Cathedral Grad Cole Hocker Brings home the Gold Medal in the 1500 Meters in Paris
On Day 11 of the Summer Olympics in Paris France. Tuesday belongs to Indianapolis Native and Cathedral High School Graduate Cole Hocker who won the Gold Medal in the Men’s Track and Field 1500 Meters with an Olympic Record Time of 3.27.65. Its Hocker’s first Gold Medal in his second Olympics after placing 6th in the 1500 during the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. Notre Dame Graduate Yared Nuguse won the Bronze Medal with a personal best time of 3:27.80. The United States leads the overall medal count with 86 total medals and leads the Gold Medal Count with 24 and has 31 Silver and 31 Bronze. Indiana University Divers Carson Tyler and Andrew Capobianco are through to the Semifinals of the Men’s 3 Meter Springboard after finishing in the Top 18. Tyler was 10th with a score of 389.80 and Capobianco was 15th with a score of 382.05. Granger Indiana Native and Penn HS Graduate Sarah Hildebrandt advance to the Gold Medal Match of the Women’s Freestyle Wrestling 50 KG after winning 3 matches. Hildebrandt beat Ibitssem Doudou of Algeria 10-0 in round of 16, Feng Ziqi of China 7-4 in the Quarterfinals and Dolgorjavyn Otgonjargal of Mongolia 5-0 in the Semifinals. Hildebrandt won the Bronze Medal in this event at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Brownsburg Indiana Native Chloe Dygert along with Jennifer Valente, Lily Wiliams and Kristen Faulkner finished second overall in the qualifying round of the Women’s Cycling Team Pursuit with a time of 4:05.238. The United States beat Poland 3-0 in the Women’s Volleyball Quarterfinals by a score of 25-22, 25-14 and 23-20. Elkhart Indiana Native and Purdue Graduate Annie Drews scored 13 Points with 12 of those on attacks and 1 block along with 7 digs. The United States will face Brazil in the Semifinals on Thursday. The United States Women’s Team beat Germany 1-0 in Extra Time in Semifinals. Sophia Smith scored in the 95th minutes to get the U.S. to the Gold Medal Match on Saturday against Brazil. Former Norte Dame Star Korbin Albert came on in the 90th minute to replace Lindsey Horan. Spain beat Canada in the Women’s Water Polo Quarterfinals. Indiana University Graduate Jessica Gaudreault started in goal for Canada playing 25 minutes and 59 Minutes facing 24 shots and making 5 saves. Indiana University Graduate Shea La Roche started and played 17 minutes and 47 seconds for Canada with 1 shot. Canada will face Italy in the Consolation Semifinals on Thursday.
The United States Men’s Basketball Team beat Brazil 112-87 in the Quarterfinals Tyrese Haliburton of the Indiana Pacers played 8 Minutes and 15 seconds off the bench. Haliburton scored 2 points and had 1 assist. Germany beat Greece 76-63 in a quarterfinal as Former Indiana Pacer Daniel Thies started and play 28 Minutes and 15 Seconds for Germany scoring 6 points, pulling down 8 rebounds, 1 assist and 2 steals. France beat Canada 82-73 in a quarterfinal as Indiana Pacer Andrew Nembhard played 14 minutes and 54 seconds off the bench with an assist. Indianapolis Tech Graduate Trey Lyles played 12 minutes and 18 seconds off the bench for Canada with Lyles scoring 2 points, 3 rebounds and a block. The United States will face Serbia and Germany will face France on Thursday in the Semifinals.
Ben Cors has Two Shot Lead after Day 1 of the Golfweek Hoosier Amateur Men’s Tournament
Ben Cors of Wooster; Ohio shot a three under 68 on Tuesday to lead the First Round of the Golfweek Hoosier Amateur Tournament at The Indiana University Pfau Course. Clay Merchent who is at IU and from Noblesville and Westfield’s Jake Cesare are tied for second at 1 under par after shooting a 70 with Jamison Corbin of Glasgow, Kentucky, Hudson Weibel of Dallas, Texas and Mason Witt of Xenia, Ohio tied for fourth place at after shooting and even par 71. Defending Champion Nick Peisen from Strongsville, Ohio and Attends IU is Tied for 7th with eight other golfers shooting a 1 over par 72.
Bloomington’s Mitch Oard is tied for 34th after shooting a four over par 75. Colton Girgis of Bedford is one shot back of Oard tied for 46th. Jason Bannister of Bloomfield is tied for 53rd after shooting a 77. Luke Garrett of Ellettsville and Colton Watson of Bloomington are tied for 92nd after shooting a 85 and Robert Wise of Unionville is in last place and 25 shots back of the leader after shooting a 93. The First Trio will tee off at 7:30 am this morning and another trio will start every 9 minutes until the last trio tees off at 12:37 pm. There are 99 Golfers left in the field after 3 golfers withdrew before the first round started.
Indiana University Volleyball Wraps Up Big Ten Media Days in Chicago
The third annual Big Ten Volleyball Media Days served as the official kickoff for the new seasons as teams around the country prepare to kickoff fall practices. Before IU begins fall camp on Thursday, head coach Steve Aird, sophomore libero Ramsey Gary and senior defensive specialist Delaynie Maple served as representatives of the Hoosiers in Chicago. The trio discussed the program’s mission, the returning and new talent and the exciting, fast-paced culture continuing to build in Bloomington. IU returns a plethora of players while also putting a challenging and exciting schedule on the books in 2024.
The Hoosiers won 11 Big Ten games in 2023 but finished outside the NCAA Tournament picture. After matching a program record with 21 regular season wins, the returning Indiana volleyball players left the season with a sour taste in their mouth. There was much to be proud of, but the core of talent desired a trip to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2010. With five starters back and a plethora of incoming talent at all positions, there has been an extra motivation to each open gym, each lift and every team gathering. The desire to win is at an all-time high. Sophomore libero Ramsey Gary, who represented IU at Big Ten Media Days, has kick started that fire. A product of the Munciana Volleyball Club, she has won every place she’s been. “We had a lot to prove last year, and I think we did do that,” Gary said. “We didn’t make the tournament, but I think it’s going to be a different story this year. We’re very hungry and ready to win.”
“From the jump, it was all in. Everyone has been grinding every day,” graduate student defensive specialist Delyanie Maple said. Some losses down the stretch in 2023 kept IU’s RPI out of striking distance for a tournament berth. To help with that, head coach Steve Aird added the defending national champions, Texas, as well as Miami to the 2024 non-conference slate. Games against Purdue (x2), Ohio State (x2), Wisconsin, Nebraska and Penn State will help drive up the strength of schedule and metric ratings. Now, it’s up to the Hoosiers to stack wins together and put exciting victories in their back pocket.
Gary, Haworth Run the Engine. The setter-libero combo will be one of the best in the league. You need talented hitters to score points. But you need a fantastic libero and setter to help the whole system go. For the first time as head coach at IU, Steve Aird will have the same setter and libero pairing in a full-time capacity. Camryn Haworth (setter) and Ramsey Gary (libero) played every set of last season and helped orchestrate a massive improvement on the court. Now back with more experience, Haworth and Gary will provide leadership, talent and a sense of calmness for the coaches on the court. Haworth has played in over 90 matches as a college setter including all 65 in the last two years. Gary, an All-Big Ten selection as well, never left the court as the team’s libero in her freshman campaign. “It’s Ramsey [Gary] as the libero and Camryn [Haworth] as the setter running the engine,” head coach Steve Aird said. “I’ve got a super competitive staff and a really competitive group. We’re going to go really hard and see how good we can be.” Albeit playing different positions, the two players provide equal value. Haworth keeps the fast-paced offense going at a productive rate. She also possesses the most lethal serve in the conference and one of the best in the nation. Gary is a soothing defensive player – calm under pressure with the ability to handle any of the league’s top offensive players.
Get Good, Play Hard, Schedule Tough. This is the method to winning in the nation’s best league. There’s no shortcut to winning in the Big Ten. The traditional powers have been good and stayed good for decades at a time. The newcomers to the party have cultivated a big presence in recruiting and player development. Pair that with the addition of historically great schools in UCLA, USC, Oregon and Washington and the league will be better than ever. In his seventh season, head coach Steve Aird has his most veteran and his deepest roster of any in Bloomington. A large collection of pins will combine to score the points while Ramsey Gary and Camryn Haworth run the engine. Newcomers like freshman middle blocker Ella Boersema and graduate student defensive specialist Delaynie Maple add to life to important positions. “We’ve done a really good job at identifying the kind of kid that is an Indiana Hoosier,” head coach Steve Aird said. “We have kids that are not entitled, they grind, they work, they care. They’re in early and they stay late. In this day and age, you want to find kids that care and play for each other.” A large portion of IU’s identity comes from playing hard and playing fast. The athletes on the team are grateful for the opportunity to compete and give the program everything it’s got. The schedule is as tough as ever but the team is built to meet the challenge. 2024 will mark a new era and a changing era of women’s volleyball. A new era that Indiana wants to play a big part of for the long haul.
Jasper National Little League Advances to the Great Lakes Region Championship Game
The Jasper National Little League from Jasper Indiana beat Bowling Green Eastern Little League from Bowling Green Kentucky Tuesday Afternoon 5-3 in a Semifinal Game at the Great Lakes Region Tournament in Whitestown, Indiana. Jasper will face Hinsdale Illinois Little League at 7pm this evening on ESPN with the winner advancing to the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania Next Week. Hinsdale beat Jasper 3-0 on Saturday in the first game of the Tournament. Hinsdale is 2-0 and Jasper is 3-1 coming through the Loser bracket to get its rematch with Hinsdale. Hagerstown is the last Indiana Team to make to Williamsport in 2022 and Hinsdale is looking to become the first Illinois Team since 2014 to make it to Williamsport.
Indiana University Punter James Evans named to Ray Guy Preseason Award Watch List
The Ray Guy Award, which is awarded to the nation’s top collegiate punter, announced Last Friday Indiana football senior James Evans as one of 34 preseason candidates for the award. The Augusta Sports Council announced its preseason watch list, which uses a broad spectrum of Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) punters and was compiled based on the 2023 award semifinalist, top 10 NCAA punters from 2023 and preseason and previous season all-conference and All-America teams. The Augusta Sports Council created the Ray Guy Award in 2000 to honor Thomson, Georgia, native and College and Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee, Ray Guy. Among the statistics used to identify the winner are net punting average, number of times punt inside the opponents 20-yard line, total yardage, average returned yardage and percentage of punts not returned with particular emphasis placed on net punting average. The winner must display team leadership, self-discipline, and have a positive impact on the team’s success.
With a school-record punting average of 45.8 yards per punt in 2023, Evans blasted past Drew Hagan’s mark of 44.8 in 1999. Of his 57 punts, 22 traveled over 50 yards, with a long punt of 70 yards. His punting average ranked No. 3 in the Big Ten and No. 15 nationally. His net average (accounting for return yardage and touchbacks) ranked No. 27 nationally in 2023 at 41.0 yards per punt. In 2022, he finished No. 3 nationally in punts downed inside the 10-yard line (13) and punts inside the 20-yard line (30). A three-year anchor on special teams, he owns 201 punts in his career and is just the fifth Hoosier to reach the 200-punt mark in a career. With a career 43.9 yards per punt average, Evans ranks No. 1 on Indiana’s career charts, more than a full yard ahead of Alan Sutkowski (42.5 ypp; 1995-97).
Jeffersonville to Replace Hertiage Hills in the Boys Basketball Hall of Fame Classic in New Castle
One of the state’s biggest high school basketball events of the year just became a little more interesting. The Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame announced Monday that Jeffersonville will replace Heritage Hills in the boy’s lineup for the Henry Community Health Hall of Fame Classic at New Castle Fieldhouse on Dec. 28. Jeffersonville, coming off a 20-8 season and Class 4A semistate finals appearance (the Red Devils lost 52-51 to Ben Davis at New Castle), returns the majority of its lineup for coach Sherron Wilkerson, including seniors Tre Singleton, Michael Cooper and P.J. Douglas, all who have Division I offers. Jeffersonville will slide into the position that was occupied by Heritage Hills, which lost its star player Trent Sisley, who transferred to Montverde Academy in Florida.
The new lineup for Dec. 28: Warsaw vs. Fishers, 11 a.m. Greenfield-Central vs. Jeffersonville, 12:45 p.m. Consolation game, 6 p.m. Championship game, to follow
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