Odds and ends from here and there as college sports teams get ready to begin regular-season play.
• Terre Haute North grad Mike Russell completed his Wabash College football career last fall as one of the top receivers in school history.
Injuries last season kept him from duplicating the impressive numbers of his junior season, however, and also forced the former North Coast Athletic Conference “runner of the year” to miss the track and field season.
Russell is continuing his studies in art at Wabash this fall, and is serving as wide receivers coach for the Crawfordsville Athenians — who opened their season Friday night with a 49-31 loss to West Lafayette.
Russell is continuing to work out in addition to his classroom and coaching duties, and plans to try out for the Arena Football League next year.
He also may take classes in the spring semester if he decides to use his fourth year of track eligibility and/or play basketball for the Little Giants as he did briefly two years ago.
Russell’s North classmate Jared “Bubba” Lange is playing his final season this year for the Little Giants. Lange missed his junior year due to injury. Ex-Patriot Drew Oehler is a senior kicker at Wabash, and offensive lineman Jake Shaffer is a freshman at Wabash.
• The Olney College baseball team, which includes Terre Haute South grad Bobby Woods and former Shakamak High School standouts Steven McNabb, Ridge Inman and Timothy Betts, will be playing at Busch Stadium in St. Louis on Sept. 7.
McNabb attended Oakland City College last year and is in his first year at OCC, while Inman is on the mend following arm surgery.
The Blue Knights will meet Lake Land College following the game between the Houston Astros and the Cardinals. Lake Land features Terre Haute North grad Andrew Woodason and Rockville’s Luke Greene.
• Tavita Pritchard, son of former Terre Haute resident Kelli (Miller) Pritchard, has been named the starting quarterback for Stanford.
Pritchard, who beat out Michigan transfer Jason Forcier and Alex Loukas, threw two touchdown passes during Stanford's second and final scrimmage of its fall camp last week.
Pritchard connected with sophomores Doug Baldwin for a 37-yard TD pass and also found Ryan Whalen for a 24-yard scoring strike.
Stanford hosts Oregon State in its season opener on Thursday.
“I expect to start on August 28th and I hope Alex and Jason feel they will, too,” said Pritchard. “All three of us are going to make plays in camp, but we are going to make mistakes, too. We have to keep looking at things in the big picture and not worry that each play is being looked at under a microscope.
“We are all pulling for each other. This competition is elevating all of us.”
• When Indiana State opens the Trent Miles Era on Thursday at Eastern Michigan, a former Wabash Valley standout will be on the opposing sidelines.
Josh Buis, a South Putnam graduate, is starting his third year at EMU, and his first as the running backs coach.
The 29-year-old Buis spent the previous two years as the tight ends and offensive tackles coach.
• Clay City grad Ashley McCullough has ended her collegiate career after playing one season for Indiana State. She still attends the school, and is probably the youngest varsity head coach in the state this year as she directs her alma mater’s volleyball team.
• Northview grad Lottie King signed a letter-of-intent earlier this year to play volleyball at Southern Indiana, but did not enroll at the Evansville school.
• D.J. Shouse, a reserve player for Terre Haute South’s boys basketball team last year, will continue his career and education at Ancilla College. His cousin, Michael, played at the northeastern Indiana junior college a few years ago.
Shouse becomes the 10th player from Coach Mike Saylor’s four THS teams to move on the play at the college level. Others have been Armon Bassett (Indiana/UAB), J.T. Hatfield (Olney Central), Anthony McNeal (Danville CC/Brescia), Travis Davis (Illinois Central), Terrence Littlefield (Vincennes/IUPUI/Lee), Jay Smith (Trinity Valley/Eastern Illinois), Spencer Harlan (Rose-Hulman), Zach Odum (Wabash Valley) and Willis Uzzell III (Ball State).
Davis has transferred to Indiana State, and is considering trying out for ISU’s team as a walk-on.
The list will continue to grow, as current Braves John Michael Jarvis and Jake Odum are being recruited by several Division 1 schools on their heels of an outstanding season last winter and also this summer for Brad Miley’s Jammers traveling team.
• Former Terre Haute North golf standout Matt Sherertz will be a co-captain this year for the Western Kentucky squad. Sherertz is a 2004 North grad who redshirted his freshman year.
He plans to graduate in May with a double major in Finance and Math. He spent this summer working in Indianapolis as an actuary intern for the Nyhart firm.
The Hilltoppers were presented with the Sun Belt Conference 2006-07 team academic award at the 2008 Sun Belt Conference Golf Championships in Muscle Shoals, Ala., this spring.
The squad — who won the 2006 SBC championship — received the honor after scoring the highest grade-point-average of the 12 participating institutions.
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: Russell serves in assistant’s role at Crawfordsville
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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
Raw: Aftermath of Deadly Attack in London
Okla. Teens Get Video of Deadly Tornado Overhead
Man Shot While Questioned in Boston Probe
Raw: Kevin Durant Tours Moore After $1M Pledge
9-year-old Tornado Victim Loved Family, Singing
School Storm Protection Spotty in Tornado Zones
Weiner Launches Bid to Become NYC Mayor
Britain Attack Believed Linked to Radical Islam
Okla. City Mayor: Up to 13K Homes Hit by Tornado
Raw: New Video of Deadly Oklahoma Tornado
Oklahoma Survivors, Heroes Survey Damage
Raw: Costa Rica Volcano Roars to Life
Moore Native Toby Keith Tours Tornado Damage
Today in History May 22
Raw: Scuffles in London After Hacking Death
Florida FBI Shooting Has Boston Bombing Links
IRS Official Pleads 5th Amendment
Raw: Japan's WWII Atrocities Under Fire in Seoul
Raw: Students Clash With Police in Chile
Paperless Scanner, Vision of the Future
AK-47-wielding thug may be the most bumbling crook ever
Trout's cycle a boost for Angels
Kim Kardashian Flaunts Pregnant Bikini Body in Greece
NBA star pledges $1M to help tornado recovery
Shakira's Shocking Talent
Morgan Freeman falls asleep on air
GRAPHIC: Blood-Soaked Machete Killer Caught on Tape
Elin Nordegren Furious With Lindsey Vonn For Parading Kids in Public
Camera Captures Climber As He Loses Grip And Falls
Helen Mirren Meets with Dying Boy in Queen Elizabeth's Place
Crowd Chants '¡Si, Se Puede!' After Passage of Immigration Bill
DWTS Crowns a Winner
Police Ram House to End Hostage Standoff
Demi Moore a Rocks Bikini at Harry Morton's Family House
Anthony Weiner: I'm running for New York City mayor
Kate Middleton's Dress Flies Up
VIRAL: Baby makes epic soccer goal
The Hangover Baby All Grown Up
