Indiana
No. 1 UCLA Resumes MPSF Play at No. 14 Indiana – UCLA
SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE
Saturday, Mar. 2 (Counsilman Billingsley Aquatic Center – Bloomington, Ind. – MPSF Game)
8:00 AM PT – No. 1 UCLA at No. 14 Indiana | LIVE STATS | TV: Big Ten Network
Saturday, Mar. 9 (Dirks Pool at Spieker Aquatics Center – Los Angeles, Calif.)
12:00 PM PT – Biola at No. 1 UCLA | LIVE STATS
1:30 PM PT – UCLA Alumni Game
SERIES HISTORY
UCLA is 19-0 all-time against Indiana (15-0 in neutral-site games and 4-0 at home). This is the first time the Bruins have ever met the Hoosiers in a true road game. UCLA won the last meeting, which was the league- and season-opener for both teams, by a score of 15-6 (Jan. 20, 2023). Katrina Drake scored three goals and Ava Johnson, Sienna Green, and Anna Pearson each added two goals to lead the Bruins to victory. Zoe Crouch was the only multiple goal scorer for the Hoosiers with two.
LAST WEEK IN REVIEW
No. 1 UCLA won the Barbara Kalbus Invitational with three wins over Top 10 teams last weekend at UC Irvine. The Bruins opened with an 18-6 win over Cal State Fullerton on Friday, Feb. 23. UCLA posted an 11-5 win over the hosts, No. 10 UC Irvine in the quarterfinals and a 9-6 win over No. 4 Stanford in the semifinals on Saturday, Feb. 24. Then in the title game on Sunday, Feb. 25 in a 15-9 win over No. 2 Hawai’i, the Bruins fell behind 8-3 before ending the game on an epic 12-1 run for the lopsided victory.
STEELE SWEEPS WEEKLY MPSF AWARDS
UCLA freshman goalkeeper Lauren Steele (Old Greenwich, Conn. / Orange Lutheran HS) was named the MPSF/Delfina Player of the Week and the S&R Sport Newcomer of the Week as announced by the league office on Feb. 27. Steele went 4-0 in the cage as the Bruins’ starting goalkeeper against three ranked teams at the Barbara Kalbus Invitational over the weekend helping the Bruins win the title and remain undefeated on the year at 14-0. She racked up a total of 47 saves (14.5 saves per game) while sporting a 6.77 goals against average in her four appearances in goal. While starting every game, she played just the first quarter in the lopsided win over Cal State Fullerton, making one stop while allowing two goals. She went the distance in each of the next three games, recording a UCLA freshman record of 21 saves in the quarterfinal win over No. 10 UC Irvine, holding the Anteaters to just five goals. It marked the most saves by a Bruin since Caitlin Dement had 22 against UC Davis in 2010. In the semifinal win over No. 4 Stanford, she made nine stops while holding Stanford to just six goals. In the title game, she was credited with 16 saves in the Bruins’ 15-9 win over No. 2 Hawai’i. She also had two steals and one assist during the tournament. These are the second and third career MPSF weekly awards for Steele.
TAYLOR SMITH NAMED MPSF/DELFINA PLAYER OF THE WEEK
UCLA sophomore attacker Taylor Smith (Newport Beach, Calif. / Newport Harbor HS) was named the MPSF/Delfina Player of the Week as announced by the league office on Feb. 20. Smith led the Bruins in scoring with six points on a season- and career-high five goals (on seven shots) to go with one assist in top-ranked UCLA’s 14-12 victory over No. 7 Arizona State to open MPSF play on Saturday, Feb. 17. She also added two steals and drew one exclusion in the Bruins’ only game of the week. UCLA improved to 10-0 on the year and 1-0 in the MPSF. This is Smith’s second career MPSF award and first Player of the Week honor.
SZEGEDI NAMED MPSF/S&R SPORT NEWCOMER OF THE WEEK FOR THE THIRD TIME
UCLA freshman utility Panni Szegedi (Budapest, Hungary/Kolping Katolikus Iskola) has been named the MPSF/S&R Sport Newcomer of the Week as announced by the league office on Feb. 13. Szegedi scored two goals on two shots in top-ranked UCLA’s 16-5 lopsided victory over No. 8 UC Irvine in its home-opener on Saturday, Feb. 10. It marked the most goals scored and was the largest margin of victory for the Bruins over the Anteaters since 2017. She also won both of her sprints and added one assist in the Bruins’ only game of the week as UCLA improved to 9-0 on the year. This is the third career MPSF weekly award for Szegedi, including a repeat of the last two weeks.
SZEGEDI NAMED MPSF/S&R SPORT NEWCOMER OF THE WEEK AGAIN
UCLA freshman utility Panni Szegedi (Budapest, Hungary/Kolping Katolikus Iskola) has been named the MPSF/S&R Sport Newcomer of the Week as announced by the league office on Feb. 6. Szegedi scored seven goals (tied for the team lead), registered four assists, four steals, won four sprints and drew two exclusions to help the Bruins win the Triton Invitational (Feb. 2-4). Szegedi opened with a hat trick in the win against California Baptist. She then scored on her only shot and won her only sprint in the victory over No. 14 Arizona State. In the semifinal win over No. 4 Hawai’i, she scored twice, including the final goal in regulation to send the game into overtime. She added three steals, three sprints, one earned exclusion and one assist against the Rainbow Wahine. In the championship vs. No. 5 Fresno State, she scored once and added three assists, one steal, and drew one exclusion. This is the second career MPSF weekly award for Szegedi, including a repeat of the last two weeks.
BRUINS SWEEP WEEKLY MPSF AWARDS
The UCLA Bruins swept the MPSF weekly honors as sophomore utility Anna Pearson was named the MPSF/Delfina Player of the Week and freshman utility Panni Szegedi was tabbed the MPSF/S&R Sport Newcomer of the Week as announced by the league office on Jan. 30. UCLA went 1-0 this past week with an 18-10 win over No. 14 UC Davis in its only countable game at the California Cup on Saturday (Jan. 27) to help the Bruins remain undefeated at 4-0 on the year. Pearson (Irvine, Calif. / Orange Lutheran HS) led the team and tied her career high with five goals (on seven shots) against the Aggies. She also drew a team-high three exclusions. Szegedi (Budapest, Hungary / Kolping Katolikus Iskola) scored the first hat trick (on five shots) of her collegiate career against UC Davis. The freshman did a little bit of everything, winning all three of her sprints, drawing one exclusion, and recording a game-high four steals. It marked Pearson’s third and Szegedi’s first career MPSF award of their respective careers.
STEELE NAMED MPSF/S&R SPORT NEWCOMER OF THE WEEK
UCLA freshman goalkeeper Lauren Steele (Old Greenwich, Conn./Orange Lutheran HS) has been named the MPSF/S&R Sport Newcomer of the Week as announced by the league office on Jan. 23. Steele went 3-0 in the cage as the Bruins’ starting goalkeeper against three ranked teams at the UCSB Winter Invitational over the weekend. She racked up a total of 17 saves (10.0 saves per game) while sporting a 5.88 goals against average in her three appearances in goal. While starting every game, she led the team in steals with five as she played just over half of the 12 quarters (6.8) in the cage and then played in the field, where she finished tied for fourth on the team in scoring with three goals (on six shots). She had five saves while pitching a shutout in the first period in the win over No. 25 Marist. She followed that with eight saves, three steals, and her first collegiate goal in the win over No. 10 UC San Diego in 29:50 of action in goal. In the win at No. 12 UC Santa Barbara, she played 16:38 in the cage, making four saves and two steals while allowing just four goals. She also scored twice (on two shots) against the Gauchos. This was Lauren Steele’s first career MPSF award.
PEARSON IS LONE RETURNING ALL-AMERICAN FROM 2023
Sophomore utility Anna Pearson is the only Bruin All-American back for the 2024 season. She earned Honorable Mention accolades after finishing second on the team in scoring with 46 goals. First Team All-American center Ava Johnson, graduated, as did Second-Teamer, utility Katrina Drake. Junior attacker Emma Lineback and sophomore utility Sienna Green both earned Honorable Mention plaudits and both will miss the 2024 campaign to train for a spot on the National Teams of their respective countries, USA and Australia, for the Olympic Games.
TWO MORE ALL-AMERICANS RETURNING
But while only one player is back this season that earned All-America acclaim in 2023, the Bruins return two more players that have achieved All-America status in their respective careers. Junior attacker Molly Renner earned Honorable Mention honors in 2022 and was eighth on the team last year in scoring with 25 goals (56 in her career). Graduate student Hannah Palmer has decided to use her free COVID year and return for a fifth season after earning Second-Team All-America honors in 2021. The attacker was 10th on the team last year in scoring with 20 goals (93 in her career).
RETURNING ALL-MPSF SELECTIONS
While five of the Bruins’ seven All-MPSF selections from a year ago are either gone or using an Olympic year, two players return from the 2023 season that received postseason accolades from the league office. Both are sophomores in utility Anna Pearson and attacker Taylor Smith, who was seventh on the squad in scoring with 30 goals.
TENDING GOAL
The Bruins have five goalkeepers on the 2024 roster that will be vying for playing time and three of them saw action last season. Leading the charge will be senior Sydney Chiang, who played in eight games (starting six times) while going 6-0 on the year. Sophomore Izzy Rosensitto made one appearance on the year while junior MJ Bailey also played in one game. Looking to make an immediate impact will be two true freshmen goalkeepers in Joey Niz (Los Alamitos, Calif./Los Alamitos HS) and Lauren Steele (Old Greenwich, Conn./Orange Lutheran HS).
YOUTH MOVEMENT
The Bruins will be a fairly young team in 2024 with 11 true freshmen and six sophomores on the roster. That is a total of 17 of the Bruins’ 26 student-athletes (65.4 percent) on the roster with only one year or less of collegiate experience. The 11 freshmen include the two aforementioned goalies, as well as center Dania Innis (Orinda, Calif./Miramonte HS), attackers Elektra Urbatsch (Brooklyn, N.Y./Poly Prep Country Day School), Becca Melanson (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny HS), Helene MacBeth (San Clemente, Calif./San Clemente HS), Camille Greenlee (Carlsbad, Calif./The Bishop’s School), and Alexsa Gimenez (Commerce, Calif./Downey HS), and utilities Natasha Kieckhafer (San Juan Capistrano, Calif./Santa Margarita Catholic HS), Olivia Ouellette (Los Alamitos, Calif./Los Alamitos HS), and Panni Szegedi (Budapest, Hungary/Kolping Katolikus Iskola).
OUTNUMBERED BUT MIGHTY
UCLA will have nine players on its 2024 roster that are either juniors, seniors or graduate students. Three graduate students are using their free COVID year to play in 2024 and they include attackers Fiona Kuesis, Hannah Palmer, and Brooke Doten. The Bruins also have three seniors on the roster that includes goalkeeper Sydney Chiang and attackers Anneliese Miller and Malia Allen. While junior Emma Lineback is taking an Olympic year, three other juniors return in 2024 that includes goalkeeper MJ Bailey, attacker Molly Renner, and utility Nicole Struss.
WRIGHT ON DECK
Adam Wright is in his seventh season as UCLA’s head women’s water polo coach in 2024 with an overall record of 140-36 (.796) and an MPSF mark of 26-12 (.684). He recently won his 100th game at the helm of the women’s program with a 9-8 victory at No. 4 California (Mar. 5, 2022). On July 20, 2017, then-UCLA Director of Athletics, Dan Guerrero, announced that Wright would guide both the UCLA men’s and women’s water polo teams.
RECAPPING 2023
Overall Record: 21-8 (.724) | MPSF Record: 4-2 (.667) | Final Ranking: 3rd | NCAA Finish: T-3rd | MPSF Tournament Finish: 4th
UCLA finished the season at 21-8 overall and 4-2 in the MPSF in 2023 in head coach Adam Wright‘s sixth season at the helm of the program. Five Bruins earned All-America acclaim on the year. Graduate center Ava Johnson headlined the list of Bruin selections as UCLA’s lone First-Team honoree. Graduate utility Katrina Drake was the only Bruin to earn Second-Team honors. The remaining three Bruins earned Honorable Mention All-America accolades, which included sophomore attacker Emma Lineback and a pair of freshmen utility in Anna Pearson and Sienna Green.
UCLA IN THE CWPA POLL
The Bruins remained steady at No. 1 in the 2024 CWPA National Women’s Varsity Top 25 Poll (100 points), released on Feb. 28.
| 2024 Women’s Varsity Top 25 (Week 6/February 28) | |||
| Rank | Team | Week 5 Poll | Points |
| 1. | UCLA | 1 | 100 |
| 2. | Hawai’i | 2 | 96 |
| 3. | Stanford | 4 | 91 |
| 4 (T). | California | 6 | 86 |
| 4 (T). | USC | 5 | 86 |
| 6. | Fresno State | 3 | 80 |
| 7. | UC Irvine | 10 | 74 |
| 8. | Michigan | 8 | 71 |
| 9. | Long Beach State | 12 | 68 |
| 10. | Princeton | 9 | 63 |
| 11. | Arizona State | 7 | 60 |
| 12. | Loyola Marymount | 11 | 58 |
| 13. | UC Santa Barbara | 13 (T) | 53 |
| 14. | Indiana | 13 (T) | 44 |
| 15. | UC San Diego | 13 (T) | 43 |
| 16. | UC Davis | 13 (T) | 40 |
| 17. | Pacific | 17 | 38 |
| 18. | Wagner | 18 | 28 |
| 19 (T). | Harvard | 19 | 27 |
| 19 (T). | Brown | 20 | 27 |
| 21. | San Jose State | 23 | 16 |
| 22. | Long Island University | 21 (T) | 14 |
| 23 (T). | Marist | 21 (T) | 10 |
| 23 (T). | CSUN | 25 | 10 |
| 25. | San Diego State | 24 | 7 |
| RV | Pomona-Pitzer | RV | 5 |
| RV | Biola | RV | 4 |
CLOVERDALE, Ind. (WKRC) – Authorities in Indiana found a semi trailer loaded up with hundreds of pounds of suspected cocaine.
According to a statement issued by the Indiana State Police (ISP), 27-year-old Harmandeep Singh of Bakersfield, California was taken into custody after nearly 400 pounds of suspected cocaine were reportedly found in the trailer of a commercial truck.
Per the statement, an ISP trooper seized the suspected cocaine during a traffic stop on Interstate 70 in Putnam County, authorities said.
The stop occurred Tuesday morning near the 37-mile marker, just east of Cloverdale, after a commercial motor vehicle was observed exceeding the posted speed limit.
Police said Singh displayed several indicators of possible criminal activity during the encounter. After obtaining consent to search the vehicle, troopers discovered multiple duffel bags and cardboard boxes in the trailer containing approximately 392 pounds (178 kilograms) of suspected cocaine.
Authorities estimated the street value of the drugs at about $9 million.
Singh was taken into custody and taken to the Putnam County Jail, where he is being held on a $30,000 cash bond.
He faces the following preliminary charges, per the post:
- Possession of a narcotic drug
Formal charges will be determined by the Putnam County prosecutor.
BE THE FIRST TO COMMENT
Indiana State Police said drug interdiction remains a priority, with troopers focusing on major highways to disrupt the flow of illegal narcotics into the state.
For many Hoosiers living in rural Indiana, accessing health care can mean driving 30 minutes or even an hour to see a doctor or reach the nearest hospital. As workforce shortages and financial pressures challenge rural hospitals across the country, ensuring access to care close to home has become one of the most important health-care issues facing our state.
About one in four Indiana residents live in a rural community, yet access to health-care services in many of these communities continues to shrink. Across the nation, rural hospitals and clinics report extremely thin operating margins and often say workforce shortages and rising costs make it difficult to sustain services such as primary care, maternity care and behavioral health.
When rural communities struggle to maintain health-care access, the impact doesn’t stay confined to small towns. It ripples across the entire health-care system, contributing to increases in chronic conditions, reduced preventative care for children, and worsening outcomes for the sickest patients.
Communities such as Greater Lafayette serve as a regional hub for care, with hospitals like IU Health Arnett caring for patients from surrounding counties across north-central and west-central Indiana. That role is something we are proud to fulfill. But when rural residents must travel long distances for care that should be available closer to home, it places increasing pressure on emergency departments, specialty clinics and inpatient services at larger regional hospitals.
In many cases, what might have been a routine appointment, preventive screening or early diagnosis in a local clinic becomes far more serious by the time a patient reaches a larger hospital. A missed screening can escalate into a medical emergency.
That reality makes strengthening rural health care more important than ever — not just for rural communities, but for the health of the entire state.
One of the most important steps we can take is investing in the next generation of health-care professionals who will care for these communities.
At IU Health, we are working directly with local schools and community partners to help build that workforce pipeline. Across the region, IU Health has partnered with the Greater Lafayette Career Academy and area school districts to introduce students to health-care careers earlier and provide hands-on learning opportunities that bring those careers to life.
Through these programs, students explore health-care pathways and earn certifications such as certified nursing assistant, medical assistant or emergency medical technician while still in high school. Many participate in job shadowing opportunities, clinical experiences and mentorship programs, giving them valuable exposure to the field before they graduate. In fact, since the first cohort in 2023, IU Health has extended job offers to more than 70 students.
The goal is simple but powerful: help students see that meaningful careers in health care exist in their own communities and create pathways that allow them to stay and serve those communities.
For rural health care, this approach is critical. Students who train and develop personal mentorship connections locally are far more likely to remain in the region after completing their education. By helping young people build skills and connections early, we can create a sustainable workforce that strengthens health-care access in both rural communities and regional centers, including Greater Lafayette.
Since launching the $200 million Community Impact Investment Fund in 2018, IU Health has invested more than $40 million in community grants supporting workforce development, education and school-based programs that build Indiana’s health-care talent pipeline. This includes funding for the Indiana Latino Institute, which placed Latino students in health-care internships, supported career pathways, and provided medical interpreter training and college coaching to communities across the state.
Our goal is to make Indiana one of the healthiest states in the nation, and this is one way we work toward that in partnership with our communities.
But workforce development is only part of the solution.
Strengthening rural health care will also require continued collaboration between health-care providers, educators, community leaders and policymakers. Expanding telehealth access, supporting rural hospitals and investing in primary care and behavioral health services are all critical steps toward ensuring patients can receive care close to home.
Greater Lafayette will always play an important role as a regional health-care center, providing specialized care and advanced services for patients across a broad region. But the long-term health of Indiana’s health-care system depends on maintaining strong local access points for care in rural communities.
When rural clinics and hospitals can provide preventive care, manage chronic conditions and connect patients with the services they need early, the entire system works better.
Patients receive care sooner, communities stay healthier and larger hospitals can focus on the complex cases they are designed to treat.
Healthy rural communities do not just benefit the towns where they are. They strengthen Indiana’s entire health-care system by ensuring that every Hoosier — no matter where they live — has access to the care and resources they need to live healthier lives.
When rural health care succeeds, all of Indiana benefits.
Gary Henriott is a lifelong resident of Lafayette and the retired CEO and Chairman of Henriott Group. He is the chair of the IU Health West Region board of directors and the Wabash Heartland Innovation Network, and president of Lafayette’s Board of Public Works and Safety.
INDIANAPOLIS (WKRC) — An Indianapolis mother is now facing criminal charges after her 2-month-old baby died in an apparent improper co-sleeping environment, according to investigators.
According to a probable cause affidavit obtained by FOX 59/CBS 4, police were called to an area hospital on Sept. 19, 2024, following the death of 27-year-old Brooklyn Davis’ son. The boy had been found unresponsive in his family’s home early that morning, and Davis attempted CPR before he was rushed to the hospital.
The affidavit says the boy had been sleeping on Davis’ bed with his 6-year-old brother. Davis later showed investigators a video showing the baby sleeping chest down on the 6-year-old’s chest.
An autopsy concluded the baby’s cause of death was “sudden explained death of an infant” with an intrinsic factor, which included being “placed to sleep in a queen-sized mattress being shared with a 6-year-old sibling, along with numerous blankets and other miscellaneous items; discovered unresponsive in a prone position with his face turned to the side and partially covered with a blanket.”
A report from the Department of Child Services (DCS) indicated the boy had no known health issues and that Davis ran an FSSA-licensed day care and has “extensive training on child care and safe sleeping environments.”
Davis had been known to DCS prior to the baby’s death. The boy had been born marijuana-positive and, on July 2, 2024, Davis had reportedly signed a “Safe Sleep Safety Plan,” acknowledging she understood that the safest places for her baby to sleep were in a crib, pack-and-play or bassinet and warned that co-sleeping places the baby at risk of suffocation and sleeping areas should be kept free of blankets, pillows and other items. The plan also included a provision that Davis not use marijuana while caring for her children, but she told investigators during an interview that, the morning of her baby’s death, she had gone downstairs to smoke marijuana and left the children alone upstairs.
Davis’ two other children were removed from the home, and interviews with them revealed that co-sleeping with the infant happened often.
Investigators say they attempted to contact Davis several times after talking to her children.
“She called me on February 18, 2025, and said she didn’t do anything wrong, her baby died of SIDS,” the detective wrote in the affidavit. “Brooklyn never came in for an additional interview.”
Court records indicate the case was filed in March 2026. Davis was booked into jail on April 1 on three counts of neglect of a dependent. An initial hearing was held on April 7, and a bail review hearing is planned for Monday.
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