Monday roundup: VU track has 7 All-Americans

Mathew Keitany was best for the Blazers, earning a third in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, 9:30.29. Olegs Kozjakovs was fourth in the pole vault, 4.72 meters, and eighth in the javelin, 50.05; Desroy Jordan was fifth in the 400 meters, 45.68; and Isaac Stanford fifth, 1,500, 3:49.92. Stanford's and Jordan's times were both new school records.

In the 3,200 relay, Trenton Faulkner, Keitany, Ernest Momodu and Stanford were 10th, 7:52.29. The top-10 in each individual event were named All-Americans.

“We had an incredible week. We earned seven All-American titles to go along with eight from the indoor season,” VU coach Marty Rogier said. “It was a good performance (by Kozjakovs) considering he is a decathlete who had not vaulted much prior to arriving at VU in January. An injury kept him from qualifying for the decathlon, an event we felt like he could have won, so it was great to see him compete so well against athletes who specialize in that event. (Jordan) ran a brilliant race out of lane eight, and it's hard to stay composed when you have that much speed lined up on your inside.”

“We got off to a bit of a rough start in the distance events, but Mathew and Isaac did a fantastic job of bringing things back,” VU assistant and long distance coach Tyler Steigenga said. “Mathew was amazing, as he showed once again that he has one of the best finishing kicks in the NJCAA, and Isaac ran intelligently and composed, showing how much of a competitor he is.”

VU's women scored seven points to tie for 24th out of 35 scorers. The top five were New Mexico 130½, Cloud County 101, Barton County 92½, South Plains 82, and Iowa Western 64.

The Blazers' points all came in the pole vault, where Ysnaira Dos Santos Viera and Julia Do Armaral Salvi tied for fifth, clearing 3.27. Brittany Page and Hope Laughlin were 22nd and 23rd in the 800 and 1,500.

“Julia and Ysnaira got things started for us Thursday. It's hard to be disappointed with earning a top spot, but they did not jump to their potential,” Rogier said.

“Overall it was just an incredible meet. It's going to take some time to wrap my mind around how good those performances by Isaac and Desroy are. It was a good year with a great group of kids who were fun and showed great character throughout the year.”

In addition to the accolades on the track, Kozjakovs was named the Atlantic Region Athlete of the Year, and Rogier was named the Atlantic Region Coach of the Year. The Blazers were also represented at the Hall of Fame ceremony over the weekend, as former coach Tim Marsee and pole vaulter Matteo Capello were among the new induction class.

Nowaskie has 2nd seed at regional

EVANSVILLE — South Knox's Aubrey Nowaskie has the No. 2 seed in the 800 meters, leading the county athletes at today's track & field Evansville Central Regional.

The top three places in each event qualify for the IHSAA State Finals on June 3 at Indiana University.

Nowaskie, a junior, bettered her school record in the event at the Princeton Sectional, winning the 800 in 2:19.02. Only Evansville Signature senior Kaden Leverenz has a better time, going 2:18.59.

Less than two seconds separate the second and fifth seeds. Evansville Christian's Abrielle Richard and Floyd Central's Savanna Liddle are tied for the third seed at 2:19.63. Pike Central's Xavery Weisman is the fifth seed at 2:20.72.

The next best seed in the county is seventh, owned by Lincoln's Maya Miller in the 100 hurdles at 16.25. Rivet's Lissa Willis is the eighth seed in the event at 16.30. Forest Park's Rachel Mehringer is the top seed at 14.00.

Willis, 300 hurdles; Lincoln's Greer Hardin, high jump; South Knox's Shelby Burke, long jump; and teammate Meredith Adams, shot put, have ninth seeds. Athletes must place in the top eight to score in the meet.

Others from the county are Miller, 10th seed long jump; North Knox's Briley Utt, 14th seed shot put; Lincoln's McKenna Poyser, 15th seed pole vault; and North Knox's Hayden Coats, 16th seed 100. South Knox's 1,600 and 3,200 relays are seeded 15th and 13th.

VU basketball hosting camps

The Vincennes University men's basketball program, headed by NJCAA Hall of Fame coach Todd Franklin, is having a boys individual camp and a boys and girls offensive skills camp in June at the P.E. Complex.

The boys individual camp is for grades four through 12 on May 31-June 2. The camp focuses on passing, defense, ball handling, rebounding, shooting, coordination and teamwork. The commuter fee is $175 and the fee is $215 for campers who are staying overnight in a VU dorm room. Breakfast, lunch and dinner meals are available. Campers receive a free T-shirt, awards for contest winners and tickets to a Trailblazers home game.

The offensive skills camp is for boys and girls in grades three through 10 on June 15-17. The fee is $110, which includes lunch on June 15-16 and a T-shirt.

For more information, call VU assistant coach Brian Davis at 812-890-5299 or email him at bdavis@vinu.edu.

Lincoln boys hosting youth camp

Under the direction of coach Dave Mahurin, Lincoln is taking registration for its youth boys basketball camp on June 19-23 at Adams Coliseum.

The camp is open to all boys entering grades two through eight, and the cost is $25. Second and third grades go each day from 9 to 10:15 a.m.; fourth-sixth, 10:30-11:45 a.m.; and seventh-eighth, 1-2:30 p.m. Campers receive a camp t-shirt, with opportunities to win prizes and awards, in addition to instruction from Lincoln's coaching staff and players.

Limited spots are available for the camp, so it's recommend that participants be registered by June 1.

Registration forms are available at all Vincennes Community elementary schools, or registration can be done online by visiting Mahurin's team page, coachmahurin.teampages.com.

Team Tennis seeking players

Sign-ups are being accepted for the upcoming Vincennes Team Tennis season.

Players can sign up as a single or form a team. Teams are between six to eight players, with a minimum of three men or women. The league plays on Mondays in June and July, starting at 7 p.m.

Those interested in playing can contact Aaron Pea at apea@rivetchs.org. The Vincennes Team Tennis website is https://sites.google.com/journeyhomefilms.com/vincennesteamtennis/home.

North Knox to have free physicals June 3

BICKNELL — North Knox is offering free athletic physicals for incoming grades five through 12 on June 3.

The physicals are from 8 to 11 a.m. in the Auxiliary Gymnasium. A form that needs to be filled out is available at the Junior/Senior High School or Intermediate School offices or on the North Knox School Corporation website, www.nknox.k12.in.us. All students need to have a physical on file at the school to participate in sports for the 2023-24 school year.

Any questions, contact athletic director Kent Doades at 812-735-2990.