As 2008 closes, USI’s athletes off to great start
The 2008 calendar year is coming to a close, but this is just the beginning for the USI student athletes. The Screaming Eagles are concluding exciting fall campaigns with more to come during the spring.
Overall, USI Athletics ranks third in the GLVC All-Sports standings, just 1.5 points out of second place.
The fall was highlighted by the USI men’s and women’s cross country teams, who showed everyone that they are the class of the GLVC and a force to be reckoned with in the NCAA Division II.
The men’s program, after replacing nearly all of their top runners from a year ago, won their fourth straight GLVC title and the fifth in six seasons.
The USI men’s cross country program has won more conference titles (16) than any team in any sport in GLVC history.
The Eagles also advanced to the NCAA Division II National Championships for the fourth straight year, where they placed 15th. Senior Bryan Phillips led the way, earning All-America honors.
The women’s team won its first GLVC crown since 2003 in dominating fashion, but just missed going to the NCAA II National Championships. Junior Mary Ballinger made history by becoming the first women’s cross country runner to earn All-America honors for a second straight season, placing a program-best 10th at the national championships as an individual.
In an exciting finish to its season, the volleyball team made a run in the GLVC Tournament before bowing out in the championship game. The Eagles entered the tournament as the third seed from the West Division before defeating a number two and one seed for a chance to play for the conference title.
The winter sports have started with a bang with the men’s basketball program re-emerging into the national spotlight. The Eagles, who re-entered the top 25 this week, are in the middle of an eight-game winning streak that includes a win over third-ranked Florida Southern and a pair of road victories in the GLVC.
Senior forward Anthony Pimble, who was a preseason All-American, leads the team in scoring, but has had a lot of support from a new cast. Junior guard Marvin Gray and junior forward Brandon Russ each earned GLVC Player of the Week honors the last two weeks.
Despite a rough GLVC road trip, the women’s basketball team has shown improvement with the bulk of its home games still to come. The Eagles will play nine home games in the final two weeks of December and in the month of January. New sophomore guard Ellen Young leads the Eagles in scoring, while senior center Brittany Neuman was named GLVC Player of the Week in the opening weeks of the season.
January will be huge month for both Eagle basketball programs with six GLVC doubleheaders on tap at the PAC. USI will host GLVC rivals Saint Joseph’s (January 2), Indianapolis (January 4), Northern Kentucky (January 8), Kentucky Wesleyan (January 15), Missouri-St. Louis (January 22), and Rockhurst (January 24).
Indoor track also starts its season in January, while baseball, softball, men’s and women’s tennis, and golf begin their conference seasons during the spring.
To keep up with the student athletes, visit the USI Athletics web site at www.usi.edu/sports.
POSTED BY: RAY SIMMONS, director of Sports Information.