Around the Ohio Valley - March 23

Austin Peay: Two APSU track and field athletes, Courtney Jordan and Ashley Carson, were honored for their leadership efforts at the recent Hattie Walker Wilhoite Recognition Program. Some background on Hattie Walker Wilhoite is that she earned her master’s degree in education in 1957 becoming the first African American to graduate from APSU and taught English for 38 years at Burt School after graduation. Jordan is a 5-time member of the Dean’s List and plans on pursuing a master’s degree upon graduation. Carson has an impressive 3.54 GPA and has served over 2 years in the Army before coming to APSU... I can't go without mentioning APSU's basketball season. Big Dog's Blog covers the Govs like nobody else, get his unique perspective on how the season came to an end and why he thinks APSU are the favorites for an OVC title next season.

Eastern Illinois: Read about how EIU won the OVC Indoor Track and Field Championships on both the men's and the women's side recently, and how Zye Boey was named an All-American in the process...EIU women wrapped up their basketball season after falling to Chicago State in the WBI. The Panthers close their year with a 18-13 record, but the future looks promising with players like Ta'Kenya Nixon who is featured below.

Eastern Kentucky: EKU finished 6th in the OVC this year under the guidance of the Jeff Neubauer. Neubauer accomplished this season what only two other coaches have before him at EKU, 100 wins. See some other interesting facts and highlights of their 2010-2011 season here..EKU softball program and Head Coach Jane Worthington earned the 500th victory in the program's history recently. EKU's website features a story on the accomplishment and wraps up their midweek action.

Jacksonville State: You might say that JSU baseball is doing big things after they defeated Auburn in front of an overflow crowd at Rudy Abbott Field. They rallied in the eighth inning to claim a 5-4 victory over to #20 team in the nation as Blake Seguin, pictured here from JSU's webiste, provided the game winning hit...Also, you can view pictures of JSU football as spring practice gets under way at the Anniston Star.

Morehead State: MoreheadNews.com features articles on programs that are awarding outstanding academic performances. Among the stories is the Board of Regents honoring soccer, volleyball and cheerleaders and MSU's announcement of the new Eagle Excellence Award...So we know that pulling off an upset in the NCAA tournament earns you some national recognition, but who knew that it would earn Donnie Tyndall a new four-year contract and make him the highest paid coach in the OVC? Msueagles.com reports that Brain Hutchinson announced the news on Tuesday. From winning the OVC tournament, to beating Louisville and then appearing on the Dan Patrick show Tyndall is having a month to remember. Good fortune is on his side, and so is Charlie Sheen who picked MSU to beat Louisville.

Murray State: Donnie Tyndall isn't the only OVC basketball coach being awarded, Billy Kennedy will be receiving the John Lotz "Barnabas" Award presented by the FCA. The presentation of the award will be made at the FCA Coaches Luncheon in Houston at the NCAA Final Four. I should mention that the Ledger & Times reports that Billy Kennedy has talked to Wyoming about the open head coaching position there. There is surely more to come on this subject, but in the meantime look over the article to see who said what.

Southeast Missouri State: Read The New York Times truly inspiring article on Jordan Underwood to see why, as Calgary University professor Joan Vickers states, "This young man's brain had to change the neural networks to determine where the strike zone is."...SEMO barely missed out on qualifying for the NCAA Regionals as a team, but are sending three athletes to the University of Oklahoma to compete in the Regionals individually. Read about what this intells for student-athletes Brianna Gaddie, Christina Sundgren and Taylor Westrick.

SIU Edwardsville: SIUE is inducting six new former athletes into Hall of Fame and one team as well. Check out siuecougars.com to see the list...Newcomers to the OVC, SIUE softball is off to a 2-3 record in the conference. The highlights below showcase SIUE vs. Murray State and features a good defensive work and a play at the plate.

Tennessee State: TSU has two big events to promote. First there is the Legends Game, also referred to as the Blue and White Spring Football game. The event will be held at Hale Stadium and you can check out tsutigers.com for more info...Dominique Rogers-Cromartie is also presenting the Celebrity Basketball Slam Jam on TSU's campus. Proceeds will be donated to DRC Foundation.

Tennessee Tech: News surfaced today that TTU Head Coach Mike Sutton has retired. If you aren't familiar with his story the clip below is taken from a few years ago, but it captures the nature of Sutton's encouraging story.

UT Martin: UTM's tennis is on a roll as they defeated TSU yesterday to improve their winning streak to 3 games. Catch the full report at utmsports.com...So, it had to end at some point. UT Martin women feel to Duke in the NCAA tournament. You can't fault a team who set record after record and achieved the program's first ever NCAA tournament appearance. The team traded blow for blow during the first half, but Duke proved to be too much. Catch the full report and Head Coach Kevin McMillan's comments here.