CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – Southeast Missouri track & field will be split this weekend between the Billy Hayes Invite in Bloomington, Ind. and the Sycamore Open in Terre Haute, Ind., Friday May 9th.

The athletes competing at the Billy Hayes Invite will be Clara Billing, Brianna Dixon, Madelyn Gray, Tyler Anderson, Colin Beers, Luke Busateri, Sullivan Gleason, Luke Hatfield Jackson, Kenyon Johnson, Cole Reinders, and Justin Splitt. The field events begin at noon with the women’s hammer and the track events begin at 4:00 p.m. with the 110m hurdles.

The throwers attending the Sycamore Open are Paden Lewis, Jehchys Brown, Clay Alewelt, Josiah Kilgore, Ava Dumke, Kennedy Zgaynor, Andreese Ortiz, and Makenzie Williams. The field events are scheduled to start at 12:00 p.m. with the women’s javelin. 

Where We Rank

For each individual event the top 48 performances will be accepted into the NCAA regional which is broken up into East and West. For each relay event, the top 24 relay teams will be accepted into the competition. The top 24 performances in the combined events (Heptathlon and Decathlon) are accepted directly into the Championships. 

The sport is broken up into nine regions, SEMO is in the Midwest Region which includes all the Division One schools from Missouri, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, South and North Dakota, Iowa, Minnesota, and Illinois.

Southeast has four marks ranked in the top 50 of the country,  marks ranked in the top 26 in the midwest, 15 marks ranked first in the OVC, and 49 performances in the top five in the Ohio Valley Conference.

In the high jump, Luke Hatfield Jackson is ranked 15th in the NCAA, third in the Midwest and first in the OVC, achieving a mark of 7′ 1.75″ at the Clark Wood Open. In the long jump, Hatfield Jackson ranks 10th in the region and first in the OVC with a distance of 24′ 7.25″.

Paden Lewis ranks 50th in the nation, 11th in the region, and first in the conference in the hammer throw with a distance of 212′ 1″ with the mark being achieved at the Pacesetter Sports Invitational. Lewis also ranks 13th in the region and first in the OVC in shot put with a mark of 60′ 3.75″. Lewis ranks 16th in the region and first in the conference in discus throwing a distance of 182′ 5″.

Anna Thomason ranks 34th in the nation, seventh in the region, and first in the OVC in the heptathlon, getting 5260 points at the Gibson Invitational. Thomason also ranks sixth in the Midwest and first in the Ohio Valley Conference in the 100m hurdles with a time of 13.54. 

Brianna Dixon ranks 24th in the NCAA, ninth in the region, and first in the conference in the high jump, achieving a height of 5′ 10.75″ at the Memphis Tiger Invitational. She also ranks 19th in the Midwest in the 100m hurdles with a time of 13.82. 

In the 400m, Sydney Burdine ran a 54.02 to be ranked 12th in the Midwest.

In the 10,000m, Noah Little ranks first in the OVC with a time of 30:27.11.

With a distance of 49′ 7.75″ Kenyon Johnson ranks 13th in the region, Luke Busateri ranks 16th (49′ 1.75″), and Aarion Jackson ranks 24th (47′ 9″)  in triple jump.

In the 400m hurdles Laila Hardin ran a 59.41 time to be ranked 12th in the Midwest and first in the OVC.

The mens and womens 4x100m teams rank 23rd (42.27) and 13th (45.85, 1st OVC) in the region. The men’s team consists of Moore, Bruenderman, Jackson, and Revels. The women’s team is run by Thomason, Burdine, Dwaah, and Lester.

The men’s 4x400m relay team of Primeau, Fuller, Splitt, and Mygatt combined for a time of 3:18.77, ranking 21st in the region. The women’s squad of Hardin, Dwaah, Burdine, and Lester crossed the line at 3:46.01 to be ranked 21st in the Midwest Region.

Collin Beers cleared a height of 16′ 6″ in pole vault, earning 22nd in the regional rankings and Sullivan Gleason vaulted over a height of 16′ 7.25″ for 20th in the region.

15th in the region and first place in the OVC women’s pole vault rankings is held by Clara Billing, who cleared a height of 13′ 8.5″.

In the hammer throw Makenzie Williams threw for a distance of 189′ 5″ to take 21st in the region and first place in the Ohio Valley Conference rankings. Williams also ranks 19th in the region in discus with a distance of 160′ 11″.

Andreese Ortiz ranks 18th in the region in discus, throwing a distance of 161′ 5″

Josiah Kilgore ranks 15th in the region and first in the conference in javelin throwing for a distance of 197′ 2″.

Throwing for a distance of 144′ 0″, Kennedy Zgaynor ranks 24th in the Midwest and first in the conference in javelin.

Team Rankings

The Southeast Missouri men’s track and field team is ranked 152nd in the nation with 1.50 points coming from Luke Hatfield Jackson’s high jump (7′ 0.5″) and Paden Lewis’ hammer throw mark of 212′ 1″ and shot put of 60′ 1″.

The Southeast Missouri women’s track and field team is ranked 157th in the nation with 0.70 points coming from Anna Thomason’s 5260 points in heptathlon. 

The men’s team is ranked 18th in the Midwest Region with 103.09 total points and first in the conference with 1,115.14 points, ahead of Little Rock with 1,114.89 points.

The men’s squad teams that are ranked in the top 50 in the nation are the discus team (39th), high jump (33rd), long jump team (35th), and the shot put team (33rd).

The women’s team is ranked 20th in the Midwest Region with 91.76 total points and first in the OVC with 1,081.54 points, ahead of Little Rock in second with 934.87 points.

The women’s squad teams that are ranked in the top 50 in the nation are the hammer throw team (24th), the javelin team (38th), and the shot put team (44th). 

Weekly Awards

Paden Lewis claimed his second OVC Outdoor Male athlete of the week this week. Lewis notched two first place finishes in the Shot Put and Discus. In the shot put Lewis threw to the distance of 60′ 3.50″and in the discus throw had a mark of 182′ 5.00″. Lewis currently ranks 54th in the nation in the shot put, first in the OVC, and third overall in the SEMO record books. His Discus throw this past weekend earned him a new personal best that pushed him to 73rd in the NCAA, 1st in the OVC, and 3rd in the SEMO records.

Brianna Dixon won the OVC female field athlete of the week, her first OVC outdoor award of the season. This past weekend Dixon continued to rewrite the SEMO record books and broke her own high jump record with a jump of 5′ 10.75″. That jump puts her at 25th in the NCAA and first in the OVC.

Andreese Ortiz records her first career OVC Outdoor of the week award winning Female Freshman of the week. Ortiz posted a fourth place finish in the shot put 42′ 1.00″ and 11th in the discus 140′ 9″. Her discus throw was a new personal best and she now ranks second in the OVC. 

Looking Ahead

After this weekend track & field hosts the 2025 Ohio Valley Conference Outdoor Championships at the Abe Stuber Track Complex.

Stars of Japanese volleyball’s SV.League say the league must address its crowded match schedule and other issues affecting players following the conclusion of the rebranded competition’s inaugural season.

One of the league’s biggest stars has been leading calls for the formation of a players’ union to address such concerns and support the league’s goal of becoming the global benchmark in professional volleyball.

Osaka Bluteon’s Yuji Nishida, a star of the Japanese men’s national team, proposed the establishment of the union in an April 27 post on X, formerly Twitter.

Osaka Bluteon’s Yuji Nishida reacts to his team’s SV.League volleyball season-opening win over Suntory Sunbirds Osaka at Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium on Oct. 11, 2024. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

“To all players, let’s form a players’ union to make the league better and raise the level of our play,” he said.

“The union is absolutely necessary if the SV.League wants to be the top of world volleyball. We have so many questions. For instance, each team plays 44 matches, but we play some opponents four times and others six times. What are the reasons for this?”

For the inaugural 2024-2025 regular season, the league increased the number of men’s matches per team to 44, up from 36 in the predecessor V.League, while doubling the number of women’s matches per team to 44 from 22.

The league launched last year with 10 men’s teams and 14 women’s teams, aiming to become the world’s most competitive and popular volleyball league by 2030. SV.League Chairman Masaaki Okawa said he envisions a league that players from around the globe aspire to join.

Nishida also raised the issue of promoting teams from the second division. The Hokkaido Yellow Stars topped the eight-team second-division standings with a dominant 26-2 record but will not be promoted for next season.

Wolfdogs Nagoya’s Nimir Abdel-Aziz serves during the first set against the Hiroshima Thunders in Game 2 of their SV.League men’s volleyball quarterfinal at the Entrio gymnasium in Inazawa, Aichi Prefecture, on April 19, 2025. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

“Another question is why can’t a team that has received a SV.League license move up (from the second division). Is it impossible to have an odd number of teams? One year isn’t ‘just one year’ for players,” Nishida said.

Meanwhile, regular-season attendance totaled 1,034,667, up 204 percent from the 2023-2024 V.League season, the SV.League said on April 16, two days before the playoffs began.

Attendance for men’s matches surged 75 percent to 664,709, while women’s attendance jumped 195 percent to 369,958, buoyed by the expanded schedule. However, average attendance per women’s match fell by 31 percent.

Nishida’s Bluteon teammate Thomas Jaeschke, who won two bronze medals while playing for the United States in the past three Olympics, has also pointed to multiple issues that the SV.League needs to address.

“It’s just too many matches, physically, for players,” Jaeschke told Kyodo News after his team played two matches against the Tokyo Great Bears at the beginning of March. “It’s not reasonable for players. It’s really a big mistake. It needs to be adjusted.”

“Back-to-back matches. Everybody plays twice a weekend. The market is just kind of saturated. You can’t watch every night. They’re competing against each other. They’re playing the same time.”

Suntory Sunbirds Osaka’s Ran Takahashi spikes the ball during the second set against JTEKT Stings Aichi in Game 1 of their SV.League men’s volleyball final at Tokyo’s Ariake Arena on May 3, 2025. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

He added that when he played for European clubs, including in Italy and Turkey, teams with two weekly matches typically played once midweek and once on the weekend, whereas the current schedule in Japan is less conducive to match quality and player health.

“I think guys (foreign players) will come here and see that. The money here is good. A lot of things are good, but I do think some changes need to be made,” Jaeschke said.

The 31-year-old outside hitter has decided not to return to Japan for his third season.

The SV.League believes the current schedule is ideal for fans to attend matches. It also reduces costs, enabling match organizers to set up and clear a venue once per weekend, as many clubs do not have their own arenas, the league said in a recent reply to questions from Kyodo News.

Osaka Marvelous’ Mizuki Tanaka (top L) spikes the ball during the third set against NEC Red Rockets Kawasaki in Game 1 of their SV.League women’s volleyball final at Tokyo’s Ariake Arena on May 2, 2025. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

The league added that it is harder to assign umpires and supporting staff on weekdays, and the current weekend schedule also makes it easier for fans to travel for away matches.

Asked about players who say their performance is better with one midweek and one weekend match per week, the league said, “There are also players who prefer playing on weekends while resting on weekdays. Those players say it’s easier to get themselves in shape that way.”

“If we have more matches on weekdays, we might get more (media) exposure. That’s a positive thing. We know there are various opinions. We’ll continue to examine the best options for the league.”

Related coverage:

Volleyball: Sunbirds win SV.League men’s championship

Volleyball: Osaka Marvelous win inaugural SV.League women’s title

Volleyball: Osaka Bluteon run winning streak to 16 games in SV.League

Tyler Hendrickson was born and raised in Long Beach, and started covering sports in his hometown in 2010. After five years as a sportswriter, Tyler joined the athletic department at Long Beach State University in 2015. He spent more than four years in the athletic communications department, working primarily with the Dirtbags baseball program. Tyler also co-authored of The History of Long Beach Poly: Scholars & Champions.

http://the562.org

SINGAPORE – Dusan Mandic and Beatriz Ortiz may be Olympic champions and the world’s best men and women’s water polo player respectively, but the road to success was fraught with bitter failures and disappointments.

In a phone interview ahead of the July 11-Aug 3 World Aquatics Championships in Singapore, Mandic told The Straits Times: “If you think training is hard, try losing.”

The 2.02-metre Serb, born and raised in Montenegro, has come a long way since he was a “childish rebel” who and experimented with sports like karate, jiujitsu, sailing and tennis before settling on water polo.

His prowess in the pool grew as quickly as his growth spurt – he gained 20cm and 30kg from age 16 to 18 – as he started racking up championships since winning the youth world championship with Serbia in 2011.

After a bronze at the 2012 London Olympics, he led Serbia on a run of nine major titles, including gold at the 2015 world championships and Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Olympics.

However, while he also has three European crowns, the right-winger and driver has had his fair share of setbacks.

This included a seventh-placed finish after single-goal defeats by Montenegro and Spain at the 2013 world championships and the medal drought between the Tokyo and Paris Games.

But the heartbreaks only served to spur Mandic on to greater things.

“Sport teaches you a lot of things… you learn more through your losses, which I definitely did,” said the 30-year-old, who has earned a reputation for being a clutch player in the biggest occasions.

“I realised hard practice and hard trainings are the best way and the only way to improve yourself.

“During the losses, we were the favourites and had a lot of quality, but we wouldn’t have bounced back if the whole team didn’t admit what was wrong.

“We looked at each other and said, we are not going to let this happen again. It gave us positive energy and with the big quality we had, we managed to achieve some incredible results.”

For his clutch performances, he was named 2024 World Aquatics Male Water Polo Player of the Year. While he said the individual accolade “doesn’t mean a lot” without the team success, he acknowledged it was validation that he was on the right track as a player.

Among his Olympic victories, Paris 2024, when Serbia beat Croatia 13-11 in the final, was the most significant as nobody gave them a chance because they had not made the podium in any major tournament after winning at the delayed Games in Tokyo in 2021.

Mandic said: “We took advantage of that, and even now when I think about it, it’s like how did we do it? It’s unbelievable, really.”

For the upcoming world championships, Serbia were drawn into Group A alongside Italy, Romania and South Africa.

Other than looking forward to visiting “futuristic” Singapore as a tech geek, Mandic hopes his team can build on the Paris success to return to the podium after finishing failing to make the semi-finals at the last four editions.

On their world championships title drought, he said: “Our team have changed a lot, especially after the Tokyo Olympics. There were many new players, and I saw the European and world championships as preparation for the Olympics because we needed time to grow.

“Now, we definitely have the momentum, chemistry and belief to do well in Singapore. We have created something and we have found our game. We played amazingly in the elimination phase in Paris and everybody in the team is looking forward to Singapore.

“Between Tokyo and Paris, we didn’t win any medals. We suffered a lot of frustration and learnt a lot during this time before we bloomed in Paris. And now we want to continue this.”

In the women’s game, Spain’s Ortiz followed a similar trajectory.

She was a gymnast growing up in football-mad Barcelona before switching to water polo after being influenced by her two brothers.

The 29-year-old driver shared that gymnastics helped instil the dedication, effort, and toughness to “endure things I never thought I’d be able to handle”, which included narrowly missing out on the 13 players called up to the national team at the start of her career.

Spain were fifth at the 2016 Olympics and were outplayed by the United States in the final of the Tokyo Games before a heartbreaking shoot-out defeat by the Netherlands in the final of the 2023 world championships.

Against all odds, they rebounded in Paris, where Ortiz scored four goals in the 11-9 final victory over Australia as Spain racked up a perfect seven wins for a historic Olympic gold.

Ortiz said: “The only way to overcome all those setbacks is as a team. We had good and bad years, tough moments and great ones. But we couldn’t have gotten through any of that without our teammates. No matter how hard the previous years had been, we knew we wanted that gold and we weren’t willing to let it slip away again.”

The Spaniards will approach the upcoming world championships with the same mentality as they have not won it since they were hosts in 2013. This year, they will begin their campaign in Group D alongside Britain, South Africa and France.

Ortiz said: “We are a country that doesn’t like to give up, and no matter what it takes, no matter what we have to go through, we’ll keep fighting to make our dreams come true.”

• David Lee is senior sports correspondent at The Straits Times focusing on aquatics, badminton, basketball, cue sports, football and table tennis.

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