Pricop, Gutierrez earn All-Region honors

VINCENNES, Ind. – Vincennes University freshman Delora Pricop (Satu Mare, Romania) and sophomore Marta Gutierrez (Alicante, Spain) were among the 15 players listed in the 2025 NJCAA Division I All-Region 24 team.

Pricop earned this honor after an outstanding freshman campaign for the Lady Trailblazers, averaging 15.4 points, 11 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game this season.

Pricop led the Lady Blazers with 16 double-doubles in 32 games this season, scoring in double figures 27 times for VU.

Pricop currently ranks 17th in the NJCAA in rebounds per game and third in the Nation in blocks per game.

Pricop’s best scoring game this season came against Shawnee Community College, where she finished with 28 points and 17 rebounds.

Pricop just missed out on a triple double against Jefferson College earlier this season, ending that game with 15 points, 12 rebounds and a season-high eight blocks.

Pricop’s freshman season also earned her 2025 NJCAA Division I Region 24 Freshman of the Year honors.

Pricop was joined on the All-Region 24 team by teammate and sophomore Marta Gutierrez.

Gutierrez finished her sophomore season by averaging 11.3 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 2.3 steals per game for the Lady Trailblazers.

Gutierrez scored in double figures 18 times this season, including reaching double digit points in the last 14 games this season for VU.

Gutierrez came away with one double-double this season, scoring 11 points and collecting 12 rebounds in VU’s win over Lincoln Trail College in the first round of the Region 24 tournament.

Gutierrez’s best scoring game this past season came against Wabash Valley College, where she finished the game with 21 points, five steals and four rebounds.

Gutierrez also earned the Region 24 Sportsmanship Award this season.

Together this duo helped guide the Lady Trailblazers to a final record of 17-15 this past season, including an 11-5 record against Region 24 opponents.

ALL-REGION 24 TEAM

Player of the Year – Madison Lewis – Wabash Valley

Beautiful Waheed – Wabash Valley

Taylor Horton – John A. Logan

Laniya Richardson – Lincoln Trail

DELORA PRICOP – VINCENNES

Shamya Reid – Wabash Valley

Brock Bittermann – Olney Central

Nakiya Harris – Wabash Valley

Carly Foster – Rend Lake

Isabella Slocum – Olney Central

Keyara Baerga-Plumey – Southwestern Illinois

Jalea Shered – Southwestern Illinois

MARTA GUTIERREZ – VINCENNES

Haley Dillman – Rend Lake

Erin Henry – Wabash Valley

FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR – DELORA PRICOP – VINCENNES

SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD – MARTA GUTIERREZ – VINCENNES

USI wins 6-4, takes the series from WIU
Screaming Eagles score two in the ninth for Sunday win

MACOMB, Ill. – University of Southern Indiana Baseball scored a pair of runs in the ninth inning to defeat Western Illinois University, 6-4, Sunday afternoon in Macomb, Illinois. USI, which wins the opening series of the 2025 Ohio Valley Conference schedule, is 10-13 overall and 2-1 in the league, while WIU goes 6-14, 1-2 OVC this year.

The Screaming Eagles struck first and built a 3-0 after three-and-a-half frames. Sophomore rightfielder Cameron Boyd sent an RBI single up the middle in the first inning for the 1-0 lead, while sophomore third baseman Parker Martin and junior catcher Micajah Wall singled in runs in the two-run fourth inning.

WIU got on the board in the bottom of the fourth and knotted the game, 3-3. USI regained the lead 4-3 in the sixth on an RBI triple by junior leftfielder Patrick McLellan before the Leathernecks knotted the game at 4-4 in the bottom half of the frame.

The Leathernecks had a chance to take their first lead of the game in the bottom of the eighth with a runner on third with one out, but USI junior shortstop Clayton Slack made two outstanding plays on the infield to strand the man and end the inning.

In the ninth, USI senior centerfielder Khi Holiday led off the inning with a hit before advancing to third on a stolen base and a WIU error. Junior designated hitter Cole Kitchens drove in Holiday two pitches later with the eventual game-winning run on an RBI double to right for the 5-4 lead.

The Eagles pushed the lead to 6-4 with an insurance run when Slack singled to center to drive in junior Hunter Miller, who pinch ran for Kitchens.

WIU would mount a challenge in the ninth, putting runners at second and third with one out in the ninth, but sophomore right-hander Abdriel Figueroa got the final two outs for his first save of the year and as an Eagle.

On the mound, senior right-hander Ian Anderson picked up his first win of the year in relief. Anderson (1-0) pitched a pair of scoreless innings, allowing a hit and a walk and striking out one.

USI senior right-hander Hiroyuki Yamada started and got a no-decision in the contest. Yamada allowed three runs on four hits and three walks, while striking out four.

Up Next for the Eagles:

The Eagles finish its five-game road swing Tuesday when they visit Ball State University for a 3 p.m. first pitch. The Cardinals are 16-9 after being swept by Xavier University over the weekend. Ball State is 6-4 in its last 10 games.

USI trails the Ball State in all-time series, 4-0, after falling 12-5 last spring in Muncie, Indiana.

The Eagles return home to the USI Baseball Field March 28-30 when the Eagles host the University of Arkansas at Little Rock for a three-game OVC series.

Due to the ever-changing weather in March, USI encourages fans to watch for potential schedule changes on USIScreamingEagles.com, X, and Facebook.

 
Doubles
The Screaming Eagles took an early doubles lead, as the duo of freshman Jy Hibbert and junior Axel Sabourin took down the Bruins’ number one doubles team 6-3. Belmont tied the doubles point winning 6-3 over USI’s number three duo of junior Mathys Bove and freshman Adam Koon.
 
The Bruins clinched the doubles point after senior Quinten Gillespie and sophomore Eytan Michaeli fought hard but fell to 6-4 in the number two spot.
 
Singles
Sabourin battled in the number two singles, earning a win in the first set, 6-4, before dropping the next two. Bove lost a close number one singles match, after stumbling in the first set, he won the second 7-5. Eventually losing the match in the third 10-7.
 
Hibbert kept the match tight, losing 7-6 (7-1) in the first set, and falling in set two 6-3.
 

HUTCHINSON, Kan. – The No. 14-seed Vincennes University Trailblazers opened their run at the 2025 NJCAA Division I National tournament Saturday night at the Hutchinson Sports Arena in Hutchinson, Kan.

The Trailblazers squared off against No. 19 seed Three Rivers College from Poplar Bluff, Mo. and came away with the opening round win over the Raiders 69-51.

Vincennes got the offense going early in their first round matchup, using an early 8-0 run to help build a quick 15-9 advantage over the Raiders.

Three Rivers rallied back and cut the VU lead down to one at 18-17 midway through the first half, before the Blazers answered with an 11-2 scoring run to take their first double digit lead of the night.

The two teams would traded baskets to close out the first half, with Three Rivers getting the final shot with Vincennes heading into the halftime break leading 32-25 over the Raiders.

Coming out of the locker room the Trailblazers looked to get some distance on the scoreboard early and again used a 12-2 scoring run to take a 48-32 lead early in the second half.

Three Rivers continued to battle down the stretch of the second half but were unable to come away with consecutive baskets with Vincennes maintaining a double-digit advantage for most of the second period.

Vincennes would close out the game strong at the free throw line, closing out the game on a 9-2 scoring run to pull away late and finish off the victory by the final score of 69-51.

The Trailblazers were led offensively Saturday night by sophomore and 2025 Region 24 Player of the Year Lebron Thomas (Bishopville, S.C.) who finished his night with 18 points, seven assists, three blocks and three rebounds.

Sophomore Michael Cooper (Minneapolis, Minn.) came off the bench to add an offensive spark, finishing his night with 14 points and five rebounds.

Freshman Travelle Bryson (Anderson, S.C.) was the third VU scorer in double figures, ending his night with 10 points, five rebounds and a pair of blocks.

Freshman Dayton Williams (Louisville, Ky.) and sophomore Bryan Akanmu (Paris, France) finished just outside of double figures in the points column, with Williams adding nine points and Akanmu adding eight points, five rebounds and three assists.

The Trailblazers advance to the Sweet Sixteen round of the NJCAA Division I National tournament and will face off against No. 3 seed Indian Hills Community College Monday, March 24 at 9 p.m. eastern.

FEDERAL WAY, Wash. – Under the shadow of Mt. Rainier, Indiana women’s swimming and diving reached its peak this week at the 2025 NCAA Women’s Swimming and Diving, capturing a program record fourth place national finish.

The Hoosiers scored a program record 312 points, smashing their previous best mark of 219 set in 2023. Indiana outscored Tennessee by 14 points to reach the four-team trophy table.

The two teams were tied at 264 points following the 200-yard butterfly, the final individual swimming event, but diving made the difference. Senior Skyler Liu’s national title and Ella Roselli’s 12th-place finish on platform added 25 points to IU’s total, while the Lady Vols went scoreless in diving. Tennessee finished second in the 400-yard freestyle relay, ahead of IU’s tied-for-seventh placement, but the 11-point deficit did not make up for IU’s platform prowess.

Indiana also set program records for total medals (seven) and All-America honors (38), and for the first time in school history all five relays recorded top five finishes. Indiana athletes set program records in eight events.

PROGRAM RECORDS (Team)

PROGRAM RECORDS (Event)

Indiana’s seniors “left it all out there” in their final night of collegiate competition.

Ching Hwee Gan earned her third-straight NCAA medal in the 1,650-yard freestyle while finally overtaking an 11-year-old program record. Gan’s 15:42.40 was almost four seconds faster that her previous personal best (15:46.22) and two seconds better than Lindsay Vrooman’s 15:44.45 that placed fifth at NCAAs in 2014.

Classmate Brearna Crawford entered her first-career championship final in the 200-yard breaststroke with a prelim time of 2:07.16 and career-best 2:06.86 and came out of the pool the NCAA bronze medalist after going sub-2:06 for the first time in her career. Crawford’s 2:05.66 makes her the third-fastest Hoosier ever, behind Lilly King and former teammate and now-assistant coach Noelle Peplowski.

Liu capped her career with her national title on platform. The four-time Big Ten Champion  picked up her first two NCAA medals this week, also earning bronze on the 3-meter springboard on Friday. Indiana has won three of the last five women’s NCAA platform diving titles – Tarrin Gilliland repeated as tower champion from 2021-22. Between the men and women’s programs, Indiana has captured an NCAA platform championship each of the last five seasons.

Anna Peplowski scored maximum points out of the 100-yard freestyle consolation final, wrapping up a legendary meet performance and collegiate for the swimmer who is perhaps Indiana’s greatest-ever women’s freestyle swimmer. Peplowski won Indiana’s first freestyle championship Friday in the 200 free and took bronze in the 500 free for a second-straight year, bringing her career NCAA medal total to four. The senior finishes her collegiate career an Olympian, 21-time All-American and eight-time Big Ten Champion.

INDIANA MEDALISTS

Brearna Crawford – 200 breaststroke (bronze)

Ching Hwee Gan – 1,650 freestyle (bronze)

Miranda Grana – 100 backstroke (bronze)

Skyler Liu – Platform (champion), 3-meter (bronze)

Anna Peplowski – 200 freestyle (champion), 500 freestyle (bronze)

RESULTS (SATURDAY)

1,650 FREESTYLE

3. Ching Hwee Gan – 15:42.40 (NCAA Bronze, All-America, Program Record, Career Best)
4. Mariah Denigan – 15:58.58

200 BACKSTROKE
9. Miranda Grana – 1:48.73 (Second-team All-America, Program Record, Career Best)

100 FREESTYLE

9. Anna Peplowski – 47.33 (Second-team All-America)
10. Kristina Paegle – 47.69 (Second-team All-America)

200 BREASTSTROKE

5. Brearna Crawford – 2:05.66 (NCAA Bronze, All-America, Career Best)

PLATFORM DIVING

1. Skyler Liu – 382.15 (NCAA Champion, All-America)
2. Ella Roselli – 302.95 (Second-team All-America)

400 FREESTYLE RELAY

T7. Anna Peplowski, Mya DeWitt, Miranda Grana, Kristina Paegle – 3:10.47 (All-America, Program Record)

HOOSIER ALL-AMERICANS

Brearna Crawford – 200 medley relay*, 400 medley relay, 200 breaststroke

Mya DeWitt – 200 freestyle relay, 100 backstroke*, 400 medley relay, 400 freestyle relay

Ching Hwee Gan – 500 freestyle, 1,650 freestyle

Miranda Grana – 200 medley relay*, 800 freestyle relay, 100 butterfly, 100 backstroke, 400 medley relay, 200 backstroke*, 400 freestyle relay

Skyler Liu – 3-meter, Platform

Kacey McKenna – 200 medley relay*, 200 freestyle relay, 100 backstroke*

Kristina Paegle – 200 medley relay*, 800 freestyle relay, 50 freestyle*, 200 freestyle relay, 400 medley relay, 100 freestyle*, 400 freestyle relay

Anna Peplowski – 800 freestyle relay, 500 freestyle, 200 freestyle relay, 200 freestyle, 100 freestyle*, 400 freestyle relay

Ella Roselli – 1-meter*, Platform*­

Reese Tiltmann – 800 freestyle relay

Lily Witte – 3-meter*

* – Denotes second-team honoree