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.
USI hosting press conference and pep rally to make major USI Athletics announcement
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.
WHEN: The event will be held at 1:30 p.m. Thursday, October 31.
WHERE: 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
USI Anthropology Speaker Series to present Dr. Richard Lunniss
USI Anthropology Speaker Series to present Dr. Richard Lunniss
The University of Southern Indiana’s Anthropology Speaker Series will present a lecture and Q&A by Dr. Richard Lunniss at noon Tuesday, November 12 in Rice Library Room 0017. This event is open to the public at no charge.
Lunniss earned his bachelor’s degree from the University Cambridge and a doctorate in archaeology from the University of London. He arrived in Peru in 1979. Since 1982, he has been working in Ecuador and is currently a Research Professor at Universidad Técnica de Manabí.
After many years dedicated to the excavation, analysis and interpretation of archaeological evidence, first in highland Peru near Machu Picchu and then at Salango and other sacred sites of the central coast of Ecuador, Lunniss has more recently been drawn to participate in certain contemporary ritual and religious practices in both Peru and Ecuador where he lives and works.
In the lecture, he will discuss some of this trajectory and how the different strands of his long-term professional and personal interactions with landscape and people have contributed to his understanding of Andean being in the past and present.
“The Anthropology Speaker Series is an opportunity for us to highlight the diversity and relevance of Anthropology” says Dr. Daniel Bauer, Professor of Anthropology. “We are excited to have Dr. Richard as the first speaker in the series. He is one of the most prominent contributors to Andean archaeology and our understanding of sacred sites and landscapes.”
THUNDERBOLTS HOST HAVOC THIS FRIDAY FOR FREE KIDS FRIDAY-MASCOT NIGHT
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.
Aces women’s basketball picks up exhibition win over Franklin
Aces women’s basketball picks up exhibition win over Franklin
Eagles set to race for OVC titles
Eagles set to race for OVC titles
EVANSVILLE, Ind.—University of Southern Indiana Men’s and Women’s Cross Country races for league crowns Friday when it competes at the Ohio Valley Conference Cross Country Championships in Martin, Tennessee.
The Screaming Eagles are looking for their first conference team titles in both the men’s and women’s race after each team finished second at the 2023 OVC Championships.
USI has a long history of winning conference titles. The Eagles won a league-record 27 Great Lakes Valley Conference men’s championships and 14 women’s championships during their time at the Division II level.
Individually, USI’s men and women have enjoyed success on the grass in their previous two visits to the OVC Championships. Noah Hufnagel and Lauren Griewe became the first student-athletes in school history to win a conference title at the Division I level when they respectively finished first in the men’s and women’s races at the 2022 OVC Championships.
Both programs have enjoyed success this season, with USI’s women coming off their second first-place finish of the year at the Angel Mounds Invitational. Four different runners have been first to cross the finish line for the Eagles, including sophomore Ellie Hall, who led USI with a fourth-place showing at the Angel Mounds Invitational.
Senior Audrey Comastri paced USI with a fourth-place showing at the season-opening Sam Bell Invitational, while sophomore Zoe Seward led USI at the UT Martin OVC Preview and the Gans Creek Classic. Sophomore Ahmira Pickett was the first Eagle to cross the finish line at the Live in the Lou Classic.
Seward was the 2023 OVC Freshman of the Year and was first-team All-OVC with her fourth-place finish at last year’s league meet. Junior Micah Peals was second-team All-OVC with her 14th-place finish last year.
USI’s men have been led by senior Brady Terry, who recently won his third OVC Runner of the Week award following his second-place finish at the Angel Mounds Invitational. Outside the Eagles’ season-opener when he was the fourth Eagle to cross the finish line, Terry is undefeated against OVC competition this season.
He was first at the UT Martin OVC Preview last month and is among the favorites to win the OVC title Friday as he owns the OVC’s fastest eight-kilometer time of the season—24 minutes, 10.5 seconds at the Angel Mounds Invitational.
Sophomore Alex Nolan also should play a major role for USI’s men after earning OVC Freshman of the Year and second-team All-OVC laurels with his 10th-place finish at the conference meet a year ago. Terry also was second-team All-OVC following his 13th-place finish at the league meet last season.
The women are scheduled to toe the start line at 9 a.m. Friday, while the men’s 8K follows at 10 a.m. The races will be held on the University of Tennessee Martin campus.
Abdaoui, Trailblazers win Region 24 Championship
Abdaoui, Trailblazers win Region 24 Championship
NORMAL, Ill. – The Vincennes University Men’s and Women’s Cross Country teams successfully defended their Region 24 crowns last week at the 2024 NJCAA Region 24 Championships at Maxwell Park in Normal, Ill.
The Trailblazers were competing as the only NJCAA Division I team at the Championships but were boosted by freshman Anis Abdaoui (Kairouan, Tunisia) who paced the field in the Men’s 8K race with a final time of 25:52 to claim the men’s individual Region Championship.
“The Regional meet is always very different from the other races during the season,” VU Head Cross Country Coach Tyler Steigenga said. “It was a much smaller field than we are used to and this year it was only six days after our last meet. With the short turnaround and our goal being to be at our best for the National meet, our top five guys played things a little more conservative today. They were instructed to go out easy and keep things very relaxed through the first three miles and then speed up the last two if they were feeling good or maintain their pace into the finish.”
The Blue and Gold took the top two spots in the men’s race with sophomore Cody Noel (Hebron, Ind.) finishing just behind Abdaoui with a time of 26:10.
Vincennes then had a string of runners closing out the final six spots of the top 10, led by freshman Kelvin Kipsang (Kapsabet, Kenya) at 26:45, followed by sophomores Tanner Spence (Carmi, Ill.) and Caden Hostetler (LaGrange, Ind.) with time of 27:12 and 27:30 respectively.
Freshmen Lane Connaway (Carmi, Ill.), Stephen Hershberger (Fowler, Ind.) and Rylan Mullins (Greenwood, Ind.) closed out the Vincennes top 10 finishers with Connaway posting a time of 27:31, 27:45 for Hershberger and 27:47 for Mullins.
Sophomores Nathan Whitehead (Vincennes, Ind.), Bryaun Manuel (East St. Louis, Ill.) and freshman Alexis Kwizera (Indianapolis, Ind.) were the next group of VU runners across the line with Whitehead posting a time of 28:18 and Manuel and Kwizera each posting a time of 28:20.
Freshman Jeremy Mendez (Velpen, Ind.) crossed the finish line with a time of 28:48, while fellow freshmen Dakoda Greci (Danville, Ind.) and Kayden Kler (Hillsboro, Ind.) finished just inside the 30 minute mark at 29:20 for Greci and 29:35 for Kler.
The men’s race was rounded out by sophomores Max Pendley (French Lick, Ind.) and Tucker Henson (Louisville, Ky.) who finished with a time of 30:25 for Pendley and 30:42 for Henson.
“Cody and Anis did great working together,” Steigenga added. “Before the final mile of the race, they broke away and finished strong to take the top two spots. They both got faster each mile of the race, with Cody ending up with a new PR, running twelve seconds faster than at Nationals last year.”
“Kelvin, Tanner and Caden rounded out the top five and maintained their pace going into the finish,” Steigenga said. “Lane equaled his PR from last week and Stephen ran a one second PR. Rylan closed hard and finished two seconds behind with a new PR. Alexis, Jeremy and Dakoda also got new PRs.”
The Trailblazers obviously clinched first place as the only Division I program racing but were able to best the other teams competing for the Division II title to win the overall Region 24 Championship.
The VU women’s race was led by freshman Sarra Belgacem (Tunis, Tunisia) who finished second overall with a final time of 19:32.
Sophomore Adi Fuller (Evansville, Ind.) was the next Vincennes runner across the line with a time of 20:29 in fifth place overall.
Freshman Allie Black (Lynn, Ind.) was just behind Fuller with a time of 20:36 to take sixth overall, while sophomore Jasmyn Self (Casey, Ill.) rounded out the VU top 10 finishers with a time of 20:55 in ninth place overall.
The VU women’s team scorers were rounded out by freshman Alexis Hale (Evansville, Ind.) who took home 14th overall with a time of 21:50.
The Trailblazers day on the course was rounded out by freshman Melina Loudermilk (Bridgeport, Ill.) who posted a time of 22:24 to finish 17th overall in the race.
“The women raced great as well,” Steigenga said. “It was a little easier for them to bounce back from last week with the shorter races. Five of the six ran their fastest times of the season, with Allie just missing her hers by three seconds.”
“Sarra and Jasmyn had the biggest PRs, which were 41 and 44 seconds respectively,” Steigenga added. “Alexis and Melina were able to sneak under their old PRs by a few seconds. Adi ran her second fastest time as a Trailblazer and set herself up well to break the 20 minute barrier at Nationals.”
The Trailblazers will look to rest up and be at 100-percent as VU now sets their sites on the 2024 NJCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Cross Country National Championships Saturday, Nov. 9 at Pole Greek Park in Richmond, Va.
The VU Cross Country season will then conclude Tuesday, Nov. 12 with the running of the NJCAA Half Marathon Championships, also in Richmond, Va.
“The last two races have been great for both teams,” Steigenga said. “We are running and competing very well right now and most are running their fastest of the season. We’ll look to recover a bit and maintain fitness before Nationals in two weeks. Both teams have the potential to do some big things at Nationals.”
MEET RESULTS
MEN’S RESULTS
VU (1) – 15 points
Anis Abdaoui (1) – 25:52
Cody Noel (2) – 26:10
Kelvin Kipsang (5) – 26:45
Tanner Spence (6) – 27:12
Caden Hostetler (7) – 27:30
Lane Connaway (8) – 27:31
Stephen Hershberger (9) – 27:45
Rylan Mullins (10) – 27:47
Nathan Whitehead (12) – 28:18
Bryaun Manuel (13) – 28:20
Alexis Kwizera (14) – 28:20
Jeremy Mendez (17) – 28:48
Dakoda Greci (19) – 29:20
Hayden Kler (22) – 29:35
Max Pendley (26) – 30:25
Tucker Henson (27) – 30:42
WOMEN’S RESULTS
VU (1) – 15 points
Sarra Belgacem (2) – 19:32
Adi Fuller (5) – 20:29
Allie Black (6) – 29:36
Jasmyn Self (9) – 20:55
Alexis Hale (14) – 21:50
Melina Loudermilk (17) – 22:24