Athletics

Hanover College's intercollegiate athletic program is affiliated with the NCAA (Division III) and the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference, which includes outstanding schools from Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky. Students can compete for the Panthers in 16 sports, including men's and women's basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, tennis and track & field as well as baseball, football, softball and volleyball. More than one-third of Hanover's student body participates in varsity athletics. Many students compete for more than one varsity sports team.

Reporting dates set for Hanover's fall athletes
Workouts for Hanover College's fall intercollegiate athletic teams will begin in less than one month. Hanover opens its 2008-09 athletic year Friday, August 29, when the Panthers host Asbury College (Ky.) in a men's soccer match at the L.S. Ayres Athletic Complex.

Hanover's women's soccer, women's tennis and men's & women's cross country squads will all be in action Saturday, August 30.

Hanover's football squad will report to campus, Friday, August 15, from 1-4 p.m. in the Horner Health and Recreation Center. The men's and women's soccer teams, men's & women's cross country squads, women's volleyball team and the women's tennis squad will all report for drills Saturday, August 16, from 9-11 a.m. in at the Horner Center. Hanover's women's golf team will begin its preseason efforts Saturday, August 23, from 9-11 a.m. in the Horner Center.

Tryouts for Hanover's cheerleading squad will be held during the August Experience, which runs August 23-31.

All athletes must have a physical for Health Services completed before arriving on campus. Hanover's team physicians will give athletic physicals upon arrival for preseason workouts. It is very important that Health Services physicals be completed prior to reporting dates and that all immunizations are updated. For questions regarding Health Services, contact Georgia Hall, director of health services, at hallga@hanover.edu or (812) 866-7082.

All necessary athletic forms and insurance information forms are available online at http://www.hanover.edu/athletics. Please select the "Medical Forms" tab.

For team-related questions, please contact the appropriate head coach or DeeDee Bomholt, athletic secretary, at bomholtd@hanover.edu or (812) 866-6800. 

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Hanover begins work on new artificial football field
Hanover College's Board of Trustees has allocated $750,000 to fund the installation of a new playing field at L.S. Ayres Field, home to Hanover's football squad since the early 1970s.

Hanover is installing an environmentally-friendly version of an artificial playing surface. The new turf, playable in all weather conditions throughout the year, provides a nearly maintenance-free field. Combining synthetic fiber "grass" with a sub-base consisting of cushioning particles and sand, the surface will require no mowing, watering or other lawn-related attention.

"In a football conference as competitive as the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference, it is imperative that we maintain the most modern playing facility possible," states head football coach Joe Austin. "This will allow us to compete in recruiting for the caliber of student-athlete that will return Hanover to prominence on the field."

The month-long project is slated to be completed prior to the start of the 2008 gridiron season.

Ayres Field, which seats 4,000 spectators, has featured a natural grass playing surface since its construction in 1973. The Panthers have posted a 126-43-1 record in 35 seasons at the stadium.

Installation of the football field is the first phase in Hanover's new outdoor athletic facilities and renovation program. The undertaking, slated to cost $3 million to $4 million, will upgrade the College's facilities for baseball, soccer, softball, tennis, track & field and golf.

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Brown and Meek named top senior athletes
Basketball player Robby Brown (Cincinnati, Ohio) and volleyball standout Carley Meek (Indianapolis, Ind.) have been named Hanover College's outstanding senior male and female athletes, respectively.

The awards were recently presented at the College's annual Athletic Honors and Awards Banquet.

Brown is a two-time all-Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference first-team honoree for Hanover's men's basketball squad. He scored 896 points in four seasons and capped his career ranked eighth in school history with 691 rebounds.

In the 2007-08 season, he averaged 11.2 points and led the Heartland Conference with 8.6 rebounds per game for the Panthers. He reached double figures in scoring in 15 of Hanover's 26 games and snagged more than 10 rebounds in 11 games. He posted seven double-doubles during the season.

As a junior, Brown led Hanover in scoring and rebounding with 13.0 points and 9.3 rebounds per outing. He averaged 10.1 boards per game in the Panthers' 16 conference games.

Meek is a four-time first-team all-Heartland Conference honoree with Hanover's volleyball squad. She was named the league's most valuable player in 2007 and was honored as the HCAC's freshman of the year in 2004.

Meek, who played in 460 collegiate games, set Hanover's career mark with 1,865 kills. She also totaled 2,055 digs and 172 service aces in her career.
 
As a senior, Meek led the Heartland Conference with 4.37 kills per game and was fourth in the HCAC with a .290 hitting percentage. She led Hanover's team with 468 kills and was second on the squad with 450 digs and 4.17 digs per game.

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