CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – Vincennes University sophomore Bryce Kirchner (North Vernon, Ind.) qualified for the NJCAA Division II National Championships for the second year in a row after his performance at the Region 24 Championships at Dalhousie Golf Course Monday and Tuesday.

The Trailblazers as a team continued to improve as the 54-hole tournament continued, with the team taking 10 shots off their score in the three round tournament.

Vincennes struggled out of the gate in the first round Monday with Kirchner setting the pace with an opening round 81.

Freshman Sam Stewart (Floyds Knob, Ind.) started his tournament with an 83 and freshman Luke VanDeventer (Columbus, Ind.) was one shot behind with an 84.

Freshman Paxton Schwomeyer (Oakland City, Ind.) finished the first round of the day with an 87 and freshman Caleb Maris (Terre Haute, Ind.) rounded out the opening round for VU with a 93.

Vincennes got the opportunity to bounce back immediately as the field played the first 36-holes on Monday.

Paxton Schwomeyer came away with the lowest round of the day for the Blazers, taking 10 shots off his opening round for a second round 77.

Caleb Maris additionally cut 10 shots off his first round score, ending the second round of the day with an 83.

Bryce Kirchner had a very consistent day with a second round 80, with Stewart and VanDeventer rounding out the day with Stewart shooting an 85 and VanDeventer ending with an 86.

VU returned to the course Tuesday morning for the third and final round of the tournament and Kirchner made his climb up the leaderboard with a one-over 73 in the final round to give him a tournament score of 234 and a tie for 10th place.

Schwomeyer and VanDeventer also came in under 80, shooting 79 each with Schwomeyer placing 21st at 243 for the tournament and VanDeventer ending at 27th with 249.

Sam Stewart had a very consistent tournament with his final round coming in at 84, giving him a tournament score of 252 good for 29th place.

Caleb Maris closed out the tournament with a final round 98, and a 37th place finish with a tournament score of 274.

Vincennes as a team took home a sixth-place finish with team scores of 335 in the first round, 325 in the second and 315 in the final round Tuesday, good for 975 on the tournament.

”We didn’t play our best in the 36 holes on the first day of the tournament,” VU Golf Coach Dennis Chattin said. “But we did play well on the second day in the third round.”

“Bryce advancing to the National Championships for the second straight year is a really great accomplishment,” Chattin added. “Dalhousie is a tough golf course and I think Bryce put a little extra pressure on himself because he really wanted to qualify for Nationals again and he didn’t get off to a good start in the first round.”

“But in typical Bryce style, he continued to battle to the end,” Chattin said. “On the front nine of his final round he had lost a ball where all of his group thought they could find it but we had a lot of rain the night before and we think it was just buried, so he had to take a lost ball which cost him two shots.”

“We talked at the turn that he had nothing to lose, so just go for it on the back nine and that’s exactly what he did,” Chattin added. “After the 40 on the front, he shot a three-under par 33 on the back, including an eagle on the par five 18th. Bryce is really deserving of advancing. He is a third-year player who has earned two degrees at VU with a straight ‘A’ average and works really hard at his game.”

Bryce Kirchner rallied back to qualify for the NJCAA Division II National Championships as an individual and will be representing the Trailblazers at Twin Hills Country Club in Joplin, Mo.

The four-day Championship tournament will begin on Tuesday, May 17 and run through Friday, May 20.

Western Colorado transfer posted 21 PPG last year

 

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Another important piece was added to the 2022-23 University of Evansville men’s basketball squad as head coach Todd Lickliter announced the addition of Matthew Ragsdale.

A 3-year player at Western Colorado University out of NCAA Division II, Ragsdale was the leading scorer on his team last season, finishing with 21.5 points per game while shooting 44.5% from the field.

“We are excited to welcome Matthew to UE and know his experience, skill and commitment to team success will make him an invaluable teammate,” Lickliter said.  “We look forward to his arrival on campus and his positive impact on our program throughout his career.”

Averaging 35.7 minutes per game in 2021-22, Ragsdale added 4.1 rebounds, 70 3-point makes while completing the year shooting 82.3% from the line.  The 6-foot-4 native of Colorado Springs, Colorado was named a Second Team All-South Central Region player while garnering Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference First Team All-Conference accolades.

Ragsdale has been a prolific scorer throughout his career with the Mountaineers, completing his sophomore campaign in 2020-21 with 20.8 points per game while shooting 49.1% from the field.  He joined Western Colorado as a freshman in 2019 and posted 12.4 PPG while earning All-RMAC Honorable Mention.

Prior to his college career, Ragsdale played at Lewis-Palmer High School where he helped his team to a perfect 28-0 mark on the way to a state championship in his senior campaign.

EVANSVILLE, Ind.—University of Southern Indiana Softball opens Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament play Thursday at 12:30 p.m. when it hosts No. 8-seeded Maryville University in the opening round.
 
The Screaming Eagles (40-10, 26-2 GLVC) enter the tournament as the top seed after finishing the regular-season by winning 28 of their last 30 games, including a program-record 26 wins in conference play.
 
USI jumped one spot to No. 15 in the latest National Fastpitch Coaches’ Association Division II Top 25 poll. The University of Indianapolis, which is the No. 2 seed in the GLVC Tournament, dropped a spot to No. 3 in the latest national poll, while Grand Valley State University stayed at No. 21 to round out the Midwest Region’s presences in the national poll.
 
If USI wins its opening round game, the Eagles will play the winner of the matchup between No. 5-seeded University of Missouri-St. Louis and No. 4-seeded Lindenwood University Friday at 3 p.m. in the winner’s bracket. USI would play the loser between Missouri-St. Louis and Lindenwood Friday at 10 a.m. in the event of a first-round loss.
 
The GLVC Tournament semifinals are scheduled for Saturday, while any remaining “if necessary” games along with the championship are scheduled for Sunday.
 
USI’s games will be carried live on the GLVC Sports Network, while live stats and video can be accessed at GoUSIEagles.com. Tickets for the GLVC Softball Championship Tournament must be purchased online and in advance as no cash will be accepted at the gate.
 
USI Softball Notes
• Eagles looking for fifth GLVC Tournament title. USI is looking for its fifth GLVC Tournament title this weekend and its first since 2018.
 
• Different format. This year’s GLVC Tournament is following the GLVC Baseball Championship’s format, with the tournament being double-elimination and the championship being a winner-take-all single game.
 
• Against the field. The Eagles went 13-1 against the GLVC Tournament field this season, including 7-1 against the top five seeds. More impressively is that the Eagles played seeds 2-5 on the road during the regular season.
 
• GLVC regular-season champions. USI captured its first regular-season GLVC title since 2017 and its first-ever out-right regular-season championship. The Eagles finished in a tie at 19-7 with Rockhurst in 2017 but had the No. 1 seed due to a tiebreaker. They tied with Ashland University at 8-0 in 1995 before winning the GLVC Tournament title.

• Scoreless streak. Lindenwood’s run in the third inning of the Eagles’ game-two win snapped a pair of USI scoreless streaks. The Eagles held their opponents scoreless for 22 consecutive frames this weekend, while freshman pitcher Josie Newman (Indianapolis, Indiana) had not given up a run in her previous 20 innings of work.
 
• Another plateau. USI’s 40 wins marks the fourth time in program history that the Eagles have reached the 40-win plateau. They won 48 games in 1998, 46 in 2017 and 41 during their national championship run in 2018. It’s also the third time in program history they have reached the 40-win plateau during the regular-season.
 
• GLVC win total. The Eagles matched the single-season program record for conference wins by picking up its 22nd GLVC victory. USI was 22-6 in 1998 and 2015 and went 21-9 in 2016. This season marks the fourth time in program history the Eagles have reached the 20-win plateau in league play.
 
• USI moves up on spot in NFCA Top 25. The Eagles moved up one spot to No. 15 in the latest NFCA Division II Top 25 poll. Indianapolis dropped a spot to No. 2, while Grand Valley State remained No. 21.
 
• Regional rankings. The final set of regional rankings are due out Wednesday afternoon. The Eagles are fighting for a top-two spot in the NCAA II Midwest Region rankings, which would give the Eagles the right to host one of the two Midwest Regionals. The NCAA Division II Tournament selection show is scheduled for Monday at 9 a.m. (CDT) on ncaa.com.
 
• USI ends regular season with four more wins. The Eagles went 4-0 to end the regular season. The Eagles held their opponents to just two runs in 28 innings of work, with junior pitcher Allie Goodin (Evansville, Indiana) going 2-0 with a .054 ERA and senior pitcher Katie Back (Indianapolis, Indiana) going 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA. Newman went 1-0 with a save and a 0.62 ERA.
 
At the plate, sophomore catcher Sammie Kihega (Greenfield, Indiana) hit .583 (7-12) with three doubles and thre RBI to lead the Eagles. Goodin and junior second baseman Rachel Martinez (Chicago, Illinois) each had four RBI, while Goodin and sophomore first baseman Lexi Fair (Greenwood, Indiana) each had a home run.
 
• Season leaders. Sophomore first baseman Lexi Fair (Greenwood, Indiana) continues to pace the Eagles at the plate with a .385 batting average, 16 doubles, three triples, eight home runs and 42 RBI. Back is hitting .374 with eight doubles, two home runs and 26 RBI. The Eagles are hitting .322 as a team and have 10 players with at least 12 RBI and eight with more than 20 RBI.

EVANSVILLE, Ind.—University of Southern Indiana Men’s and Women’s Track & Field will compete at the Great Lakes Valley Conference Outdoor Championships for the final time Friday-Saturday in Bolivar, Missouri. The meet was originally scheduled for Thursday-Saturday, but was changed to a two-day event due to the forecast of inclement weather.
 
The Screaming Eagles, who will be in the Ohio Valley Conference in 2022-23, are coming off a strong effort at the GLVC Indoor Championships back in February. USI’s men finished fourth, with junior Titus Winders (Mansfield, Indiana) capturing three conference titles en route to earning GLVC co-Track Athlete of the Year honors, while USI’s women also posted a fourth-place finish.
 
Led by Winders, the Eagles have three of the top five GLVC times in the 5,000 meters and the 10,000 meters, while junior Madison King (Avon, Indiana) is ranked No. 3 in the 800 meters. Winders ranks first in the 5,000 meters and second in the 10,000 meters, thought he will likely not compete in the 10,000 meters this weekend.
 
Senior Austin Nolan (Evansville, Indiana) is ranked third in both the 5,000 and 10,000 meters.
 
USI’s women have several top-five times, with sophomore Cameron Hough (Olney, Illinois) leading the pack in the 5,000 meters and the 10,000 meters, while fellow classmate McKenna Cavanaugh (New Albany, Indiana) ranking second in the steeplechase and fourth in the 1,500 meters.
 
The GLVC Championships can be watch on the GLVC Sports Network, while live results can be accessed at GoUSIEagles.com.