OXFORD, Ohio – Only two relay races were competed in by the University of Evansville men’s swimming team on Wednesday, but that didn’t stop the Purple Aces from breaking three school records on the first day of the 2023 Mid-American Conference Swimming & Diving championships hosted by Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.

The 200-Yard Medley Relay team opened the meet by breaking the school record in the event for the second-straight year with a time of 1:28.41, while placing fourth overall.  Then, in the 800 Freestyle Relay, UE lowered the school record with a time of 6:39.32, while senior Riccardo Di Domenico (Johannesburg, South Africa) absolutely destroyed the individual 200-Yard Freestyle record with a lead-split time of 1:36.59, which broke UE’s previous record by over a full second.

“What a great start for the week!” said UE head coach Stuart Wilson.  “We got the jitters out of the way early tonight, and the team knows that they are going to step up after tonight’s swims.”

In the 200 Medley Relay, sophomore Patrik Vilbergsson (Kopavogur, Iceland) opened with a 50-Back split time of 22.79.  Junior Alon Baer (Gesher HaZiv, Israel) then turned a split of 24.40 in the Breaststroke, while sophomore Daniel Santos Lopez (Madrid, Spain) posted a time of 21.24 in the Butterfly.  Freshman Daniil Goncharuk (Kyiv, Ukraine) then came home with an anchor-leg time of 19.98 in the 50-Free to help UE place fourth overall.  Ball State’s 200 Medley Relay team took home first place with a time of 1:26.35.

In the 800 Freestyle Relay, Di Domenico dominated the first 200 yards, as he had over a body length lead when he touched the wall with a time of 1:36.59.  Because that time came from a standard start as the lead leg of the event, it was eligible for a school-record time, and it was easily over a second faster than UE Hall of Famer Nikola Kalabic’s school-record time of 1:37.66, which was set in 2001.  From there, sophomores Jakob Grundbacher (Thalwil, Switzerland) and Carlos Souto (A Coruna, Spain) and junior Grant Kay (Ellicott City, Md./Hebron) teamed up to post a time of 6:39.32 overall, which bettered the previous UE school record in the event set in 2020.

The two relay events were the only two events contested on Wednesday, and UE currently sits in fourth place in the league standings with 58 points.  The MAC Championships will continue on Thursday with both preliminary-round and finals action in the 500-Yard Freestyle, the 200 IM, the 50-Yard Freestyle, and the one-meter diving competition.  Thursday night’s final will also feature the 200-Yard Freestyle Relay competition.  Preliminary-round swims will begin at 9:30 a.m. central time, with the finals beginning at 5 p.m.

UE travels to Bowling Green, Ky.

 EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Receiving votes in the national poll for the first time in over 20 years, the University of Evansville continues its non-conference slate this weekend at the WKU Hilltopper Spring Fling.

Impending weather has modified the schedule with the most up-do-date information available on the Purple Aces softball schedule.  Opening the season at 13-1, Evansville received two votes in the USA Today/NFCA Division I Top 25 Poll earlier this week.

Having a major impact on that start has been Taylor Howe, who earned her first MVC accolade.
Howe batted .389 with seven hits, six RBI, four runs and three doubles in a 5-0 weekend for the Aces.  Howe reached base 45.0% of the time and picked up a steal in her lone attempt of the weekend and was recognized as the MVC Newcomer of the Week.

Megan Brenton made four appearances over the last week and was clutch in all four as she earned two wins and two saves.  On Friday against Purdue Fort Wayne, she entered in the seventh inning and tossed a scoreless frame to pick up a save.  It did not take long for save #2 to come as later that evening, she tossed another scoreless 7^th inning.  She added two victories as UE completed another perfect weekend of action.

Another clutch performer for UE has been Jenna Nink.  She led the Purple Aces with a .545 batting average with a home run, six RBI and six walks in a 5-0 week for her team.  Nink completed the weekend with a .706 on-base percentage while scoring four runs.  Highlighting her week was hitting the game-winning home run in Saturday’s win over Bowling Green.  Her long ball in the 2^nd frame was enough in a 2-0 UE win.

Trailblazers baseball ends the weekend with big team win over Morton College

VINCENNES, Ind. – The Vincennes University baseball team ended their long four-game weekend Sunday afternoon with what is possibly their most complete game as a team with a 12-4 win over Morton College at Jerry Blemker Field.

VU got off to a slow start with the Panthers getting a run on the board quickly after a leadoff double in the first.

The Trailblazers didn’t waste any time getting this run back in the bottom half of the inning however with sophomore Ethan Burdette (Linton, Ind.) leading off the game with a hit by pitch and scoring from first on an RBI double by sophomore Kaden Elliott (New Albany, Ind.).

Vincennes then took the lead in the second after freshman Xavier Brown (Franklin, Ind.) led off the inning with a walk and freshman Trevor Newman (Fort Wayne, Ind.) later got a single. Both would score on a two-RBI single by Kaden Elliott, giving the Blazers an early 3-1 lead with all three runs driven in by Elliott.

VU took full control of the game in the third inning with a massive two-out rally, including an RBI single by freshman Kade Hinton (Fort Wayne, Ind.), a two-RBI triple by Ethan Burdette and an RBI double by freshman Brandon Juarez (Evansville, Ind.). VU would send 10 batters to the plate and score six in the third inning as the Blazers held a 9-1 lead over the Panthers.

Vincennes continued to add on in the fourth after sophomore Kobe Bartlett (Rockport, Ind.) led off the inning with a double, his second hit of the day and was driven in by an RBI single by freshman Carter Whitehead (Huntingburg, Ind.).

Whitehead would later score on a sacrifice fly by Trevor Newman and Xavier Brown would get a double and score his third run of the game on a pinch hit RBI single by freshman Tucker Helton (Terre Haute, Ind.).

Morton would look to battle their way back into the game with a pair of runs in the fifth and a run in the sixth, but were unable to overcome the deficit as VU came away with the big 12-4 victory over the Panthers.

“Obviously, offensively today we did a good job,” Barney said. “Burdette came through with a triple and a couple of RBIs and led off the game and scored after being hit by a pitch. Kaden Elliott doubled him in to start the game for us and picked up two more RBIs. Kaden Elliott had a big day.”

“Brandon Juarez did a good job today with an RBI double as well,” Barney added. “Kobe Bartlett had two hits. Carter Whitehead got an RBI. Down in the order Kade Hinton came through with an RBI single and Trevor Newman ended up 1-1 with a walk and a sac fly today. So we got production and a good performance out of just about every spot in the lineup today. On top of that we played some pretty good defense and looked good on the mound. When you put all of that together like we did today, we come out with a win.”

“Tucker Helton came in and did a good job later in the game of getting two hits and an RBI,” Barney said. “Some of the other guys we were able to get into the game late were able to put together some good at bats. But right now Helton has been the one who has come off the bench and has done a good job at practice and hopefully it continues to translate into the game for him.”

Freshman Josh McCormick (Indianapolis, Ind.) got the start on the mound Sunday and pitched into the sixth inning, allowing four runs on six hits and striking out one. McCormick worked very efficiently all game, ending with 65 pitches in five-plus innings of work and 62-percent of pitches being strikes.

Freshman Logan Medsker (Marshall, Ill.) then entered from the pen to throw the final two innings of relief, allowing one hit and striking out two without allowing a run.

“Today all started on the mound,” Barney said. “Josh McCormick gave us a great outing of five-plus innings and kept us in the game with minimal damage. He walked one, we had an error and a passed ball. Other than that, he was pretty good.”

The Trailblazers will now prepare for what is most likely their toughest weekend set of the season next weekend when VU hosts NJCAA Division II No. 12 Kellogg Community College Friday, March 3 at 5 p.m. eastern.

The weekend continues on Saturday, March 4 when VU faces Lincoln Trail College at 1 p.m. and NJCAA Division I No. 8 Wabash Valley at 6 p.m. eastern.

The weekend will conclude on Sunday, March 5 when VU takes the field against an opponent to be determined at 1 p.m. eastern.

“It’s an opportunity to play,” Barney said. “It’s an opportunity to play against good competition. You can’t get any better than this next weekend. You can’t get any better than having two nationally ranked teams in Kellogg and Wabash Valley and then Lincoln Trail is right up there with them. That’s as good of competition as we are going to face all year and hopefully it helps us get ready for the start of conference play.”

BOX SCORE

Morton – 100   021   0 – 4

VU (4-8) – 126   300   x – 12

VINCENNES HITTING

Evansville, In.: After splitting last weekend’s games against the Rivermen and finishing the Month of February with a 5-1 record, the Thunderbolts take on the Rivermen once again this Saturday night in Bloomington, Illinois, before hosting Peoria once again on Sunday afternoon at Ford Center. 

Week In Review: 

 

                The Thunderbolts were defeated 2-1 on Friday night in Peoria, their only loss in the entire month of February. After James Isaacs tied the game 1-1 in the third period, the Rivermen won the game with a goal in the final second of regulation time.  In Saturday’s rematch at Ford Center, a pair of goals from Fredrik Wink and goals from Alex Cohen, Jason Lavallee and Derek Osik propelled Evansville to a 5-2 victory.  Trevor Gorsuch was spectacular in goal once again in both games, stopping 32 of 34 shots on Friday and 47 of 49 on Saturday.  

 

The Week Ahead: 

                The Thunderbolts start the upcoming weekend in Bloomington, Illinois on Saturday night as they take on the Rivermen in a neutral-site game just an hour away from Peoria at Grossinger Motors Arena, puck drop at 7:15pm CT. The same two teams will face off once again on Ford Center ice this Sunday afternoon at 3:00pm CT for the final Sunday Funday game of the season.  $2 Bud Light 12oz cans and $2 hot dogs will be available until the end of the first intermission (while supplies last), and kids under 12 will receive a voucher for a free small bag of popcorn.  There will also be a postgame meet-and-greet with the players at BJ’s Brewhouse on North Green River Road.  For tickets to Sunday’s game, call (812)422-BOLT (2658), go to EvansvilleThunderbolts.com, or visit the Ford Center Ticket Office. Saturday night’s game can be viewed on SPHL TV with a paid subscription through HockeyTV, or can be listened to for free on the Thunderbolts Radio Network via the Thunderbolts MixLr Channel or at EvansvilleThunderbolts.com/fan-center/live . 

Coming Soon: 

 

                The Thunderbolts’ next home games following this weekend will be on Friday the 10^th and Saturday the 11^thas the Thunderbolts host the Macon Mayhem, both games starting at 7:00pm CT.  Friday the 10^th will be PTO Giveback Night, where Tri-State Parent Teacher Organizations and Associations can purchase tickets to this game, with a portion of each ticket going back to their PTO or PTA.  Saturday the 11^th will be Pink the Rink & Heart Health Wellness Night, honoring those who have or are still dealing with life challenging health situations.  Following Friday’s game, fans may enter the Ford Center hospitality room in the back of the front lobby, where fans who contribute a $5 donation may paint a name of someone lost to, currently fighting, or has survived cancer, in pink paint on the ice (waiver required to be signed to come onto the ice surface).  All names will be visible on the ice during the entirety of Saturday night’s game. There is also a special offer available, where those who wish to attend both home games can get $2 off each game if purchased together. 

  

Scouting the Opponent: 

Peoria Rivermen: 

1. • Record: 31-10-3, 65 Points, 1^st Place 
   • Leading Goal Scorer: Alec Hagaman (19 Goals) 
   • Leading Point Scorer: Alec Hagaman (49 Points) 
   • Primary Goaltender: Eric Levine (14-6-2, .915 Save %) 
   • Thunderbolts 22-23 Record vs PEO: 4-4-0 

                Prior to taking on the Thunderbolts, the Rivermen were defeated 4-3 in a shootout on Thursday night at Quad City.  Goals from Alexandre Carrier, Cayden Cahill and Mitchell McPherson had given the Rivermen a 3-1 lead before the Storm rallied in the third period to force overtime and then the shootout, where Joseph Widmar scored for Peoria, but the Rivermen lost the shootout 2-1.  Zach Wilkie and Jordan Ernst scored Peoria’s goals against Evansville on Friday, Ernst’s coming in the final second of regulation to win the game for the Rivermen.  In their loss to the Thunderbolts on Saturday, Jake Hamilton and Alec Baer scored the only two Rivermen goals. 

 

Strawbridge was the #9 scorer in the MVC

One of the most consistent players for the University of Evansville men’s basketball team throughout the 2022-23 season, Kenny Strawbridge Jr. was named to the All-Missouri Valley Conference Third Team on Wednesday evening.

Strawbridge scored an average of 14.5 points per game over the course of the season, finishing 9^th in the league.  He had eight 20-point efforts throughout the season including a season-high of 25 against Fairfield in November.

One of his most impressive efforts came against Bellarmine in December.  After being held scoreless in the opening 20 minutes, Strawbridge erupted for 22 points in the second half to lift the Purple Aces to a victory.

He scored at least eight points in all but one contests in his first season at UE while attempting at least 10 shots in all but four games.  His debut for UE came in the win at Miami Ohio where he led the way with 23 points in the season-opening win.