HUNTINGTON MAN SELECTED AS USABA SPORT AMBASSADOR
COLORADO SPRINGS – The U.S. Association of Blind Athletes (USABA) is pleased to announce 16 individuals who will serve as the organization’s sport ambassadors for 2023. Now in its second year, the USABA Sport Ambassador Program utilizes key stakeholders within the blind and visually impaired community from across the country.
The program’s goal is to spread awareness and visibility of sports for the blind and visually impaired community, assist in organization representation via outreach and partnership opportunities, and support fundraising efforts to continue and expand programming. The 16 sport ambassadors were selected following an application and review process and the group consists of athletes in the sports of goalball, blind soccer, track & field, swimming and triathlon, along with sighted guides and a blind sport administrator.
Among the ambassadors are seven Paralympians, including goalball athletes Zach Buhler (Huntington, Ind.), John Kusku (Commerce Township, Mich.), Eliana Mason (Beaverton, Ore.), Tyler Merren (Greenville, Mich.) and Calahan Young (Pittsburgh, Pa.), track and field athlete David Brown (Chula Vista, Calif.) and swimmer McClain Hermes (Dacula, Ga.).
They will be joined on the ambassador team by blind soccer athletes Ricardo Castaneda (Fort Worth, Texas), Antoine Craig (Richmond, Va.) and Bailey Martin (Hubbard, Iowa), paratriathlete Ashley Eisenmenger (Chicago, Ill.), blind sports administrator Sheena Hager (Chicago, Ill.), sighted guides Je’Von Hutchison (Boynton Beach, Fla.) and Cheyenne Meyer (McKinney, Texas), goalball athlete Megan Jenson (Tremonton, Utah) and endurance running athlete Jasmine Murrell (Plainfield, N.J.).
“Our USABA sport ambassadors are a great resource in partnering with local community-based organizations serving the blind and visually impaired to share their real-life stories, lessons and challenges surrounding perseverance, goal setting, leadership and more,” said USABA CEO Molly Quinn. “Through motivational speaking, sport demonstrations and one-on-one interactions, the sport ambassadors serve as powerful role models for young athletes and our community-based partners as they encourage our youth to believe they can achieve.”
For the seventh season in a row, the Bellmont Braves (formerly Squaws) won at least 17 games in a basketball season under coach Heim and competed as one of the top 3A teams in northeast Indiana.
Considering the program won just 37 games in total in the seven seasons before the current streak, it’s worth repeating just how big of a turnaround it has been for Heim and his staff. Most of the girls in the program can’t recall a time when the Braves were not in the top half of the NE8 and competing for a title.
Basketball fans and pundits around the area tend to forget the unique circumstances that go with coaching a team sport at Bellmont High School. This year’s team featured consistent scorers who graduated from four different middle schools and came together as freshmen to continue the winning tradition that girls in previous classes had started.
The season started somewhat belatedly as Hailey Cole and the volleyball Braves reached the State Finals and the opener against Garrett was pushed back. When the season did start, Heim’s team picked up wins against SAC schools Concordia and North Side and a very good ACAC team in Woodlan.
After a 64-19 shellacking of Dwenger, the first loss came against Jay County and the exploits of Renna Schwieterman, one of the top players in the area. The girls, much to the credit of their coaching staff, had no problem moving on from the loss against Jay County and showed no mercy against rival Heritage.
After a couple of non-conference wins on the road, the NE8 slate began and the Braves went into the holidays with three easy conference victories.
At the midpoint of the season, it was obvious that this team was just as dangerous as the one that had scored an upset in last year’s sectional and taken the crown from the Norwell Knights. Rebounding and defense were its strengths, with Emily and Rachel Bleke providing plenty of both, but the Braves also had a post presence in Hailey Cole, a sharpshooter in Ellen Scott, and an excellent point guard in Sydney Keane. They were the definition of a well-rounded team, but many doubted whether they had what it took to beat an elite team.
After three straight 30+-point wins, including one at the Hoosier Gym, Bellmont faced the three toughest teams on their schedule in successive games. They lost all three, but no one expected them to be in each of those games the way they were.
The team bounced back and won that rescheduled game at Garrett, then wrapped up the season with two more NE8 victories to prepare for sectional.
Oak Hill was no match for the Braves and after the first half of the semifinal against powerhouse Northwestern, it looked like Bellmont was set for another classic with Norwell.
Unfortunately, McKenna Layden and her mother, coach Kathie Layden, had other plans and the season ended with a loss to the Tigers.
Again to his credit, Heim wasted no time praising his team and motivating the girls who would take the place of Scott, Bleke and Keane with an open letter to the Decatur Daily Democrat.
While the season did not end with a trophy or a conference title, this team was as much fun to watch as any before them in the last decade, setting the stage for next year’s team, which will feature two of the most experienced and talented players in the NE8 in Hailey Cole and Emily Bleke.
W, Concordia Lutheran 69-40
W, Woodlan 46-36
W, at North Side 68-46
W, Bishop Dwenger 64-19 L, at Jay County 56-47
W, Heritage 56-17
W, at Adams Central 53-32
W, at Mississinewa 65-36
W, at DeKalb 59-33
W, Bishop Luers 47-37
W, East Noble 53-22
W, at New Haven 53-13
W, Eastside (N) 67-37
W, Bluffton 58-20
W, South Adams 58-25
L, at Columbia City 47-46
L, at Northrop 53-44
L, Norwell 46-43
W, at Garrett 41-38
W, at Huntington North 40-37
W, Leo 48-23
W, Oak Hill (N) 57-21 L, Northwestern (N) 50-44