Indiana University Women’s Basketball earns #4 Seed for the NCAA Tournament and Hosts for the third straight season
Indiana women’s basketball will play in its fifth-straight NCAA Tournament as it was selected for an at-large bid to the 2024 field on Sunday night. IU will appear in the NCAA Tournament for the 10th time in school history and for the fifth-straight season. All-time tournament appearances include 1983, 1994, 1995, 2002, 2016, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023. Overall, they are 9-9 all-time in the NCAA Tournament while 10th year head coach Teri Moren holds a record of 8-5 in her six appearances. The Hoosiers will face 13-seed Fairfield on Saturday, March 23 at 1:30pm on ESPN2. In the second game, 5-seed Oklahoma will matchup with 12-seed Florida Gulf Coast at 4pm on ESPNNews.
The No. 15 ranked Hoosiers finished the regular season with a 24-5 overall record and finished third in the Big Ten (15-3). Four players earned All-Big Ten honors this season led by graduate student forward Mackenize Holmes and senior guard Sara Scalia on the first team. Nationally, Indiana leads the country in field goal percentage and 3-point field goal percentage while its 10K-plus average attendance is fifth in Division I this season while going 15-0 on its home court. All-session and single game tickets for the first and second rounds in Bloomington are now on sale through the IU Ticket Office.
28 Indiana University Women’s and Men’s Swimmers and Divers Qualify for the NCAA Championships
Twenty-eight Indiana swimming and diving student-athletes have qualified for the 2024 NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships. The program will send 13 athletes to the 2024 NCAA Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships, March 20-23 in Athens, Georgia. Fifteen Hoosier men will compete at the NCAA Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships one week later inside the IU Natatorium in Indianapolis. Tickets are available here. Fans can also watch both meets on the ESPN+ digital platform.
Both teams come into the national meet as Big Ten Champions, securing the program’s second-ever conference double. IU is one of only two Big Ten programs to win both the men’s and women’s title in the same season. For the men, it was their third consecutive title and sixth in eight years. The women won their championship an exciting finish, outscoring Ohio State by one half of a point via the final relay. Last season, the Indiana men finished fourth nationally – their fourth top-five finish in five seasons. In the last five years, only four men’s team have consistently finished top six nationally: Cal, Texas, Florida and Indiana. The women blew away expectations and tied their program-record finish, placing seventh in the team standings.
Two of Indiana’s three 2023 NCAA Champions will return for this year’s meet. Fifth-year senior Brendan Burns won the 200-yard butterfly in 2022 and the 100-yard backstroke one year ago and will race both again – as well as the 200-yard backstroke. Junior diver Carson Tyler is the defending platform diving champion and repeated as Big Ten Champion at the conference meet. The women had a pair of national runners-up a year ago, as Anne Fowler took second on the 1-meter springboard, joined by Ching Hwee Gan in the 1,650-yard freestyle. Indiana’s NCAA rosters feature two Hoosiers that have already qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics. Junior Mariah Denigan will represent Team USA in open water events after her sixth-place finish in the 10K event at the 2024 World Aquatics Championships. Dutchman Kai van Westering posted Olympic Qualifying Times in the 200-meter backstroke at the same World Championships.
Indiana’s complete rosters are listed below. INDIANA SWIMMING AND DIVING QUALIFIERS
2024 NCAA Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships
Brearna Crawford– 100 breaststroke, 200 breaststroke
Mariah Denigan– 500 freestyle, 1,650 freestyle
Anne Fowler – 1-meter, 3-meter
Anna Freed – 200 butterfly, 200 IM, 400 IM
Ching Hwee Gan– 500 freestyle, 1650 freestyle
Elyse Heiser – 200 freestyle, 500 freestyle, 1650 freestyle
Skyler Liu– 1-meter, 3-meter, platform
Kacey McKenna – 50 freestyle, 100 backstroke, 200 backstroke
Kristina Paegle– 50 freestyle, 100 freestyle
Anna Peplowski – 100 freestyle, 200 freestyle, 500 freestyle
Ella Roselli– 1-meter, 3-meter, platform
Ashley Turak – 50 freestyle, 100 freestyle, 100 breaststroke
Lilly Witte – 1-meter, 3-meter, platform
200-yard freestyle relay
400-yard freestyle relay
800-yard freestyle relay
200-yard medley relay
400-yard medley relay
2024 NCAA Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships
Toby Barnett – 200 breaststroke, 200 IM, 400 IM
Luke Barr– 200 IM, 100 freestyle, 100 backstroke
Finn Brooks – 50 freestyle, 100 breaststroke, 100 butterfly
Brendan Burns– 100 backstroke, 200 backstroke, 200 butterfly
Tristan DeWitt– 500 freestyle, 1,650 freestyle
Tomer Frankel– 100 butterfly, 200 butterfly
Quinn Henninger– 1-meter, 3-meter, platform
Rafael Miroslaw– 100 freestyle, 200 freestyle, 500 freestyle
Josh Matheny – 100 breaststroke, 200 breaststroke
Maxwell Reich – 100 breaststroke, 200 breaststroke
Carson Tyler– 1-meter, 3-meter, platform
Armando Vegas– 200 butterfly
Maxwell Weinrich – 1-meter, 3-meter, platform
Kai van Westering– 100 backstroke, 200 backstroke
Jassen Yep– 100 breaststroke, 200 breaststroke
200-yard freestyle relay
400-yard freestyle relay
800-yard freestyle relay
200-yard medley relay
400-yard medley relay
Parings for the 2024 Henry Health Community Health Girls and Boys Basketball Hall of Fame Classic are set
With another high-profile lineup on both the girls’ and boys’ sides, two great days of basketball are sure to be had at the 2024 Henry Community Health Hall of Fame Classic on Friday, December 27 and Saturday, December 28 at the New Castle Fieldhouse. The prestigious event, spotlighting the best in Indiana high school basketball, will be held for the 41st time for girls and it will be the 48th edition for the boys.
2024 Girls’ Henry Community Health Hall of Fame Classic
New Castle Fieldhouse – Friday, December 27, 2024 11:00 a.m. (ET) Lawrence Central vs Homestead
to follow South Knox vs Hamilton Southeastern
6:00 p.m. Consolation Game
to follow Championship Game
2024 Boys’ Henry Community Health Hall of Fame Classic New Castle Fieldhouse – Saturday, December 28, 2024 11:00 a.m. (ET) Warsaw vs Fishers
to follow Greenfield Central vs Heritage Hills
6:00 p.m. Consolation Game
to follow Championship Game
Selecting from the best teams in the state, the girls’ tournament has included 20 teams that went on to win a state championship (including 2023 4A State Champion) that season, including 13 class champions and nine class runner-up teams in the past 20 years (including 2024 4A State Runner-Up). On the boys’ side, 19 participating teams have gone on to win their state championship (including the 2023 3A and 4A State Champions) with six more finishing as state runner-up that season. Tickets for the tournaments will be available through participating schools and the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame beginning in late October/early November 2024.
Purdue Men’s Basketball earns Number 1 Seed in the NCAA Tournament
Purdue has earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament for the second straight season and the fifth time in program history. The Boilermakers will play at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Friday in the first round of the Midwest Regional against the winner of the Montana State-Grambling State First Four game. Purdue is looking to avenge last year’s loss to Fairleigh Dickinson, when the Boilers became just the second No. 1 seed to fall to a No. 16 seed in the first round in NCAA Tournament history.
“There’s more you want to prove. There’s more you want to do. I think just the difference between last year and this year is how hungry we are,” sophomore guard Fletcher Loyer said. “That bad taste in our mouth has sat with us all year.” The Boilermakers seemingly had a one seed locked up, despite losing to the Wisconsin Badgers in the Big Ten Tournament Semifinals on Saturday. Purdue went 28-3 during the regular season. The record helped the Boilermakers win their 26th Big Ten regular season title. “That was our goal: to put ourselves right back in the same position we were last year and then obviously play better and win games,” head coach Matt Painter said. “You don’t start as a number one seed the next year. You [have to] earn it again. Our guys have earned it.”
This year’s tournament will give center Zach Edey a chance to add to his legacy. The reigning national player of the year just passed Rick Mount on Saturday to become the Boilers’ all-time scorer. Purdue joins Connecticut, Houston and North Carolina as the four top seeds in the tournament. Indiana State did not make the field of 68 after a stellar season. The Sycamores finished 28-6 and won the Missouri Valley regular season title for the first time since 2000, but they fell in the conference tournament finals to the Drake Bulldogs.
Taylor University Women’s Golfer Shayne Lim named Crossroads League Women’s Golfer of the Week
Fresh off an individual title at the Baker Shootout, Taylor’s Shayne Lim was named the Crossroads League Women’s Golfer of the Week on Monday. Lim posted scores of 78 and 79 at the 36-hole event, edging teammate Margarita Garrido for the top spot by one stroke and leading No. 22 Taylor to a 36-shot victory. The weekly honor is the first such-award for the reigning Crossroads League Player of the Year and is the 22nd weekly league award for Taylor Athletics during the 2023-2024 year. Lim and the No. 22 Trojans will return to action on March 22 and 23 for the Purgatory Intercollegiate in Noblesville, Indiana.
University of Indianapolis Men’s Basketball Bounced in the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament
After a major win over GLAC rival William Jewell in Saturday’s first round of the men’s NCAA Division II basketball tournament, the UIndy Greyhounds dropped their second-round game in overtime to Ferris State on Sunday. The Greyhounds, playing on their home court, had got out to a nice lead early in the game, but the Ferris State Bulldogs were never far behind. Ferris State stayed close to the Greyhounds throughout the first half. Statistically speaking, the two teams were evenly matched with UIndy shooting 48% from the field in the opening half and Ferris State shooting 47%. Midway through the first half, the Greyhounds began to pull out to a decent-sized lead. A 9-3 run gave UIndy a 27-18 lead with about 10 minutes to play in the first half. UIndy continued to pull away as the half continued, entering halftime with a 44-35 lead.
During the early minutes of the second half, it appeared as though UIndy might be able to continue their tournament run and get the game wrapped up. However, with about five minutes left in regulation, the Bulldogs started to mount a comeback. Both teams swapped the lead several times as the clock ticked away. With about a minute and a half to play, Jesse Bingham made a jump shot to give the Greyhounds a 74-71 lead. A missed jump shot from Ferris State’s junior forward Dolapo Olayinka and rebound by UIndy’s Sean Craig forced the Bulldogs to start fouling. Craig missed his free throw while Olayinka grabbed the defensive rebound. Olayinka passed to freshman guard Ethan Erickson who knocked down a game-tying 3-pointer with 48 seconds left. UIndy guard Jarvis Walker attempted a buzzer-beater 3-pointer, but missed, forcing the game into overtime.
An intense overtime saw even more frequent lead changes early, before Ferris State knocked down consecutive 3-pointers midway through the overtime period to pull out to an 85-81 advantage. From that moment, UIndy ran out of time to respond as more missed 3-pointers provided Ferris State a chance to put the game away. Jarvis Walker led the Greyhounds in scoring with 28 points while Ben Davidson led the Bulldogs with 25 points. The Greyhounds finished the season with a 23-9 record.
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