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Cloudy with rain ending overnight. Low 57F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%..

Cloudy with rain ending overnight. Low 57F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%.

In Oakland City University Athletics news...

Men’s and Women’s Cross Country:Saturday: The OCU men’s and women’s cross country teams competed in the McNicols Invitational at Indiana State University in Terre Haute on the Lavern Gibson Course.

Placing 16th in an 18-team meet hardly sounds like a win, but it is understandable if the Oakland City University cross country women’s team feels like it is. After all, they finished ahead of NCAA Division I-member University of Evansville.

The University of Illinois won both the women’s and men’s team titles, its women prevailing with 26 points to Toledo’s 29 and Purdue’s 102. Illinois men won with 51 points to Toledo’s 61 and Purdue’s 71.

In the men’s race, junior Merdi Llonga was the top finisher for OCU with a time of 31:39.9. Other times for OCU: sophomore Ronald Kiprono (33:26.8), freshman Landon Marshall (36:54.6) and Pike Central-bred senior Draven Huff (37:05.2).

Coach Audrey Pleiss Sparks’ Lady Oaks finished with a team score of 530, ahead of Evansville’s 533 and Rose-Hulman’s 547.

Southridge-bred sophomore Evie Hasenour, with a time of 21:20.1, was the top finisher for the team. Other times for the OCU women’s team:

Gibson Southern-bred sophomore Raegan Heldt (22:46.4), Pike Central-bred grad student Halley Powers (23:23.3), Evie’s twin sister, Ellie Hasenour (23:54.7), Wood Memorial-bred junior Jolea Kennedy (24:56.9), junior Chloe O’Neal (27:52.1), junior Maria Valero (28:15.5) and freshman Niewa Brown (32:32.9).

The next meet for OCU women and men will be the October 1 Live In Louisville Invitational in that city’s Tom Sawyer Park.

Men’s SoccerSaturday: OAKLAND CITY — By getting ready quickly in the Tichenor Center and then walking hurriedly to the Oakland City University cafeteria where he washes and dries dishes and serves food, Matias Salfate showed the same hustle that moments earlier kept OCU men’s soccer team from suffering a 1-0 loss to Hannibal-LaGrange.

The 21-year-old sophomore, a defensive back, scored his first college goal with 4:38 seconds left to give the Mighty Oaks a 1-1 tie with Hannibal-LaGrange Saturday afternoon at Aigner Field.

“A defender moves up front when his team gets a corner kick,” noted Jasper-bred sophomore teammate Brian Elizararras, whose corner kick led to the Salfate goal that erased the 1-0 lead the visiting Trojans held for almost 61 of the 90 minutes.

The Mighty Oaks, who in each of their first eight matches have yet to yield more than one goal in a match, will take a 3-2-3 record into Thursday’s River States Conference opener at St. Mary-of-the-Woods in Terre Haute. The Lady Oaks will open their River States Conference schedule in Thursday’s doubleheader opener.

“Our corner kick bounced off Roberto Dominguez’s head,” said the 21-year-old Salfate, who found his way to Oakland City from Rancagua, Chile.

“Roberto was three or four feet from me, and after the ball bounced off his head it hit the ground in front of me. I just hit the ball with my right foot and got it over the goal line and into the net.”

“We wanted to beat that team and not just tie with them.”

The visiting Trojans, who returned to Hannibal, Missouri, with a 2-1-1 record, took the lead 25:53 before halftime when sophomore Ryan McQueen scored from just eight feet away by heading a cross from junior Jorge Galindo. Fifty seconds later, the Mighty Oaks’ Sergio Revuelta kicked a 15-yard line drive that hit the left post and bounded away.

“We didn’t play today at the level of our last two matches, but we moved the ball fairly well,” OCU head coach Adam Sell said.

“Their goal came when we made a defensive mistake — we switched off a couple places and lost match-ups, but we kept competing.”

Trojans Coach David Erskine felt “frustrated with how we finished, but credit Oakland City for a good job of organizing after our goal. They played hard and well.”

“Their goal came after their corner kick hit the ground. You don’t want a corner kick to do that.”

According to statistics compiled by sports information director David Hose, the Mighty Oaks outshot the visitors 15-8. OCU sophomore goalkeeper Laurin Aumueller made four saves, including the catch of a line drive with just over three minutes left. Trojans keeper Samuel-Ben Elfner made seven saves.

Hannibal-LaGrange University @ Oakland City University (Sept. 17)

OCU Athletics honored as Champion of Character Five-Star institute by NAIAThough none of Oakland City University’s three finalists are among the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Champions of Character Award winners announced Thursday morning, the university can celebrate that honor announced recently.

Samantha Silver, a softball player for Bushnell College of Eugene, Oregon, received the Leroy Walker Champions of Character 2021-2022 Female Athlete of the Year Award, for which Lady Oaks cross country and track runner Halley Powers became a finalist after winning the River States Conference award with the same name.

Albert Martins, men’s soccer coach at the University of California-Merced, received the Coach of Character Award, for which Mighty Oaks Men’s Basketball Head Coach Ken French became a finalist after winning that River States Conference Award.

Elfie Farchmin, of Weber International University in Florida, was cited as NAIA Faculty Athletics Representative of the Year, for which OCU’s Dr. Stephen Custer became a finalist by winning that River States Conference Award.

Each of OCU’s three national finalists earned the River States Conference Award by being so honored by their university, which recently was announced as a winner of the NAIA’s 2021-2022 Champion of Character Five-Star Institute Top Scores Award.

Oakland City is among 28 schools to receive 100 points in the NAIA grading. The Gold bracket honors schools with 90 to 100 points. It has 57 members. Schools with 75 to 89 points are in the Silver group, those with 60 to 74 in the Bronze group.

Two other Indiana universities, New Albany-based IU-Southeast and Fort Wayne-based Indiana Tech, also are Gold honorees. Indiana Tech has regional classroom and enrollment centers in 13 locations, including Evansville.

OCU, in Dr. Ron Dempsey’s presidency, is in the early stages of its third academic year in the NAIA after three decades in NCAA Division II. Before that, the school belonged to the NAIA. The Mighty Oaks and Lady Oaks remain in the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA).

Women’s Tennis:Saturday: The women’s tennis team participated in the River States Conference Fall Preview at the Wesselman Park Outdoor Tennis Courts in Evansville.

Match results for the OCU women’s team were as follows:

#1 Singles: Both Liz Aristizabal and Lou Limousin competed for OCU.

Quarterfinals: Liz Aristizabal def. Deimante Krivickaite (Brescia), 6-2, 6-1; Semifinals: Linda Marino (Indiana University East) def. Aristizabal, 6-3, 5-7, 10-5 (10-point tiebreaker); Third-Place Match: Aristizabal def. Audrey DeWitt (Indiana University Southeast), 6-1, 6-1.

Quarterfinals: Gabbie Orlando (IU Kokomo) def. Limousin, 6-3, 7-5; Consolation Semifinal: Limousin had a bye; Fifth-Place Match: Deimante Krivickaite (Brescia) def. Limousin, 6-2, 7-6 (Tiebreaker: 7-4).

#2 Singles: Both Mariana Espinosa and Kataryna Kulynych competed for OCU.

Quarterfinals: Espinosa def. Sarah Dunaway (Brescia), 6-0, 6-0; Kulynych def. Riley Hiser (Indiana University Kokomo), 6-1, 6-1; Semifinals: Addy De Witt (IU Southeast) def. Espinosa (OCU), 3-6, 6-3, 10-6 (10-point tiebreaker); Eva Caballero (IU East) def. Kulynych, 4-6, 6-1, 10-8 (10-point tiebreaker); No Third-Place Match was played due to both participants being members of the OCU team.

#3 Singles: Pamela Barbosa and Tiana Sparks each competed for OCU.

Quarterfinals: Barbosa received a bye; Sparks def. Amonette Theorn (IU East), 6-2, 6-3; Semifinals: Anna Littlefield (IU Southeast) def. Barbosa, 2-6, 6-0, 10-4 (10-point tiebreaker); Sparks def. Reese Johnson (IU Kokomo), 6-2, 6-3; Third-Place Match: Barbosa def. Reese Johnson (IU Kokomo), 6-4, 6-3; Championship Match: Anna Littlefield (IU Southeast) def. Sparks, 7-6 (Tiebreaker: 7-4), 6-3.

#4 Singles: Carolina Segura, Sophia Davidson and Marta Fernandez each competed for OCU.

Quarterfinals: Fernandez received a bye; Davidson def. Katie Weimer (IU Southeast), 6-2, 6-2; Segura def. Kacie Ray (Brescia), 6-0, 6-0. Semifinals: Segura (default) over Davidson; Maria Oliveira (IU Kokomo) def. Fernandez, 6-3, 6-0; No Third-Place Match was played between Davidson and Fernandez; Championship Match: Maria Oliveira (IU Kokomo) def. Segura, 6-4, 5-7, 10-8 (10-point tiebreaker).

#5 Singles: Quarterfinals: Juliana Puente (OCU) def. Emma Ellis (IU Southeast), 6-2, 6-1; Semifinals: Puente def. Gracer Froedge (Midway University), 6-0, 6-2; Championship Match: McKenzie Cook (IU East) default over Puente.

#6 Singles: Quarterfinals: Laynie Graham (OCU) def. Veronica Fiscus (IU Kokomo), 6-3, 6-0; Semifinals: Elana Hamby (IU Southeast) def. Graham, 6-4, 5-7, 11-9 (10-point tiebreaker); Third-Place Match: Graham def. Alyssa Hollingsworth (IU East), 7-5, 7-6 (Tiebreaker: 7-3).

#1 Doubles: Quarterfinals: Davidson/Limousin (OCU) def. Hayden/Krivickaite (BU), 6-4; Semifinals: Davidson/Limousin def. Orlando/O’Rourke (IUK), 6-0; Championship Match: Davidson/Limousin def. Caballero/Theorn (IUE), 7-6 (Tiebreaker: 7-5).

#2 Doubles: Quarterfinals: Espinosa/Kulynych (OCU) had a bye; Sparks/Puente (OCU) def. Johnson/Oliveria (IU Kokomo), 6-3; Semifinals: Littlefield/Weimer (IU Southeast) def. Espinosa/Kulynych, 6-2; Sparks/Puente (OCU) def. Dunaway/Ray (Brescia), 6-1; Third-Place Match: Espinosa/Kulynych (OCU) def. Dunaway/Ray (Brescia), 6-4; Championship Match: Littlefield/Weimer (IU Southeast) def. Sparks/Puente, 6-2.

#3 Doubles: OCU had two teams that competed at number-three doubles: Fernandez/Barbosa and Kaleigh Helm/Graham.

Quarterfinals: Fernandez/Barbosa def. Rhodes/Koester (IU Kokomo), 6-1; Helm/Graham def. Schmidt/Fiscus (IU Kokomo), 6-4; Semifinals: Fernandez/Barbosa def. Ellis/Hamby (IU Southeast), 6-0; Helm/Graham def. Estes/Gaddis (Brescia), 6-4; Championship Match: Fernandez/Barbosa def. Helm/Graham, 6-1.

Saturday: The men’s tennis team also participated in the River States Conference Fall Preview at the Wesselman Park Outdoor Tennis Courts in Evansville.

Match results for the OCU men’s team were as follows:

#1 Singles: Andre Baltazar and Francisco Perez each competed for OCU.

Quarterfinals: Perez received a bye; Baltazar def. Joao de Carvalho (Brescia), 6-2, 6-0; Semifinals: Francisco Faundez (IU East) def. Perez, 6-3, 2-6, 10-8 (10-point tiebreaker); Baltazar def. Adrian Martinez (IU East), 6-4, 6-3; Third-Place Match: Perez (default) over Adrian Martinez (IU East); Championship Match: Francisco Faundez (IU East) def. Baltazar, 6-4, 6-3.

#2 Singles: Louki Nivarlet and Angel Gomez each competed for OCU.

Lakshay Vivek (Midway) def. Nivarlet, 6-3, 4-6, 10-6 (10-point tiebreaker); Gomez def. Connor Mason (IU Southeast), 6-1, 6-4; Consolation Semifinal: Nivarlet def. Germano de Carvalho (Brescia), 6-2, Ret.; Semifinal: Gomez def. Matthew Nel (IU East), 6-4, 6-3; Fifth-Place Match: Nivarlet def. Connor Mason (IU Southeast), 6-3, 6-3; Championship match: Gomez def. Lakshay Vivek (Midway), 6-2, 6-7 (Tiebreaker: 7-5), 11-9 (10-point tiebreaker).

#3 Singles: Tomas Ojeda, Willem Cilliers, Jose Andres Perez Perez and Aden Thewes each competed for OCU.

Quarterfinals: Ojeda def. Braedon Christie (Brescia), 6-1, 6-2; Cilliers def. Izan Casado (Midway), 6-0, 6-1; Semifinals: Cilliers def. Ojeda, 3-6, 6-4, 10-7 (10-point tiebreaker); Perez Perez def. Mosies Gonclaves (IU East), 6-3, 6-0; Seventh-Place Match: Thewes def. Izan Casado (Midway), 6-7 (Tiebreaker: 7-4), 6-2, 10-4 (10-point tiebreaker); Third-Place Match: Ojeda def. Mosies Gonclaves (IU East), 6-3, 6-4; Championship Match: Perez Perez def. Cilliers, 6-4, 0-6, 11-9 (10-point tiebreaker).

#4 Singles: Samarbir Sidhu, Carlos Hernandez and Juanes Pinto each competed for OCU.

Quarterfinals: Sidhu def. Kyle Hollingsworth (IUE), 6-0, 6-0; Hernandez (default) over Sebastian Ruiz (Brescia); Pinto def. Camden Jones (IU Southeast), 6-1, 6-1; Semifinals: Sidhu def. Aleksa Stefanovic (Brescia), 6-1, 6-0; Pinto def. Hernandez, 4-6, 6-0, 10-6 (10-point tiebreaker); Third-Place Match: Hernandez def. Aleksa Stefanovic (Brescia), 6-1, 7-5; Championship Match: Sidhu def. Pinto, 6-3, 6-3.

Quarterfinals: Gerardo Gopar (OCU) def. Spencer Counts (Midway), 6-1, 6-0; Semifinals: Gopar def. Parker Johnston (Brescia), 6-1, 6-0; Championship Match: Gopar def. Aiden De Witt (IU Southeast), 2-6, 6-4, 10-7 (10-point tiebreaker).

#6 Singles: Kaleb Knepp, Matias Rocha and Matheus De Lorenzo each competed for OCU.

Quarterfinals: Rocha received a bye; Knepp def. William Ashby (Midway), 6-0, 6-0; Lorenzo def. Clay Conner (IU East), 6-1, 6-0; Semifinals: Rocha (default) over Knepp; Lorenzo def. Luke Miller (IU Southeast), 6-2, 6-0; Third-Place Match: Knepp def. Luke Miller (IU Southeast), 7-5, 6-4; Championship Match: Lorenzo (default) over Rocha.

#1 Doubles: Three teams (Nivarlet/Hernandez, Cilliers/Gomez and Francisco Perez/Jose Andres Perez Perez) competed for OCU.

Quarterfinals: Nivarlet/Hernandez received a bye; Cilliers/Gomez def. Franks/Neuhauser (IU Southeast), 6-4; Perez Perez/Perez def. de Carvalho/de Carvalho (Brescia), 6-0; Semifinals: Nivarlet/Hernandez def. Cilliers/Gomez, 6-4; Faundez/Martinez (IU East) def. Perez Perez/Perez, 7-5; Third-Place Match: Cilliers/Gomez def. Perez Perez/Perez, 7-5; Championship Match: Faundez/Martinez (IU East) def. Nivarlet/Hernandez, 6-2.

#2 Doubles: Two teams (Baltazar/Ojeda and Sidhu/Pinto) competed for OCU.

Quarterfinals: Baltazar/Ojeda def. Stefanovic/Johnston (BU), 6-0; Sidhu/Pinto def. Mason/Jones (IU Southeast), 6-0; Semfinals: OCU team won, 6-2; Third-Place Match: OCU team won by default over Cristie/Ruiz (Brescia); Championship Match: OCU team won over Sosa/Gonclaves (IU East), 6-4.

#3 Doubles: Two teams (Rocha/Gopar and Tommy Kidwell/Thewes) competed for OCU.

Quarterfinals: Rocha/Gopar def. Nel/Hollingsworth (IU East), 6-4; Kidwell/Thewes def. Hernandez/Travera (Brescia), 6-3; Semifinals: Collado/Vivek (Midway) def. Rocha/Gopar, 6-2; Kidwell/Thewes def. Casado/Counts (Midway), 6-4; Third-Place Match: Rocha/Gopar def. Casado/Counts (Midway), 6-2; Championship Match: Collado/Vivek def. Kidwell/Thewes, 6-1.

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