The 2022-2023 Indiana athletics season has come to an end for all 24 sports. Several teams made strides, while others now await the start of the next school year in order to have another chance at a successful run.
As we look back on every team's season, here are some of the players that stuck out making a big impact on their teams and the university.
10. RYAN WITTENBRINK
Indiana’s men's soccer returned to a familiar place in what was a season filled with all sorts of emotions. The Hoosiers returned to the College Cup thanks to their strong defensive back line with Nyk Sessock, Daniel Munie, Joey Maher and goalkeeper J.T Harms but Ryan Wittenbrink lead the Hoosiers up front guiding the team to its 22nd College Cup appearance.
Wittenbrink was a veteran leader on his team and game-in-and-game-out put his team in position to win. The senior forward had 18 goals this season, totaling 52 points. Eight of those 18 goals were game-winners including a first-half goal in the College Cup semifinals. Wittenbrink had a stellar season being named first-team All-Big Ten and named to both All-Tournament Team in the Big Ten Tournament and NCAA Men’s College Cup.
Wittenbrink lead the Hoosiers in goals and assists being one of the main leaders and now he closes out his Indiana career having returned the Hoosiers to its familiar spot in the College Cup.
9. JAYLIN LUCAS
Jaylin Lucas was one of the few bright spots for Indiana football and looks to be one of their biggest pieces moving forward. The Louisiana native dazzled with his elusive speed and he showed how much of an impact he can be with the ball in his hands.
Lucas is an all-around running back for the Hoosiers but he made his name by torching defenses as a kick returner. Lucas accumulated 591 kick return yards and two touchdowns this season, third-best in the country. His speed and talent made him a must-watch anytime he was waiting at one end of the field which gave Indiana life whenever he had the ball.
After 12 games, Lucas was named an All-American and first-team All-Big Ten as a return specialist providing electric moments all year long. Tom Allen has said moving forward that they intend to use Lucas in a more lucrative role as they hope for him to develop into an equal threat in the backfield.
Lucas has already been named to the preseason All-American watch list ahead of the 2023 season and with a suspected improved role, Indiana fans should be very excited to see what Lucas can do.
8. Yarden Garzon
From an unknown prospect playing in Fort Wayne to becoming Indiana’s international star, Yarden Garzon found a perfect home as Hoosier.
When Garzon arrived in Bloomington, nobody knew much about her but she quickly introduced herself with her talents on the court. Garzon started in all 32 games averaging 11.1 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.0 assists a game while also shooting 45.8 percent from three. Her sharpshooting ability and her above-average maturity helped her instantly make an impact on a deep Indiana team.
As time went on, Garzon become more comfortable in her newfound home and Indiana fans embraced her with open arms. She was one of the several reasons why Indiana was so captivating this season and she is without question one of the fundamental pieces moving forward for Teri Moren and the Hoosiers.
In her first season, she was named to the All-Big Ten second-team and All-Big Ten Freshman Team. With the experience that she had under her belt, it will come at no surprise when she continues to put the country on notice.
7. DEVIN TAYLOR
Indiana baseball had a rejuvenating season and players like Devin Taylor is what makes Indiana’s future so bright.
Taylor, a native of Cincinnati, came to the Hoosiers and made a huge impact in his first season of college baseball. Taylor found his role early on being Indiana’s starting right fielder and continued that role for the majority of the season. Starting 51 of 55 games, Taylor was a strong outfielder but his ability up at the plate is what truly separated him from other freshman across college baseball.
A left-handed hitter, Taylor was one of Indiana’s biggest threats up at the plate. Taylor batted .315 on the year with a 1.080 OPS while also slugging .650 on the year. He tormented opposing pitchers with 63 total base hits, 16 home runs, 13 doubles, three triples, and 59 RBIs this season. His efforts at the plate earned him Big Ten Freshman of the Year and first-team All-Big Ten to highlight his commanding season.
Taylor was great on the field but his success goes deeper than him hitting balls out of Bart Kaufmann Field. Jeff Mercer has preached that the way he is going to build his program and that's by believing in his young players that he recruited to Bloomington. Mercer has believed in his process and for that reason, players like Taylor have found success at Indiana.
6. BRENDAN BURNS
Brendan Burns symbolizes everything that is Indiana Swimming and Diving. Pure dominance. His long lasted success continued for another season and was the face of this year’s team as Indiana continues its aquatic supremacy.
Burns captured his second straight NCAA national championship this season taking home the 100-yard backstroke championship, Indiana’s first backstroke championship since 2008. Not did he take home the top prize but he went on to sweep as a five-time Big Ten Champion winning in each event that he participated in. Burns would be named the best swimmer in the conference earning his second straight Big Ten Swimmer of the Year award. Burns was also great at in the Big Ten and against national opponents as he was Indiana’s top-scoring athlete in this past NCAA championship.
This season was pure dominance for Burns and the Hoosiers. Indiana recorded their second straight Big Ten Championship and their fifth title in the last seven years. There’s not much to be said about a program or swimmer when all they’ve done is win for the last handful of years.
After four seasons with the Hoosiers, Burns is a two-time NCAA Champion, four-time NCAA runner-up, nineteen-time All-American, 17-time Big Ten Champion, including two Big Ten team titles, Big Ten Freshman of the Year, and four-time first-team All-Big Ten. Burns announced back in April that he will return for another year with the Hoosiers, so the total dominance is set up for another year.
5. JALEN HOOD-SCHIFINO
Jalen Hood-Schifino was everything he was made out to be in his lone season with the Hoosiers.
The Montverde Academy product came to Indiana as a highly touted recruit and embraced every part of what it's like to play for the Hoosiers. He gravitated towards the culture that is Indiana basketball and created a long-lasting bond with his head coach. Hood-Schinifo was hyped up by the fans and the media as an incoming freshman and he delivered in countless ways.
He would go on and start in all 32 games taking over the point guard position when Xavier Johnson went down with an injury, which is not easy to do as a freshman. He then averaged 13.5 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 0.8 steals per game as one of the most impactful players in the conference. Named Big Ten Freshman of the Year, Hood-Schifino did things on a day-to-day basis that not every freshman is capable of doing.
Hood-Schifino is now focused on starting his NBA career but even in the short months after his freshman year, he has been extremely vocal about how much Indiana basketball has meant to him. He lived up to the hype and more in an amazing season. Hood-Schfino will be a fan favorite and with great reason. People will continue to talk for years about how a 6-foot-6 acrobatic freshman walked into a sold out Mackey Arena and scored 35 points against the fifth team in the country.
4. TARYN KERN
Indiana softball had a legendary season. Team 50 was projected to finish 10th in the Big Ten and ended up putting the country on notice. A 44-win season with multiple captivating moments, this team took Indiana softball to a place that it had never been. The leader of this team and national player of the year candidate was Taryn Kern.
Kern was a spectacle in her first season with the Hoosiers being considered one of the best players in the country. She was named Big Ten Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year in arguably the best softball conference in the country. Starting all 62 games for the Hoosiers, she went on to break three single-season program records, home runs, RBIs and runs scored. Her power at the plate would captivate anyone who was watching which helped lead Indiana to a 23-game win streak, another program record.
Kern and the Hoosiers would go on a earn a chance to play in an NCAA regional for the first time since 2011 and would go on and won a pair of games in the Knoxville Regional. Although Kern would announce that she entered the transfer portal on June 5, she helped pushed Indiana softball to new heights in an unforgettable season.
3. GRACE BERGER
A huge part of Indiana’s women's basketball success was none other than Grace Berger. Berger entered her final season with the Hoosiers promising one thing, success.
Berger was spectacular in her fifth season pairing up with Mackenzie Holmes in what was a truly special duo. She took charge of the team being the one to handle the ball while also being the leader in that locker room. Teri Moren said it multiple times throughout the season, her team had a number of leaders with great abilities on the court, but Berger was the one that everyone looked up to.
Berger finished her career as one of the best Hoosiers to ever play. She finished her five years as a Hoosiers with 1,841 points, 573 assists, and 752 rebounds, ranking seventh all-time in scoring and second in assists. Berger will forever be remembered as one of the key pieces during this era and one of the most important players for this success. Everything would also come full circle for Berger as she would go on to stay in the state of Indiana as a top-ten pick in the WNBA Draft by the Fever.
2. MACKENZIE HOLMES
What a season it was for Mackenzie Holmes and the Indiana Hoosiers. Indiana women’s basketball had one of the best seasons in program history and Holmes was in the middle of it all.
Holmes earned first-team All-American honors in the best season of her college career. The Gorham, Maine, native averaged 22.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 1.1 steals, and 1.9 blocks per game while being one of the best players in the country. She helped lead her team into new territory and officially established Indiana women's basketball as a premier powerhouse for the foreseeable future. Not only was she named a first-team All-American but she was also given the honors of Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, All-Big Ten first-team, and a finalist in the Wooden Award, Lisa Leslie Award, and the Wade Trophy.
Holmes's junior season was put on pause due to a knee injury but she fought her way back and came back even better in her senior year. She helped give Indiana their first Big Ten title in 40 years and arguably their best season in program history. This was one of the best seasons of any Indiana sports team and she was one of the most important pieces behind the success.
1. TRAYCE JACKSON-DAVIS
The biggest star on the biggest stage. In his final year as a Hoosier, Trayce Jackson-Davis captured the hearts of every Hoosier fan forever cementing his name in IU's history books.
Jackson-Davis decided to return for one final season in the summer of 2022 taking a chance for one final run with the Hoosiers.
Without a doubt, he was the leader for this team, always being the guy up in front of the camera during both the good times and bad ones. He gave Indiana fans countless memories in his four years but his final season felt extra special. From a sold-out Assembly Hall against the number one team in the nation, a season-high performance against Illinois, back-to-back years with wins against Purdue, to being a top-five seed in the NCAA tournament and engraving his name in all types of school records, all while playing at national player of the year level, Jackson-Davis gave it all he had in his final year.
Jackson-Davis took a chance on himself to come back for one final year but he also did it for his love for Indiana basketball. He came back for his beloved head coach and the fans that chanted his name in all year long. This season had a little bit of everything for the All-American but he now leaves the program as one of the greats.
Honorable Mentions: Andrew Capobianco (Men’s Diving), Brianna Copeland (Softball), Camryn Haworth (Volleyball), Phillip Glasser (Baseball), Cam Jones (Football), Miller Kopp (Men’s Basketball), Taylor Minnick (Softball), Sydney Parrish (Women’s Basketball), Brock Tibbitts (Baseball), Craig Yoho (Baseball)
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