Indiana

2024 is an Olympics year. Here’s a look at best Hoosier athletes of 2023 eyeing Paris.

Published

3 years ago

January 8, 2024

Press Room

2024 is an Olympics year. Here’s a look at best Hoosier athletes of 2023 eyeing Paris.

David Woods
| Special for IndyStar

If past is prelude, Chloe Dygert will win a gold medal in Paris.

Even if she doesn’t, that the Brownsburg cyclist is in position to do so this year is the kind of comeback story that draws billions of viewers to the Olympic Games.

Dygert is among 2023 honorees in this annual listing of top Indiana athletes in Olympic sports — three per gender in pro, college and high school categories:

PRO WOMEN

∎ Gold: Chloe Dygert, cycling. She won gold in the time trial at World Championships, three years after a career-threatening crash in the same event. She was so ill in Glasgow, Scotland, she almost didn’t race, crossing the finish coughing after a climb over cobblestones. Dygert also won gold there in individual pursuit, a non-Olympic event. She was so far ahead of defending champion Franziska Brausse that she passed the German on the final lap. After winning the 2019 time trial by a record 92 seconds, Dygert crashed at 2020 worlds in Italy, badly lacerating her left leg. She won team pursuit bronze at the 2021 Olympics but was sidelined repeatedly — by follow-up surgeries, Epstein-Barr virus, surgery for a fast heartbeat, another crash. She turned 27 on Jan. 1.

∎ Silver: Lilly King, swimming. The 26-year-old from Evansville remains formidable, if not invincible. At worlds, she won silver in the 50-meter breaststroke and gold in 4×100 medley relay . . . but was out of the medals (in fourth) in 100 and 200 breaststrokes. Before that, Indiana University’s 2016 Olympic gold medalist swept all three breaststrokes in nationals at Indianapolis.

∎ Bronze: Lee Kiefer, fencing: Notre Dame graduate, 29, won world bronze medal and ended 2023 ranked No. 1 in the world in foil. In 2021, the three-time Olympian became first U.S. foil fencer to win individual gold.

PRO MEN

∎ Gold: Yared Nuguse, track and field. Notre Dame graduate, 24, set American records indoors in the mile and 3,000 meters, outdoors in 1,500 and mile. At Diamond League final, he was second in the mile in 3:43.97, breaking Alan Webb’s 16-year-old American record. Nuguse was fifth at worlds in the 1,500, ranked No. 2 in the world by Track & Field News and placed sixth in T&FN voting for U.S. athlete of the year.

∎ Silver: Tyrese Haliburton, basketball. Pacers guard played for USA Basketball team that lost the bronze-medal game to Canada at World Cup. Haliburton averaged 8.6 points in eight games and led team at 5.6 assists. He said afterward he wants to play at the Paris Olympics. The 23-year-old tops NBA in assists and led Pacers to title game of in-season tournament.

∎ Bronze: Rajeev Ram, tennis. At 39, Carmel native teamed with Joe Salisbury for third straight U.S. Open doubles title and repeat ATP doubles title. Ram pushed career earnings past $9 million.

DOYEL: Rajeev Ram used lessons of father to reach No. 1 world ranking

COLLEGE WOMEN

∎ Gold: Addy Wiley, track and field. As Huntington freshman, she set collegiate 1,500 record of 3:59.17 and became No. 2 collegian ever (1:57.54) at 800 in span of five days in Europe. She was fifth in 1,500 at USA Championships and ninth in mile at road worlds. In 2023 calendar year, she ran to eight NAIA titles. Wiley, 20, is on 2024 watch list for Bowerman Award, track’s version of Heisman Trophy.

∎ Silver: Olivia Markezich, track and field. NCAA steeplechase champion for Notre Dame and third-fastest collegian ever (9:17.93). In other NCAA races, she was second in indoor 3,000 and third in cross-country.

∎ Bronze: Kelly Pash, swimming. Carmel swimmer was third in 200-yard butterfly at NCAAs and helped Texas to second place in team standings. Won five medals at Pan American Games, including silver in 100-meter butterfly and two relay golds.

COLLEGE MEN

∎ Gold: Andrew Capobianco, diving. After winning a third NCAA 3-meter title, IU diver finished fourth at worlds. Capobianco, 24, won synchro silver at 2021 Olympics.

∎ Silver: Jake Mitchell, swimming. Carmel Olympian won silver medal in 4×200 freestyle relay at worlds. At nationals, he was third in 400 free and fourth in 200 free. Mitchell, 22, was fifth in NCAA 500-yard freestyle for Florida.

∎ Bronze: Brendan Burns, swimming: NCAA champion in 100-yard backstroke, runner-up in 200 butterfly for IU. Big Ten swimmer of the championships for a third year in a row.

HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS

∎ Gold: Alex Shackell, swimming. First swimmer from Carmel girls program to win a world or Olympic medal, anchoring USA to silver in 4×200 relay at World Championships. As a sophomore, she set state records in 100-yard butterfly (50.89) and 50 freestyle (21.93), and she swam on two relays setting national records. At December’s winter juniors, the 17-year-old was first in seven events, bettering state records in six. In 200-yard butterfly, her 1:50.15 smashed national record for girls 17-18 and made her No. 5 of all time in that event. Her 49.49 in 100 butterfly nearly set another national record.

∎ Silver: Keagan Rothrock, softball. The All-America pitcher led Roncalli to third straight Class 4A championship game. She was 25-2 with 0.50 ERA and 334 strikeouts. She also batted .490 with nine home runs and 47 RBIs. Rothrock ended career with 1,080 strikeouts and state record of 13 perfect games (among 22 no-hitters). She is now freshman at Florida.

∎ Bronze: Lauren Harden, volleyball. MaxPreps national player of the year helped Hamilton Southeastern become fourth undefeated Class 4A state champion. The 6-3 outside hitter committed to Florida.

HIGH SCHOOL BOYS

∎ Gold: Josh Hedberg, diving. Noblesville 16-year-old won first individual senior national title on 10-meter platform, qualifying for February’s worlds at Doha, Qatar. In 2022, at age 15, Hedberg became the youngest U.S. male diver to compete at a worlds.

∎ Silver: Will Modglin, swimming. As Zionsville senior, he repeated as Swimming World’s high school swimmer of the year. He set national prep record of 45.08 in 100-yard backstroke and lowered state record in 200 individual medley to 1:43.74, completed three-year sweeps in both. Modglin is now a Texas freshman.

∎ Bronze: Kole Mathison, cross-country/track: In cross-country, Carmel runner helped Team USA to a bronze medal at under-20 worlds. In indoor track, he lowered state records in mile and two-mile to 4:06.48 and 8:47.11. And outdoors, he ran to a state triple — third in 4×800 relay, second in 1,600, repeat title in 3,200. Mathison redshirted at Colorado last fall.

Contact IndyStar correspondent at dwoods1411@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter: @DavidWoods007.

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Indiana

Attempted murder suspect arrested in Indianapolis for Bloomington shooting

Published

1 hour ago

July 9, 2026

Press Room

Attempted murder suspect arrested in Indianapolis for Bloomington shooting

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (WISH) — A Bloomington man was arrested Wednesday in Indianapolis on an attempted murder charge after police say he fired seven to eight rounds into a white GMC SUV occupied by three adults and four children last month in Bloomington before fleeing the area.

A news release issued Thursday from the Bloomington Police Department said members of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department’s special weapons and tactics team took Kafern P. Johnson, 32, into custody near the intersection of West 84th Street and Allison Avenue in Indianapolis without incident.

The arrest came more than two weeks after the June 23 shooting in the 1000 block of North Summit Street. That’s in a residential area next to Crestmont Park in Bloomington.

Monroe County Central Emergency Dispatch received 911 calls at 7:41 p.m. June 23 reporting gunfire in the area.

Responding patrol officers and detectives determined Johnson had fired into the SUV following a verbal fight with the vehicle’s driver. Police said the dispute stemmed from an argument over a relationship.

No injuries were reported despite the number of people inside the vehicle.

Following his arrest, Johnson was taken to an IMPD facility for questioning and later booked into the Marion County jail. On Thursday morning, he was booked into the Monroe County jail.

The release said Johnson could face felony charges of attempted murder, criminal recklessness with a firearm, and pointing a firearm. No formal charges have yet been filed, according to online court records.

Bloomington police asked anyone with additional information to call 812-349-3324.

This story was formatted for WISHTV.com using AI-assisted tools. Our editorial team reviews and edits all content published to ensure it meets our journalistic standards for accuracy and fairness.

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Indiana

FAIRFIELD NATIVE AND HIS WIFE FOUND DEAD IN THEIR NEWBURGH, INDIANA HOME

Published

12 hours ago

July 9, 2026

Press Room

FAIRFIELD NATIVE AND HIS WIFE FOUND DEAD IN THEIR NEWBURGH, INDIANA HOME

Fairfield native, David K. Wells, 69, and his wife Aileen, were found dead inside their home in Newburgh, Indiana, Monday night. Warrick County Sheriff Michael Wilder said that deputies responded to the residence just before 8:00 p.m. after dispatch received a call around 7:40 p.m. from a friend of the family requesting a welfare check. When officers didn’t get an answer at the door, they entered through the back of the home and found the couple deceased. Officers cleared the home and waited for detectives to arrive. Investigators also obtained a search warrant to do a further examination of the residence. Authorities were able to notify family members and conduct interviews to gather additional information. Sheriff Wilder said investigators believe the couple had been dead for less than 24 hours before they were found. He also said there is no indication of any forced entry or an intruder. Sheriff Wilder has not made a formal determination as to what happened. Autopsies for the couple were scheduled for yesterday morning to help determine a cause. David Wells grew up in Fairfield and graduated from Fairfield High School in 1975. He had a long career in television commercial production in Evansville and had more recently operated the Cigar! Cigar! tobacco store in Evansville.

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Indiana sees significant drop in number of homeless veterans

Published

22 hours ago

July 8, 2026

Press Room

Indiana sees significant drop in number of homeless veterans

INDIANAPOLIS (WRTV) — Indiana saw a significant decline in veteran homelessness last year, despite the total number of homelessness rising across the state.

According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) annual estimation of the homeless population, known as the Point in Time (PIT) count, Indiana saw an 18.7% decline in veteran homelessness in 2025 compared to the year before.

That marked the second-largest decline of any state by percentage.

Helping Veterans and Families (HVAF) of Indiana specializes in assistance for veterans facing homelessness. CEO Emmy Hildebrand told News 8 the formula that’s finding success is the same that works with any at-risk group: housing and wrap-around services.

Hildebrand said that the formula needs support from the state.

“There is no state funding supporting homeless services in our state,” Hildebrand said. “And very little local funding outside Indianapolis.”

Safety net programs have faced budget cuts, with lawmakers eliminating funding for the Housing First program in 2025. It supported organizations helping people secure stable housing.

And housing advocates have criticized Indiana’s public camping ban as essentially making it illegal to be homeless.

HVAF client Terri Massey, a 34-year-old Navy veteran, said the stigma of being homeless was the most difficult challenge to overcome.

“I’m still trying to provide for my kids,” Massey said “I’m (not) out here being lazy or not trying to do better.”

Massey was working, supporting her children, but found herself sleeping in cars and hotel rooms because she didn’t have stable housing. “Going to that work, working 10 hours, leaving, going to sleep in my car.”

HVAF helped place Massey in a permanent apartment. HVAF also placed Massey in a different kind of “bootcamp” years after her time in the military, learning job skills. She’s looking for a job, but thankful to do it from a place she can call home.

“I am beyond grateful and thankful. I literally pray and thank God every day,” Massey said. “Because for the longest I felt like I was alone. And I had to figure everything out by myself. I didn’t.”

It’s estimated that seven percent of Indiana’s homeless are veterans. Hildebrand said there are federal funds for organizations working with veterans, which support HVAF’s programs.

Still, finding permanent housing is a struggle.

According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, for every 100 extremely low-income households in Indiana, just 34 rental homes are affordable and available.

“There are so many people on the bubble that are just one emergency away from living in their car, staying with friends and family, or living on the streets because we don’t have the appropriate system here in Indiana,” Hildebrand said.

Hildebrand said lawmakers assured her they would work to support homeless services, but she hasn’t seen any drafted legislation that might be introduced in the next legislative session.

Across the country, about one in 25 people experiencing homelessness previously served active duty in the armed forces, according to numbers from HUD. Veteran homelessness declined 56% between 2009 and 2025.

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