COLUMBUS, Ohio – Indiana University diver Michal Bower got off to a great start at the 2016 USA Diving Winter National Championships in Columbus, Ohio on Thursday.

The Indiana senior qualified sixth in the 1-meter dive prelims, scoring a 243.35 to earn a spot in the 12-diver final on Sunday afternoon at 4:00 p.m. ET.

Bower was incredibly consistent on Thursday, with her scores ranging from 40.80 to 55.90. The Loveland, Colo. native’s best dive of her five attempts came on her last attempt, scoring a 55.90 on a forward 2-1/2 somersault pike.

During the Winter Nationals this week, Bower will also compete in the 3-meter dive. Teammate Michael Hixon will dive the 1-meter for the Hoosiers, with the prelims in that event set for Friday at 9:00 a.m. ET.

Be sure to keep up with all the latest news on the Indiana men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams on social media – Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Women’s 1-Meter Prelims

Michal Bower – 243.35

Old Friends at Kentucky Downs has two new thoroughbred residents who promise to be fan favorites: multiple stakes-winner Good Lord, winner of the 2012 Kentucky Downs Turf Dash, and Monmouth Park’s 2014 Grade III Iselin winner Balance of Power.

Good Lord and Balance of Power recently completely their two-week quarantine upon arrival and now are on display at the Kentucky Downs satellite facility of Old Friends Thoroughbred Retirement Farms, joining six other retired racehorses, along with mascot Fonzie the Mini.

Good Lord, a $20,000 purchase trained throughout his career by Forrest Kaelin for Stan Young of nearby Bowling Green and the late Thomas Shank, is the second horse at Old Friends at Kentucky Downs to have won at the unique all-grass course. His Old Friends teammate Rumor Has It won the 2008 Kentucky Turf Cup.

“It’s the perfect spot,” Kaelin said.

The 9-year-old Good Lord won nine stakes among his 15 victories in a career spanning eight seasons, 84 races and $803,305 in earnings while racing on dirt, grass and synthetic surfaces. He twice won Ellis Park’s Don Bernhardt and Mountaineer Park’s Mountaineer Mile, also capturing Churchill Downs’ Grade III Aristides and Kelly’s Landing, Charles Town’s Wild and Wonderful and Tampa Bay Downs’ Super Bowl Stakes. The Kentucky Downs Turf Dash (now the Grade III Kentucky Downs Turf Sprint) came during the best streak of the gelding’s career, when he won five stakes in seven starts, including track records at Charles Town (1:22.76 on the seven-furlong “bull ring”), Ellis (1:14.46 for 6 1/2 furlongs) and Tampa (1:22.03 for seven-eighths).

Good Lord was ninth in his last start in a $40,000 claiming race Sept. 8 at Kentucky Downs. He was dropped off at Old Friends as the Churchill Downs-based Kaelin’s stable shipped to Tampa Bay Downs for the winter.

“Stan thought it was time for him to just fold it up,” Kaelin said. “He didn’t want him to have to drop down too far the claiming ranks. But he was still 100-percent sound, a good sound horse his entire life. He was a nice little horse, a tough bird, I’ll tell you. They’re hard to find like that for $20,000. He had three track records. He’ll have that one at Charles Town for a long time.”

Balance of Power is an Old Friends veteran, arriving in March, 2015, at the main campus in Georgetown, Ky. Claimed for $25,000 by Drawing Away Stable in late 2013, the son of Silver Train saved his best for last, taking Monmouth Park’s Iselin for his first stakes triumph in what proved his career finale in 2014. Balance of Power retired with six wins out of 16 starts, earning $233,128.

“He’s so great with people it’s unbelievable,” said Rick Albright, Kentucky Downs’ racing development manager who oversees the Old Friends venue. “He is spectacular. You could send five toddlers in with him and they’d be fine. He just greets every car that pulls up there right at the front paddock.”

Albright said Old Friends’ new additions provide a great opportunity for fans and horse enthusiasts to see up close the difference between a horse coming in from the track and one who has been retired for awhile.

“We’re coming off our best month ever, with routinely four and five tours a day over the fall holidays,” he said. “We’re excited about it growing over the next season. Although the weather might be changing, tours are available every day but Monday.”

Tours are available year-round after 11 a.m. CT except during late August through mid-September, when Kentucky Downs is preparing for and conducting its live race meet. If a guide is not on hand, patrons can call 270-586-3040 and one will come over from the Franklin/Simpson County Tourism Commission, which is five minutes away and staffs the Old Friends facility. Tours are $5.00 per person, with children 12 and under free.  Proceeds from tours and gift shop items go directly to the horses’ care. The area is available for school tours and parties, with tour participants able to feed horses carrots and take photos.

Taylor hits 13 shots in the win

 

Ryan Taylor shattered his career scoring mark, knocking down 13 shots on his way to 38 points as the University of Evansville men’s basketball team defeated Norfolk State, 85-66, on Wednesday night at the Ford Center.

“It is a good win, we have a lot of respect for Norfolk State.  They are a tough team to prepare for with how many different things they do,” UE head coach Marty Simmons said.  “I was proud of our guys for getting into our schemes offensively.  Overall, I thought our guys did some good things.”

Taylor was 13-of-21 from the floor and connected on six triples to lead the Purple Aces (7-4).  He was just one point off of Colt Ryan’s Ford Center scoring record of 39.  Ryan set that mark on January 18, 2012 against Bradley.  Jaylon Brown also had a nice effort for UE, registering 18 points while going a perfect 6-6 from the line.  Sergej Vucetic was 2-2 from the field and 4-4 from the charity stripe on his way to eight points as the Aces moved to a perfect 7-0 at home this season.

“My teammates found me early on and almost all of my shots were because of being set up on a screen,” Taylor said.  “Our point guards did a great job of finding me.  Give them the credit, they created those shots.”

A 25-point outing by Zaynah Robinson led the Spartans (2-9).  He knocked down eight field goals, six from outside.

Seven of the first eight shots on the night found the bottom of the net as the Aces jumped out to a 21-11 lead in the opening six minutes of play.  Ryan Taylor, who notched 20 points in the first half, hit his first five shots while Jaylon Brown hit two in the opening stanza.

A 3-pointer by Stavian Allen at the midway point of the half saw the Spartans get within six at 24-18, but the Aces were able to pull away over the final minutes.  Evansville completed the half on a 20-9 run to lead by a 44-27 margin at the half.  The Aces out shot NSU, 57.1%-37.9% but there was an even greater disparity in the rebounds with UE holding a 23-11 edge.

Taylor was at it again in the second half.  In the opening moments, his fourth trey of the game saw him pass his career mark in scoring as he notched his 24th point, eclipsing his previous best of 22, set earlier this year against Middle Tennessee State.  His efforts helped the Aces take a 19-point lead at 64-45, but the Spartans roared back.

They got within 11 at 65-54 with 8 minutes remaining and kept the pressure on.  A Zaynah Robinson triple cut the gap to just nine at 73-64 with just over four minutes left on the clock, but the Aces were able to regroup to finish off the 85-66 triumph.

For the game, the Aces shot 54.2% while the Spartans finished the night at 41.5%.  Evansville had the final rebounding edge at 38-24.  Christian Benzon set his career mark with a game-high 9 caroms.  Solomon Hainna played a season-high 18 minutes.  He finished with a solid six points and four rebounds in the effort.

It is back to the road for UE as they head south to face Austin Peay.  Game time is 7 p.m. On Saturday.