Nov. 9 will always be a memorable date for Curt Cignetti and his family with the Indiana head coach guiding the Hoosiers to just their second win over Michigan in the 2000s. However, it became an even more monumental day immediately after the win as Natalie Cignetti, the coach's daughter, got engaged on the field.
Natalie Cignetti was proposed to by her boyfriend, Trent VanHorn, during the on-field celebration via the scoreboard. VanHorn used Indiana's updated record of 10-0 as a pun in his proposal.
“Natalie, every day with you is 10-0,” VanHorn's proposal message read. “Will you marry me?”
Natalie Cignetti is a 2018 graduate of Indiana University of Pennsylvania, IUP, where she was an All-American outside hitter for the women's volleyball team. IUP is not affiliated with Curt Cignetti's employer, Indiana University, but is the same school that Frank Cignetti — Curt's father, and Natalie's grandfather — was the head football coach of.
After graduating from IUP, Natalie Cignetti attended the Wake Forest School of Medicine to receive her doctorate degree. It was there when she met VanHorn, who was then a recent graduate of the Wake Forest basketball team. Natalie Cignetti and VanHorn — who is a native of Fort Wayne, Indiana — reside in Indiana, where the former is currently a resident physician.
Indiana achieves first 10-0 start in program history
While Natalie Cignetti is winning off the field, Curt Cignetti cannot stop doing the same on the gridiron. The former James Madison head coach has taken Indiana to its first 10-win season in program history, making his inaugural year with the Hoosiers already their most successful of all time.
With two games remaining in the regular season, Indiana is primed to compete in its first-ever Big 10 Championship Game in December. The undefeated Hoosiers tied with Oregon for first place in the Big 10 and ranked No. 8 in the country with their biggest test of the season coming up. For the first time all year, Indiana will face a ranked opponent in Week 13 when they travel to Columbus to face Ohio State.
However, even if they drop that game, they still have a solid chance of making the Big 10 Championship Game. Their final game of the year against Purdue will almost certainly guarantee them at least an 11-1 finish. With Ohio State losing to Oregon earlier in the year, Indiana appears likely to, at worst, finish third in the conference, while a Ducks loss could keep them in the top two.
Either way, as long as Indiana remains competitive with the Buckeyes, they will remain well within reach of the College Football Playoffs.
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