Bret Harte’s Brayden Bowersox played water polo, soccer, and tennis during his junior year. Guy Dossi/Calaveras Enterprise

It would be hard to find someone who takes both the “student” and “athlete” roles as seriously as junior Brayden Bowersox. As a student, Bowersox has one of the top GPAs in his class. As an athlete, he was a three-sport standout, excelling in water polo, soccer and tennis.

In the fall, Bowersox was a key member of Bret Harte’s undefeated Sierra Valley Conference championship team. He helped guide the Bullfrogs to the playoffs, where his late goal in overtime secured the program’s first-ever home playoff win. Bowersox finished with 33 goals, scored more than once in 10 games, and recorded a season-high four goals in a 14-10 win over Franklin.

“Brayden is ridiculously talented, quick to smile, quick to help,” Bret Harte head water polo coach Mike Kelly said. “He’s clearly a superior athlete, and as a junior, has earned a starting position through a ferocious work ethic and an abundance of natural athletic talent. And he’s not just a really good water polo player, he’s an academic prodigy, a multi-sport athlete and a musician. He’s an exemplary young man, and I’m so happy he decided to join us, instead of some rock band or the math club. With the departure of our seniors, Brayden is going to be one of the cornerstones of next year’s team, and I’ve every confidence that he’s going to thrive in that position of leadership.”

In the winter, Bowersox returned to the soccer field, where he helped guide the Bullfrogs to a return trip to the playoffs. He finished his season tied for third on the team with six goals. His best performance came when he recorded a hat trick at home against Big Valley Christian. He was a second-team all-Mother Lode League selection and also received Bret Harte’s Character Award.

“Brayden’s development from his sophomore to his junior year as a member of the varsity soccer squad at Bret Harte can be best characterized by a measurable increase in his confidence as a player on the field, both on and off the ball, and particularly in front of the goal,” Bret Harte head soccer coach Jeff Gouveia said. “Brayden seemed to better absorb and synthesize the coaching information provided to him by the coaching staff during his junior year which manifested tactically to a higher soccer IQ and unequivocally more production in matches. Brayden was also elected co-captain during his junior year and assumed the lead in this role with impressive results from his teammates. The coaching staff anticipates further improvement and development in all of these areas in Brayden’s senior year with spectacular results.”

In the spring, Bowersox made the difficult, but ultimately correct, decision to trade in his baseball bat for a tennis racquet. In his first full season as a tennis player, Bowersox went undefeated in Mother Lode League competition and was an individual league champion. He picked up a playoff singles victory and had a strong performance at sections.

“Brayden brings excitement, joy, and happiness to the game of tennis,” Bret Harte head tennis coach Jason Burita said. “He doesn’t want to be anywhere else. He has presence and he is present. Brayden is not only a great tennis player, but a great part of our success. And yes, there are times when he has simply outsmarted his opponent this year, and it’s important for our younger players to see that. Moral character is a big part of the Bowersox personae, and I would say that is true of our team in general. But Bowersox knows when to ‘sweep the leg’ so to speak – in a gentleman’s way – when it comes to finishing off an opponent. Brayden also has been very vocal on campus about how fun tennis is – he may end up being vital to the future of Bret Harte tennis – the word’s out, tennis is fun, and Brayden has embraced being an ambassador for that.”

SINGAPORE – Serbia’s water polo gold rush at the Olympics began in Rio 2016, followed by triumphs in Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024.

Last August, their three-peat sparked celebrations in the Paris La Defense Arena, when the coaching staff celebrated with the players by leaping into the pool fully clothed.

The water polo giants will be hoping for more scenes of joy when the action kicks off at the World Aquatics Championships at the OCBC Aquatic Centre on July 11, with the women’s tournament, followed by the men a day later.

While Serbia have dominated at the Olympics, top honours at the world event has been elusive of late.

Since winning the world title in 2015 and earning bronze in 2017, their results have steadily declined: two fifth-placed finishes, fourth, and most recently, sixth in Doha in 2024.

On the hunt to end their decade-long drought, the team chose not to refresh their squad after the end of the Olympics, with nine members of the Paris Games champions among their 15-man team in Singapore.

Strahinja Rasovic, 33, a key member of the team here, has two Olympic golds (2020, 2024) but no world championship medals.

In 2017, when Serbia won bronze at the World Championship, he was injured and not selected.

Rasovic told the World Aquatics website that the absence of medals at World and European championships rankles.

“When you are playing for Serbia, expectations are always the highest. I miss medals from World and European competitions; I hope and I believe that I will win them with my friends,” said Rasovic, who plays for Serbian club Radnicki Kragujevic.

Serbia are in Group A alongside Italy, Romania, and South Africa.

He added: “Like always, the preparation period is so intensive. We’re in a good atmosphere and doing hard work, so we are getting ready for Singapore.”

Beaten finalists in Paris, Croatia are also out for redemption after losing 13-11 in a tightly contested final battle with the Serbs.

Afterwards Croatia veteran Maro Jokovic told reporters he felt “a huge emptiness”, and that “all I know is that this defeat will be in our minds for a long time”.

Revenge could be a dish best served cold in the Singapore heat. The defending champions are in Group D with Montenegro, Greece and China.

Croatia captain and goalkeeper Marko Bijac said at the World Aquatics Championships press conference on July 10 that his team are very motivated.

He added: “This (World Championships) is, with Olympics, the biggest competition, that a water polo player can be part of, so motivation for sure will not be a problem here.”

Other teams who are in the mix include Spain, who won the 2025 Water Polo World Cup in April, perennial contenders Hungary and Paris Olympics bronze medallists United States.

The 16 teams have been split into four groups of four for the preliminary round, with group winners advancing to the quarter-finals while the second and third teams enter the play-off with another chance to qualify for the last eight.

In the women’s tournament, other nations are also aiming to end their title droughts.

Spain, who claimed their first-ever Olympic gold medal in women’s water polo at Paris 2024, are aiming for their first world title since 2013.

Heading into the Lion City with a fresh world No. 1 ranking, they will face Britain, South Africa and France in Group D.

Spanish water polo star Bea Ortiz told the World Aquatics website that winning the Olympic gold was the highlight of her career, and that she was thrilled to see Spain’s success recognised in the world rankings.

Ortiz, 30, said: “Women’s water polo is developing rapidly around the world, and there are so many strong teams in competition, so to be ranked above all of them is a great honour. This will motivate us to try and maintain top spot, beginning at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore.”

Also out for redemption are the US women’s team, who had a disappointing campaign in Paris as the three-time Olympic champions finished outside the medals for the first time. Winner of five of the last six world titles, for the Americans a sixth victory here will go some way to soothing their Paris pain.

But the teams should watch out for other contenders like Greece – who won the World Cup in April – Australia and the Netherlands, who won the silver and bronze respectively at the Olympics.

Body confidence from the early years

The confidence that Paula Leitón has in her body stems from her childhood. Other members of her family are also tall and similarly built, so that type of physique was “always treated as completely normal”.

Leitón remembers one episode in particular: “I was 10 years old and couldn’t buy clothes in the children’s section. Now I know where to shop, where to find what I need. But back then, I remember telling my mum, ‘I don’t get it. Why can’t I wear that?’ And she would calmly say, ‘They just don’t have what you need here. We’ll find it somewhere else, don’t worry’. She made it feel normal: ‘If not here, then somewhere else. It’s not your fault’. That attitude meant everything.”

While Leitón has learned to embrace her shape since she was a child, the athlete notes that she was not completely immune to all body-related insecurities. If the negative comments she got after Paris 2024 had come 10 years earlier, Leitón said, they would have affected her differently.

It was her family’s support and the extensive mental work she did to become a stronger athlete and individual that have helped her to deal with the body shaming as lightly as she did, but Leitón is well aware other people may need extra support.

Given how important her own childhood was in building the body confidence she has now, it is not surprising that the Olympic champion aspires to work with children when she retires from competitive sport. Leitón is working towards a teaching degree and is in her second year of studies, soon to start a practicum at a school.

“Teaching is my calling after water polo,” she said. “I’d love to work in education, especially in sport, to share how I learned to love it. And I know I can pass on values like teamwork, camaraderie, sacrifice…Everything sport has taught me in the pool, why not pass that on in the classroom too?”

Getting a sneak peek at Paula Leitón the teacher, the Olympic champion offered this advice to young girls: “If you enjoy something and it makes you happy, then keep doing it. That’s the most important thing. Don’t let what others say affect you, just enjoy what you do and make sure you’re doing it for yourself. And if you find something that truly fulfils you, especially in sport, it will be an incredible journey.”

Leitón will next compete at the 2025 World Aquatics Championships in Singapore where she will try to win the last title still missing from her name, that of world champion.

All 330 NCAA wrestling championship qualifiers learned their seed on Wednesday afternoon, eight days before they all take the mat in Philadelphia to compete against one another for championship honors under the bright lights of the Wells Fargo Arena. Here’s what you need to know about leaders of each weight class, their path to success and under-the-radar names to watch next week. 

CLICK HERE FOR THE COMPLETE PRINTABLE BRACKETS

125 pounds

Title contenders: No. 1 Luke Lilledahl, No. 2 Matt Ramos, No. 3 Eddie Ventresca, No. 4 Vince Robinson, No. 5 Richie Figueroa
All-American sleeper: No. 27 Tristan Daugherty 

The 125-pound weight class, as usual, is chaos. No athlete enters the NCAA tournament undefeated, and only one athlete — 2023 NCAA finalist and Big Ten bronze medalist Matt Ramos — comes in with just one loss. Ramos is currently seeded No. 2 after falling to Penn State’s No. 1 seed Luke Lilledahl in the Big Ten semifinals. Lilledahl then went on to win the conference tournament over No. 9 Caleb Smith of Nebraska 4-3. Smith and Lilledahl could rematch in the quarterfinals if the first round goes chalk and Smith beats No. 8 Sheldon Seymour of Lehigh. 

Richard Figueroa, last year’s national champion at the weight, comes in as the No. 5 seed following a loss to North Dakota State’s Tristan Daugherty at Big 12s. Meanwhile, Daugherty comes in as the No. 27 seed after posting a 10-14 record on the year. His record may not suggest that he could be in the mix for All-American honors, but his win over Figueroa this point in the season immediately elevates him into this conversation. 

The only other returning All-American in the bracket is South Dakota State’s Tanner Jordan, who will, much like last year, attempt to make the podium from a 20+ seed. This year, he’s seeded No. 23 with a first-round match against in-conference foe Stevo Poulin. Jordan is 0-2 against Poulin, most recently losing to the Northern Colorado star 14-6 in last year’s dual. The winner of Poulin vs. Jordan will take on the winner of No. 7 Troy Spratley of Oklahoma State, who has been ranked as high as No. 2 this year, and No. 26 Keyveon Roller of Virginia. 

133 pounds

Title contenders: No. 1 Lucas Byrd, No. 2 Drake Ayala 
All-American sleeper:  No. 26 Kai Orine

For most of the year, the 133-pound weight class was led by Lehigh’s Ryan Crookham, a sophomore who finished third last season and started the 2024-2025 season with a 5-0 record. After Crookham announced his decision not to compete in the postseason due to injury, Iowa’s Drake Ayala slotted into the No. 1 spot, only to be leapfrogged by Illinois’ Lucas Byrd several days later after Byrd topped Ayala in the Big Ten finals by fall. 

Byrd, a two-time All-American for the Illini, now comes into the NCAA tournament as an undefeated No. 1 seed with Ayala sitting at the No. 2 seed. Ayala’s only other loss this year came against No. 13 Tyler Knox who sits on Byrd’s side of the bracket and will take on No. 20 Blake Boarmann of Chattanooga in the first round. This doesn’t mean that the Hawkeye has an easy path back to the finals, though, as his first match will come against Missouri’s No. 31 Kade Moore, who has career wins over All-Americans Evan Frost and Sam Latona. The winner of that match will face the winner of No. 15 Anthony Noto, a former All-American at 125 pounds, vs. No. 18 Julian Farber of Northern Iowa. 

All-Americans Nasir Bailey, Dylan Shawver and Kai Orine and will also be in the mix, seeded No. 3, No. 10 and No. 26 respectively. One first-round match to circle is Orine vs. Ohio State’s No. 7 Nic Bouzakis. Both of these wrestlers are wild and put on a show. There’s nothing predictable about the outcome of that match. 

141 pounds

Title contenders: No. 1 Brock Hardy, No. 2 Beau Bartlett, No. 3 Jesse Mendez, No. 4 Josh Koderhandt, No. 5 Cael Happel, No. 6 Vance Vombaur, No. 7 Tagen Jamison, No. 8 Andrew Alirez
All-American sleeper: No. 14 Sergio Lemley

Nebraska All-American Brock Hardy blew up the 141-pound bracket last weekend when he beat 2024 NCAA champion Jesse Mendez and All-American Vance Vombar in his conference semifinals and finals respectively to win Big Tens and earn the No. 1 seed. Jesse Mendez, who won the NCAA tournament last year in a short-time takedown against Bartlett, meanwhile lost to Bartlett for the second time this year in the consolation finals, to earn the No. 3 seed while Bartlett is at the No. 2. 

The Big 12 conference results created similar disruption in the national seeds, with Oklahoma State’s Tagen Jamison beating 2023 NCAA champion Andrew Alirez, only to fall to Northern Iowa’s Cael Happel in the finals. Happel now leads that group as the No. 5 seed, followed by Jamison at the No. 7 and Alirez at the No. 8 seed. Navy’s Josh Koderhandt, who won the EIWA tournament, comes in at No. 4. Of this group, Jamison, Happel and Koderhandt are all looking for the first All-American honors of their career. Happel and Jamison though could both hit All-Americans in their second matches if the bracket goes chalk, with Happel set to No. 12 Sam Latona of Virginia Tech if Latona beats No. 21 Dylan Chappell, and Jamison likely to wrestle No. 10 CJ Composto if both of these athletes win their first round matches against No. 26 Eligh Rivera of Princeton and No. 23 Josh Edmond, respectively. 

149 pounds

Title contenders: No. 1 Caleb Henson, No. 2 Ridge Lovett, No. 3 Shayne Van Ness, No. 4 Paniro Johnson, No. 5 Kyle Parco
All-American sleeper: No. 11 Sammy Alvarez

Virginia Tech’s Caleb Henson is back to defend his crown. The 2024 NCAA champion junior earned his No. 1 seed with an 18-0 record, including a 2-0 performance at the ACC championships, where he claimed his second title. Now he’ll have the benefit of being the opposite side of the bracket of two Big Ten foes — No. 2 Ridge Lovett and No. 3 Shayne Van Ness — after Lovett, Van Ness and Iowa’s No. 5 Kyle Parco battled each other out at their conference tournament. Henson’s reward for his strong performances thus far this year will be a first-round match against the winner of the pigtail battle between No. 33 Teague Travis and No. 32 Wynton Denkins, the former of whom finished in the Round of 16 last year and was a late addition to the Oklahoma State lineup in place of Carter Young. Lovett, meanwhile, will have No. 31 Sam Cartella of Northwestern. 

Big 12 champion Paniro Johnson will also be a name to watch at the No. 4 seed, as he seems to be hitting his prime here in the heat of the postseason. Johnson will take on No. 29 Jack Gioffe of Virginia in the first round, and, if he wins and the match above him goes chalk, he could see Ohio State All-American No. 23 Dylan D’Emilio in the second round. 

157 pounds

Title contenders: No. 1 Tyler Kasak, No. 2 Meyer Shapiro 
All-American sleeper: No. 22 Ed Scott

Injuries have defined the 157-pound weight class this year, but, as the athletes head into the final two weeks of the season, it’s Penn State’s Tyler Kasak, who emerges as the No. 1 seed. Kasak is 18-1 on the year, with his lone loss coming during his injury default match against Maryland’s Ethen Miller. Meanwhile, Miller, who earned the No. 1 seed at Big Tens, secured the No. 10 seed, giving him a first-round matchup with in-conference foe No. 23 Chase Saldate. Miller beat Saldate 4-2 in their last meeting. 

On the opposite side of the bracket is No. 2 Meyer Shapiro of Cornell, who has had his fair share of injuries but will now look to string together five winning matches and compete for his first NCAA title. Shapiro finished third last year at 157 pounds, while Kasak took third at 149 pounds. Shapiro could have a tough second-round match on this side of the bracket, though. If he beats first-round opponent No. 31 Noah Castillo, he’ll face the winner of No. 15 Johnny Lovett and No. 18 Jacori Teemer. Iowa’s Teemer finished second at the weight class last year but has taken four losses this year after battling injuries most of the season. 

The parity at this weight produced a number of elite first-round matches, including No. 19 Cobe Siebrecht vs. No. 14 Jude Swisher and No. 11 Matty Bianchi vs. No. 22 Ed Scott. Ohio State’s Brannon Cannon at the No. 5 seed will also be a name to watch as Cannon built a name for himself in his first Big Ten tournament by making the finals and will now chase his first All-American honors in Philly. His first round match will be No. 28 Chris Hamblin of Oregon State, with the winner facing the victor in the bout between No. 12 Caleb Fish and No. 21 Logan Rozynski of Lehigh. 

165 pounds

Title contenders: No. 1 Mitchell Mesenbrink, No. 2 Peyton Hall, No. 3 Mikey Caliendo
All-American sleeper: No. 26 Paddy Gallagher

Heading into the Big Ten championships last weekend, Penn State’s No. 1 Mitchell Mesenbrink was the runaway favorite to win this weight class after finishing as a runner-up last year to Iowa State’s David Carr. Mesenbrink is still the top seed and the most likely title contender, but Iowa’s No. 3 Mikey Caliendo closed the gap and gave Mesenbrink a 4-1 match after being teched earlier in the season. For Caliendo to get another shot at Mesenbrink in the NCAA finals this year, though, he’ll need to go through No. 2 Peyton Hall of West Virginia, who won Big 12s last weekend and enters NCAAs with a 30-1 record, his lone loss coming against Terrell Barraclough earlier in the year. Barraclough is the No. 4 seed and in a position to earn All-American honors for the first time in his career for Utah Valley after spending the first four years of his career as a backup for Penn State. 

The big problem for everyone in this bracket will be No. 5 Julian Ramirez, who won the Ivy League championships last weekend and already has wins over two NCAA champions in his career: David Carr and Shane Griffith. Michigan’s Beau Mantanona will also be a problem, as he’s a pinner and can put almost anyone on their back. Mantanona will have Tyler Lillard of Indiana first, an athlete he beat 8-5 earlier this year. 

174 pounds

Title contenders: No. 1 Keegan O’Toole, No. 2 Levi Haines, No. 3 Dean Hamiti
All-American sleeper: No. 16 Lorenzo Norman 

The top three in this weight could all win NCAAs on any given day. Missouri’s two-time NCAA champ Keegan O’Toole paces the group after earning sudden victory wins over No. 2 Levi Haines and No. 3 Dean Hamiti earlier this year. Haines won Big Tens and NCAAs last year at 157 pounds and just claimed another Big Ten title this year up at 174 pounds against No. 8 Lenny Pinto. His win, and his subsequent No. 2 seed, puts him in a good spot in the bracket, opposite Pinto, No. 24 All-American Lennox Wolak, No. 9 All-American Carson Kharchla, No. 13 All-American Cade DeVos and Cliff Keen runner-up No. 16 Lorenzo Norman. 

Haines will still have a tough road, as he’ll be expected to meet No. 3 Dean Hamiti in the semifinals if both of them can survive their first three matches. Just to demonstrate the depth of the weight, Hamiti’s first-round match will come against All-American Jackson Turley of Rutgers. The winner will get the victor between No. 19 Jared Simma and No. 14 Matty Singleton. 

184 pounds

Title contenders: No. 1 Carter Starocci, No. 2 Parker Keckeisen, No. 3 Max McEnelly 
All-American sleeper: No. 15 Dylan Fishback

Not only does 184 pounds have two former NCAA champions in No. 1 Carter Starocci vs. No. 2 Parker Keckeisen, but Minnesota freshman Max McEnelly also inserted himself into the title conversation when he earned a takedown against four-time NCAA champion Starocci in the Big Ten finals. Starocci ended up beating McEnelly 8-5 in the conference finals, but McEnelly’s performance put the country on notice. He’ll be expected to meet Parker Keckeisen — who won his fifth Big 12 title — in the semifinals. 

Starocci has a reasonably smooth path to the semifinals, though he does have three All-Americans that he could clash with, including No. 4 Dustin Plott of Oklahoma State, No. 5 Bennett Berge of South Dakota State and No. 17 Gavin Kane of North Carolina. On the other side, McEnelly could see All-American No. 6 Chris Foca in the quarterfinals, while Keckeisen could meet with All-American Edmond Ruth of Illinois at No. 10. 

This is Starocci’s weight until proven otherwise, but Keckeisen is in peak form, and McEnelly proved he can compete with the champ. Buckle up. The 184-pound bracket is full of storylines. 

197 pounds

Title contenders: No. 1 Jacob Cardenas, No. 2 Stephen Buchanan, No. 3 AJ Ferrari, No. 4 Josh Barr
All-American sleepers: No. 14 Zach Glazier

Michigan graduate student Jacob Cardenas secured the No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament with his first Big Tens on Sunday night. Iowa’s Stephen Buchanan, who lost to Cardenas in the finals, earned the No. 2 seed, while 2021 NCAA champion AJ Ferrari picked up the No. 3 seed. Buchanan losing the No. 1 seed to Cardenas sets up a potential rematch with Ferrari in the semifinals, and Ferrari has the last win over the Hawkeye back in 2022.

Cardenas doesn’t have an easy draw on his side either, though, as he’ll be expected to rematch No. 4 Josh Barr in the semifinals, an athlete he has split matches with thus far this year. All-Americans Trey Munoz and Stephen Little at the No. 13 and No. 12 spots, respectively, on Cardenas’ side of the bracket are also notable. 

285 pounds

Title contenders: No. 1 Gable Steveson, No. 2 Wyatt Hendrickson, No. 3 Greg Kerkvliet 
Under-the-radar names to watch: No. 14 Gavin Hoffman

Heading into the season, two big questions surrounded 285 pounds: 1.) Can reigning NCAA champion Greg Kerkvliet challenge 2021 Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson? 2.) What kind of jumps can All-American Wyatt Hendrickson make up new head coach David Taylor? The first question was answered at Big Tens, as Steveson beat Kerkvliet three takedowns to none with a score of 10-3 to claim his fourth Big Ten title. Steveson earned the No. 1 seed with that win, putting Kerkvliet at the No. 3. Big 12 champion Wyatt Hendrickson survived four-time All-American Cohlton Schultz to win his conference title, remain undefeated and position himself opposite to No. 1 Steveson at the bracket at the No. 2. 

Both Schultz and All-American Yaraslau Slavikouski could await Steveson in the second and third rounds of the tournament. Meanwhile, EIWA champion Owen Trephan sits at the No. 4 seed while Iowa’s Ben Kueter’s third-place Big Ten finish earned him the No. 5, an excellent position for the rookie big man. Kueter could have a rematch against All-American Nick Feldman in the second round, though Kueter has shown he can win that match. 

One fun potential second-round match to watch is No. 7 Isaac Trumble vs. No. 10 Dayton Pitzer. Pitzer beat Trumble at ACCs, forcing Trumble to need a wildcard to make it into this tournament. A healthy Trumble is a dangerous thing for the weight, but Pitzer also made it clear that he’s not afraid to compete (and win) against the U23 gold medalist Wolfpack veteran. 

SIOUX FALLS — Less than a month remains until pole vaulters Chris Nilsen and Emily Grove will compete among the best in the nation, and for them, the focus has been on honing their best selves.

The pair of University of South Dakota graduates are utilizing the many resources available to them at the Sanford Fieldhouse in preparation for the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, which will take place July 31 – Aug. 3 in Eugene, Oregon. The primary objective for both athletes is the same — they hope to qualify for September’s World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.

A silver medalist at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Nilsen has spent the 2025 season working through a pair of injuries, while Grove’s confidence has steadily been building since the start of the new year as the 32-year-old attempts to qualify for the World Championships for the first time in eight years.

Both Nilsen and Grove know that time and its inherent impact on their bodies continues to creep closer and closer to the forefront of their pole vaulting endeavors, but with their age also comes maturity, patience and understanding.

Over the years, the Sanford Fieldhouse has established a reputation of luring in professional, collegiate and high school athletes from all walks of life during the summer months. Most of those athletes have some sort of local tie. Some use it to simply remain in shape, while others use it to train far more intensively.

Nilsen and Grove, both of whom are currently in season, fall into the latter camp.

“It’s a good mix for our athletes that are doing their summer training and prepping for the school year that’s coming up,” said Jesse Haines, who has worked for Sanford for more than two decades and currently serves as manager of Sanford Sports Performance. “It’s great for them to see people who are professionals and are dedicated and the discipline they possess in their workouts.

“I’m happy to have those athletes here so they can set the standard for the rest of the athletes and individuals in our building.”

Trent Singer / Sioux Falls Live

Despite the many years they’ve spent in Vermillion, Nilsen and Grove are still relatively new to living in the Sioux Falls area — Nilsen moved to the city in the fall of 2023, while Grove settled in just several weeks ago — but the Fieldhouse has provided a vital hub for both athletes.

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Grove occasionally utilized the facility. She was impressed by the variety of equipment that was available, as well as the length of the indoor track, which allows her to build speed and endurance in her training.

“They have plenty of Olympic platforms and machines if I need to use them on my day off, and they have a high bar. So we can use that for core type of stuff,” Grove said. “They really have everything we need, so it’s very well equipped. And it’s nice. It’s organized. The environment is great.

“Everybody is super friendly. I was a little intimidated walking in and realizing how motivated everyone is. … It’s just really cool to see everyone work hard to try and reach their goals.”

Meanwhile, Nilsen has been a regular at the Fieldhouse for about a year.

After moving to Sioux Falls nearly two years ago, he initially struggled to find a place to train that could meet the specificity of his needs as a pole vaulter. Eventually, though, he connected with Haines, a former multi-sport athlete at USD who offered Nilsen an opportunity to train at the Fieldhouse for free.

Chock full of athletic trainers and physical therapists, the Sanford Sports Performance team has provided Nilsen with a wealth of resources as he prepares for his trip to Eugene.

“I came in and was astonished at how awesome it is,” Nilsen said. “This isn’t the kind of facility you see in a smaller city like Sioux Falls, South Dakota. They have absolutely everything I need.”

Trent Singer / Sioux Falls Live

Nilsen and Grove’s workouts are pre-planned by their longtime coach, Derek Miles, who has built USD’s vault program into a nationally recognized entity.

A three-time Olympian and 2008 Olympic bronze medalist, Miles currently serves as associate director of track and field/jumps at USD, his alma mater. He has helped pave the way for more than 30 All-America honors at the Division I level, as well as much of Nilsen and Grove’s successes at the international level.

Last fall, Grove felt as if she began progressing in the right direction while working closely with Miles on her ground strike.

“I feel like it’s finally paying off because everything feels really natural and easy down the runway,” said Grove, a native of Pontiac, Illinois. “The hard part is just the timing, so I feel like I’m physically ready to go for a PR.

“Now, it’s just about putting the pieces together, which I think has been huge, and that’s helped my consistency in the meets I’ve been going to this year.”

Dan Musilek / Summit League

A six-time All-American and four-time Summit League champion, Grove has been competing internationally since 2017 when she graduated from USD, and in 2022, she cleared her personal best of 4.75 meters (15 feet, 7 inches).

Grove cleared 4.63 meters twice at overseas meets in May (Doha, Qatar) and June (Paris). She is currently ranked No. 14 in the latest women’s pole vault world rankings, which is the fourth highest among her fellow American competitors.

“I think the biggest part is I’m having fun with it,” Grove said. “I do feel confident. I’m running faster. I’m a little bit stronger, so right now, I’m just enjoying what I’m doing. I don’t have to pole vault anymore. I’m doing it because I want to, and to see my consistency has been a little bit of a relief because normally I’m not very consistent. This year, I feel like it’s been a huge success so far, and we’re not even into USAs yet, which is exciting to me.

“Whether or not I make the team, I feel like this season has been fun for the sheer fact of the consistency.”

Trent Singer / Sioux Falls Live

Nilsen says the 2025 season hasn’t differed much from his others at the international level, but injuries have certainly stymied him.

The 27-year-old native of Kansas City broke his hand in February at the USA Indoor Track and Field Championships before getting surgery in early March to repair it. Then, just last month, he sustained a tear in his hip adductor muscles while training.

Following the muscle tear, Nilsen visited with Dr. Marc J. Philippon at The Steadman Clinic in Vail, Colorado, where he was given platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and anti-inflammatory injections in his hip.

With the trip to Eugene on the horizon, Nilsen is training as much as his pain will allow it. His current workout regimen consists of light jogging, light plyometrics and a heavy dose of physical therapy.

While the setback has been an annoyance, Nilsen feels as if he’s recovering more with each day that passes. He hopes that trajectory continues until Aug. 2, when he’s slated to jump in Eugene.

“I still come to Sanford every day,” said Nilsen, who’s ranked eighth in the latest men’s pole vault world rankings (second highest among Americans). “I train and do whatever I am able to do because I’d rather do that than just sit home and do nothing. It’s a part of the process.

“I’ve been very blessed with not really having any injuries throughout my entire career. This being the first and second one, it just happened to be in the same year. It’s a learning lesson, but there’s not much else you can do besides prepare and hope for the best.”

Kai Pfaffenbach / Reuters

Nilsen set an indoor North American record on March 5, 2022, with a clearance of 6.05 meters (19-10 1/4) at the Perche Elite Tour in Rouen, France, and went on to claim a silver medal that year at the World Championships in Eugene. However, two years later, he came up short of reaching the final at the 2024 Olympics in Paris, settling for 26th place.

“It’s the first time I haven’t done well at an international championship, so I didn’t really know how to handle it. I just kind of stared at the wall for a few days,” said Nilsen, who is a four-time medalist on the world stage and was a seven-time All-American with the Coyotes. “With age, though, comes patience and the learning lessons, and I realized it was just a lot of external forces that were both being caused by me and by other external forces.

“You can’t go back and change the clock or change anything in the past, so you’ve just got to kind of learn from it. I feel like I have learned from it. It’s just my body is not letting me learn from it in that sort of way, so I’m glad that year is over. Now, we’re just focusing on trying to get back on the horse.”

For Grove, in-season training has consisted of light volume and high intensity. She spends her Mondays at the Fieldhouse working on fast and explosive short-distance sprints, while Tuesdays are devoted to core and recovery. On Wednesdays, she jumps with Miles before taking off the following day to compete on the weekends.

Grove and Nilsen both also help out as volunteer coaches in Vermillion, where Miles continues to elevate the next generation of USD vaulters.

“I had to work really hard to get myself to do a lot of these things, and I think learning through that process helps me to be able to coach the younger kids, too,” Grove said. “If they can’t quite get it, I understand. You have to try it a thousand more times before you can get your body to do what you’re trying to get it to do.”