Kappa Alpha Theta Wins their record Ninth Women’s Little 500 Title
Kappa Alpha Theta won the 36th annual Women’s Little 500 Bike Race on Friday Afternoon at Bill Armstrong Stadium on the Indiana University Campus for a record ninth time and their first title since 2018. Kappa Alpha Theta dominated the field leading the last 40 laps of the 100-lap race and cruised to the win. The battle was for second place with Teter edging out Delta Gamma and Melanzana who was looking for a three-peat. Those four teams were the only ones on the lead lap with 10 laps remaining.
Audrey La Valle who watched her brothers Albert and Andrew compete for Phi Kappa Psi in 2019 and gave up the lead on lap 199 broke the curse for her family and competing since she was a freshman she has been a part of some close finishes, and she ends it with a win. La Valle is the first Women’s Cyclist since 2011 to win all three spring series events which include Individual Time Trials, Miss N Outs and Team Pursuit. Clarie Tips, Sophomore Bailey Capella and Freshman Greta Hyel rounded out the team. Cappella started and finished the race and Hyel had to overcome two wrecks in the first 18 laps but maintained her composure to get back on the back and finish her set after she had torn bicycle shorts and visible gash on her lip. Midway through the race there was scare when Teter’s Jess DiBella lost control of her bike and crashed with La Velle as Capella was waiting for an exchange.
Teter battled all race long through wrecks and one of their riders going to the infield tent to get checked on after she took a nasty spill early in the race. The pole sitters kept fighting through it and even though they could not catch the leaders they need they could beat Delta Gamma and Melanzana out for second place. Melanzana started out 12th and they worked their way up towards the front of the field. Delta Gamma started fourth and this team of seniors got to the podium for the first time since winning it all in 2021 when there were no fans allowed at that race due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. The first 40 laps of the race there were 10 teams that took the lead and Kappa Alpha Theta and Delta Gamma worked together and broke away from the pack but on Lap 57 when Delta Gamma did an exchange Bailey Capella went all out and pulled away from the field and built up a nearly lap lead over the rest of the field.
Kappa Alpha Theta’s titles have come in 1994-95, 2000, 2003, 2014-15 and 2017-18. It was a beautiful Sunny Friday Afternoon and packed crowd on hand to watch 33 teams battle it out for 100 laps. This was the first time in a decade that the Women’s race had 33 teams in it and fans were buzzing from start to finish. Kappa Alpha Theta took their victory lap around the Bill Armstrong Track with their fans running behind them as Queen’s “We are the Champions” was blearing over the loudspeaker.
Black Key Bulls win their Third Men’s Little 500 Title
The Black Key Bulls failed to qualify for the 2023 Men’s Little 500 after a series of inaccurate exchanges in qualifications left them out of the race. This year after a year of soul searching and a training trip to Florida the team completed their mission on being back on top by winning the 2024 Men’s Little 500 Bike Race on Saturday Afternoon. It’s the Third Title for the Black Key Bulls to go with their 2014 and 2017 titles. Since the team started in 2006 the team has always been one of the events most dominant teams putting together a streak of top ten finishes year after year. Bloomington’s Jack Handlos who graduated from Lighthouse Christian Academy is the captain of this team. Handlos and his teammates Junior Will Wagner, Freshman Wiley Close and McGuire Wolfe wound up in victory lane and complete one of the best stories that you can ever imagine going from the very bottom one year to the very top the next year.
Sigma Alpha Epsilon dominated the 73rd edition for most of the day leading over 100 laps and at one point extended the lead to three quarters of lap. At Lap 148 there were six teams that were closing the gap on the leaders. With less than 20 laps left the Black Key Bulls took the lead and did not look back even though there was a collision in the pits when Sigma Alpha Epsilon and Black Key Bulls were making exchanges were able to maintain the lead. Will Wagner closed out the race as in the final 17 laps hitting speeds of 26 miles an hour and finishing the lap in 35 seconds to give his team a nine second lead. The race only had one yellow flag and a very few pile ups but with on Lap 195 there was another pile up avoided when the Black Key Bulls made an exchange and seat was all the way down when Close took the bike and the seat flipped around to its side. Close had to ride like that for two laps but kept his cool and kept his team ahead of the field and make another exchange to close it out. The Black Key Bulls had half a lap advantage going into the final lap. The battle came for second when the Cutters who were the defending champions had to sprint to the finish line to hold off Delta Tau Delta with a blistering final lap with Sigma Alpha Epsilon finishing in sixth place and they will return all four riders for next year looking to get in victory lane. It was another sun splashed day and a packed crowd watched a terrific race that saw 33 teams battle it out for 200 laps.
Before the race there were a group of 11 pro-Palestinian Protesters stand in the bleachers by the start finish line Dressed in T-Shirts that said, “Divest from Crane” and they chant at Indiana University President Pamela Whitten who shakes the hands of the riders of the teams as they were announced. The protesters yelled “Whitten, Whitten you can’t hide, your supporting genocide”. There was sign that read “Palestine Bleeds IU Profits” and holding up Palestinian Flags. As the race begins the protesters march outside the track in of the bleachers with Indiana University Police Officers behind them. The Protesters chant “While you’re watching, bombs are dropping. Stop your biking kids are dying”. Fans booed the protesters and wanting them to leave. The Protesters exit the stadium and get into two cars and are stopped by Indiana University Police. An officer tells a protester that police let the group walk around the race but are now pulling them over for disrupting traffic and running up a flagpole. The protesters are detained for a few minutes and then were released.
In October of 2023 Indiana University announced a $111 million dollar investment including collaboration with Naval Surface Weapon Warfare Center Crane Division which is located 45 Minutes Southwest of Bloomington. As part of the commitment, IU is investing $ 23.5 Million to hire faculty members in microelectronics, focusing on faculty with U.S. Department of defense experience. As of 2021 Crane is a part of a research and development agreement with the Israeli defense company Smart Shooter focusing on increasing the accuracy of defenses against small umanned aircraft. This is the latest in a series of demonstrations in support of Palestine and critical of IU’s response to the Israel-Hamas War, demanding IU divest from U.S Military contractors and the Israeli Government.
Indiana University Men’s Basketball lands Stanford Transfer Kanaan Carlyle
From Atlanta to the Pac-12 to Indiana. For the second time in a week, IU basketball has picked up a significant commitment from the transfer portal via that unlikely path. Stanford transfer guard Kanaan Carlyle announced via his social media accounts he is transferring to Indiana. The 6-foot-3 Carlyle earned honorable mention All-Pac-12 Freshman Team honors in 2024.
The guard from Atlanta averaged 11.5 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.7 assists on the season, and 12.5 points per night in Pac-12 play. A combo guard, Carlyle shot 38.6% from the field overall, and 32% from three on 100 attempts. Carlyle has major potential as a scorer, posting 31- and 29-point games during the season, both against high-major competition. From an advanced analytics standpoint, Carlyle draws fouls at a high level — five per game, good for No. 223 in the nation. He is playmaking guard with a scoring mentality. His 27.7% usage rate was highest on Stanford, and No. 152 in the country.
Two advanced metrics utilized by Bart Torvik highlight Carlyle has developmental needs heading into his sophomore year. He ranks just No. 319 in points over replacement player at the same usage, and his box score plus/minus was negative (-1.8). That further breaks down to -.6 on the offensive end, and -1.2 on defense. These measures, and Carlyle’s 3-point shooting (34.5%) improved during Pac-12 play.
Carlyle has three years of eligibility remaining. Indiana has now picked up three transfers in the last week. Carlyle joins fellow Georgia-based guard Myles Rice (Washington State) and center Oumar Ballo (Arizona). Carlyle and Rice know each other and are both connected to Indiana by assistant coach Yasir Rosemond. The Hoosiers still have three open scholarships for the 2024-25 season.
The Curt Cignetti Era Begins for Indiana University Football with the Spring Game
For the first time since 2019 the Indiana University Football Team hosted a Spring Game in Memorial Stadium Thursday Night. New Head Coach Curt Cignetti gave Hoosier Nation a taste of what they are going to see when the Hoosiers make their 2024 debut on August 31 hosting Florida International. The game was two 15-minute quarters to limit injuries and it was offense vs defense with the hitting the quarterback being off limits. A touchdown was worth six points, a field goal three, a safety two and an extra point one. The defense got four points for a turnover gained and three for a defensive stop.
The Offense won 34-25 as they scored five touchdowns and the defense had seven stops and interception. Although Spring Football is all about improving and installing your system that fans that were in attendance on Thursday night can see there has been progress made since Cignetti was named head coach on December 1, 2023, and there is a lot more work to do before August 31. Cignetti used three quarterbacks with Ohio University Transfer Kurtis Rourke and returner Tavyen Jackson rotating between series. Jackson directed two touchdowns on his first two drives and Rourke threw three touchdowns on three drives including the game winner. Freshman Tyler Cherry from Center Grove HS which is the same school Tayven Jackson attended directed the offense to start the second quarter but could not produce any points.
Rourke found Andison Coby for the game winner with 45 seconds left. Donaven McCulley scored on a touchdown pass from Tayven Jackson. Running Back’s Ty Son Lawton and Justice Ellison had a touchdown runs. The final touchdown of the night was scored by Drew Shouse an 8-year-old from Westport Indiana who joined the Hoosiers through Team Impact, an organization that partners children with chronic illness with college teams. Drew had multiple heart surgeries before the age of 2. Unofficial Stats showed a good night for the Quarterbacks as Kurtis Rourke went 21-33 for 146 yards and a touchdown, Jackson went 11-14 for 170 yards with a touchdown and an interception by Terry Jones Jr. Tyler Cherry was 1-3 for 8 yards in the two drives he directed the offense. Andison Coby had 114 receiving yards and a touchdown. The Hoosiers got big plays on offense and used their tight ends more often under Cignetti and the Wide Receiver depth will come in handy when the season gets underway.
The roster has been revamped with 22 transfers that came in mid-year to get a jump on the season and some mid-year High School Enrollees including Cherry. The defense will be led by James Madison Transfer Aidan Fisher who replaces Aaron Casey as a leader on defense. Fisher was all over the field Thursday Night as Defensive Coordinator Byrant Haines who worked with Cignetti at James Madison comes to Indiana after the Dukes led in the nation in run defense, ranked 18th in points allowed per game with 18.5 and 29th in total yards per game with 328.6 in 2023. Fans took notice of an efficient warm up and business-like approach from Curt Cignetti’s squad. Cignetti was behind the offense taking notes on each and every play. The Hoosiers want to run a fast-paced offense like they did before and there are not much celebrating big plays on the field. It reminded fans of went Hall of Fame Basketball Coach Bob Knight would have his team come out when Midnight Madness started when they just started practicing. Cignetti has that same mindset as there were no introductions before the game but just to come out get the work done and get ready for the next play.
Former Indianapolis Colts General Manager Bill Tobin passes away at age 83
Former Indianapolis Colts General Manager Bill Tobin has died. The Cincinnati Bengals announced the 83-year-old’s death via their team website on Friday afternoon. Tobin was the Colts’ general manager from 1994-96. Indianapolis went 26-22 during Tobin’s tenure in the Circle City. As a Colts executive, Tobin helped Indianapolis draft two Pro Football Hall-of-Famers — wide receiver Marvin Harrison and running back Marshall Faulk. In 13 seasons with the Colts, Harrison caught 1,102 passes for 14,580 yards and 128 touchdowns. Faulk played five seasons in Indianapolis, racking up 5,320 rushing yards and 42 touchdowns on 1,389 carries. Faulk finished his 12-year career with 12,279 yards and 100 TDs. Tobin also drafted Nebraska linebacker Trev Alberts in the first round of the 1994 NFL Draft. ESPN analyst Mel Kiper’s reaction to Tobin’s pick led to a now-famous interview. Speaking with ESPN’s Chris Mortensen, Tobin said, “Who in the hell is Mel Kiper anyway?”
After he left Indianapolis, Tobin became the Detroit Lions’ director of player personnel. He was with Detroit from 2001-02. Before he came to the Circle City, Tobin was the general manager of the Chicago Bears from 1987-92. Bengals.com reported that Tobin was also part of the Bears’ front office crew that assembled the Super Bowl-winning 1985 Chicago Bears. Tobin played football professionally during his life. He was a running back for the American Football League’s Houston Oilers in the early 1960s — a pre-Super Bowl era that predates the NFL-AFL merger. Tobin joined the Bengals’ scouting department in 2003. Bengals.com reported that he served as consultant as recently as the Joe Burrow-Ja’Marr Chase era in Cincinnati. Colts owner Jim Irsay took to X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, to express his condolences to Tobin’s family. “Rest in peace, Bill Tobin, our GM from ’94-96,” Irsay wrote. “Bill was a tough, old-time football man, starting as a player in the old AFL. He lived a magical life associated with the game he loved, and our league will miss him. My love and prayers for Bill’s family.”
Former Indiana State Men’s Basketball player Robbie Avila is transferring to Saint Louis University
The mass exodus from the Indiana State men’s basketball team following the departure of head coach Josh Schertz continued with the team’s leading scorer’s latest announcement. Robbie Avila, who racked up 644 total points during the Sycamores’ most recent season, announced Saturday he is transferring to the University of Saint Louis. Avila said “several” ACC schools and other Power 5 schools reached out to him after he entered the transfer portal. “I’ve trusted (Coach Schertz’s) path for me these last two years, and I trust what he has planned for me the next few years,” Avila said.
Avila’s departure was not unexpected. The 6-foot-10 sophomore announced he’d entered the transfer portal earlier this month. His formal announcement comes roughly 24 hours after his Sycamores teammate and second-highest scorer, Ryan Conwell, declared he is transferring to Xavier. “Over the last two years, I’ve come to love the city of Terre Haute and love the Sycamore fans,” Avila said. “It definitely me took a little bit to think about (transferring), but I decided going forward, it was best for me and my future to go somewhere else and continue my athletic career somewhere else.”
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