Munciana wins 2 national titles; Ball State football players earn preseason All-MAC honors

Robby General, Muncie Star Press
·5 min read
The Munciana Samurai, coached by Mike Lingenfelter, went 10-1 and won the 18 Open championships at the 49th AAU Girls' Junior National Volleyball Championships in Orlando.
The Munciana Samurai, coached by Mike Lingenfelter, went 10-1 and won the 18 Open championships at the 49th AAU Girls' Junior National Volleyball Championships in Orlando.

ORLANDO, Fla. — Munciana Volleyball Club won a pair of titles at the 49th AAU Girls' Junior National Volleyball Championships, the world's largest volleyball tournament, which had participation from more than 70,000 athletes and coaches from around the world.

The Munciana Samurai won the 18 Open championship, the highest, most competitive division at the tournament, while the Munciana Peppers won the 12 Open championship.

The Samurai, coached by Munciana owner and co-director Mike Lingenfelter, went 10-1 in their division. They beat Illinois' Sports Performance Elite 25-23, 25-19 in the championship.

The Peppers, coached by Delta head coach Kylie Johnson, went 12-0 — dropping just three sets throughout — and beat Georgia's A5 Mizuno 121 Jing 25-16, 25-22 in the championship.

The Munciana Peppers, coached by Kylie Johnson, went undefeated and won the 12 Open championships at the 49th AAU Girls' Junior National Volleyball Championships in Orlando.
The Munciana Peppers, coached by Kylie Johnson, went undefeated and won the 12 Open championships at the 49th AAU Girls' Junior National Volleyball Championships in Orlando.

Several other Munciana teams finished high in their respective divisions. The Quora placed third in the 18 Premier division, finishing with a 9-2 record. The Stingrays finished ninth in the 13 Open with a 7-3 record. The Fighting Yukons (13 Premier) and Chipmunks (14 Open) each went 6-5 and finished 11th and 21st in their divisions, respectively.

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Here's a look at how each team that competed finished:

  • First — Munciana Peppers (12 Open)

  • First — Munciana Samurai (18 Open)

  • Third — Munciana Quora (18 Premier)

  • Ninth — Munciana Stingrays (13 Open)

  • 11th — Munciana Fighting Yukons (13 Premier)

  • 21st — Munciana Chipmunks (14 Open)

  • 32nd — Munciana Phoenix (14 Premier)

  • 56th — Munciana Falcons (13 Club)

  • 75th — Munciana Panthers (14 Club)

  • 99th — Munciana Cheetahs (12 Classic)

  • 110th — Munciana Manta Rays (13 Classic)

  • 122nd — Munciana Jaguars (14 Aspire)

Here's what else happened this past week (June 14-21) in East Central Indiana high school and collegiate athletics:

Monroe Central hires new boys basketball, volleyball coaches

Monroe Central hired two new head coaches. Jim Melton was selected as the boys basketball coach while Sacha Burkett was hired as the volleyball coach.

Melton comes to Parker City after spending the last three seasons at Fort Recovery (Ohio), where he went 37-25. He also coached at Park Tudor, Arcanum and Winchester beforehand.

Indiana: Monroe Central's Justin Ullom hired as new Muncie Central boys basketball head coach

Burkett (formerly Gill) is a familiar face in East Central Indiana. Burkett was a standout at Wes-Del, where she was named the IHSAA Mental Attitude Award winner and earned all-county, all-conference and all-state awards. She led Grand Valley State (NCAA Division II) to an Elite Eight appearance in 2010. A 2021 Delaware County Athletic Hall of Fame selection, Burkett coached at Western High School, leading the Panthers to a 25-5 record in 2018.

2021 DelCo HOF Class: Delaware County Athletic Hall of Fame to induct 15 new members later this month

2022 All-Hoosier Heritage Conference softball team announced

The Hoosier Heritage Conference announced its 2022 All-Conference softball team. Five East Central Indiana players and a coach were recognized.

Yorktown's Jeremy Penrod was named Coach of the Year in his first time at the helm. He led the Tigers to a 24-6 (4-3 HHC) record, winning sectional and regional championships along the way.

Delta senior Kate Penrod, New Castle senior Hannah Essert and Yorktown seniors Alanah Jones and Macie Dowd along with sophomore Caitlyn Laferny earned all-conference nods.

'That was crazy': Yorktown softball wins sectional title in all-time great pitchers' duel

2022 All-Hoosier Heritage Conference baseball team announced

The Hoosier Heritage Conference announced its 2022 All-Conference team. Six area players were recognized.

Delta senior Parker Faletic, New Castle seniors Eli Cooper, Aydan Decker-Petty and Corbin Malott along with Yorktown senior Jacob Pruitt and junior Cole Temple earned all-conference honors.

More: New Castle feels 'nothing but joy' as its baseball season ends in 12-1 semistate loss

Ball State football lands several on preseason All-MAC teams

Nine Ball State football players earned preseason All-Mid-American Conference recognition in Phil Steele's 2022 College Football Preview and Athlon Sports' preseason magazine, respectively.

Phil Steele's preseason All-MAC picks included wide receiver Jayshon Jackson and offensive lineman Corey Stewart, who earned second team honors. Linebacker Clayton Coll, safety Malcolm Lee, long snapper Dylan Seiler, running back Carson Steele and cornerback Amechi Uzodinma II earned third team honors. Linebacker Brandon Martin and wide receiver Yo'Heinz Tyler were fourth team selections.

In Athlon Sports' preseason magazine, Martin and Uzodinma earned second team honors. Offensive lineman Ethan Crowe, defensive lineman Tavion Woodard, Coll, Jackson and Steele were selected to the third team. Offensive lineman Jaylen Turner and Tyler were fourth team picks.

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Ball State pitcher Tyler Schweitzer earns more postseason awards

Ball State pitcher and MAC Player of the Year Tyler Schweitzer, who was selected as a second team All-American by Collegiate Baseball, earned two more postseason honors.

The lefty was selected as an American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) first team All-Region player and a second team All-American. Schweitzer went 11-2 on the season, tied for the second most in the NCAA and third most in a single season in Ball State history. He recorded 122 strikeouts, limiting opponents to a .205 batting average while boasting a 2.65 ERA through 91 2/3 innings of work.

More: Tyler Schweitzer throws 143 pitches to advance Ball State baseball in MAC Championship

Ball State athletics posts highest APR

Ball State athletics posted its highest Academic Progress Rate (APR) with a score of 992 for the 2020-21 season. In 2018-19, BSU posted a 991.

APR is a team-based measurement of athletic success with scholarship student-athletes earning points for each term in which they are eligible and another for staying in school or graduating.

Twelve Ball State teams earned perfect scores of 1,000. Baseball, basketball, golf, tennis and volleyball earned perfect scores on the men's side, while softball, cross-country, golf, soccer, swimming and diving, track and field and volleyball earned perfect scores on the women's side.

Robby General covers Ball State and East Central Indiana high school sports for The Star Press. Contact him via email at rgeneral@gannett.com or on Twitter @rgeneraljr.

This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: Munciana Volleyball Club wins a pair of AAU National Championships