Sports Journalism Blog

By Madie Chandler | @madie_chandler Sports Capital Journalism Program INDIANAPOLIS — Earl Walton, an NCAA official, hustled over to the Oakland bench, demanding a towel to wipe up a slick spot of the floor when, breaking a relative silence, an Oakland fan from behind the bench said, “Yeah, use it to wipe your glasses off!” …

By Jaela Johnson | @jae_jamirah Sports Capital Journalism Program INDIANAPOLIS – You don’t know until you find out. The Cleveland State Vikings entered the Horizon League women’s championship game as one of the most consistently successful programs in the nation. Their 29 victories were the second-most in school history, one fewer than the 30 victories …

By Madie Chandler | @madie_chandler Sports Capital Journalism Program INDIANAPOLIS — Less than a minute remained in the Horizon League’s Women’s Basketball Championship game, and the 10 players on the court stood still. There was no movement. No scrapping for last-second steals, no fouls to extend the game, not even cheers of desperation from fans. …

By Madie Chandler | @madie_chandler Sports Capital Journalism Program INDIANAPOLIS — “One more,” Milwaukee coach Bart Lundy said while holding up an index finger for the Panthers’ fans at Indiana Farmers Coliseum. The fans responded “One more!” as the Milwaukee players ran towards the stands to celebrate their 82-75 upset win over Northern Kentucky in …

By Madie Chandler | @Madie_Chandler Sports Capital Journalism Program INDIANAPOLIS — Green Bay defeated Purdue Fort Wayne 64-55 in a rematch of a 2023 Horizon League women’s semifinal matchup. The second-seeded Phoenix (25-6) advanced to the championship game against Cleveland State with a chance win the school’s 17th league title, which would be 14 more …

By Jaela Johnson | @Msbasketball_13 Sports Capital Journalism Program INDIANAPOLIS — “Make me a parabola,” a Cleveland State fan behind the Vikings’ bench screamed toward the court in the third quarter of the Horizon League semifinal against Wright State on Monday afternoon. Shot after imperfect Wright State shot was going up and coming down as …

By Andrew Thomison | @Andrew_Thomison Sports Capital Journalism Program INDIANAPOLIS — Michigan’s Zak Zinter is the kind of person who picks up his teammates. He was a unanimous team captain for the 2023 season whose leadership throughout his time with the Wolverines captured the admiration of his coaches and peers. When Zinter suffered a broken …

By Andrew Thomison | @Andrew_Thomison Sports Capital Journalism Program INDIANAPOLIS — All eyes were on USC quarterback Caleb Williams Friday morning at the NFL Scouting Combine. Williams hears all of the comparisons to current NFL quarterbacks, including Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes, but he’d rather just be known as himself. “I don’t compare myself to other …

By Andrew Thomison | @Andrew_Thomison Sports Capital Journalism Program INDIANAPOLIS — Alabama edge rusher Dallas Turner is considered one of the best pass rushers in the 2024 National Football League Draft class. The consensus first team All-American and Southeastern Conference Defensive Player of the Year as voted by the coaches played a significant role in …

By Jack Wright Sports Capital Journalism Program INDIANAPOLIS — Jalyx Hunt is the first player to ever receive an invitation to the National Football League Scouting Combine from Houston Christian University, a small private school in the Southland Conference. Initially recruited out of high school as a wide receiver and cornerback, Hunt grew to 6-foot-4 …