Indiana High School Athletic Association

9150 North Meridian Street, Box 40650, Indianapolis, Indiana 46240-0650

Phone: 317-846-6601    Fax: 317-575-4244    Website: www.ihsaa.org

Blake Ress, Commissioner

_____________________________________________________________________________

MEDIA INFORMATION                                                                      March 14, 2006

Contact: Jason Wille, Sports Information Director                                                                    

E-Mail: jwille@ihsaa.org

 

 

THREE DEFENDING CHAMPS RETURN TO GYMNASTICS STATE FINALS

Three defending state champions as well as the defending team champion are included in the field for the 34th Annual Gymnastics State Finals at Perry Meridian High School in Indianapolis on Saturday.

 

The opening ceremonies begin at 12:30 p.m. EST / 11:30 a.m. CST with competition in four events beginning 30 minutes later.

 

A total of 26 schools are represented in the meet with eight -- Bloomington South, Center Grove, Chesterton, Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger, Fort Wayne Snider, Lawrence Central, Valparaiso, and Warren Central – in the running for the team title. Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger, the defending state champion and winner in two of the last three state meets.

 

The Saints, who won their seventh consecutive regional crown last weekend at Huntington North, return all four participants from last year’s group that set a state finals record with 112.825 points. Among them is sophomore Jeanna Van Hoey, last year’s all-around champion and winner in the uneven bars. Van Hoey became the first freshman to win the all-around state title since 1993 and finished in the top six in each category (vault, bars, floor, beam, all-around).

 

Lawrence Central senior Ashley Jacob also returns as does her squad which won the Harrison regional crown on Saturday. The Bears finished .35 behind Bishop Dwenger a year ago to take runner-up honors in the meet. Jacob won the vault at last year’s meet and also won the 2003 uneven bars crown.

 

Megan Cherry is the third returning state champion. The Hobart senior won the balance beam last season giving the Brickies back-to-back winners joining Kara Morton in 2004. Like Jacob, Cherry is entered in all four events and thus will compete in the all-around competition along with 28 other individuals.

 

Center Grove, which placed third last year and won the Columbus East regional title last week, and Valparaiso, which pocketed its record 13th regional championship, figure into the team mix as well, but a regional runner-up team could also take home the trophy as has happened in three of the six years since eight teams made up the field.

 

Order of Participants

 

 

TOURNAMENT NOTES

 

Teams Represented (25)

Bloomington South, Carmel, Carroll (Fort Wayne), Center Grove, Chesterton, Columbus East, Connersville, Elkhart Central, Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger, Fort Wayne Concordia Lutheran, Fort Wayne Snider, Hobart, Huntington North, Jay County, Jeffersonville, Lawrence Central, Logansport, Merrillville, Michigan City, New Palestine, Perry Meridian, Plainfield, Roncalli, Seymour, Valparaiso, Warren Central.

 

Competing for Team Championship (8)

Bloomington South, Center Grove, Chesterton, Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger, Fort Wayne Snider, Lawrence Central, Valparaiso, Warren Central.

 

Defending State Champions in the Meet

§         Ashley Jacob, 12, Lawrence Central (Vault; also won Bars in 2003).

§         Jeanna Van Hoey, 10, Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger (Uneven Bars, All-Around).

§         Megan Cherry, 12, Hobart (Balance Beam).

 

Other Former State Champions in the Meet

None.

 

Top Five Performers From Previous Years in the Meet

§         Megan Cherry, 12, Hobart (4th, All-Around, 2004; 3rd, Vault, 2004; 5th Bars, 2004; 5th, Beam, 2003).

§         Emily Goins, 12, New Palestine (4th, Floor, 2004).

§         Ashley Jacob, 12, Lawrence Central (3rd, All-Around, 2005; 3rd, Floor, 2005; 3rd, Bars, 2005; 2nd, Vault, 2003; 4th, All-Around, 2003).

§         Katie Ruhl, 12, Fort Wayne Concordia Lutheran (5th, Beam, 2004).

§         Rebecca Trahin, 12, Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger (4th, All-Around, 2005; 5th Floor, 2005, 2nd, Vault, 2005; 3rd, Floor, 2003).

§         Jeanna Van Hoey, 10, Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger (3rd, Vault, 2005).

§         Hannah Williams, 12, Jay County (2nd, Balance Beam, 2005).

 

 

34th Annual IHSAA Gymnastics State Finals

Date: Saturday, Mar. 18.

Time: Opening ceremonies at 12:30 p.m. EST; Competition at 1 p.m. EST.

Admission: $6.00.

Site: Perry Meridian High School, 401 W. Meridian School Road, Indianapolis.

Media Host: IHSAA Sports Information Director Jason Wille will be on hand to assist you in your coverage of the event.

Media Credentials: The “2005-06 IHSAA State Finals Media Credential” is good for admission. For individuals needing credentials, please fax a request on company letterhead to Jason Wille at 317-575-4244. Deadline is Thursday at 4 p.m. EST.

Programs: Complimentary copies of the official state finals program will be available for members of the media and include the order of participants in each event as well as some history behind the event.

Working Space: Tables, chairs and electrical power will be available in the balcony area for use by the media. The school’s athletic office will have an available phone line for filing stories and photographs following the meet.

Photographers: With the exception of the IHSAA’s Official Photographer from “Visual Sports Network”, all photographers should remain off the competition floor during the event. The lower level bleachers are available for your use. After the event, you will be welcome on the floor for the award ceremonies. Also, during the event, please use discretion when photographing the athletes as your camera strobe can pose a danger to the safety of the athletes during their performances. Your cooperation is appreciated.

Results: Copies of the official results will be distributed at the meet’s conclusion and will also be posted to the IHSAA website at www.ihsaa.org.

 

 

 

NOBLESVILLE’S KIM RYAN NAMED TOP GYMNASTICS OFFICIAL

Kim Ryan, a licensed IHSAA gymnastics official now in her 23rd year, is the 2006 recipient of the Interscholastic Officials Association Award for excellence in gymnastics.

 

Ryan, who will be honored during a special ceremony at Saturday’s state finals, has worked 21 sectional meets, 18 regionals, and nine state finals events.  At the state finals, Ryan has served as Assistant Meet Referee once and as Head Judge on floor exercise twice.

 

Each year, the Indiana High School Athletic Association, in cooperation with the National Federation of Interscholastic Officials Association, recognizes and honors an outstanding official in each of 11 sports during the school year.

 

Ryan was nominated for this award by her peers representing the Fall Creek Officials Association, one of 26 associations located throughout the state made up of men and women who give up much of their personal time to assist in providing wholesome, worthwhile and healthy activities for the student-athletes of our state.  This honor comes as a result of her selection by a committee of representatives from those 26 associations.  Statewide, there are almost 7,500 licensed IHSAA officials in 11 sports.

 

Ryan has been a member of the Fall Creek Association for 17 years.

 

Prior to her judging career, Ryan competed in Girls Athletic Association (GAA) activities while attending Fort Wayne North Side High School. She went on to earn bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Ball State in physical education and health.

 

Ryan coached gymnastics and volleyball at Huntington North High School, sending a gymnast to the state finals all six years. Ryan is an American Council on Exercise certified group fitness instructor and personal trainer who works in both capacities at The Workout Centre in Carmel.

 

Ryan and her husband, Kent, have been married for 28 years.  They have two daughters, Brittany, a senior at Miami of Ohio, and Hayley, a junior at Indianapolis Cathedral. She enjoys camping, traveling, and snow skiing with her family.

 

 

 

BOYS BASKETBALL

 

TRIP TO BASKETBALL STATE FINALS ON THE LINE SATURDAY

Five of last year’s state finalists are still alive with the hope of returning including two defending state champions as the 96th Annual IHSAA Boys Basketball State Tournament reached the semi-state round this Saturday.

 

Four sites, two in the north and two in the south, will host doubleheaders on Saturday with the first game scheduled for 1 p.m. EST. The winners in each game will earn a berth in the March 25 state finals at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

 

Two-time defending 4A kingpin Lawrence North and 2A state champion Forest Park both hope for a return trip to the big stage but will face determined opponents in the semi-state.

 

Lawrence North, which faces Bloomington South (21-5) in the second game at Southport, is the only unbeaten team in the state this year at 27-0 and has won 43 in a row going back to last season. Bloomington South will be looking to end a state finals dry-spell that dates back to 1960.

 

Forest Park, with a 17-game winning streak of its own, will meet Heritage Christian (19-5), one of four schools to win its first regional title last weekend. The two will square off in the opening game at Seymour.

 

Muncie Central (4A), Plymouth (3A) and Harding (2A) each fell short in last year’s state championship games and will be looking for another opportunity if they can survive this weekend.

 

Besides Heritage Christian, Jay County, Oregon-Davis and Shakamak were the other three schools that cut down the regional nets for the first time in school history last Saturday.

 

Tri-Central (22-3), which will meet Oregon-Davis (23-3) in the curtain-raiser at Lafayette Jefferson, is led by state scoring leader Grayson Flittner (29.6 ppg), who scorched the nets with a career-high 48 points in Saturday’s regional final against Lafayette Central Catholic.

 

Semi-States

Date: Saturday, March 18.

Admission: $7.00.

Home Team: The winner of the even-numbered regional will be the designated home team.

Note: Teams will be assigned to semi-state sites after regional results become available.

 

North

1.   Lafayette Jefferson 1 pm EST

Game 1 – Class A – Oregon-Davis (23-3) vs. Tri-Central (22-3).

Game 2 – Class 3A – Plymouth (21-4) vs. Jay County (19-6).

 

2.   Kokomo 1 pm EST

Game 1 – Class 2A – Westview (14-9) vs. Harding (16-9).

Game 2 – Class 4A – Penn (24-2) vs. Muncie Central (19-5).

 

South

3.   Southport 1 pm EST

Game 1 – Class A – Hauser (23-2) vs. Shakamak (19-7).

Game 2 – Class 4A – Lawrence North (27-0) vs. Bloomington South (21-5).

 

4.   Seymour 1 pm EST

Game 1 – Class 2A – Heritage Christian (19-5) vs. Forest Park (23-3).

Game 2 – Class 3A – New Castle (19-6) vs. Evansville Mater Dei (18-6).

 

 

State Finals

Date: Saturday, March 25.

Site: Conseco Fieldhouse, 125 S. Pennsylvania Street, Indianapolis.

Conseco Fieldhouse | Seating Chart | Driving Directions | Parking | Fieldhouse History & Facts | Indy Hotels & Dining

Admission: Session $10.00; Season $18.00. Reserved tickets can be purchased at the participating schools the week of the state finals. Contact participating schools for ticket distribution hours. Remaining tickets will be available at the ticket office at Conseco Fieldhouse on game day.

Home Team: The winner of the north semi-state game will be the designated home team.

 

Session I

10:36 a.m. EST – Class A Championship

Approx. 12:30 p.m. EST – Class 2A Championship

Session II

6:06 p.m. EST – Class 3A Championship

Approx. 8 p.m. EST – Class 4A Championship

 

 

TOURNAMENT NOTES

 

Seeking First State Finals Appearance -- 4A: None; 3A: Jay County; 2A: Heritage Christian; A: Hauser, Oregon-Davis, Shakamak, Tri-Central.

 

Seeking to Break State Finals Drought (Five or more years since last appearance) – 46 years: Bloomington South (Last appearance in 1960); 22: New Castle (1984); 6: Westview (2000); 5: Penn (2001).

 

Seeking to Repeat as Semi-State Champions – 4A: Lawrence North, Muncie Central; 3A: Plymouth; 2A: Forest Park, Harding; A: None.

 

Seeking First Semi-State Championship -- 4A: None; 3A: Jay County; 2A: Heritage Christian; A: Hauser, Oregon-Davis, Shakamak, Tri-Central. Note: 1935-36 was the first year for semi-states.

 

Top 10 All-Time Semi-State Championship Leaders (Year of last title) – 13: Marion; 12: Lafayette Jefferson, Muncie Central; 11: Anderson; 8: East Chicago Washington, New Albany; 7: Kokomo; 6: Gary Roosevelt, Jeffersonville; 5: Evansville Bosse, Fort Wayne Central, Indianapolis Attucks. Note: 1935-36 was the first year for semi-states.

 

Best Records in the Field (Two losses or less) – Lawrence North (27-0), Hauser (23-2), Penn (24-2).

 

Top Current Winning Streaks – 43 consecutive wins: Lawrence North; 17: Forest Park; 11: Oregon-Davis, Plymouth; 10: Muncie Central, Penn; 7: Hauser, Heritage Christian, New Castle.

 

Ranked Teams Still Alive (State Coaches Poll): 1. Lawrence North; 10. Penn; 13. Bloomington South; 15. Muncie Central.

 

Ranked Teams Still Alive (AP Poll): 4A: 1. Lawrence North; 9. Penn; 3A: 7. Plymouth; 9. Evansville Mater Dei; 10. New Castle; 2A: 1. Forest Park; 8. Heritage Christian; A: 3. Hauser; 4. Tri-Central; 5. Oregon-Davis.

 

2005 State Champions Still Alive (2 of 4): 4A: Lawrence North; 2A: Forest Park.

 

2005 State Finalist Teams Still Alive (5 of 8): 4A: Lawrence North, Muncie Central; 3A: Plymouth; 2A: Forest Park, Harding.

 

Former State Champions Still Alive (20): 4A: Bloomington South (1919), Lawrence North (1989, 2004 (4A), 2005 (4A)), Muncie Central (1928, 1931, 1951, 1952, 1963, 1978, 1979, 1988); 3A: Evansville Mater Dei (2004 (3A)), New Castle (1932), Plymouth (1982); 2A: Forest Park (2005 (2A)), Harding (2001 (2A)), Westview (1999 (2A), 2000 (2A)); A: None.

 

Smallest Schools in the Field (from 2005-06 IHSAA School Directory) – 224 students enrolled: Oregon-Davis; 292: Shakamak; 324: Tri-Central; 367: Hauser.

 

Largest Schools in the Field (from 2005-06 IHSAA School Directory) – 3,157 students enrolled: Penn; 3,048: Lawrence North; 1,942: Bloomington South; 1,197: Muncie Central.

 

First-Time Regional Champions -- 4A: None; 3A: Jay County; 2A: Heritage Christian; A: Oregon-Davis, Shakamak.

 

Regional Championship Droughts Broken (Five or more years) – 4A: Bloomington South (last title in 1999), Penn (2001); 3A: New Castle (2000); 2A: Westview (2000); A: None.

 

Repeat Regional Champions – 4A: Lawrence North, Muncie Central; 3A: Plymouth; 2A: Forest Park, Harding; A: Hauser.

 

 

MUNCIE CENTRAL-PENN GAME ON STATE-WIDE CABLE TELEVISION

The boys basketball semi-state game between Penn (24-2) and Muncie Central (19-5) will be aired live by the Indiana Cable Network to a state-wide audience on Saturday, March 18 at 3:07 p.m. EST / 2:07 p.m. CST.

 

The game will originate from Kokomo’s Memorial Gymnasium and be broadcast on 48 cable systems throughout the state and available to approximately 1.2 million subscribers. Chris Denari and John Laskowski will serve as the broadcast team.

 

As part of its agreement with the IHSAA, the Indiana Cable Network will also broadcast all four state championship games live from Conseco Fieldhouse on March 25.

 

Cable companies, markets and channels are listed below.

 

Indiana Cable Network

System

City

Channel

Insight

Anderson

3

Insight

Bedford

96

Insight

Bloomington

96

Comcast

Columbus/Seymour

14

Comcast

Connersville

15

Comcast

Crawfordsville

9

Insight

Evansville

2

Insight-Sigecom

Evansville

9

Comcast

Fort Wayne

9

Comcast

Frankfort

9

Comcast Chicago

Gary

3

Insight

Greenfield

78

Insight

Greenwood

96

Comcast Chicago

Hammond

3

Insight

Hartford City

72

Insight

Henderson, Ky.

2

Comcast

Huntington

9

Bright House Networks

Indianapolis

63

Comcast

Indianapolis

14/96

Insight

Jasper

2

MediaCom

Kendallville

70

MediaCom

Knox

78

Insight

Kokomo

16

Insight

Lafayette

16

Comcast Chicago

LaPorte

3

Insight SusCom

Lawrenceburg

14

Insight

Lebanon

78

Comcast

Logansport/Peru/Wabash

9

Bright House Networks

Marion

9

Insight

Martinsville

96

Comcast Chicago

Michigan City

3

Comcast

Monticello

9

Comcast

Muncie

5

Insight

New Albany

2

Insight

New Castle

3

Comcast

Niles, Mich.

20

Insight

Noblesville

18

Comcast Chicago

Portage

4

Insight

Princeton

2

Insight-TV Cable

Rensselaer

72

Insight

Richmond

69

Comcast

Rushville

14

Insight SusCom

Shelbyville

43

Comcast

South Bend/Elkhart

74

Comcast

St. Joseph

74

Comcast Chicago

Valparaiso

4

Comcast

Warsaw

74

Insight-TV Cable

Winamac

69

 

 

BOYS BASKETBALL STATE FINALS INTERVIEWS ON MONDAY

Coaches from the eight schools in the 2006 IHSAA Boys Basketball State Finals will gather Monday (March 20) at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis for the pre-tournament meeting and interview session. The organizational meeting for school personnel will begin at 10 a.m. EST in the “Best Locker Room” on the playing floor level of the building. The coaches will be available for interviews beginning at approximately 11 a.m. in the hallway.

 

Beginning at 9:45 a.m. EST, members of the media (please have business identification if requested by security) should use the Entry Pavilion elevator on the north side of Conseco Fieldhouse and take it to the playing floor level. The “Best Locker Room” is straight down the hallway on the left. The usual Media Entrance on the building’s southeast side will not be available for entry.

 

Updated statistics, rosters and other team information as submitted by the schools will be distributed at the press conference. For outlets that cannot attend, a special state finals information package will be available on the IHSAA website later that day.

 

 

INDIANA HIGH SCHOOLS WELL-REPRESENTED IN NCAA TOURNEYS

A total of 27 men’s players and 18 women’s players who played high school basketball inside our borders will participate in this year’s NCAA basketball tournaments that begin this week.

 

Indianapolis Northwest and Pike high schools will be represented by three players each while Ben Davis, Bloomington North, Indianapolis Arlington, Indianapolis Cathedral, North Central (Indianapolis) and Warren Central are each represented by two players.

 

The information below was obtained from each school’s official athletic website by IHSAA Sports Administration intern Amber Feldman.

 

Men’s Tournament

 

Alabama, University of

Greg Cage, 6-5, Fr., G, Indianapolis (Indianapolis Bishop Chatard).

 

Duke University

Josh McRoberts, 6-10, Fr., F, Carmel (Carmel).

 

George Mason University

Jordan Carter, 6-0, So., G, Indianapolis (Brebeuf Jesuit).

 

Indiana University

Adam Ahlfield, 6-0, So., G, Indianapolis (North Central).

Mike Davis, Jr., 6-3, So., G, Bloomington (Bloomington North).

Sean Kline, 6-8, Sr., F, Huntington (Huntington North).

A.J. Ratliff, 6-2, So., G, Indianapolis (North Central).

Errek Suhr, 5-8, Jr., G, Bloomington (Bloomington North).

Kyle Taber, 6-7, RS Fr., F, Evansville (Evansville Central).

*Robert Vaden, 6-5, So., G/F, Indianapolis (Pike)

*attended Bridgton (Me.) Academy his senior year

 

Iowa, University of

J.R. Angle, 6-7, So., G/F, Franklin (Indian Creek).

 

Kent State University

Brandon Parks, 6-10, Fr., C, Bunker Hill (Maconaquah).

Mike Scott, 6-6, So., F, Indianapolis (Indianapolis Northwest).

 

Marquette University    

Dominic James, 5-10, Fr., G, Richmond (Richmond).

 

Memphis, University of

Rodney Carney, 6-7, Sr., F, Indianapolis (Indianapolis Northwest).

 

Michigan State University         

Delco Rowley, 6-8, Jr., F, Indianapolis (Indianapolis Arlington).

 

Montana, University of

Stuart Mayes, 6-5, Jr., G/F, Elkhart (Elkhart Central).

 

Murray State University

Mike McCoy, 6-7, Fr., F, Indianapolis (Pike).

T.J. Wolf, 5-11, Jr., G, Martinsville (Martinsville).

 

Ohio State University

Sylvester Mayes, 6-1, Jr., G, South Bend (South Bend Clay).

 

Southern Illinois University

Jordan Armstrong, 6-6, Fr., F, Muncie (Muncie Central).

Wesley Clemmons, 6-3, Fr., G, Indianapolis (Indianapolis Northwest).

 

United States Air Force Academy

Hunter Myers, 5-10, Fr., G, Fishers (Hamilton Southeastern).

 

Utah State University

Chaz Spicer, 6-9, Jr., F, Indianapolis