Caston finishes 6th, Winamac 7th BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS Sports Editor, RTC WINAMAC — The North Judson girls golf team shot a 420 to win the 10-team Winamac Invitational at Moss Creek Golf Club Tuesday. Among area teams, Pioneer was third with a 450, Caston was sixth with a 477, and Winamac was seventh with a 479. Grace Cobb led Pioneer with a 108, Ali Tribbett had a 117, Kassandra Martinez had a 118, Addie Tabler had a 122, and Selena Johnson had a 123. Audrey Ault was Caston’s l

BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS Sports Editor, RTC RTC4 Baseball Player of the Year Carson Paulik It was a standout season for two high school baseball teams in particular in our area in 2026. North Miami won just their third sectional title ever and then followed it with their first regional title. Caston also won their third sectional title. But our RTC4 Baseball Player of the Year, Rochester senior pitcher-infielder Carson Paulik, did not attend either of those schools. Paulik singleha

BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS Sports Editor, RTC RTC4 Softball Player of the Year Dalynne Bussard We had a pretty good idea whom we were picking for RTC4 Softball Player of the Year before sectionals week started. What happened during sectionals week only confirmed what we had already been thinking: Dalynne Bussard deserves it again. Bussard, a senior from Tippecanoe Valley and a University of Indianapolis recruit, is the first two-time winner in the six-year history of the award. She a

BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS Sports Editor, RTC RTC4 Boys Golfer of the Year Ivan Reyes Once again, our RTC Boys Golfer of the Year is from Pioneer. But this time, it is a different player. Last year, it was Micah Rans. This year, it is Ivan Reyes. A junior, Reyes is our pick after winning medalist honors and leading his Panthers to a Hoosier North title. He also shot a 76 at the Logansport sectional to lead his team to a third-place finish and a return trip to the regional. This was a

BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS Sports Editor, RTC RTC4 Boys Track Athlete of the Year Harrison Dunwoody Harrison Dunwoody added the 100 meters and the long jump to his track repertoire in 2026, but the event in which his name will be listed on the record board inside the hallway above the concession stand at Rochester High School is the 110 hurdles. And thanks to that record-breaking performance, he is our RTC4 Boys Track Athlete of the Year for the second straight year. Dunwoody is a gi

BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS Sports Editor, RTC RTC4 Girls Track Athlete of the Year Betty Shepherd For the third straight year, our RTC4 Girls Athlete of the Year is a 300-meter hurdler. And for the second time during that span, it is Tippecanoe Valley’s Betty Shepherd. Shepherd also was our Girls Athlete of the Year in 2024 when she made state as a sophomore. She did not make state in 2025 as friend and rival Audrey Wagner from Rochester was our Athlete of the Year. But that did not

Team includes Caston’s Johnson, Long, Winamac’s Cotner, Pioneer’s Grandstaff BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS Sports Editor, RTC The Indiana Aces travel softball team won the 12-and-under B Great Lakes National Tournament in Columbus, Ind., from July 6-10. The team went 6-1-1 over eight games to top a field of 22 teams. Front, from left – Elizabeth Grandstaff, Caroline Cotner, Aubriella Garcia, Skylar Hudson, Teagan Long. Middle – Harper Johnson, Delta Mayhill, Lillie Ridenour, Bray Byer,

Caston’s Logan, Winamac’s Werner make third team BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS Sports Editor, RTC Bria Rensberger Maggie Keller Lois Layer Softball Rochester’s Bria Rensberger, Winamac’s Maggie Keller and Pioneer’s Lois Layer have been named to the Softball Coaches Association of Indiana Class 1A/2A second team All-State. Rensberger went 15-2 with a 1.34 ERA in the circle. Her only losses were to Class 3A, No. 5 Roncalli a

BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS Sports Editor, RTC Brooke Rausch Makayla Werner Ava Beasy Softball Winamac senior Brooke Rausch was named to the Softball Coaches Association of Indiana Academic All-State team, and her teammate Makayla Werner was named Honorable Mention Academic All-State. In addition, Pioneer senior Ava Beasy was named Honorable Mention Academic All-State. Criteria for academic honors were not listed.

BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS Sports Editor, RTC Hannah, left, and Leah Zeigler LOGANSPORT — Hannah and Leah Zeigler have a lot in common. They are sisters. They are teammates on the girls basketball team at Pioneer. And they both showed goats at the Cass County 4-H Fair Tuesday. Leah, who will be a junior at Pioneer, won Senior Boer Goat Showmanship and Reserve Grand Registered Boer. She said her sister got her started raising goats. That’s in addition to the sheep, pigs and chickens t

List includes Caston’s Mollenkopf brothers, Culver’s McCuen brothers, 3 from regional champ N. Miami BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS Sports Editor, RTC Logan Mollenkopf Parker Zimpleman Gavin Mollenkopf Baseball Twelve RTC area baseball players were named first-team All-Hoosier North in voting done by the conference’s coaches and released to the media Monday. In addition, another seven players were named honorable mention All-Hoosier North. Of

Rochester’s Heishman shoots 79, Musselman 87 in last round of season BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS Sports Editor, RTC Pioneer junior Ivan Reyes studies a putt on the ninth hole at Sandy Pines Golf Club in DeMotte during Thursday’s regional. Reyes shot a team-low 79. Pioneer finished in 11th place with a 337 and did not advance. DEMOTTE — The Pioneer boys golf team improved their score from the 2025 regional, and they beat rival Logansport, but it was not enough to continue their season

BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS Sports Editor, RTC Lake Central boys golf regional When: 9 a.m. Eastern today Where: Sandy Pines Golf Club, 10527 Bunker Drive, DeMotte Who: Top three teams and top three individuals on non-advancing teams from the Valparaiso, Lake Central, LaPorte, South Bend Riley and Logansport sectionals FROM VALPARAISO SECTIONAL: Valparaiso 319, Boone Grove 322, Chesterton 329 FROM LAKE CENTRAL SECTIONAL: Lake Central 300, Crown Point 316, Kankakee Valley 321 FROM LAPO

All-conference team includes 5 Winamac, 3 Pioneer, 3 Culver, 2 Caston, 1 NM players BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS Sports Editor, RTC Softball Hoosier North MVP Maggie Keller Winamac shortstop Maggie Keller was named Hoosier North MVP in voting done by the conference’s coaches and released to the media Wednesday. Keller was one of five players from the conference champion Lady Warriors picked first-team All-Hoosier North. In addition, three Pioneer, three Culver, two Caston and one North

Musselman, Heishman to tee off on front 9 BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS Sports Editor, RTC Boys golf The Pioneer boys golf team will tee on the back nine at the Lake Central regional at Sandy Pines Golf Club in DeMotte Thursday. Cole Franklin will tee off at 10:40 a.m. Eastern with Brady Price, Dane Bowditch, Micah Rans and Ivan Reyes teeing off at 10-minute intervals. Reyes will tee off last at 11:20 a.m. Pioneer players will be paired with players from LaPorte and Marquette Catholic.

Rochester’s Musselman, Heishman advance as individuals; Caston’s Chapman eliminated in playoff BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS Sports Editor, RTC Micah Rans Ivan Reyes Owen Chapman LOGANSPORT — The Pioneer boys golf team is no fluke. One year after the Panthers advanced to the regional as a team for the first time in school history, they did it again Friday, shooting a 318 to finish third at the Logansport sectional at Dykema

BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS Sports Editor, RTC Boys track Dane Bowditch finished 15th in the 800 meters, and Mikaden Tolosa took 14th in the discus at the Lafayette Jeff regional Thursday, ending the Pioneer boys track team’s season. Bowditch, a junior, was timed in 2:05.09. Banner Barnes of Noblesville won in 1:52.32. Tolosa, a junior, threw the discus 124-5. R.J. Clem of Logansport prevailed with a throw of 167-9. Pioneer did not score. Fishers won with 74 points. Westfield was seco

Juby finishes 12th in discus BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS Sports Editor, RTC Girls track Aspen Moolenaar Pioneer senior Aspen Moolenaar’s high school track career ended at the Lafayette Jeff regional Tuesday after she tied for 10th in the pole vault and 14th in the 300 hurdles. Meanwhile, sophomore Emilee Juby had her season end in the discus. Moolenaar cleared 10-3 in the pole vault, which was a nine-inch improvement from her sectional performance. She was also nearly two seconds fast

BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS Sports Editor, RTC Softball Ava Beasy North Newton 7, Pioneer 4 (Wednesday): Averi Layer hit a two-out, two-run homer in the seventh, but No. 12 North Newton hung on to beat No. 14 Pioneer in a Class 1A, Sectional 50 semifinal at North White Wednesday. Madyson Shaffer and Tori Bingaman added two hits each for Pioneer. Lois Layer, Ava Ott and Ava Beasy added one hit each. Shaffer also had an RBI on a sacrifice bunt prior to Averi Layer’s homer. Lois Layer to

BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS Sports Editor, RTC Baseball West Central 12, Pioneer 0 (Wednesday): Lane Weldy went 3 for 3, and Gabe Scott added two hits, but the Pioneer baseball team dropped their Class 1A, Sectional quarterfinal to No. 15 West Central at Tri-County’s Remington Park Wednesday. Charles Grandstaff also had a hit for Pioneer, who finished 6-19. Pioneer pitchers walked eight and hit two batters. Pioneer also committed five errors that led to six unearned runs for West Cent

BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS Sports Editor, RTC Softball Lois Layer Pioneer 4, Tri-County 2 (Tuesday): Averi Layer and Lois Layer had back-to-back two-out RBI doubles in the top of the fifth to break a 2-2 tie, and Lois Layer pitched a two-hitter with one walk and five strikeouts for No. 14 Pioneer in an upset win over No. 4 Tri-County in a Class 1A, Sectional 50 quarterfinal at North White Tuesday. Ava Ott had a two-run single in the top of the fourth to give the Lady Panthers a 2-1 l

Class 2A, Sectional 38 at Rochester QUARTERFINALS (MONDAY) Eastern (Greentown) 8, Wabash 3 Lewis Cass 17, Manchester 3 (5 innings) SEMIFINALS (TUESDAY) Rochester 11, Eastern (Greentown) 0 Oak Hill 5, Lewis Cass 2 FINAL: Rochester vs. Oak Hill, 7 p.m. Thursday Class 3A, Sectional 20 at NorthWood QUARTERFINALS (MONDAY) Fairfield 11, Wawasee 0 (5 innings) Tippecanoe Valley 6, NorthWood 1 SEMIFINALS (TUESDAY) Fairfield 22, West Noble 1 (5 innings) Tippecanoe Valley 5, Columbia Ci

Class 2A, Sectional 38 at Rochester QUARTERFINALS (MONDAY) Eastern (Greentown) 8, Wabash 3 Lewis Cass 17, Manchester 3 (5 innings) SEMIFINALS (TODAY) Rochester vs. Eastern (Greentown), 5:30 p.m. Oak Hill vs. Lewis Cass, 7:30 p.m. FINAL, 7 p.m. Thursday Class 3A, Sectional 20 at NorthWood QUARTERFINALS (MONDAY) Fairfield vs. Wawasee, 5:30 p.m. Tippecanoe Valley vs. NorthWood, 7:30 p.m. SEMIFINALS (TODAY) West Noble vs. Fairfield, 5:30 p.m. Columbia City vs. Tippecanoe Valley,

Pioneer’s Bowditch claims 800; NM’s Towles wins long jump BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS Sports Editor, RTC Nathan Pierzchalski Winamac’s Nathan Pierzchalski won the 1,600 and 3,200 meters, and he also ran a leg on the victorious 4 x 800 relay, and Charles Disinger won both the discus and shot put to help the Winamac boys track team finish second out of eight teams at the Hoosier North boys track meet at Culver Tuesday. Winamac scored 120 points. Triton won with 135 points. Among other a

Sprinter Popejoy, distance runner Wegner win 3 titles each for Winamac; high jumper Sailors, shot putter Hoover win for NM; Caston repeats as 4 x 400 relay champs BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS Sports Editor, RTC Aspen Moolenaar Pioneer senior Aspen Moolenaar won the 100 hurdles, 300 hurdles, long jump and pole vault at the Hoosier North track meet at Culver Tuesday, helping the Lady Panthers finish in second place. Pioneer scored 109 points. Triton won with 123.5 points. The other Pione

BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS Sports Editor, RTC College softball Kansas senior shortstop Hailey Cripe was voted Big 12 Co-Defensive Player of the Year in voting done by the conference’s coaches and released Wednesday. Cripe committed just four errors on 187 total chances. She is the first Kansas player to receive the Defensive Player of the Year award since it was first honored in 2024. Cripe shared the award with Arizona’s Regan Shockey. Kansas rallied from a 4-0 deficit to beat UCF 6

Bowditch wins 800, 1,600, 3,200 helps Panthers finish 3rd BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS Sports Editor, RTC Pioneer senior Aspen Moolenaar won the Fred Kinder Star of Stars Award at the Cass County Meet at Logansport Saturday after winning titles in the 100 hurdles, 300 hurdles, long jump and pole vault. LOGANSPORT — Pioneer senior Aspen Moolenaar might have a trophy case full of blue ribbons in track, but her win in the 100 hurdles at the Cass County Meet at Logansport Memorial Stadium

Valley draws NorthWood; Caston gets state champs; Pioneer to face No. 6 Tri-County; Argos to match up with Elkhart Christian; Culver to take on O-D BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS Sports Editor, RTC Of the three ranked RTC area softball teams, two of them received byes during the release of the IHSAA softball draw Sunday. Meanwhile, Caston drew the defending state champions, Pioneer drew a ranked team, and undefeated Culver drew a conference rival. This is the 41st annual IHSAA softball t

Valley to meet Columbia City; Caston to face S. Newton; Pioneer to meet W. Central; Argos to face No. 2 Triton; Culver gets S. Central; Winamac to meet Jimtown after bye; NM draws defending sectional champs BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS Sports Editor, RTC Playing in a sectional with three ranked teams, the Rochester baseball team drew one of them in their postseason opener but not before receiving a bye, according to the IHSAA draw released Sunday. Meanwhile, Class 1A, No. 6 Caston, the

BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS Sports Editor, RTC Boys golf The Pioneer boys golf team shot a 329 and finished seventh out of 17 teams at the Logansport Invitational at Dykeman Park Golf Course Saturday. Meanwhile, Rochester shot a 356 and finished 10th, Winamac shot a 406 and placed 15th, and Caston shot a 410 and took 16th. Six of the participating schools will also play at the Logansport sectional at Dykeman Park June 5. Ivan Reyes led Pioneer with a 77, Dane Bowditch added an 80, Mic

Heishman’s 80 helps Zebras take 10th, Winamac finishes 16th BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS Sports Editor, RTC Ivan Reyes Isaac Heishman The Pioneer boys golf team shot a 346 and finished fifth out of 16 teams at the Rochester Invitational at Round Barn Golf Club at Mill Creek Saturday. Other area teams in the tournament included Rochester, who shot a 358 and finished 10th, and Winamac, who shot a 443 and placed 16th

Pioneer loses twice, but thankful to have team BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS Sports Editor, RTC Brailyn Hunter Ali Field Madyson Shaffer ROYAL CENTER — Rochester freshman Ali Field got perhaps the game’s biggest hit in a win over Pioneer Saturday. Then she came up with an ever bigger hit against John Glenn to help keep the Lady Zs undefeated. Rochester swept their three-way doubleheader at Herk Hoffman Field Saturday, beati

BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS Sports Editor, RTC Baseball Rossville 15, Pioneer 1 (5 innings, Monday): Pioneer’s Jaxson Merrick had a two-out RBI single in the first inning, but host Rossville answered with 15 unanswered runs to hand the Panthers a season-opening loss Monday. Hunter Stover also had a hit for Pioneer. Pioneer got the leadoff man on base in the second, third and fifth innings but did not score. Pioneer pitchers walked 13 batters and also hit two. Lane Weldy took the loss

BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS Sports Editor, RTC Softball Pioneer 12, Faith Christian 2 (5 innings, Tuesday): Madyson Shaffer had three hits and an RBI, and Ava Beasy singled twice and drove in two runs as the Lady Panthers rolled past host Faith Christian Tuesday. Lois Layer also had two hits and two runs scored. Addison Kennell and Averi Layer each had a double and an RBI. Ava Ott, Tori Bingaman and Hallie Lebo had one hit each. Ott also walked twice and scored twice. Lois Layer pitch

BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS Sports Editor, RTC Softball Pioneer 10, Rossville 5 (Monday): Lois Layer went 4 for 4 at the plate as part of a 12-hit Lady Panther attack and also earned the win in the circle as the Pioneer softball team opened with a road win over Rossville Monday. Addison Kennell went 3 for 4 with a single, two doubles, a walk and two RBIs. Ava Beasy had a double and three RBIs. Tori Bingaman singled twice and drove in a run. Averi Layer doubled and drove in a run, and

Triton’s Patrick named conference MVP BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS Sports Editor, RTC Lane Hook Logan Mollenkopf Ryan Meredith Karston Black Eight RTC area boys basketball players, including three from runner-up Winamac, were selected first-team All-Hoosier North in voting done by the conference’s coaches and released to the media. The eight players included Winamac’s Justin Potthoff, Will Malchow and Jaybin Hines; Caston’s Lane Hook and Loga

BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS Sports Editor, RTC Women’s college basketball Former Pioneer guard Ashlynn Brooke is transferring to Northern Illinois. The announcement was made on the Northern Illinois’ women’s basketball account on social media. Brooke spent the previous three seasons at Ball State. She played in 24 of Ball State’s 33 games and averaged 2.7 points per game in 2025-26 as the Cardinals shared the Mid-American Conference regular season title with Miami (OH). She did not pl

Caston, N. Miami, Pioneer in same 1A football sectional BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS Sports Editor, RTC The Rochester girls and boys basketball teams both lost to Oak Hill in their respective sectional finals, and they might see them again the next two years. They will also remain in the same volleyball sectional with powerhouse Southwood. Those were among the revelations when the IHSAA released new sectional assignments for fall and winter sports for the 2026-27 and 2027-28 school yea

BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS Sports Editor, RTC RTC Boys Basketball Player of the Year Logan Mollenkopf It was early in the Caston boys basketball team’s sectional quarterfinal game against North White in which Logan Mollenkopf dribbled quickly down the court and dunked. One could say that it was a microcosm for Mollenkopf’s season. He did things all year that put him head and shoulders above everybody else – literally. And for that, the sophomore guard-forward is our RTC4 Player of th

BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS Sports Editor, RTC RTC Girls Basketball Player of the Year Kandace Kroft One can tie the improvement with Winamac’s girls basketball program with Kandace Kroft’s improvement as a player. Winamac won four games her freshman year. They won 14 in both her sophomore and junior years. And as a senior in 2025-26, Winamac won 19 games. It was Winamac’s most wins in a season in 14 years. Their team scoring average increased by almost nine points per game. Kroft had

BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS Sports Editor, RTC RTC4 Boys Wrestler of the Year Hartley Hoover North Miami senior Hartley Hoover is everything one might want in a wrestler. He is strong enough that he can overpower most opponents. And if you are one of the few that can match him in strength, he moves so well that he is a great defensive wrestler. It all clicked to the point where he became the first wrestler in the history of his school to make it to a state championship match. Hoover l

BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS Sports Editor, RTC RTC Girls Wrestler of the Year Laine Peppler Laine Peppler could have rested on her laurels after her junior year. The Rochester wrestler had just finished sixth at the IHSAA state finals at 170 pounds. Her performance was more than admirable. Instead, she spent more time in the weight room and worked on her technique to become a better offensive wrestler. Matched with her formidable defensive skills and positioning, she went from being o

BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS Sports Editor, RTC RTC Boys Swimmer of the Year Tucker Whetstone Tippecanoe Valley junior Tucker Whetstone narrowly missed going to state in both the 200 freestyle and 100 butterfly, but his times were more than good enough to be our RTC4 Boys Swimmer of the Year. Whetstone finished second in the 200 freestyle at both the Indiana Northern State Conference and sectional meets. He won the 100 butterfly by nearly seven seconds at conference, and then improved

BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS Sports Editor, RTC RTC Girls Swimmer of the Year Hayden Lute With rare exceptions, Culver’s Hayden Lute was dominant in the distance events, and as a result, she is our RTC4 Girls Swimmer of the Year for the second straight year. Lute won the 200 freestyle at the Hoosier North meet by nearly 27 seconds. She beat the runner-up in the 500 freestyle by a minute. And after swimming a 2:06.95 in the 200 freestyle at conference, she cut more than 3.7 seconds off

Pioneer’s H. Zeigler, 8 area boys players earn honorable mention BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS Sports Editor, RTC The Indiana Basketball Coaches Association has named Winamac’s Kandace Kroft, Pioneer’s Mia McKaig and North Miami’s Grace Sailors first-team Academic All-State. They are among 87 seniors – 44 boys and 43 girls – statewide chosen for the honor. In addition, 233 more boys and 181 more girls were recognized as being honorable mention Academic All-State. “The IBCA Academic All-

BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS Sports Editor, RTC Girls golf Pioneer senior Mia McKaig has signed with Taylor University to continue her academic and golf careers, according to a social media post from Pioneer’s athletic department account. McKaig was the Hoosier North medalist in 2024 and 2025 and a state qualifier as a junior in 2024. She was also a first-team All-Hoosier North basketball player at Pioneer in 2026. Taylor is an NAIA school located in Upland.

McFatridge, Rine, Scott score 8 each for Panthers BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS Sports Editor, RTC Gabe Scott Phillip McFatridge FULTON — The Pioneer boys basketball team came into their postseason opener 5-1 in games in which they scored at least 50 points. Of course, that also meant they were 2-14 in games in which they did not score 50. Against DeMotte Christian in a Class 1A, Sectional 50 quarterfinal at Cast

Class 2A, Sectional 38 at Manchester QUARTERFINALS (TUESDAY) Wabash 68, Eastern (Greentown) 62 Oak Hill 73, Manchester 30 SEMIFINALS (FRIDAY) Rochester vs. Wabash, 6 p.m. Lewis Cass vs. Oak Hill, 7:30 p.m. FINAL, 7:30 p.m. Saturday Class 3A, Sectional 20 at Columbia City QUARTERFINALS (TUESDAY) Columbia City 75, West Noble 33 Wawasee 49, Tippecanoe Valley 38 SEMIFINALS (FRIDAY) Fairfield vs. Columbia City, 6 p.m. NorthWood vs. Wawasee, 7:30 p.m. FINAL, 7:30 p.m. Saturday Clas

BOYS Rochester 56, Maconaquah 48 Elkhart Christian 70, Argos 41 Bremen 65, Culver 22 Tri-County 61, Pioneer 46 Three Rivers Conference boys Rochester 56, Maconaquah 48 Wabash 71, Peru 62 Tri-Central 53, Northfield 45 (nonconference) Southwood 67, Bluffton 52 (nonconference) Mississinewa 48, Manchester 47 (nonconference) Lafayette Central Catholic 59, Lewis Cass 46 (nonconference) Whitko 53, Lakeland Christian 26 (nonconference) Hoosier North boys Elkhart Christian 70, Argos 4

Popejoy, Iverson, Culver’s McCune, Berndt, Caston’s Douglass, Pioneer’s McKaig, Argos’ Bollenbacher also make first team BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS Sports Editor, RTC Girls basketball Kandace Kroft Winamac senior Kandace Kroft was named the Hoosier North MVP in voting done by the conference’s coaches and released to the media. Kroft averaged 18.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 3.2 steals per game for the Lady Warriors. She led the team in scoring, assists and steals and guided