Nov. 4, 2009

CHICAGO; - The Big Ten Network will again provide coverage of all three Big Ten fall championships, including live broadcasts during the Big Ten Field Hockey Tournament and Big Ten Men's Soccer Tournament.

Among the conference championship telecasts will be the airing of Penn State's first Big Ten women's cross country title, which the Nittany Lions won on Nov. 1.

The Big Ten Network will be in East Lansing, Mich. for the semifinals and final of the Big Ten Field Hockey Tournament. The games will air live at 12:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. ET on Friday, Nov. 6, as will the final on Sunday, Nov. 8, at Noon ET. Coach Char Morett's Penn State team faces Ohio State in the first round Thursday at 1:15 p.m. The winner will play in Friday's 2:00 p.m. semifinal live on the Big Ten Network.

The Big Ten Network also will televise live the semifinals and finals of the Big Ten Men's Soccer Tournament from Bloomington, Ind. Semifinal coverage will air live at 2:00 p.m and 4:30 p.m. ET on Friday, Nov. 13. The final will be carried live at 2:00 p.m. ET on Sunday, Nov. 15. Penn State enters the final week of the regular season atop the Big Ten standings with a 3-1-1 record (10-5-2 overall). Coach Barry Gorman's Nittany Lions visit Indiana on Friday, Nov. 6 at 3:00 p.m. with a chance to claim their first Big Ten regular season championship since 2005.

The network will air coverage at 1:00 p.m. ET on Sunday, Nov. 15, of the Big Ten Cross Country Championships, which were held at Penn State on Nov. 1. Coach Beth Alford-Sullivan's women's cross country team captured its first Big Ten crown, with senior Bridget Franek winning the individual crown. The championship was Penn State's 61st Big Ten title overall. The Penn State women's cross country team vaulted to No. 11 in this week's national rankings.

The Big Ten does not conduct championships events in women's soccer and women's volleyball, but both Penn State teams are leading their respective conference standings. The No. 1 ranked women's volleyball team (24-0, 12-0) will seek its 89th consecutive victory Friday at Wisconsin (7:00 p.m. CT). With a win, the Nittany Lions would own the NCAA Division I's fourth-longest winning streak, breaking a tie with the UCLA men's basketball team.

The Nittany Lion women's soccer team is tied for the Big Ten lead entering its final regular season game. Penn State (7-1-1 Big Ten, 11-5-2 overall ) is ranked No. 22 in this week's NSCAA poll. Penn State visits Michigan at noon on Sunday. A win against the Wolverines would give Penn State at least a share of the Big Ten title for the 12th-straight year. The Nittany Lions are tied with Ohio State atop the Big Ten standings, but beat the Buckeyes, 2-1, on Oct. 4.

In addition to the Big Ten Championship coverage the next two weeks, The Big Ten Network will air the Penn State-Indiana football game on Nov. 14 at 12:00 p.m., the Nittany Lions' fourth appearance on the network this season. The contest will be Senior Day at Beaver Stadium.

2009 Big Ten Fall Sports Championships/Tournaments on Big Ten Network

Big Ten Field Hockey Tournament
Friday, Nov. 6 at Michigan State 12:00 p.m. Michigan State vs. Iowa-Michigan winner (LIVE)
Friday, Nov. 6 at Michigan State 2:00 p.m. Penn State-Ohio State winner vs. Northwestern-Indiana winner (LIVE)
Sunday, Nov. 8 at Michigan State 12:00 p.m. Championship Game (LIVE)

Big Ten Men's Soccer Championship
Friday, Nov. 13 at Indiana 2:00 p.m. Semifinal #1 (LIVE)
Friday, Nov. 13 at Indiana 4:30 p.m. Semifinal #2 (LIVE)
Sunday, Nov. 15 at Indiana 2:00 p.m. Championship Game (LIVE)

Big Ten Cross Country Championship
Sunday, Nov. 1 at Penn State Championship (Delay: 11/15, 1:00 p.m. ET)

About the Big Ten Network:
The Big Ten Network is the first internationally distributed network dedicated to covering one of the premier collegiate conferences in the country. With approximately 350 live events, and nearly all of them in HD, the network is the ultimate destination for Big Ten fans and alumni across the country, allowing them to see their favorite teams, regardless of where they live. The network operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, showcasing a wide array of classic-to-current sports and televising more Olympic sporting events and women's sports than has ever been aired on any other network. Original programming highlights activities and accomplishments of some of the nation's finest universities. Each year, the network offers between 35 and 40 football games, 105 regular season men's basketball games; 55 women's basketball games; dozens of Big Ten Championship events; Big Ten Tonight, a nightly studio show; coaches' shows; and classic games. Available to all cable and satellite providers nationwide and in Canada, the network currently has agreements with more than 300 affiliates, including AT&T U-Verse, Atlantic Broadband, Cablevision, Charter, Comcast, Cox (Cleveland, Arizona, Arkansas, Kansas, Omaha), D&E Communications, DirecTV, DISH Network, Insight, Mediacom, Rogers Cable (Canada), Service Electric, Shaw Cable and Shaw Direct (Canada), Time Warner Cable and Verizon FiOS. For updated information on the Big Ten Network, go to www.bigtennetwork.com