Purdue Fort Wayne’s softball season begins today with a double header against Virginia Tech and UNC Wilmington.
Last season, the Mastodons finished with a 7-42 total record. In conference play, they finished second to last with a 6-20 record.
Amber Bowman leads the Mastodons in her second year as head coach. Heather Sanderson and Courtney Holm return as assistant coaches. Brian Tackett will join the team as a first-year volunteer assistant coach. Lauren Miller will also join the team as a first-year student manager.
PFW looks to improve from last year’s poor season with the help of nine new incoming players.
PFW has ten women returning this season, including junior infielder, Brooke Wintlend, who was awarded athlete of the week May 14 of last year.
Most of the Mastodons opponents are the same as the 2022 season, but two big changes are that the team will have to matchup with Indiana on Mar. 3 and Wisconsin in a doubleheader on Mar. 4.
Purdue Fort Wayne’s Baseball team saw four of their players receive Horizon League honors this week. These honors were awarded by Perfect Game USA, a website that focuses on scouting college baseball.
The first of the players that received acknowledgment by Perfect Game USA was Jarrett Bickel, a senior infielder/pitcher. He was picked as Preseason All-Conference Shortstop for the Horizon League.
Bickel hit .262 last season for the Mastodons and had 20 extra base hits. He will look to build on this performance in his senior year with the team.
Bickel was again acknowledged by Perfect Game USA as #5 on their list of 2023 Horizon League MLB Draft Prospects.
Joining him in the 2023 Horizon League MLB draft prospects ranking is graduate student JD Deany, a pitcher for the Mastodons, who is ranked at #11. Next on the list for the team is junior pitcher, Mac Ayers, who is ranked at #19.
The last of the players that received acknowledgment was Enas Hayden, a sophomore pitcher, who was #6 on the 2024 Horizon League MLB draft prospects ranking.
The Mastodons will hope that these players, who are projected to be stars, will step up and lead the team to a good season.
The Mastodons first game will be Feb. 17 in Montgomery, Alabama against Alabama State.
Purdue Fort Wayne men’s volleyball team has started their season off hot with a 7-1 record. The Mastodons next game is today at 7:30 p.m. on the road against George Mason.
This is the second match of the DC challenge played in Fairfax, Virginia. The team has yet to start conference play but hope to do better than last season, where they finished 6th in the MIVA.
The Mastodons are currently on a six-game winning streak. These wins have come over Carthage, Missouri S&T, Harvard, Sacred Heart, Queens and Mount Olive.
Each win this season, for PFW, has been decided in three sets.
PFW’s only loss this season was to NJIT on Jan. 7. This loss was decided in three sets.
The Mastodons have outperformed their opponents in nearly every stat this season. While looking at the attack, they have had 287 kills compared to their opponents 265 while only having 108 errors compared to their opponents 136. In the set they have 269 assists compared to their opponents 253. For serves the team has 45 aces and 91 errors while opponents have been held to 29 aces while serving 114 errors.
Defensively the Mastodons have collected 183 digs to their opponents 177. Blocking has seen six solo blocks and 125 assisted blocks while their opponents have had six solo blocks and 87 assisted blocks.
The only stat that the team does not lead their opponents in is blocking errors. PFW has had ten errors in this category while their opponent has only had eight.
PFW is led by Ryan Perrotte. This is Perrotte’s 8th season in the position. Assistant coach Jim Palilonis returns for his second season.
This year’s schedule sees the Mastodons face off against multiple big schools. They will face Ohio State twice due to them being a MIVA rival. Other big matchups include UCLA and Penn State.
Purdue Fort Wayne women’s basketball team is currently 9-13 on the season and 6th in the Horizon League with a 6-6 record in the conference.
The Mastodons are led in scoring by junior guard, Amellia Bromenschenkel so far this season. Bromenschenkel is averaging 12.9 PPG while shooting 45.6% from the field and 37% from three. This PPG average has Bromenschenkel sitting at 8th on the Horizon League scoring leaderboard.
Bromenschenkel not only leads the team in PPG, but she also leads the team in boards per game with 4.9.
Shayla Sellers, a senior guard, leads the team in assists with 2 per game. She also leads the team in steal per game with 1.8.
Jazzlyn Linbo, a sophomore forward, leads the team in blocks with 1.3 per game.
PFW’s biggest win so far this season was the first game of the season where they beat Goshen College 90-45 on Nov. 7. The biggest loss that the Mastodons have suffered so far this season was to the number 15 ranked Maryland on Dec. 21, where they were beat 51 to 88. This game featured a matchup of PFW’s Shayla Sellers and her younger sister, Maryland’s Shyanne Sellers.
PFW is currently on a three-game winning streak which saw a 72-55 win over Wright State, a 73-64 victory over Oakland, and most recently a 69-45 win over Detroit Mercy.
The team will look to continue this streak tonight as they face off against Youngstown State at home.
The last time these teams matched up in Ohio, PFW lost 44-60. The team will look to have a better performance in this rematch against their 2ndranked opponent. Depending on the result and the result of the Northern Kentucky and Wright St. matchup tonight, PFW may be able to move into a tie for 5th in the Horizon League.
Tonight’s game tips off at 7pm EST. You can tune in with these links.
Purdue Fort Wayne men’s basketball team is currently 14-9 on the season and are sitting at 6th place in the Horizon League with a 6-6 conference record.
The Mastodons have been led in scoring this season by senior guard, Jarred Godfrey, who is averaging 16.2 PPG while shooting 39.5% from the field and 33.3% from three. This average has Godfrey sitting at 7th in PPG in the Horizon League.
Godfrey not only leads the team in points, but he also leads the team in assists with 3.8 per game, steals with 1.5 per game, and blocks with .5 per game. These stats show that the ball is commonly in his hands which has led to his team leading 3.1 turnovers per game.
The Mastodon’s rebound leader is senior forward, Ra Kpedi, who leads the team with 8.3 boards per game.
The 2022-2023 season has seen some big milestones for the team. Back on Nov. 27, Coach Jon Coffman became PFW’s program leader in wins with 143 following a big win over Bluffton. Jarred Godfrey set the programs record for games played on Jan 21 where he played his 142nd career game.
PFW’s biggest win so far this season was a 111-31 win over Manchester on Nov. 11. The teams biggest lose came on Dec. 21 in a 54-74 loss to Northern Kentucky.
PFW’s last game resulted in a 74-79 loss to Cleveland State last Friday. The team will look to rebound tonight on the road against the Oakland Golden Grizzlies.
— Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons Basketball (@MastodonMBB) January 28, 2023
Back in December these teams matched up in Fort Wayne which saw a 79-73 overtime win for the Mastodons. The team will hope to gain the same result so they can move to 7-6 in the conference and move into a tie for 5th with Oakland.
Tonight’s game tips off at 7pm EST. You can tune in with these links.
As the second semester of the school year begins, many students are beginning to get back into the groove of their academic lives and head back onto campus.
For some they will begin writing paper after paper, others will work on new sketches for their end of the year showcases. Yet, for a group of students found in Neff Hall they have to begin their hunt for patients to get their Dental Hygiene degrees.
From sophomore to senior year, students who are accepted into the Dental Hygiene Program get to learn as to what it exactly is that dental hygienists do in their day-to-day life while at work along with how to do it.
With clinics designed just like what you would typically see at an actual dental office, both friends, family members, and randomly assigned patients can get to see students learn more and more while cleaning their teeth and providing other services such as x-ray and scaling.
Each student in the program has to reach a certain number of patients each semester to move onto the next level and to also graduate. Although the students may have their agendas full at the beginning, not every patient can be reliable on showing up to their appointment, and because of this, that student can begin to fall behind on their requirements.
IUFW Junior, Alana Lester, has dealt with a patient or two canceling last minute, as well as many of her fellow peers who have also experienced the same thing.
“It is a slight setback when it comes to cancellations, as it is very difficult to get someone else to take that spot which in turn makes it difficult to meet requirements necessary to finish the class,” Lester said. “Many of us started this semester off behind due to the lack of patients from cancellations.”
The appointment itself will usually take around 4 hours to complete as students will be taking each step thoroughly and getting the go ahead by the licensed dentists and dental faculty who are supervising the students.
With hours differing each day of the week between the months of January to April, the clinic will be open Monday through Friday.
Monday
8:00 a.m. – noon 1:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Tuesday
1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. 5:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Wednesday
8:00 a.m. – noon 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Thursday
1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. 5:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Friday
8:00 a.m. – noon 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Depending on holidays, times will vary.
Not only does the clinic offer teeth cleanings, but for a reduced price, you can get oral exams and cancer screenings, periodontal assessments, local antibacterial medicaments, local anesthesia, oral hygiene instructions, fluoride treatments, sealants, and x-rays.
The Dental Clinic fees range from $20 to $64 depending on age and services. The clinic also accepts dental insurance to those who bring in their card and fill out the information on the paperwork handed out before the appointment.
An appointment is required and there are three reserved parking spots available in the patient-only parking lot (Lot 8) located outside of Neff Hall. Additional parking is available in Lot B and parking garages. Handicap spaces are available adjacent to Neff Hall.
To get a high-quality, low-cost preventative dental service with the IUFW Dental Clinic, call 260-257-6826. For more information about costs, services, or clinic hours go to https://www.iufw.edu/dental-clinic/index.html
For some people, they consider that the talk of menstruation is considered as a taboo subject. Due to this belief, others don’t feel as if they are allowed to talk about it and so questions begin to arise without many answers.
On December 7th from 5:30 pm to 8 pm, the Department of Communication, the Women’s Center, and Helmke Library will be showing the popular Disney movie, Turning Red.
If you don’t know what the movie is about, Turning Red follows the story of a thirteen-year-old girl who is torn between continuing her role as her mother’s dutiful daughter and dealing with the changes of adolescence. If the challenges were not enough for her, whenever she gets overly excited she transforms into a giant red panda.
The movie was chosen to start the conversation around menstruation in order to celebrate Dignified Menstruation Day which is December 8th.
They will also be accepting menstruation product donations to go back to the local community. The movie will be played in Walb G21 and popcorn will be provided.
The 2022 midterm election campaign ends in less than two weeks, as voters choose their candidates on Nov. 8. Constituents are looking for solutions to the affordable housing crisis in Indiana, a problem that is affecting the entire nation.
Across the state, housing affordability has become a crisis as both home sales and rental costs have risen to record levels. What can be done to alleviate the crisis? We reached out to candidates running for state senate in Allen County to learn more about their proposals.
Sen. Travis Holdman (R-District 19) is running for reelection with a campaign focused on community development. Earlier this year, Holdman included provisions on Indiana Bill SB 382 for a state tax credit that would benefit projects addressing the housing needs of workers.
The bill will take effect next January and it will provide up to $30 million annually over five years in affordable and workforce housing state tax credits, for a total of up to $150 million. Eligible taxpayers must apply to the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority with qualifying construction projects to receive the state tax credit.
Democrat Zach Heimach, who is seeking to replace retiring Sen. Dennis Kruse in District 14, worries about the difficulties young professionals currently face to afford housing.
Incomes have decrease from 2021 to 2022, making it unaffordable for residents to rent or buy homes for their own comfort. The graph below, with data collected from the Center for Housing and Policy at the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, indicates how affordable it is to own a house in different regions of the state of Indiana. Index values of 100 or above indicate that homeownership is affordable for a median income household.
Heimach said that, even though affordable housing may not be the core issue for the majority of the senate candidates, it is a very serious issue. He believes government should prevent major corporations from buying real estate to make a profit, in order to provide more affordable housing.
“We have to go to the people experiencing this, listen to the people who are well diverse people in to order to keep it affordable,” Heimach said. “If we don’t know the answer, we just must find the answers.”
State Sen. Liz Brown (R-District 15), who is unopposed for re-election, and Republican candidate Tyler Johnson, who is running against Heimach for the District 14 seat, did not provide information on their plans to provide affordable housing in their districts.
With the 2022 Midterm Elections coming up in November, voters are looking into candidates to learn about their proposals to improve the quality of life in their communities. This story looks at the affordable housing policies of the candidates running for State Representative in Allen County.
Democrat Kyle R. Miller, who is competing with Republican Davyd Jones to fill the position of State Rep. David Abbott (R-District 82), believes loan and rent assistances should be available to a larger segment of the population. He proposes increasing the income threshold to qualify for Indiana’s down payment assistance program.
Miller also suggests that banks should help fund development in downtown areas, and that the government should partner with financial and lending institutions for incentives to build in overlooked areas such as southeast Fort Wayne.
“One of the things we would want to watch out for is making sure that there is not a short-term solution to a long-term problem. It’s great to get someone into an apartment or a condo, affordable housing, but if that benefit is only good for three or four months, that’s only going to help very little,” Miller said.
Miller suggests that lenders should weigh more than just credit history when approving mortgages, but rather also look at other things such as bill and rent history.
“I think that the biggest issue that we are going to have is trying to figure out how to implement some of these things and solve some of the ‘why’s’ as to why we are having these issues,” he said. “It’s going to take little things, rather than just solving it in one bill or one fell swoop.”
Davyd Jones’ campaign website did not include his position on affordable housing, and he could not be reached for comment.
‘Housing should be for people, not companies’
Abby Norden, an Independent candidate running against incumbent State Rep. Martin Carbaugh (R-District 81), blames market conditions for the lack of affordable housing in her district.
“We have outside companies, or individual investors coming into our city and buying up as many properties as possible,” Norden said. “Housing should be for people, not for companies, and if we continue to let a select few own the housing market, we will continue to see price gouging in the housing and rental markets.”
Norden believes that a way to help alleviate this problem in the area would be by improving residents’ salaries and regulating rent increases.
“I will work with the communities who need housing the most to help them meet their needs while simultaneously working with legislatures to raise the minimum wage and cap rental prices at affordable rates,” Norden said on her plans to combat the shortages.
Carbaugh’s campaign did not send any information on his housing proposals upon request. In the past, he has opposed legislation related to affordable housing. Earlier this year, Carbaugh refused to hear House Bill 1326, which would have addressed discrimination in home appraisals and lending. Due to his refusal, the bill died after missing the House’s deadline.
In 2018, he authored House Bill 1319, which if passed would have created a loan program with three-to-12-month loans of $605 to $1,500 with annual percentage rates up to 222%. This 222% APR is just about triple of what Indiana law classified as criminal loansharking. If the bill had passed, it could have made paying back housing loans difficult for many Indiana homebuyers.
Housing Task Force
House Minority Leader Phil GiaQuinta (D-District 80) currently does not have a public statement on affordable housing on his campaign website, and his press team did not give any information in response to our inquiry.
However, he is a member of the Housing Task Force that was created through House Bill 1306 earlier this year. As a member of this force, GiaQuinta and other representatives are working to learn the best strategies in combating shortages in affordable housing.
Another goal of this task force is to end discrimination against homeowners who are having their homes appraised. To see how to best design plans in Allen County and Indiana as a whole, the task force is looking at plans from other states.
Incumbents Christopher Judy (R-District 83), Bob Morris (R-District 84) and Dave Heine (R-District 85), who are all running unopposed, do not have any positions listed on their campaign websites to address housing affordability. Their press teams didn’t respond to messages.
