TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – The Vincennes University Men’s and Women’s Indoor Track and Field teams closed out their split weekend Saturday afternoon at the John Gartland Invitational hosted by Indiana State University in Terre Haute.

Many of the VU throwers and jumpers, as well as a few distance runners competed in the meet Saturday.

The day got started at ISU with Vincennes native and Lincoln High School grad Haley Kohlhouse in the 60 meter dash.

Kohlhouse finished with a time of 9.07 seconds, good for 16th place overall. Kohlhouse would also compete in the 200 meter dash, finishing 17th with a time of 30.30 seconds.

Freshman Gwen Weaver (Hebron, Ind.) finished close behind Kohlhouse in the 200, placing 18th with a time of 33.89 seconds.

Freshman Julia Do Amaral Salvi (Brazil) placed eighth in the pole vault after recording a jump of 3.31 meters.

Freshman Natalie Wagler (Montgomery, Ind.) rounded out the VU women’s competitors with a 14th place finish in the shot put with a final throw of 7.40 meters.

“Our Saturday meet at ISU was geared towards our throwers and jumpers, but we had a couple of distance runners, plus our own Coach Tyler Steigenga running the 5000 meters,” VU Head Track and Field Coach Marty Rogier said. “Julia hit the National qualifying standard and is really heading towards some good jumps in the coming weeks. Ysnaria Dos Santos Vieira (Brazil) had a slight injury so we held her out but she has some big jumps coming as well.”

On the men’s side, freshman Griffin Worzella (Martinsville, Ind.) got the action started with a 12th place finish in the one mile run, crossing the line with a time of 5:05.24.

The best event of the day for the Trailblazers was the men’s 5k, anchored by sophomore Ian Boit (Kimilili, Kenya) who finished sixth with a time of 16:21.55.

Sophomore Reed Lawless (Kouts, Ind.) and freshman Matthew Gray (Washington, Ind.) also placed in the men’s 5k with Lawless finishing seventh at 16:39.64 and Gray placing eighth at 16:55.79.

In the men’s field events freshman Olegs Kozjakovs (Latvia) placed ninth in the pole vault with a final jump of 4.08 meters.

Kozjakovs also led the Trailblazers in the shot put with a throw of 13.56 meters and a 17th place finish.

Sophomore David Beadle (Jamaica) was close behind with an 18th place finish after a throw of 13.24 meters.

Beadle would also compete in the weight throw and place 16th with a distance of 14.41 meters.

Sophomore Mason Harmes placed 21st in the shot put at 11.90 meters and 14th in the weight throw at 14.91 meters.

Freshman Cody Dawson placed 23rd in the shot put with a distance of 11.11 meters, while freshman Jacob Smith rounded out the VU day with a 24th place finish in the shot put at 10.09 meters and a 20th place finish in the weight throw at 9.38 meters.

“We got big PRs from David Beadle in the weight throw and the shot put today,” Rogier said. “Mason also threw a big PR in the weight throw. David and Mason are both within striking distance of the National standard in weight throw.”

“Olegs, a multi-athlete, also had a nice throw in the shot put after competing in the pole vault where he put some nice jumps together,” Rogier added. “In the distance events, Reed and Ian both had PRs. Ian ran eight seconds faster than last outdoor season and Reed was 47 seconds faster in his first 5k since High School Cross Country.”

The Trailblazer Track and Field teams will be back in action next week when VU travels to Allendale, Mich. to take part in the Bill Clinger Classic hosted by Grand Valley State University, Friday, Jan. 27.

“I’m excited for our new team members who just got on campus two weeks ago and have had very limited work,” Roger said. “Julia, Ysnaria, Olegs, Desroy and Justin, who should all be adding some exciting performances to the team in the coming weeks.”

“Overall, I thought it was a good weekend with two National qualifiers and several more that are very close,” Rogier added. “I look forward to traveling to Grand Valley State next weekend where the competition continues to be very good.”

VINCENNES RESULTS

WOMEN’S RESULTS

60 Meter

Haley Kohlhouse – 16, 9.07

200 Meter

Haley Kohlhouse – 17, 30.30

Gwen Weaver – 18, 33.89

Pole Vault

Julia Do Amaral Salvi – 8, 3.31m

Shot Put

Natalie Wagler – 14, 7.40m

MEN’S RESULTS

1 Mile

Griffin Worzella – 12, 5:05.24

5000 Meter

Ian Boit – 6, 16:21.55

Reed Lawless – 7, 16:39.64

Matthew Gray – 8, 16:55.79

Pole Vault

Olegs Kozjakovs – 9, 4.08m

Shot Put

Olegs Kozjakovs – 17, 13.56m

David Beadle – 18, 13.24m

Mason Harmes – 21, 11.90m

Cody Dawson – 23, 11.11m

Jacob Smith – 24, 10.09m

Weight Throw

Mason Harmes – 14, 14.91m

David Beadle – 16, 14.41m

Jacob Smith – 20, 9.38m

Knoxville, Tn.:  The Thunderbolts did a lot of good things against the Ice Bears in a game that was tied 2-2 up until the later stages, however penalty trouble would haunt the Thunderbolts as the Ice Bears scored a pair of late goals to defeat Evansville 4-2 on Saturday night in Knoxville.  The Thunderbolts’ next home game will be on Sunday, January 22^nd against the Huntsville Havoc at 3:00pm CT.  For tickets, call (812)422-BOLT (2658), go to EvansvilleThunderbolts.com, or visit the Ford Center Ticket Office.

The Thunderbolts biggest success came early, as they grabbed an early lead off a goal from Andrew Shewfelt at 2:23 assisted by Mathieu Cloutier.  The Ice Bears tied it with a goal from Dean Balsamo at 4:02, before Brendan Harrogate scored an unassisted goal only 52 seconds later at 4:54 to give Evansville a second lead, 2-1. That lead lasted through most of the second period, until Cameron Hough tied the game again at 15:15.  Early in the third period, the Ice Bears were awarded a penalty shot, however goaltender Zane Steeves forced Cole McKechney to shoot high and wide, keeping it tied.  A pair of penalties at the same time of 13:23 put Knoxville up 5-on-3, and they would score to take the lead on a goal from Rourke Russell with 5:34 remaining in regulation, followed up by another goal from Nick Pryce with 4:07 remaining to seal the 4-2 loss.

                Shewfelt and Harrogate scored one goal each, while Steeves stopped 30 of 34 shots faced in goal. These two teams meet again on March 16^th at Ford Center.

Aces drop 97-61 contest to Bulldogs

 EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Scoring 55 points in the first half, Drake pulled away in the final 20 minutes to defeat the University of Evansville men’s basketball team by a score of 97-61 on Saturday afternoon inside the Ford Center.

After shooting 66.7% in the first half, the Bulldogs finished the game at 56.7%.  Evansville had four players score in double figures with Kenny Strawbridge Jr. and Yacine Toumi recording 12 apiece while Antoine Smith Jr. and Marvin Coleman II each chipped in 11.  Gabe Spinelli added 9 points and a team-high five rebounds.  Tucker DeVries led all players with 23 points while Darnell Brodie added 17.  Roman Penn had an unbelievable 18 assists while scoring 13.

“First and foremost, Drake is a very good team.  They were able to get just about everything offensively that they got.  If they play like that, it will be hard for anybody to beat them,” UE head coach David Ragland stated.  “We moved at a good pace offensively in the first half but we could not sustain it.”

Drake reeled off the first seven points of the game to force a time out by Evansville.  The Aces regrouped and went on a 14-2 run to take a 14-9 lead.  Antoine Smith Jr. got his team on the board with a triple before hitting a runner to make it a 9-5 score.  Three consecutive triples by Gabe Spinelli, Smith and Marvin Coleman II put UE in front as the team hit five out of six shots during the stretch.

With the Aces in front, the Bulldogs stormed back.  Going on a 18-2 run, the Bulldogs retook the lead at 27-16 as they capped the run off scoring 11 in a row.  With the half moving under 10 minutes remaining, Chris Moncrief and Yacine Toumi recorded field goals to trim the deficit back down to seven.

Shots continued to fall for the Bulldogs, who shot 66.7% in the opening stanza.  Connecting on nine of their final ten attempts, Drake led by a 55-34 margin at halftime.  Equally impressive in the opening 20 minutes was their 8-for-12 performance from long range.  UE converted six of its 12 attempts from 3-point range in the period.

Evansville posted the first two baskets of the second half but it was Drake with the big run, scoring nine in a row and 12 of the next 14 to take a 67-40 advantage.  Up 73-50, the Bulldogs scored the next nine to push their lead to 82-50.  The final score of 97-61 matched their largest margin of the game.

Another home game is coming up Wednesday when the Aces welcome Belmont for a 7 p.m. tip.

VINCENNES, Ind. – The Vincennes University Lady Trailblazers are again battling injuries, leaving Hall of Fame Head Coach Harry Meeks with just eight active players Saturday afternoon.

The Lady Blazers battled a tough back-and-forth game against the Blue Angels of Kaskaskia College, using a late fourth quarter scoring burst to pick up the 75-69 Region 24 win.

VU got off to a slow start Saturday afternoon, quickly falling behind 8-2, before rallying back to tie the game at 10-10.

The Blazers would put together an 8-2 scoring run of their own to close out the first quarter of play, ending the first 10 minutes of action with a 21-19 advantage.

Vincennes grabbed a five-point lead early in the second quarter before the Blue Angels responded back to outscore VU 16-2 to take a 38-29 lead.

VU would cut the deficit before halftime however, heading into the midway break trailing 40-37 on the home floor.

The Lady Blazers looked determined coming out of the locker room and battled in a back-and-forth third quarter.

The score was tied four times and the lead changed hands three times in the third quarter alone before Kaskaskia hit a buzzer beater to take a 60-58 lead into the final quarter.

Vincennes looked to completely swing the momentum of the game in the fourth quarter, evening the score at 64-64 with just under 6:30 on the clock, before taking the lead with a free throw and never looking back.

The Lady Blazers outscored the Blue Angels 10-3 down the stretch of the game and held Kaskaskia to just nine fourth quarter points as VU came away with the 75-69 win over the Blue Angels.

“We were able to win this game by being tenacious and playing hard,” VU Hall of Fame Head Coach Harry Meeks said. “I looked out at the floor one time and we had all five girls playing out of position. All I can say is that that was a really gutsy effort. Our girls played hard. That’s what we are going to have to have late in the this season.”

“All of our girls really stepped up today,” Meeks added. “They played and played extra minutes than normal and I can only say that it was a great win for us given the situation that we were in. That’s really difficult to coach your way out of and our girls played their way out of it. That was the most important thing to me. They didn’t give up. I had to get after them a couple of times for just doing things that are not conducive to winning but they hung in there and played. They did a really good job late in the game. We played a zone defense for most of the game, but with about six minutes left we switched to a man defense. Once we did that, they did a really good job finishing the game.”

VU was led offensively by sophomore Daylynn Thornton (Lafayette, Ind.) who ended her day with 18 points a career-high eight assists and a team-high two steals.

Freshman Elikya Baseyila (Paris, France) polished off her seventh double-double this season after battling foul trouble in the first half. Baseyila came away with 14 points and 17 rebounds, while also leading VU with three blocks.

Freshman Brie Miller (Greencastle, Ind.) had the best game of her collegiate career so far Saturday, picking up her first career double-double and setting new career-highs with 13 points and 11 rebounds. Miller also dished out three assists and came away with two steals.

Sophomore Nyre Williams (Indianapolis, Ind.) came off the bench to add 11 points and six rebounds to the VU totals, while freshman Maycee Lange (Vincennes, Ind.) was the fifth VU scorer in double-figures with 10 points and four rebounds.

Sophomore Cherrelle Newsom (Indianapolis, Ind.) struggled to find open space to shoot all day long, but still nearly came away with a double-double, ending with nine points and matching Thornton’s team-high eight assists, setting a new career-high.

EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – University of Southern Indiana Women’s Basketball made a big, fourth-quarter charge against Southern Illinois University Edwardsville on Saturday afternoon, but the Screaming Eagles’ push came up a little short as the Cougars held on to win 78-69.
 
SIUE started off fast in the first 90 seconds of the game with an early 6-0 advantage. Southern Indiana then found its offensive spark to narrow the early deficit under the eight-minute mark of the first quarter. Sophomore guard Vanessa Shafford (Linton, Indiana) drilled back-to-back jumpers, including one from three, to bring USI back within one, 8-7.
 
Later in the first quarter, Southern Indiana began attacking downhill aggressively, earning trips to the foul line. The assertiveness from USI forced SIUE into early foul trouble. The Screaming Eagles made nine trips to the charity stripe in the first quarter, knocking down seven free throws. SIUE led 18-16 after the opening 10 minutes.
 
At the beginning of the second quarter, the Cougars pushed their lead back up to six. After a pair of made free throws for USI, junior guard Lexie Green (Indianapolis, Indiana) canned a three from the top of the arc to trim the deficit down to one, 22-21. The offenses slowed down over the course of the next few minutes. A layup by senior forward Hannah Haithcock (Washington Courthouse, Ohio) with 3:58 left in the first half put USI ahead, 25-24. Both offenses went back and forth for the remainder of the second period, as SIUE took a three-point lead, 35-32, into halftime.
 
Out of the break, SIUE came out with extensive pressure and hot shooting to begin the second half. The Cougars went on a 10-0 run over the first 1:38 of the third quarter. Trailing 45-42, the Screaming Eagles responded with consecutive baskets to cut the margin back down to nine, 45-36.
 
Midway into the third period, graduate forward Ashlynn Brown (Perrysburg, Ohio) made two consecutive baskets inside to bring SIUE’s lead down to five, 47-42. In the last 3:30 of the third quarter, SIUE’s defense and offense clicked, as the Cougars outscored USI 11-3 for the remainder of the third to take a 58-45 lead into the fourth quarter.
 
SIUE increased its lead at the start of the fourth period, extending the margin up to 18, 63-45. Approaching the halfway point of the fourth, the Screaming Eagles started their pushback, as junior forward Meredith Raley (Haubstadt, Indiana) connected on consecutive layups. Inside the five-minute mark, a layup by Brown was followed by a buried three-pointer from senior guard Tori Handley (Jeffersonville, Indiana) to make the score 65-54 SIUE.
 
A minute later, Raley cashed in at the foul line and then made a jumper in the next possession to bring USI back within seven, 65-58. Southern Indiana was able to cut the deficit down to five, 65-60, with three minutes left, but SIUE closed out the game from there with a pair of key jumpers and free throws down the stretch.
 
Southern Indiana was led on the afternoon by Raley with 19 points on 6-14 shooting and 7-8 at the foul line. The junior also pulled down eight rebounds and dished out four assists. Shafford tallied 14 points, going 5-12 from the field, and grabbed six boards. Brown also recorded double figures with 10 points in the game. USI went 22-62 for 35 percent from the floor, including four three-pointers, and 21-25 for 84 percent at the stripe. The Screaming Eagles outrebounded the Cougars 44-37 overall and 17-11 on the offensive glass.
 
SIUE was led in scoring by sophomore guard Molly Sheehan, who posted 18 points with four made triples. Sophomore guard Sofie Lowis and senior forward Ajulu Thatha each scored 13 points. The Cougars were 26-62 for 42 percent on the day, hitting eight three-pointers, and went 18-21 for 86 percent at the free-throw line.
 
Saturday’s result moved USI’s record to 9-10 overall and 3-5 in Ohio Valley Conference play, while SIUE improved its record to 6-13 on the season and 5-3 in OVC games. Both teams sit in the middle of the Ohio Valley Conference standings. The coming week will mark the halfway point of the Ohio Valley Conference season.