Friday, December 19, 2008

Extravaganza Imminent

The Double-A Zone, the official blog of the NCAA, will be covering the UIndy women’s basketball game versus Lincoln Memorial Saturday. Bloggers Howard Smith and Ryan Powell will be coming to Nicoson Hall as part of their “Indiana basketball extravaganza: 11 college games in four days.”

From Friday, Dec. 19 through Monday, Dec. 22, Smith and Howard will revert back to nomadic ways with a 12-leg journey that will emcompass 10 arenas and nine Indiana cities in an attempt to “explore the state's rich college basketball heritage first-hand.”

After hitting two games tonight, UIndy will be the first of four venues the pair will visit Saturday. Click here throughout to trek to check on their progress.

Friday, November 21, 2008

Photo Galleries Go Live

Greyhound Fans, you can now see action shots of your favorite UIndy teams and athletes at athletics.uindy.edu. Current photo galleries include pictures from men's and women's soccer season, women's golf, Homecoming, the men's basketball team's exhibition at Tennessee and the football team's practice at Lucas Oil Stadium.

You can view the galleries here, or by opening the "Photo Galleries" link under Greyhound Athletics on the left side of the page, or by clicking on the "Photo Galleries" button on the right side of the home page, under the current athletes of the month.

More galleries will be added as we take more photos during the winter sport seasons . . . be sure to check back to see if your favorite Greyhound team is featured!

Thursday, October 30, 2008

UIndy baseball cleans up

The Greyhound baseball team did its part to help beautify the south side Saturday, Oct. 25. The players teamed up with UIndy nursing students to clean up both the old Village Pantry lot at the corner of Hanna & Carson as well as the city park across the street.

For the players, the community service work included painting, picking up trash, and trimming hedges on the VP lot. Meanwhile, the UIndy nursing students picked up trash and painted picnic tables at Southside Park.

Head Coach and master-raker Gary Vaught (right) got in on the act, while Justin Russel and Greg Johnston (below) show off their work.

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Winter sports begin flurry of practice

With the fall sports winding down and the air getting cooler, the Greyhound winter teams are kicking it into high gear to prepare for their looming seasons. The men's and women's basketball teams, as well as the wrestling and swimming and diving squads are all practicing hard as their first competition dates fast approach.

The men's basketball team under the first-year direction of Stan Gouard is looking to improve upon their record of 14-13 from a year ago with a nucleus of six seniors and a roster full of new faces, including a host of transfers into the
Greyhound program.

Women's head coach LeAnn Freeland and her squad have the bar set high after a 22-8 finish last season and an NCAA Tournament bid. The Greyhounds return All-GLVC honorees Jessica Canary and Samantha Meissel and have added some newcomers to the mix. This will be Freeland's second year at the UIndy helm.

After graduating a talanted senior class a year ago, head coach Jay Yates and the UIndy wrestling team will look to some new leaders in the room. The Greyhounds return two national qualifiers on their 2008-09 squad, with Lynn Panko returning to the heavyweight class and Matt Irwin holding down the 141 spot. A pair of graduates from last year, Mike Horton and four-time All-American Shane Perkey, join the Greyhound coaching staff to provide their experience to the young squad, which features just three seniors.

The Greyhound swim squads have also been hitting the pool hard, with Gary Kinkead has a roster of 60-plus to choose from, including a trio of divers adding to the UIndy point totals this season. Kinkead returns a host of All-American performers from a season ago in which the men's squad finished 12th at Nationals and the women's team posted an 11th place finish in the nation.

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Schmitz on BBC Radio!

Senior track and field athlete Amy Schmitz will be part of BBC radio's "5 Live" program Thursday morning from Indianapolis' Motor Speedway. Schmitz will join other Indianapolis personalities Joie Chitwood (Indy Motor Speedway), Sarah Fisher (IndyCar driver), Donald Davidson (IMS historian) and Bobby Plump (Milan H.S. basketball legend) on the program.

Schmitz' interview session is scheduled for 10:20 a.m. and can be heard online at http://www.bbc.co.uk/fivelive/.

Simon Mayo, BBC radio host, will be in Indianapolis touring the U.S. Midwest, hitting five cities in five days. The tour will capture the opinions of ordinary Americans on the credit crunch, who they intend to vote for in November's election and more. For more on Mayo, visit: http://www.bbc.co.uk/fivelive/news/mayousa/.

Hounds invade Lucas Oil Stadium


The Greyhound football team practiced at Lucas Oil Stadium Tuesday in an event hosted by the UIndy Alumni Association. Indy the Greyhound was there and provides this brief diary of the day's happenings:

3:04 p.m.- Coaches begin arriving at the Stadium in preparation for the practice session. The entire stadium belongs to the University of Indianapolis at this point, with the logos on the Stadium's scoreboard and ribbon board that hangs on the facade of the first deck.

3:30 p.m.- Team buses arrive with the players being ushered right into the stadium and down onto the field. While the temptation exists to gawk and take a peek around, the team is focused on the task at hand, prepping for Saturday's game against Ferris State.

3:54 p.m.- Fans and alums pile into the building to get a glimpse of the team practicing and walk around the facility. The Alumni Association has blocked off the Quarterback Club Suite behind the endzone, where it will entertain folks with great food, fellowship and visits from the Greyhound Athletics staff, cheerleaders and, of course, the mascot.

4:00 p.m.- Practice is underway. On the JumbroTron is the television broadcast replay of the Homecoming game with Northwood. It's currently 23-6 Northwood. Boo. I've got a hunch things will turn around, however.

4:24 p.m.- Great eats in the Suite as they watch the team run through drills.

4:31 p.m.- Craig Jenkins just dragged the entire Northwood defense with him en route to the endzone (sorry, watching the big screen again).

4:35 p.m.- President Dr. Pitts and her husband, Bill, are on hand to watch the festivities.

4:54 p.m.- Lance Lasker hits Matt Michuda with a 1-yd. pass and the crowd erupts!... ok, so it's business as usual but it was still a fun moment to see again.

5:34 p.m.- Indy the Greyhound heads to the field for a little chicanery and fun down on the sidelines.

5:38 p.m.- Indy misses a 20-yard field goal from the right hash. Doh. Good thing we have Jace Morrison.

6:00 p.m.- Practice ends as the team huddles near midfield.

6:02 p.m.- The team gets to see more of the stadium. Coaches, like Chris Keevers, take photos with their phones to show their kids.

6:15 p.m.- Coach Polizzi heads up to the Quarterback Club to thank everyone for their support. He shows great restraint by not smacking the mascot for asking for an autograph...

6:45 p.m.- Time to head back to campus... All-in-all, a fun time and a great opportunity to watch the Greyhounds practice in the new Lucas Oil Stadium. Greyhounds vs. Ferris State this Saturday at Key Stadium. Rock on.

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Umphress spotlighted on D2Football.com

Senior co-captain Brandon Umphress is featured in the "Getting to Know" section of this week's GLIAC column at D2Football.com. Column writer Tony Nicolette asks the Greyhound linebacker about choosing UIndy, his favorite road stadium to play in and his favorite food, among others.

I'll agree that the chicken queso burrito is a solid choice. Check it out here.

Thursday, September 18, 2008

Big announcement coming Saturday

Fans at the football home opener vs. Hillsdale will be the first to learn of a big announcement on campus regarding athletics. Be on the lookout at athletics.uindy.edu for full details!

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Men's soccer in the community

The UIndy men’s soccer team reached out to the community Aug. 18, with members of the squad both participating in and assisting with the 1st annual “Shoot for Sammi” golf outing held at Hillcrest Country Club in Indianapolis.


The outing was held in memory of UIndy assistant coach Andy Hubbard’s infant daughter Samantha to benefit the CJ Foundation for SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome) research. Samantha passed away from SIDS in November of last year.


Eight members of the team and Head Coach John Griffin golfed in the event, while the rest of the roster helped out with various aspects of the day.

In all, the golf outing raised approximately $27,000 for the CJ Foundation, through hole sponsors, golfer sponsorships, a silent auction and other donations. The Greyhound soccer team contributed $2,200 of that total through sponsors for their golfers and other donations. This is an event that Griffin says his team will continue to assist with each year.

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Polizzi on XL950


Tune in to XL950 AM today for "The Zone" with Greyhound alum Greg Rakestraw and co-host Brad Wochomurka as they talk to UIndy head football coach Joe Polizzi about the upcoming season. The Hounds are just two days from kickoff at Kentucky Wesleyan College. The segment is scheduled to air at 3:25 p.m. For those outside the Indianapolis area, you can pick it up via their webstream at: http://azulweb.streamguys.com/xl950.asx

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Fall chaos begins on campus


Three more Greyhound teams opened fall camp this week, bringing the familiar chaotic bustle to the Ruth Lilly Center and Key Stadium on campus. The volleyball team is gearing up for an encore season. One year removed from the best campaign in school history, a 33-4 overall mark, the volleyballers have their sights set on a conference title and another NCAA tournament run.

The men’s soccer team has flourished under the direction of head coach John Griffin. In his four years at UIndy, Griffin has compiled a 43-25-10 record, easily tops in program history. The team advanced to the league semifinals last year and is poised to challenge for a conference crown.


Geoff VanDeusen begins his second season as the UIndy women’s soccer coach. He welcomes 13 newcomers to the program, supplementing an already-potent offense that generated a league-high-tying 119 points a year ago.

Thursday, August 7, 2008

Football officially opens fall camp
























109 student-athletes lined the football field for the first official practice of the 2008 season on Thursday. Head Coach Joe Polizzi’s squad is already just three weeks shy of its first game, a Thursday night opener at Kentucky Wesleyan on Aug. 28. The numbers are up to start the year, more than in recent seasons.

Monday, August 4, 2008

Staff recognition

UIndy staffers were lauded with honors and new responsibilities over the summer. Lynn Griffin was recently promoted to Senior Associate Athletic Director. Associate Athletic Director Matt Donovan is the new President of the National Association of Athletic Development Directors. Assistant Athletic Director Daryl Gibbs had a snippet in the newest “NCAA Champion” magazine, talking about hiring diversity. UIndy also welcomed Scott Young to the administrative team full-time as he moves into the newly-created Assistant Athletic Director for Game Day Operations and Facilities role. Congrats to the entire senior staff.

What I did on my summer vacation

Greyhound golfers did not take summer vacation "off", rather using the opportunity to sharpen their skills and compete in a host of amateur events...with great success. Among the highlights were Seth Fair’s run at the Indiana Open, teaming with Justin Hueber to finish in the top ten at the Indiana Amateur, Sarah Prascsak winning the Ft. Wayne City Championship and two other tournament wins for UIndy women’s golfers.

First, a look back

Before diving headfirst into the new academic year, take pause on the year that was. The 2007-08 year provided tons of recognition for the University of Indianapolis through hosting opportunities and success at the national level. Alex Arestis became a national champion and set a new NCAA record in the process at the NCAA Division II Championships. The volleyball and women’s basketball teams each returned to the NCAA tournament while the softball team made its maiden voyage to the NCAA Regionals. All the stories, stats and accolades can be found in the ‘07-08 UIndy Athletics Year in Review.

Saturday, August 2, 2008

Blog launched!

The official blog of the UIndy Greyhound Athletic department is now live! Here you will find expanded stories, links, more informal information and updates about all Greyhound sports. Stay tuned in the coming days and weeks as fall is just around the corner and excitement builds for the start of the 2008-09 sports season!