EVANSVILLE, Ind.– University of Southern Indiana Women’s Swimming and Diving dominated on Thursday afternoon taking home the victory against Valparaiso University, 209-85. USI secured an impressive 14 of 16 first-place events.
Sophomore duo Caiya Cooper (1:57.90) and Reagan Holmes (2:00.13) took home first and second place in the 200 freestyle. The duo also finished atop the leaderboard in the 100 freestyle with Cooper taking first (54.92) and Holmes following behind (55.94).
Sophomore Hayden Shurtz carried her momentum from Indianapolis, winning the 100 and 200 breaststroke with times of 1:06.33 and 2:27.38.
The Eagles thrived in the 500 freestyle with Cooper finishing first (5:18.15), freshman Ailyn Zurliene in second (5:20.93), and freshman Elizabeth Ketcham rounding out the top three (5:23.68).
The Eagles diving squad earned a new all-time top score for the three-meter dive, as freshman Anna Bunnell earned the USI record with a score of 223.65. Bunnell nearly shattered the one-meter record, leading the Eagles with a score of 223.65. Fellow freshman Gabbie Meier becomes third on the USI all-time leaderboard in her second-place effort (222.08 pts).
Other Top Women’s Results:
400 Individual Medley: Freshman Emma Gabhart (4:44.93)
1000 Freestyle: Junior Mattilynn Smith (10:50.80)
1000 Freestyle: Zurliene (10:57.86)
200 Freestyle Relay: Freshman Simone Green, Ketcham, Holmes, Cooper (1:40.24)
200 Medley Relay: Freshman Alivia Scott, Shurtz, Ketcham, Green (1:50.43)
WHAT’S NEXT FOR THE EAGLES:
USI is back in action on October 12 at the Dan Ross Indiana Intercollegiate, hosted by Purdue University in West Lafayette.
Eagles win 14 of 16 events in a dominant home opener
Men’s Swimming and Diving break three records in home victory
EVANSVILLE, Ind.– University of Southern Indiana Men’s Swimming and Diving team defeated Valparaiso University on Thursday afternoon in their home opener, 171-123. USI won ten of the 16 events, breaking three school records.
Freshman Cy Young and Jude Winnington fired up the Screaming Eagles finishing first and second in the 1,000 freestyle. Young made history shattering the 1,000 freestyle record (9:52.48), beating the previous leader by more than 12 seconds. Winnington’s 1,000 freestyle time (10:02.01) cements himself in second in the record books behind Young.
USI took home first and second place in the 100 breaststroke from freshman Luke Rich (1:00.15) and junior Caleb Davis (1:00.25). Rich also came out on top in the 200 breaststroke with an impressive time of 2:11.45.
Three different Eagles topped the scoreboard in the 200 butterfly. Freshman Justin Knauf (1:56.22) took home first place, while Winnington (1:57.87) trailed behind. Sophomore Sam Smith (1:57.89) rounded out the top three for USI.
Winnington smashed his own school record in the 400 individual medley (4:12.46). The freshman surpassed the previous record by over seven seconds.
Junior Lane Pollock shattered his previous USI all-time three-meter dive record earning a score of 273.38. The Preseason All-Summit League selection shattered his previous record of 264.75 at the 2023 Summit League Championships. The junior followed up his performance leading the three-meter with a score of 256.65. Sophomore Nathan Deputy came in second scoring 246.45.
Other Top Men’s Results:
USI stumbles to open homestand, 1-0 Screaming Eagles host UIW for Senior Day Sunday
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Men’s Soccer opened its homestand with a 2-0 setback to Houston Christian University Thursday evening at Strassweg Field. The Screaming Eagles fall to 2-10-0 overall and 1-3-0 in the OVC, while the Huskies go to 5-5-2, 3-1-0 OVC.
USI fell behind midway through the first half when HCU scored at the 27:25 mark. The Huskies outshot the Eagles, 8-4, and had the advantage in corner kicks, 3-0, during the opening half.
HCU would strike again in the second half and increased the lead at 77:52 to the eventual final score of 2-0. The Eagles controlled most of the final 45 minutes, leading in shots, 8-4, and corners, 4-1.
Overall in the match, the Eagles and the Huskies were tied in shots, 12-12, and corners, 4-4.
NEXT UP FOR USI:
The Eagles conclude the homestand Sunday with Senior Day versus the University of Incarnate Word. Kickoff is a special 11 a.m. with Senior Day recognition at 10:25 a.m.
The six seniors USI will honor Sunday are midfielder/defender Garland Hall; defender Brock Martindale; midfielder Wesley Rhodes; midfielder Elmer Garcia; defender Devin Reiminger; and midfielder Fabrice Remy.
UIW is 4-5-1 overall and 2-2-0 in the conference after posting a 4-1 victory at Eastern Illinois University Thursday. The Cardinals have won two straight after snapping a three-match losing streak.
UIW leads the all-time series with USI, 1-0, after posting a 4-0 win in San Antonio, Texas, last fall. Sunday is UIW’s first visit to Strassweg Field in the history of the programs.
Aces women’s soccer falls to UIC
No. 4/6 Hoosiers Split Squad for Opening Weekend
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Eight members of the Indiana men’s swimming and diving program will compete in the SMU Classic in Dallas, Texas, Friday through Saturday (Oct. 11-12). The remaining IU men’s and women’s program will participate in the annual Cream and Crimson intrasquad exhibition Friday inside the Counsilman-Billingsley Aquatic Center.
Seven swimmers and one diver will head west for a meet featuring athletes from No. 10/9 Virginia Tech, No. 12/12 Texas A&M, No. 13/16 Louisville and No. 16/12 Auburn. Friday’s action will begin at 6 p.m. ET Friday, followed by a second day of swimming and diving Saturday at 11 a.m. Fans can watch the meet at smumustangs.com/watch or follow along via live results.
Friday’s Cream and Crimson meet will kick off at 2 p.m. ET. Admission is free for all home meets this season.
The Indiana men’s team is ranked No. 4 in the nation by the CSCAA, while IU also ranks No. 6 in the women’s poll. Both teams are coming off Big Ten Championship seasons and return the bulk of their squads.
Politics at the Fall Festival
Politics at the Fall Festival
by Johnny Kincaid
It’s a pretty safe bet that nobody attends the Westside Nut Club Fall Festival intending to determine who to vote for, but on the west end of Franklin Street, you’ll find some people who want to secure your vote. The festival crowds create the perfect atmosphere for politics.
First, let’s define what we mean by the word politics. It comes from the Greek root poli, meaning many, and tics, meaning blood-sucking creatures.
On the last block of Franklin Street (on the St. Joseph end), the Vanderburgh Young Democrats at booth 82 are selling Gyros and passing out campaign materials. Candidates are spared from cooking and food prep and instead, stand outside to shake hands and kiss babies.
County Commission candidate Hope Fussner is spending a lot of time on the street, and over the next couple of days, you’ll see plenty of other Democrats at the Festival. Those with contested races will be most likely to be there. County Council candidates Bob Deig, Dustin Stephens, and Karese Johnson are looking for votes along with Coroner candidate Keith Mosby and Recorder candidate Gina Robinson Ungar.
A block away, on the other side of the street is booth 49, home to the Vanderburgh Republican Party. The signature item for the GOP is the ‘Merica, a red, white, and blue shaved ice with a little orange cream on top to symbolize Donald Trump’s hair.
The candidates working the street include County Council candidates Jill Hahn, Joe Kiefer II, and Ed Bassemeier. GOP coroner candidate Bryan Underwood, recorder candidate Russ Lloyd, and county commission candidate Amy Canterbury will likely be trying to win friends and influence voters. Almost anytime that you drop by you’ll also get a chance to meet uncontested county clerk candidate Dottie Thomas.
Put on your favorite candidate’s shirt, hat or sticker and parade around Franklin Street to help get your favorite elected. Just keep from dripping mustard on the candidate’s name.
E-REP Adds Six New Board Members
Evansville Regional Economic Partnership (E-REP) has announced the addition of six new members to its board of directors.
The new members include:
Steven Bridges, President of the University of Southern Indiana
Bill Dyer, General Manager, Human Resources at Toyota Motor Manufacturing
Natalie Hedde, Vice President of Strategic Business Growth and Engagement at CenterPoint Energy
Jody Peacock, CEO Ports of Indiana
Jenna Richardt, Director of External Affairs at Centerpoint Energy
Steve Schaefer, Vice President of Garmong Construction and former Deputy Mayor
The full board of E-REP comprises 42 members, including a 19-member executive committee.
Right to Life Hosts Annual Life Chain
Evansville, IN – Right to Life of Southwest Indiana will host its annual Life Chain on Sunday, October 13th, from 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm at Brinker’s Jewelers parking lot, located at 111 South Green River Road.
Life Chain is a peaceful, prayerful public witness of pro-life Americans praying for our nation, for people in crisis situations and for an end to abortion. It began as a church-led movement in 1987 in Yuba City, California, where local church members joined together to line the streets to honor the lives lost to abortion and bring awareness to the need for change.
Since its inception, Life Chain has grown into a nationwide movement that takes place annually at the beginning of October, which is widely viewed as Respect Life Month. Hundreds of thousands of participants in Life Chains across the country stand in silent prayer as a visual statement of support for the sanctity of human life.
Participants in Evansville’s Life Chain will stand in Brinker’s Jewelers parking lot and along the sidewalk on Green River Road. Bring your family, rain or shine! Signs will be provided.
To register or learn more, please call the office at 812-474-3195 or visit the website at rtlswin.org.
EPA Announces $30 Million to Help Small Communities Protect Drinking Water, and Local Waterways
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the availability of up to $30.7 million in grant funding for technical assistance and training to support small drinking water and wastewater systems, many serving rural communities, and to help private well owners improve water quality.
In the United States, more than 90 percent of drinking water systems serve fewer than 10,000 people. While many of these small systems consistently provide safe drinking water to their customers, they can also face challenges including high operator turnover, aging infrastructure, and lack of financial resources. Wastewater systems serving small communities face similar challenges. This EPA grant program provides funding to organizations that work side-by-side with these systems, providing tools and training to ensure that drinking water is safe and that wastewater is treated responsibly.
“Dedicated water champions, working at thousands of small drinking water and wastewater systems across the country, ensure that their communities can rely on clean and safe water. Accomplishing this vital mission day-in and day-out with limited resources is challenging,” said Bruno Pigott, EPA’s Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator for Water. “With $30 million in new EPA funding, technical assistance providers will help achieve public health and safe water goals for small communities.”
EPA is seeking applications to fund grant projects that will benefit small and often rural communities. Eligible applicants for this competitive agreement are nonprofit organizations, nonprofit private universities and colleges, and public institutions of higher education. EPA expects to award four to five cooperative agreements totaling up to $30.7 million in federal funds. The purpose of the agreements is to provide training and technical assistance to:
- Small public water systems to achieve and maintain compliance with the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA).
- Small public water systems on a wide range of managerial and/or financial topics to achieve and maintain compliance with the SDWA.
- Small publicly owned wastewater systems, communities served by onsite-decentralized wastewater systems to help improve water quality.
- Private well owners to help improve water quality.
Congress has funded this program annually, enabling EPA to provide more than $170 million in funding to technical assistance and training providers since 2012. This program advances President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative, which sets a goal that 40% of the overall benefits of certain federal investments flow to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by pollution.
This grant is part of the EPA’s larger commitment through the Water Technical Assistance program (WaterTA), which aims to provide a range of assistance for communities to identify water challenges, identify solutions, and build capacity. Since 2022, approximately 5,000 communities have received technical assistance, ensuring they maintain or achieve Safe Drinking Water Act compliance and treat wastewater responsibly.
The application period for these competitive grants is now open. Questions about applying for EPA funding for training and technical assistance must be received by November 11, 2024, and applications must be received by 11:59 p.m. EST on November 25, 2024. EPA expects to award these cooperative agreements by summer of 2025.
This grant will be competed through a Notice of Funding Opportunity process. The funding opportunity will remain open for 60 days on Grants.gov. To learn more about the grant visit: Training and Technical Assistance for Small Systems Funding.
Reps. McNamara, O’Brien: Hoosiers can use new online tool to compare health care prices, quality
STATEHOUSE (Oct. 11, 2024) – State Reps. Wendy McNamara (R-Evansville) and Tim O’Brien (R-Evansville) encourage Hoosiers to take advantage of a new state website to compare health care prices and quality.
In 2020, state lawmakers passed a law establishing the newly launched Indiana All Payer Claims Database, which is overseen by the Indiana Department of Insurance, to help increase transparency in health care costs. The website collects insurance claims data from public and private health care payers to track the cost, utilization and quality of health care across the state.
“This dashboard allows Hoosiers to get answers on quality and pricing for common medical procedures across the state,” McNamara said. “Constituents can now make more informed decisions on their health care.”
McNamara said the APCD lets Hoosiers search what other patients have paid for common procedures across regions, providers and insurance plans. Additionally, the database includes a list of health care providers that perform services within certain distances from a zip code, the average out-of-pocket costs for a service and the quality rating for that facility. For example, Hoosiers needing a knee replacement can select their insurance, procedure and zip code on the database to view a list of nearby health care providers that perform the service, the quality rating for that facility and the average out-of-pocket cost.
“Not only does this website provide helpful information for consumers, but it will also be useful for researchers and policy makers,” O’Brien said. “They can use this data to study ways to make health care better and more affordable across the state.”
According to O’Brien, the goals of the database are to inform Hoosiers seeking medical care, identify state health care needs, support health care policy, and improve the quality and affordability of health care in the state.
Information collected by the APCD complies with the security standards outlined in the U.S. Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act also known as HIPAA and the U.S. Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act. Onpoint Health Data, the Indiana APCD administrator, is also certified by HITRUST, an industry-leading standard in health data security that uses both federal and state security requirements.