The Twenty-Tens: 2010 - 2019
As the new century progressed, Evansville witnessed the rise of several “Super Athletes”. Whereas in the prior sixty years, just eight athletes had managed to win as many as three local “Player of they Year” or “MVP” awards in a given sport, in the decade between 2010 and 2019, SIX local athletes achieved that level of supremacy in their careers. Given that some sports began to see more than 50 players routinely referred to as first team All-State, the competition was fierce for Local Player of the Year honors and while there could be multiple players who received some measure of state-wide recognition, in most cases only one player could be selected as the cream of that season’s crop in Evansville. This list captures those athletes who stood out so far above the others that they managed to win the honor TWICE OR MORE and those who did it more often are noted in their respective biographies. These players may have made their mark in a single sport, or they may have been recognized in more than one sport as the Player of the Year. Long time Evansville high school sports fans saw the continuation of family dynasties in various sports with players such as MICHAEL LINDAUER, GRACE LACHOWECKI, the NUNGE sisters-JESSICA and REBECCA, JALEN PENDLETON, MATT McINTOSH, and RYLEIGH ANSLINGER returning their family names to the top of the Elite player lists.
MALLORY LADD - Memorial High School - Class of '11: Ladd was a team leader who lived by the rule that if you put the team first, the individual accolades will follow. Her coach praised her as a 'gym rat'--the type of player he had to tell to stop practicing and go home of an evening. That work ethic resulted in her leading the Tigers to a 2011 State Championship--a season in which she was named an Indiana All-Star, first team All-State, and she won her second All-Metro "Player of the Year" Award. She had won her first award while leading Memorial to a Regional title and averaging 22 points and 14 rebounds as a junior. Her first award was all the more impressive since she beat out the defending Award winner, Khristian Hart, who had just completed her season with a 23 point average. Ladd's all round game was praised from her first season as she made All-Metro in basketball all four seasons of her high school career. She was twice voted to the All-City volleyball squad. After graduation she went on to start for the University of Evansville basketball team for three seasons.
MATT McINTOSH - Reitz High School - Class of '11: A freshman kicker on the '07-'08 team that won the State Championship, McIntosh picked up where his brother Paul left off as quarterback of the '08-'09 Reitz football team. Trailing in the final minute of his first game as the starting quarterback on the road at Jeffersonville, he threw a 50 yard touchdown pass to his other brother, Ryan, to give the Panthers an implausible opening game victory. Matt would go on to earn second team All SIAC conference status and Associated Press All State honorable mention in his first season. His second season as the starter returned the Panthers to the top of the rankings as he threw for 2,260 yards and ran for another 1,473 as Reitz won their second State Championship in three seasons. He was named the All-Metro Player of the Year as well as first team Associated Press All State. His senior season saw him extend the school's winning streak to 28 consecutive victories before bowing out in the Semi-State. McIntosh statistically duplicated his junior year and swept Evansville's Player of the Year awards and was named Gatorade Football Player of the Year in Indiana. He went on to play college football for Northern Illinois University.
JALEN PENDLETON - Bosse High School - Class of '12: With two older brothers who had earned All-Metro Player of the Year awards during their careers (Dion ‘07-’08, Josh ‘09-’10), expectations were high for Pendleton and he did not fail to carry on the family tradition. As a junior quarterback in football, he produced 33 touchdowns with over 3,000 yards of total offense to lead the Bulldogs to their first Sectional Championship in 15 seasons. He was named to the Coaches Junior All-State squad. He backed that performance up in the winter by averaging nearly 21 points per game in basketball for a Sectional Championship team and earned the Coaches Junior All-State honor again. When his senior year arrived, Pendleton proved he was again up to the challenge in both sports. Another 3,000 yards of total offense and 31 touchdowns earned him the All-Metro and Downtown Quarterback Club Player of the Year award and first team on the Coaches All-State squad. He led the Bulldog basketball team to a Semi-State berth by averaging 21 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists and was chose the Player of the Year on the All-Metro and the SIAC teams. He accepted a scholarship to play basketball at Indiana State University.
GRACE LACHOWECKI - Memorial High School - Class of '13: One of the most prolific scorers in Evansville soccer history, Lachowecki added to her family name with equal amounts of honors. Her father had been a goalie for the Tigers in high school and then went on to star at University of Evansville. Her older brother delivered a State Championship at Memorial and went on to star at Notre Dame. Grace's legacy includes: THREE All-Metro Player of the Year Awards, THREE first team All-State Awards, and an Indiana State Player of the Year Award as well as delivering the 2012 State Championship with a goal and an assist in the Title game. She went on to star for the University of Miami where she won honors as a member of the All-Atlantic-Coast-Conference team and third-team All American.
CAROLYN WILMES - Mater Dei High School, Class of '13: A hard throwing right-handed pitcher, Wilmes, who had started as a freshman, emerged as a star in her sophomore season when she tossed a pair of no-hitters, went 18-6, and struck out 240 batters on her way to winning her first All-Metro Player of the Year award in softball. She grew two inches in height before her junior season and the results were devastating for opposing hitters. She put up statistics the likes of which Evansville had never seen before with 26 wins against just two losses, 365 strikeouts in 190 innings and a microscopic 0.48 E.R.A. As a reward, she earned her second Player of the Year award and carried the Wildcats to a Regional Title. She narrowly missed out on a third award as a senior despite a 12-2 record and a 1.98 E.R.A. Mater Dei won four consecutive City and SIAC conference titles in softball while she was on the roster. She went on to be a four-year letter winner for Ball State University and won 35 games as a starting pitcher.
MAURA MUENSTERMAN - Mater Dei High School - Class of '14: Likely one of the most decorated players in the history of the Southern Indiana Athletic Conference, Muensterman was named All-Conference four times in volleyball, twice in softball (plus a second team honor as a freshman), and four times in basketball for a total of 10 first team and 1 second team. Although very good at every sport she played, basketball was her best sport. A THREE TIME selection as All-Metro Player of the Year in basketball, she graduated as the city's all time leading scorer with 2,318 points (15th in state history) and held the state record for career assists and assists in a season. She was selected as an Indiana All-Star and led the Wildcats to TWO State Championships in basketball along with a Semi-State Tile in a third season. She held the distinction of earning All-State recognition in both basketball and softball. After graduating she went on to play for Belmont University on a team that advanced to the NCAA tournament.
MICHAEL RIEDFORD- Memorial High School - Class of '14: A member of the All-City soccer team as a sophomore, it was as a junior that Riedford truly made a name for himself. Moving to forward, he scored 22 goals with 15 assists and was chosen first team All-State as the Tigers won the Regional. He was selected as the All-City Player of the Year. Riedford topped those numbers as a senior when he set a single-season school record with 36 goals to go with 10 assists. Once again selected to the All-State team he was also invited to play in All-American soccer matches after the season. With another Regional Title under his belt, he was a unanimous choice for Player of the Year and received a scholarship to play soccer for Indiana University.
REBECCA NUNGE - Castle High School - An impact player from her earliest days as a freshman, Nunge made first team SIAC All-Conference and All-Metro in volleyball. Over the course of her career she would lead a Knights squad that would extend the schools record consecutive Sectional Championship streak to 21 SEASONS. In doing so, she was selected as a THREE TIME All-Metro Player of the year in volleyball and eventually earned the title All-American following her senior season. A skilled basketball player, she was named All-Conference following both her sophomore and junior seasons. She graduated early in 2014 so that she could accept a volleyball scholarship to Notre Dame where she went on to start 81 matches for the Irish and was voted Co-Captain of the team as a senior.
EMILY GOODIN - Mater Dei High School - Class of '16: Another in a line of Mater Dei right handed pitchers, Goodin's pitches were known as much for their lively movement as they were speed. She won the All Metro Player of the Year Award as a freshman beating out her team mate and two time winner of the award Carolyn Wilmes. Goodin was also named first team All-State in her first season. She was well on her way to a second award when she suffered a stress fracture in her pitching hand as a sophomore and had to miss most of the season. Goodin came back with a vengeance as a junior and led the state in strikeouts with 306 and won 21 games on her way to the Wildcats 2016 State Championship. She won her second All Metro Player of the Year award in what proved to be her final high school season. She enrolled early at Indiana University and tossed a no-hitter in her first month on the team. She went on to earn All Big 10 Conference accolades as a Hoosier.
KATE SCHROEDER - Castle High School - Class of '16: Known as one of the all-time best scorers in 'clutch' situations, Schroeder first made All-Metro Soccer Player of the Year as a sophomore. She scored the winning goal in four consecutive play off games and led the Knights to a Regional Title. Her junior season followed nearly the exact same level of performance. In the Sectional final and both games of the Regional, it was Schroeder who scored the go-ahead goal and bought the Knights another Regional Title. She was rewarded a second time with the Player of the Year award and then named to the Coaches first team All State squad. As a senior she was named All-SIAC conference and All-Metro for a third straight season and repeated as a member of the All-State team. She went on to play soccer for the University of Evansville.
DREW ASHLEY - Memorial High School - Class of '17: At 5 foot 10 and 170 pounds, Ashley was at ease anywhere on a baseball diamond and blessed with the batting eye and the throwing arm to accomodate any position. As a sophomore catcher for Memorial, he led the Southern Indiana Athletic Conference in batting with a .456 average. As a junior, he hit .484, led the SIAC in runs batted in, and led the Tigers to their first Regional Title in a decade by firing a no-hitter and a one-hitter in back-to-back starts in the Sectional. He was selected as All-Metro Player of the Year for his efforts. His senior season saw him lead the conference in batting with a .478 average and post a 6-2 record as a pitcher with a 0.78 ERA. He repeated as Player of the Year and earned a scholarship to Indiana University as an infielder.
ANDREW CROSS - Memorial High School - Class of '11: There are high school careers and then there are high school careers. A multi-sport, talented athlete, Cross scored nearly 100 goals in his career in soccer, started for three years in basketball, and ran the anchor leg on a three time track City Champion 3,200 meter relay team. Along the way, he became the only player in history to score multiple goals in a pair of State Championship soccer matches, twice won the Gatorade Indiana Soccer Player of the Year award, was twice selected All-American in soccer, a three time selection for All-State, and a two time winner of the All-Metro Player of the Year award for soccer. As a junior Cross had secured his place in Tiger lore by scoring a goal in all seven State playoff matches. The feat of scoring two goals in a State title game had never been done once and then he did it again as a senior. With the third and fourth Memorial State Championship soccer title behind him, he went on to play collegiate soccer for Dayton University.
TOR’JON EVANS - Central High School - Class of ‘20: Standing just 5 foot 7 inches tall and weighing barely 150 pounds, Evans was a lightning bolt who lit Evansville football fields like a fireworks show. Bursting onto the city scene like no other freshman in history, he became the first freshman to ever lead the SIAC in rushing with 1,640 yards and 14 touchdowns. After leading Central to a Sectional Title, the Downtown Quarterback Club named him their "Player of the Year". A perfect blend of speed and elusiveness, he returned for his sophomore season and set the state on fire. His 2,610 yards rushing ranked second among all Indiana high schools and he proved he could carry the load on his diminutive frame by taking a handoff over 260 times. His 33 touchdowns far and away led the SIAC in scoring. Eligibiltiy and location complications ended his Evansville career early but not before he led the Bears to 20 wins, a City, Sectional and back-to-back SIAC conference championships. He shared the All-Metro "Player of the Year" award as a sophomore and was named to the Associated Press first team All-State squad.
MICHAEL LINDAUER - Memorial High School - Class of ‘19: One rival coached described Lindauer as "a ballplayer's ballplayer". A multi-sport athlete from a family that had produced All-City athletes across the decades, Lindauer enjoyed a career that topped them all. He first made a name for himself pitching the Evansvilee East 11 All-Stars to wins in the Pony League World Series in Virginia as an 11 year old. By the time he made it to Memorial in 2015, he was already a prospect of high regard. He cemented his place as an athlete for the ages when he was thrust into the starting role at quarterback for the Tigers as a freshman followin an injury to the starter. When he threw for four touchdowns in his first start, he never relinquished the starter job for the rest of his high school career. Later that same year, he drove in the lone run in Memorial's opening game of the baseball Sectional and started at shortstop for a Regional Championship team. At 6 foot 3 and 190 pounds he had the perfect build for a multi-sport athlete and played football, basketball, and baseball. He garnered All-SIAC and All-Metro selections the way other kids collect baseball cards. Sectional, Regional, and State Titles were all part of his career. As a sophomore quarterback, he led the Tigers to a Sectional Title throwing 28 touchdowns and was named first team All-State by the Associated Press.
His junior year went further--much further. Throwing for 32 touchdowns and nearly 3,000 yards, he led Memorial to winning the IHSAA 3A State Championship. He swept all the area "Player of the Year" awards and was again named first team All-State. Three months later he was named as Honorable Mention on the SIAC's All-Conference basketball squad. In May, he three-hit Boonville and struck out 12 in the baseball Sectional Title Game. Carrying a .462 batting average, he was chosen as shortstop on the All-Metro team. His senior year began with another run to the 3A Football Title game but this time the Tigers finished as runners up. Regardless, 51 touchdowns passing and 3,858 passing yards garnered him another "Player of the Year" and first team All-State award. An early season hand injury cost him chances at basketball awards, but his senior year did see him named 2nd team All-Metro and All-Conference. He hit .378 as a senior and went 5-0 with a microscopic 0.19 ERA on the mound and earned All-Metro 'Player of the Year' honors. Lindauer accepted a scholarship to the University of Cincinnati to play football.
JESSICA NUNGE - Castle High School - Class of ‘19: The third member of the Nunge family to be honored with multiple "Player of the Year" Awards, Jessica was an all-round athlete who was named as First Team All-State in both basketball AND volleyball. She was included as a member of six All-SIAC teams--three times each both sports. At 6 feet 2 inches tall, she led Castle to its 24 successive sectional championship as a junior while leading the conference in kills and was named the All-Metro 'Player of the Year' in volleyball. Having grown another inch as a senior, she again led the conference in kills and the Knights won their Indiana record 25th consecutive sectional championship. She shared the title of 'Player of the Year' in volleyball and then went on to lead Castle to a Regional Title in basketball. Her leadership and all round play garnered Nunge her THIRD 'Player of the Year' award (her first for basketball) and she was named to the Indiana Basketball Coaches Supreme 15 All-State team. While she spent her first two college seasons playing volleyball for Florida State, she transferred to the University of Illinois for her final two seasons.
HEATHER HOOD - Castle High School - Class of ‘19": Always considered an excellent defender at third base with a rocket arm, Hood altered her swing in the off-season between her sophomore and junior seasons and the results were meteoric. After averaging .270 in her first varsity season, she raised her average to .510 and set a school record with 12 home runs--a number that ranked among the best in the state. With Castle winning the Regional Softball title, Hood earned a share of the All-Metro "Player of the Year" award and First Team All-State in 2018. Her senior season was just as productive and she hit .524 while being recognized as the best defensive third baseman the conference had seen in a decade. She won her second "Player of the Year" award, her second First Team All-State ranking, and set school career records in batting average, home runs, and RBI. She went on to play for the University of Evansville and was a four year starter. She won All-Missouri Valley Conference Defensive Team awards for her play at third base.
TATUM TORNATTA - Memorial High School - Class of ‘20: An excellent all round athlete, Tornatta first gained recognition as a sophomore volleyballer. At 6' tall and an outside hitter, it was apparent she possessed tremendous power. The was voted to the SIAC All Conference team as well as both the All-City and All-Metro volleyball teams. In her junior season ('17-'18), she led the Tigers to a Sectional Volleyball Title and won her first All-City 'Player of the Year'. She also won the SIAC Tennis Doubles Championship and started for the basketball team that season. Her senior season in volleyball sealed her legacy as a power-player. She led the Tigers to a Regional Title--and the club won 30 consecutive sets up to the point they were beaten at Semi-State. Tornatta tallied 19 kills in the Sectional Championship game and another 18 in the Regional and earned her second 'Player of the Year' award on both the All-City and All-Metro teams. She went on to play Division 1 volleyball for Southern Illinois University.
RYLEIGH ANSLINGER - Memorial High School - Class of ‘20: An effective force in soccer from the time she was a freshman, Anslinger was a three time winner of the All-Metro Player of the Year award in the sport. She burst on the scene with goals scored in August of her first year in high school ('17-'18) as the club went on to win the State Championship that season. She went right on racking up points with 93 goals and 53 assists in her career. Not only did she earn multi-year First Team All-State selections in soccer, she also scored over 1,000 points for the Memorial basketball team and was a First Team All-State selection her senior season by the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association. Standing just 5 foot 7 inches, she was the powerhouse behind five Sectional championships across two different sports and was named the SIAC Outstanding Female Athlete of the Year. Originally an Indiana University commitment for soccer, she transferred to the University of Evansville after her freshman year.