BTN.com staff, October 26, 2011

CHICAGO - BTN will once again provide coverage of five Big Ten fall championships, including live broadcasts during the 2011 Big Ten Field Hockey Tournament, Big Ten Men?s and Women?s Soccer Tournaments and delayed coverage of the Big Ten Men?s and Women?s Cross Country Championships.

BTN will televise live the semifinals and final of the Big Ten Field Hockey Tournament at Penn State.  Live coverage of the semifinal round will begin at 10 AM ET with the second game to follow at approximately noon ET on Friday, Nov. 4. The championship game will air live on Sunday, Nov. 6, at 2 PM ET. Five Big Ten teams appear in the latest national poll, including No. 7 Michigan, No. 8 Penn State, No. 11 Iowa, No. 17 Ohio State and No. 20 Northwestern. The Wolverines seek their second-consecutive and sixth tournament title overall.

The network will be in Evanston, Ill., for the Big Ten Women?s Soccer Tournament, which has returned after a two-year hiatus. Live coverage of the semifinal round will begin on Friday, Nov. 4, at 2:15 PM ET with the second game to follow at approximately 4:55 PM ET. The championship game will air live at 4 PM ET on Sunday, Nov. 6. Penn State and Illinois are ranked No. 12 and No. 20 respectively. The Nittany Lions won the last Big Ten Women?s Soccer Tournament in 2008.

BTN also will televise live the semifinals and final of the Big Ten Men?s Soccer Tournament, hosted by the University of Michigan. Semifinal coverage will air live on Friday, Nov. 11, at 1 PM ET and approximately 3:30 PM ET. The final will be carried live at noon ET on Sunday, Nov. 13. Indiana is the Big Ten?s top-ranked team at No. 10 nationally, while Michigan is the reigning tournament champion.

The network will offer delayed coverage of the Big Ten Cross Country Championships at noon ET on Friday, Nov. 11. The University of Illinois will host the event. The Big Ten has five nationally ranked men?s teams, featuring two in the top 10 with Wisconsin at No. 2 and Indiana at No. 7.  On the women?s side, four Big Ten teams are ranked in the top 30, paced by No. 15 Michigan State. The Badgers have won the last 12 Big Ten men?s cross country titles, and will be seeking their 45th overall championship. The Spartans? women?s team will be aiming for back-to-back conference titles and its fourth championship overall.

 2011 Big Ten Fall Sports Championships/Tournaments on BTN (all times ET)

Big Ten Field Hockey Tournament

Friday, November 4      at Penn State                   10:00 AM                    Semifinal #1 (LIVE) 

Friday, November 4      at Penn State                   12:00 PM*                  Semifinal #2 (LIVE)

Sunday, November 6    at Penn State                   2:00 PM                      Final (LIVE)

Big Ten Women?s Soccer Tournament

Friday, November 4     at Northwestern                2:15 PM                     Semifinal #1 (LIVE)

Friday, November 4     at Northwestern                4:55 PM*                   Semifinal #2 (LIVE)

Sunday, November 6   at Northwestern                4:00 PM                    Final (LIVE)

Big Ten Men?s Soccer Tournament

Friday, November 11     at Michigan                    1:00 PM                      Semifinal #1 (LIVE)

Friday, November 11     at Michigan                    3:30 PM*                    Semifinal #2 (LIVE)

Sunday, November 13   at Michigan                    12:00 PM                    Final (LIVE)

Big Ten Women?s Cross Country Championships

Sunday, Oct. 30         at Illinois                             11:45 AM          Championship (Delay: Nov. 11, Noon)

Big Ten Men?s Cross Country Championships

Sunday, Oct. 30         at Illinois                             12:45 PM           Championship (Delay: Nov. 11, Noon)

*The second semifinal game will begin approximately 30-40 minutes after the conclusion of the first semifinal.

About BTN: A joint venture between the Big Ten Conference and Fox Networks, BTN is the first internationally distributed network dedicated to covering one of the premier collegiate conferences in the country. With more than 800 events, all in HD, the 24/7 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. Events include football, men?s and women?s basketball games; dozens of Big Ten Championship events; studio shows; coaches? shows; and classic games. The network televises and streams 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. The groundbreaking Student U initiative provides real-world experience for students interested in careers in sports television. The network is available to more than 80 million homes across the United States and Canada, and currently has agreements with more than 300 affiliates, including AT&T U-Verse, Atlantic Broadband, Cablevision, Charter, Comcast, Cox, DirecTV, DISH Network, Insight, Mediacom, Rogers Cable (Canada), Shaw Cable and Shaw Direct (Canada), Time Warner Cable and Verizon FiOS. For updated information, go to www.BTN.com.