Monroe County Sports Hall of Fame announces its 10-member class of 2024
The Monroe County Sports Hall of Fame announced its 10-member class of 2024 Tuesday evening with its announcement show live form Hoosier Hanks Pizza on Eastside of Bloomington and on WCGL Radio 98 FM and AM1370 with longtime broadcaster and 2021 Monroe County Sports Hall of Indcutee Joe Smith along with Monroe County Sports Hall of Fame President David Hays hosted the show. The 10 Member class includes 6 Athletes, 2 Coaches and 2 Contributors will be inducted on Friday July 19, at the Monroe Convention Center in Downtown Bloomington.
The 2024 Class includes Athletes Greg Easton-Bloomington HS 1965 Football, Baseball and Basketball, Sara Fields-Bloomington HS North 2000 Volleyball, Track and Field, Greg Granger-Edgewood HS 1991 Baseball and Basketball, Jordan Hulls-Bloomington HS South 2009 Basketball, Djibril Kante-Bloomington HS North 1998 Basketball and Mike Mossbrucker-Bloomington HS North 1977 Wrestling. Coaches Garry Anderson-Bloomington HS 1963 Coach Wrestling and Track for 31 years at Edgewood HS Eric Moore-Edgewood HS graduate and Coach at Center Grove HS Football and Track. Contributors Bill Atkinson-Edgewood HS Girls Basketball Coach and Administrator David Grossman-Bloomington HS 1968 Longtime Athletic Trainer for Bloomington HS South.
Kante, Mossbrucker, Moore, Atkinson and Grossman were all in attendence for the announcement show and all expressed their gratitude and appreciation for the honor and are looking forward to July 19, when they will get their opportunity to share with friends and family along with the public this great honor. Anderson who passed away in 2020 was represented by his son Paul who is on the football coaching staff at Edgewood and Head Coach Scott Fischer was in attendance to support the Anderson Family. For more information on banquet information visit the Hall of Fame Website at www.monroecountysportshof.org.
Indiana University Men’s Basketball Host Nebraska in a must win game
The clock is ticking for the Indiana Hoosiers as they host the Nebraska Cornhuskers Wednesday Night in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall at 8:30pm with the game televised on the Big Ten Network. The Hoosiers are 14-11 and 6-8 in the Big Ten and with six Big Ten games left every one of them is critical if they want any chance of getting into the postseason. The Hoosiers are coming off a 76-72 loss to Northwestern Sunday afternoon at home. The Hoosiers have struggled to hit outside shots, free throws and rebound. They were down by 15 at one point in the second half Sunday but made a comeback that fell short. Northwestern had two players with double-doubles as leading scorer Boo Buie had 14 points after picking up 2 fouls in the first 10 minutes of the game.
The Cornhuskers beat Indiana in Lincoln 86-70 on January 3, as Keisei Tominaga scored 28 points and hit four three pointers. Tominaga leads the Cornhuskers in scoring with 14.1 points. Big man Rienk Mast who only scored 9 points against the Hoosiers in the first meeting is averaging 13.5 points along with a team leading 8.1 rebounds and 3.1 assists. Brice Williams is averaging 12.6 points and Juwan Gary who averages 11.5 points leads the team with 1.2 steals and 0.9 points per game. Nebraska averages 77 points and commits 11.5 turnovers per game. Nebraska shoots 45% from the field, 36% from three-point range and 76% from the free throw line. Nebraska is 18-8 overall and 8-7 in the Big Ten and have a 2-game winning streak
Indiana is led in scoring by Malik Reneau with 15.7 points per game. Kel’el Ware averages 15 points along with a team leading 9.4 rebounds and 1.6 blocks. Freshman Mackenize Mgbako is coming off a career High 20 points against Northwestern is averaging 11.3 points per game. Trey Galloway averages 10.9 points along with a team leading 4.3 assists and 1.1 steals per game. The Hoosiers average 73 points and commit 12 turnovers per game. The Hoosiers shoot 47% from the field, 32% from three-point range and 66% from the free throw line.
Indiana head coach Mike Woodson met with the Media on Tuesday and the soon to be 66-year-old was asked about how much longer he planned to coach he said, “I feel good, I’m not going anywhere guys”. The Indiana fan base has been frustrated with this season and struggles the team has had but in just his third season Woodson has taken the Hoosiers two NCAA Tournament Trips so thinking that the administration is going to make a coaching change after this season is not going to happen. The Hoosiers been battling injuries all season and have not had a team that has been 100% healthy all year. Xavier Johnson has been out with an elbow injury and Woodson said he is about a week or two from returning to the floor. Indiana has lost three of their last four games and four at home this season.
Bloomington South and Bloomington North Boys Basketball post home wins Monday Night
Bloomington South beat Evansville Central Monday night on the Southside of Bloomington as this was a makeup game from last Friday Night due to inclement weather. Vincent Moutardier had the hot hand all night, so there was no doubt who would take the last shot in a tie game. South (13-9) set up the game-winner after calling timeout with 12.4 seconds left, holding the ball 1:23 for the last shot. Moutardier’s baseline pull up gave him 19 points, while Zach Sims had 16, with 14 carrying the Panthers through a tough first half. South led 23-20 after one period, but the Bears (6-13) got into the lane for 11 layups and eight free throws while taking a 33-30 lead at the break. EC led 38-36 midway through the third before South jumped up 48-43 with 5:07 left and hung on to the lead until Landyn Richason hit a 3 with 1:24 to go to tie it at 54.
Bloomington North beat Columbus North 77-59 on the Northside of Bloomington Monday Night in another make up game from last Friday Night’s postponment. The Cougars (11-11, 3-2 CI) finally reached .500 after a 1-7 start with a third straight rout while reaching the 70-point mark following a lopsided loss at Terre Haute North. Columbus (6-13, 0-4) led 19-16 after one period before the Cougars went on a game-turning 25-8 run. Another 22 points in the third build a 63-40 lead. Bloomington North will close out the regular season on Friday by hosting New Albany at 7:30 pm.
Indiana University Volleyball’s Camryn Haworth and Ramsey Gary to attend 2024 Women’s National Team Open Program
Setter Camryn Haworth and libero Ramsey Gary will represent the Indiana volleyball program at the 2024 Women’s National Team Open Program from Feb. 23-25 in Colorado Springs. The yearly event gathers the top collegiate talent in one gym for members of the national team coaching staff to evaluate and train the next generation of American volleyball players. This program is used to make considerations and selections for both the Women’s National Team and the Women’s Collegiate National Team. Haworth, and teammate Morgan Geddes, made and trained with the collegiate national team in the summer of 2023.
2024 will feature a wide variety of events for USA Volleyball. Highlighted by the Paris Olympics in August, the Americans will also contest the Volleyball Nations League, Pan American Cup, NORCECA Continental Championships and, pending qualification, the Pan American Games. Athletes born in 2005 or younger, which includes Ramsey Gary, will be eligible for selection to the U21 Women’s National Team that will play in the 2024 NORCECA U21 Continental Championship. Haworth and Gary play integral roles in a successful 2023 season for the Hoosiers. Haworth, an Honorable Mention All-American selection, dished out 1,247 assists and compiled 73 service aces. Gary broke the single season digs record at IU with 530 and was a Second Team All-Big Ten selection.
Indiana University Women’s Swimming set to compete at the Big Ten Championships in West Lafayette
No. 6-ranked Indiana women’s swimming and diving has its sights set on the 2024 Big Ten Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships, running Today (Feb. 21) through Saturday (Feb. 24) inside the Morgan J. Burke Aquatic Center on the campus of Purdue University. IU is the highest-ranked team coming into the meet, ahead of No. 8 Ohio State, No. 14 Wisconsin, No. 16 Michigan and No. 23 Minnesota. The Hoosiers completed an undefeated 8-0 dual meet schedule, punctuated by two victories in its tri-meet with Wisconsin and Louisville February 2. The event begins this evening with the first set of finals in the 200-yard medley relay and 800-yard freestyle relay. The following three days will consist of two sessions, with preliminaries in the morning to determine final seeding for the evening session. All seven sessions can be streamed on the Big Ten Plus digital platform.
“Our women’s swimmers have had an outstanding season of preparation,” IU head swimming coach Ray Looze said. “It’s hard for me to remember a group that’s stronger, fitter or more mentally tough than this group. Furthermore, they have a high degree of belief in each other. We’re looking forward to a very fun and exciting Big Ten championships.”
“We’re looking forward to the Big Ten Women’s Championships,” IU head diving coach Drew Johansen said. “Our women’s diving team is coming off a great dual meet season. “This year’s team has a great balance of experience and new talent. Upperclassmen Anne Fowler, Skyler Liu and Morgan Casey will be leading the team with two talented freshman Lilly Witte and Ella Roselli having their first go in the Big Ten. I can’t wait to see how this combination will perform.”
SCHEDULED EVENTS (Finals)
Today (5 p.m. ET) – 200 Medley Relay, 800 Freestyle Relay
Thursday (5 p.m. ET) – 500 Freestyle, 200 IM, 50 Freestyle, 1-Meter Dive, 400 Medley Relay
Friday (5 p.m. ET) – 100 Butterfly, 400 IM, 200 Freestyle, 100 Breaststroke, 100 Backstroke, 3-Meter Dive, 200 Freestyle Relay
Saturday (5 p.m. ET) – 1,650 Freestyle, 200 Backstroke, 100 Freestyle, 200 Breaststroke, 200 Butterfly, Platform Dive, 400 Freestyle Relay
Indiana finished second at the 2023 Big Ten Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships, its 17th-straight top-three performance at the conference championships and 12th championship or runner-up finish during that stretch. Indiana will return the 2023 Big Ten Swimmer of the Championships in Anna Peplowski and Big Ten Diver of the Championships in Anne Fowler. Peplowski totaled 60 points to lead the conference in scoring at last season’s meet, capturing Big Ten titles in the 200-yard freestyle and 200-yard backstroke. Fowler swept the springboard events as she and teammate Skyler Liu were the only athletes to qualify for all three championship finals in diving.
Indiana won its sixth and most recent women’s Big Ten Championship in 2019. Five have occurred during IU head swimming coach Ray Looze’s tenure. The Hoosiers have finished in the top three in 17 straight seasons, with 12 championship or runner-up finishes during that span. IU athletes have combined for 125 Big Ten championships, including 61 swimming titles, 23 relay championships and 35 diving titles.
16 Former Indiana University Soccer Players are ready to start the 2024 Major League Soccer Season
As a new Major League Soccer season kicks off this evening 16 former Indiana men’s soccer athletes will represent 12 different clubs in 2024. Aidan Morris and the Columbus Crew will look to defend their MLS Cup crown as the 22-year-old won his second title with the club last season. Morris has developed into one of the top midfielders in the league as during the 2023 regular season Morris ranked third in the league in tackles won (58), fourth in accurate pass percentage (92.0) and tied-for-21st in interceptions (44). Morris was named an MLS All-Star and finalist for MLS Young Player of the Year. The Crew’s biggest challenger in the Eastern Conference will likely again be in-state rival and reigning MLS Supporters’ Shield winners, FC Cincinnati, led by 2023 MLS Coach of the Year Pat Noonan and MLS Goalkeeper of the Year finalist Roman Celentano. Cincinnati had the best regular season record in MLS and reached the Eastern Conference final, where it fell to Columbus.
Both clubs will be wary of Nashville SC, who had the Eastern Conference’s best defensive record last season thanks in part to center-back Jack Maher. Maher appeared in 32 matches, in which Nashville allowed only 27 goals. Nashville has reached the MLS Cup Playoffs each season since drafting Maher No. 2 overall in the 2020 MLS SuperDraft. Entering his sixth year in the league, Griffin Dorsey signed a new contract with Houston Dynamo FC during the offseason. Dorsey also won a trophy last season, scoring the opening goal in Houston’s U.S. Open Cup Final victory over Inter Miami. In all competitions, Dorsey recorded five goals and three assists and contributed to six clean sheets as he became a fixture in the starting XI. Tommy Thompson also signed a new contract this offseason, extending his stay with the San Jose Earthquakes into his 11th season. Thompson was San Jose’s first-ever Homegrown signing in 2014. Teammate Daniel Munie will kick off his second MLS season.
Following the transaction theme, four Hoosiers have new homes in 2024. After a year away from the league, Caleb Porter was named head coach of the New England Revolution in December. Porter joins New England as a two-time MLS Cup winner, previously leading the Portland Timbers (2015) and Columbus Crew (2020) to league titles. He owns a 113-93-89 regular season record over nine seasons in Major League Soccer. Andrew Gutman will enjoy a homecoming after Chicago Fire FC acquired him from the Colorado Rapids. A Hinsdale, Illinois, native, Gutman played in the club’s academy before his time at IU and joins the squad for his sixth season in professional soccer. The left-back totaled four goals and five assists in 30 appearances between Atlanta United and the Colorado Rapids last season.
Trey Muse returns to Major League Soccer via transfer to the Portland Timbers from the Charleston Battery. Muse signed a Homegrown contract with the Seattle Sounders out of IU in 2018 but has played in the USL Championship ever since. The 24-year-old impressed for the Charleston Battery last season, earning 13 clean sheets on the way to an Eastern Conference title. Hugo Bacharach will be another new face in MLS this season after Minnesota United FC drafted the senior No. 9 overall from Indiana. Bacharach’s selection marked the seventh consecutive year that a Hoosier has been drafted within the first 10 selections the nation’s longest active streak. The Spanish defender has appeared in every preseason exhibition for the Loons. Herbert Endeley has also been active in preseason for FC Dallas, seeing heavy minutes ahead of his second year with the club. Endeley scored three goals in six exhibitions, making his case for regular minutes this season.
The 2024 season will be the first since 2010 without Will Bruin as one of the league’s greatest goalscorers announced his retirement after 13 seasons in MLS last week. Bruin appeared in 329 career MLS regular season matches over 13 seasons in which he totaled 80 goals and 34 assists. The No. 11 overall selection in the 2011 MLS SuperDraft, Bruin played six seasons for Houston Dynamo FC (2011-2016), six seasons for Seattle Sounders FC (2017-2022) and his final season with Austin FC in 2023. His 50 goals for Houston rank third in club history and his 27 goals for Seattle rank ninth all-time among Sounders scorers.
HOOSIERS IN MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER Hugo Bacharach – Minnesota United FC Victor Bezerra – Chicago Fire Roman Celentano – FC Cincinnati Griffin Dorsey – Houston Dynamo Herbert Endeley – FC Dallas Ned Grabavoy – Portland Timbers (General Manger) Andrew Gutman – Chicago Fire Jack Maher – Nashville SC Aidan Morris – Columbus Crew Daniel Munie – San Jose Earthquakes Trey Muse – Portland Timbers Pat Noonan – FC Cincinnati (Head Coach) Caleb Porter – New England Revolution (Head Coach) Tommy Thompson – San Jose Earthquakes Mason Toye – CF Montréal Eriq Zavaleta – LA Galaxy
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