|
|||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||
|
HOT JOBS
UE welcomes Bradley for MVC opener
Aces home on Friday before traveling to SIU
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – With the non-conference portion of the schedule complete the University of Evansville volleyball team opens its Missouri Valley Conference slate this weekend. UE welcomes Bradley to Meeks Family Fieldhouse on Friday before traveling to Southern Illinois on Saturday.
Recapping the Weekend
– Evansville dropped both ends of the home-and-home with USI in four sets
– Brooke Herdes paced UE with 16 kills in the home meeting while Hinsley Everett tallied 15 kills in the rematch across town
– Ainoah Cruz averaged 6.25 digs per set in the two matches
Top 15
– Ainoah Cruz averaged 6.25 digs in the series against USI to raise her season average to 5.08 per set
– Her average ranks second in the MVC and 13th in the nation
– Cruz eclipsed the 1,000-dig mark earlier this season against UAB and is on the cusp of moving into the top 10 in program history
– Her top performance of the season came against PFW where she recorded 31 digs
– Cruz had 29 in the road match at USI
Youth Movement
– Three freshmen lead the UE offense entering the MVC portion of the schedule
– Hinsley Everett paces the team with 2.53 kills per set while Brooke Herdes and Ryan Scheu hold marks of 2.41 and 2.25 kills/set, respectively
– Everett had a team-high 17 kills in the road match at USI while Herdes led the team with 16 kills in the home meeting
– Both had career-highs of 17 kills this season; Everett did so against MTSU while Herdes had 17 versus PFW
Near the Top
– Averaging 7.52 assists per set, Kora Ruff is currently second in the MVC
– Her season-high of 44 assists came against PFW while she had 41 on two occasions
– Last time out, Ruff had 41 assists and a season-high 19 digs at USI
– Ruff is 21st in the MVC with her average of 2.57 digs per frame
Scouting the Opposition
– Friday’s MVC opener will see the Aces take on Bradley
– The Braves enter Valley play with a 6-6 mark with recent wins coming against Central Michigan, Kansas City, and Austin Peay
– Tendai Titley leads the team with 2.70 kills per set
– SIU is 5-7 on the season following a 3-1 win over North Dakota State last weekend
– Annabelle Sulish is the top offensive force for the Salukis with 3.02 kills/set
Meeks Madness set for Saturday on UE campus
Event begins at 6 p.m.
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Meeks Madness is set to officially tip off the 2025-26 season for the University of Evansville men’s and women’s basketball teams. The event will take place inside Meeks Family Fieldhouse on Saturday, September 27 at 6 p.m.
Admission is free for all. The first 200 attendees will get a free Purple Aces and Azzip t-shirt.
Festivities include a 3-poipnt contest, slam dunk contest, intersquad scrimmages for both teams, and an autograph session with both squads.
Season tickets for both teams will be on sale at Meeks Madness. It will also be the final opportunity for fans to purchase 50/50 tickets for the second drawing.
Eagles to race against strong competition Friday
EVANSVILLE, Ind.—University of Southern Indiana Men’s and Women’s Cross Country will go up against some strong competition Friday when the Screaming Eagles toe the starting line at the Gans Creek Classic in Columbia, Missouri.
The Gans Creek Classic features a combined total of 28 nationally-ranked teams, including 17 of the top 30 teams in the latest men’s U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches’ Association rankings and 11 of the top 30 teams in the latest women’s USTFCCCA rankings.
That list includes the top-ranked men’s team in the nation in Iowa State University as well as the No. 2-ranked women’s team in the nation in the University of Oregon.
Friday’s meet will be split into three races (gold, black and open), with USI competing in a black division that will feature 10 regionally-ranked opponents.
USI’s top runners will compete at the Gans Creek Cross Country Course, which is home to the 2025 NCAA Division I National Championships.
Junior Alex Nolan and sophomore Hadessah Austin have each been named Ohio Valley Conference Runner of the Week twice this season and figure to be the Screaming Eagles’ front runners once again.
Nolan is coming off a 20th-place finish at the Southern Showcase two weeks ago in Huntsville, Alabama. He finished the eight-kilometer course in 24 minutes, 06.30 seconds to lead USI to an 11th-place finish in the 48-team field.
USI’s men have also been getting solid contributions from senior Dominick Beine and junior Isaac Stanford. Beine finished 56th at the Southern Showcase, while Stanford carded an 87th-place finish.
Austin, who will run her first 6k of the 2025 season Friday, is coming off a 26th-place finish at the Southern Showcase. She finished the 5k course in 17 minutes, 18.6 seconds as the Screaming Eagles finished 25th in the 52-team field.
Junior Ellie Hall ran neck-and-neck with Austin for most of the race before finishing 91st despite suffering from a stomach bug throughout the final 1.8 kilometers. The return of two-time All-OVC honoree Zoe Seward, who has worked her way back from an injury, will boost the Screaming Eagles’ lineup.
Friday’s meet begins with the men’s black race at 8:15 a.m., while the women’s black race is slated for a 10:30 a.m. start time. The men’s open competition is scheduled to begin at 11:15 a.m., while the women’s open race follows with a noon start.
UE Swimming and Diving announces new team members
Eighteen student-athletes join Purple Aces squads
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Evansville head swimming and diving coach Toby Wilcox has announced eighteen new members of the Purple Aces squads. Below is background information on each newcomer as well as their top times in the events they will be competing in at UE.
Carter Bolling – Greenville, Ind.
- Pre-PT Concentration
- Floyd Central High/Riverside Aquatics
100-free – 48.80 | 200-free – 1:43.80 | 500-free – 4:47
Christopher Rector – Knoxville, Tenn.
- Political Science
- Concord Christian/Tennessee Aquatics
200-IM – 1:51 | 100-free – 47.3 | 50-free – 21.5 | 100-breasstroke – 56.78 | 200-breaststroke – 2:04.90
Robert Hargrove – Bolingbrook, Ill.
- Pre-PT
- Hinsdale Swim Club/Naperville Central High
100-breaststroke – 57.55 | 100-fly – 52.30 | 200-IM – 1:59.80 | 200-breaststroke – 2:13.40
Tyler Jackson – Lubbock, Texas
- Mechanical Engineering
- Lubbock Swim Club//Coronado High
50-free – 21.80 | 100-free – 46.90 | 200-free – 1:42.30 | 500-free – 4:38.03 | 200-IM – 1:54.00 | 400-IM – 4:10
Alex Willis – Palmerston North, New Zealand
- Exercise Science
- ICE Breakers Aquatic/Palmerston North Combined
50-free (LC) – 20.95 (24.6) | 100-free (LC) – 47.6 (54.44) | 100-fly (LC) – 50.04 (58.6) | 200-IM (LC) – 1:53.51 (2:06)
Grace Moody – Shelbyville, Tenn.
- Pre-Med
- Excel Aquatics
50-free – 23.93 | 100-free – 51.60 | 100-fly – 55.7 | 100-backstroke – 57.7 | 200-backstroke – 2:02
Harry McDowell – Bolton, Ontario, Canada
- Pre-PT
- Dorado Swim Club
50-free (LC) – 22.36 (25.07) | 100-free (LC) – 48.73 (55.70) | 200-free (LC) – 1:52.62 (2:05)
Jaley Hamilton – Mt. Vernon, Ind.
- Accounting/Finance
- Mt. Vernon High/Great Swim Club
50-free – 24.93 | 100-free – 54.16 | 100-backstroke – 59.8 | 200-backstroke – 2:17
Jesse Montano – Alexandria, Va.
- Mechanical Engineering
- Edison High/WCAP Club
100-breaststroke – 55.5 | 200-breaststroke – 2:04.2 | 200-IM – 2:00 | 50-free – 22.00
Bryce Ryan – Peachtree City, Ga.
- Marketing/Management
- Summit YMCA
200-free – 1:44.50 | 500-free – 4:42.8 | 1000-free – 9:40
Jillian Giese – West Lafayette, Ind.
- Biology (Pre-Med)
- Boilermaker Club
100-breastroke – 1:06.90 | 200-breaststroke – 2:26.10 | 200-IM – 2:09.70 | 400-IM – 4:40.50 | 50-free – 24.7 | 200-free – 1:59
Claire Mewbourne – Hendersonville, Tenn.
- Pre-Vet
- Excel Aquatics
100-breaststroke – 1:05.2 | 200-breaststroke – 2:22.9 | 200-IM – 2:09.7 | 200-free – 1:57
Trevor O’Sullivan – Charlotte, N.C.
- Mechanical Engineering
- Mecklenburg Swim Association
100-breaststroke – 56.71 | 200-breastsstroke – 2:05.7 | 200-IM – 1:59.8 | 100-fly – 53.1
Luke Cook – Angleton, Texas
- Civil Engineering
- Swim Houston Aquatic Club
200-free – 1:40.64 | 500-free – 4:38.9 | 1000-free – 9:45 | 1650-free – 16:35 | 100-free – 47.9
Audrey Wandling – Mishawaka, Ind.
- Actuary Science
- Irish Aquatics/Mishawaka High
200-free – 1:59 | 500-free – 5:18 | 1650-free – 18:48 | 400-IM – 4:06
Tristen Thomas – York, Pa.
- Nursing
- York YMCA/West York High
100-breaststroke – 1:08.1 | 200-breaststroke – 2:26 | 50-free – 26.10
Jadyn Dauphinais – Georgetown, Tenn.
- Psychology
- Baylor Swim Club/UALR
50-free – 24.2 | 100-free – 53.4 | 100-fly – 56.9 | 100-backstroke – 57.4
Eden McRoberts – Layafette, Ind.
- Nursing
- Greater Lafayette Area Diving/McCutcheon High
1-meter – 204
Aces Prepare for Gans Creek Classic
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The University of Evansville men’s and women’s cross country teams return to the course tomorrow for the Gans Creek Classic in Columbia, Mo. The event, hosted by Missouri, features an 87-team field and will be broadcast live on SECN+, while live results can be fund here. The men’s field includes 14 Top 25 squads, while the women’s field features nine teams ranked inside the Top 25.
Evansville junior Samuel Lea (Worcester, United Kingdom/Worcester Sixth Form College) won the men’s 8K in dramatic fashion at the John McNichols Invitational last Saturday, helping his team to a fourth place finish. On the women’s side, the Aces finished fifth, led by sophomore Chase Hayes (Noblesville, Ind./Western), who finished 15th.
Lea won the men’s race with a time of 24:47.35, edging out Miami (Ohio)’s Chis Perkins by one second to take the title. The time marks a personal best for Lea and ties Nick Waniger (2006) for the ninth-best 8K time in program history. Rafael Rodriguez (Segovia, Spain/Colegio Claret) placed 24th with a time of 26:00.24, while Woody Burrell (Cedarburg, Wis. Cedarburg) finished closely behind in 28th place at 26:06.43. Tommaso Losma (Lombardia, Italy/Liceo Scientifico David Maria Turoldo, Zogno (Bg)) and Nathan Whitehead Vincennes, Ind./Vincennes) also finished inside the top 50 to help UE finish fourth in the 13-team field.
On the women’s side, Hayes paced the Aces for the third time this season, tying Nicole Prauchner (2023) for the 14th-best 6K time in program history and setting a new personal best at 22:29.93. Avery Stephens (Newburgh, Ind/Castle) was the next UE finisher, posting a time of 23:14.48 to place 27th. Freshman Kyleigh Wolf (Columbus, Ind./Columbus North) finished 33rd with a time of 23:33.07, while Evansville finished fifth in the 11-team field. y), Lauren Bradley (Russiaville, Ind./Western) and Veronica Wilgocki (Chesteron, Ind./Chesterton) secured top ten finishes as well with times of 19:55.1, 20:05.6, and 20:25.7 respectively.
On the men’s side, freshman James Cruse (Melbourne, Australia) won the collegiate race and finished second overall as the Aces’ top finisher with a time of 18:48.3. Cruse was named MVC Men’s Runner of the Week for his performance. Nathan Whitehead (Vincennes, Ind./South Knox) also placed in the top five, finishing fourth at 19:14.7. Tanner Spence (Carmi, Ill./Carmi) and Nathan Campbell (Bloomington, Ind./Bloomington North) also placed inside the top ten with times of 19:26.5 and 19:37.7, respectively. Evansville took the team title with a score of 26, a margin of victory of 47 ahead of the second place squad.
Friday’s meet will be hosted at the Gans Creek Cross Country Course (3350 E Gans Road Columbia, MO 65201).
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.
Vanderburgh County legislators: Local schools awarded state funding for safety improvements
STATEHOUSE (Sept. 24, 2025) – Vanderburgh County schools recently received more than $694,000 for safety upgrades through the state’s Secured School Safety Grant Program supported by area lawmakers.
State Rep. Tim O’Brien (R-Evansville), who is chair of the House Ways and Means K-12 Subcommittee, said the funding is part of the state legislature’s investment in school safety this year, which totaled $27 million in state matching grants across 494 schools statewide. Lawmakers also advanced legislation this year to move the Office of School Safety to the Department of Homeland Security, centralizing safety efforts and providing additional support and resources to schools.
“A quality education starts with providing a safe learning environment for our kids,” O’Brien said. “Secured School Safety Grants allow our community schools to protect what is most important, which is the safety of students and teachers.”
Area schools receiving grants include:
- Annunciation Catholic School at Christ the King, $30,987;
- Annunciation Catholic at Holy Spirit, $44,654;
- Corpus Christi School, $24,008;
- Evansville Day School, $31,681;
- Evansville Lutheran School, $10,406;
- Evansville Vanderburgh School Corp., $92,500;
- Good Shepherd School, $46,250;
- Holy Redeemer School, $39,312;
- Holy Rosary School, $42,087;
- Joshua Academy, $62,437;
- Mater Dei High School, $92,500;
- Reitz Memorial High School, $24,050;
- Resurrection School, $45,233;
- Signature School Inc, $22,020;
- St. Benedict Cathedral School, $29,461;
- St. Joseph School (Evansville), $16,835; and
- Westside Catholic School, $40,468.
State Rep. Wendy McNamara (R-Evansville) said awarded funds can be used for a wide range of safety needs like support for resource officers, equipment and technology, active event warning systems, threat assessments and student-parent support service programs.
“This funding will go directly toward helping Southwest Indiana schools boost security and provide safe educational environments for our students, educators and staff,” McNamara said. “By investing in school safety, future generations can learn and grow to their fullest potential.”
State Rep. Matt Hostettler (R-Patoka) said since the program began in 2013, Indiana has invested more than $214 million in school safety through state matching grants.
“Teachers and students should feel protected at school, which leads to better education outcomes,” Hostettler said. “These grants give schools financial backing to upgrade security systems or hire resource officers.”
To learn more about the Secured School Safety Grant Program and what Indiana’s doing to keep schools safe, visit the state’s school safety hub at in.gov/schoolsafety.