Indiana

2024-25 Indiana High School Sports Awards: See all winter nominees and spring watch lists

Published

2 months ago

March 27, 2025

2024-25 Indiana High School Sports Awards: See all winter nominees and spring watch lists

The Indiana High School Sports Awards, Presented by the Indiana Pacers and Indiana Fever, is proud to announce the nominees for players of the year for all winter sports and the watch list athletes for the spring athletes. The winter winners will be announced during the live show on Sunday, April 27 at Clowes Memorial Hall at Butler University. Doors open at 4 p.m. with the show starting at 5 p.m.

During the live show, these nominees will be honored, along with player of the year nominees and winners from the fall. Those fall athletes were announced earlier in the school year and can be found here.

The show will also announce the winners of premier awards such as overall male athlete of the year, overall female athlete of the year, Courage Award, Team of the Year and Coach of the Year. Nominated athletes and watch list athletes who RSVP for the event can receive a free ticket here thanks to sponsors. Additional tickets are also free, thanks to the Indiana Pacers and Indiana Fever, but must be obtained here.

Additionally, the Indiana Mr. Basketball Award, Presented by the Indiana Pacers and Indiana Fever, will be announced live during the show. The finalists for that award will be announced on indystar.com soon.

The guest speaker at the event will be Indiana Fever head coach Stephanie White.

The Indiana High School Sports Awards show is part of the USA TODAY High School Sports Awards program.

Here are all the winter nominees and the spring watch list athletes …

IndyStar Miss Basketball – Presented by the Indiana Pacers and Indiana Fever

Addi Baxter, Columbia City High School — SR
Jaylah Lampley, Lawrence Central High School — SR
Maya Makalusky, Hamilton Southeastern High School — SR
Meredith Tippner, Noblesville High School — SR

Girls Wrestling

Aleksandra Bastaic, Highland High School — JR
Heather Crull, Northeastern High School — SR
Monica McMahon, Columbus East High School — SR
Kendall Moe, Hamilton Heights High School — JR
Julianna Ocampo, New Haven High School — SR
Ysabelle Ocampo, New Haven High School — SO

Girls Swimming & Diving

Lynsey Bowen, Carmel High School — SR
Ellie Clarke, Carmel High School — FR
Lucy Enoch, Carmel High School — JR
Kate Fetters, Carroll High School — SO
Adelyn Flessner, North Central High School — JR
Jordyn Glassley, Carroll High School — SO
Faith Gorey, Carmel High School — SO
Reagan Graves, Franklin Community High School — SR
Simone Hall, Park Tudor High School — JR
Ava Metzger, Zionsville Community High School — JR
Julie Mishler, Wawasee High School — SR
Madeline Moreth, Valparaiso High School — JR
Liliana Ratzlaff, Franklin Community High School — SR
Alex Shackell, Carmel High School — SR
Molly Sweeney, Carmel High School — JR
Lylah Theriac, Mooresville High School — JR
Alexandra Ward, Carmel High School — SR
Emily Wolf, Fishers High School — SO

Girls gymnastics

Samantha Boster, Chesterton High School — SO
Jillian Creager, Homestead High School — JR
Megan Garibay, Valparaiso High School — SR
Avery Gleave, Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger — JR
Kobi Johnson, Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger — SO
Maria Szczepanski, Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger — SO

Boys wrestling

Jayden Bartoszek, Hanover Central High School — SR
Case Bell Brownsburg, High School — FR
Waylon Cressell, Warren Central High School — JR
Revin Dickman, Brownsburg High School — JR
Traevon Ducking, Brownsburg High School — FR
Tommy Gibbs, Brownsburg High School — JR
Mason Goelz, Avon High School — JR
Eddie Goss, Center Grove High School — SR
Kameron Hazelett, Lowell High School — FR
Gunner Henry, Brownsburg High School — SR
Peyton Hornsby, Center Grove High School — SO
Gavin Jendreas, Crown Point High School — SR
Michael Major, Carmel High School — SR
Michael Ortega, Portage High School — SR
Adrian Pellot, Merrillville High School — SR
Parker Reynolds, Brownsburg High School — JR
Nathan Rioux, Avon High School — JR
Isaiah Schaefer, Evansville Mater Dei High School — SR
Peyton Schoettle, Roncalli High School — JR
Matthew Staples, New Prairie High School — FR
Lucas Szymborski, Crown Point High School — SR
Noah Weaver, Rossville High School — SR
Julian Weems, Center Grove High School — SR
Michael White, Lawrence North High School — JR

Boys Swimming & Diving

Lucas Ackermann, Franklin Community High School — JR
Trent Allen, Carmel High School — SO
Grant Cates, Oak Hill High School — SR
Michael Gorey, Carmel High School — SR
Carter Hadley, Carmel High School — JR
Jonny Hines, Fishers High School — SR
Anderson Kopp, Carmel High School — SR
David Kovacs, Bloomington South High School — SR
Mason Lawson, Fishers High School — JR
Jonah Lee, Valparaiso High School — SR
Henry Lyness, Center Grove High School — JR
Lukas Paegle, Bloomington South High School — SR
George Patterson, Valparaiso High School — SR
Andrew Shackell, Carmel High School — SR
James Stewart, Bloomington North High School — SR
Jake Tarara, Brebeuf Jesuit Prepatory School — SR
Ethan Zhang, Carmel High School — SR
Yi Zheng, Carmel High School — SO

Softball Watch List

Maddie Engle, New Palestine High School
Ana Geyer, New Prairie High School
Carley Keller, Roncalli High School
Anna Moore, Cathedral High School
Izzy Neal, Brownsburg High School
Ava Ratliff, Bedford North Lawrence High School
Lizzy Sinders, Clay City High School
Grace Swedarsky, Hamilton Southeastern High School
Addy Ware, Floyd Central High School
Sadie Winsett, Castle High School
Ava Zachary, Penn High School
Berkley Zache, South Bend St. Joseph High School

Girls Track and Field Watchlist

Omema Anyanwu, Zionsville Community High School
Ellie Barada, Bloomington South High School
Ahniyah Bennett, Connersville High School
Elizabeth Butler, Hamilton Southeastern High School
Kya Crooke, Heritage Christian School
Libby Dowty, Indian Creek High School
Gwen Howard, Whitko High School
Ava Jarrell, Pendleton Heights High School
De’Janay Layne, Evansville North High School
Emily Norris, Carmel High School
Jane Paddock, Lawrence North High School
Isabella Sotelo, Eastern Hancock High School

Girls Tennis Watchlist

Anni Amalnathan, South Bend St. Joseph High School
Mischa Briggs, Fishers High School
Shaeli Castaneda, Marion High School
Lacy Hancock, Washington High School
Ava Harris, Angola High School
Maya Harris, Angola High School
Sophia Heaton, Kouts High School
Izzy Ireland, Fishers High School
Anna Kolb, Guerin Catholic High School
Katie Kolb, Guerin Catholic High School
Addison Lind, Warsaw High School
Emerson Lindsey, Waldron High School

Boys Track & Field Watchlist

Ian Baker Brownsburg High School
Kieran Barnewall Chesterton High School
Noah Bontrager Westview High School
Landon Dobbs Henryville High School
JonAnthony Hall Fishers High School
Jay Hmurovich Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School
Denhm Holt North Central High School
Weston Ott Churubusco High School
Will Riley Greenwood Community High School
Mason Schmitz Hamilton Southeastern High School
Marcus Townsend Avon High School
Caleb Winders Bloomington North High School

Girls Lacrosse Watch List

Alexa DeHart, Zionsville Community High School
Avery Goehl, Carmel High School
Breckin Hare, Carmel High School
Sophie Mock, Carmel High School
Lauren Richer, Park Tudor School
Lyla Weir, Center Grove High School

Boys Lacrosse Watch List

David Gould, Hamilton Southeastern High School
Max Kemp, Hamilton Southeastern High School
Trigg Lee, Cathedral High School
Dillon O’Rourke, Hamilton Southeastern High School
Caden Snapp, Center Grove High School
Collin Stevens, Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School

Boys Golf Watch List

Peyton Blackard, Gibson Southern High School
Jake Cesare, Westfield High School
Silas Haarer, Westview High School
Will Harvey, Westfield High School
Brody Holubar, Center Grove High School
Luke Johnston, Evansville North High School
Brayden Lamborne, Castle High School
Brayden Miller, Fairfield High School
Ryan Parker, Homestead High School
Brycen Tisch, Zionsville Community High School
Mattingly Upchurch, Hamilton Southeastern High School
Eli Wessel, Guerin Catholic High School

Baseball Watchlist

Alex Barr, Kankakee Valley High School
Mason Braun, Penn High School
Caden Crowell, Valparaiso High School
Rob Czarniecki, Chesterton High School
Matthew Fisher, Evansville Memorial High School
Gannon Grant, Center Grove High School
Brandon Logan, Fort Wayne Snider High School
Austin McNabb, Perry Meridian High School
Aiden Reynolds, Noblesville High School
Parker Rhodes, Greenfield-Central High School
Aiden Smith, Shelbyville High School
JD Stein, Carmel High School

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Indiana

Best Indiana Women’s Basketball Players Of The 2020s So Far: No. 9 Nicole Cardaño-Hillary

Published

49 minutes ago

June 7, 2025

Press Room

Best Indiana Women’s Basketball Players Of The 2020s So Far: No. 9 Nicole Cardaño-Hillary

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Nicole Cardaño-Hillary checked a lot of boxes regarding what Indiana women’s basketball coach Teri Moren likes to have from her guards.

Cardaño-Hillary could see the floor well.

Cardaño-Hillary could defend and was opportunistic.

Cardaño-Hillary could shoot well enough to keep an opposing defense off-balance.

Cardaño-Hillary did more than just complement the star players; she could go on a star turn herself.

Those traits are one reason why Indiana’s upward trajectory continued with Cardaño-Hillary in the program from 2020-22. She was a major part of Indiana teams that advanced to the Elite Eight in 2021 and the Sweet 16 in 2022.

Cardaño-Hillary, a 6-foot guard, came to Indiana as a polished player. She played at George Mason from 2017-20. She averaged 18.8 points for George Mason, and she was the Atlantic 10 Player of the Year in 2019 after she averaged 20.4 points.

With stars Grace Berger, Mackenzie Holmes, Ali Patberg, Jaelynn Penn and Aleksa Gulbe in the starting lineup, Cardaño-Hillary wasn’t called upon to do as much scoring for the Hoosiers. She came off the bench in 2021 until January when Penn got hurt. Penn left the team in February, and Cardaño-Hillary was inserted into the starting five for good.

It was the only starting lineup switch Moren made all season, and it paid off. With Cardaño-Hillary in the starting lineup, Indiana was 16-2 in 2021, including the 3-1 run in the NCAA Tournament.

Cardaño-Hillary had a season-high 17 points in a game against Iowa in February, but her most impactful game was in the NCAA Tournament against North Carolina State. Though she was 5 of 15 from the field, Cardaño-Hillary scored 14 points and had four steals as the Hoosiers bested the Wolf Pack 73-70 to advance to the Elite Eight.

Steals were part of Cardaño-Hillary’s stock-and-trade. At George Mason, she led the Atlantic 10 in thefts in each of her three seasons. She averaged 1.8 steals in her two seasons at Indiana.

Established as a starter for the 2022 season, Cardaño-Hillary averaged 11.6 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.3 steals. She improved her 3-point shooting by eight percentage points to 35.7%.

She had 29 points in the season opener against Butler. She was very good in the Big Ten Tournament as Indiana advanced to the championship game. She scored 16 points and had 11 rebounds in a 70-62 semifinal win over Ohio State, and she scored 19 points with seven rebounds in the championship game loss to Iowa.

After her eligibility was exhausted, Cardaño-Hillary played for IDK Euskotren in Spain, her home country.

Cardaño-Hillary is the first of the core group of starters who played more than one season for Indiana to enter the top 16. From her spot on up to No. 1, all of the Hoosiers had careers that lifted Indiana into a position as one of the best teams in the Big Ten in the 2020s.

Previous women’s basketball top 16 players of the 2020s

No. 10 – Brenna Wise
No. 11 – Shay Ciezki
No. 12 – Jaelynn Penn
No. 13 – Karoline Striplin
No. 14 – LIlly Meister
No. 15 – Kiandra Browne
No. 16 – Julianna LaMendola

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Best Indiana Men’s Basketball Players Of The 2020s So Far: No. 11 Xavier Johnson

Published

21 hours ago

June 6, 2025

Press Room

Best Indiana Men’s Basketball Players Of The 2020s So Far: No. 11 Xavier Johnson

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana point guard Xavier Johnson is ranked 11th in our countdown of the best Indiana players of the 2020s so far. But if you take the production out of it, Johnson might be at the top of the list of players who embody what Indiana basketball has been all about in the 2020s.

Why? Sometimes Johnson was great. Sometimes Johnson was not so great.

Johnson was on the court for quite a bit of it. He had three event-filled seasons with the Hoosiers from 2021-24. He featured prominently in one NCAA Tournament season, was hurt for another, and then was part of the reason the Hoosiers fell short of expectations in the 2024 season.

Johnson arrived at Indiana as a seasoned veteran. He had played three seasons at Pittsburgh and started all but two games of his 84 with the Panthers. What Mike Woodson wanted was an experienced point guard to run his offense and to provide a dynamic presence on the floor.

At times, that’s exactly what Woodson got. Asked to be more of a distributor than a scorer as he was at Pitt, Johnson’s scoring average declined from 14.2 points in his final season at Pitt to 12.1 in his first season with the Hoosiers.

Johnson’s assist average also dropped from 5.7 to 5.1 per game, but he seemed to get better as he went along in his first Indiana season. That was born out in his hot streak to end the 2022 campaign.

Indiana Hoosiers guard Xavier Johnson (0) reacts after making a three point basket as Maryland Terrapins center Caelum Swanton-Rodger (35) holds him up during the first half at Xfinity Center. / Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

In the final five games of the regular season and in three Big Ten Tournament games, Johnson averaged 18.1 points, 6.8 assists and made 45.2% of his 3-point shots.

Johnson fell off to 10.5 points per game in the NCAA Tournament games against Wyoming and Saint Mary’s, but excitement was high that Johnson could replicate that kind of production in the 2022-23 season and lead Indiana to the top of the Big Ten.

That’s not how it played out for either Johnson or the Hoosiers.

Indiana started 7-0 and reached a high-water mark of a No. 10 ranking before it all started to unravel.

When Indiana faced top-level competition, it struggled. Indiana lost 89-75 against No. 10 Arizona in Las Vegas and one week later at Kansas, it fell apart for both Indiana and Johnson.

Indiana lost 84-62 at Allen Fieldhouse, but Johnson came out of it the worst. He broke his right foot when it was stepped on it in a scramble for a loose ball, and he did not play again that season.

Indiana made the tournament without Johnson, but Woodson had built much of the team identity based on Johnson’s skill set, so the Hoosiers fell short of expectations as far as Big Ten contention was concerned.

Johnson got a waiver from the NCAA to play another season, but 2023 was also a star-crossed, injury-plagued season. Johnson missed seven games in December with another foot injury and six more in February with an elbow injury.

Johnson never got into rhythm. He had his worst Indiana season as he averaged 7.6 points and 2.8 assists. Indiana was depending on Johnson to lead the way for a team that was inexperienced elsewhere on the floor, but that was not to be. Indiana finished 19-14, and it was the beginning of the end for Woodson as head coach.

Johnson continues to pursue his basketball dream. He played for three G League teams in the 2024-25 season. In 25 total games, he averaged 2.6 points.

Johnson did better at Indiana, but in many ways, his ups and downs were symbolic of what Indiana went through as a program for much of the 2020s.

Previous men’s basketball top 16 players of the 2020s

No. 12 – Justin Smith
No. 13 – Rob Phinisee
No. 14 – Luke Goode
No. 15 – Devonte Green
No. 16 – Anthony Leal

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Indiana

NBA Finals: Tyrese Haliburton gives Indiana Pacers win over Oklahoma City Thunder in game one

Published

2 days ago

June 6, 2025

Press Room

NBA Finals: Tyrese Haliburton gives Indiana Pacers win over Oklahoma City Thunder in game one

Tyrese Haliburton scored in the final second as the Indiana Pacers snatched victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder in game one of the NBA Finals.

His 21-foot shot put the Pacers in front for the first time in the match, with 0.3 seconds remaining as they secured a 111-110 win.

The Thunder, with home court advantage for the first two games, had led by 15 points during the fourth quarter, and in the closing seconds the ball was in the hands of NBA most valuable player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

However, he missed a two-point attempt with 12 seconds remaining and the Pacers grabbed the rebound, passed the ball to Haliburton and he drove down the court before hitting the winning points.

It’s the fourth time in the 2025 play-offs that the 25-year-old has recorded a big-time score – three times to win a match and once to force overtime.

Indiana won despite turning the ball over 25 times, with 20 of those coming in the first half.

“It’s not the recipe to win,” Haliburton said.

“We can’t turn the ball over that much. (But) come May and June, it doesn’t matter how you get them, just get them.”

Team-mate Myles Turner said of Haliburton: “Some players will say they have it, but there are other players that show it. He wants to be the one to hit that shot. He doesn’t shy away from that moment.”

Gilgeous-Alexander was the game’s leading scorer with 38 points, while Pascal Siakam top scored for the Pacers with 19 points, followed by Obi Toppin with 17.

“We played like we were trying to keep the lead instead of trying to extend it or be aggressive,” said the Thunder’s Jalen Williams.

Game two of the best-of-seven series is also in Oklahoma and will start at 19:00 local time on Sunday, 8 June (01:00 BST on Monday).

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