TERRE HAUTE — The 2008-2009 college sports season is almost upon us, and it’s time to take a look at all of the new faces who will be in new places this year.
The list accompanying today’s column does not include every athlete that will be competing in college this year, only the ones known to have committed, signed with or transferred to new colleges for the upcoming year.
Starting Aug. 24, all athletes known to be competing will be listed sport-by-sport and their progress will be followed as usual throughout the year.
Most colleges have not yet resumed classes, so few sports information departments have updated their rosters for the fall sports teams. Some of the athletes listed today may have changed their minds since originally making a decision, so the list is very likely to be incomplete or in need of revision.
Please send any additions or corrections to the e-mail address provided below. There are many familiar names whose eligibility has expired and who have moved on to other things, but the many talented names on this list are all ready to step up and take some of their places in the limelight.
Special thanks go out to the coaches, athletic directors, sports information directors and other knowledgeable people for their contributions and suggestions to this column throughout the year. It couldn’t happen without all of you.
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n Where’s Trine? If you look at the accompanying list very closely, you may notice a new school called Trine. Actually, it’s not a new school but an old one with a new name. Tri-State University in Angola (northeastern Indiana) changed its name this fall to honor a large contributor.
The Wabash Valley doesn’t have a huge number of people going that far to play sports, but freshman guard Adam Rucker does appear on its football roster.
n Possible ringer? Terre Haute South grad Zach Odum and 2007 Owen Valley grad Jared Maners will be playing basketball for legendary junior college coach Dan Sparks at Wabash Valley this winter. According to popular Internet rumors, they could be getting a huge addition as a teammate.
Angel Garcia, a 6-10 forward who led East Chicago Central to the Class 4A state title in Indiana two years ago, is reportedly heading to the Mount Carmel if he is not academically eligible at Memphis. Regardless of whether Garcia plays for Sparks or John Calipari, he is considered to be a “one-and-done” player headed to the NBA after one year of college.
n New home, same conference — Former North Vermillion and St. Joseph’s College basketball standout Allison Hughes will complete her eligibility this winter at Bellarmine while in graduate school. She had earlier planned to go to Lincoln Memorial in Tennessee. She played against Bellarmine several times in Great Lakes Valley Conference action while at St. Joseph’s.
More on her during basketball season.
2008-2009 transfers/new college athletes
Terre Haute North
Alicia Hayes, softball, IUPUI (from Lake Land)
Brandon Dorsett, baseball, Indiana State
Joe Meggs, baseball, Indiana State
Shaun Smith, track and field, Vincennes
Wendell Mardis, basketball, undecided (from Alabama State)
Khaim Helms, soccer, Ancilla
Amy Hamilton, cross country/track and field, Indianapolis
Casey Hayne, volleyball, Lake Land
Jake Shaffer, football, Wabash
Danielle Rosselli, golf, St. Mary-of-the-Woods
Terre Haute Gerstmeyer
Steve Higham, head golf coach, St. Mary-of-the-Woods
Terre Haute South
Armon Bassett, basketball, Alabama-Birmingham (from Indiana)
Koby Kraemer, baseball and football, Indiana State
Brock Lough, football, Indiana State
Megan Craft, basketball, Vincennes
Jay Smith, basketball, Eastern Illinois (from Trinity Valley)
Zach Odum, basketball, Wabash Valley College
Spencer Harlan, basketball, Rose-Hulman
Dragana Grbic, basketball, Butler (verbal commitment)
Maddy Bogle, tennis, Kentucky Wesleyan
Katie Bilyeu, tennis, Valparaiso
Brooke Daugherty, basketball, Indiana-South Bend (from Danville Area CC)
Kelly Fougerousse, softball, Olney Central (from South Georgia)
Trent Miles, head football coach, Indiana State (from Washington)
Tony Barton, football, Heidelberg College
Andrew Sullivan, cross country/track and field, Indiana State
Anthony Lewis, track and field, Indiana State
Kristy Twitchell, cross country/track and field, Indiana State
West Vigo
Morgan Coombs, baseball, Ball State (from Lincoln Trail)
Pablo Castillo, soccer, Danville Area CC
Leaerin Moore, soccer, Saint Mary-of-the-Woods
Haleigh Sanders, track and field, Bethel
Local connections
Mike Roberts, men’s assistant basketball coach, Rice (from California)
Northview
Lottie King, volleyball, Southern Indiana
Jered Timm, football, Marian
Abby Birkey, soccer, Grace
Traci Sanders, softball, Olney Central
Kaley Huffman, volleyball, IUPUI
Ashley Hull, volleyball, Lake Land
Clay City
Angie Camp, softball, Olney Central College
Shakamak
Anthony Witt, cross country/track and field, Grand Valley State (Mich.)
Sullivan
Emily Lahay, soccer, Indiana State
Alyssa Chagnon, volleyball, Vincennes
Jackie Exline, track and field, Emerson
Reva LeDune, softball, Southern Indiana (from Indiana State)
North Central
Michael Woodsmall, football, DePauw
Scottie Austin, football, St. Joseph’s
Jacki Porter, softball, Wabash Valley College
Megan Cox, softball, Olney Central
Nicole Miller, softball, Rend Lake
Rockville
Luke Greene, baseball, Lake Land
Zach Clapp, football/baseball, DePauw
Taylor Harper, baseball, Ancilla
Adam Rucker, football, Trine
R.J. Mahurin, basketball, Indiana State (verbal commitment)
Matt King, baseball and football, Indiana State (verbal commitment)
Riverton Parke
Chelsey Myers, softball, Saint Mary-of-the-Woods
Linton
Ethan Brewer, football, Indiana State
Chris Taylor, golf, Southern Indiana (from Vincennes)
Lance Irwin, football, Rose-Hulman
Aubrey Sears, track and field, Vincennes
South Vermillion
Jenni McLeish, basketball, Lake Land
Sondra Blake, softball, Saint Mary-of-the-Woods
North Vermillion
Whitney Davis, softball, SIU-Edwardsville
Ashley Corbin, softball, Danville Area CC
Allison Hughes, basketball, Bellarmine (from St. Joseph’s)
Clint Burney, cross country, Hanover
South Putnam
Meghan Canary, softball, Rose-Hulman
Shelby Johnston, volleyball and track, Franklin
Ben Parker, football, Rose-Hulman
Owen Valley
Ethan Kestenman, football, Rose-Hulman
Heather Gonser, basketball, Indianapolis (verbal commitment)
Nickole Gonser, basketball, Indianapolis (verbal commitment)
Marshall
Kyle Burnam, baseball, Indiana State
Travis Johnson, football, Indiana State
Troy Johnson, assistant football coach, Indiana State
Casey
Megan Murphy, softball, Illinois
Logan Boyd, basketball, Greenville
Brianna Athey, softball, Lake Land
Martinsville
Heidi Dahnke, basketball, Illinois-Chicago
Chase Lee, basketball, Greenville
Brittani Wolfe, basketball, Greenville
Ethan Nash, football, Rose-Hulman
Bobby Short, football, Rose-Hulman
Robinson
Ericka Bonnell, softball, Lincoln Trail
Danielle DiMarzio, softball, Lincoln Trail
Maggie Chenault, track and field, Vincennes
Logan Brimberry, golf and basketball, Lincoln Trail
David Ulrich, track and cross country, Olivet Nazarene
TaNeal Pinkston, track and cross country, SIU-Edwardsville
Paris
Brenden Sears, golf, Danville Area CC
Palestine-Hutsonville
Ryan Roberts, football, Indiana State
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.
College Report
COLLEGE REPORT: New faces in new places for 2008-09
- 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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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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