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A Note From State Representative Wendy McNamara
METS Reopens Trolleys in Downtown Evansville
The Metropolitan Evansville Transit System (METS) is reopening the METS Downtown Trolley beginning Monday January 20th.
“Since taking office, I have made it a priority to reopen METS Routes that were paused due to COVID and the national driver shortage,” said Evansville Mayor Stephanie Terry. “I am happy to report that, since the creation of our METS Driver’s School, we have graduated seven new CDL bus drivers. This is helping us cutdown on overtime, and now allows us to reopen our first route.”
The Downtown Trolley will run Monday to Friday from 6:15am to 6:15pm. Some of the stops on the route include Bosse Field, Main Street, Haynie’s Corner, cMoe, the Museum of Arts and Sciences, C.K. Newsome Center and the Casino.
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.
Freshmen lead the way in UE women’s basketball’s win over Southern Illinois
Freshmen lead the way in UE women’s basketball’s win over Southern Illinois
The Purple Aces tied their season-high in assists on Sunday
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – With five players in double figures the University of Evansville women’s basketball team earned its first Missouri Valley Conference win.
The Purple Aces led for over 35 minutes in a big 80-75 win over the Southern Illinois Salukis on Sunday afternoon. UE ended a six-game losing skid with its second game of the season having five players score 10 or more points. Freshman forward Elle Snyder (Latrobe, Penn. / Greater Latrobe HS) had her best-scoring outing with 19 points to lead Evansville. She was followed closely by freshman point guard Avery Kelley (Evansville, Ind. / Memorial HS) with her third straight double-digit outing with 18 points.
“The wins feel really good,” said Head Coach Robyn Scherr after the victory. “I’m really really proud of our team. Today’s effort was great for a great performance. We shot the ball really well and we were able to hang on through runs and not let anything tighten up when we gained a nice lead. I’m really pleased with today’s game.”
The Aces offense started early on Sunday as freshman guard Camryn Runner (Cicero, Ind. / Hamilton Heights HS) put in an early layup. Southern Illinois answered with a three for the first lead change of the afternoon. The lead was traded three more times in the first quarter. Until UE pulled ahead on a seven-point run. The Salukis tied the game back up, but Evansville ended the quarter on a nine to two run for an eight-point lead.
It was a slow start to the second quarter for the Aces as Southern Illinois got within three. Snyder ended UE’s 4:45-minute scoring drought with her second three to spur a seven-point run. For the final five minutes of the half Evansville’s defense kept the Salukis from putting together a run. The Aces grabbed four steals in the second quarter while forcing 11 turnovers from SIU for the half. Snyder closed out scoring in the half the same way she opened it with a three to give UE a 40-25 lead after 20 minutes.
Evansville kept its offense going in the second half with a six-point run forcing an early Saluki timeout. The Aces took their largest lead of the game at 23 points less than three minutes in the third while holding Southern Illinois scoreless for that period. SIU’s offense had an eight-point run to get within 15. But the UE defense kept the Saluki’s from any more major runs in the quarter. Evansville trapped Southern Illinois into foul trouble, taking advantage of 13 attempts at the line for a 62-45 lead.
The Salukis scored five points to begin the fourth quarter to make it a 12-point game. The Aces were able to respond with a five-point run of their own while keeping SIU scoreless for a minute and a half. The teams traded shots through the media timeout until Southern Illinois’ leading scorer put together four points. Snyder made a statement shortly after with her fifth three of the game to put the game to bed. With three trips to the free throw line in the final three minutes Evansville secured its first MVC win against the Salukis.
For the second game in a row, the Aces’ scoring offense was mostly led by freshmen. UE’s three leading scorers were Snyder with 19 points, Kelley with 18 points, and Runner with 14 points. Guard Logan Leubbers Palmer (Union, Ky. / Randall K. Cooper HS) added 10 points as well for Evansville’s freshman scoring 61 of the Aces’ 85 points.
On defense sophomore forward Maggie Hartwig (Sauk City, Wis. / Sauk Prairie HS) led UE with 13 rebounds to pick up her fourth double-double of the season. Runner came a board shy of her first double-double tying her career high of nine rebounds. Runner also recorded Evansville’s lone block of the game.
The Aces return to action next weekend on the road. UE will make its final season trip to Music City on Friday, January 24th. Evansville will take on the two MVC leaders over the weekend with Friday’s game against Belmont and Murray State on Sunday. Tip-off from Nashville is set for 6:30 p.m. on Friday night.
-www.gopurpleaces.com-
USI Cheer finishes 8th at UCA National Cheerleading Championships
USI Cheer finishes 8th at UCA National Cheerleading Championships
ORLANDO, Fla.—The University of Southern Indiana Cheer Team turned out a strong performance Sunday morning to earn an eighth-place finish in the finals of the UCA & UDA College & Dance Championships.
Participating in the Small Coed Division I competition, the Screaming Eagles posted a clean sheet in the deductions column as they finished with 79.8 points.
Under the direction of Head Coach Megan Ringer, the Eagles have been working since September in preparation for Nationals and the hard work was evident as USI posted a raw score of 80.8 points in the semifinals on Saturday to earn a berth in Sunday’s finals. A one-point deduction in the semifinals slipped the Eagles into a tie for seventh in the prelims.
USI was one of four teams to escape the finals without a deduction and tied with Southeastern Louisiana University for the fewest combined deductions in the semifinals and final rounds.
The Eagles competed in the All-Girl Division I competition for the first time last season, finishing 16th with a final event score of 60.6 points. This year marked the first-time in program history that USI has participated in the Small Coed Division I competition.
USI competed previously in the Open Cheer Small Coed Division prior to 2024, finishing fourth in 2023 and fifth in 2022.
Aces complete meet at USI
Aces complete meet at USI
Screaming Eagles take both victories
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – On Saturday, the University of Evansville swimming and diving teams were back in action at USI. The Purple Aces men’s team fell by a final of 154-142 while the UE women were defeated, 195-94.
Evansville picked up multiple victories on both squads. The men got on the board with a win in the 200-medley relay. Patrik Vilbergsson, Carlos Souto Vilas, Daniel Santos Lopez, and Sammy McCall posted a 1:33.69 to win by nearly two seconds.
Vilbergsson led a 1-2-3 finish in the 100-backstroke. His 52.38 was just over one second in front of teammate Ben Morse with Logan Tenison taking third place. He also earned a victory in the 200-backstroke with his time of 1:52.79 with Tenison taking second. Souto Vilas came home victorious in the 100-breaststroke. His 58.65 was just under a half second in front of the competition. In the 100-free, Santos Lopez and Michael Pruett led the field. Santos Lopez won with a 47.40 while Pruett finished in 47.69. Santos Lopez racked up another win in the 100-fly. He came in just 0.10 in front of second place.
Joseph Capo and Wyatt Gallas were the top finishers in the 500-free. Capo’s 4:46.48 topped Gallas’ mark of 4:47.23.
Maddie Rollett continued her stellar 2024-25 campaign. With a score of 235.35, she was the top finisher in the 1-meter dive. Her 245.85 in the 3-meter marked her second victory of the meet. Sveva Brugnoli was the top finisher for the ladies in the 200-fly. With a time of 2:11.24, she was 2 ½ seconds ahead of the field.
Ane Madina had a solid performance in the 100-backstroke. With a 1:00.96, she was the runner-up by just over a second. Madina add another 2nd-place effort in the 200-backstroke. Her 2:14.27 was just 0.31 behind the winning time. Mari Mueller came in second in the 100-breaststroke with a 1:09.19 and matched the runner-up effort in the 200-breaststroke. Her time in the 200 checked in at 2:29.34.
Evelyn Chin picked up a second place in the 100-fly. Her 58.29 was less than a half second behind the top time. Chin along with Madina, Rebecca Lago, and Amanda Denny came in second in the 200-free relay. The group completed the race in 1:40.99.
Both squads will be back in action in less than two weeks beginning on Jan. 31 when the Aces welcome Eastern Illinois to Deaconess Aquatic Center. On Feb. 1, UE wraps up the regular season with a home meet at DAC against Bellarmine.
-www.GoPurpleAces.com-
Lady Blazers fall in road showdown at Rock Valley College
Lady Blazers fall in road showdown at Rock Valley College
ROCKFORD, Ill. – The Vincennes University Lady Trailblazers hit the road to close out a busy week of NJCAA basketball, heading up north to Rockford, Ill. to face off against the Golden Eagles of Rock Valley College.
The Lady Blazers battled tough but came out on the wrong side of an 81-67 final score to the Golden Eagles.
Vincennes got off to a quick start Saturday afternoon, opening the game on a 7-2 scoring run to take an early lead.
Rock Valley would answer back on their home floor however, scoring eight straight on their way to closing out the first quarter on an 11-4 run to take a 13-11 lead after the first 10 minutes of play.
Rock Valley began to expand their lead in the second quarter, using a late 15-2 scoring run to build their lead up to 44-26 at the halftime break.
The Golden Eagles continued to push early in the third quarter, getting the lead up to 31 at 63-32 before the Lady Blazers scored the final eight points of the period to head into the fourth trailing 63-40.
The Lady Blazers continued to fight in the fourth quarter as Rock Valley looked to cruise down the stretch after getting their lead to 77-51, the Lady Blazers closed out the contest by outscoring Rock Valley 16-4.
The VU offense was able to get going late as Vincennes capped off the game by outscoring the Golden Eagles 27-18 in the fourth quarter but ultimately ran out of time to complete the late comeback as the Lady Blazers fell by the final score of 81-67.
The Lady Blazers were led offensively Saturday afternoon by freshman Delora Pricop (Satu Mare, Romania) who battled early foul trouble to finish the game with 20 points and six rebounds.
Freshman Ahmya Thomas (Phoenix, Ariz.) got her offensive game going in the second half, scoring 12 of her 17 points in the final 20 minutes, while also leading the Lady Blazers with eight rebounds and four steals.
Sophomore Marta Gutierrez (Alicante, Spain) was the next Lady Blazer scorer, finishing the game with 11 points and a team-high five assists to go along with four rebounds.
Freshman Emani Washington (Indianapolis, Ind.) was the fourth Lady Blazer in double-figures, ending her game with 11 points, four rebounds and three assists.
The Lady Blazers will look to bounce back and get back in the win column when they return home Wednesday, Jan. 22 when VU hosts Olney Central College at 5 p.m. eastern.
VINCENNES BOX SCORE
VINCENNES (67): Ahmya Thomas 6-20 3-8 17, Marta Gutierrez 4-8 2-2 11, Emani Washington 5-13 0-0 11, Netala Dixon 1-8 2-2 4, Delora Pricop 10-18 0-0 20, Yanni Huggins 2-2 0-0 4, Team 28-69 7-12 67.
Rock Valley – 13 31 19 18 – 81
VU (9-10, 4-1) – 11 15 14 27 – 67
Three-point goals: VU 4 (Thomas 2, Gutierrez, Washington). Rebounds: VU 34 (Thomas 8). Assists: VU 18 (Gutierrez 5). Steals: VU 10 (Thomas 4). Blocked Shots: VU 2 (Pricop, Huggins). Turnovers: VU 22. Personal Fouls: VU 17. Fouled out: Pricop. Technical Fouls: VU Bench (3rd – 5:08)
THUNDERBOLTS SPLIT WEEKEND SERIES IN PEORIA
THUNDERBOLTS SPLIT WEEKEND SERIES IN PEORIA
Peoria, Ill.: Although they were unable to pull off the sweep following their 4-3 win on Friday, the Thunderbolts held their ground and gave Peoria all they could handle, as the Rivermen took Saturday’s rematch in Peoria by a 3-1 score. The Thunderbolts’ next home game will be on Friday, January 24th against the Pensacola Ice Flyers at 7:05pm CT.
Down 1-0 following a Peoria goal from Carlos Fornaris at 8:18, Evansville rallied to tie the game in the first period’s final minute, as Logan vande Meerakker scored from Matt Dorsey and Scott Kirton with only 15 seconds remaining. Tough bounces cost the Thunderbolts in the second period, despite outshooting the Rivermen 15-11 in the middle frame, as Alec Baer scored at 6:09 off a scramble at the Evansville net on a delayed penalty, followed by a power play goal from Jake Vaughan at 14:32 to give the Rivermen a 3-1 lead. The Thunderbolts were simply unable to find a way to beat Colby Muise in the final 40 minutes, with Matthew Hobbs hitting the post in the fading seconds to no avail, as Evansville fell just short by the 3-1 score, still taking two wins out of the three game road-stand, a pleasant overall result as Evansville returns home for their next three games to conclude their January schedule.
Vande Meerakker finished with Evansville’s lone goal of the night, while Cole Ceci finished with 19 saves on 22 shots on goal. The Thunderbolts and Rivermen meet again on Friday, February 7th at Ford Center, face-off set for 7:05pm CT.
USI Men’s Swim and Dive earn historic win over Aces in the final heats
EVANSVILLE, Ind.– University of Southern Indiana Men’s Swimming and Diving picked up the program’s first ever head-to-head victory over the University of Evansville on Saturday afternoon on the men’s side, 154-142.
The Screaming Eagles and Aces were tied at 130-130 with the 200 IM and 200 freestyle remaining in the rematch of the crosstown rivalry. Freshman Luke Rich gave the Eagles the advantage winning the 200 IM (1:58.73) by the narrow margin of 0.16 seconds.
Screaming Eagles Aquatic Center was on the edge of their seats as the winner would likely be determined by the 200 freestyle relay heat to conclude the meet. The veteran team of sophomore Sam Smith, sophomore Joey Smith, junior Gabriel Groves, and junior Caleb Davis clinched the meet with a blazing time (1:25.10).
Multiple other standout performances led the Eagles to the massive victory including Sam Smith’s record breaking 1000 freestyle performance (9:43.55). The sophomore snapped the previous record by nearly nine full seconds, etching his name into his third individual school best.
Another key USI heat victory included junior Jack Hannon‘s 200 freestyle performance (1:43.81) and freshman Justin Knauf‘s 200 butterfly (1:55.69) victory. Joey Smith scratched out a 50 freestyle (21.63) win by 0.05 seconds, while Rich’s stellar day continued with a breaststroke victory (2:10.99) victory.
Sophomore Nathan Deputy continued to shine brightest in front of the crosstown rival. The Evansville native executed difficult dives consistently, demolishing his own three-meter record (297.23 pts) and placing first. Junior Lane Pollock helped the diving squad sweep by winning the one-meter event (263.55 pts).
UP NEXT
USI will be back in action on Saturday, January 25, as the team celebrates senior day against Eastern Illinois University.
