FOOTNOTE: EPD DAILY ACTIVITY REPORT information was provided by the EPD and posted by the City-County-County Observer without opinion, bias, or editing.
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USI Women’s XC races to 19th-place finish at regionals
EVANSVILLE, Ind.—Making its first-ever NCAA Division I postseason appearance, University of Southern Indiana Women’s Cross Country raced to a 19th-place finish out of 32 teams at the Great Lakes Region Championships Friday morning at Angel Mounds Historical Site.
Sophomore Hadessah Austin was 56th to pace the Screaming Eagles, while junior Ellie Hall was 60th in the 231-competitor field. Austin finished the six-kilometer race in 21 minutes, 13.5 seconds after hovering around a top 40 spot for most of the race, while Hall completed the course in 21:17.3.
The Screaming Eagles finished with 545 points, just five back of Purdue University for 18th and 40 in front of Purdue Fort Wayne, which was 20th. Notre Dame and Wisconsin were first and second, respectively, to punch their tickets to the NCAA I National Championships, while Toledo, Michigan State and Cincinnati rounded out the top five teams.
USI was buoyed by the efforts of junior Zoe Seward and sophomore Addison Applegate. Seward finished 130th, while Applegate was 152nd. Freshman Lilyanna Blais and junior Sara Livingston were 172nd and 174th, respectively, while sophomore Abrielle Richardrounded out the Screaming Eagles’ lineup with a 204th-place finish.
Notre Dame freshman Amaya Aramini won the race in 19:38.0, while Notre Dame sophomore Mary Bonner Dalton was second with a time of 19:44.0
Friday’s meet marked the first time since 2021 that the Screaming Eagles have competed in a regional. USI was not allowed to compete at regionals during their transition to full-time Division I status.
USI begins its 2025-26 indoor track & field season December 6th when it competes at the Sharon Colyear-Danville Opener in Boston, Massachusetts. The Screaming Eagles also are scheduled to race at the Indiana Eary Bird in Bloomington December 12th before taking a month off over the holiday break.
Sophomore Hadessah Austin was 56th to pace the Screaming Eagles, while junior Ellie Hall was 60th in the 231-competitor field. Austin finished the six-kilometer race in 21 minutes, 13.5 seconds after hovering around a top 40 spot for most of the race, while Hall completed the course in 21:17.3.
The Screaming Eagles finished with 545 points, just five back of Purdue University for 18th and 40 in front of Purdue Fort Wayne, which was 20th. Notre Dame and Wisconsin were first and second, respectively, to punch their tickets to the NCAA I National Championships, while Toledo, Michigan State and Cincinnati rounded out the top five teams.
USI was buoyed by the efforts of junior Zoe Seward and sophomore Addison Applegate. Seward finished 130th, while Applegate was 152nd. Freshman Lilyanna Blais and junior Sara Livingston were 172nd and 174th, respectively, while sophomore Abrielle Richardrounded out the Screaming Eagles’ lineup with a 204th-place finish.
Notre Dame freshman Amaya Aramini won the race in 19:38.0, while Notre Dame sophomore Mary Bonner Dalton was second with a time of 19:44.0
Friday’s meet marked the first time since 2021 that the Screaming Eagles have competed in a regional. USI was not allowed to compete at regionals during their transition to full-time Division I status.
USI begins its 2025-26 indoor track & field season December 6th when it competes at the Sharon Colyear-Danville Opener in Boston, Massachusetts. The Screaming Eagles also are scheduled to race at the Indiana Eary Bird in Bloomington December 12th before taking a month off over the holiday break.
Screaming Eagles grab four-set win over Lindenwood
EVANSVILLE, Ind.- University of Southern Indiana Volleyball grabs the win over Lindenwood University in four sets inside Liberty Arena Thursday night.
The Screaming Eagles improve to 11-4 in Ohio Valley Conference play and 15-12 overall, remaining in third place in the conference standings.
Set 1: LU 25, USI 23
Lindenwood went on a five-point scoring run at the start of the match. Freshman Carley Wright led the court in kills, landing four on no errors to hit a .500 percent. She was able to swing the momentum for the Eagles in pivotal moments, ending the Lions’ serving runs to get the side out. Sophomore Audrey Small picked up four digs to lead the back row, keeping the Lions offense to a low .172.
Set 2: USI 25, LU 15
The Screaming Eagles quickly took control of the match with a 14-4 scoring run to start the first half of the set. Freshman Aysa Thomas landed three kills in the set, leading the offense with senior Bianca Anderson, who also added three. Junior McKenzie Murphy was a wall at the net for the Eagles. She added a solo block and five block assists, for six total in the set.
Set 3: USI 25, LU 13
USI maintained the lead for the entirety of the set, finishing with a 12-point advantage over the Lions. Anderson led the offense with three kills, followed by Thomas, Murphy, and Wright, who each added two. As a team, the Eagles hit a .429 hitting percentage, recording just one error in the set. Senior Keira Moore kept the pressure on Lindenwood from the service line, landing three aces during her six-point serving run.
Set 4: USI 25, LU 19
The Lions came back for the final set to fight, taking the lead three times in the first 10 points, before the Eagles took it over. Junior Ashby Willis landed four of her six kills for the evening in the final set. Small and Thomas each picked up three digs to keep the pressure on the LU offense.
For the game, OVC Freshman of the Week, Thomas tabbed her 19th career double-double, finishing with 35 assists, 10 digs, and a career-high seven kills. Anderson led the team with 10 kills, followed by Wright with nine.
Aces Set to Host MVC Title Match Saturday
Evansville looks to win their second consecutive MVC Tournament title
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – After a dominant win over fifth-seeded UIC in Wednesday’s MVC Semifinal, the University of Evansville men’s soccer team will host the MVC Championship match for the first time in 30 years this Saturday at Arad McCutchan Stadium. Evansville welcomes sixth-seeded Western Michigan for the right to advance to the NCAA Tournament. Kick-off is set for 6 PM.
MVC Championship History
Evansville is making its seventh appearance in the MVC Championship game, including their fourth in the last five years. The Purple Aces are 2-4 all-time in title matches, with wins coming in 1996 and 2024. Evansville won last season’s final in dramatic fashion, scoring a golden goal in the 99th minute to defeat Bowling Green. With a win, Evansville would qualify for the NCAA Tournament for the 13th time in program history and make back-to-back appearances for the first time since 1991-92.
Western Michigan is making their second appearance in the MVC Championship game since joining the league in 2023. The Broncos won the MVC Tournament in 2023 with a 2-1 win over Missouri State.
Last Time Out
Entering the MVC Tournament with the number one seed for the first time in program history, the Aces flexed their muscles on Wednesday night, besting fifth-seeded UIC 4-1 at Arad McCutchan Stadium.
MVC Freshman of the Year Andres Escudero (San Sebastián de los Reyes, Spain/IES Joan Miro) notched his fourth brace of the season, scoring the Aces’ first and fourth goals. Devin Shepherd (Denver, Colo./Arapahoe) and Nate Roberts (Las Vegas, Nev./Bishop Gorman) added goals to mark Evansville’s highest scoring output of the season.
Evansville jumped on the Flames immediately, with Pablo Calvete (Ponferrada, Spain/UNIR) taking the ball away from a UIC player and using some nifty dribbling to send a through ball to Escudero. From there, Evansville’s star freshman used his speed to get behind the defense and sneak a right-footed shot past the UIC keeper and inside the far post to net his 10th goal of the season.
The Purple Aces kept the pressure on, as Escudero nearly found another goal less than two minutes later, beginning a barrage of six shots in the next 20 minutes of play. The Aces broke through in the 25th minute on a wild sequence, with Escudero and Tancredi Fadda (Monza, Italy/University of Milan) tallying shots before Shepherd came up with possession. From just inside the right side of the box, Sheperd struck, hitting the crossbar and finding the back of the net for his fifth goal of the year, making it 2-0.
The Evansville offense kept humming in the first half, finding another scoring chance in the 35th minute off an errant pass from the UIC keeper. Armon Haghighat (Irvine, Calif./Irvine Valley CC) corralled the ball before passing to Roberts, who gave the ball to Ben Zec (Carmel, Ind./Carmel) at the top of the box. Zec gave the ball right back to Roberts, who slid a shot past the keeper for his second goal in the last three matches and increasing the lead to three.
In the final minute of the half, UIC earned a penalty, and although the penalty shot was saved by Evansville keeper Michal Mroz (Elk Grove, Ill./Elk Grove), the Flames’ Edouard Nys collected his shot and tapped the ball in to make it 3-1 heading into half.
Evansville put a cherry on top of the night in the 66th minute of play, finding their fourth goal of the evening. Nacho Diaz-Caneja (Coruña, Spain/Oregon State) started the attack, putting a beautiful pass into the box for Shepherd. Although Shepherd’s shot was saved, Escudero collected the deflection right in front of the goal for a tap-in, securing the brace.
UE volleyball home for final weekend of 2025
Aces host Drake and Southern Illinois
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The final weekend of the regular season will see the University of Evansville volleyball team host Drake and Southern Illinois in Meeks Family Fieldhouse. UE welcomes the Bulldogs on Friday at 6 p.m. before completing the season on Saturday versus the Salukis at 4 p.m.
Senior Night
– Following Saturday’s match, seniors Kora Ruff and Maddie Hawkins will be honored along with graduate assistant Jordan Holland
– Ruff will complete her time at UE ranking third in the record books for career assists while adding over 1,000 digs in her collegiate career
– Hawkins enters her final weekend having seen action in 415 sets while accumulating 387 digs and 78 service aces
Recapping the Weekend
– Last weekend marked the final two road matches of the 2025 season as UE fell by a 3-0 final at Illinois State before dropping Saturday’s match at Bradley in four sets
– Hinsley Everett posted 20 kills against the Braves while Chloe Cline (15) and Makenzie Miller (8) set career highs in kills
Hitting Her Stride
– Josdarilee Caraballo put together her top collegiate match at Murray State finishing with career marks in kills (19) and aces (6)
– Her 19 kills passed her previous mark of 13, which game against Georgia State
– She added eight digs in the contest and is averaging 2.37 per set – 26th in the Valley
– Caraballo has 13 services aces over the last five matches and has jumped to second in the league with 0.38 per set
Scouting the Opposition
– Drake opens the final weekend with an overall mark of 14-11 to go along with a 10-4 Valley record
– Macy Daufeldt (3.51) and Kacia Brown (3.41) are 6th and 7th in the MVC in kills
– The Salukis are 11-17 and 5-9 in the MVC as they open the last weekend
– They are led by Kelly Franklin’s average of 2.99 kills/set
Relay performances highlight opening day of A3 Invite
CARBONDALE, Ill. – Multiple stellar relay performances highlighted the opening day of the A3 Invite as the University of Evansville swimming and diving teams began the 3-day meet.
Action opened with prelims on Thursday morning with numerous Purple Aces advancing to the A Finals in their respective events. The top finish of the day belonged to the ladies who took second place in the 400-Medley Relay final. Ane Madina, Claire Mewbourne, Evelyn Chin, and Grace Moody swam a 3:49.01 in the finals to finish in second place. Their time was just three seconds off the school record. Full highlights from the first day are below.
TOP FIVE FINISHES
- 2nd place | Women’s 400-Medley Relay Final | Ane Madina, Claire Mewbourne, Evelyn Chin, and Grace Moody | 3:49.01 (3:51.03 seed time)
- 4th place | Women’s 200-Free Relay Final | Grace Moody, Jillian Giese, Evelyn Chin, and Mia Pesavento | 1:36.60 (1:38.01 seed time)
- 4th place | Men’s 400-Medley Relay Final | Boris Tavrovsky, Jesse Montano, Alex Willis, Michael Pruett | 3:24.00 (3:23.87 seed time)
- 5th place | Men’s 200-Free Relay Final | Sammy McCall, Michael Pruett, Brendan Ulewicz, and Alex Willis | 1:23.65 (1:24.90 seed time)
TOP TEN FINISHES
- 8th place | Men’s 500-Free A Final | Joseph Capo | 4:41.79 (4:37.24 prelim time)
- 9th place | Men’s 200-IM B Final | Chris Rector | 1:53.45 (1:56.57 prelim time)
- 10th place | Men’s 200-IM B Final | Alex Willis | 1:54.69 (1:56.51 prelim time)
TOP FIFTEEN FINISHES
- 11th place | Women’s 200-IM B Final | Jillian Giese | 2:08.43 (2:09.56 prelim time)
- 11th place | Men’s 200-IM B Final | Joao Pereira | 1:55.03 (1:56.49 prelim time)
- 11th place | Women’s 50-Free B Final | Grace Moody | 24.06 (24.07 prelim time)
- 12th place | Women’s 500-Free B Final | Luana Carrotta | 5:14.28 (5:13.55 prelim time)
- 12th place | Women’s 200-IM B Final | Claire Mewbourne | 2:08.94 (2:09.56 prelim time)
- 12th place | Men’s 50-Free B Final | Sammy McCall | 21.01 (20.97 prelim time)
- 14th place | Men’s 500-Free B Final | Tyler Jackson | 4:42.83 (4:45.72 prelim time)
- 15th place | Men’s 500-Free B Final | Luke Cook | 4:43.31 (4:44.84 prelim time)
- 15th place | Women’s 500-Free B Final | Hannah Krings | 5:18.13 (5:22.04 prelim time)
Both Purple Aces squads are in fourth place in the team standings entering Friday’s competition.
Support the Red Cross and Help Save Lives at a Blood Drive, Giveback Night with the Evansville Thunderbolts
Make a difference in your community and enjoy discounted Thunderbolts tickets!
EVANSVILLE, Ind. (November 13, 2025) — You can help make a lifesaving difference for patients in need on Friday, November 21 from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. at an American Red Cross blood drive in partnership with the Evansville Thunderbolts Hockey Team.
Fans can make an appointment to give blood on Friday, November 21 from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Corner Club at the Ford Center located at 1 SE Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in Evansville. To make an appointment to give blood, visit RedCrossBlood.org and enter sponsor code thunderbolts or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).
Fans can also support the Red Cross mission by purchasing discounted tickets for the Thunderbolts game against the Knoxville Ice Bears on Friday, November 21 at 7 p.m. To purchase game tickets, please click here. A portion of each ticket sale will support the American Red Cross.
The American Red Cross is teaming up with the legendary PAC-MAN to celebrate 45 years of gaming and to invite donors to make an impact! Those who come to give blood Nov. 17-Dec. 7, 2025, will receive an exclusive pair of Red Cross x PAC-MAN socks, while supplies last. Plus, donors who come give during that same time frame will also get a custom Red Cross x PAC-MAN GASHAPON®. Quantities of this one-of-a-kind collectible capsule toy from PAC-MAN are limited and while supplies last. For details, visitRedCrossBlood.org/PACMAN.
Successful donations in November will also get free A1C testing (one result per donor in a 12-month period). For details, visit RedCrossBlood.org/diabetes.
How to donate blood
A blood donor card or driver’s license or two other forms of identification are required at check-in. Individuals who are 17 years of age in most states (16 with parental consent where allowed by state law), weigh at least 110 pounds and are in generally good health may be eligible to donate blood. High school students and other donors 18 years of age and younger also must meet certain height and weight requirements.
State kicking MDwise from Indiana Medicaid program
By Tom Davies, Indiana Capital Chronicle
Some 300,000 people covered by Indiana’s Medicaid program will have less than two months to change their health insurance company as state officials are kicking MDwise off the provider list.
The Indiana Family and Social Services Administration announced Wednesday that MDwise would no longer be among the managed care health plan options for the Healthy Indiana Plan and Hoosier Healthwise programs as of Jan. 1.
Indianapolis-based MDwise, which said it has provided Indiana Medicaid services for over 30 years, has already launched a court challenge to the state’s action.
The four-year contract was signed in 2023. Indiana’s transparency portal shows MDwise has receivhe ed more than $300 million over the last three fiscal years.
MDwise argues that FSSA officials have acted improperly in terminating the company’s four-year contract that was slated to run through the end of 2026, but a Marion County judge denied a request to temporarily block the state’s decision.
The state agency’s action comes as Gov. Mike Braun’s administration has been pushing to stem the Medicaid program’s fast-growing costs — which were projected in April to jump by 9.5% during the current state fiscal year and 7.7% next fiscal year.
“Indiana Medicaid exists to provide dependable, high-quality care for the Hoosiers who rely on it,” FSSA Secretary Mitch Roob said in a statement. “Our review found that, of the four plans, MDwise was both the most expensive and the lowest in quality. Federal rules require us to maintain at least three plans, and this decision allows us to meet those standards while safeguarding members’ access to care.”
Impact on those covered by MDwise
The agency said those covered by MDwise will not lose Medicaid benefits but must select new coverage from among three remaining providers — Anthem, CareSource, or Managed Health Services. Those not making a selection will be assigned to one of those plans.
MDwise clients will receive letters with detailed instructions on how to select a new plan, FSSA said.
MDwise, a subsidiary of Michigan-based McLaren Health Care, filed a lawsuit against the FSSA in October, seeking to head off the agency’s decision. Marion County Superior Court Judge Christina Klineman on Wednesday gave the company permission to appeal her decision rejecting a temporary restraining order against FSSA.
MDwise said Tuesday that FSSA officials had ignored the company’s proposed performance improvement plan and a request for a three-month delay in the termination so that the company could pursue a sale to another business.
This begins a series of actions that will lead to a chaotic transfer of 300,000 Medicaid health care plan enrollees and the complete destruction of MDwise’s entire business.
– MDwise court filing
“FSSA is trying to avoid paying the true cost of care for Hoosiers,” the company said in a statement. “During discussions with FSSA in September, it became clear that FSSA’s real motivation for pursuing a termination was not MDwise’s performance, but rather because the State’s policies put Medicaid spending on an unsustainable path.”
The state’s decision risks disrupting medical care for MDwise clients, including pushing some to other insurers whose networks don’t include the same health care providers, the company said.
“Instead of working together toward an orderly solution, the state has chosen a rushed path that jeopardizes care for hundreds of thousands of Hoosiers,” the company said. “MDwise presented multiple proposals to ensure a smooth, responsible transition — all of which have been ignored.”
“Despite this setback, MDwise is not giving up. We remain committed to finding a responsible path forward that preserves access to care, protects local jobs and honors our 30-year legacy of serving Indiana’s most vulnerable residents.”
Indiana Medicaid covered about 1.7 million people as of October, according to an FSSA online dashboard. Among the plans offered under Medicaid, Anthem covered 36%, with MDwise and Managed Health Services following at 17% each.
FSSA officials did not immediately have an estimate of cost savings by dropping MDwise.
“The state does anticipate there will be savings from the MDwise termination because members will be assigned to health plans who have better quality ratings and manage members more efficiently,” FSSA Deputy Chief of Staff Marcus Barlow told Indiana Capital Chronicle.
The agency judged MDwise’s quality of service based on ratings from the Washington-based nonprofit National Committee for Quality Assurance and regulatory reporting to the state, Barlow said. FSSA also compared MDwise’s reported spending on medical costs to other health insurers working with the Medicaid program, he said.
MDwise fighting decision in court
The company said in a Marion County court filing that the FSSA’s action would cause “substantial disruption to the enrollees’ own health care services, and the irreversible, quick, and painful destruction of MDwise, including the loss of hundreds of jobs at MDwise and the termination of numerous business relationships with its many Indiana providers and vendors.”
“This begins a series of actions that will lead to a chaotic transfer of 300,000 Medicaid health care plan enrollees and the complete destruction of MDwise’s entire business,” a company court filing said.
The judge on Oct. 23 denied MDwise’s request to temporarily block the state from terminating the company from the Medicaid program, writing that she did not see a “compelling likelihood of success on the merits of the action.”
“The harm that MDwise claims it is likely to face is reasonably calculable by the income it stands to lose as a result of the potential termination of the Contracts,” Klineman wrote. “There is nothing in the record before the Court to suggest that MDwise would be harmed in such a manner that it is not able to be made whole with money damages if they are appropriate.”
Food Inspection Report
