2022 Legislative Highlights
by State Senator Vaneta Becker
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2022 Legislative Highlights
Returning More Than $1 Billion To Taxpayers
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Indiana remains in a strong fiscal position and revenue collections continue to outpace expectations, and now our state is facing $5 billion in reserves and a $2 billion structural surplus. That’s why I recently joined fellow legislators in supporting the largest tax cut in the state’s history that once fully implemented will return more than $1 billion to taxpayers. The legislation delivers direct relief to working Hoosiers by reducing the individual income tax from 3.23% to 2.9% over seven years. Once phased in, Indiana will have one of the lowest income tax rates in the nation. House Enrolled Act 1002 will also help lower utility bills for Hoosiers and businesses by eliminating the 1.46% Utility Receipts Tax currently paid on electricity, natural gas, water, steam, sewage and telephone bills. |
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This tax-cut package includes using reserves to make a one-time, $2.5 billion payment toward pre-’96 teacher pension obligations. This comes after Indiana has paid down well over $1 billion in debt over the last year alone, which will help set us up for additional tax cuts in the near future.As revenues continue to outpace expectations, Hoosier taxpayers will also receive a $125 refund this spring as part of a combined refund of over $545 million. Indiana’s fiscal position is strong and now is the time to put money back into the pockets of those who earned it. Our low taxes and low cost of living are part of what helps Indiana stay competitive with neighboring states when it comes to attracting workers and businesses alike. |
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Swimming Posts Two Top 10 Finishes On Final Day At National Invitational Championships
ELKHART, Ind.—The University of Evansville swimming and diving teams wrapped up their 2022 season in fine fashion on Saturday, as the Purple Aces posted a pair of Top 10 finishes at the CSCAA National Invitational Championships in Elkhart, Indiana.
“This weekend was a great ending to a great season by both the men and women,” said UE head swimming coach Stuart Wilson. “They have set the bar high for future classes, and we will continue to improve as a team as we get even stronger. I expect ‘baby steps’ to turn into ‘big accomplishments’ for both the men and the women going forward. I could not be prouder of both teams right now.”
Sophomore Alon Baer (Gesher Haziv, Israel) qualified individually for the ‘A Final’ in the 200-yard Breaststroke and finished ninth out of 36 swimmers in the event with a final time of 2:00.88. His final time ranked as the fourth-fastest 200 Breaststroke time ever at UE, and he has set all four of those top times during the month of March for UE.
UE then placed 10th overall in the men’s 400-yard Freestyle Relay to end the meet. The quartet of senior Oskar Menkhaus (Davidson, N.C./William A. Hough), junior Riccardo Di Domenico (Johannesburg, South Africa), and freshmen Jakob Grundbacher (Long Beach, Calif.) and Daniel Santos Lopez (Madrid, Spain) teamed up to post a time of 2:59.64, just 0.08 seconds off of the school record time set at the Mid-American Conference Championships last weekend.
Freshman Patrik Vilbergsson (Kopavogur, Iceland) also was able to place 16th overall in the men’s 200-yard Backstroke, as he made the ‘B Final’ and posted a time of 1:49.56 to rank as the fifth-fastest male swimmer in UE history in the event. Senior Zeke Metz (Topeka, Kan./Seaman) also narrowly missed the ‘B Final’ in the 200-yard Butterfly, as he placed 22nd overall with a time of 1:52.43.
On the women’s side, senior Jessie Steele (Houston, Texas/Klein) wrapped up a strong sprint freestyle career at UE by posting a time of 52.02 in the 100-yard Freestyle. She will leave UE ranked in Evansville’s career top five in terms of fastest swimmers in both the 50- and 100-yard Freestyle events. Junior Sage Moore (Lexington, Ohio/Lexington) also wrapped up her 2022 season on Saturday with a time of 2:21.37 in the 200-yard Breaststroke.
The CSCAA National Invitational Championships featured over 56 schools, including various “Power Five” conference teams. The UE men finished 15th as a team, scoring just ahead of Virginia Tech and UNLV in the team standings. The UE women, meanwhile, placed 41st overall. Tennessee’s men and Ohio State’s women won the overall team scoring titles.
The NIC meet concluded a record season for Evansville, which broke school records on 25 different occasions throughout the course of the year on both the men’s and women’s sides. Evansville will return 26 swimmers and divers next season, including 14 on the men’s side and 12 on the women’s.
THUNDERBOLTS DEFEAT BULLS IN OVERTIME FOR WEEKEND SWEEPÂ
Evansville, In.: For the second consecutive night, the Thunderbolts and Birmingham Bulls went to overtime tied at 3 goals aside, and Evansville repeated history by defeating Birmingham in overtime by a 4-3 score. The Thunderbolts next home game will be on Wednesday, March 16th at 7:00pm CST as they host the Macon Mayhem. For tickets, call (812)422-BOLT (2658), buy online at EvansvilleThunderbolts.com, or buy tickets in person at the Ford Center Box Office.
The bulk of the goal scoring occurred in the first period, starting with Brennan Feasey’s wrap-around goal from Tanner Butler and Coy Prevost at 4:46. Evansville doubled up the lead just over a minute later as Cameron Cook scored on a two-on-two rush from Josh Adkins at 5:55. On a power play the Bulls responded at 7:14 as David Nippard cut the lead to 2-1. Later at 16:40, Feasey scored once again on a one-timer from Austin Plevy and Tanner Butler to put the Thunderbolts up 3-1 after the first period.
In the second period, Brody Duncan cashed in on a Thunderbolts turnover at 12:33, scoring unassisted to cut Evansville’s lead to 3-2. 3:30 into the third period, another turnover resulted in an unassisted goal for Colton Fletcher as the Bulls managed to tie the game. After a scoreless final stretch of regulation, the game required overtime for the second consecutive game, however Cory Dunn won the game for Evansville only 56 seconds in from Cook to avoid another shootout and sweep the Bulls with a 4-3 overtime win.
Feasey finished with two goals, Cook scored a goal and assist, while Dunn scored the overtime-winning goal. Butler finished with two assists, while Billett finished with 36 saves on 39 shots faced for his 21st win of the season.  The Thunderbolts now only need 4 points out of 18 possible remaining to clinch a berth in the SPHL Playoffs.
USI’s Winders claims second national championship with 3,000m win
PITTSBURG, Kan.—A night after becoming the fifth student-athlete in University of Southern Indiana Men’s Track & Field history to win a national championship, junior Titus Winders (Mansfield, Indiana) accomplished something no other performer in school history has ever done: win a second national championship in the same meet.
Winders erased a 50-plus meter gap throughout the last 600 meters to finish first in the men’s 3,000 meters Saturday night at the NCAA II Indoor Championships.
Much like he did in his 5,000-meter win the previous night, Winders surged from the back of the pack to claim the victory. He was in 18th place 600 meters into the race and in 16th at the midway mark.
Winders jumped six spots to 10th at the 1,800-meter mark and moved up three more spots to seventh at the 2,100-meter mark. Winders made his move in the home stretch of the next to last lap as he jumped five spots to second place heading into the final lap, where he ran down race-leader Ryan Riddle (Missouri Southern State University) before out-kicking Grand Valley State University senior and runner-up Isaac Harding in the final 200 meters.
After becoming the first student-athlete in program history to break the eight-minute mark in the 3,000 meters less than a month ago, Winders broke his own school record with his time of seven minutes, 57.01 seconds. He ran the final 300-meter lap in 40.82 seconds to edge Harding by 0.63 seconds and set a new track record in the process.
With his two national championships, Winders scored 20 points for the Screaming Eagles in the team standings, which were good enough for 10th in the team standings. Grand Valley State won the team title with 66 points, while Ashland University was second with 49 points.
Winders, who recorded USI’s 11th and 12th individual national championships on the weekend, became the third student-athlete in program history to win multiple national championships in the same academic year. USI and GLVC Hall of Famer Elly Rono won three national championships (cross country, indoor 5,000 meters, outdoor 10,000 meters) in 1997-98, while Tyler Pence won two national championships (indoor 5,000 meters, outdoor 10,000 meters) in 2014-15.
On Friday night, Winders won the 5,000 meters with a school, track, and meet-record time of 13:38.92.
USI is schedule to begin the outdoor track & field schedule March 25-26 when it competes at the Margaret Simmons Invite in Murray, Kentucky.
Aces sweep doubleheader and secure series win over No. 18 Tulane
NEW ORLEANS, La. – Doing something they have not done since 2006, the University of Evansville baseball team captured a doubleheader sweep of No. 18 Tulane, 5-3 and 5-1, on Saturday in New Orleans, La.
The last time Evansville captured consecutive victories over top 25 opponents came on April 8, 2006 when the Aces defeated No. 21 Wichita State, 2-1 and 7-5.
“Great overall team baseball for 18 innings. It started on the mound with great performances from Shane Gray and Nick Smith,” said Aces head baseball coach Wes Carroll. “The bullpen kept the lead while we were able to tack on runs late. Offense had a great plan and delivered with runners in scoring position. Great day to be an Ace.”
On the day, starters Shane Gray and Nick Smith combined to allow just four combined runs and throw 16 strikeouts in their wins. Offensively, the Aces pounded out 20 hits, scoring 10 runs, while defensively, Evansville played flawless ball, going without an error in the 18 innings of the doubleheader.
Game One: Evansville 5, Tulane 3
Evansville fans have been treated to a plethora of impressive performances from Shane Gray in his four seasons as an Ace, but Saturday against the Green Wave might have been one of Gray’s finest in the white and purple. Gray dominated across seven innings of work, allowing just six hits and striking-out nine batters. Until the eighth inning, Gray did not allow a runner to advance past first base.
A patient and calculated approach at the plate paid dividends for Evansville as runs came in spurts and at opportune times for the Aces. Evansville grabbed their first two runs of the day in the third as doubles from Mark Shallenberger and Tanner Craig each drove in a run. Just two innings later, a similar story unfolded with a double from Simon Scherry and a base hit from Brent Widder again providing single runs each for the Aces to double Evansville’s lead to 4-0.
After getting another run in the eighth on an RBI single from Brendan Hord, Gray came back out for his eighth inning of work and ran into trouble for the first time. Tulane would score five runs as Nate Hardman and Jakob Meyer came in and got out of the inning.
In the ninth with Meyer on the mound, the Aces locked down the win as the closer sat the Wave down in order, ending the game with a strikeout looking to secure the 5-3 win.
Game Two: Evansville 5, Tulane 1
The story of game two began much as it did for game one with Evansville riding the momentum earned by its starter on the mound and its stellar defensive effort. Sophomore Nick Smith was dominant on the mound, pitching the first 6.1 innings, allowing six hits and just one run, while punching-out seven.
Much of the Aces offense in game two came from good early inning at bats. Evansville picked-up an early run in the second innings as Danny Borgstrom grounded out, scoring Chase Hug. In the fifth, Evansville added another single run on a sacrifice fly RBI from Craig. Continuing the trend, the Aces grabbed another run on a sac fly RBI from Scherry in the seventh as UE owned a 3-0 lead.
Tulane scratched across its first, and what would be its only, run of the game in the seventh. As the game moved into the ninth, Evansville got a crucial boost it needed with Rumsey scoring on a wild pitch on a strikeout of Craig that prolonged the inning and Widder ripping a double down the line, scoring Scherry to add some insurance and pump the Aces lead to 5-1.
In the bottom of the ninth, Drew Dominik matched the efforts of his teammate Jakob Meyer, striking-out a pair in the final frame and ending the game with a strikeout looking in the 5-1 win.
Evansville closes its road series at No. 18 Tulane with a final game on Sunday at 1 PM in New Orleans, La.
Parker and Ikejiani tie for 14th in Daytona Beach
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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Carson Parker and Michael Ikejhiani tied for 14th as the University of Evansville men’s golf team finished in 7th place at the Sacred Heart Spring Invite at LPGA International – Hills Course.
Saturday’s final round of the tournament saw the Purple Aces come hone just five shots out of the top five. Parker carded a 5-over 77 in the final round to complete the event with a 152. Ikejiani matched Parker’s final to lead UE’s individuals. Both wrapped up the two rounds of play with a 152.
Nicholas Gushrowski had the low round of the day for UE, firing off a 4-over 76 to score a 153. He tied for 19th. Third on the UE team was Caleb Wassmer, who registered a 157. He finished the last 18 holes with an 83. Henry Kiel and Dallas Koth followed with final totals of 158 and 159.  Both completed Saturday’s round with an 80.
On the individual side, Masatoyo Kato came in three behind Ikejiani. Katoshot an 81 on Saturday to complete the tournament with a 155. He tied for 23rd. Isaac Rohleder totaled an 83 in the final 18 to finish with a 163 while Eli Rohleder checked in with a 171.
Sacred Heart University picked up the team and individual wins. The Pioneers had three finishers in the top nine to clinch the team win with a 591. They were seven in front of Stetson. Marcus Lim was medalist, defeating Stetson’s Truman Keppy by two shots. Lim had a 68 on Friday before recording a 73 in the final 18 to shoot a 141. Evansville took 7th with a 617, two behind Fairfield.
UE returns to the course on March 28 for the Butler Spring Invitational in Indianapolis.
Aces bring home top five at SHU Spring Invitational
Enchelmayer posts low round on Saturday
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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Finishing with a team score of 324, the University of Evansville women’s golf team earned a fifth-place finish in the SHU Spring Invitational at LPGA International – Jones Course.
Three Purple Aces came home in the top 25 with Alyssa McMinn leading the way. She recorded a 79 on Saturday to complete the tournament with a final tally of 155. McMinn finished in a tie for 15th. Mallory Russell and Allison Enchelmayer tied for 24th with scores of 159. Russelll followed up Friday’s 77 with an 82 while Enchelmayer had a team-low 78 in the final 18.
Tying for 31st was Caitlin O’Donnell. Her Saturday score of 75 gave her a final total of 163 while Carly Frazier registered a 167 after shooting an 86 in the final round. Magdalena Borisova carded scores of 78 and 86 to tie for 36th with a 164.
Evansville edged Fairfield for the 5th position. UE had a 636 to finish four ahead of the sixth position. Sacred Heart clinched the team and individual victories. The Pioneers’ team score of 309 gave them a two-round tally of 600. They defeated Seton Hall by four strokes with Lehigh finishing 21 behind. Chantal El Chaib of SHU was the medalist, completing the two rounds with a 141. She was three in front of her nearest competition.
Up next for the Aces will be the Any Given Tuesday Intercollegiate at Pawley’s Island, S.C. It will take place from March 28-30.