TERRE HAUTE, Ind. -- Three former Indiana State student-athletes each with their own story to tell have been featured in the national spotlight over the past week. It is a great reminder of the nation wide impact that Sycamores have following their careers and how vital support for our current student-athletes is to their success.
The most decorated Sycamore in the history of Indiana State Athletics is the legend, Larry Bird. He and is wonderfully talented teammates took the hardwood 39 years ago and marched all the way to the Final Four. They played Michigan State on March 26, 1979 in what is still the most viewed college basketball of all time and still marks the last time a Missouri Valley Conference school has reached the national championship game. Along the way, the Sycamores won their first 33 games of the season, thrilled the town of Terre Haute with a pair of unforgettable buzzer beaters (hat tip to Miracle Man Bob Heaton) and sent the Wabash Valley into a fury that is still recollected by many that live here.
Larry Bird went onto a terrific career with the Boston Celtics and continues to make all Sycamores proud through his current role as Advisor to the President of Basketball Operations with the Indiana Pacers. Bird has previously served as the team's head coach and himself as President of Basketball Operations. Currently, Bird has once again taken his place in the national spotlight over the last week as the Indiana Pacers are currently tied 2-2 in their best of seven series with the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Playoffs.Â
Our next student-athlete who has shown in the national spotlight is former soccer student-athlete Katrine Baker. Baker, who played for Indiana State from 2011 through 2014 returned upon graduation to her hometown of Las Vegas to begin a career in modeling and acting. She has appeared in several national advertising campaign as well as a trophy model in numerous award shows originating from Vegas, including last week's Academy of Country Music Awards live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
Baker, who has worked on the ACM Awards Show previously as well as the Billboard Music Awards, debuted on this show when Miranda Lambert took the award for Song of the Year. In the clip below, you can see Baker hand off the award and escort the winners as well as award presenters to the side of the stage as well as backstage afterwards.
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Arguably, the most notable accomplishment of the past week by a Sycamore happened in Oakland on Saturday night when Sean Manaea became the first Indiana State student-athlete to throw a no-hitter in Major League Baseball. Manaea allowed only two base runners in becoming the first Indiana born pitcher to throw a major league no-hitter since Don Larsen's perfect game in the 1956 World Series. He is the first MVC alum to toss a major league no-no since Dan Stieb (Southern Illinois) did it for the Toronto Blue Jays in 1990.Â
Manaea honed his craft here in Terre Haute and coupled with summer success in the Cape Code League, became a first round draft pick of the Kansas City Royals in 2013. He was traded to Oakland for World Series MVP Ben Zobrist in 2015. Then after making his Major League debut in 2016 has continued to improve en route to recording the no-hitter on Saturday, April 21 against the Boston Red Sox -- who came into the contest sporting the best record in baseball at 17-2.Â
He did all of this on the very same day that the Indiana State Baseball program welcomed back 39 alums for Sycamore Alumni Day. Additionally, Manaea is engaged to Megan Stone, a native of Farmersburg, Ind., and one of the top players in the history of Indiana State Softball. Saturday was a special day at the Gibson Track and Field Complex also as nearly 100 alums returned for Indiana State Track & Field Alumni Day including the 1988 Missouri Valley Conference Championship team -- the first earned under legendary head coach John McNichols as well as Holli Hyche -- the most decorated female track and field athlete in the history of the school
Saturday was a special day at the Gibson Track and Field Complex also as nearly 100 alums returned for Indiana State Track & Field Alumni Day including the 1988 Missouri Valley Conference Championship team -- the first earned under legendary head coach John McNichols as well as Holli Hyche -- the most decorated female track and field athlete in the history of the school
