Mark Maloney on Kentucky sports

A tip of the cap to Adam Revelette, general manager of the Lexington Hustlers, for providing a season preview. …

The Lexington Hustlers open up their third season of play in the Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League on Friday, and possess a roster that gives head coach Kyle Medley a multitude of options. Lexington will represent 18 different collegiate institutions, several of which include conference champions and NCAA postseason contenders.

Hustlers season tickets will be on sale through Friday, and are $25/person. Upon purchase, season ticket holders will be put on a pass list that will get them into all regular season home games. General admission tickets are $5 each.

Here is a positional breakdown of the 2012 Hustlers roster:

Infielders

The 2012 Hustlers will flash some impressive leather at all infield positions. Morehead State’s Chase Greenwell had a phenomenal spring, batting .338 with a team-high 16 doubles in 2012. The Elizabethtown native also fielded an impressive .947 at shortstop for the Eagles.

Taylor Rozier will see most of his time at first base this summer, but can also play corner outfield. This past spring, Rozier batted .250 with six doubles in 29 games for Wofford College.

Corey Bays played in 20 games for Murray State as a true freshman, starting eight. Bays is an alum of Henry Clay High School, where the Hustlers will play their home games this summer.

Nick Sergakis, who redshirted this past season for Southern Conference champion Coastal Carolina, and Olney Central’s Caleb Eickhoff — who played for Medley’s Marion Bobcats last summer — will also play several infield positions over the summer. Another solid option is Matt Phipps, who played in 37 games for EKU in 2012, starting eight.

Also expected to be a solid contributor is Middle Tennessee’s Johnny Thomas, who was recently named to the All-Sun Belt Second Team. The native of Louisiana started all 59 games for the Blue Raiders this season, batting at a .277 clip with a team-leading 17 doubles and seven home runs. He made just five errors all season, turning in a sparkling .982 fielding percentage.

“We were really impressed with the success our infielders had this past spring, particularly with defense,” said Medley. “We know these guys are going to hit, but the ability to make the average play and to turn double plays is going to be very important. I also really like that most of these guys can play second, third and shortstop.”

Outfield

The Hustlers will boast an extremely talented and athletic core of outfielders this summer.

“I’m really excited to watch these guys play,” added Medley. “They all can really go get it in the outfield, and are going to be all over the base paths this summer.”

Duran Elmore, who made the OVC All-Freshman Team, started 50 games as a freshman at Morehead State, clubbing three home runs and swiping 16 bases for the Eagles.

David Simmons, who started 33 games for Western Kentucky, also has lightning speed and the ability to play all three outfield positions.

Matt Honchel, who earned MAC Freshman of the Year honors and was also a First-Team All-MAC selection, won the conference batting title, turning in a .401 clip during the regular season for the Miami Redhawks. Honchel, who prepped at Mercer County High School, led all NCAA freshmen in batting average.

2011 Great Lakes League All-Star Sam Kidd, who transferred from UK to Delta State, also returns for the summer. The Statesmen, who were NCAA Division II national runner-ups in 2012, started Kidd (who hit .310 with four  homers and stole 19 bases) in all 64 of their games this season.

Catchers

Medley will have the luxury of rotating three catchers in 2012, including Ryan Akins, who hit a blistering .340 at Berea College as a freshman. The versatile Stephen Hoagland will see action behind the plate and in both the infield and outfield this summer. The former Lexington Christian Academy standout appeared in eight games for Kentucky, who climbed to No. 1 in national polls this past spring. Steve Ferraro played in 25 games for OVC Champion Eastern Kentucky in 2012, starting 10.

Pitchers

The 2012 Hustlers will feature a balanced pitching staff this summer, with seven left-handers and seven right-handed arms.

“I’m looking forward to watching these guys settle into roles this summer,” said Medley. “We’re wide open in terms of our starting rotation and who were use out of the pen.”

Lefty Austin Clay went 4-4 in his freshman campaign at Western Kentucky, and emerged as one of the Hilltoppers’ top starting pitchers in 2012.

Connor Asay returns to the Hustlers for 2012. The versatile right-hander, who redshirted at USC-Sumpter this past season, threw 34.2 innings for the Hustlers in 2011 and started three games.

Brent Cobb pitched in 25 games for EKU this past spring, holding opponents to a .239 batting average against. Fellow Colonel Austin Rexroat, who appeared in 15 games, will also bolster the bullpen for the Hustlers in 2012. RHP Clay Cinnamon, another Mercer County product, appeared in eight games for Miami University, starting two.

Southpaw Jordan Cooper maintained a 3.74 ERA for Middle Tennessee in 2012, holding opposing batters to a .220 batting average.

Left-handers Jakson Deyer and Clay Hall, who  redshirted at Louisville and Georgetown (respectively) this past season, will also contribute valuable innings for Lexington.

Western Kentucky’s Ian Tompkins, who averaged better than a strikeout per inning in 21 appearances, is another southpaw that joins the squad for the summer.

RHP Trent Martin, who will be a redshirt freshman at Morehead State next fall, is a hard-throwing option out of the bullpen.

Georgetown College’s Shaun Meyer went 3-0 for the Tigers, owning a masterful 1.27 ERA. He surrendered just 18 hits in 35.1 innings, good for a .145 batting average against.

LHP Jake Hall went 5-3 with a 3.78 ERA at Lincoln Trail this past season. Logan Shaftner owned a 2-0 record for Parkland College, turning in a 4.82 ERA for the Cobras. Both will contend for starting roles.

Rounding out the staff, southpaw Matthew Miller will also see substantial innings for the Hustlers. Miller pitched in 20 games for the Atlantic 10 Champion Dayton Flyers.

“It’s going to be a blast to watch our players develop this summer,” Medley said. “Everyone in our organization is looking forward to a truly great season.”

The Hustlers host the Xenia Scouts on June 8 to open up their Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League season. First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m. All fans in attendance will receive a free magnetic schedule, while supplies last.

Baseball

                                      South Atlantic League

Lexington Legends vs. Greenville Drive

What: Three-game series

When: Sunday through Tuesday (4 Sunday afternoon, 7 Monday and Tuesday nights)

Where: Fluor Field (Greenville, S.C.)

Major League affiliates: Houston Astros (Legends), Boston Red Sox

Sogard

Quevedo

Bushue

Probable pitchers (Legends listed first): Sunday, RH Tanner Bushue (5-1, 3.57) vs. LH Manuel Rivera (4-1, 3.83); Monday, RH Carlos Quevedo (4-3, 5.27) vs. RH Miguel Celestino (3-3, 4.70); Tuesday, LH Alex Sogard (1-1, 3.14) vs. RH Keith Couch (0-1, 3.86).

Drive to watch: CF/RF Henry Ramos (6-foot-2, 187 pounds, from Maunabo, Puerto Rico) is a right-handed-throwing, switch-hitter who is equally versatile in a variety of sports — having been a member of Puerto Rico’s junior national soccer and tennis teams. With the Drive, Ramos is batting .277 with a homer, seven RBI and seven runs scored over 12 games. A 2010 fifth-round draft pick out of Alfonso Casta Martinez High School, broke into pro ball last year with the Gulf Coast League Red Sox (43 games) and the New York-Penn League’s Lowell Spinners (7 games). In the Gulf Coast League, Ramos hit .309 with eight doubles, a triple, three homers, 26 RBI and 18 runs, while stealing 12 bases in 18 attempts. He also had a .370 on-base percentage and .449 slugging percentage. With Lowell, he went 3-for-24 (.125) with two RBI and a run scored.

Tyler Burnett

Legend to watch: 1B Tyler Burnett (6-0, 205, from Murfreesboro, Tenn.) batting .286 with six doubles, a triple, two homers, 13 RBI and 19 runs scored over 38 games. The left-handed hitting, right-handed thrower has drawn 13 walks to 15 strikeouts and is 6-for-8 in stolen-base attempts. He is 10-for-25 (.400) when leading off an inning. Over his last four games (through Friday), Burnett is 6-for-13 (.461), with a three-hit game Friday. Also a quarterback and punter in high school, he attended his hometown university, Middle Tennessee State. As a Blue Raiders senior last year, Burnett earned all-Sun Belt Conference honors by hitting .351 with 12 homers, 46 RBI and 56 runs. A 17th round draft pick, he was assigned by the Astros to the Tri-City ValleyCats of the NYPL, where he hit .250 with six homers, 31 RBI and 39 runs over 71 games. An NYPL all-star, he also stole six bases and had 45 walks versus 56 strikeouts.

Radio: WLXG AM-1300

Of course, I’m talking about the indoor track and field season kicking into gear.

The University of Kentucky Invitational is set for Friday and Saturday inside Nutter Field House.

Along with UK, men’s and women’s teams from Eastern Kentucky, Kentucky State, Louisville, Western Kentucky, Middle Tennessee, Georgia Tech, Tennessee, Michigan State, Western Carolina and Alabama will compete. Florida A&M will compete in men’s events only. Central Florida, Marshall and Vanderbilt will send only women’s teams.

Friday’s competition, limited to the weight throws and triple jumps for men and women, plus men’s high jump and women’s pole vault, begins at 6 p.m.

Saturday’s schedule starts at 10:30 a.m. with the women’s high jump and long jump. The first track event, semifinals of the women’s 60-meter hurdles, is set for 12:30 p.m. The final event, the men’s 4-by-400-meter relay, is scheduled for 5:05 p.m.

First Bowerman Watch List released

The Bowerman Men’s Watch Committee, in conjunction with the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association, released its first crop of candidates for collegiate track and field’s most prestigious award. All three of last season’s finalists have graduated.

The list of possible successors includes 2009 finalist German Fernandez and three sophomores. Washington State’s Jeshua Anderson is on the list for a record ninth time.

One, Alabama’s Kirani James, is scheduled to compete at UK this weekend.

The preliminary watch list, in alphabetical order, with athlete, year, school, event(s) and hometown:

Jeshua Anderson, sr., Washington State, hurdles, Woodlands, Calif.
Robby Andrews, soph., Virginia, distance, Englishtown, N.J.
Sam Chelanga, sr., Liberty, distance, Nairobi, Kenya
Charles Clark, sr., Florida State, sprints, Virginia Beach, Va.
Jeff Demps, soph./jr., Florida, sprints, Winter Garden, Fla.
German Fernandez, jr./soph., Oklahoma State, distance, Riverbank, Calif.
Mason Finley, soph., Kansas, throws, Salida, Colo.
Walter Henning, sr., LSU, throws, Kings Park, N.Y.
Kirani James, soph., Alabama, sprints, Gouyave, Grenada
Christian Taylor, jr., Florida, jumps, Fayetteville, Ga.

Kentucky connections on T&FN annual list

Tyson Gay at the Beijing Olympics.

Track & Field News magazine’s annual lists of Top 40 performers in the nation for the 2010 season is loaded with Kentucky connections. In addition to the top 40 nationals, T&FN tacks on a list of foreign collegians.

Event leaders included Lexington’s Tyson Gay in the men’s 100 and former UK competitor Dwight Phillips in the men’s long jump. Gay had six of the 10 fastest times by an American in 2010, including the top three. Phillips had the top 11 best jumps by an American last season, ranging from 27-9 1/4 to 27-2.

Here are the Kentucky connections listed.

WOMEN
100-meter hurdles — 5. Danielle Carruthers (Paducah Tilghman) 12.68.
Mile — (foreign collegian) Janet Jesang (WKU) 4:41.57.
3,000 — (foreign collegian) Janet Jesang (WKU) 9:11.09.
5,000 — 24. Allison Grace (UK) 15:49.10.
10,000 – 11. Allison Grace (UK) 32:54.99.
Half-marathon — 22. Allison Grace (UK) 74:20.
4-by-200 relay — 18. UK 1:35.23.
4-by-400 relay — 32. UK 3:35.14.
Shot put — 8. Ashley Muffet (UK) 57-3 1/2; 17. Jere’ Summers (Lvl.) 55-9 1/4; 36. Chinwe Okoro (Russell, Lvl.) 52-7 1/4.
Discus — 8. Jere’ Summers (Lvl.) 188-1; 13. Ashley Muffet (UK) 181-10; 32. Mary Angell (UK) 173-0; 37. D’Ana McCarty (Lvl.) 171-5.
Hammer throw — 11. Kristin Smith (UK) 212-7; 19. Jere’ Summers (Lvl.) 207-4; 29. D’Ana McCarty (Lvl.) 204-2; 40. Lindsey Cook (Lvl.) 195-9.
Javelin — 10. Dana Pounds Lyon (Lexington) 172-6.
Heptathlon — 22. Precious Nwokey (UK) 5,543.

MEN
100 — 1. Tyson Gay (Lafayette) 9.78; (foreign collegian) Rondel Sorrillo (UK) 10.19 (10.05 wind-aided).
200 — 1. (tie with Walter Dix) Tyson Gay (Lafayette) 20.29; (foreign collegians) Rondel Sorrillo (UK) 20.29; Gavin Smellie (WKU) 20:46.
400 — 7. Tyson Gay (Lafayette) 44.89.
800 — 36. Sharif Webb (UK) 1:47.64.
3,000 — 29. Bobby Curtis (St. Xavier) 7:57.28; (foreign collegian) Soufiani Bouchikhi (EKU) 7:59.20.
5,000 — 10. Bobby Curtis (St. Xavier) 13:18.97.
10,000 — 4. Bobby Curtis (St. Xavier) 27:33.38.
20K walk — 15. Ray Sharp (Ballard) 1:46:24.
50K walk — 4. Ray Sharp (Ballard) 4:31:04
3,000 steeplechase — (foreign collegian) Matt Hughes (Lvl.) 8:34.18.
4-by-100 relay — UK 39.62.
4-by-200 relay — 18. WKU 1:24.36; 21. UK 1:24.72.
4-by-400 relay — 34. WKU 3:06.99.
Triple jump — 19. Andre Black (Lvl.) 53-4 1/4.
Long jump — 1. Dwight Phillips (UK) 27-9 1/4; 23. Wesley Smith (Lvl.) 25-8; 28. Tone Belt (Lvl.) 25-6 1/4; (foreign collegian) Rudon Bastian (Lvl.) 25-10.
Discus — 10. Chase Madison (UK) 201-0; 22. Rashaud Scott (UK) 193-8; 28. Colin Boevers (UK) 192-1.
Shot put — 2. Reese Hoffa (Lvl. native) 72-8 1/2; 11. Jeff Chakouian (UK) 65-11; 29. Steve Hnat (Lvl.) 62-6 3/4.
High jump — 30. Grant Lindsey (UK) 7-2 1/2.

EKU Athletics Hall of Fame inductees include (front row, left to right): Fred Harvey, Tuck Woolum, Larry Joe Inman, Jamie Parker Welt and Don Feltner; (back row) Angela Boykins, Roosevelt Kelly, John Allen, Ken Glover and Jaree Goodin Baker.

Courtesy of Mike Clark, director of athletic public relations at Eastern Kentucky University …

The Eastern Kentucky University Athletics Hall of Fame enshrined its fifth induction class, featuring 13 individuals, during a Friday evening ceremony in EKU’s Keen Johnson Building.

The 2010 induction class includes: John Allen (men’s basketball); Steve Bird (football); Angela Boykins (volleyball); Don Feltner (baseball); Ken Glover (men’s track & field); Jaree Goodin (women’s basketball); Fred Harvey (football); Larry Joe Inman (women’s basketball coach); Roosevelt Kelly (football); Deanne Madden-Scanlon (volleyball); Jamie Parker (Welt) (softball); Ron Pinsenschaum (baseball); Tuck Woolum (football).

The group will also be recognized just prior to the Colonels’ football game against Eastern Illinois Saturday at 7 p.m.

John Allen (Class of 1994) – Men’s Basketball
John Allen (1990-94), a member of the University’s All-Century Basketball Team, was a four-year starter for the Colonels and finished his career as the fourth all-time leading scorer in Colonel history with 1,635 points.  He led the team in scoring his last three seasons and was chosen as the Ohio Valley Conference inaugural Freshman of the Year in 1990-91. A first-team All-OVC selection as a senior when he led the team in scoring (15.6 ppg) and was second in rebounding (6.9 rpg) and field goal percentage (.492), he concluded his Eastern career as the 12th all-time leading rebounder with 684 rebounds. Allen played in 116 games as a Colonel and had career averages of 14.1 ppg, 5.9 rpg, and a 48.5 field goal percentage. He played in Finland for Provoo Tarmo for one season and played for the Sports Reach Christian Outreach team for five years. He currently resides in Metcalfe County where he lives with his wife Tammy and his two children, Jax and Jozie. He teaches at Metcalfe County High School where he has been involved in coaching basketball for the past 10 years.

Steve Bird (Class of 1983) – Football
Steve Bird was a four-year letterman and three-year starter at wide receiver for coach Roy Kidd’s football Colonels, playing in four consecutive national championship games (1979-82). He enjoyed a breakout season in 1982 in helping lead Eastern to an undefeated 13-0 season which culminated in the school’s second national championship. Bird was a first-team All-OVC choice in 1982 when he was also selected to the I-AA All-American team by Kodak, The Sporting News and Associated Press. He was also chosen as the OVC’s Male Athlete of the Year for 1982-83. Bird won the Chevrolet Most Valuable Player of the Game three times his senior season when he led Eastern and the OVC with 63 receptions for 1,056 yards and 10 touchdowns. He was drafted in the fifth round of the 1983 National Football League draft by the St. Louis Cardinals and played two seasons of professional football which concluded in the 1984 season with the San Diego Chargers.  Since 1987, he has served as assistant coach for 10 NCAA Division I schools and is currently on the coaching staff at the University of South Florida.

Angela Boykins (Class of 1987) — Volleyball
Angela Boykins lettered four seasons (1983-86) for Coach Geri Polvino’s women’s volleyball team and was a driving force on all four Colonel squads as a middle hitter. She was a three-time All-OVC first-team selection and she also was a three-time OVC All-Tournament team choice. Boykins was the 1985 and the 1986 OVC Co-Player of the Year and was named to the 1986 American Volleyball Coaches Association All-Region team. She helped lead Eastern to the OVC Tournament championship each of her four seasons with the Colonels and OVC regular season titles in 1984, 1985 and 1986. She is ranked fourth in the Eastern record book for career kills (1,497), career block assists (457) and career block solos (162).

Don Feltner (Class of 1956) – Baseball
Don Feltner, a four-year letterman for Coach Turkey Hughes’ Maroons baseball team, compiled a 21-3 career record from 1952-55, including a complete-game, nine-inning victory over Xavier University and Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Jim Bunning. On May 13, 1954, he pitched one of only six no-hitters in school history in defeating Morehead State 10-0 as the Maroons won their third Ohio Valley Conference championship. His career record included four shutouts and an ERA of 1.92. Scouted by the Brooklyn Dodgers in his hometown of Hazard, he chose to pursue a college degree, putting a professional baseball career on hold, turning down signing with the National League club on three occasions. As a student-athlete, he also served as sports information director and is credited with establishing the school’s sports publicity program. Following his four-year playing career, in 1956, he served as graduate assistant pitching coach for Turkey Hughes in 1956 before entering military service as a commissioned officer. On his return to Eastern in 1959, he resumed his career as an administrator and Assistant Head Baseball Coach in 1959 and 1960, guiding Eastern to back-to-back OVC championships. After the 1960 season, under new president Robert Martin, his administrative career that spanned 42 years broadened as he established and nurtured programs in all areas of university relations as director, dean, and from 1970-99 as Vice President for University Advancement. In this role, he designed and directed a number of capital campaigns for campus buildings and improvements, was instrumental in the acquisition of the Arlington estate, and began Eastern’s major giving programs and constituency support programs including the Colonel Club and, with Coach Jim Ward, the baseball team’s Diamond Boosters. Since his retirement in 1999, he has served the community on a number of charitable boards and commissions including chairman of the Madison County United Way campaign, the American Cancer Society, campaigns to build the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame and Museum and the Hospice Compassionate Care center, among others.

Ken Glover (Class of 1982) – Men’s Track and Field
Ken Glover lettered four seasons for coach Rick Erdmann’s Eastern men’s track and field team in the high jump event. He was a four-time high jump champion in the Ohio Valley Conference and was a member of the OVC’s prestigious 40th anniversary track and field team in 1988. He won the OVC indoor high jump title in 1981 with a leap of 7-2 and the conference indoor championship in 1982 with his 7-2.25 mark. Glover followed those efforts up with OVC outdoor high jump titles in 1981 (7-2.5) and 1982 (7.3), the latter of which still stands as the conference record. He was listed in 1980 with the 10th best high jump in the United States. Glover also owns the school record for best indoor high jump with his mark of 7-4.25 in 1981 and has the school outdoor mark for best high jump with his leap of 7-5 in 1982. He is currently serving as a computer systems analyst for the city of Lynchburg, Va.

Jaree Goodin (Class of 1993)  –  Women’s Basketball
Jaree Goodin was a four-year starter for Coach Larry Joe Inman’s Lady Colonel basketball team. She finished her Eastern career as the No. 3 all-time leading scorer with 1,679 points and as the No. 3 career-leading rebounder with 914 rebounds. She also closed her Eastern career with the third-best field goal percentage (.492) in school history. Goodin was an OVC All-Freshman Team choice in 1989-90, an honorable mention All-OVC pick as a sophomore and a second-team All-OVC selection her junior and senior years. Goodin was a two-time All-OVC Tournament choice and was chosen as the Most Valuable Player of the OVC Tournament in 1992. She is the school record holder for most field goals in a single game when she made 18 on her way to a 41-point scoring night as a freshman against Marshall. A three-time Fast Break magazine All-American choice, she was the EKU Female Athlete of the Year in 1992-93 and a fourth-team Division I All-American that season. She was chosen as a member of the Corbin High School Hall of Fame in 1999 and has served as Vice President of International Biological Resources.

Fred Harvey (Class of 1987) – Football
Fred Harvey was a four-year starter and letterman for Coach Roy Kidd’s football Colonels at linebacker. He was a first-team All-American his senior season by Kodak, Associated Press, The Sporting News and the Walter Camp Football Foundation. Harvey was also a second-team AP All-American and the 1986 The Football News I-AA Defensive Player of the Year.  EKU’s all-time leading tackler with 503 tackles, Harvey was a two-time OVC Defensive Player of the Year in 1984 and 1986 and was chosen as the 1986-87 OVC Male Athlete of the Year. He was also selected to the All-Ohio Valley Conference first team in 1984 and 1986. Harvey was picked last fall as one of Eastern’s all-time best linebackers on Eastern’s All-Century Football team.

Larry Joe Inman (Coach) – Women’s Basketball
Larry Joe Inman, who was inducted into the Ohio Valley Conference Hall of Fame last year, served as head coach of the Eastern women’s basketball team from 1988-2008, compiling a 319-244 record and leading the Lady Colonels to two OVC Tournament championships and two NCAA Tournament appearances (1996-97, 2004-05). In being named OVC Coach of the Year eight times, he also directed Eastern to five OVC regular season championships. He also led the Lady Colonels to the 2002 WNIT Sweet Sixteen. He is the all-time winningest coach in Ohio Valley Conference women’s basketball history with his record of 480-317, which places him as the 46th all-time winningest coach in NCAA women’s basketball history. Prior to coming to Eastern, he served as a high school coach at Mt. Juliet (Tenn.) High School, recording an impressive 126-24 mark in five seasons. He then moved to Middle Tennessee State University for eight seasons as head coach where he went 161-73 and won five OVC regular season titles and made four NCAA tourney appearances from his four OVC Tournament championships. He is currently serving as head coach of the girls’ basketball team at Lebanon (Tenn.) High School. A 1970 graduate of Austin Peay State University, he is married to the former Bobbie Gene Follis and they have three children.

Roosevelt Kelly (Class of 1977) – Football
Roosevelt Kelly played center four seasons (1973-76) for Coach Roy Kidd’s Eastern football team. He was a first team All-OVC pick in 1976 and was named to the first-team Kodak, Associated Press and The Sporting News All-American teams. He was also selected last fall as the center on Eastern’s All-Century Team as the University’s athletics department celebrated 100 Years of Eastern football. Upon conclusion of his senior season, Kelly was drafted in the ninth round of the NFL draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers. In his four seasons with the EKU football program, the Colonels compiled a 31-11-1 record, won two OVC titles and participated in the 1976 NCAA Division II playoffs. He was instrumental in opening holes for four seasons for All-American and EKU Hall of Fame member Everett “Poo-Loo” Talbert who twice ran for more than 1,000 yards behind Kelly. He also protected quarterback Ernie House who was OVC Co-Offensive Player of the Year in 1976 and who threw for 1,486 yards and 11 TDs. He is married to Tara Kelly, who is the founder and CEO of the TYL Foundation of Cincinnati, Ohio which helps young women learn life’s skills.

Deanne Madden-Scanlon (Class of 1983) – Volleyball
Deanne Madden-Scanlon played four seasons and was a two-year starter for Coach Geri Polvino’s Eastern women’s volleyball team from 1979-82. Chosen the EKU Female Athlete of the Year in 1982-83 in the women’s athletics department and picked on the 1982 All-OVC Tournament Team, she was a member of Eastern’s Ohio Valley Conference Tournament championship teams in 1981 and 1982 when the Colonels finished those years with overall records of 36-11 and 34-15, respectively. She is listed in the EKU record book with the sixth (.306, 1981) and seventh (.306, 1982) all-time best hitting percentages in a single season. She also has the top two seasons for single season block solos with 77 in 1982 and 73 in 1981 and she is listed with the third best single season total for block assists with 186 in 1981. She is also among the career leaders for Eastern in hitting percentage (.306, second all-time), block solos (150, fifth) and block assists (307, eighth). Following graduation from Eastern in 1983, Madden-Scanlon, a native of Zanesville, Ohio played on the U.S. Women’s National Team and later spent a full decade as a player in the United States Volleyball Association, twice earning All-American honors. She also played on a Women’s Senior Division team that was national runner-up in 1993. She has spent the last 16 years as head coach of Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Mich., where she has compiled an impressive overall mark of 403-115. She has led the Lakers to 10 straight appearances in the NCAA Division II post-season tournament, highlighted by the 2005 team that went 32-6 and won the national championship. Madden-Scanlon was chosen AVCA National Coach of the Year following that season. She is married to Jim Scanlon who played baseball at Eastern and they have two children and reside in Jenison, Mich.

Jamie Parker Welt (Class of 1997) – Softball
Jamie Parker was a pitcher, designated hitter and infielder for three seasons for Coach Jane Worthington’s EKU softball team. She was a three-time All-Ohio Valley Conference choice for the Colonels in 1994, 1995 and 1996 and still holds single season records for most hits (84) and most at bats (205). She also holds career records at Eastern for best batting average (.392) and on-base percentage (.450). As a sophomore in 1994, Parker led the team in batting with her .363 average which included four home runs and 27 RBI.  She also pitched in 37 games that season, recording 12 wins with an ERA of 2.50. In 1995, as a junior, she again led the team in batting with her .410 average, four homers and 40 RBIs. As a senior in 1996, Parker was Eastern’s top slugger, hitting .399 with three home runs and 14 RBIs. She also appeared in 27 games in ’96 for the Colonels as a pitcher, collecting 10 victories, recording a miniscule 1.67 ERA.

Ron Pinsenschaum (Class of 1967) – Baseball
Ron Pinsenschaum was a four-year starter in the outfield for Coach Turkey Hughes’ Eastern baseball team and was named first-team All-Ohio Valley Conference in 1965, 1966 and 1967. He was selected as EKU’s Most Valuable Player in 1967 when the Colonels won the OVC championship. He also was a driving force in Eastern winning four OVC division crowns and the 1966 OVC title. His senior season, he was elected as Homecoming King and was also chosen as Mr. Popularity on campus. Following graduation with a double major in biology and chemistry, he volunteered to serve for the U.S. Army in the Vietnam War where he was awarded four purple hearts, the Silver Star Medal, the Army Commendation Medal and the Republic of South Vietnam Training Service Medal. Upon his discharge from the Army, he moved to Dayton, Ohio where he received his Master’s of Divinity degree and began teaching at Dayton Christian High School. He began his coaching career at Dayton Christian serving as an assistant baseball coach while teaching anatomy and physiology. He introduced soccer to the school system and began a very successful career coaching soccer in 1978. In what became his final year of coaching, Pinsenschaum was named the Ohio Soccer Class AAA Coach of the Year in 1986. Following his untimely death in 1987, the Dayton Christian School’s Soccer Camp was named in his honor and shortly thereafter, the track and soccer field at Dayton Christian was named the Ronald G. Pinsenschaum Memorial Stadium. Also, the Ohio Scholastic Soccer Coaches Association annually awards the Ron Pinsenschaum Award to a coach of a boys’ soccer team. A graduate of Western Hills High School in Cincinnati, Ohio he is survived by his widow, Janet Carlson of Dayton, Ohio; two children, Ryan and Julie; and four grandchildren, Todd, Lydia, Lisa and Ronald.

Tuck Woolum (Class of 1983) – Football
Tuck Woolum was a three-year letterwinner at quarterback for Coach Roy Kidd’s EKU football squad and was a member of four consecutive Colonel teams that played in the I-AA national championship game. In 1982 as a senior, Woolum was a first-team All-OVC quarterback selection as he led the Colonels to a perfect 13-0 season which culminated in the school’s second national championship and a final ranking of No. 1 in the I-AA poll. While serving as captain that 1982 season and receiving honorable mention All-American honors, he set five single season school passing records. The Colonels were an amazing 46-7 during his four years on the football team. Woolum served EKU as a student assistant in 1983 and 1984 and also had assistant football coaching stints at The Citadel, EKU (1986-90), Western Carolina and Pineville High School.  He later served as head coach at Union College where he was Mid-South Conference Coach of the Year in 1995 and served a four-year term as a member of the NAIA Hall of Fame committee. He was a member of the American Football Coaches Association for 20 years and has served the city of Pineville in many civic endeavors.

What a way to start the University of Kentucky’s indoor track and field season.

Competition was simply outstanding in the Kentucky Invitational, with eight Southeastern Conference schools (UK, Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi State, Tennessee and Vanderbilt), two from the Big Ten (Michigan State, Ohio State), two from the Atlantic Coast Conference (Georgia Tech, Miami) and three in-state visitors (Louisville, Eastern Kentucky, Western Kentucky). Add to that post-collegiate Olympians such as Reese Hoffa, Perdita Felicien, Hazel Clark and Dee Dee Trotter, to name a few.

Hoffa, a world champion indoors and outdoors, as well as a two-time Olympian, blasted the Nutter Fieldhouse record in the shot put with a final-attempt distance of 69-6 3/4.

Nutter records also fell to Florida’s Mariam Kevkhishvili in the women’s shot and Western Kentucky’s Janet Jesang in the women’s 3,000 meters.

Don Weber

“An excellent field for an early season meet,” said Don Weber, UK head coach. “Obviously, very few if anybodyis where they want to be at this time of year, just coming back from Christmas break. To be competitive in a variety of events is certainly an encouraging start. So I feel pretty good about it, and when you look at some individual situations, (there has been) some significant development from one year to the next.”

Most noteworthy, he said, is Kristin Smith, who set a school record of 64-1 3/4 in Friday’s weight throw.

“She said, ‘as a freshman, rather than just focusing on me, I worried about how good everybody else was and that really was intimidating to me, and interfered with my development’,” Weber said.

No more, which is a lesson the coach hopes the rest of his team will get after a competition such as the one this weekend. Focus on improving your own performance rather than worry about what someone else.

Some event-by-event highlights from Saturday, with ladies first:

60-meter hurdles — Felicien (8.13) prevailed in a photo finish over Danielle Carruthers (8.1311) and Vonette Dixon (8.1391).

“I totally didn’t react to the gun,” said Felicien, the 2003 world champion, eight-time Canadian national champion and former University of Illinois standout. “I’m happy to come out with a win. First race of the season.”

Felicien was the Olympic gold-medal favorite going into the 100-meter hurdles finals at the 2004 Athens Olympics. However, she clobbered the first hurdle and fell. She missed the 2008 Beijing Olympics due to a foot injury.

“We don’t need to talk about that. That was six years ago,” Felicien said of her Athens mishap. “There’s always going to be motivation, but it’s been so many years and I’ve done well since then that I’m not using that as a centerpiece or focal point of my season or my career. Just race my race.”

Her light at the end of the tunnel this season is the Indoor World Championships, March 12-14 at Doha, Qatar.

“The plan is to go there, be ready for Doha, be on the podium,” Felicien said.

Danielle Carruthers

Carruthers, a former Kentucky high school (Paducah Tilghman) and Big Ten (Indiana) champion, is Felicien’s club teammate (Speed Dynamics) and training partner. Carruthers lives in Atlanta now, but spent the last week training at Naples, Fla., due to cold weather.

“We’ve been training really hard,” Carruthers said. “I had some great sessions before I came (up) here. … We did a lot for about a week and a half, every day — hard, hard, hard! Then I drove 10 hours back to Atlanta, had Thursday off, drove five hours here, and race the next day. I’m just trying to get in shape and get ready for Millrose.”

60 — Carruthers also competed in Saturday’s 60-meter dash, placing second in the consolation heat and ninth overall (7.53). 

Sheniqua Ferguson

Auburn junior Shaniqua Ferguson won in an NCAA provisional-qualifying 7.28, ahead of Speed Dynamics’ Ebonie Floyd-Broadnax (7.34).

Janet Jesang

3,000 — WKU’s Jesang, a senior from Uganda, blazed to an NCAA automatic qualifying mark of 9:11.09. New Balance’s Sarah Bowman, who won the NCAA mile title for Tennessee last March, was a distant second in 9:28.63.

4-by-400 relay — Kentucky got its lone win of the day from the foursome of Jenna Martin, Jazmyn Shorter, Brittany Cabbler and Precious Nwokey, 3:39.94 to Florida’s 3:39.96. All are juniors except for Nwokey, a sophomore from Houston. 

Precious Nwokey

Nwokey had the Wildcats’ fastest split, 54-flat, and was recognized by Weber as someone who has made “dramatic improvement” since last season.

High jump — Chaunte Howard, a 2004 Olympian out of Georgia Tech, topped former Auburn star Raevan Harris, 6-2 to 6-0 3/4. Howard barely missed at 6-4, which would have tied the fieldhouse record. 

Mariam Kevkhishvili

Shot put — Florida’s Kevkhishvili, with a put of 60-7 1/4, won by exactly six feet over Tennessee’s Annie Alexander. Kevkhishvili also set a national record for the former Soviet Republic of Georgia. (No, not the Bulldogs.) UK had a good showing as Ashley Muffet and Jennifer Svoboda placed 4-5, just ahead of Louisville’s Jere’ Summers.

Long jump — Miami (Fla.) got its only win from Deandra Doyler (20-4 1/4). Rachel Gehret, who placed fourth in the high jump, and Louisville teammate Amaka Omenyinma placed 2-3 at 19-10 1/4 and 19-8 1/4.

                            MEN’S EVENTS
60 hurdles — Eric Mitchum (7.72), an all-American out of Oregon, bested former Tennessee standout Karl Jennings (7.85).

D'Angelo Cherry

60 — This was an SEC trifecta. Mississippi State sophomore D’Angelo Cherry zipped to the win (6.65), trailed by Alabama senior Ray Jadusingh (6.69) and Auburn sophmore Harry Adams (6.73). After Miami’s Cory Nelms in fourth, SEC sprinters from six schools took the next nine spots.
200 — More SEC domination of the sprints here. Ex-Seton Hall blazer Obra Hogans, fourth in 21.44, was the only non-SEC runner to crack the top eight. Georgia sophomore Torrin Lawrence ruled in 21.29, followed by Tennessee senior Evander Wells in 21.20. Both are provisional qualifying marks.

800 — Things got crazy here when a photographer strayed onto the track near the finish line with a lap left, triggering a collision that knocked out a pair of runners. Kentucky junior Sharif Webb, a junior college transfer, avoided the pileup and went on to win the first heat in 1:51.07.

Sharif Webb

Mile — Former Tennessee performer Andrew Dawsom (4:11.52) won out over a pair of Michigan State runners, freshman Isaiah VanDoorne (4:12.12) and Spencer Beatty (4:12.35).

3,000 — One of the more exciting finishes came with Louisville junior Matt Bruce (8:13.50) holding off UK sophomore Luis Orta (8:14.11).

4-by-400 relay — Florida led from the second exchange on and finished in 3:06.40, fourth-best in Gators history. Mississippi State (3:09.80) rallied for second, followed by UK (3:11.64). A dropped baton on the final straightaway cost Alabama a chance to hold off Mississippi State.

Shot put — Hoffa led all the way despite a worthy challenger in Shore Athletic Club’s Rhuben Williams, the runner-upat 65-11. Georgia senior Israel Machovec was third (58-1 1/4), followed by UK junior Colin Boevers (57-6 1/2).

Colin Boevers

“It was a good opener. I threw well,” Boevers said. Doug Reynolds, UK throws coach, “told us to execute what we do in practice, and I feel like I did it pretty well. I didn’t quite connect on any throws, so I know there’s more in the tank.”

Boevers was impressed by Hoffa, a two-time Olympian and a world champion indoors and outdoors.

“Reese Hoffa, he’s really a hero in this sport and he’s incredible to watch,” Boevers said. “This is my first time competing with him. I was kind of jittery at first, but I settled in. I did my thing and he ended up with a great throw, and it was an honor to compete with him.”

Reese Hoffa

Hoffa would like to add a World Championships indoor gold to the one he won in 2006. (He won silver medals in 2004 and 2008.)
“World Indoors in Doha, that’s where my eye’s on right now,” said Hoffa, who represents the New York Athletic Club.

Hoffa says he’s better equipped now than he was in 2008, when he won the U.S. Olympic Trials but finished seventh at the Beijing Olympics.

“I think I’m more comfortable being in a limelight position,” Hoffa said. “Beijing, although I had had some success, it was nothing like having everybody have their eye on you. And, if you’re not used to that, there’s no way to prepare for that. You’ve just got to experience it, live through it and learn from it.”

Long jump — How about a 1-2-3-5 finish for Louisville? Wesley Smith, a sophomore, led the pack at 25-4 1/2. Tone Belt, who won Friday’s high jump, was second (25-2 1/2), followed by Rudon Bastian (25-1 1/4), UK’s Keenon Hall (24-7 1/4) and Friday’s runner-up in the triple jump, Andre Black (24-3 1/2).

“It was pretty good. That’s our second meet,” said Jake Jacoby, U of L’s jumps coach. “We’re still working on things and they’re dialing in fairly well. I was very happy with the way we performed tonight.”

Daily competition in practice keeps Jacoby’s group sharp.

“They’re jawing all the time,” he said. “It’s a day-to-day thing. They challenge each other in the weight room and on the track, and it makes for a good, solid corps.”

Pole vault — Florida junior Eric Foran won in a jumpoff, clearing 16-2 3/4 after tying with Georgia sophomore Allen Brandon at 16-0 3/4. Third-place Logan Lynch of Michigan State also cleared 16-0 3/4, but had one more miss.

 

 

… And a clarification

However, a later check of UK’s meet notes, as well as the media guide listings of “top 10 marks” in each event, showed that Buncic threw 217-4.

And now …

You’ve got to love how the Kentucky men stepped up to take third place in the team standings. The top five in individual events, as well as the top three relays, automatically qualify for the NCAA Championships, June 10-13, at Arkansas.

The 20th-ranked Wildcats have been snake-bitten with injuries for most of the outdoor season, particularly in the sprints.

But there was Rondel Sorrillo, who didn’t even compete outdoors until the Southeastern Conference meet because of injuries, taking third place in the 200 meters and anchoring the second-place 4-by-100-meter relay.

Rondel Sorrillo

“Better than SEC, but it still hurts,” said Sorrillo, who ran the 200 for Trinidad and Tobago at last summer’s Beijing Olympics — beating eventual gold-medal winner Usain Bolt in the first round. “It hurts, but I’m back.”

What hurts?

“My butt, my hamstrings, my calves,” he said. “Both legs.”

Jose Acevedo

There was Jose Acevedo, who also ran the 200 at Beijing, representing Venezuela.

He ran second on the 4-by-100 relay, then anchored the third-place 4-by-400 relay. That despite a foot injury that, Coach Don Weber said, would have kept a less-determined sprinter out of the meet.

When Justin Austin went down at the Penn Relays, the Cats had to plug holes on both relays.

Also missing was Mikel Thomas, a 2008 Olympian for Trinidad and Tobago in the 110-meter hurdles. He suffered a broken collarbone during practice, a week-and-a-half ago.

Kwasi Obeng

Stephan Smith

Saturday, Kwasi Obeng did the job on the relays, running the third leg on the quick relay and leading off the 4-by-4.

Stephan Smith, a half-miler, filled in on the second leg of the 4-by-4.

“Considering the way we’ve been for most of the outdoor season, especially in our sprint group — hurt and banged up as much as we have been — it’s a great day,” Weber said. “Especially for those guys.”

Now, being off next weekend, the Cats will try to “maintain” fitness and continue the healing process.

Erin Tucker

Don Weber

“We can get a little bit better,” Weber said, “so that’s encouraging.”

In the 4-by-100, UK led through three legs. Obeng’s handoff to Sorrillo didn’t go too well, though, allowing 100-meter champion Trindon Holliday of LSU to be first out of the final exchange zone.

“Trindon … had the baton first because (Sorrillo) had to wait on Kwasi to get the baton,” said Erin Tucker, UK’s sprints and hurdles coach. “Anytime, the four-by-one, when you have to wait a little bit, you lose that acceleration and then you’ve got to start back up from square one. … You want to get the baton going full speed.”

The good news is that the problem was due in part to Sorrillo accelerating, finally, through the zone. By his own admission, Sorrillo had been deficient in that area during practice. And now Obeng and Sorrillo have nearly two weeks to work on the final exchange.

Gordon McKenzie

Tucker said Gordon McKenzie “ran an awesome leadoff leg. … Jose built off it. … Kwasi just looked like a superstar because he’s out in front. And then we had the little thing with Rondel.”

As good as the sprint results were, UK came out best in the weights.

Rashaud Scott, who won the shot put on Friday, added the discus title Saturday. Having successfully defended his regional title, Scott will try to repeat as national champion at Arkansas.

And consider this: all six of his throws Saturday were better than second-place finisher Greg Pilling of Central Michigan.

Pilling threw 197-2, two feet ahead of UK’s Chase Madison.

Rashaud Scott

Madison, a senior who transferred in 2007 from Iowa State, can relate to UK’s sprinters.

At Iowa State, he broke a bone in his left foot. A titanium screw was inserted to fix the bone. It didn’t work.

Chase Madison

When he arrived at UK for his entrance physical, “they said, ‘well, you’re either going to have to have another surgery on that thing to fix it because they did it totally incorrect, or you’re never going to throw again,’” Madison said when interviewed before last winter’s SEC Indoor Championships.

He opted for surgery, which involved taking bone from his ankle and grafting the bone to his foot. Oh, and four screws and a plate.

He went from June 2006 until April 2008 without throwing a disc in competition.

Now, he throws in pain. Look at his foot and you can actually see the plate and a screw sticking out from the bone. Pain limits his practice time, but he’s a believer in quality workouts over quantity. When he does throw, he throws with purpose.

Saturday, he said his pain was controlled as well as could be expected: “I had quite a bit of Aleve in me.”

“It’s nice to be back to a national meet. I haven’t been since 2006, since I’ve been hurt,” he said. “It was a decent day, I guess. Could have expected a lot more, could have been a lot worse. So, regroup and get ready for two weeks.”

U of L: A crown of Thorne’s

Corey Thorne

Louisville’s highlight Saturday came from Corey Thorne, who outkicked Eastern Michigan’s Josh Karanja to win the 3,000-meter steeplechase in a stadium-record 8:36.98. Karanja finished in 8:37.20.

“It’s going to be just like that at nationals,” Thorne said. “Whether it goes fast or slow, it’s going to come down to who has the best kick. So coming out here, it’s kind of like a trial.”

Ron Mann

Head coach Ron Mann and distance coach Brice Allen prepared Thorne well.

“One of the things that Coach Allen and I have done over the last 10 days is doing a lot of speed work over the barriers, preparing for that last quarter,” Mann said. “Those barriers come up very quickly and you’ve got to be ready for it. He did a nice job of executing that.”

Tarah McKay

Jere' Summers

U of L also had two automatic qualifiers in women’s events.

Tarah McKay ran fourth at 1,500 meters. Jeré Summers, the surprise winner of Friday’s discus, took second in Saturday’s shot put.

McKay, a junior from St. Clements, Ontario, Canada, improved one spot from her regional finish of a year ago.

Summers, a junior from Oakland, Calif., is a two-time Most Outstanding Field Event Performer in the Big East.  She transferred to U of L after competing two indoor seasons and one outdoor season at Cal State Northridge.

WKU: Smellie is good

Gavin Smellie

Western Kentucky senior Gavin Smellie won the men’s 200 meters, tying the Cardinal Park record of 20.45 seconds. (Auburn freshman Marcus Rowland was runner-up, followed by Sorrillo. Earlier, Rowland false-started out of the 100 meters, an event in which he was ranked No. 2 in the region and No. 4 in the nation.) 

Smellie, a Canadian, also led off the Hilltoppers’ second-place 4-by-400 relay and anchored the eighth-place 4-by-100 relay. The first seven spots in the quick relay went to Southeastern Conference schools, led by LSU and Kentucky.

Western’s women placed third in the 4-by-100 relay.

EKU: I go, you go, we all go for Mugo

Stanley Mugo

Eastern Kentucky’s top finish of the day came from Stanley Mugo in the 3,000-meter steeplechase.

 

A junior from Kenya and the Ohio Valley Conference’s Co-Male Track Athlete of the Year, Mugo placed 10th.

By placing among the top 12 in the region, he still has a chance of receiving an at-large bid to the NCAA Championships (bids to be announced Tuesday). His time Saturday was 9:00.89. However, he ran 8:52.07 in April at the Penn Relays.

Regions and records

The Mideast, one of four regionals, is comprised of 167 teams from 12 states (Kentucky, Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, Tennessee and Wisconsin).

Cardinal Park records were set in 22 of Saturday’s 28 events. Two others were tied, and another was negated because it was wind-aided.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

UK’s Scott was among five athletes setting regional records, and the only male.  

Phoebe Wright

Women’s meet records went to: 

* U.S. Olympic Trials champion Kara Patterson of Purdue, who won javelin for the fourth year in a row, this time at 192-1.

* Two-time defending NCAA champ Tiffany Ofili of Michigan, 12.96 in the 100-meter hurdles.

* Tennessee former walk-on and now top-ranked Phoebe Wright, 2:02.20 in the 800.

* Middle Tennessee State’s Sarah Nambawa, ranked second nationally, with a triple jump of 45-9.