TERRE HAUTE —
Beth Mahurin made a verbal commitment to play volleyball at Indiana State in the fall of her junior year, which would have put her close to home and at the same school as her brother, R.J., who is a freshman on the men’s basketball team.
She was hoping for a situation where she could also play basketball, though, and when Murray State provided such an opportunity, Mahurin had a change of plans. She signed this week to compete in both sports for the Racers.
“I really like the coaches, the campus, and the girls on both of the teams,” Mahurin said. “I was looking for the opportunity to play both sports, once Murray State offered me, I went down and visited the school and I just fell in love with the school.”
Mahurin led the Rox to three straight volleyball sectional titles, and may be even more highly regarded on the basketball court.
As a junior she averaged 17 points, 15 rebounds (third in the state), six blocks (first in the state) and a 63-percent field goal average. She is the top returning player in Indiana in rebounds and blocks. Her 63.0 shooting percentage was third among Indiana players in 2009-10 and her 17 points per game rank her 13th among returners for Indiana.
Mahurin is getting a basketball scholarship, so that will be her “main sport.”
“But I love both sports,” she said. “The two coaches really worked hard together to make me feel comfortable. It’s going to be very tough, but the coaches are going to work hard to make it possible.”
Murray State women’s basketball head coach Rob Cross is excited to get the talents of Mahurin at the Ohio Valley Conference school located in the western part of Kentucky.
“We are thrilled to sign a student-athlete like Beth,” Cross said. “Her athleticism and strength will add a lot to our team. The character and personality that Beth brings will be a great fit for the Racers women’s basketball family.”
Cross likes the fact that Mahurin is not exclusively a basketball player.
“The fact that she is a multi-athlete says a lot about her work ethic and commitment,” added Cross. “She was a top volleyball recruit nationally and we feel very fortunate she has chosen to be a part of our Racers family.”
During her junior season Mahurin was named the Indiana Fever Player of the Week following a 34 point, 24 rebound, and eight block performance. The two-time All-Wabash River Conference selection is also a standout in the classroom and is an honor roll student.
“Murray State is getting the best post player in the state of Indiana,” said Rockville head basketball coach Jeff McCoy. “She has been irreplaceable for Rockville, is a fantastic player and works hard every day. We are very proud of her signing with the Racers because it is a great fit for her.”
Mahurin had a very productive junior season that led her to being named to the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association Junior All-State team and was a member of the Indiana Class All-Star 3/4A game participant. She was named a Pre-Season Hoosier Basketball Magazine All-State second team member as a junior and was recently elevated to the Pre-Season Hoosier Basketball Magazine All-State first team for her senior season as well as being a McDonald’s All-American nominee.
I I I
n Higgins to VU — Lynsey Higgins of Clay City became another recruit from the Wabash Valley to join the Vincennes University volleyball program when she signed this week to become a Trail Blazer.
VU currently has played from Bloomfield, Linton, Terre Haute South and Owen Valley and frequently taps into the local area for talent.
Higgins finished the 2010 season with a team-high 358 kills as an outside hitter and added 74 solo blocks for a sectional runner-up team.
VU Coach Tina Miller, whose team finished 19-20 this fall, feels it is important to get nearby players in her program.
“There is the opportunity for parents and family to come and see their kids play without traveling extremely long distances and that's always a plus,” Miller told the Brazil Times. “We always feed on that support when we travel to away matches where sometimes if parents aren't there then we don't have hardly any fans. It's an opportunity for them to continue to see their kids play.
We have pockets of talent in this area that go untapped especially with the smaller schools where you might have an outstanding player like Lynsey (Higgins) that sometimes get overlooked. We seek that out [at Vincennes].”
Higgins’ father, Kevin, was a standout athlete at Terre Haute North in the early 1970s and Miller likes her “natural athletic ability.”
“She's got a pretty heavy swing for someone, especially her size,” Miller said. “She's going to be competing for a starting spot as a freshman.”
Joey Bennett is a former Tribune-Star sports reporter and copy editor who now teaches at Northview High School in Brazil. He can be reached at tribstarcollegereport@yahoo.com.
College Report
COLLEGE REPORT: Mahurin to play two sports for Racers
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Catching up as the school year winds down
Odds and ends from here and there as the school year quickly winds down. For starters, high jumper Nick Jaeger of Terre Haute South was named the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference’s male track & field newcomer of the year:
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College Report: Lively earned collegiate upgrade with strong play
Hillary Lively signed to play Division II basketball at Maryville (Mo.) during her senior year at North Vermillion, but those plans changed and she would up at nearby Danville Area Community College — where she recently concluded an outstanding two-year career.
Lively was impressive enough to earn a Division I scholarship to Southeast Missouri State of the Ohio Valley Conference, and both her future and past college coaches think she will continue to succeed there.
“She fits what we need,” SEMO coach Ty Margenthaler said. “She has college experience, she is strong and physical and plays well around the basket and moves well.
“Her strength, rebounding and touch around the basket will be a big help. On the defensive end, she’ll be able to guard a true center.” -
COLLEGE REPORT: Valley prep athletes getting ready for next level
The NCAA “regular” signing period begins Wednesday for all sports except football, field hockey, soccer, track and field, cross country and men’s water polo.
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COLLEGE REPORT: Conferences honor Valley softball players
Several Wabash Valley area college softball players have been honored by their respective conferences for outstanding play this spring.
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COLLEGE REPORT: Jake Newton makes big impact for Lincoln Trail College
Jake Newton had a long time between playing in competitive basketball games, a span of about 18 months, and used the frustration from that long dry spell to produce a stellar freshman season for Lincoln Trail College this winter.
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COLLEGE REPORT: A.J. Reed earns SEC Player of the Week honors
After belting three home runs during a five games last week, Kentucky sophomore left-handed pitcher/first baseman A.J. Reed was named Southeastern Conference Player of the Week.
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COLLEGE REPORT: Spring newcomers making marks
Several freshman baseball and softball NCAA Division I players from the Wabash Valley have already made immediate impacts at their new schools, while others are waiting for their turns to shine.
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COLLEGE REPORT: A.J. Reed named third-team preseason baseball All-American
Two-way sophomore standout A.J. Reed was one of three University of Kentucky players named third-team preseason All-America by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.
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COLLEGE REPORT: Sponsler honored after big week for Wabash men's hoops
Wabash College freshman Ross Sponsler of Terre Haute North was named the North Coast Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Week for the period ending Jan. 6.
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COLLEGE REPORT: North grad Hughes finds success after facing preseason adversity
A.J. Hughes knew he was in for a battle as he competed with three other walk-on punters in the preseason for the lone starting job on the Virginia Tech football team.
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Etling, Meggs enjoying great year
It’s been a great year so far with more to come for a pair of longtime friends and St. Patrick’s School classmates.
Former Terre Haute resident Jack Meggs quarterbacked the Bellevue Wolverines football team to the Washington Class 3A state championship this fall, culminating with a 35-3 win over Sammamish Eastside Catholic — Bellevue’s fifth straight crown.
Danny Etling, meanwhile, has completed graduation requirements at Terre Haute South and is preparing for an upcoming high school all-star game and his first college classes in a couple of weeks. -
COLLEGE REPORT: Valley’s women’s college hoops players start strong
Several women’s college basketball players from the Wabash Valley have gotten off to good starts this season on the hardwood. Highlights:
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COLLEGE REPORT: Mayhew, Mascari provide fall highlights
Several dozen Wabash Valley athletes enjoyed successful fall seasons collegiately in cross country and tennis this year. -
COLLEGE REPORT: Former North teammates start strong in college
Former Terre Haute North teammates Ross Sponsler and Matt O’Leary made their college basketball debuts last week and had outstanding initial performances. -
COLLEGE REPORT: Shoemaker OBP leads Chisox farmhands
Former Indiana State, Olney Central and Northview baseball standout Brady Shoemaker opened a lot of eyes last summer in the Chicago White Sox farm system, earning him a spot on a mlb.com blog team that highlighted the team’s outstanding minor leaguers at each position.
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COLLEGE REPORT: Boeglin has plenty of ISU memories, but not all are related to basketball
Melanie Boeglin, an All-American who played on the women’s basketball team at Indiana State from 2002-2006, will be inducted into the 21st class of the Indiana State University Athletics Hall of Fame on Thursday.
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COLLEGE REPORT: North grad leading DePauw volleyball in winning streak
DePauw’s volleyball team has won seven straight matches entering this weekend’s DePauw Invitational, including four straight wins last weekend to capture the Rose-Hulman invitational title.
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COLLEGE REPORT: Engle moving up football coaching ranks
Michael Engle graduated from DePauw University in the spring of 2011 with a degree in political science and future plans to advance his studies in law school.
Being a coach’s son and a competitive athlete by nature, Engle has put those plans on hold for now. -
COLLEGE REPORT: From Terre Haute South to Division I competition to coaching careers
Adriane Wunderlich and Katelyn Bishop both turned stellar high school careers at Terre Haute South into Division I collegiate careers at Indiana State and Southern California, respectively.
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COLLEGE REPORT: Former prep athletes getting ready for fall college season
An impressive total of at least 122 Wabash Valley athletes and coaches will be competing collegiately for the first time during the upcoming school year or have changed schools to continue their careers.
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COLLEGE REPORT: SP’s Boetjer is Indiana’s Miss Softball
South Putnam’s Brooke Boetjer, who will be a freshman on the Indiana University softball team next spring, was named the 2012 Indiana Miss Softball last month between games at the North/South All-Star games in Carmel.
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College report: North grad Mayhew is second team all-American at IU
Indiana University running standout Zach Mayhew of Terre Haute North was honored earlier this month as a second-team All-American by the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.
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College report: Bloomfield runner to join IUPUI track, cross country teams
Bloomfield track/cross country standout Julie Riggins will be joining the developing IUPUI program next fall as one of six incoming recruits.
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COLLEGE REPORT: Roberts takes coaching position at UNC-Greensboro
Terre Haute native Mike Roberts is continuing his climb up the college basketball coaching ladder, recently departing Rice for a spot as the associate head coach at North Carolina-Greensboro.
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COLLEGE REPORT: Valley grads playing role for No. 13 Vincennes
A few springtime odds and ends:
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COLLEGE REPORT: Shouse making his mark for Danville Community College
Derek Shouse definitely flew under the radar in his one season of playing for the Terre Haute South boys basketball team last winter.
Not highly recruited, he made his way to Danville Area Community College as a walk-on with the hopes he could find his way onto the court at some point. -
COLLEGE REPORT: Bullock finds sunny home to continue tennis career
Most college athletes progress along similar paths to get to their final destinations athletically, but Terre Haute South grad Taylor Bullock’s route to the Eckerd College women’s tennis team was a little different than most.
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COLLEGE REPORT: TH South QB entertains Division I offers
Danny Etling’s trek to being a big-time college quarterback took a huge step this week when the Terre Haute South junior picked up a scholarship offer from Purdue, according to 247sports.com.
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COLLEGE REPORT: Seibert stepping up her game
Terre Haute South grad Haley Seibert has seen the usual ups and downs of her freshman basketball season at Indiana-Purdue-Fort Wayne and is making the most of her opportunities this season.
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COLLEGE REPORT: Vikings Waters, Barton excited about college basketball
West Vigo grad Lauren Dailey helped the Lady Vikings basketball program to a lot of success at the end of the 1990s, and went on to play for Eastern Illinois from 2001-2004.
- More College Report Headlines
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Catching up as the school year winds down
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Today in History May 24
Two Suspects in Murder Known to London Police
Sheriff: No Sign Killing of 2 Kids Was Planned
Britain Braces for Possible Copycat Attacks
Today in History May 25
Officials: Truck Hit Bridge Before Collapse
Young protestor goes viral on Youtube
High Wire Spectacle Thrills Crowd in Austria
Toronto Mayor says he's not a crack head
Maine island offers lighthouse getaway
Should We Prepare for Quakes?
Lynn Kindergarten Class Rescues Ducklings
Congressional gold medal awarded to civil rights heroes
Charles Ramsey visits Kentucky
Unique Display Greets Guests At Revel Casino
Cape Cod Train Service Worries Residents
BASE jumper rides snowmobile off cliff to honor dead friend
SHOCKING: School Guard Throws Girl Down Stairs
Star Wars X-Wing Star Fighter Made of Legos
Actress Amanda Bynes Arrested in New York
Singer Psy Has An Imposter
President Obama Heckled at National Security Speech
Morgan Freeman falls asleep on air
More lewd photos may soon come out: Weiner
