FOOTNOTE: EPD DAILY ACTIVITY REPORT information was provided by the EPD and posted by the City-County-County Observer without opinion, bias, or editing.
Two Juveniles Arrested For Murder
SUMMARY
Two juveniles have been arrested and charged with the October 29th murder of Emmanuel Malichai Young. 16-year-old Santana T. Cooper and 17-year-old Lakai N. Snaden were booked into the Vanderburgh County Correction Center on October 30th
.The Evansville Police Department would like to sincerely thank the many members of our community, and the businesses, that came forward with video and information. The assistance helped lead to quick arrests for this violent crime.
Original Media Release
On October 29th at 10:30 p.m. officers heard gunshots in the area of Tepe Park. As officers went to investigate several calls were made to dispatch in reference to a shooting. In the park officers located a deceased 17-year-old male who appeared to have been shot multiple times.
An autopsy will be preformed this afternoon. The coroner’s office will release the name of the victim.
At this time, no arrests have been made and this is an active investigation. Anyone who has information is asked to please contact the Evansville
Murder
On October 29th at 10:30 p.m. officers heard gunshots in the area of Tepe Park. As officers went to investigate several calls were made to dispatch in reference to a shooting. In the park officers located a deceased 17-year-old male who appeared to have been shot multiple times.
An autopsy will be preformed this afternoon. The coroner’s office will release the name of the victim. At this time, no arrests have been made and this is an active investigation. Anyone who has information is asked to please contact the Evansville Police Adult Investigations Unit at (812) 436-7979 or the EPD Tip Line at (812) 435-6194.
No. 2 seed Trailblazers advance after Quarterfinal sweep over No. 7 Kaskaskia
VINCENNES, Ind. – The Vincennes University volleyball team opened their 2024 postseason Wednesday night inside the Physical Education Complex.
The Trailblazers earned the No. 2 seed in this year’s NJCAA Division I Region 24 tournament and began their tournament against No. 7 seeded Kaskaskia College from Centralia, Ill.
VU overcame a slow start in set one to close out the quarterfinal matchup with a 25-18, 25-12, 25-13 sweep over the Blue Angels.
Vincennes got the night off to a rocky start, quickly falling behind 7-3 to begin set one before rallying back with five straight points to take an 8-7 lead.
Kaskaskia would regain the lead after four straight points at 16-15 before VU again responded back in front of the home crowd with a 9-1 scoring run to put the set away 25-18 and gain the 1-0 match lead.
The Trailblazers would continue this momentum into set two, where VU opened the second set with a 10-4 lead before using a big 8-0 scoring run to increase their advantage to 18-5.
Kaskaskia would continue to fight, cutting the deficit to eight at 20-12 before VU closed out the set strong with five straight to take set two 25-12 and gain a 2-0 match lead.
Vincennes was again able to break away early in set three, using an early 4-0 scoring run to take a 9-4 lead before gaining full control over the match with seven straight points to increase the lead to 19-8.
The Blue Angels battled to the end but were unable to overcome this big deficit as Vincennes claimed set three 25-13 and completed the three set sweep.
“I thought we had our down moment early on,” VUVB Head Coach Gary Sien said. “We had to take a step back and relax. I thought we were just a little bit tight at the beginning. But from that point on, early in the first set through sets two and three, it didn’t seem like there was a whole lot that could stop us tonight.”
“We talked about before the game of minimizing the errors and have as few errors as possible while staying aggressive and I thought we did that extremely well,” Sien added. “It’s always a difficult challenge in the postseason and Kaskaskia was coming in fresh off a match on Monday. But it was good that we were able to recover from that slow start pretty quickly and play with very few errors. It wasn’t errorless, but it was just great execution all the way around. We served extremely. Several of our servers had long scoring runs. We had an opportunity to just run our offense with only seven hitting errors in the entire match, which is just outstanding.”
USI hosting press conference/pep rally to make major USI Athletics announcement Thursday
WHO/WHAT: The University of Southern Indiana will host a press conference and pep rally to make a major announcement pertaining to USI Athletics. Steve Bridges, USI Interim President; Jon Mark Hall, Vice President and Director of Athletics; and special guests will make remarks. Student-athletes, coaches, students, employees, USI’s mascot, Archie, and invited guests will be in attendance.
The event will be held at 1:30 p.m. Thursday, October 31.
The event will be held in the Screaming Eagles Arena on the USI campus. A map of campus, featuring the Arena, is available at USI.edu/map. Media parking spaces will be reserved in Lot C, Bay 4.
Grafton sisters receive All-OVC honors
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Women’s Soccer had two Screaming Eagles receive Ohio Valley Conference postseason honors on Wednesday. The league’s head coaches and communication directors voted upon the postseason accolades.
It was announced that junior defender Charli Grafton and junior midfielder Emerson Grafton were recognized by the conference for their performances in 2024. Both Graftons were named to the All-OVC Second Team, and Emerson was also selected to the OVC All-Newcomer Team.
Anchoring the defensive unit, Charli Grafton earned All-OVC Second Team honors for the second consecutive season. Primarily as the right centerback, Grafton led a Southern Indiana backline that dealt with injury-related adversity during the season, resulting in multiple player combinations. The junior’s consistency helped USI to earn four shutouts in the regular season, including three in the final four matches of OVC play. One of the Eagles’ captains, Grafton once again started every match during the 2024 regular season. Grafton totaled 1,590 minutes in the regular season, playing all 90 minutes in 16 matches and 13 consecutive outings to conclude the regular season. The centerback also scored once in USI’s home victory against the University of Tennessee at Martin. Grafton was named OVC Defensive Player of the Week in mid-September.
Emerson Grafton had a breakthrough campaign in her first season with the Screaming Eagles. The former transfer paced Southern Indiana with three goals, six assists, 12 points, and 14 shots on goal this season. Grafton was second on the squad with 24 shots. In OVC play, Grafton scored twice and notched a team-best four assists toward a team-high eight points while topping the team with 18 shots and 10 shots on target. The junior appeared in all 18 matches during the regular season, making 13 starts. Grafton finished the regular season ranked second in the OVC in assists, both overall and in league play, and top 10 in conference play in points. The midfielder had an assist and placed all four of her shots on goal in USI’s road win at Morehead State University and concluded the regular season with a goal and an assist in USI’s home win against Western Illinois University.
Southern Indiana concluded the 2024 regular season with a top-four seed and a berth into the Ohio Valley Conference Women’s Soccer Championship Tournament quarterfinals for the second consecutive year. Following its first-round bye on Thursday, USI will host its quarterfinal match Sunday at 1 p.m. from Strassweg Field. When the Eagles will face either UT Martin or Morehead State.
All games of the 2024 Ohio Valley Conference Championship Tournament can be seen with a subscription to ESPN+. Additional coverage for USI can be found on usiscreamingeagles.com with full tournament coverage on the OVC website at ovcsports.com.
USI Athletics receives $10 million gift from Liberty Federal Credit Union for Screaming Eagles Arena naming rights
EVANSVILLE, Ind. — During a press conference on Thursday, October 31, the University of Southern Indiana announced Liberty Federal Credit Union (LFCU) has made a historic $10 million gift to the University of Southern Indiana Foundation for USI Athletics, securing the naming rights to the Screaming Eagles Arena for the next 20 years. The Arena will now be named Liberty Arena, Home of the Screaming Eagles. This landmark gift marks the largest single donation in the history of the University.
The new name, Liberty Arena, Home of the Screaming Eagles, will be proudly displayed on the exterior of the Arena. Additionally, the Liberty Federal Credit Union logo will be featured prominently on both halves of the Arena floor.
“Liberty Federal Credit Union and the University of Southern Indiana have grown in this community together. In fact, I’ve personally banked with them for the last 35 years,” said Steve Bridges, Interim President of the University of Southern Indiana. “This generous gift from Liberty will greatly enhance our athletic programs and provide much-needed support as we continue our transition to Division I athletics. Liberty’s commitment will help pave the way for future success and ensure our student-athletes have the resources they need to thrive.”
The funds from this gift are unrestricted, allowing USI Athletics to direct them where they are most needed. This includes support for student-athlete scholarships, travel, Division I transition requirements and other essential needs. The gift represents a significant boost to USI Athletics, positioning the Screaming Eagles for continued success in their Division I journey.
Bill Schirmer, President and CEO of Liberty Federal Credit Union, noted the organization’s deep roots in education. “Our mission is to support our members and community through education,” said Schirmer. “As a credit union that was founded by Evansville teachers, our ties to the educational community in this region are strong. Supporting the advancement of USI students and their athletic programs aligns well with our mission of providing value to our members and the communities we serve.”
Jon Mark Hall, Vice President and Director of Athletics at USI, highlighted the importance of the partnership in furthering the University’s vision. “When we made the decision to transition to Division I athletics, we knew we had to align with progressive, forward-thinking partners within this community and region. This partnership with Liberty allows us to take our vision and make it a reality,” said Hall. “As we move into years three and four of our Division I transition, we are aligning with partners who share our drive for success at the highest level. Liberty and USI Athletics will both continue to be impactful in the community, striving for the highest level of achievements.”
This $10 million contribution is the largest gift Liberty Federal Credit Union has made to date, underscoring the credit union’s commitment to the University, the community and the future of athletics at USI.
EXPLORE EVANSVILLE HONORED WITH AWARDS AS 2024 CHAMPION IN SPORTS TOURISM
Evansville, IN Sports Destination Management, the leading publication serving sports event planners and tournament directors nationwide, has announced the 2024 Champions of Economic Impact in Sports Tourism. This year’s awardees contributed a combined $1.88 billion boost to the U.S. economy through sports tourism.
Explore Evansville was honored twice among Mid-Market Champions. The 2024 IHSAA State Wrestling Tournament, a collaboration between the Indiana High School Athletic Association, the Ford Center and DoubleTree by Hilton Evansville, generated over $3.74 million in economic impact. The 2024 US Figure Skating Theatre on Ice National Competition, in partnership with the Greater Evansville Figure Skating Club, Ford Center and Swonder Ice Arena, contributed $2.93 million to the local economy. Together, these two events attracted over 10,000 athletes and spectators to Downtown Evansville, resulting in nearly 6,000 hotel room nights.
“We are incredibly proud to see Evansville recognized for the tremendous economic impact these events bring to our city,” said Alexis Berggren, President & CEO of Explore Evansville. “None of this would be possible without our dedicated local organizing committees, whose passion and hard work form the foundation of these events. From the coordinators to volunteers, each person plays a critical role in ensuring a memorable experience for athletes and fans. We owe our success to their commitment and are grateful to see their efforts celebrated on this stage.”
All winners of awards have been recognized in a special feature published in the November/December 2024 issue of Sports Destination Management. The entire article with full details on the winners listed below can also be found online.