BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana swimming and diving captured four of the six available conference weekly awards, sweeping the Big Ten Swimmer of the Week and Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors. The conference office announced its weekly awards on Wednesday (Oct. 15).

Sophomore Miranda Grana won Big Ten Swimmer of the Week and Noah Cakir and Liberty Clark captured Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors for the second time in as many chances this season, all having won the same awards on Oct. 1. Senior Zalán Sárkány captured his first weekly award of the season as the Big Ten Swimmer of the Week on the men’s side.

The latest award haul comes after IU dominated all five of its dual meets against ranked opponents in Los Angeles at the weekend.

Sárkány set the No. 1 times in the country in all three of his victories, winning the 500-yard freestyle (4:11.39), 1,650-yard freestyle (14:29.87) and 400-yard IM (3:43.45). The senior also set IU dual meet records in his freestyle events as well as a USC pool record in the mile.

Grana won six events, sweeping her individual races and contributing to three individual relays. The junior also swept the backstroke events, setting IU dual meet records in the 100-yard backstroke (50.75) and 200-yard backstroke (1:49.85). Grana’s 200 back time set the No. 1 time in the nation.

Clark maxed out with seven event wins, contributing to all four of Indiana’s relay victories. In just her second meet, Clark became the No. 2 Hoosier all-time in the 100-yard freestyle (47.39) and 200-yard freestyle (1:42.43), while also winning the 50-yard freestyle (22.03). Clark posted 100 free splits of 47.42 and 46.68 as well as 50 free splits of 22.04 and 21.62.

Cakir had a trio of top-three finishes and contributed to the Indiana men’s best relay. The freshman won the 200-yard breaststroke (1:54.19), finished second in the 100-yard breaststroke (52.64) and placed third in the 200-yard IM (1:47.25). He swam the breaststroke leg of the 400-yard medley relay, which earned an NCAA qualifying time of 3:05.97.

Thomas, Habib named OVC Players to Watch

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Women’s Basketball is projected to place fourth in the 2025-26 Ohio Valley Conference season in a vote submitted by the league’s head coaches and communication directors.

USI heads into its fourth season in the Ohio Valley Conference and first as a full-fledged NCAA Division-I member in 2025-26. After completing the reclassification process, USI is now eligible to compete for an NCAA Championship postseason berth.

The Screaming Eagles are coming off a second consecutive berth in the Women’s National Invitation Tournament (WNIT) in 2024-25 and their first appearance in the Super Sixteen. USI went 23-13 overall and 12-8 in the OVC last season.

The 11-team OVC will feature a schedule with each team playing each other twice in a home-and-home split for a 20-game schedule. The conference schedule will run from December 18, 2025, through February 28, 2026. The conference’s season concludes with the OVC Basketball Championship Tournament at the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana, March 4-7, 2026.

Lindenwood University, last season’s runner-up in the OVC, topped the OVC preseason poll with 179 points and six first-place votes. Reigning Ohio Valley Conference champion Tennessee Tech University was picked second with 175 points and 12 first-place votes. Western Illinois University received a third-place projection with 166 points and four first-place votes.

USI Women’s Basketball was picked fourth with 147 points, and Eastern Illinois University was selected with 121 points. The University of Tennessee at Martin was sixth with 117 points in front of Little Rock with 110 points. Tennessee State University (78) and Southeast Missouri State University (51) were projected eighth and ninth, respectively. Morehead State University and Southern Illinois University Edwardsville rounded out the preseason poll in a tie for tenth with 33 points.

As part of the OVC’s preseason announcement, USI was represented by two players on the 2025-26 OVC Players to Watch List. Senior guard Ali Saunders and junior forward Chloe Gannon were named to the list.

Saunders is USI’s top returning scorer after finishing third on the team with 10.5 points per game last season, making 32 starts in 34 appearances. Saunders shot the ball for over 42 percent from the floor and nearly 33 percent from beyond the arc in 2024-25. The guard averaged a team-high 32.9 minutes and pulled down 3.7 rebounds per game as a junior. Only two seasons removed from an All-OVC Newcomer Team selection in 2023-24, Saunders topped the team and OVC with 157 assists last year, her second consecutive season with 100-plus assists, and was second in the conference with 4.6 helpers per outing. Saunders finished third in the OVC with a 1.5 assist-to-turnover ratio. Defensively, Saunders was just as impactful, leading USI and the OVC with 87 steals and second in the OVC with 2.6 steals per game. Saunders scored 10 or more points in 17 games in 2024-25.

Gannon is coming off a strong finish to the 2024-25 campaign, posting 14 points in USI’s final game of the season against the University at Buffalo in the WNIT Super Sixteen. As a sophomore last season, Gannon made 33 appearances, averaging 14.6 minutes per game. The forward notched 5.2 points and 2.5 boards per outing while shooting over 42 percent overall. In the back end of the 2024-25 slate, Gannon dropped a season-high 16 points against Little Rock in early February and combined for 15 points with seven rebounds in USI’s final two games at last year’s OVC tournament. Gannon is only two seasons removed from an OVC All-Tournament Team selection in 2023-24, when the Screaming Eagles swept the OVC championship titles that season.

USI Women’s Basketball tips off its 2025-26 season on Monday, November 3 at 6 p.m. against Franklin College from inside Liberty Arena, home of the Screaming Eagles. The Eagles begin their OVC slate on December 18 when USI hosts Little Rock.

For more information on USI Women’s Basketball tickets, contact the USI Ticket Office at 812-465-1189.

2025-26 OVC Women’s Basketball Predicted Order of Finish
(as voted on by the league’s head coaches and communication directors)
1. Lindenwood (6 first-place votes) – 179
2. Tennessee Tech (12) – 175
3. Western Illinois (4) – 166
4. Southern Indiana – 147
5. Eastern Illinois – 121
6. UT Martin – 117
7. Little Rock – 110
8. Tennessee State – 78
9. Southeast Missouri – 51
10. Morehead State – 33
SIUE – 33
2025-26 OVC Preseason Players to Watch List
Lalani Ellis, Meioshe Mason – Eastern Illinois
Mya Skoff, Gracy Wernli – Lindenwood
Mya Cotto, Destinee Salgado – Little Rock
Laura Toffali, Marie Sepp – Morehead State
Lexi McCully, Ainaya Williams – Southeast Missouri
Macy Silvey, Jaiden Bryant – SIUE
Ali Saunders, Chloe Gannon – Southern Indiana
Somah Kamara, Erin Martin – Tennessee State
Chloe Larry, Reagan Hurst – Tennessee Tech
Norah Clark – UT Martin
Addi Brownfield, Allie Meadows – Western Illinois

UE defeats Indiana State by a 3-1 final

 TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Hinsley Everett registered a career-high 23 kills to lead the University of Evansville volleyball team to a 3-1 road win at Indiana State on Tuesday evening.

Everett accumulated 23 kills while hitting a solid .291. Chloe Cline finished with 10 kills to go along with three blocks, three digs, and two assists. Carlotta Pascual and Sabrina Ripple finished with eight kills apiece while Josdarilee Caraballo posted seven. Ainoah Cruz led the Purple Aces with 22 digs while picking up eight assists and a kill and Kora Ruff tallied 47 assists and 16 digs. Curry Kendall led the Sycamores with 14 kills.

Game 1 – Indiana State 25, UE 22

Ryan Scheu Hinsley Everett posted early kills to put the Aces in front at 3-1. After the Sycamores tied the game at 4-4, UE scored four in a row to retake the lead. Chloe Cline and Holland Morris had kills during the stretch. Another Everett kill solidified an 11-7 UE lead before ISU stormed back once again to tie the game at 12-12.

Scheu and Everett both added another kill to put UE on top by a 19-16 margin before another Sycamore run made the difference as they scored six in a row to go up 22-19 before taking the set by a 25-22 final.

Game 2 – UE 25, Indiana State 18

Evansville scored the opening two points and never gave ISU the lead on the way to a 25-18 win to knot the set at 1-1. After the Sycamores tied it up at 3-3, UE scored two in a row before extending the lead to 13-8 as Everett recorded three kills in a row. Ainoah Cruz picked up an ace to make it a 22-14 game while Cline and Kora Ruff assisted on a block for the clinching point.

Game 3 – UE 25, Indiana State 17

Following a few early lead swaps, the Aces opened a 9-7 lead on a solo block from Cline. Indiana State got back within one at 11-10 before UE changed the course of the set. Scoring eight in a row, the Aces took full control. Cline had a kill and ace during the stretch while Ripple added a pair of kills. In the late stages it was two more Everett kills finishing off the 25-17 victory.

Game 4 – UE 25, Indiana State 23

With a road conference win in its sights the Aces stormed out to a 7-1 lead to open the set. Everett racked up two more kills and a solo block in the huge start. She recorded an ace to solidify an 11-4 advantage before Indiana State clawed its way back scoring five in a row to get back within two.

UE regrouped following a time out with Josdarilee Caraballo coming up huge for her team. The sophomore posted four kills in the span of five points as UE opened a 16-10 edge. UE extended the lead back up to seven at 20-13 on a kill by Carlotta Pascual before the Sycamores staged another rally. ISU made it a 20-16 score and continued to rally as they cut the deficit to just two at 23-21. Fortunately, Evansville picked up the points it needed to take the road win.