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24-time WAC champion signs multi-year contract

Story Links Grand Canyon track and field head coach Tom Flood agreed to a multi-year contract, keeping the Lopes’ founding architect at the helm of a program that he has led to 24 Division I conference championships and a Division II national title.    Flood, set to enter his 16th GCU season […]

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Grand Canyon track and field head coach Tom Flood agreed to a multi-year contract, keeping the Lopes’ founding architect at the helm of a program that he has led to 24 Division I conference championships and a Division II national title.   

Flood, set to enter his 16th GCU season in 2025–26, has built the Lopes into a perennial championship contender since launching the program in 2010. He is GCU’s second-longest tenured active head coach. 

“Coach Flood has established a standard of sustained excellence that has become synonymous with GCU track and field,” GCU Vice President of Athletics Jamie Boggs said. “He cares deeply about his student-athletes, the program and GCU, and you can see this in his results. We’re very thankful and excited to have Tom’s leadership guiding the program’s continued rise.” 

Under Flood, GCU has won 24 WAC team championships with him earning 26 WAC Coach of the Year honors. 

“I feel truly blessed, and I’m extremely thankful for the opportunity for the last 15 years to have started, built and developed a highly successful track and field program at GCU,” Flood said. “While I am very proud of all that this program has accomplished since 2010 — including a national title, two top-three national team finishes, 26 conference titles, 100-plus All-Americans — I feel that this program is just now hitting its stride.” 

Flood has overseen a program that has produced more than 220 individual conference champions and advanced 18 athletes to compete at NCAA Division I Championships. 

In 2025, GCU won individual championships in 14 events and claimed the WAC Men’s Indoor Track and Field Championships title. Lopes senior sprinter Justin Raines advanced to the NCAA Indoor Championships in the 200-meter dash, while senior teammate Cam Wilmington qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the 400-meter hurdles. 

During the consistent championship success, some of the more impressive stretches of team dominance include streaks of seven consecutive WAC men’s indoor championships (2016-23), four consecutive WAC women’s indoor championships (2016-19), four consecutive men’s outdoor championships (2021-24) and three consecutive women’s outdoor championships (2018-21). 

Flood already has a spot in the GCU Hall of Fame as head coach of the 2012 NCAA Division II men’s indoor national champions, leading the program to that title in just its second season of existence. Flood and the team were inducted in February. 

“While I may not still be coaching for another 15 years, I’m really excited to direct, lead and be a part of the continued success and to watch the continued growth of both the track and field program and GCU,” Flood said. 

Flood’s coaching reputation has been recognized on the national and world stage with a selection to coach USA Track and Field sprinters and hurdlers at the 2022 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Serbia. 

Flood began his coaching career at Colorado State and previously trained elite sprinters and hurdlers in Arizona. A former Arizona State jumper, he remains deeply rooted in the Phoenix community and aligns with GCU’s mission.

 



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College Roundup — AC women’s water polo trio named All-Americans

Austin College junior Bianca Gallegos, who led the team with 48 goals, was one of three ‘Roos to earn Division III honorable mention All-America honors for the 2025 season. Avery Rague / Austin College Athletics Herald Democrat Austin College women’s water polo players Ashley Chand, Bianca Gallegos and Joslyn Dimitri have each been named honorable […]

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Herald Democrat Austin College women’s water polo players Ashley Chand, Bianca Gallegos and Joslyn Dimitri have each been named honorable mention Division III All-America by…



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World Aquatics Championships Roll Call – Stanford Cardinal

SINGAPORE – Stanford will be represented with six participants when competition at the 2025 World Aquatics World Championships get underway this weekend in Singapore. Jenna Flynn, Ryann Neushul, Jewel Roemer and Ella Woodhead have qualified for the 14-player Team USA roster, with the Americans seeking their ninth World Championships crown overall while looking to defend […]

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SINGAPORE – Stanford will be represented with six participants when competition at the 2025 World Aquatics World Championships get underway this weekend in Singapore.

Jenna Flynn, Ryann Neushul, Jewel Roemer and Ella Woodhead have qualified for the 14-player Team USA roster, with the Americans seeking their ninth World Championships crown overall while looking to defend their 2024 crown.

Flynn, Neushul and Roemer are among seven returning Olympians from the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. All three players are multi-time ACWPC All-Americans who helped guide Stanford to the 2025 NCAA title, with Neushul leaving The Farm as the program’s only four-time NCAA champion. Woodhead is also a member of two NCAA title teams (2023, 2025).

Team USA opens tournament play against China on Thursday, July 10, at 9:10 p.m. PT.

Former Cardinal standout Dani Jackovich, a two-time ACWPC All-American who competed on The Farm from 2014-17, and incoming UCLA transfer and 2023 ACWPC All-American Sienna Green, are members of the Australian national team.

Jackovich and Green helped guide Australia to a silver medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Jackovich became the 14th medalist in school history overall and first from a country other than the United States. Green, who made her debut with the Aussie Stingers in March 2022, is the youngest water polo player to represent Australia at the national team level and the youngest Australian water polo Olympian.

Australia’s tournament opener is slated for Friday, July 11, at 4:10 a.m. PT.



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James Madison Volleyball signs South Carolina transfer Anna Wilson

HARRISONBURG, Va. (JMU Athletics) – The James Madison volleyball program signed South Carolina transfer Anna Wilson to an aid agreement on Wednesday, July 9, Head Coach Lauren Steinbrecher announced. “We are so excited to have Anna Wilson join our JMU Volleyball program!” Steinbrecher said. “From the moment we connected with Anna, we knew she was […]

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HARRISONBURG, Va. (JMU Athletics) – The James Madison volleyball program signed South Carolina transfer Anna Wilson to an aid agreement on Wednesday, July 9, Head Coach Lauren Steinbrecher announced.

“We are so excited to have Anna Wilson join our JMU Volleyball program!” Steinbrecher said. “From the moment we connected with Anna, we knew she was a Duke with her energy, work-ethic, and drive. She is a mature, team-first competitor with absolutely contagious enthusiasm. Anna’s SEC experience and her hunger to grow will make an immediate impact on our gym. She’s the kind of person who makes everyone around her better, and we can’t wait to get started with her in Harrisonburg.”

Wilson, a middle blocker from Wilson, Ontario, spent the 2024 season at South Carolina after beginning her career at High Point (2022-23), where she played with current Duke Kennedy Louisell in 2023. Wilson will have two seasons of eligibility after redshirting in the 2022 season.

With the addition of Wilson, JMU’s 2025 roster is complete. The Dukes welcomed Louisell and Sydney Lewis (Coastal Carolina) as transfers along with five freshmen – Addie Norman (Wilmington, N.C.), Peri Linterman (Fredericksburg, Va.), Ana Toumazatos (Great Falls, Va.), B’Lise Bradley (Shaker Heights, Ohio), and Shelby Davis (Smithfield, Ky.).

Anna Wilson | 6-3 | Middle Blocker | Burlington, Ontario | South Carolina, High Point
South Carolina (2024):
• Played in eight matches and six sets for the Gamecocks
• Made her debut against No. 13 Kansas on Aug. 30
• Had two kills and a block against Stetson (Sep. 13)

High Point (2023):
• Played in 15 matches and 35 sets, totaling 26 kills at 0.76 per set
• Season-high seven kills vs. Winthrop in the Big South Championship match
• Accumulated 23 blocks with 18 assists and five solo

High Point (2022):
• Did not see any action as a freshman, redshirting
• Big South Presidential Honor Roll

High School / Club:
• Played at Nelson High School in Wilson, Ontario
• Helped Nelson earn an Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations (OFSAA) silver medal
• Played club for the Halton Hurricanes and Team Ontario, earning a Provincial Gold Medal with the 18u team in 2022
• Named to the Ontario Volleyball Association All-Star team in 2021

— JMU Athletics —



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Fire near Silverwood Lake fully contained | News

Road closures and park shutdown enforced The Lake Fire was declared fully contained as of Sunday, July 6. However, the full extent of the damage is still under evaluation. Park officials and CAL FIRE crews continue to assess conditions on the ground to determine when it will be safe to reopen the recreation area. The […]

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Road closures and park shutdown enforced



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Multiple Hawai‘i youth volleyball teams win national championships

A handful of Hawai‘i-based youth volleyball teams recently took home national championships across multiple events on the Mainland. In the AAU Junior National Volleyball Championships in Orlando, Fla., Honolulu’s Spike and Serve Volleyball Club won the boys 14 Open Division with a three-set victory over California’s Rockstar Volleyball Club on Monday, finishing the tournament with […]

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A handful of Hawai‘i-based youth volleyball teams recently took home national championships across multiple events on the Mainland.

In the AAU Junior National Volleyball Championships in Orlando, Fla., Honolulu’s Spike and Serve Volleyball Club won the boys 14 Open Division with a three-set victory over California’s Rockstar Volleyball Club on Monday, finishing the tournament with a record of 11-1.

Spike and Serve also won the 13 Open Division championship in 2024, marking its second consecutive year with a national title.

In an earlier event in the same AAU tournament, Hilo’s Pilipa‘a Volleyball won the boys 18 Club Division with a victory over California’s San Diego Beach Volleyball on July 3. Pilipa‘a finished the tournament with a mark of 12-1.

The 2025 AAU Junior National Volleyball Championships was the 52nd edition of the tournament, with thousands of teams competing in a wide variety of age groups and divisions. The AAU Junior National Volleyball Championships holds the distinction of being the world’s largest volleyball tournament, according to Guinness World Records.

In another youth volleyball tournament across the country, Maui’s Hawaiian Style Volleyball won the 2025 USA Volleyball Boys national championship in Minneapolis over the weekend, becoming the first team from the Valley Isle to win a tournament at a USA Volleyball junior national tournament, running the table in the 15U Open Division at 7-0. Additionally, Big Island Boys took home the championship in the 18s American Division.

For the latest news of Hawai‘i, sign up here for our free Daily Edition newsletter.

Christian Shimabuku can be reached at christian@alohastatedaily.com.



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Western Swim and Dive earns Brechler Award

Open Audio Article Player Team awarded for 3.6 GPA Gregg Petcoff | Special to the Times Western Colorado University’s swim and dive program earned its fourth consecutive Brechler Award on July 3. The Brechler Awards, named in honor of former RMAC commissioner Paul W. Brechler and his wife Wanda, were the first inductees into the […]

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Open Audio Article Player

Team awarded for 3.6 GPA

Western Colorado University’s swim and dive program earned its fourth consecutive Brechler Award on July 3. The Brechler Awards, named in honor of former RMAC commissioner Paul W. Brechler and his wife Wanda, were the first inductees into the RMAC Hall of Fame. The award honors teams with the highest GPA in each of the RMAC sport offerings.

Posting a cumulative team GPA of 3.601, the 2024-25 swim and dive program improved on last year’s leading GPA of 3.518 to extend a string of Brechler honors that began with the 2021-22 award. The program earned its first Brechler in the 2014-15 academic year.

Also on Thursday, the College Swim Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) released its list of Scholar All-America teams. Western was one of the 763 teams from NCAA Divisions 1, 2, and 3, the NAIA and the junior college ranks to earn a spot on the list.

Scholar All-America teams are required to post a cumulative team GPA of 3.00 in the spring semester. Western registered a cumulative GPA of 3.65 to earn its place on the Scholar All-America team list.

(​Gregg Petcoff is the assistant athletics director for communications at Western Colorado University and can be reached at gpetcoff@western.edu.)



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