CAMPBELLSVILLE, KY – The Campbellsville University athletic department has been quite busy in the past few weeks. With recruiting season in full swing, the Tigers have inked a number of student-athletes for the upcoming 2013-14 season. The rosters will include many in-state talents who will play their collegiate sports in central Kentucky.
SWIMMING
Campbellsville University men’s swimming has added five student-athletes to its 2013-14 roster, CU swim coach Casey Smith announced Wednesday.
Devon Cross and Tyler Vaughn both come to CU from Logan County High School, while Alex Meade (Paintsville) and Daniel Fathergill (Lexington). Brad Clem is the only out of state addition, coming from Scottsburg, Ind.
“I am really excited about the addition of these student athletes. I feel that each of them has quite a bit of talent and individuality that will be a great benefit to our team over all. I think they will boost not only the confidence level of the women’s team, but also our level of competition. I am delighted to have each of them as Swimming Tigers starting this fall,” Smith said.
Cross and Vaughn both swim the 50- and 100-yard freestyle, while Cross also swims the 100-yard breaststroke and Vaughn swims the individual medley.
Meade can mix it up, swimming the 50-yard legs in freestyle (27.06), butterfly (34.28) and backstroke (37.58). He also swims the 100-yard free (58.22), fly (1:06.00) and back (1:12.77).
Fathergill brings a little mid-distance to the Tigers’ lineup, swimming the 500-yard freestyle in high school with a time of 6:36.06. He also swims the 50 free (27.70), 100 free (1:01.59), 200 free (2:20.23) and 50 fly (30.72).
Clem holds the top times of all of the recruits in freestyle swimming, entering college with a 50-yard time of 23 seconds, 100-yard time of 57 seconds and 200-yard time of 2:01.
Campbellsville University reinstated its men’s swimming program in the fall of 2012 after more than a decade without one. CU had two men’s swimmers compete during the 2012-13 season and will return one redshirt freshman, Filippo Albertino of Turin, Italy. CU men’s swimming holds a place in school history as the first athletic program to ever win an NAIA national championship with three student-athletes claiming individual titles from 1997 to 1999.
- 2013 Men’s Swimming Signees:
Brad Clem – Scottsburg High School – Scottsburg, Ind.
Devon Cross – Logan County High School – Lewisburg, Ky.
Daniel Fathergill – Lafayette High School – Lexington, Ky.
Alex Meade – Paintsville High School – Paintsville, Ky.
Tyler Vaughn – Logan County High School – Lewisburg, Ky.
SOCCER
Campbellsville University men’s soccer has added eight more high school seniors to its recruiting class for 2013-14, head coach Adam Preston announced Wednesday.
Campbellsville’s new additions include six from Kentucky and one from Tennessee.
- Dakota Ennis and Chase Long – Meade County High School
Dakota Ennis and Chase Long come to CU from Meade County High School in Brandenburg, Ky. This past season, Ennis and Long helped lead Meade County to its first KHSAA 5th Region Tournament appearance since 2006, finishing the season with a 13-9-1 record.
“Dakota is hard working and has the potential to grow into a solid defender,” Preston said. “Chase is a developing midfielder with a creative flare. With some added weight, he will grow into an asset for the team.”
- Cody Gavre – Breckenridge Count High School
Cody Gavre competed in five sports and has played overseas during his high school career. In addition to playing soccer and being an honors student, he played football, baseball, basketball and was a two-time state qualifier for Breckenridge’s cross country team, including being captain of the team his senior year. The 6-foot defender also played soccer in Europe, including four years in Germany and two years in Egypt on youth teams. He has played for ODP Europe and is a member of the 95 Boys ODP team and Kentucky ODP. He plays club season for the Vine Grove Vipers.
“Cody is an aggressive, skilled defender/midfielder,” Preston said. “He has some solid experience in his past and is expected to be a contributor this fall.”
- Alex Higdon – John Hardin High School
Alex Higdon helped make a name for himself in 2011 as a member of the Region II team that went on two win the 1995 age group at the U.S. Youth ODP Boy’s NCAA Interregional in Alabama. During his career at John Hardin, he helped lead his team to the Region 5 Tournament and has played for club titles with the Louisville-based Union. As a junior at John Hardin, Higdon scored seven goals and assisted eight as part of a 14-8-1 season. The 5-foot-8 forward added 13 goals and seven assists as a senior.
“Alex Higdon is an outstanding late pick-up for us. He comes to us from the highly-rated, state champion River City Rovers Academy,” Preston said. “I expect Alex to have an immediate impact at the varsity level. He sees the game very well and will add some creativity and scoring punch to an already potent offense.”
- Cameron Carter – Bullitt East High School
Cameron Carter comes to CU from Bullitt East, where he also ran cross country.
“Cameron has a great attitude, and I am looking forward to seeing him perform with the team,” Preston said.
- Triston Phillips – Franklin Simpson High School
Triston Phillips played in all 18 games for Franklin Simpson in 2012, helping the team to a 12-6 record and District 13 championship as a senior. He and the Franklin Simpson defense held opponents to 1.6 goals per game and posted two shutouts.
“Triston is an athletic defender. He has the potential, with the right mindset to grow into a quality defender,” Preston said.
- Stephen Bare – Gordonsville High School
Stephen Bare played both soccer and football at Gordonsville High School in Tennessee.
“Stephen brings great enthusiasm, and I am excited to work with him this fall,” Preston said.
- Juan Esparza – LaFayette High School
Juan Esparza is a 5’7″ midfielder from LaFayette High School in Lexington, Ky.
“Juan is a very technical and capable player. With some added fitness he will be able to be a quality addition to our program.” Preston said.
BASKETBALL
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Campbellsville University signed its fifth high school senior in late April, adding Trinity HIgh School’s Miles Rice to the 2013-14 roster.
“Miles is going to be a very good player for us. He brings a lot of qualities that could make him a very special player,” said Keith Adkins, CU head coach. “His toughness and ability to defend are the things that make him ready to play at the college level, immediately. Offensively, he can play the point or off the ball as a shooting guard.”
Rice, who joins Trinity teammate DeMarcus Page as a 2013 signee, averaged nine points and four rebounds per game for the Shamrocks this past season while shooting 78 percent from the free throw line. He also led the team in assists and steals.
“Miles is one of the best all-around players we have had at Trinity. He can play multiple positions because of his strength and athleticism,” said Mike Szabo, Trinity High School head basketball coach. “He is a major reason why we have had so much success. He is a team-first player. He is so unselfish and is always willing to do what was best for the team. We will miss his talent, his leadership and most importantly his character. Miles Rice is a winner!”
Rice and Page helped lead to Trinity to a final regular season No. 1 ranking and 28-6 record. Trinity, which won the 2012 KHSAA state championship, also won the Louisville Invitational Tournament in 2012-13.
“As I mentioned earlier when we signed Demarcus, I love the fact that Miles has been coached. We are very fortunate to have two guys in our program that have played for Mike Szabo. What he has done at Trinity is truly amazing,” Adkins said. “As a whole, our freshman class is accustomed to winning. We are hoping that this attitude carries over to the college level.”
- 2013-14 Men’s Basketball Signees
DeMarcus Page – Trinity High School (Louisville, Ky.)
Miles Rice – Trinity High School (Louisville, Ky.)
Quin Richardson – Scott County High School (Georgetown, Ky.)
Kody Johnson – Pulaski County High School (Somerset, Ky.)
Elliott Young – Bullitt East High School (Mt. Washington, Ky.)
GOLF
Campbellsville University women’s golf coach Brent Vernon added three more signees during the spring semester, bringing the 2013-14 signing class to six.
Leslie VanEvery (Greenwood High School in Bowling Green, Ky.), Anna Marie Hyatt (Anderson County High School in Lawrenceburg, Ky.) and Grace Gupton (Ballard High School in Louisville, Ky.) join Olivia Parrot and Cassidy Scantland of Green County High School and Ashley Goodin of Adair County High School. Parrot, Scantland and Goodin all signed with CU in August 2012.
Five of the six qualified for the 2012 Leachman Buick-GMC-Cadillac/KHSAA Girls State Golf Championships in October, with Scantland placing seventh while VanEvery finished 25th and Parrott 49th after making the cut. Goodin and Gupton narrowly missed the cut
Following the KHSAA season, Gupton, Hyatt, Scantland and VanEvery all finished in the Top 10 at the KGCA Senior All-Star Tournament in late October at The University Club of Kentucky’s Wildcat Golf Course. VanEvery shot 82 to finish third, while Scantland was a stroke behind in fourth, Hyatt shot 88 and tied for seventh, while Gupton shot 89 to tie for 10th place.
- Leslie VanEvery – Greenwood High School – Bowling Green, Ky.
VanEvery comes to CU after a four-year career at Greenwood High School in Bowling Green, Ky. VanEvery was a two-time qualifier for the KHSAA State Championships, earning a spot as an individual during her freshman (2009) and senior (2012) seasons. She was also a KGCA All-Region selection in Region 4 in 2012.
During the last summer, she played in four KJGF tournaments, placing in the Top 4 twice, including a 2012 runner-up finish at Seneca Golf Course.
“Leslie has a ton of potential, and we are thrilled she will be attending Campbellsville University. She is very long off the tee and her length is going to be very useful for her in transitioning to the college game. I think all freshman that come in will have to adjust to the distance that is played at the collegiate level, but Leslie definitely has an advantage there, and I see very bright things for her in the future,” Vernon said.
“She was a state tournament qualifier this year and that will do nothing but prepare her for the tournaments she will see once our season begins. She is going to be a major piece of the puzzle for the future of Lady Tiger Golf.”
- Anna-Marie Hyatt – Anderson County High School – Lawrenceburg, Ky.
Hyatt played all four years at Anderson County for her father Todd Hyatt. As a senior in 2012, she was selected to the Kentucky Golf Coaches Association (KGCA) All-Region 7 Team, joining VanEvery (Region 4) and Green County’s Cassidy Scantland (Region 4 Player of the Year) and as a CU signee to be named All-Region.
In addition to golf, Hyatt played softball for ACHS and was a member of the SportsReach Ministries travel ball team. She finished her career third in the ACS career record book for RBIs (76) and triples (9) and fifth in runs scored (89) and stolen bases (9). She also tied the ACHS single-season record for triples with six.
“Anna-Marie is a player that has a very bright future and has unbelievable potential in golf. She was a two sport star in golf and softball at Anderson County,” Vernon said. “She can really hit the ball a long way and again that is going to be a big plus for her. Her short game is a work in progress, but something that I know she is working on day-in and day-out. Once she shores that up, her scores will just continue to drop throughout her career. I know she is a great competitor and look forward coaching her in the near future.”
- Grace Gupton – Ballard High School – Louisville, Ky.
Gupton comes to CU from Ballard High School, where she was an individual qualifier for the 2012 KHSAA Girls’ Golf Championships. Gupton placed third in the KHSAA Region 5 Tournament with an 81. During the past two summers, she has competed in the Kentucky Junior Golf Foundation (KJGF), placing in the Top 5 in 16 of 18 tournaments played, including a 2011 win at Gibson Bay Golf Course and a 2012 win at Quail Chase Golf Club. In 2012, she was also runner-up at Rosewood Golf Club and Campbellsville Country Club en route to a third-place finish in the KJGF point standings.
“Grace’s experience in the state tournament will help her tremendously when we start qualifying and tournaments in the fall,” Vernon said. “She will be a great addition, has a great swing and is a very good ball striker. Put that together with her short game, and I expect big things from her and the rest of the freshman class.”
VOLLEYBALL
Amy Zink has been spending her summer loading up on minerals. The fourth-year Campbellsville University Volleyball Coach signed her second player from Mineral Area (Missouri) College when she inked 6-foot-2 transfer middle hitter Aleksandra Popovic to a scholarship.
Popovic, from Serbia, will be joined in the fall by fellow Mineral Area College player, 5-foot-8 setter Krista Mihelsone. The pair close out the 2013 varsity roster for Zink.
“Aleks brings maturity and knowledge to the Lady Tigers,” said Zink. “It is very beneficial for both Krista and Aleks to have played together. They connect and complement each other while on the court.”
Popovic comes from a good volleyball gene pool as her mother played all through high school and finished at the University of Economics where her father was a track and field athlete.
She finished high school for Landscape Architecture in 2010, and came to the states in 2011 after taking a year off to travel thru Europe and I played volleyball for Postar 064. She had a friend at Mineral College and that how she eventually got hooked up on a college team in Missouri.
“My last two year at Mineral Area College were amazing,” said Popovic. “I graduated with my AA and a GPA of 3.3.
“From a volleyball point it was a hard-working team and it was a joy playing with them. My freshmen year we went to national tournament and we finished 10th in the nation. That was the first time ever that MAC had gone to nationals and it was very exciting seeing our banner on the wall of our gym.”
She was named All Region 16 Second Team her sophomore year.
“I am very excited for my next step at Campbellsville. Being 22 and playing volleyball for 12 years you always look for new challenges and new environments and that brings out new passion for the game.”
Popovic noticed that the Lady Tigers are a full-energy team and ready to work hard every time they step on the court.
“That kind of energy always pushes you to be better and do better,” said Popovic. “I am happy I will have Krista (Mihelsone) with me, at least I am one less person she needs to get used to on the court when it comes to setting. I love the fact that the lady Tigers are so driven and a high-powered team. I can’t wait to step on the court with them.”
*Information provided by CampbellsvilleTigers.com.
Filed under: Basketball, Campbellsville Tigers, General Sports, Golf, Soccer, Softball, Volleyball Tagged: Campbellsville University Tigers, College Athletics, NAIA, National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, Rercuiting
