Josef Newgarden wins the 107th running of the Indianapolis 500 Josef Newgarden captured his first career Indianapolis 500 win. He couldn’t contain his excitement, running into the crowd to celebrate and then climbing a fence. “Finally!” he could be heard saying on the broadcast. Newgarden started 17th and steadily worked his way up through the field. He stayed within striking distance during an Indianapolis 500 whose ending was marred by crashes and red flags. The 32-year-old Tennessee native is a two-time IndyCar champion. One thing missing from his racing resume: an Indianapolis 500 title.
Newgarden fended off a hefty challenge from Marcus Ericsson, who looked to win his second straight Indy 500. It took a late restart for the Team Penske driver to take the checkered flag. Newgarden passed Ericsson during the race’s final restart. Ericsson stayed right on his tail as the two jockeyed for position, with Newgarden barely holding off the 2022 champ. Newgarden swigged from a bottle of whole milk in Victory Circle and then poured it over his head, the traditional celebration for an Indianapolis 500 winner. Newgarden said he grew up racing cars in Indianapolis and had been a fan in the stands as a kid. He wanted to win “so bad” and couldn’t be happier to get the win for “The Captain,” Roger Penske. The win was Penske’s 19th. “We’re going to enjoy it tonight,” Newgarden said. He said it was his “dream” to win the race and celebrate with the crowd. He thought being in second position on the final restart would allow him to get past Ericsson and win.
For about half the race, it didn’t appear Newgarden would finish first. While he increased his position throughout the race, it looked like either polesitter Alex Palou or No. 2 qualifier Rinus VeeKay would emerge as the winner. Palou and VeeKay spent the first half of the race trading the top position back and forth. It looked like both drivers had the speed needed to win. But fortune changes on a dime in the Indy 500. Just before the race hit the halfway point, VeeKay and Palou collided in the pits. VeeKay got loose and crashed into Palou, sending Palou’s car into the wall. VeeKay was assessed a penalty and finished 10th. Give credit to Palou, however the crash didn’t crush his spirit. At one point, he was in 28th position. He finished fourth, showing how good of a car he had during the 107th Running of the Indianapolis 500. The crash in pit lane changed the complexity of the race, opening the door for other drivers, including Ericsson, who looked like he would win the whole thing until Newgarden made his move and held firm late.
The finish is one fans will talk about for a long time to come. After a relatively clean race with a pair of cautions, there were three red flags as the race closed in on the ending. Felix Rosenqvist hit a wall and spun out near Turn 1. Kyle Kirkwood couldn’t avoid Rosenqvist, leading to contact. Kirkwood’s car went upside down, skidding down the track and kicking up sparks. A wheel came off his car and sailed over the grandstands, where it hit a parked car. No one was hurt in the tire incident. Kirkwood and Rosenqvist were unhurt. That led to the race’s first red flag. The next came on the restart, when Pato O’Ward made contact with Ericsson. The two touched wheels; while Ericsson made a nice recovery, O’Ward’s car slid into the wall. That brought an end to his day.
To add insult to injury, rookie Agustin Canapino crashed into his car as it sat disabled on the track. In a separate incident, Simon Pagenaud spun out after making contact with Scott McLaughlin. Cue red flag No. 2. The next restart also ended in a red flag, when Benjamin Pedersen and Ed Carpenter were taken out. It looked like the race would end under caution, with Ericsson, who’d narrowly taken the lead during the restart before the yellow came out, winning his second straight 500. But race officials instead decided to give it a go with a green flag finish. Ericsson had the lead before Newgarden made his move and passed him. Ericsson tried to find an opening, but Newgarden held him off and took the checkered flag.
The race almost ended before it even began for Graham Rahal, filling in for the injured Stefan Wilson. Rahal’s car experienced a battery problem and stalled before the race began. By the time the green flag dropped, he was already a couple laps down. Drivers retired earlier in the race included Katherine Legge, whose car slid in the pits before her day ended. RC Enerson went out around Lap 84, while rookie Sting Ray Robb hit the wall about 10 laps before the halfway point. The pits were particularly problematic Sunday. In addition to the VeeKay-Palou crash and Katherine Legge’s incident, Colton Herta and Romain Grosjean crashed into each other in the pit area. Herta was assessed a penalty.
Indiana University Baseball selected for the NCAA Tournament
After the sixth 40-win regular season in program history, the Indiana baseball program earned an at-large selection to the 2023 NCAA Baseball Championships as a part of the Lexington Regional. It is the 10th all-time appearance in the NCAA postseason for the Hoosiers. The sixth at-large berth in program history is the first since head coach Jeff Mercer’s first season in 2019. It also marks the second trip on the Road to Omaha for Mercer since he arrived in 2019. Overall, Indiana is 13-15 in NCAA Regional play with at least one win in six of its previous nine appearances.
The No. 3 seed Hoosiers (41-18) will open play against No. 2 seed West Virginia (39-18) at Kentucky Proud Park on Friday at 7 p.m. Host and No. 12 national seed Kentucky and No. 4 seed Ball State will play the first game of the day on Friday at 1 p.m. All-session tickets will go on sale to the general public this morning at 9am. All-session tickets include admission for all six/seven games of the regional tournament. Each session consists of a single game, and the stadium will be cleared between each game. Fans are encouraged to purchase all-session tickets to secure the best seat locations, as all chairbacks will be reserved. Based on availability, single game tickets will go on sale Thursday, June 1 at 9 a.m. ET. Tickets may be purchased online at UKBaseballTix.com or by calling the UK Ticket Office at (800) 928-2287, option 4. The Joe Craft Center ticket office will be open this week Tuesday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET. If tickets remain, they will also be sold on-site at Kentucky Proud Park beginning two hours prior to the first game each day.
Ticket Prices – All-Session Reserved Seats (Sections 101-111) – $90, All-Session General Admission* – $60, Single-Session Reserved Seats – $15, based on availability and Single-Session General Admission* – $10, based on availability.
*For the regional, General Admission areas will include the right and left field terraces, grass berms, and outfield standing room areas. These spaces are first-come, first-serve and do not contain any fixed seats. Fans are welcome to bring their own lawn chairs and/or blankets into the stadium for these areas. Gates will open 90 minutes prior to first pitch. All tickets for the tournament will be mobile. UK Employee IDs, Junior Wildcat Club Passes and K Fund Sports Passes are not valid for admission to postseason events. Children ages one and under will not require a ticket for entry.
Indiana Fever win first game of the season over the Atlanta Dream
The Indiana Fever (1-2) earned its first win of the 2023 regular season and the first win of Christie Sides’ head coaching career, 90-87, on Sunday in a back-and-forth affair against the Atlanta Dream (1-2) at Gateway Center Arena. Twenty lead changes occurred in the game and six Indiana players scored in double-figures, highlighted by NaLyssa Smith’s 23 points to go along with Kelsey Mitchell (15), Aliyah Boston (13), Erica Wheeler (11), Kristy Wallace (10) and Queen Egbo (10). Former Indiana University Women’s Basketball Player Grace Berger scored 3 points in 7 minutes and an assist. Berger was 1-2 from the field, 0-1 from the three-point line and 1-1 from the free throw line. Smith ended the game with her second consecutive double-double performance of the year, leading the team in scoring to go along with a game-high 12 rebounds. With her 11 points on Sunday, Wheeler also took over sole possession of 10th place for most points scored in franchise history with 1,307, surpassing Natalie Achonwa with 1,301. Wheeler also went 3-of-4 from beyond the arc and surpassed 200 made 3-point field goals for her career.
Indiana used the first basket of the game from Smith to give the Fever its only lead in the first 20 minutes of action. Atlanta began to pull away in the beginning of Sunday’s game, but 11 points from Mitchell and five points from Wallace gave the Fever momentum to close the deficit to 25-20 at the end of the first quarter. Smith had an impactful performance in the second quarter for Indiana, going 4-of-4 from the court and added eight points alone. Despite a game-tying jumper at the 4:34 mark from Smith, the Dream went into the half leading Indiana, 47-41. After Indiana closed the 8-point gap in the third quarter, 10 of the 20 lead changes throughout the game took place in the third quarter alone. Boston earned a full quarter of playing time as she recorded eight of her 13 points and went 3-of-3 from the floor. The final outcome of the matchup came down to the wire, but two completed free throws from Mitchell and strong defense during Atlanta’s last possession sealed the deal for an Indiana win as the final horn sounded.
For Atlanta, the Dream were led by Rhyne Howard’s team-high 23 points and four rebounds. Forward Cheyenne Parker added 21 points and guard Allisha Gray tacked on 19. Atlanta also went 29-of-34 from the free throw line in its regular-season home-opener. Indiana reserves also led Atlanta’s scoring production off the bench, 28-16. The Fever return to action this evening at the Connecticut Sun. Tonight’s 7pm tip will broadcast on the official Indiana Fever Facebook page.
Indiana University Rowing Finishes 17th at the NCAA Championships
Indiana rowing earned a 17th-place national finish on Sunday totaling 41 points during the 2023 NCAA Rowing Championships at Camden County Boathouse in Pennsauken, New Jersey. Indiana returned to the national championship regatta this weekend (May 26-28) for the seventh time in nine full seasons and first time since 2019. It was also the seventh appearance for the Hoosiers under head coach Steve Peterson the 2023 Big Ten Coach of the Year.
Indiana finished 16th nationally in the Varsity Eight and Second Varsity Eight competitions, and its Varsity Four finished No. 17 in the nation. The 2V8 beat its seed after coming into the weekend as the No. 17-rated II Eight crew. IU advanced to the NCAA Championships after a program record third-place finish at the Big Ten Championships earlier this month. The conference regatta performance was highlighted by a silver-medal finish by the V8 – the boat’s best-ever finish at the Big Ten Championships.
Indiana University Men’s Golfer Drew Salyers wraps up NCAA Men’s Golf Championships
Indiana Men’s Golf junior Drew Salyers shot a 73 (+3) in his third and final round of the 2023 NCAA Championships on Sunday at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale Arizona. His final three-day stroke total for the weekend stands at 226 (+16) finishing tied for 131st overall. Salyers played in control throughout the majority of round three, shooting for par or better on 14 of the 18 holes. He notched a birdie on hole six, needing only three strokes on a par four. Salyers started with the back-nine holes before finding his groove on the front nine, where he shot over part only once in the final nine holes of round three.
Salyers shot a 76 on day two of the NCAA Men’s Golf Championships on Saturday at Grayhawk Golf Club. bringing his two-day total to 153 strokes (+13). • Salyers shot for par on 12 of the 18 holes today. Salyers only had one hole over par through the front nine.
Salyers will begin with the back-nine holes tomorrow afternoon for round three.
Salyers shot a 77 (+7) on day one of the 2023 NCAA Championships on Friday at Grayhawk Golf Club. He sits in a long tie for 130th after day one of the tournament. Salyers only needed four strokes on hole four to shoot for a birdie. The junior shot for par on 11 of the 18 holes. Through the front-nine holes he sat at +2. Salyers played round one starting on hole one with the front nine. Tomorrow, he will begin with hole 10 and play through the back nine first.
Indiana University Track and Field qualifies Five Athletes for the NCAA Championships
The Indiana track and field team wrapped up its stay at the NCAA East Prelims on Saturday following four days of competition on the campus of North Florida in Jacksonville. Jayden Ulrich (15th) and Sarah Schmitt (16th) narrowly missed out on bids in the discus and 5000 meters respectively. Ulrich, already a qualifier in the shot put, threw the discus 51.58m/169-3 on the final attempt of her series. Schmitt, following consecutive years finishing 40th at this same meet, clocked a mark of 16:06.04 in her final collegiate race. It was her best time ever in the 5000 meters at a postseason competition, either indoors or outdoors. Her fifth year at IU ends having placed fifth in the Big Ten and qualified for nationals in Cross Country, securing a runner-up finish in the 5K indoors at the Big Ten Championships and running a program top-five time outdoors over 5000 meters.
Mahogany Jenkins began her weekend on Saturday, competing in both the high jump (1.72m/5-7.75) and the triple jump (12.52m/41-1). Alyssa Skorge finished six spots above her seeded entry mark in the 3000-meter steeplechase, running 10:34.75 to finish 30th in the final race of her career. IU finishes the weekend with five entries to next month’s NCAA Outdoor Championships in Austin. Ulrich (shot put), Nathan Stone (pole vault), Tyler Carrel (pole vault), Noah Koch (discus) and Paola Fernandez-Sola (long jump) will all continue their seasons at the national meet from June 7-10.
Already having earned All-American status during the indoor season, Paola Fernandez-Sola (long jump) and Jayden Ulrich (shot put) will have the opportunity to repeat the feat outdoors after earning a bid to next month’s national meet. Fernandez-Sola, who now heads to her second-straight outdoor national meet, finished fourth in the long jump at the NCAA East Prelims with a mark of 6.37m/20-10.75. After winning the Big Ten on her home track and securing a spot at the national meet, Fernandez-Sola will look to become IU’s first outdoor First Team All-American in the women’s long jump since 1993. Ulrich used a second-attempt throw of 16.76m/55-0 to punch her ticket to Austin for the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the shot put. This marks her third-straight appearance at a national meet, both indoors and outdoors, in the shot put. She will have the chance to double qualify when she throws the discus on Saturday (May 27) afternoon.
Alyssa Robinson raced both the 100 meters (11.61) and 200 meters (23.61w) to close out her season at the NCAA East Prelims. Serena Bolden narrowly missed a bid to the national meet, long jumping 6.06m/19-10.75 on her opening attempt of the series. Maddie Dalton and Jenna Barker wrapped up their collegiate careers with races in the 1500 meters, bringing an end to a combined 10 years of running for the Hoosiers. Claire Overfelt completed her fourth race at 10,000 meters of the season, clocking a time of 35:06.60 in her regional debut. She was the third-best freshman in the race and the third-fastest Big Ten runner in the field. During the outdoor season, the Whiteland, Ind. native joined the program’s top-10 list in the 10,000 meters, finished top-10 in the Big Ten and made her debut at the NCAA East Prelims.
Heading into the NCAA East Prelims, Noah Koch was seeded 23rd in the region in the discus. He left with a massive season’s best of 58.70m/192-7 and a bid to the NCAA Outdoor Championships after finishing fourth in the discus in Jacksonville. Each of Koch’s three throws in the series were better than the season’s best he brought to the meet. He launched the discus 56.68m/185-11 on his opening attempt, 56.50m/185-4 on the second and closed it out with the No. 3 mark in school history at 58.70m/192-7. His throw was the best by an IU athlete in the event since Gregg Hart’s school-record mark of 60.42m/198-3 in 1993. This is Koch’s first season at the division one level after being a Division Two All-American at Ashland. He is the fifth Hoosier to qualify to the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
Camden Marshall for the second-straight year, missed the national meet by the slimmest of margins in the 800 meters. In what was a closely run heat, Marshall finished .11 seconds off third place and the automatic qualifying spots. In 2022, he was just .01 seconds off the automatic spots. Antonio Laidler closed out a busy season with a 22nd-place finish in the 100 meters, running 10.17w (+5.5). He also ran second leg for the Hoosiers in the 4×100 relay, finishing 19th alongside Trelee Banks, John Colquitt and Christopher Grant. Jake Gebhardt closed out his IU career in the 5000 meters at the regional meet. In his final season for the Hoosiers, he scored in all four Big Ten events he contested and anchored the All-American Distance Medley Relay team at the NCAA Indoor Championships.
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