TERRE HAUTE —
Summertime comings and goings:
• Sullivan standout to IPFW — Sullivan grad Olivia Trimble will be taking her track and field talents to the Division I level at Indiana-Purdue-Fort Wayne next spring.
Trimble comes to IPFW with personal-bests of 13.1 in the 100-meter dash, 27.5 in the 200-meter dash, 1:04 in the 400-meter dash, and a long jump personal best of 15-5.
She placed fifth this past season at the Terre Haute North Sectional in the long jump, while helping her 4x100-meter relay team to a third place finish, and a spot at the Regional Meet, where the team missed out on a chance at the state meet by one place (.12 of a second), placing fourth in the field.
“Olivia has focused on the long jump in high school, as well as relays,” IPFW Coach Mike Fruchey said. “She will add quality depth to our sprint group.”
Trimble likes the IPFW curriculum as well as the track program.
“I really like the graphic design program, which is what I am going into, and they have a brand new indoor track,” she told the Sullivan Daily Times.
• Knights catcher to RHIT — Recent Northview graduate Jessica LaTourette will continue her softball career as a member of the Rose-Hulman squad.
LaTourette was a three-year starter for the Knights and batted .362 this spring in helping Northview to a 20-7 record and a sectional runnerup finish. She had seven doubles and 10 RBI.
She had originally planned to attend Indiana State, but then she received interest from the Engineer coaching staff.
“It was during the sectional when we really talked,” LaTourette said. “I was really excited.”
Bethany Jones, LaTourette’s high school coach, thinks the decision is a good one.
“Academics always come first,” Jones said. “Rose-Hulman will be a good fit and she’s going to get a great education.
“She calls a good game and she’s more mobile now,” Jones said. “I think she will excel at Rose-Hulman.”
• Kempf to Marian — Zach Kempf, who graduated from Rockville High School this spring, committed to Marian University and becomes the fourth baseball commitment for the Knights in 2012.
An honor roll member, Kempf was a two-sport athlete who lettered three years in basketball and four years in baseball at Rockville High School. In baseball, he earned All-Conference honors in both his junior and senior seasons and led the team in both RBI and home runs each season. He also ended his senior season with a 10-3 record on the mound and compiled 101 strikeouts.
Kempf is the fourth to commit to the program which has won eight MCC championships and finished last season with a 24-20 overall record and a 17-5 mark in the MCC. The Knights nearly capped the season with a berth in the NAIA championship, but fell short as the runner-up at the MCC Tournament.
Rockville grad Drew Kelley is a sophomore pitcher for Marian.
• Oden dismissed at Arkansas — Former Terre Haute resident Anthony Oden has been dismissed from the Arkansas football team after his second arrest for driving while intoxicated in the last year.
Oden, who was listed as a possible first-team tackle on the Razorbacks’ spring depth chart, started one game in his Razorback career after attending Lawrence North, Dayton (Ohio) Dunbar and Hargrave Military Academy.
He is the younger brother of NBA center Greg Oden.
Oden’s dismissal leaves Northview grad Scott Wheeler, a redshirt freshman offensive lineman at Kent State, as the Wabash Valley’s only BCS college football player this year.
• Hostetter back on sidelines — White River Valley graduate Marc Hostetter coached college basketball for more than 10 years after helping lead Southern Indiana to the 1995 Division II national championship, but left the profession three years ago to enter the business world.
Hostetter will be returning to the hardwood this winter as the head coach at Mount Vernon (Posey), where he can enjoy teaching the game without some of the drawbacks of the college lifestyle.
“The rigors of recruiting got to me and my family,” he told the Evansville Courier. “I kept finding I was missing the interaction with students, the opportunity to help them grow. That led me back to coaching.”
• Pruett honored — Recent Ball State graduate Rachael Pruett of Linton was one of three Cardinal golfers named National Golf Coaches Association All-America Scholars.
In order to be a recipient of the NGCA award, the female golf student-athletes must maintain a minimum 3.50 grade-point average on the school’s 4.0 scale.
Pruett tallied a 3.79 GPA as an exercise science major prior to her graduation last May. Her 78.78 career average is second all-time at Ball State, behind only Kelly’s mark. Pruett won her first career tournament at the Ball State Cardinal Classic in the fall of 2010 with a 72-70—142.
• IUPUI to field track teams — IUPUI Director of Athletics Michael Moore has announced the Jaguars will be sponsoring men’s and women’s outdoor track & field, beginning with the 2011-12 school year.
The programs will be phased in incrementally with the immediate future of the teams relying primarily on the current cross country rosters to compete in the distance events.
The addition of two sports bring IUPUI’s total to 16 varsity squads. IUPUI will be immediately eligible to compete in The Summit League Outdoor Track & Field Championships next May in Fargo, N.D.
“It only makes sense for us to sponsor outdoor track and field,” Moore said. “Our cross country student-athletes have already been competing in spring meets and we have a first-rate, well recognized facility located on our campus. Our recruiting base will be the Midwest with a particular focus on Indiana student-athletes. It’s only logical that we take that next step and make it official.”
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: Sullivan's Trimble to run for IPFW
- 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




