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Indiana Captures Eight Titles, 18 Medals at Big Ten Championships

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COLUMBUS, Ohio – Indiana swimming and diving medaled in every event Saturday (Feb. 22), the final day of the 2025 Big Ten Women’s Swimming Championships, inside the McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion on the campus of the Ohio State University.

IU finished second in the meet but dominated the medal podium, leading the league with eight Big Ten titles and 18 medals. The next-best program, Michigan, had five titles and 12 total medals. Indiana’s medal count was one more than its total from last year’s first-place team performance.

Indiana has finished in the top three in 19 consecutive seasons, with 14 championship or runner-up finishes during that span.

Including relays, 10 Hoosiers medaled and seven won Big Ten titles. Senior Anna Peplowski and sophomore Miranda Grana led IU with six medals apiece as both medaled in all three of their individual events.

Peplowski broke two Big Ten records during the week. Leading off Wednesday’s 800 freestyle relay, Peplowski tied the conference’s 200 free standard with a 1:40.69 split. The next day, she won the 500-yard freestyle in record time with a 4:33.86. Peplowski took bronze in the individual 200 free and 100 free events and was a member of the gold medal 400 medley relay as well as the silver medal 200 and 400 freestyle relays. At the end of the season, Peplowski will complete her collegiate career an eight-time Big Ten Champion and 21-time medalist.

Sophomore transfer Miranda Grana introduced herself to the Big Ten with two titles and four silver medals. Grana won her first individual Big Ten title Friday in the 100-yard butterfly, becoming the second Hoosier, and first since Gia Dalesandro in 2017, to win the event. She also captured gold in the 400 medley relay and silver in four events: the 100 back, 200 back, 400 freestyle relay and 800 freestyle relay.

For the second consecutive season, senior Skyler Liu won both the 3-meter and platform diving events. Liu was dominant Saturday night, winning the tower event by 32.90 points with a 366.90 total – a score that would have won an NCAA title last season. Liu scored at least 69 points on every dive and highlighted her list with an 81-point reverse 2 ½ somersaults pike in the third round. Liu was again named the Big Ten Diver of the Championships as the highest-scoring athlete on the boards this week.

Senior Ching Hwee Gan set the tone Saturday, winning her second consecutive conference championship in the 1,650-yard freestyle. Gan took the lead after 200 yards and did not look back, posting consistent splits between 28.50 and 28.90 over the first 1,200 yards. Gan’s 15:46.22 was a personal best and ranks No. 3 this season as she eyes a third-straight medal at the NCAA Championships.

Senior Brearna Crawford kept an IU breaststroke tradition alive Saturday, capturing Indiana’s fifth straight 200-yard breaststroke gold and ninth in 10 seasons. Crawford shared co-champion honors with USC graduate student Kaitlyn Dobler, both finishing in 2:07.22. Freshman Mary Cespedes was fifth in 2:08.46, as she dropped over three seconds from her career best coming into the meet (2:11.57).

Sophomore Ava Whitaker impressed with a silver medal in Saturday’s 200-yard butterfly final, dropping a personal best 1:55.17, after placing ninth as a freshman. In the consolation final beforehand, junior Katie Forrester (1:56.82) and sophomore Avery Spade (1:57.14) finished one-two to each earn top 10 performances in the event.

IU punctuated the meet with a silver medal in the 400-yard freestyle relay, recording the program’s second-best time ever in 3:10.77. Peplowski led off in 47.82, gave way to junior Mya DeWitt’s 48.40 and Grana’s 47.64 before junior Kristina Paegle unleashed a 46.80 in the anchor.


TEAM SCORES
1. Ohio State – 1,313.5

  1. Indiana – 1,255.5
  2. Michigan – 1,149.5
  3. Wisconsin – 849
  4. USC – 835
  5. Minnesota – 592
  6. UCLA – 544
  7. Purdue – 529
  8. Northwestern – 409
  9. Nebraska – 344
  10. Rutgers – 310
  11. Penn State – 260
  12. Illinois – 211

14 Iowa – 158.5

BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIP AWARDS

Big Ten Swimmer of the Championships: Phoebe Bacon, Wisconsin

Big Ten Diver of the Championships: Skyler Liu, Indiana

 

First-Team All-Big Ten

Brearna Crawford, Indiana

Ching Hwee Gan, Indiana

Miranda Grana, Indiana

Skyler Liu, Indiana

Kacey McKenna, Indiana

Kristina Paegle, Indiana

Anna Peplowski, Indiana

Malia Amuan, Michigan

Stephanie Balduccini, Michigan

Hannah Bellard, Michigan

Casey Chung, Michigan

Lindsay Flynn, Michigan

Brady Kendall, Michigan

Christey Liang, Michigan

Claire Newman, Michigan

Letitia Sim, Michigan

Sienna Angove, Ohio State

Lena Hentschel, Ohio State

Kaitlyn Dobler, USC

Phoebe Bacon, Wisconsin

Second-Team All-Big Ten

Mya Dewitt, Indiana

Ava Whitaker, Indiana

Vivi Del Angel, Minnesota

Rachel Bockrath, Ohio State

Erin Little, Ohio State

Mila Nikanorov, Ohio State

Paola Pineda, Ohio State

Mia Rankin, Ohio State

Avery Worobel, Purdue

Minna Abraham, USC

Claire Tuggle, USC

Hazal Ozkan, Wisconsin

Abigail Wanezek, Wisconsin

Margaret Wanezek, Wisconsin

Big Ten All-Freshman Team

Mary Cespedes, Indiana

Rebecca Diaconescu, Michigan

Leila Fack, Michigan

Olivia Wanner, Minnesota

Grey Davis, Northwestern

Zoe Nordmann, Northwestern

Sienna Angove, Ohio State

Rachel Bockrath, Ohio State

Erin Little, Ohio State

Delia Lloyd, Ohio State

Mila Nikanorov, Ohio State

Maria Ramos, Ohio State

Campbell Scofield, Purdue

Avery Worobel, Purdue

Bailee Sturgill, Rutgers

Karolina Piechowicz, UCLA

Claudia Yovanovich, UCLA

Kate Miller, USC

Stella Chapman, Wisconsin

Bridget McGann, Wisconsin

Margaret Wanezek, Wisconsin
 
RESULTS

1,650 FREESTYLE

  1. Ching Hwee Gan – 15:46.22 (Big Ten Champion, Career Best, NCAA A Cut)
  2. Mariah Denigan – 16:06.46 (NCAA B Cut)
  3. Elyse Heiser – 16:27.23 (NCAA B Cut)
  4. Katie Carson – 16:14.12 (Career Best, NCAA B Cut)


200 BACKSTROKE
2. Miranda Grana – 1:50.51 (Big Ten Silver, NCAA B Cut)

  1. Mya DeWitt – 1:54.48 (NCAA B Cut)
  2. Kacey McKenna – 1:55.86 (NCAA B Cut)
  3. Anna Freed – 1:54.44 (NCAA B Cut)

    100 FREESTYLE
    3. Anna Peplowski – 47.37 (Big Ten Bronze, NCAA B Cut)

  4. Kristina Paegle – 47.85 (NCAA B Cut)

200 BREASTSTROKE

T1. Brearna Crawford – 2:07.22 (Big Ten Co-Champion, NCAA B Cut)

  1. Mary Cespedes – 2:08.46 (Career Best, NCAA B Cut)
  2. Reese Tiltmann – 2:11.58 (Career Best, NCAA B Cut)

200 BUTTERFLY

  1. Ava Whitaker – 1:55.17 (Big Ten Silver, Career Best, NCAA B Cut)
  2. Katie Forrester – 1:56.82 (Career Best, NCAA B Cut)
  3. Avery Spade – 1:57.14 (Career Best, NCAA B Cut)
  4. Anna Freed – 2:00.80

PLATFORM

  1. Skyler Liu – 366.90 (Big Ten Champion, NCAA Zone Qualifier)
  2. Ella Roselli – 266.70 (NCAA Zone Qualifier)
  3. Mary Kate Cavanaugh – 233.95 (NCAA Zone Qualifier)
  4. Lily Witte – 209.80

400 FREESTYLE RELAY

  1. Anna Peplowski, Mya DeWitt, Miranda Grana, Kristina Paegle – 3:10.77 (Big Ten Silver, NCAA A Cut)

 

THUNDERBOLTS DEFEAT ICE FLYERS IN SHOOTOUT, PUSH WIN STREAK TO FOUR GAMES

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Pensacola, FL.:  Tied 2-2 through 60 minutes of regulation, the Thunderbolts battled their way to a shootout, where they defeated the Ice Flyers 3-2 to secure their fourth win in a row on Saturday in Pensacola.  The Thunderbolts’ next home game will be on Friday, February 28th against the Quad City Storm at 7:05pm CT.
                The Thunderbolts opened the scoring in the first period as Myles Abbate scored off the rush through traffic from Cameron MacPhee and Matt Dorsey at the 13:09 mark to give Evansville the initial lead.  Despite outshooting Pensacola 10-9 in the second period, it was the Ice Flyers who scored the lone goal, as Matt Wiesner scored at 13:00 to tie the game 1-1 going into the third period.  At 5:53, Logan vande Meerakker took a net-front feed and maneuvered a shot into the net to give Evansville their second lead of the game, assisted by Tyson Gilmour and Scott Kirton.  The Ice Flyers answered back with a power play goal at 15:01, as Nick Pryce scored on a deflection to tie the game and force overtime.  Following a scoreless overtime and scoreless first round of the shootout, Kirton scored in the top of round 2 to give Evansville the shootout lead, supplemented by a 4th round goal from Aidan Litke, while Cole Ceci denied all four Pensacola attempts to lead the Thunderbolts to the 2-0 shootout victory and 3-2 overall game victory.  Now on a season-high four game winning streak, Evansville improves to a winning record for the first time this season at 19-18-5.
Kirton scored the shootout-winning goal and an assist, Abbate and Vande Meerakker scored one goal each, and Cole Ceci finished with 33 saves on 35 shots on goal in regulation and overtime plus four more in the shootout for his 13th win of the season.  The Thunderbolts and Ice Flyers meet for the final time this regular season on Sunday, February 23rd at Pensacola Bay Center, with Evansville clinching the regular season series victory with a 3-1 lead.
Individual game tickets and group packages are on sale for the 2024-25 season.  Season tickets for the 2025-26 season are on sale now.  Call 812-422-BOLT(2658) or visit our website (www.evansvillethunderbolts.com) for details.

Tim O’Brien Bill Gives Evansville More Funds for Professional Sports Now Goes To State Senate

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Bill Gives Evansville More Funds for Professional Sports is Now Goes To State Senate

STATEHOUSE (Feb. 21, 2025) – House Bill 1451, the bill that would increase the amount of money captured from the Evansville Professional Sports and Convention Development Area, supporting local sports tourism has now been folded into the state budget bill.

Based on Evansville’s population, the annual capture limit under current law is $1.17 million. The bill creates a 15-year plan for the PSCDA. It would increase the limit to $5 million for the first five years, then $6 million for the following five years, and up to $7 million for the last five years. It has the potential of keeping $90 million in revenue in the Evansville area.

The author of the bill, Tim O’Brien, explained that this does not create a new tax but rather draws on existing funds that would otherwise go to the state in revenue form. He also said that these funds allow Evansville to pave the way for future opportunities in Southwest Indiana.

He added this legislation would support future growth in Evansville and Southwest Indiana, including plans for Great Bend Park, a place for everyday enjoyment and extraordinary events.

House Bill 1001 passed the Ways and Means Committee before passing the full House of Representatives. It now moves to the Senate for further consideration.

For more information on HB 1001 and to track legislation, and watch committee hearings and session proceedings, visit iga.in.gov.

Jerome Stewart “The Word in 120”

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We live in a world where people become angry because God’s word is true. A great example can be found in the book of Acts chapter 7 where Stephen the first deacon named within the church addressed the Sanhedrin Council comprised of 70 elders and the High Priest.

They believed God was confined to a tabernacle or physical building made by the hands of man. Stephen would explain as best he could about the Tabernacle of God as being spiritual. The Sanhedrin Council did not like what they heard. When Stephen got to the apex of his address he said to them vss. 48 thru 51; “the Highest does not dwell in temples made with hands, as the prophet says: ‘Heaven is My throne, And the earth is My footstool.

What the house will you build for Me? says the LORD, Or what is the place of My rest? Has My hand not made all these things?’ “You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you.” The Sanhedrin Council was about to reach a boiling point! Verse. 52 and 53 Stephen says; “Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who foretold the coming of the Just One, (meaning Jesus) of whom you now have become betrayers and murderers, who have received the law by the direction of angels and have not kept it.”

The Sanhedrin Council was irate! Vss. 54 thru 57 says; “When they heard these things they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed at him with their teeth. But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus stood at the right hand of God, and said “Look I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!” Then they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with one accord. Vss. 59 and 60 says; “And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Then he knelt andcried out with a loud voice, ‘Lord,  do not charge them with this sin.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.” Jesus was standing up; watching over Stephen!

Maureen Braun Supports Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library

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U.S. Sen. Mike Braun and his wife, Maureen, celebrate at the Republican watch party Tuesday night in downtown Indianapolis. The governor-elect of Indiana told the crowd his administration would take Hoosiers "places we have not seen before." Photo by Maggie McGuire, TheStatehouseFile.com.

INDIANAPOLIS – Indiana’s First Lady Maureen Braun is spearheading an initiative to keep Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library in Indiana. First Lady Braun will work with philanthropic partners and in consultation with state leadership to identify funding opportunities for the book distribution program.

“I am honored to lead this work to help ensure our youngest Hoosiers have as much exposure as possible to books and learning,” said First Lady Maureen Braun. “Indiana has many strong community partners and I am confident we will collaborate on a solution that grows children’s love of reading.”

“I deeply appreciate Governor Braun’s commitment to early childhood literacy and the leadership of First Lady Maureen Braun in championing Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. The Imagination Library brings the joy of reading to over 125,000 Hoosier children each month in all 92 counties across the state, and we are encouraged by Governor and First Lady Braun’s support to ensure its future in Indiana. We look forward to working with the Governor and First Lady, state leaders, and Local Program Partners to keep books in the hands of Indiana’s youngest learners and strengthen this foundation for a lifetime of success,” stated Jeff Conyers, President of The Dollywood Foundation.

Bobby Knight’s Famous Chair Toss – Hoosier History Highlights

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February 23 – March 1

This Week in Indiana History
Indiana Statehouse Tour Office
Guided tours of the Indiana Statehouse are offered Monday through Friday.
For more information contact us. (317) 233-5293 Estanley@idoa.in.gov

February 23, 1985 Bobby Knight, coaching the IU basketball team vs. Purdue, picks up a chair from the IU bench and tosses it across the playing floor. The incident ignites widespread national comment.

 

February 25, 1779 George Rogers Clark captured Fort Sackville at Vincennes, marking the beginning of the end of British influence in America’s western frontier.

February 27, 1987 The West Baden Springs Hotel in French Lick was named a National Historic Landmark. Built in 1901, the structure has a free-spanning dome that at one time was the largest in the world.

 

 

March 1, 1888 The Ball Brothers began glass production in Muncie.  The company became famous for their glass canning jars and grew to become the largest producer of recyclable beverage cans in the world.

 

 

Where in Indiana

Do you know where this photo was taken?

 

 

 

 

 

Indiana Quick Quiz

1. What are some of the previous names for U. S. Highway 40?
2. How old was Abraham Lincoln when he moved to Indiana?
3. Where did Stephanie White play high school basketball?
4. Where is the only freestanding high school basketball museum in the country?
Answers Below

“Beware of the man who works hard to learn something, learns it, and finds himself no wiser than before.”

–  Kurt Vonnegut, American writer and humorist

Send your favorite Hoosier quote to: RegEdwards@idoa.in.gov

Answers

1.The Great Western Road, The old Pike, The Government Road, The Cumberland Road, and The National Road

2. Seven

3. Seeger High School in West Lebanon

4. New Castle

UE women’s soccer alum Sophie Lindner joins TSG Hoffenheim

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UE women’s soccer alum Sophie Lindner joins TSG Hoffenheim

FEBRUARY 23, 2025
The Purple Ace soccer program alum is playing in the Bundesliga’s highest women’s league
HOFFENHEIM, Germany – Former University of Evansville women’s soccer goalkeeper Sophie Lindner has spent the past six months playing in one of the top women’s leagues in Europe.
Lindner, a goalkeeper for the Purple Aces in 2021 and 2022, signed over the summer with TSG Hoffenheim women’s Bundesliga team. Lindner is the second UE women’s soccer alum to sign a professional contract in 2024. A native of Vienna, Austria Lindner is playing closer to home in Hoffenheim, Germany.
Lindner comes from a solid youth soccer background playing for teams such as SKN St. Pölten and USC Landhaus. Lindner then came to Evansville where in two seasons for the Purple Aces she started five matches in goal with a 1-4-0 record, and a 1.60 GAA in 450 minutes in goal. During her sophomore season, Lindner was second on the team with 17 saves, while facing 67 shots overall.
She earned a victory in her UE debut, recording a save while facing eight shots in Evansville’s 2-1 victory over Morehead State (8/28/22). Lindner’s career-high saves while with the Purple Aces was six stops while facing a season-high 22 shots in a 2-0 loss at IUPUI (9/11/22.)
After leaving Evansville to pursue a professional soccer career, Linder spent a half-season with Austria Wien, before moving to 1. FSV Mainz 05 in summer 2023. She played twelve games for the regional league team in the Regionalliga Südwest, another German soccer league, last season and was also in goal in the two promotion games to the 2nd league.
Of her signing, Lindner says she’s looking forward to the new challenge: “For me, the move to TSG is a great step in my career. In addition to the excellent training conditions, I am looking forward to new impulses in training and the opportunity to be on the pitch with top-class teammates every day.”
At the midway point of the season, TSG Hoffenheim is in the middle of the league standings in sixth place. The team’s highest finish since joining the highest level of Bundesliga was third place in the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons.
-www.gopurpleaces.com-

IN-MaC Design and Innovation Training Studio Opens on UE campus; Facility to Advance STEM Education

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u of E

IN-MaC Design and Innovation Training Studio Opens on UE campus; Facility to Advance STEM Education

FEBRUARY 23, 2025

UNIVERSITY OF UNVERSITY

NOAH ALLATZA

EVANSVILLE, IND. (02/23/2025) The University of Evansville (UE) celebrated the grand opening of an IN-MaC Design and Innovation Training Studio on Friday during a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Located within the Tapley Education Resource Center, this cutting-edge facility is one of only three in Indiana and was made possible through funding from Toyota USA Foundation’s Driving Possibilities initiative. The studio marks a significant step in expanding access to high-quality Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education across the state and signifies UE’s ongoing commitment to educational innovation.

This new facility will serve as a central hub for STEM education professional development by supporting a growing network of Design and Innovation Studios in elementary and middle schools throughout Southwest Indiana through hands-on experience with cutting-edge technologies, including robotics, artificial intelligence, and advanced manufacturing.

There are currently 47 in-school studios, impacting more than 15,000 students and upskilling 150 teachers and future educators each year in the region, which encompasses Knox, Gibson, Vanderburgh, Dubois, and Perry counties.

Additionally, the training studio will be integrated into UE’s Department of Education programs, ensuring that future educators are well-versed in emerging technologies and can effectively prepare students for the evolving workforce. By equipping teachers with STEM-focused strategies, UE is playing a vital role in developing a new generation of highly skilled professionals.

“The University of Evansville is thrilled to open this center as another way to collaborate with industry leaders, higher education institutions, and K-12 educators to address the growing need for STEM education in Indiana,” said UE President Christopher Pietruszkiewicz. “This training studio will introduce students to in-demand careers and equip them with the skills they need to thrive in an Industry 4.0 economy. We are deeply grateful to Toyota USA Foundation for its support of this transformative initiative.”

In August, UE announced a new partnership with the Toyota USA Foundation, Toyota Indiana, North Gibson School Corporation, and the Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation to serve as the Coordinating Partner of the Indiana Driving Possibilities initiative. The initiative includes a grant totaling approximately $2 million, with a portion allocated for the development of this new space.

“Toyota recognizes the importance of investing in STEM education across all levels,” said Tim Hollander, president of Toyota Indiana. “As an industry leader and employer, we appreciate UE’s efforts in addressing the demand for skilled professionals. As their partner in this work, we share the same vision of preparing students for the workforce of tomorrow.”

The technologies and curriculum for the studio are supported by key partners including Purdue University’s Indiana Next Generation Manufacturing Competitiveness Center (IN-MaC), STEM Education Works, and Toyota Indiana. (TMMI) and represent a $1 million investment in K-8, industry and post-secondary education.

Research shows that STEM-related careers are expected to grow at twice the rate of other occupations in the coming years. However, studies indicate that 92% of boys and 97% of girls lose interest in STEM subjects if they are not engaged before fifth grade. The UE Design and Innovation Training Studio aims to change this trajectory by equipping educators with the tools and resources needed to inspire young learners.

To learn more, please click here.

The University of Evansville is a private, comprehensive university with a solid foundation in the arts and sciences and professional schools in business, engineering, education, and health sciences. Established in 1854, UE is recognized across the globe for its rich tradition of innovative, academic excellence and dynamic campus community of #Changemakers.

Home of the Purple Aces, UE is located in the southwestern region of Indiana and offers over 75 majors, 17 Division I sports, and a unique study abroad experience at Harlaxton, the University’s very own Victorian manor located in the countryside of England. For more information, please visit evansville.edu.

MEDIA CONTACT

Noah Alatza, Chief Communications Officer

na122@evansville.edu

812-893-5319

View Online: http://evansville.meritpages.com/news/IN-MaC-Design-and-Innovation-Training-Studio-Opens-on-UE-campus-Facility-to-Advance-STEM-Education/48788

 

Vanderburgh County Recent Booking Records

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Booked Last 24 Hours-Public

EPD DAILY ACTIVITY REPORT

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EPD

EPD DAILY ACTIVITY REPORT

FOOTNOTE: EPD DAILY ACTIVITY REPORT information was provided by the EPD and posted by the City-County-County Observer without opinion, bias, or editing.

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