MUNCIE — The 2024-25 sports season in East Central Indiana gave us no shortage of memorable moments and milestones for local high schools and Ball State.

Here’s a look back at 25 of the biggest Star Press sports stories of the 2024-25 season:

Honorable mention: The Star Press welcomes new sports writer

Someone has to write these stories, of course, and The Star Press officially welcomed yours truly on Sept. 4 to do just that. My first year in Muncie has been an exciting journey which has already taught me so much. It has been an absolute pleasure getting to know the athletes, coaches and communities that make the East Central Indiana sports scene so magical. This Southern boy already feels right at home in the Midwest.

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I am incredibly excited for what my future holds in Muncie and ready to continue building on what I have learned so far. With that being said, let’s get into our actual biggest stories of the year:

Best of High School Sports

(High school stories listed in chronological order.)

Charlotte Vinson’s comeback for Yorktown volleyball

Charlotte Vinson’s journey back to the volleyball court was one of the most inspiring stories across the entire state. The nationally ranked prospect and Indiana volleyball commit was on life support in May 2024, months before her senior season was set to begin. She nearly lost her life, and there were questions about whether she would be able to continue her volleyball career, but Vinson was back on the court just three and a half months later. Her presence was crucial to Yorktown’s journey back to the 4A state championship match, where the Tigers finished as state runners-up.

Winchester’s homecoming queen breaks football kicking record

Winchester Community senior Aubrey Weigand served as the placekicker for the varsity football team for all four years of high school. Her senior homecoming was a night to remember, as Weigand was named homecoming queen at halftime of a game in which she kicked 11 extra points to break her own single-game school record.

AnnMarie Gibson’s big day for Wapahani

On Oct. 17, Wapahani senior AnnMarie Gibson competed in two IHSAA sectionals on the same day, running in the girls cross country sectional at Taylor University that morning and playing in two volleyball sectional matches that evening. Gibson would go on to qualify for state finale in cross country and had a successful track season in the spring, winning a sectional championship in the 4×800 relay, 800-meter and 1,600-meter.

Record-breaking season for Wes-Del football

Wes-Del football put together its first winning season in eight years and had its most prolific rushing team ever. Led by their fullback duo of senior Grayson Mealy and junior Brock Nauman, the Warriors won five of their last six games in the regular season and broke the team single-season rushing yardage record that had stood since 1989.

Shenandoah football wins overtime thriller in sectionals

Shenandoah’s 30-24 overtime victory over Winchester in the first round of sectional play was perhaps the most exciting game of the season in East Central Indiana. Junior quarterback and defensive back Jarrett Helman made huge plays on both sides of the ball to lead a comeback in regulation and complete a Raider victory in overtime.

Chris Overholt coaches final game for Delta football

Chris Overholt’s final game as the Delta football head coach was an emotional scene. The Eagles’ coach compiled a record of 56-44 and guided them to two sectional titles over nine seasons. His tenure came to an end with a loss to Mississinewa in the IHSAA sectional semifinals. Senior linebacker and future Purdue Boilermaker Landon Brooks called Overholt “a lifelong person I will always call first.”

Muncie Fieldhouse Classic returns

The second annual Muncie Fieldhouse Classic was a successful day full of hoops. Wes-Del, Muncie Burris, Delta, Muncie Central and Yorktown each played against schools from the surrounding areas at the Muncie Fieldhouse, and the Muncie Sports Commission has plans to expand the event in the coming years.

Two dominant seasons in girls wrestling

Girls wrestling was officially recognized by the IHSAA for the first time this season, and there were many standout female wrestlers in East Central Indiana. Two of them put together particularly dominant seasons: Jay County’s Mallory Winner went undefeated and won the state championship in the 170-pound weight class, while Daleville sophomore Kynlie Keffer went 34-1 and finished as the state runner-up in the 105-pound class.

Delta girls basketball makes historic run

Delta girls basketball had its best season in school history. Led by a core of juniors including Addy Barnes, Jillian Barr, Griffyn Knight and Elizabeth Bamidele, the Eagles won their first sectional title in 33 years and their first regional title ever. With no graduating seniors, coach Ty’Ronda Benning and the Eagles will look to continue making noise next season.

Josiah Love breaks Wes-Del basketball career scoring record

Wes-Del senior Josiah Love rewrote the school’s record book in his final season. Love surpassed 1,235 career points on senior night against Blue River Valley on Feb. 21 to become the all-time leading scorer in school history. He finished his Warriors career with 1,318 points.

Three local boys basketball teams win regional titles

Delta, Monroe Central and Wapahani all won regional championships in boys basketball. Delta and Wapahani both won their third in a row, while Monroe Central took home its first since 2010. At the New Castle regional games, Monroe Central senior Easton Foster took over against Daleville to lift the Golden Bears to victory in Class 1A, while Delta senior Bronson Edwards hit a game-winning layup to take down Fort Wayne Blackhawk Christian in 3A. Meanwhile, Wapahani senior Nate Luce caught fire in the fourth quarter to lift the Raiders to a win over Western Boone in the 2A regional at Lapel. None of the three were able to win at semi-state, but it was a memorable season for all three teams nonetheless.

Remembering Rick Owens and Jennifer Southerland

Just days after Monroe Central’s season came to an end, the Golden Bears community was stunned by the passing of assistant coach Rick Owens. Former players and colleagues shared stories of the beloved community figure, who spent a lifetime in high school basketball as a player, official and coach.

The Delta athletics community also experienced an immense tragedy with the loss of Jennifer Southerland. The mother of three former Eagle athletes was a “team mom” in every sense of the term, and her impact was captured through stories from those who knew her best.

Wild basketball coaching carousel

There was a lot of movement among high school basketball coaches in the area. Some of the most stunning moves were Justin Ullom leaving Muncie Central to take the Yorktown job and Matt Luce leaving Wapahani for the New Castle job. Both men left their respective programs in the hands of familiar faces, with Muncie Central athletic director Jeff Holloway taking over the Bearcats and Wapahani assistant coach Jeff Andrews set to lead the Raiders.

New era for Muncie Central athletics

Basketball wasn’t the only sport to undergo a big coaching change at Muncie Central. The Bearcats also hired Kate Hughes to return as head volleyball coach and former Mississinewa football head coach Kyle Buresh to lead the football program after Kyle Padgett’s resignation the day before Ullom’s. The trio of Buresh, Holloway and Hughes represents a new era for three historic programs that have struggled in recent years.

Yorktown track dominates at county and sectional meets

Yorktown track enjoyed a very successful season for both the girls and boys teams. Both teams won Delaware County and sectional trophies and produced multiple individual sectional champions. The boys team also had four state finals qualifiers across several events.

Yorktown softball wins fourth straight sectional title

Yorktown softball continued a pattern of success under coach Jeremy Penrod by winning a fourth straight sectional championship. The Tigers’ senior trio of Ava Aul, Abbey Booher and Claire Hazen capped off their careers by celebrating their fourth sectional title in as many years.

Delta, Shenandoah, Wapahani win baseball regionals

Three local teams took home regional titles in baseball. Delta made its second consecutive trip to semi-states behind the arm of senior pitcher Zane Cline but fell to the eventual 3A state champions Andrean. Meanwhile, Shenandoah won its first sectional title in 19 years and its first regional title in 38 years before falling to Evansville Mater Dei at semi-states. Wapahani pulled off a stunner over 2A No. 1-ranked Lapel in the regional championship and made it to the 2A final four with one win at semi-state, but the Raiders were defeated by the eventual 2A state champions Boone Grove in the semi-state final.

Shenandoah’s Ashton Renz perseveres through the unthinkable

In the midst of Shenandoah’s postseason run, senior catcher Ashton Renz lost his home in a fire the night before the sectional championship game. He played in the game that evening anyways, and the Raiders rallied around him throughout their historic run.

Historic performances at Hickory Hills boys golf sectional

The IHSAA boys golf sectional hosted by Monroe Central at Hickory Hills Golf Club featured some history-making performances. Yorktown senior Marshall Johnston shot a 2-under-par 68, and the Tigers shot a team score of 294, both the lowest scores since 2010. Cowan senior Dawson Goney also did something not seen since 2010, qualifying for regionals as an individual to become the first Blackhawk to do so in 15 years.

Team Faulk football camp celebrates Muncie community

Pittsburgh Steelers running backs coach and Muncie native Eddie Faulkner returned to his hometown to host the Team Faulk Youth Development Camp. The second annual camp was a successful camp and a successful celebration of the Muncie community, as Faulkner was inducted into the Indiana Football Hall of Fame for his legendary Bearcat career during the camp and used it as an opportunity to pay tribute to his hometown.

Best of Ball State

Another thrilling Battle for the Bronze Stalk

The 100th season of Ball State football ended with a disappointing 3-9 record, but the Battle for the Bronze Stalk against Northern Illinois was an instant classic yet again. Kicker Jackson Courville had a career day and hit a game-winning field goal for the second season in a row to give the Cardinals one of their two conference wins on the season.

New coach for Ball State football

The Cardinals’ struggles led to the in-season firing of head coach Mike Neu — the first time Ball State had ever made a midseason coaching change. Ball State hired former Butler head coach Mike Uremovich as the 19th head coach in program history on Dec. 4.

Ball State women’s basketball sweeps MAC titles

Ball State women’s basketball put together one of the best seasons in program history. Led by the “Core Four” seniors — Ally Becki, Madelyn Bischoff, Marie Kiefer and Alex Richard — and head coach Brady Sallee, the Cardinals won both the Mid-American conference regular season and tournament titles. Ball State played in the NCAA Women’s March Madness tournament for just the second time ever but lost as a 12-seed in the first round to 5-seed Ole Miss.

Ball State baseball coach Rich Maloney hits 1,000 career wins

With Ball State’s 13-10 win over Purdue-Fort Wayne on March 11, longtime Cardinals head coach Rich Maloney hit 1,000 career victories, becoming the 10th active Division I coach and 69th overall to do so. Ball State finished the year 36-22 with a 21-9 record in MAC play.

Legendary Ball State tennis coach calls it a career

Ball State men’s tennis coach Bill Richards will retire after 53 seasons. The longtime coach finishes his career as the winningest coach in MAC men’s tennis history and 38 conference championships.

Contact Cade Hampton via email at cbhampton@muncie.gannett.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @CadeHamp10.