Southern Indiana Bobcats Shutout at home against Indy Bison Red
The Southern Indiana Bobcats Semi Pro Football Team lost to the Indy Bison Red 20-0 Saturday Night in a Blue-Collar Football League Western Conference Battle at Edgewood HS. The Loss puts the Bobcats at 1-2 on the season and Bison Red improve to 2-1 with a rematch coming July 1, when the Bobcats travel to Bison Red which will be played at Noblesville HS.
The Bison Red scored on three of their first four possessions and all of them coming through the air. Passes of 46, 26, and 14 gave the Bison a 20-0 going into halftime and never looked back. The Bison Red were 11-23 for 131 with 3 touchdown passes and 2 interceptions. They ran the ball 26 times for 66 yards for 197 of total offense. The Bison Red defense sacked the Bobcats Quarterbacks five times and picked them off twice.
The Bobcats finished the game with 116 yards of total offense. The Bobcats ran the ball 35 times for 60 yards and Marquise Holt had 14 carries for 55 yards. The Quarterback trio of Tavaras Rochell, Sean Simmons, and Evan Gilligan went a combined 5-11 for 56 yards and 2 interceptions. Luke Elgar had 2 receptions for 25 yards, Jason Tuckson had 1 catch for 14 yards, Marquise Holt 1 catch for 10 yards and Parker Osborn 1 catch for 7 yards. The Bobcats Defense got was led by Cantrell Harris who forced a fumble and got an interception along with DJ Stephens who had an interception and a fumble recovery. Corey Motosicky recorded a sack for the second straight game.
This game was a flag fest as the teams combined for 29 penalties for a combined 300 yards that had multiple ejections. The Bobcats had 5 five 15-yard penalties and the Bison had 7 15-yard penalties. The first half took an hour and half to play as the game lasted over three hours due to all the stoppages in play. Jason Tuckson was kept busy as he punted six times and the Bison blocked on of his punt. The Bobcats missed a field goal from Dre Adkins and turned ball over on downs once.
The Bobcats were scheduled to play this Saturday in Columbus, Ohio against the Columbus Bredren Knights but that game has been canceled as the Bredren Knights ceased operations for the rest of the season and the Bobcats will be given a 2-0 forfeit victory that will push their record to 2-2 on the season. The Bobcats have a scheduled bye week June 24th meaning a couple weeks to get ready for the rematch with the Indy Bison Red July 1.
Ball State’s Charity Griffith wins National Title in the High Jump at the NCAA Championships
In the final hours of competition in the 2022-23 Ball State competition calendar, the Cardinals had two athletes within reach of the school’s first national championship since 1999. Senior high jumper Charity Griffth claimed that honor and Junior Jenelle Rogers slipped from third to fifth in the heptathlon, after clinging to first place earlier in the competition. Ball State earned two top-five finishes at the NCAA Outdoor Championships which concluded Saturday in Austin, Texas. Griffith’s national title in the high jump is the fifth national championship by a Ball State athlete and the first since LaTasha Jenkins won the 200-meter dash in the 1999 NCAA Outdoor Championships. Ball State has never won a team national championship but owns three individual titles in swimming (Patricia Bergman in 1970 & 1971) and now two in track & field. It was the first time in school history that Ball State produced multiple outdoor All-Americans in the same season and the first time two Cardinals earned top-10 finishes in the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
Griffith stunned the high jump field while blowing past her own personal best and school-record mark of 1.85 meters, eventually clearing 1.93 meters (6-4) while the rest of the competition failed to get past 1.90. Griffith coasted through her first three heights and, after her first miss, cleared 1.87 to break the Ball State record. With only four jumpers left, including top contenders Lamara Distin of Texas A&M and Elena Kulichenko of Georgia, Griffith took two tries again to clear 1.90. As the field failed at 1.90, Griffith then cleared 1.93 to extend her lead and triumphantly win the title. For Griffith, it is her third top-five NCAA finish in the past 12 months – finishing fifth at last year’s NCAA Outdoor Championships and fifth again in the Indoor Championships.
For Rogers, it was her first trip to the NCAA Championship field and, for much of the two-day heptathlon competition, it appeared she may earn a surprise win, too. She took the lead after the heptathlon shot put, the third event Friday evening, and she extended it after Friday’s 200 meters and Saturday afternoon’s long jump. To that point, Rogers finished each of the first five events in ninth place or better. But the javelin, the sixth event, was her downfall, finishing 20th and slipping to third place overall. She ran a personal-best 2:21.55 in the 800 meters in the final event, but the 10th-place 800 finish saw her slip to fifth overall. Rogers’ 6,018 heptathlon points set another school record and her finish in the heptathlon was the best ever by a Ball State athlete. Rogers became the 10th All-American in program history and joined Griffith among just four athletes in Cardinal’s history to finish in the top five of their respective events.
Indiana Fever win second road game of the season at the Minnesota Lynx
The Indiana Fever earned the second win of the regular season Friday night against the Minnesota Lynx, 71-69, at Target Center. Friday night’s Fever win featured 12 lead changes and the game was tied on 13 different instances. No team held a lead of more than six points in the first of four regular season meetings between Indiana and Minnesota this season. Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell led Indiana (2-5) in scoring again, finishing the game with 22 points while shooting 9-of-16 from the floor. With her nine made field goals, Mitchell is now tied with Katie Douglas for second all-time for most made field goals in franchise history with 899 heading into Sunday’s matchup at Gainbridge Fieldhouse against the Phoenix Mercury. Her two assists on the night also elevated Mitchell to being tied for fourth for most assists in franchise history with Douglas as well with 470 assists in a Fever uniform.
Fever forward NaLyssa Smith notched her fourth double-double of the year, scoring 12 points and contributing a team-high 12 rebounds. Center Aliyah Boston also pitched in her second straight double-double on the season as well with 10 points and 11 rebounds. Friday night was only the second time in franchise history the Fever have had multiple players record double-doubles in consecutive games, dating back to August 6 and August 7 in 2002. Smith and Boston combined to pull down 23 of the 34 rebounds for Indiana. Victoria Vivians and Former Indiana University standout Grace Berger had impactful minutes off the bench as well, as Berger contributed a team-high four assists and Vivians pitched in eight points on 2-of-4 shooting from beyond the arc. Berger played 16 minutes scored 4 points on 2-3 shooting and pulled down 2 rebounds.
The Fever defense was ready for Minnesota in the first quarter, holding Minnesota to a 29.4 percent (5-of-17) shooting clip from the floor in the first 10 minutes. An 8-0 scoring run midway through the quarter, sparked by Mitchell’s five points, gave Indiana momentum to finish the quarter ahead of the Lynx (1-7), leading 16-14, which was also the lowest scoring first quarter from a Fever opponent this season. With the second of her three assists in the second quarter, Fever guard Erica Wheeler gained sole possession of the 50th spot in the WNBA all-time assists list with 876 career assists and passed Lisa Leslie. Wheeler added 10 points, three rebounds and three assists on the night as well. The Fever led by two at halftime and held the Lynx to 34 points, the lowest offensive output allowed by an Indiana opponent this season in a first half.
Indiana’s only four points in the first six minutes of the second half were contributed by Smith, as the Fever were outscored by the Lynx, 21-15, in the third quarter. Indiana trailed the Lynx, 55-51, to start the final quarter. With four lead changes in the fourth quarter, the result of the game came down to the final two minutes as a layup from Smith and two completed free throws from Wheeler gave Indiana a five-point lead with 1:03 remaining. A completed three-pointer from Lynx forward Napheesa Collier brought Minnesota within two points, but Minnesota was unable to score in its last possession and the final horn sounded with the Fever ahead, 71-69. Mitchell shot 3-of-4 from the floor and added seven points in the last 10 minutes to secure the victory. Minnesota’s Collier guided the Lynx with a double-double of her own, finishing with a team-high 28 points and 14 rebounds. Kayla McBride also added 11 points of her own. The Indiana bench outscored the Minnesota reserves, 17-9.
Indiana University Track and Field wraps up NCAA Championships in Austin Texas
Noah Koch, making his national debut at the Division One level, finished 21st in the men’s discus at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Austin on Friday evening and wraps the 2022-23 IU Athletic Sports Season. Koch, who was twice a Division Two All-American in the discus at Ashland, recorded a mark of 55.40m/181-9 on his final throw of the night to secure a 21st-place finish. Heading into the NCAA East Prelims, Koch was 61st in the nation in the event with a mark of 56.26m/184-7 from the Big Ten Championships. He improved on that mark with an outstanding personal best of 58.70m/192-7 at the NCAA East Prelims. In the span of one month, Koch climbed 40 spots nationally in his primary event. He ends his debut season for the Hoosiers having finished sixth in the Big Ten and 21st in the NCAA. Koch was also IU’s first men’s qualifier to the national meet in the discus since 1994.
Paola Fernandez Sola brought home Second Team All-American honors at the third-consecutive national meet, finishing 15th in the long jump. Her best mark on the night was 6.02m/19-9, coming on her second attempt on the runway. The cutoff mark for the final was set by Louisville’s Synclair Savage at 6.30m/20-8. She becomes the first woman in program history to repeat as an All-American (top-16 finish) at consecutive NCAA Outdoor Championship meets in the long jump. She is also IU’s first woman to earn All-American laurels both indoors and outdoors in the same season in the long jump competition. Fernandez-Sola ends her season as a two-time All-American, the Big Ten Outdoor Champion and the Big Ten Indoor runner-up in the long jump.
Jayden Ulrich finished 18th in the shot put with a mark of 16.68m/54-8.75. She has made three-straight national meets in the shot-put dating back to outdoors in 2022. The East Alton, Ill. native was the Bronze Medalist both indoors and outdoors in the shot put at the Big Ten Championships and finished top-20 nationally at the NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Championships in her sophomore campaign.
Indiana State Amateur Golf Tournament coming to the Indiana University Pfau Course
For the first time in its 123-year history, the Indiana State Amateur Golf Tournament is coming to the Indiana University campus. The Pfau Course at Indiana University will host the state’s premier amateur golf championship from June 19-21. The three-day event will feature 156 of the state’s best amateur players competing in a 54-hole, individual stroke play competition. Following the opening 36 holes, the field will be cut to the low 60 scores in preparation for the final round on June 21. The event is free to attend for spectators.
“The Pfau Course is one of the best golf courses in the Midwest, which makes it a fitting location to test the skills of the best players in the state of Indiana,” said Pfau Course Director of Golf Dan Hilker. “When this course was designed and built, the vision included hosting high-caliber events like this. We look forward to welcoming the Indiana Golf Association and this year’s participants as they get an opportunity to not only experience what the Pfau Course has to offer, but also the city of Bloomington and Indiana University.”
“We are extremely excited for the 123rd Indiana Amateur Championship this year at The Pfau Course at Indiana University beginning on June 19 through June 21,” said IGA Tournament Director Deric Green. “I want to thank Director of Golf, Dan Hilker, and PGA and Golf Course Superintendent, Anthony Robertson, for hosting this year’s championship. The golf course will be a great test for all 156 players, and we look forward to a fantastic week in Bloomington.”
While the event will feature players from all over the state and of all ages, the 2023 field will also have an Indiana University flavor. Current members of Coach Mike Mayer’s men’s golf team that are expected to compete are two-time state amateur champion Noah Gillard and incoming freshman Cole Starnes. The Indiana State Amateur has a long and rich history since the first event was played in 1900 at the Country Club of Indianapolis. There have been 122 championships in all (no tournament was held in 1917 due to World War I), and many of the winners have gone to become well-known names both in IU and national golfing circles. Current IU Athletics Hall of Fame members Jeff Overton (2003 and 2004 champion), Sam Carmichael (1960 and 1961) and Don Padgett II (1970) are former winners of the event, as are a number of other former Hoosier student-athletes, including Nicholas Grubnich (2014), Josh Brewer (1998), Jim Ousley (1994), Dan Olsen (1986, 1988, 1989), Gary Stickl (1981), Kent Frandsen (1974, 1979, 1984),Tom Inskeep (1977, 1978), Gary Biddinger (1972), Ron Royer (1969), Henry Timbrook (1941), and Gillard (2020 and 2021). Other well-known past champions include Fuzzy Zoeller (1973), Bill Kratzert III (1968), and current PGA Tour players Tyler Duncan (2011) and Adam Schenk (2013).
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