plans for the future.

By Zachary Draves | SB NAtion

If you’re looking for a 6-foot point guard who is a consummate playmaker and can handle the ball with such precision, get her teammates involved at every chance, shoot the ball from beyond the arc as good as the likes of Steph Curry, put up triple doubles and win you the game, then Iowa’s Caitlin Clark is the player for you.

The 19-year-old sophomore is on a roll and she has been collecting accolade after accolade going all the way back to the 2020-21 season when she first came to Iowa City.

After scoring an impressive 27 points in her first game as a Hawkeye, Clark set the Iowa freshman record of 26.6 points per game that season and became Division I’s scoring leader.

Along with that, she led the nation in total assists (214), total points (799), field goals made (266) and 3-pointers made (116).

As a result, she was named Big Ten Conference Player of the Week a record five times and was also named Big Ten Freshman of the Year. In addition, she led her team to the Sweet 16.

[Read more…]

Caitlin Clark becomes Big Ten’s fastest to 1,000-point mark in Iowa’s 93-56 win over Evansville

January 26, 2022 by Tara S

Alyssa Hertel Hawk Central

Sophomore guard Caitlin Clark needed just three points to reach 1,000 in her career ahead of Sunday’s home game against Evansville.

Clark has averaged 22 points per game this season, so it wasn’t a question of if she would reach that milestone but when. She gave Iowa its first lead of the game with a jumper in the opening two minutes. With 5:04 on the clock in the first quarter, Clark sunk a deep 3-pointer on a fast break.

She officially broke the 1,000-point mark and, in doing so, became the fastest player in Big Ten history to accomplish this feat. It took Clark just 40 games to score 1,000 points, which beat out previous record holder Kelsey Mitchell, who did it in 41 games for Ohio State.

Iowa guard Caitlin Clark (22) makes a basket during a NCAA non-conference women's basketball game against IUPUI, Tuesday, Dec. 21, 2021, at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa.

Clark finished the day against Evansville with a career-high 44 points, a Carver-Hawkeye Arena record, and accounted for nearly half of Iowa’s points in the Hawkeyes’ 93-56 win.

In her historic day, she also recorded eight assists, five rebounds and two steals in 30 minutes of play.

“No matter who’s on the floor, it’s a read and react offense,” Clark said about what about Iowa’s offense makes her so successful. “Nothing’s really set in stone and that’s really when I’m at my best, when I’m just playing, my teammates are flowing, when we pass the ball as well as we do and we just shoot it really well.

[Read more…]

Iowa’s Caitlin Clark makes basketball history with second straight 30-point triple-double

January 26, 2022 by Tara S

Mechelle VoepelESPN.com

Stat stuffing is a favorite hobby of Iowa Hawkeyes guard Caitlin Clark, who leads Division I women’s basketball in scoring at 26.2 PPG. But her history-making past two games were pretty ridiculous even for her.

On Thursday, the sophomore became the first player in Division I basketball history, men’s or women’s, to record back-to-back triple-doubles while scoring 30 or more points in both games. Clark also became the first player in Big Ten women’s hoops history to have back-to-back triple-doubles, and she did it on a night when Iowa got its largest margin of victory ever — 56 points — against a Big Ten foe.

[Read more…]

Yankees’ Rachel Balkovec Makes History as the First Female Manager in Minor League Baseball

January 11, 2022 by Tara S

By: Morgan Smith | CNBC

Rachel Balkovec will become the first female manager in affiliated professional baseball after the Yankees tapped her to lead the Tampa Tarpons, their Low-A affiliate team, according to the Athletic.

This isn’t the first glass ceiling the 34-year-old has shattered in baseball, either. The Omaha native has been a professional baseball coach for 10 years and has often been the first woman to hold different jobs within the sport.

The announcement comes after a series of other firsts for women in baseball over the last two years. Last year Bianca Smith made history as the first Black woman to coach in professional baseball after joining the Boston Red Sox staff and in 2020, Kim Ng became first female general manager of the MLB for the Miami Dolphins.

Balkovec started her career in 2012 as a strength and conditioning coach for the St. Louis Cardinals’ minor league team. She left in 2015 to be the Houston Astros’ Latin American strength and conditioning coordinator, making her the first woman to hold that position.

She took a few years off from American professional baseball to complete a master’s degree in biomechanics at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam in the Netherlands and was hired by the Yankees shortly after graduating in 2019 as a minor-league hitting coach, becoming the first female full-time hitting coach in an MLB organization.

Her interest in biomechanics has helped Balkovec better understand how to use science to improve players’ swings and movements. “For example, if there is a restriction in movement, can they spot those types of things,″ Balkovec said in 2019, according to the New York Post.

She continued: “How is that going to affect their swing mechanics and the ability to get something done in a game situation? Also, the visual side of things, what are the best strategies of things [like] picking up the ball for recognizing a pitch?”

Balkovec, who was a catcher for the softball teams at Creighton University and the University of New Mexico, has called the challenges she has faced while working in a male-dominated sport “an advantage.”

“I had to do probably much more than maybe a male counterpart, but I like that because I’m so much more prepared for the challenges that I might encounter,” she told the Associated Press in 2019.

It’s also important, Balkovec added, to be persistent and not lose hope in the face of unequal opportunities.

“My mom always used to say, life’s not fair,” she told the Associated Press. “So is it fair? No. Does it matter? No. You have to keep standing at that door banging on it.”

That Was the Season That Was 2021

January 7, 2022 by Tara S

By: USAFL

The beauty and the tyranny of playing a game with an oblong ball is that you never know how it’s gonna bounce.

Sometimes, it goes the way you want it to, leading to a magnificent goal or continuing a long thrilling run down the wing to set up a teammate.

Other times, however, it bounds away into nothing, causing absolute chaos in the process.

The whole of 2020 seemed like the former, like a Sherrin careening in ways that no one was ready for, leaving us all flummoxed. The experience of that year is much more complex than that analogy, but I think we can all agree that we were hoping for kinder metaphorical physics when this year dawned some 365 days or so ago.

There was no reason not to be optimistic for 2021. Vaccines starting to be rolled out, society was showing that it could be flexible in being as normal as possible during a pandemic, and it looked like we would be able to play footy again.

There was no football played in 2020. But there was a lot of momentum and optimism provided by the push our sport got because of increased exposure. New passion mixed with an itching to get back on the park made the league’s 24th full year one of the most anticipated campaigns yet.

Our collective hope was that, much like a perfectly weighted downward push to the turf while at full sprint, we’d bounce back.

And that’s exactly what happened. It was a memorable season, full of highlights and promise. This is the year that was 2021:

Credit to the Girls

AFLW came back in full force after the league’s fourth season was truncated due to the pandemic. The USAFL hosted its first ever AFLW Grand Final preview show, hosted by yours truly with former Bulldogs’ great Brad Johnson, current Bulldogs AFLW player Kirsty Lamb, and AFLW expert Gemma Bastiani.

The game that followed was a thrilling victory for the Brisbane Lions, one that had a little local history in it; the Lions’ Jess Weutschner, who played for the Boston Demons in 2015, became the first former USAFL player to win an AFLW premiership. And it couldn’t have happened to a nicer person.

It was a rough year for Colorado’s Dani Marshall, who only played in five of the Bulldogs’ matches before being delisted in June. That didn’t stop her from having a strong season for the Doggies VFLW outfit, as she kicked five goals and showed her ability as a defender in the process.

[Read more…]

USA CRICKET ANNOUNCE WOMEN UNDER 19S TOUR OF ST VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES

January 7, 2022 by Tara S

A historic first ever tour for a USA Women Under 19 team as they will travel to tour St. Vincent and the Grenadines in January
Geetika Kodali to captain USA Under 19s in the ground-breaking series of 4 x Twenty20 matches vs Windward Islands U19 Women’s team

USA Cricket are incredibly pleased to announce a historic inaugural international tour for the USA Women’s Under 19s team as they are set to travel to the Caribbean next month to play against Windward Islands U19 Women’s team in a series of four Twenty20 matches. The Windward Islands comprise the islands of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada, St. Lucia and Dominica.

In partnership with both the Windward Islands Cricket Board and the St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) Cricket Association, this tour is part of the wider long-term strategic partnership that USA Cricket has with Cricket West Indies (CWI), our nearest Full Member Nation of the ICC.

This tour is the culmination of a huge year for the Women and Girls game in the United States, with the newly launched domestic pathway, the Sistar Mortgage Women’s National Championships (Senior Women’s and Under 19) alongside the successful ICC T20 World Cup Americas Qualifier in Mexico and the recently-abandoned ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe. The Windward Islands tour is another demonstration of the progress made on our USA Cricket Foundational Plan’s strategic focus on Women & Girls.

USA Cricket Board Member and Women and Girls Committee Chair, Nadia Gruny said, “We are pleased to partner with the Windward Islands Cricket Board (WICB) and the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Cricket Association to create a T20 series that would be mutually beneficial to both our under 19 teams. In line with our recently launched plan to Shape the Future for Women & Girls in American Cricket to ‘Create increased competitive international match opportunities’, this tour will present a fantastic opportunity for some of the young talent who have stood out on our new domestic pathway this year to get international exposure and a competitive level of cricket in the Caribbean. On behalf of the board, I thank the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Government for the support of the development of women’s cricket in the region and everyone involved in helping to make this tour a reality in such a challenging time. Congratulations to all of the girls selected and we look forward to a successful tour.”

WICB President, Dr. Kishore Shallow said, “This exciting tour represents a shared vision of both USA Cricket and WICB to offer more development opportunities for female cricketers. We are grateful for the initiative and cooperation of USA Cricket to execute what I anticipate to be a fantastic series of competitive cricket.”

USA Cricket Operations Director, Richard Done added, “USA Cricket is excited by the potential of our Under 19 group and the impact they are already having on our USA Women’s Team, most recently in Mexico and then in Zimbabwe. With women’s cricket a clear focus of the USA Cricket Foundational Plan, the future for women’s cricket in the USA is bright, and this tour will allow our next group of talented girls a chance to experience and learn more about travelling and playing internationally.”

The selected U19 squad does not include several of the U19 players who participated in the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier (WCQ) in Zimbabwe. The WCQ was abandoned due to the identification of Omicron, the new Covid variant and growing travel restrictions on passengers coming from Southern Africa countries, including Zimbabwe.

[Read more…]

CLARISSA CHUN NAMED IOWA WOMEN’S WRESTLING HEAD COACH

January 7, 2022 by Tara S

IOWA CITY, Iowa – Clarissa Chun has been named head coach of the University of Iowa women’s wrestling team. The announcement was made Thursday by Gary Barta, Henry B. and Patricia B. Tippie Director of Athletics Chair.

“Clarissa is the perfect fit to lead us in our journey to build a championship women’s wrestling program,” said Barta. “Her credentials speak for themselves, and her approach and philosophy match well with our Win. Graduate. Do it Right. values.”

Chun is the first head coach in the history of the program. Iowa announced on Sept. 23, 2021, that it was adding women’s wrestling as an intercollegiate program, becoming the first NCAA Division I, Power Five conference institution to offer the sport.

“It is an honor to be involved in a historic and exciting opportunity for young women across the country to compete as Hawkeyes in women’s wrestling,” said Chun. “I want to thank Gary Barta, Barbara Burke and Tom Brands for their initiative and leadership, which is going to make a positive and lasting impact on the wrestling world. This didn’t happen overnight; it took a lot of hard work and investment from community members and the University of Iowa’s administration, and I send a sincere thank-you to all who have worked to make this happen.

“It is a privilege to be a part of the Hawkeye brand. With that comes great responsibility and high expectations. I am ready to meet those challenges and I am excited to build a winning program in Iowa City, Wrestling Town USA.”

“Gary Barta and Barbara Burke said from the beginning that they would target the best person for the job and that’s exactly what they did,” said Iowa men’s wrestling head coach Tom Brands. “Clarissa Chun has charisma. She has credentials. She has championships. She commands respect and the wrestlers that come to school here are going to love her. This is a big deal for the University of Iowa.”

Chun joins the Iowa women’s wrestling program from USA Wrestling, where she was an assistant coach on the women’s national team from 2017-21. Working on staff with former Hawkeye national champion and women’s national team head coach Terry Steiner, Chun helped lead the United States to 17 World medals, including seven gold, four silver and six bronzes, as well as an Olympic gold, Olympic silver and two Olympic bronzes.

“I am grateful for Coach Terry Steiner’s leadership and mentorship and look forward to continuing our partnership and developing future national, world and Olympic champions for the United States of America. I cannot thank USA Wrestling enough for helping me grow as a person and coach,” said Chun.

In the United States’ most recent showing at the 2021 World Championships in Oslo, Norway, the women’s team won two gold, two silver and three bronze medals, a historic seven-medal performance that led Team USA to a second-place finish.

Prior to being hired at USA Wrestling, Chun was among the most accomplished athletes in international wrestling.

A two-time Olympian, she took fifth at the 2008 Beijing Games before earning a bronze medal at the 2012 London Games, competing at 48 kg. Chun wrestled at five Senior World Championships, which included a gold-medal performance at the 2008 Worlds in Tokyo. She also competed at the 2000, 2009, 2011 and 2012 World Championships.

During her career, Chun won five U.S. Open titles. She was a 2011 Pan American Games silver medalist and won four gold medals at the Pan American Championships. She was a runner-up at four U.S. World Team Trials and three U.S. Opens, in a career which spanned 18 years competing at the Senior level.

Chun competed for Missouri Valley College, where she was a star on one of the pioneer women’s college wrestling team programs. She made the Senior Women’s National Team while still a student at Missouri Valley.

After leaving college, Chun became a U.S. Olympic Training Center resident athlete for many years, but has also trained at Regional Training Centers on college campuses.

Chun has coaching experience at both the international and college levels. She was a member of the men’s wrestling staff at West Virginia University, serving as the program’s Operations Assistant while also training at the Regional Training Center.

Chun will be inducted in the National Wrestling Hall of Fame as a Distinguished Member in June, 2022. She is one of only four females bestowed Distinguished Member honors. In 2018, Chun was inducted into the Missouri Valley College Hall of Fame, Hawaii Sports Hall of Fame, and Roosevelt High School Hall of Fame.

BOB ADAMS APPOINTED AS COMMISSIONER FOR USA SOFTBALL OF ILLINOIS

January 5, 2022 by Tara S

OKLAHOMA CITY – USA Softball, a volunteer-driven, not-for-profit organization announced today that Bob Adams (Peoria, Ill.) has been appointed as Commissioner for USA Softball of Illinois. Adams will assume the role following the retirement of Commissioner Don Brewer.

“I’m honored to be selected as the Commissioner for USA Softball of Illinois and I appreciate the leadership Commissioner Don Brewer has provided during his tenure,” said Adams. “I’m looking forward to working with this talented and dedicated staff to continue to build the USA Softball of Illinois program while giving our adult and youth teams the experience they deserve.”

Adams steps into the role of Commissioner for USA Softball of Illinois after holding the title of Junior Olympic (JO) Commissioner for the last 21 years, having previously served as both District and Deputy JO Commissioner for the state of Illinois. Adams has been a member of the USA Softball National Council since 2000 and has assisted in running 13 National Championships for the organization. A recipient of the Team Registration Award in 2001, Adams has played a huge part in the growth of softball in his home state and looks forward to increasing participation across all levels of the sport in Illinois.

Before diving deeper into the administrative side of the game, Adams got his start as a player in men’s fast pitch and slow pitch with a career that spanned 15 years. He then transitioned into a coaching role where he also sponsored his teams through his company, Melton Electric Co. Inc. Under his direction, the Melton Outlaws girls’ fast pitch team won 11 Illinois USA Softball State Championships, seven Region 10 Championships and participated in 23 USA Softball National Championships. In 1997, Adams was inducted into the USA Softball of Illinois Hall of Fame as a Manager/Sponsor/Commissioner.

For more information on USA Softball of Illinois, please contact Bob Adams at [email protected].

Jazmin Petrantonio named 2021 NFHCA National Player of the Year

January 5, 2022 by Tara S

By: Pearllan Cipriano, Sports Information Graduate Assistant

Senior midfielder Jazmin Petrantonio was named the 2021 National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Division II National Player of the Year on Thursday morning, marking the second time that she has received the prestigious national honor.

Petrantonio is the third Raider to be named the NFHCA National Player of the Year and the second Raider to earn it twice. Bre White won the award in 2012 and 2013, and Kristina Taylor was SU’s inaugural recipient in 2010.

Thursday’s announcement brings Petrantonio’s postseason awards to total to 10. Yesterday, Petrantonio was named the 2021 NFHCA Atlantic Region Player of the Year. Petrantonio was previously selected to the NFHCA All-America First Team and the All-Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) First Team. She was named the PSAC Athlete of the Year, the PSAC Tournament MVP, the NCAA Tournament MVP and was selected to the NCAA All-Tournament Team and the NFHCA Senior Team. Petrantonio has also been nominated for the 2021-22 Honda Division II Athlete of the Year Award.

A native of Buenos Aires, Argentina, Petrantonio led the nation in goals per game (1.85), points per game (4.2), goals (37) and points (84). She also totaled 10 assists. Petrantonio scored or assisted in 19 of SU’s 20 games this season; the only game in which she did not record a point was in the national semifinal.

In this year’s NCAA Tournament, Petrantonio helped Shippensburg to its sixth national championship (fifth NCAA national championship) and its fourth in the last five seasons. She scored the second goal in the National Championship Game victory over West Chester and was named the Most Outstanding Player of the 2021 NCAA Division II National Championships.

Petrantonio concluded her historic career with 106 career goals, third-most in NCAA Division II history. In her 79 career games with the Raiders, Petrantonio totaled 248 career points (106 goals, 36 assists) and 29 game-winning goals. She also finished her career as the leading scorer in the history of the NCAA Division II Field Hockey Championships, having scored 10 career goals in eight career NCAA Tournament games.

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