Indiana Natives Chloe Dygert and Sarah Hilderbrandt Win Gold Medals in Paris
On Day 12 of the Summer Olympics in Paris Wednesday saw Two Indiana Natives bring home the Gold Medal in their respective events. Brownsburg Indiana’s Chloe Dygert won her second medal of the Paris Games as the United States beat Great Britian in the Semifinals and New Zealand in the Finals of the Women’s Team Pursuit. Dygert along with her teammates Jennifer Valente, Lily Williams and Kristin Faulkner beat Great Britian with a time of 4:04.629 while the British finished with a time of 4:04.908. In the Final the Americans had a time of 4:04.306 and New Zealand finished with a time of 4:04.927. Dygert won the Bronze Medal in the Women’s Time Trial on the first day of the games. Granger, Indiana Native Sarah Hilderbrandt won the Gold Medal in 50 KG Women’s Freestyle Wrestling but her opponent was not Vinseh Phogat of India who ended up being disqualified and automaticity placed 16 after failing to make weight for the Final. Yusneylys Guzman of Cuba who lost in the Semifinal to Phogat was bumped up to the Gold Medal Match to face Hildebrandt. Hilderbrandt won 3-0 and her first Gold Medal in her Second Olympics. The United States had 95 overall medals and leads the Gold Medal Count with 27 along with 35 Silver and 32 Bronze.
Indiana University Diver Carson Tyler finished 7th in the Men’s Springboard Semifinal with a score of 438.00 to advance to the final while his Hoosier teammate Andrew Capobianco finished 15th overall with a score of 407.65 and did not make the final because he was not in the top 12. Indianapolis Native and Cardinal Ritter HS Graduate Sarah Bacon finished one spot out of making the Semifinal in the Women’s 3 Meter Springboard with a score of 264.40 for 19th place as the top 18 advance to the Semifinal. Purdue’s Devynne Charlton representing her native Bahamas qualified for the Semifinals of the Women’s 100 Meter Hurdles finishing second in her heat with a time of 12.71 and the Semifinal Round is on Friday. Paula Reto who played Women’s Golf at Purdue and is from South Africa is tied for 50th place after the first round with a six over par.
Team USA beat Nigeria 88-74 in the Women’s Basketball Semifinals to improve to 4-0 and advanced to the Semifinals where they will face Australia on Friday. Princeton’s Jackie Young started and played 18 minutes scoring 15 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists. Notre Dames’ Jewell Loyd played nine minutes off the bench scoring 3 points, 3 rebounds and an assist. Nigeria who finished the competition 2-2 had Carmel HS Graduate Tomi Taiwo on the team and she did not play in this game. Australia beat Serbia 85-67 as former Indiana Fever player Alana Smith scored 22 points and pulled down 13 rebounds. Smith started and played 27 minutes and 6 seconds and had 4 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks. Kristy Wallace of the Indiana Fever had 3 turnovers in 2 minutes and 22 seconds of action off the bench for Australia. Poland beat the United States in the Men’s Volleyball Semifinals 3-2 in five set battle 25-23, 25-27, 14-25, 23-15 and 15-13. Zionsville Resident Matt Anderson scored 24 points with 23 attack points and one service point along with eight digs. The United States will face Italy for the Bronze Medal on Friday.
Carson Stillman and Hudson Wiebel Tied for the Lead at the Golfweek Men’s Amateur after Second Round
On Day 2 of the Golfweek Hoosier Amateur Men’s Tournament at the Indiana University Pfau Course Wednesday Carson Stillman of Jackson, Missouri and Hudson Weibel of Dallas Texas share the lead going into the third and final round at 3 under par. Stillman shot a four under 67 and Weibel shot a under 68 for a two round total score of 139. Corey Maher of Frisco, Texas and Jake Cesare of Westfield, Indiana are tied for third two strokes back of the leaders. Drew Rowen of Greenwood, Indiana, Haden Maxwell of Soddy Daisy, Tennessee and IU Golfer Clay Merchent from Noblesville are tied for fifth place at even par.
Ben Cors of Wooster, Ohio who led after Day 1 is in a four-way tied for 8th place at 1 over par. Defending Champion and IU Golfer Nick Peisen is tied for 13th at three over par. Bedford’s Colton Girgis is tied for 28th at seven over par. Jason Bannister of Bloomfield is tied for 41st at nine over par. Bloomington’s Mitch Oard is tied for 85th at 19 over par and Colton Waston is three strokes back of Oard tied for 85th place. Luke Garrett of Ellettsville is in 95th place at 31 over par and Robert Wise of Unionville is in 98th at 40 over par. Tucker McDonald of Montreal Quebec, Canada became the fourth player to withdraw leaving the field at 98 golfers going into this morning’s final round that will begin 7:20 with the first two golfers teeing off then the trio will start every ten minutes with the last trio teeing off at 1:00pm.
Indiana University Football’s Elijah Sarratt and Solomon Vanhorse Earn Preseason Nods
It was a busy preseason watch list day for the Indiana football program on Wednesday as both wide receiver Elijah Sarratt and running back Solomon Vanhorse earned preseason honors. Sarratt was tabbed to the Biletnikoff Award and Vanhorse earned a spot on the College Football Comeback Player of the Year. The Tallahassee Quarterback Club (TQC) Foundation, Inc., the Florida-based creator and sponsor of the prestigious Biletnikoff Award, annually recognizes the college football season’s outstanding FBS receiver. Any player, regardless of position (wide receiver, tight end, slot back, and running back) who catches a pass is eligible for the award. As such, the Biletnikoff Award recognizes college football’s outstanding receiver, not merely college football’s outstanding wide receiver. The College Sports Communicators (formerly CoSIDA) in association with The Associated Press and the Fiesta Bowl Organization, award the College Football Comeback Player of the Year Award. Since 2018, the award has recognized college football student-athletes for overcoming injury, illness, or other circumstances. At the conclusion of each season, in a vote by a panel of college football writers, editors, and sports information directors, three college football student-athletes are honored as Comeback Player of the Year Award winners at the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl.
Elijah Sarratt, WR – Biletnikoff Award
In 25 career games (14 starts), Sarratt enters his first season at Indiana after stops at Saint Francis (Pa.) (2022) and at James Madison (2023). He earned first-team All-Sun Belt as a sophomore at JMU and was a FCS Freshman All-America and first-team All-Northeast Conference his true freshman season at SFU. He owns six career 100-yard receiving games (5 at JMU; 1 at SFU) and has produced multiple touchdowns in five career games. Entering the season, Sarratt leads all FBS true juniors with 21 receiving touchdowns and sits No. 2 with 1,890 yards receiving (Tetairoa McMillan, Arizona). Last season, Sarratt caught multiple passes in all 13 games for James Madison and finished No. 11 nationally in yards receiving (1,191). He was No. 22 in the FBS in receptions (82) and receptions per game (6.2) and his eight receiving touchdowns finished No. 32 nationally.
Solomon Vanhorse, RB – College Football Comeback Player of the Year
Entering his seventh season of college football, Vanhorse has missed 20 of his potential 24 games over the last two seasons, including the final 12 of the 2023 season due to injury. Vanhorse was a third-team All-Colonial Athletic Association selection as a kick returner in 2021, he became the 39th player in FBS or FCS since 1996 to return a kickoff for a touchdown, score a rushing touchdown and have a receiving touchdown in the same game (Towson, 11/20). He has accounted for 15 career touchdowns in his career with seven rushing, seven receiving and one return score. He owns 1,910 all-purpose yards on 165 career touches (136 rush, 55 receptions, 2 PR, 28 KR). He averages 23.6 yards per kickoff return in his career and 10.7 yards per reception.
Ron Helmer Inducted into the 2024 USTFCCCA Coaches Hall of Fame
The U.S. Track & Field and Cross-Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) is privileged to announce the six coaches who will be inducted into the USTFCCCA Coaches Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2024. Dave Cianelli, Frank Gramarosso, Ron Helmer, Jud Logan, Ford Matsin, and Connie Price-Smith will all be enshrined in the USTFCCCA Coaches Hall of Fame, for not only their historic and incredible accomplishments as cross country and/or track & field coaches, but also the long-lasting impact their contributions have had – and will continue to have – on the sports they coached.
These six coaches will be honored at the 2024 USTFCCCA Coaches Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on Tuesday, December 17, at the USTFCCCA Convention, held at the Grande Lakes Resort in Orlando, Florida. Started in 1995, the USTFCCCA Coaches Hall of Fame exists to recognize coaches who have brought great distinction to themselves, to their institutions and to the sports of cross country and track & field. Each of the honorees exemplifies the qualities of dedication to the sport, leadership and passion for their profession and serves as an inspiration to coaches everywhere.
Anyone who coaches for more than 50 years is bound to have at least one amazing story among a lifetime of memories. Ron Helmer certainly gained one in 2013, prompting his own athletic director to say, “If it was a movie, you’d think it was too corny to be true.” As Helmer prepared his Indiana men’s cross-country team for the Big Ten Championships that fall, he was recovering from months of treatment for cancer and kidney failure. The stunning moment came on race day as his Hoosiers came from seemingly nowhere to win the program’s first team title in 33 years. “I don’t know why that happened,” Helmer said. “I really don’t. I just know that it did.”
That’s just one of countless success stories in his Hall of Fame coaching career, which spanned 54 years (37 collegiately) before retiring at the end of the 2023 track & field season. Helmer passed away on July 4, 2024, at the age of 77. Collegiately, Helmer had two coaching stops – 16 years as Director of Track & Field and Cross Country at Indiana after 21 years at Georgetown, where he began as a part-time volunteer and rose to positions of assistant coach and associate head coach before eight years as Director of Track & Field and Cross Country. His athletes at both programs had great success, perhaps highlighted most by high jumper Derek Drouin, whose collegiate career culminated with him winning The Bowerman in 2013. Drouin also had tremendous post-collegiate triumphs, which included Olympic gold and silver medals. The Canadian won five of the six NCAA titles by Hoosier athletes under Helmer’s coaching/direction, joining Andy Bayer (2012 outdoor 1500).
Helmer’s memorable 2013 Big Ten men’s cross-country title had company with a trio of men’s indoor track & field crowns as he mentored a total of 52 individual conference champions in cross country, indoor track & field and outdoor track & field. Helmer was named Big Ten coach of the year the four times his Hoosiers won conference crowns, and he also earned USTFCCCA Mid-Atlantic Region Coach of the Year awards three times for women’s cross country while he was at Georgetown. His Hoya athletes won four NCAA titles – Joline Staeheli (1996 indoor mile), Miesha Marzell (1996 outdoor 1500) and two women’s indoor distance medley relays (1997, 1999). He guided Hoya athletes to 213 Big East titles and 15 total team titles in cross country or track & field, and in 2019 he was inducted to the Georgetown Athletic Hall of Fame. Helmer grew up on a wheat farm in Kansas, and the first Hall of Fame to induct him was his alma mater, Southwestern (Kan.), in 2004 (as an athlete he was team cross country or track captain six times). He joined older brother Jim, an earlier inductee as a NAIA Cross Country Hall of Fame coach for the Moundbuilders. The two are among seven members of the Helmer family to graduate from Southwestern, whose track is named the Helmer Family Track.
Six Indiana University Softball Players named Easton/NFCA All-America Scholar Athletes
Indiana Softball had six student-athletes recognized as 2023-24 Easton/NFCA All-America Scholar-Athletes on Tuesday. In order to qualify for the award, a student-athlete has to maintain a 3.5 GPA throughout the entire academic year. The following Indiana players earned the national distinction:
- Aaliyah Andrews
- Cora Bassett
- Brooke Benson
- Savannah Oden
- Avery Parker
- Aly VanBrandt
As a team, the Hoosiers had an excellent showing both in the classroom and on the field. The team’s cumulative GPA for the 2023-24 school year was 3.43. Indiana’s 2024 season featured a 40-20 record, a second-consecutive Big Ten Tournament final appearance and a second-consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance, competing in the Columbia Regional.
Indiana University Men’s Golf Announces 2024-2025 season schedule
Indiana Head Men’s Golf Coach Mike Mayer announced the program’s 2024-25 schedule on Monday afternoon. The schedule includes 11 regular season events, highlighted by the Hoosier Collegiate, hosted by the Hoosiers from April 5-6 at The Pfau Course. “We are extremely excited about our 2024-25 schedule,” Coach Mayer said. “It is a very challenging schedule which will allow us to compete with and against some of the best teams in the country at some of the best venues in collegiate golf.”
Indiana opens the fall set with the Visit Knoxville Collegiate from Sept. 6-8 at the Tennessee National Golf Club. Next, IU will head north for the Purdue Fall Invitational from Sept. 22-23 at the Kampen-Cosler Golf Course. September will conclude with the Windon Memorial Classic from Sept. 29-30 at the Conway Farms Golf Club. Indiana will continue the fall schedule with the Fighting Irish Classic from Oct. 6-7 at the Warren Golf Course before returning to the Quail Valley Collegiate Invitational on Oct. 13-14 at the Quail Valley Golf Club. The fall portion will wrap at the Ka’anapali Classic Collegiate from Nov. 2-4 at The Royal Ka’anapali Course.
The five-event spring slate will begin with the Palmas Del Mar Collegiate from Feb. 11-13 at the Flamboyan Course. Indiana will also compete in an Alumni Match on Feb. 24 at the Naples National Golf Club. Once again, March will begin with the Colleton River Collegiate from March 2-3 at the Colleton River Club. IU will then take on the Schenkel Invitational from March 21-23 at Forest Heights Country Club. A group of Hoosier individuals will head to the Highland Country Club for the Butler Spring Invitational from March 31-April 1. Team competition is slated to resume as hosts of the Hoosier Collegiate from April 5-6 at The Pfau Course. The regular season will close at the Boilermaker Intercollegiate from April 19-20 at the Ackerman-Allen Course. Postseason play will begin with the Big Ten Championships at the Baltimore Country Club from April 25-27. NCAA Regionals will take place May 12-14 with the NCAA Finals from May 23-28 in at the La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, Calif.
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