TERRE HAUTE — Next month, many students returning to schools all over the country will write introductory papers on the subject of “What I Did on my Summer Vacation.”
Several current and future Wabash Valley area college athletes have been busy this summer.
Here’s what some of them did:
• Koby Kraemer (Terre Haute South) — Besides maintaining a busy schedule with the Wayne Newton American Legion team, Kraemer participated in the Chicago White Sox Training Academy Prospect Games at North Central College from June 18-20.
During the three-day event, Kraemer competed with approximately 150 of the top players in the Midwest and made a good impression.
Ranked fourth in his high school class academically, Kraemer was rated as the fifth-best prospect at the event. He received the following evaluation on the Academy’s Web site:
“One of the top players in camp. Plays well beyond his tools. Great baseball savvy, instincts and energy. Has above average tools, but is just a hard-nosed baseball player.
Moves well on the infield. Good around the bag from short and second. Above average arm strength. Excellent offensive player. Good hands through the zone. Gets excellent extension at plate, giving him good backspin carry on ball. Good gap to gap power. 7.1 sixty time is not as good as his usable speed. Gets excellent jumps on the bases. Son of a coach and it shows.”
Kraemer’s father and coach, Kyle, said that no college decisions have been made yet but it is hoped that this Academy and another long tournament run by the Wayne Newton team can bring about many good opportunities to choose from.
“Koby definitely wants to sign early in November,” Coach Kraemer said. “He’s in the process of setting up visits. Hopefully this Academy and another good Legion tournament will open up some doors for him.”
• Josh Phegley (Terre Haute North/Indiana) — On July 17, Phegley was only one of two Wareham Gatemen players to be chosen to participate in a Cape Cod Invitational-Only Boston Red Sox Tryout session at Fenway Park.
Some familiar faces have also joined Phegley, as Indiana University pitchers Tyler Tufts and Matt Bashore have been added to the Wareham roster.
• Jared “Bubba” Lange (Terre Haute North/Wabash) — Fully recovered from the knee injury that sidelined him for most of last season, Lange and his teammates spent a lot of time doing community service.
Lange, the team’s community service chairman, wrote about some of his experiences on a blog on the Wabash College Web site.
“The most memorable trip was the Riley Hospital visit,” Lange wrote. “I have never been there, but heard stories from a former player and good friend, Josh Foster, who spent some time there when he was young. I was amazed at the courage and strength many of the young children had. One little girl, whom we made about four bird cages, was an avid Elvis fan. She was constantly playing Elvis songs on the jukebox to barely missing my hand while hammering nails. From there we went door to door to kids just to chat with them and their guardian.”
Lange’s day had only just begun.
“From there, we also went to the local elementary school to celebrate the Colts’ big Super Bowl game. We had the kids participate in various drills including running, bags, kicking footballs and trying on equipment. It was so funny seeing these little kids try on pads and run around. One girl ran at me as if she was going to tackle me, but instead she gave me a huge hug. In the end it is always the same thing. People always come up to us to thank us, but it is we who want to THANK YOU.”
• Rachael Pruett (Linton/Ball State) — On Monday, Pruett will represent the state of Indiana for the second year in a row while competing for Team Indiana in the Indiana-
Kentucky Junior Challenge Cup at Hunting Creek Country Club in Prospect, Ky.
“This is a great way to finish my junior career,” Pruett told the Greene County Daily World.
“It’s an honor to play for your state. It’s a little different than playing for yourself or your school. It’s Indiana vs. Kentucky. You don’t want to let your teammates down.”
While it’s a good time for the participants, they know why they’re going to be there.
“The team gets to spend the night together, and that’s fun,” Pruett said. “But once you tee it up, it’s competition as usual.”
Pruett has stayed busy this summer playing in the USGA Women’s Amateur qualifier, Indiana Women’s Open, Indiana Women’s Amateur, Indiana Women’s Match Play Championships, Westfield Junior PGA Championships and Indiana Girls Junior State Championships in preparation for starting her career at Ball State.
“I can’t wait for the first tournament,” Pruett said. “Playing golf in college was my goal ever since I started playing.”
Ball State opens its fall season on Sept. 10 with the Mid-American Conference Tournament at the Brickyard Golf Course.
• Katelyn Bishop (Terre Haute South/USC) — In preparing for her senior year, Bishop and the Trojans went to Europe and finished second in the prestigious Savaria Cup by defeating the Swedish National Team 3-1.
Bishop had three kills in the match against Sweden, one of three national teams the Trojans faced on the trip.
The Women of Troy played six matches in six days, and then drove to the mountain spa-resort town of Maribor, Slovenia for rest and relaxation. They then traveled to Italy for touring and sightseeing in Milan and Venice for one day each. The tour wrapped up in Montreaux, Switzerland, where they played their final match against the Swiss National Team.
That match was in conjunction with the Montreaux Volleymasters International Tournament. While watching the tournament, USC saw China, Russia, and Cuba, who accounted for all three medals in the 2006 Olympic Games.
• Marie Humpolick (Terre Haute South/Manchester) — Humpolick traveled to Lima, Peru, to represent the United States as part of the USAAI soccer team which competed in the Apemude Friendship Series Tournament.
• • •
• Seaton saluted — Incoming Pepperdine women’s volleyball signee Kristen Seaton of Terre Haute South was named as a Volleyball Magazine “Fab 50” in the publication’s annual listing of the top 50 incoming freshmen to the collegiate game.
The 6-5 lefty set the school record for most kills in a game (36) and in a season (455) while earning first team All-Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference accolades.
The highly recruited Seaton also picked up second team All-State honors and competed in the Indiana State All-Star game as a member of the South team. She helped lead her club team to a fifth-place finish at the 2006 Junior Olympics.
Pepperdine is scheduled to open the 2007 season in Fayetteville, Ark., on Aug. 24.
Joey Bennett is a former Tribune-Star sports reporter and copy editor who now teaches and coaches at Northview High School in Brazil. He can be reached at tribstarcollegereport@yahoo.com, and his Web site listing area athletes competing in college can be found at www.tribstarcollegereport.com.
College Report
Valley athletes have busy summer
- College Report
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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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Several Wabash Valley area college softball players have been honored by their respective conferences for outstanding play this spring.
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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
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COLLEGE REPORT: Spring newcomers making marks
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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
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COLLEGE REPORT: North grad Hughes finds success after facing preseason adversity
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Etling, Meggs enjoying great year
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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. -
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COLLEGE REPORT: Mayhew, Mascari provide fall highlights
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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. -
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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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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.
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Catching up as the school year winds down
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