Just one more non-conference tournament is on the schedule for the University of Evansville Softball team as they head to Lexington, Kentucky, this weekend for the John Cropp Classic.

Evansville, who starts the weekend with a record of 5-10, open ups today at 10:00 a.m. versus #19 Kentucky. Later in the day, the Purple Aces face off against 8-7 Dayton at noon. Saturday’s action begins with a matchup versus 17th-ranked Michigan at 10 a.m. before taking on Kent State at 2:00 p.m. The Golden Flashes are 7-7. The event wraps up on Sunday against Drexel, who is 2-0 coming into the tournament.

Last week, the Aces played at the Courtyard Marriott Classic in Norman, Oklahoma, before facing Oklahoma State in a single game on Tuesday. UE went 1-5 on the trip, earning an 8-7 win on Sunday against Northwestern State. The tenacious UE squad played well, especially against #9 Oklahoma as they scored seven of the eight runs allowed by the Sooners over the weekend.

Hayli Scott batted .625 with five hits in eight trips to the plate at the weekend tournament in Oklahoma and finished the week at .600. She had a home run and five RBI on the weekend and got it started with a pinch hit RBI on Friday versus WKU. Saturday against Northwestern State, she had another big pinch hit, knocking in two runs. The Saturday finale saw her come through late with another pinch hit - a 2-run homer as UE rallied against Oklahoma. Scott went 2-3 on Sunday versus NSU. For the season, Scott leads the squad with a .375 average.

Chandra Parr batted .250 in six games last week, but added two home runs to her tally as she stands at 28 in her career. The 2-time All-MVC First Team player is just two away from tying the program mark of 30, which was set by Krista Price. Price played for the Purple Aces from 2007 through 2010.

Sophomore Morgan Florey has thrown a team-high 42.0 innings this season and leads the squad with a 2.83 ERA. She has struck out 45 batters while earning three wins on the season. At the plate, she continues to be a force, checking in with a .325 average as she leads the team with 10 RBIs. Florey hit a pair of home runs last weekend, both coming against the host Sooners.

Junior Brittany Hay batted .364 with two home runs at the Courtyard Marriott Tournament. Hay had four hits in 11 at-bats. She recorded a hit on Friday against the #9 Sooners before hitting a pinch hit homer on Saturday versus Northwestern State. She finished off the weekend in style against NSU going 2-3 with a walk-off solo home run to lead the inning off and clinch the win.

Mead Johnson will host its ESC Offsite Meeting in Eykamp Hall in Ridgway University Center today - Friday, March 10 - from 7:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m. Please contact Kari Hughes with any questions at kh355@evansville.edu.

Volunteers are needed to help Aurora, a local non-profit, move office locations. Shifts are from 9:00 a.m.-noon and noon-3:00 p.m. Lunch, a free T-shirt, and transportation will be provided if necessary. Register via Get Connected.

Submitted by Jackie Luedtke jl295@evansville.edu

Loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity, and personal courage. Join us for Lunch and Lead at 12:30 p.m. TODAY - March 14 - in Eykamp Hall, Room 251, Ridgway University Center, to learn how the Army incorporates these values and how you can too.

This Lunch and Lead will be presented by Michael Roscoe, founding director and chair of UE’s Department of Physician Assistant Science and associate professor of physician assistant science.

Roscoe earned a PhD in international health science from Trident University International. He has two master’s degrees, one in physician assistant studies with a concentration in emergency medicine from the University of Nebraska, and one in biology from Purdue University. Roscoe has bachelor’s degrees from Butler University in biology and in health science.

In 2000, Roscoe joined the Indiana National Guard and was deployed with the 76th Infantry Brigade Combat Team to Afghanistan in 2004-05 for an 18 month deployment. He had a second combat tour in Iraq in 2008-09.  He has been decorated by the military with numerous awards including the Bronze Star Medal.

Submitted by Amber Stull as625@evansville.edu

University of Evansville assistant professor of philosophy Lisa Kretz will be the speaker for today's Scholars for Syria Spring Speaker Series. She will be discussing “How to Be Ethical: Seeding Moral Action.”

All lectures in this series are at 6:00 p.m. in Room 162 (Harkness Hall), Schroeder School of Business Building, and are followed by a panel discussion with UE Syrian students and discussion with the audience. This series is sponsored by Scholars for Syria.

"The Syrian crisis, coupled with the political climate of the US, leaves heartbreaking questions of moral failure,” Kretz said. “How can this happen? How can this continue to happen? I contend that part of such moral failing rests in an approach to ethics and action that encourages us to leave our hearts at the door. I venture the ‘radical’ thesis that we are thinking and feeling creatures, that reason and emotion working in tandem is necessary for action, and that we cannot be our ideal moral selves without nurturing both constituents of human being.”

She added that “emotional wisdom is an underdeveloped skill. This means we have to get in touch with the power of emotion for motivating large scale positive change. Moral emotions such as empathy, sympathy, compassion, hope, and even anger can be harnessed so that we approach the Syrian crisis with our full selves, and see what whole-hearted living can accomplish."

Other lectures in this series include:

Thursday, March 23
Lora Becker, UE associate professor of psychology and neuroscience and director of Neuroscience Program and Neuromarketing Research Center – “Neural Development in a War Zone”

Thursday, March 30
Wes Milner, executive director of international programs at UE - “The Emerging Political Dynamics of the Syrian Crisis”

Thursday, April 6
UE Syrian Stories: Humanizing the Syrian conflict with local families

Every spring, the University of Evansville Leadership Academy sponsors the L2L Leadership Conference. (L2L stands for Learn to Lead. Love to Lead. Live to Lead.) This year's L2L conference is set for Saturday, March 25, from 9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m., in Eykamp Hall, Room 251, Ridgway University Center. Check-in will begin at 8:00 a.m.

Early registration for the conference ends March 3, and final registration is March 14. There is a $10 registration fee that will be refunded to UE students at the event. Use this registration form to sign up to attend the event.

The theme of this year’s conference is “SPARK: Using Leadership to Ignite a Change in the World.” Speakers at the conference will include Mari Plikuhn, UE associate professor sociology, Kevin Snyder from Campuspeak, and Kristina Arnold from WKU. 

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Kendall Turner at kt131@evansville.edu. 

Submitted by Kendall Turner kt131@evansville.edu

In the final two matches of their trip to Florida, the University of Evansville Women’s Tennis team earned a split on Thursday. The Purple Aces defeated South Dakota by a final of 4-3 before falling to Furman, 7-0.

Head coach Jayson Wiseman was proud of his squad in the win over South Dakota.

"This was a good win against a tough South Dakota team. We came out aggressive and ready to play and we were able to secure the doubles point,” Wiseman said. “That point was huge because USD fought back hard and took three of the singles matches. Andrea and Daria did a great job of securing the win for us at four and six singles with straight set wins."

Wiseman commented on how facing a good team like Furman will pay dividends down the road.

"This match was a good learning experience for our team. Furman is a top 50-60 team in the country and they showed it tonight,” Wiseman added. “We put up a good fight at third doubles, fifth singles, and sixth singles but ultimately they proved to be the better team today. Despite the loss this is a good match for us to see the level we are looking to build toward."

UE’s win over South Dakota featured a nice start in doubles as Chieko Yamada and Theodora Soldatou earned a 6-1 win in the top flight while Diana Tkachenko and Nicoli Pereira won by a 6-3 tally in the second flight.

The Aces clinched the match by splitting the six singles points, including Tkachenko taking down Barbora Kollarova at #2 singles, 6-1, 6-3. Daria Pentsova was victorious in the fourth flight, defeating Nanette Nylund, 6-1, 7-5. Andrea Pascual-Larrinaga grabbed the win at #6 singles, beating Maria Pandya, 6-3, 6-2.

On Sunday, the Aces remain on the road in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, where they will take on SEMO at 9:00 a.m. and Maryville at noon.

University of Evansville golfer Tyler Gray shot an even 72 on Thursday to tie for second place at the Bulldog Florida Invitational at Windsor Parke.

Gray, who finished with a 74 on Wednesday, completed the event with a 146, just one behind medalist Kyle Gaines. His efforts also helped the Purple Aces come home in second place in the team standings. The Aces finished with a 602, six strokes behind Butler.

Second for UE was Matthew Ladd. He tied for eighth place with a 150. His scores finished at 76 and 74.  Wil Pahud had identical rounds of 76 on his way to a tie for 12th. The top three for Evansville all finished in the top 12.

Jon Pick was next for UE. After a 75 in the opening round, Pick fired off an 83 to finish in 26th with a 158. He was one ahead of Cameron Weyer, who tied for 27th with a 159. After posting an 84 in day one, Weyer jumped to a 75 Thursday.

Zac Turi carded rounds of 80 and 82 to take 33rd place with a 162. Noah Reese registered a 166 (87-79) while Austin Carmack checked in at a 170. Robert Waggoner rounded out the contingent with a 185.

Next up for the squad is a trip to Sevierville, Tennessee, for the Bobby Nichols Intercollegiate from March 19-21.

Improving by four strokes in the final day, University of Evansville senior Kayla Katterhenry jumped to a tie for sixth place as the Purple Aces Women’s Golf team wrapped up the Bulldog Florida Invitational at Windsor Parke.

Katterhenry finished the tournament with a 156, tying for sixth. She registered a 76 on Thursday, improving by four shots from Wednesday’s total. Next up for UE was Lexie Sollman. She followed up a first round of 88 with a 79 on Thursday to tie for 28th with a 167.

One behind her was Maria Pickens, who tied for 31st with rounds of 85 and 73. Giulia Mallmann also tied for the 31st position. Her rounds finished at 88 and 70. Both had total scores of 168. Madison Chaney was next with a 170 while Carly Waggoner finished with a 185.

Stetson’s Eilidh Watson was the medalist. Her scores of 75 and 72 gave her a 147 for the event, defeating the competition by five shots.

As a team, the Aces finished in seventh place with a score of 658. Taking the win was Stetson, whose score of 616 was 14 better than second-place High Point.

Next up for the squad is a trip to Sevierville, Tennessee, for the Bobby Nichols Intercollegiate from March 19-21.

AmeriCorps is a federally funded community-service program open to people of all ages! It's a great option for those looking to give back after they graduate. You can check out more about Americorps by visiting the Americorps page on the Corporation for National & Community Service website.

Submitted by Jackie Luedtke jl295@evansville.edu

Buy $100 in Ace Bucks, and get $25 free by visiting uedining.sodexomyway.com or the dining services office on March 13. This promotion is valid for one day—don’t miss it!

Submitted by Katie Nowlan mary.nowlan@sodexo.com

The UE Alumni Association is once again offering Alumni Research and Scholarly Activity Fellowships (ARSAF) to faculty. The application deadline for 2017-18 academic year grants is Monday, April 3. Find the online application and more details by going to AceLink and clicking on Areas, and selecting Academic Affairs. The application form can be found on that page under the category of Online Forms.

Questions? Contact alumni@evansville.edu or ext. 2586.

Submitted by Sylvia DeVault sy5@evansville.edu

Camary Williams’s breakout season was further honored on Thursday evening as the senior guard became the third-ever University of Evansville Women’s Basketball player to lay claim to the Missouri Valley Conference’s Defensive Player of the Year award.

“This is a great accomplishment,” Williams said of the award. “I’ve always prided myself on playing good defense. That’s how I get going on offense. I love playing defense, and I’m really thankful for receiving this award.”

The honor was presented between opening round games at Hoops in the Heartland on Friday evening.

Williams, a native of Ft. Myers, Florida, made the leap from a reserve a year ago to one of the best guards in the Valley this season. Despite standing at just 5 feet 5 inches, she will enter Friday’s meeting with Missouri State as the third-leading rebounder in the conference with 7.9 per contest. She also boasts the second-best steals mark in the NCAA this season, swiping just under four per game.

Williams has come away with 115 steals so far this season, which is the fourth-best mark in MVC history. It broke the school record set by Latasha Austin in the 2001-02 season.

Williams’s defensive prowess has often led to points on the other end for the Aces, and she currently ranks sixth in the league at 14.1 points per game.

Williams is the first UE player to win Defensive Player of the Year since Rebekah Parker in 2007. Austin is the only other Ace to win the award, taking it home in that record-setting season 15 years ago.