USI Women’s Basketball to host WNIT second-round game Sunday

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Women’s Basketball will host its second-round game of the 2025 Postseason Women’s National Invitation Tournament (WNIT) on Sunday at 6 p.m. inside Liberty Arena, home of the Screaming Eagles.

The news comes following an announcement by the WNIT, powered by Triple Crown Sports, on Wednesday morning.

Southern Indiana (22-12, 12-8 OVC) was selected for its second consecutive WNIT berth earlier this week and received a first-round bye. The Screaming Eagles await the winner of the first-round matchup between Coastal Carolina University (23-8) and Campbell University (21-12). Coastal Carolina and Campbell will play Thursday at 5 p.m. CT at Coastal Carolina.

Tickets for Sunday’s home game are $10 and will go on sale Wednesday at 4 p.m., including available lower-bowl seating. Season ticket holders will have the opportunity to buy their same seats until Thursday at 5 p.m. All seat inventory will open up to the general public on Friday at 8 a.m. Fans can purchase tickets in person at the USI Ticket Office inside Liberty Arena, call (812) 465-1189, or reserve their seats by emailing Blake Bruner at bkbruner@usi.edu. The ticket office will be open until 8 p.m. Wednesday. Thursday’s ticket office hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Fans can follow the 2025 Postseason WNIT through X/Twitter (@WomensNIT), Facebook (womensNIT), and the hashtag #WNIT.

• Quad City Storm:
  • Record: 21-25-4, 46 Points, 8th Place
  • Leading Goal Scorer: Leif Mattson (28 Goals)
  • Leading Point Scorer: Leif Mattson (64 Points)
  • Primary Goaltender: Brent Moran (18-13-3, .920 Save %)
  • Thunderbolts 24-25 Record vs QCS: 7-2-1

FEDERAL WAY, Wash. – Having earned program-record seventh place national finishes the last two seasons, No. 7-ranked Indiana looks to keep climbing to new heights this week at the 2025 NCAA Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships in Federal Way, Washington.

The four-day meet will run Wednesday (March 19) through Saturday (March 22) inside the Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatic Center. Final sessions will kick off at 9 p.m. ET each evening. Preliminary heats will begin at 10 a.m. every morning beginning Thursday. Fans can stream the competition via the ESPN+ digital platform.

Fourteen Hoosiers combine to compete in every event. Six seniors lead the way for Indiana in what will be their final collegiate meet: Brearna Crawford, Mariah Denigan, Ching Hwee Gan, Skyler Liu, Kacey McKenna and Anna Peplowski.

Peplowski can end her collegiate career emphatically as the No. 1-seed in the 200-yard freestyle. Her 1:40.69 relay split from Big Ten Championships makes her the event’s only entrant under 1:41.00. That time also made Peplowski the joint Big Ten record holder as well as the ninth-fastest swimmer ever. Peplowski told Swimming World Magazine that she aims to become just the fourth swimmer to break the 1:40 barrier in the 200 free.

Should Peplowski capture the title, she would become Indiana’s first women’s freestyle champion ever and first swimming champion since Lilly King won four straight in both the 100-yard breaststroke and 200-yard breaststroke from 2016-19.

The top three swimmers in the event all come from the Big Ten after Peplowski, Michigan sophomore Stephanie Balduccini (1:41.16) and USC sophomore Minna Abraham (1:41.29) battled for the Big Ten crown, with the Wolverine coming out on top on that occasion. Peplowski is the lone swimmer of the three that has ever swum under 1:41 and has done it twice – other than that relay, Peplowski went 1:40.97 during last year’s NCAA final to place second by seven hundredths to Florida’s Bella Sims. Sims elected to swim the 100 back over the 200 free at this year’s meet.

Peplowski will get her first chance to swim a 200 free leading off Wednesday’s 800-yard freestyle relay. She also ranks No. 5 in the 500 free – which she placed third in a year ago – and ninth in the 100 free. She owns the program records in all three of her events.

Liu’s momentum, repeating as Big Ten Champion in both the 3-meter and platform events, could push Indiana to similar diving success its seen in recent championships with a medalist in each of the last four championships. The Big Ten diving finals may look like the NCAA finals as Liu defeated three Olympians in the 3-meter springboard and two on platform.

A two-event finalist for Texas A&M last season, sophomore transfer Miranda Grana is ranked top 10 in each of her events. Grana finished 25th in the 100-yard butterfly a year ago but comes into the 2025 national meet as the No. 6 seed with her Big Ten title-winning 50.80. She also won silver in both the 100-yard and 200-yard backstroke events and will look to repeat A final finishes from a year ago as the No. 7 and No. 9 seed, respectively.

Joining Grana in the backstroke events are McKenna and junior Mya DeWitt. McKenna placed sixth in front of Grana in the 100 back at last year’s NCAA Championships and comes into this meet as the No. 13-seeded swimmer. Grana and McKenna earned silver and bronze medals at Big Tens and are the only Hoosiers ever under 51 seconds in the event.

Indiana’s senior distance duo of Denigan and Gan will vie to reach the podium for a third consecutive season. Gan is a two-time NCAA medalist and Big Ten Champion in the event, and Saturday’s swim will represent one last opportunity to break Lindsay Vrooman’s 11-year-old program record; Gan posted a personal best 15:46.22 at Big Tens, and Vrooman’s standard sits at 15:44.45.

Junior and Bloomington native Kristina Paegle can continue to lower her 50-yard freestyle program record, which she reclaimed on her way to her first Big Ten individual title last month.

Ashley Turak’s 21.73 captured the record at last year’s NCAA meet, but Paegle’s 21.63 in March took back the distinction and placed her ninth in the country coming into the NCAA meet. Paegle also ranks No. 17 in the 100 free, needing a top 16 finish to score for the Hoosiers.

Indiana ranks top 10 in all five relays, highlighted by its No. 5-ranked 400-yard medley relay. If the Hoosiers can improve to finish top eight in each race, it would mark the first time in program history that every relay reached the podium.

MEET INFO

Wednesday, March 19 – Saturday, March. 22 • 1 p.m. ET (prelims), 9 p.m. (finals)

Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatic Center • Federal Way, Washington

Live Results (Swimming): https://bit.ly/4iZNufF

Live Results (Diving): divemeets.com

Live Stream: ESPN+

SCHEDULED EVENTS (Finals)
Wednesday (5 p.m. ET) – 200 Medley Relay, 800 Freestyle Relay
Thursday (5 p.m. ET) – 500 Freestyle, 200 IM, 50 Freestyle, 1-Meter Dive, 200 Freestyle Relay
Friday (5 p.m. ET) – 100 Butterfly, 400 IM, 200 Freestyle, 100 Breaststroke, 100 Backstroke, 3-Meter Dive, 400 Medley Relay
Saturday (5 p.m. ET) – 1,650 Freestyle, 200 Backstroke, 100 Freestyle, 200 Breaststroke, 200 Butterfly, Platform Dive, 400 Freestyle Relay

INDIANA SWIMMING AND DIVING QUALIFIERS
2025 NCAA Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships
Mary Kate Cavanaugh – 1-meter, platform
Brearna Crawford – 100 breaststroke, 200 breaststroke
Mariah Denigan – 500 freestyle, 1,650 freestyle
Mya DeWitt – 50 freestyle, 100 backstroke, 200 backstroke
Ching Hwee Gan – 200 freestyle, 500 freestyle, 1,650 freestyle
Miranda Grana – 100 backstroke, 200 backstroke, 100 butterfly
Skyler Liu – 3-meter, platform
Kacey McKenna – 50 freestyle, 100 backstroke, 200 backstroke
Kristina Paegle – 50 freestyle, 100 freestyle
Anna Peplowski – 100 freestyle, 200 freestyle, 500 freestyle
Ella Roselli – 1-meter, 3-meter, platform
Reese Tiltmann – 200 breaststroke, 200 IM, 400 IM
Ava Whitaker – 100 butterfly, 200 butterfly
Lily Witte – 1-meter, 3-meter, platform
200 freestyle relay
400 freestyle relay
800 freestyle relay
200 medley relay
400 medley relay

SPRINGFIELD, Mo.- University of Southern Indiana Men’s Golf starts strong, but finishes sixth among talented 12-team field at the Twin Oaks Intercollegiate, hosted by Missouri State University.
 
The Screaming Eagles shot a team score of 871 (287, 292, 292) over the two-day tournament of three rounds. Senior Jason Bannister was locked in on the first day, leading the Eagles with a fourth-place finish at even par, scoring a 213 (69, 69, 75). Senior Sam Vertanen climbed 29 spots in the final round to finish tied for 12^th, scoring a 217 (71, 77, 69).
 
The final order of finish included Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville (+2), Missouri State (+11), University of Northern Iowa (+16), University of Nebraska-Omaha (+16), Western Illinois University (+18), USI (+19), Southern Utah University (+22), Bradley University (+23), University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff (+33), Lindenwood University (+34), Evangel University (+51), and Eastern Illinois University (+55).
 
Round 1
USI came prepared in the first round the Eagles have played at this tournament. The squad finished three over par at 287, tied for third place. The four top scores finished the round with eight birdies, 53 pars, and only 11 bogeys.
 
Bannister started the tournament shooting a 69, marking the sixth time the senior has broke 70 in the 2024-25 season. The round featured three birdies, 14 pars, and only one bogey.
 
Vertanen trailed right behind in 11^th, shooting an even round of 71. Junior Carter Goebel used a six-hole par streak to total a strong score of 73, while freshman Alex Peck tied his career best round with a 74.
 
Round 2
The afternoon round saw a small regression for the Eagles, falling to sixth place after shooting a 292 (+9). Bannister finished two rounds at second overall after shooting another 69, only five strokes outside of the leader. The senior only committed three bogey’s, breaking 70 for the seventh time in 19 rounds this season.
 
Goebel turned in another 73, totaling five birdies, six pars, and seven bogey’s. Peck delivered a massive round two as a freshman for the Eagles with a 73, breaking his career best. Vertanen rounded out the scoring with a 77.
 
Round 3
The Eagles bounced around the leaderboard on Tuesday’s final round. USI concluded play with a 292 (+9), finishing behind Ohio Valley Conference foe, Western Illinois by one stroke.
 
Vertanen jumped 29 participants on Tuesday, securing the third Eagles score below par of the weekend with a 69.
 
USI leaves Springfield, placing third among five competing conference schools which they will see at the end of the season. The Eagles will use this as fuel only two competitions into the spring season.

What’s Next
The squad heads to Pawleys Island, South Carolina on Mar. 31-Apr.2. USI will compete in the Golfweek/AGT Intercollegiate. 

 UE takes second at Nevel Meade Collegiate

 PROSPECT, Ky. – A furious rally saw the University of Evansville women’s golf team stage a late rally before finishing in second place, just three strokes behind the winner in the second round of the Nevel Meade Collegiate at Nevel Meade Golf Course.

Trailing by 12 strokes following the first round, the Purple Aces stormed back to finish just three behind eventual tournament champion Lindenwood.  The Lions posted a 609 while UE finished with a 612.

Leading the way for UE was Louise Standtke who carded a 1-over 73 in the second round of the tournament to finish the weekend with a 146 on the way to a runner-up finish.  Taking third place on the final leaderboard was Mallory Russell.  A 5-over 77 on Tuesday gave her a 150 for the tournament.

Kate Petrova came home in a tie for 5^th place.  After recording a 75 on Monday, Petrova shot a 78 in the final round to post a 153.  Elizabeth Mercer tied for 16^th place.  She improved from an 82 in round one to an 81 in the final 18 holes.  Jane Grankina tied for 29^th with a 174.  She wrapped up Tuesday’s round with a score of 85.

Trinity Dubbs was Evansville’s top individual finisher.  Following an 82 in the opening 18, Dubbs posted an 80 in the last round to finish in a tie for 13^th with a 162.  Destynie Sheridan wrapped up the weekend in 35^th place with a score of 179.

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Softball has announced that its 4 p.m. home game on Wednesday against Austin Peay State University has been postponed due to impending bad weather in the forecast. A date for the rescheduled contest will be announced at a later date.

Wednesday’s game is the second scheduled game in a row for USI Softball impacted by rainy weather. Last Saturday, the Screaming Eagles’ series finale at Tennessee State University was canceled due to thunderstorms.

Southern Indiana (5-15, 2-3 OVC) will look to get back on the field this weekend when the Screaming Eagles head to Morehead State University (1-25, 0-6 OVC) for a three-game set in Ohio Valley Conference play. The series starts with a doubleheader this Saturday at 11 a.m. CT and concludes with the series finale on Sunday at 11 a.m. CT. More information and coverage links can be found on usiscreamingeagles.com.