PRINCETON, N.J. – After a record breaking showing in Boston over the weekend, sophomore Harlow Tong earned Ivy League Men’s Athlete of the Week status, becoming the first Crimson to receive the honor this season.

Racing in the opening heat of the men’s 300m at the Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener, Tong made an instant impact. Tong finished in first place with a time of 33.07, as his mark represents a new school record in the men’s 300m, surpassing the former record of 33.67 set by Oliver Murcko ’25 at the 2021 HBCU & Ivy Challenge. Tong’s time is also a new facility record at the renowned Boston University Track & Tennis Center.

A native of St. Paul, Minnesota, Tong is looking to build off a stellar first-year season as he begins his second campaign with the Crimson. Last year saw Tong breakout in the outdoor portion of the season, winning an Ivy League title as a member of Harvard’s men’s 4x100m relay team. Tong is also the school record holder the outdoor men’s 400m, running a 46.55 at the Tiger Track Classic.

The Crimson return to action on Saturday, Jan. 17, as Harvard hosts the Beantown Challenge at Gordon Indoor Track.

For complete coverage of Harvard Softball, follow the team on Twitter (@HarvardSB) and Instagram (@harvardsb).

 

When Roslyn Zentz first came to Montana Technological University from Eatonville, Washington, she imagined her college experience would revolve around volleyball. Instead, she found a community that helped her grow, on and off the court.

“I came to Montana Tech as a volleyball player,” Zentz said. “I took business classes in high school and really liked them—they were the classes I enjoyed the most. After my freshman year, I stopped playing volleyball, but I loved our community and how well our professors know us. You’re really part of a family here.”

That sense of belonging encouraged Zentz to stay in Butte even after leaving athletics. Over her four years at Tech, she has worked nearly full time while earning her business degree—starting as a barista at She Brews Coffee before taking on a management role at 5518 Designs in Uptown Butte.

As operations manager, Zentz oversaw scheduling, inventory, shipping, and wholesale accounts.

“I just oversee the day-to-day operations and make sure things are flowing smoothly,” she said. “I’ve always liked being busy and working with people.”

Her professors, she said, helped her balance academics and work.

“A lot of my classes have been flexible, which made it easy to apply what I was learning in the classroom to my job,” Zentz said. “Our professors are so willing to help. They want you to succeed.”

Zentz is currently looking for her next opportunity—ideally something in management that allows her to make a difference.

“I think I’d like something that gives back, so you feel like you’re having an impact in the community,” she said.

Zentz credits the tight-knit Butte community for helping her stay motivated.

“Everyone in town cares about Montana Tech,” she said. “You’ll see your professors at football games or in Safeway, and everyone’s cheering for the Orediggers. It’s fun because you just know them, and they know you.”

Her favorite experience at Montana Tech was the business capstone course, where seniors work in teams to run simulated companies.

“It’s really fun because you’re working hard alongside the same people you’ve known for four years,” she said. “It’s a good challenge and very rewarding.”

Zentz said her fiancé, Lucas—an environmental engineering student she met at Tech—has been her biggest supporter.

“We’ve stuck together since freshman year,” she said. “It’s crazy to look back and realize we’ve grown into the people we used to look up to.”

As graduation approaches, Zentz said she feels ready for what’s next. “I’m excited to find something that’s my thing—the way I can make a difference,” she said. “I feel prepared and ready to go into the workforce.”

Her advice to new students is simple: trust your instincts.

“Follow where you want to go,” she said. “There will be a lot of things thrown your direction, but life is easier when you’re doing what you love.”

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. – Carleton College junior Soren Kaster was selected as the MIAC Men’s Indoor Field Athlete of the Week following his heptathlon performance at the M City Classic on Dec. 5-6. This is his third career conference weekly honor and second for indoor track & field.
 
Kaster placed third overall and second among NCAA Division III competitors in the heptathlon with 4,606 points. His score was the third-best in program history and ranks third in D-III this season. He clocked times of 7.44 in the 60-meter dash, 9.03 in the 60-meter hurdles, and 2:53.49 in the 1000-meter run; measured 10.09 meters in the shot put and a personal-best 6.31 meters in the long jump; and cleared 1.70 meters in the high jump and a MIAC-best 4.35 meters in the pole vault.
 
The Knights are off for the holidays but return to competition at the Ole Opener on Jan. 17.
 
 

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Kristen Birmingham of Charlotte Volleyball has been named to the American Volleyball Coaches Association All-East Region Honorable Mention team, announced by the AVCA on Tuesday (Dec. 9). Birmingham becomes the first Charlotte 49er to receive AVCA All-Region honors since Emani Foster in 2022.

Birmingham led the 49ers with 412 kills this season, averaging 4.00 per set on a .311 hitting percentage, earning American Conference First Team honors alongside teammates Annika Thompson and Jessica Ricks. Within conference play, she was sixth in the American with 212 kills (3.79 per set) and seventh with 241.5 points. She recorded 12 double doubles during the season highlighted by 28 kills and 11 digs in a win over UNC Greensboro, the second most kills in a game for an American player in the season. That performance earned her conference Offensive Player of the Week honors while being tabbed to the Honorable Mention list four times.

Full List of AVCA All-Region

The Niners thrived under Jenkins’ leadership in year one, starting the season with a historic 10-game winning streak and winning 14 of 15 matches, the best stretch in program history since 1981. In addition to Birmingham’s All-Region selection, Annika Thompson was named the American Conference Libero of the Year while being named to the All-Conference First Team alongside Jessica Ricks and Birmingham. Charlotte was the only school in the American to have three players named to the first team. Finishing season 17-12, Charlotte improved on their win total by 12, tying for the fifth best win increase from last year in the entire NCAA.

 

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — Following a 60-meter run equalled by nobody on the national scene, Stephen Clunis walks away from the opening week of indoor track season with some hardware, taking home the Kwik Star Summit League Men’s Track Peak Performer of the Week award. The senior sprinter showed off the burners last Saturday, darting a NCAA-leading 6.61 second time in the 60-meter dash at the Crimson & Gold Invitational.

Clunis’ 6.61 time was a historic one for Kansas City in a multitude of ways. Most notably, it marks the first time a KC athlete, male or female, has ever held the nation’s top time in any event in program history. Secondly, the time went down in the record books as a new Kansas City men’s indoor 60m record, breaking the old program-best he set at 6.65 seconds last indoor season. The Kingston, Jamaica native leads the country by a hair, running 0.01 seconds faster than Darien Lawrence from Florida A&M. Clunis also leads the Summit League by over a tenth of a second and is the only sprinter in the conference to crack the sub-6.7 mark in the 60m. 

For Clunis, it’s his first weekly conference award of the season and his third of his career. Clunis first broke out for the Roos at the season opening meet of the 2024-25 indoor campaign, running a then program-record 6.66 second time at the Bob Timmons Challenge and taking home his first Summit Peak Performer honor of his career. The senior broke this mark at the Tyson Invitational at Arkansas, coming in with a 6.65 second time to reset the program record at the time and earn his second and final weekly honor of the 2024-25 indoor season. 

Clunis will run at the Iowa State Holiday Invitational this weekend, hoping to potentailly be the first men’s runner in the country to break the sub-6.6 mark in the 60-meter dash this season. Kansas City will run at Iowa State and Nebraska, also competing in the Husker Holiday Invitational this weekend. 

The AVCA is proud to announce its 2025 Division I Women’s Volleyball All-Region teams and award winners.

There are 14 first-team All-Region members and an additional group of honorable mention selections for each of the 10 regions. A Player of the Year, Freshman of the Year, and Coach of the Year were selected for every region.

The 213 student-athletes who made All-Region represent 109 different schools. Nebraska leads the way with seven All-Region selections, followed by Pittsburgh and Stanford with six apiece. Florida,  Kentucky, Louisville, Minnesota, Texas A&M, and Wisconsin all have five All-Region first-team or honorable mention selections.

 

CENTRAL REGION

Player of the Year: Shaylee Myers, Kansas State University, OH, Sr.
Freshman of the Year: Jovanna Zelenovic, University of Kansas, RS
Coach of the Year: Bobbi Petersen, University of Northern Iowa

 

EAST COAST REGION

Player of the Year: Olivia Babcock, University of Pittsburgh, RS, Jr.
Freshman of the Year: Reagan Ennist, University of Virginia, OH
Coach of the Year: Dan Fisher, University of Pittsburgh

 

MIDWEST REGION

Player of the Year: Kenna Wollard, Purdue University, OH, Jr.
Freshman of the Year: Teodora Kričković, Indiana University, S
Coach of the Year: Dave Shondell, Purdue University

 

NORTH REGION

Player of the Year: Mimi Colyer, University of Wisconsin, Sr., OH
Freshman of the Year: Ava Poinsett, Yale University, OH
Coach of the Year: Kelly Sheffield, University of Wisconsin

 

NORTHWEST REGION

Player of the Year:Julia Hanson, University of Minnesota, OH, Sr.
Freshman of the Year: Alanah Clemente, University of Oregon, RS
Coach of the Year: Keegan Cook, University of Minnesota

 

PACIFIC REGION

Player of the Year: Elia Rubin, Stanford University, OH, Sr.
Freshman of the Year: Logan Parks, Stanford University, S
Coach of the Year: Kevin Hambly, Stanford University

 

SOUTH REGION

Player of the Year: Eva Hudson, University of Kentucky, OH, Sr.
Freshman of the Year: Kassie O’Brien, University of Kentucky, S
Coach of the Year: Craig Skinner, University of Kentucky

 

SOUTHEAST REGION

Player of the Year: Flormarie Heredia Colon, University of Miami, OH, Sr.
Freshman of the Year: Lily Hayes, University of Florida, L
Coach of the Year: Heather Gearhart, Winthrop University

 

SOUTHWEST REGION

Player of the Year: Torrey Stafford, University of Texas, OH, Jr.
Freshman of the Year: Cari Spears, University of Texas, RS
Coach of the Year: Sam Erger, Southern Methodist University

 

WEST REGION

Player of the Year: Bergen Reilly, University of Nebraska, S, Jr.
Freshman of the Year: Suli Davis, Brigham Young University, OH
Coach of the Year: Dani Busboom Kelly, University of Nebraska

 

2025 AVCA DIVISION I REGION COACHES OF THE YEAR

The following coaches have been selected as this year’s AVCA Region Coaches of the Year. Each of the honorees can be considered for the AVCA National Coach of the Year, and the awards will be presented at the Coaches Honors Luncheon in Kansas City on Dec. 18, at the 2025 AVCA Convention.

CENTRAL REGION COACH OF THE YEAR

Bobbi Petersen, University of Northern Iowa
2025 Record (as of Dec. 9): 26-6
Petersen was named the Missouri Valley Coach of the Year for a conference-record, fourth-straight season. She helped UNI win 20 or more matches for the 22nd time in her 26-year career, and the squad gave her a 13th MVC regular-season championship and a third-consecutive undefeated conference season.

EAST COAST REGION COACH OF THE YEAR

Dan Fisher, University of Pittsburgh
2025 Record (as of Dec. 9): 28-4
Pittsburgh has been a force again this season under Fisher, who is in his 13th season on the sidelines for the Panthers. Fisher guided his 2025 squad to the school’s fourth-straight ACC title, and they are 28-4 heading into the regional round of this year’s NCAA Championship. He picked up his 400th win as a head collegiate coach in early September.

MIDWEST REGION COACH OF THE YEAR

Dave Shondell, Purdue University
2025 Record (as of Dec. 9): 26-6
The 24-year coaching veteran is enjoying another very successful season. In addition to notching career coaching win No. 500, he weathered losing a number of key transfers and kept Purdue playing at an elite level in 2025. Among his squad’s many accomplishments, they have recorded nine wins over ranked teams so far this season.

NORTH REGION COACH OF THE YEAR

Kelly Sheffield, University of Wisconsin
2025 Record (as of Dec. 9): 26-4
Another year, another stellar season for Sheffield and the Badgers. The veteran coach’s team is finding its stride at the right time, as they rolled through the early rounds of the 2025 NCAA Championship with a pair of sweeps and head into this week’s regional on an 11-match win streak. Early this season, he earned his 600th career coaching victory.

NORTHWEST REGION COACH OF THE YEAR

Keegan Cook, University of Minnesota
2025 Record (as of Dec. 9): 24-9
Cook has done a lot of impressive things in his career, but the fact that his team is in the Sweet 16 of the 2025 NCAA Championship is remarkable. His Gophers, who began the season ranked 12th, lost four starters to season-ending injuries early in the year. The team persevered, stayed in the poll all season, and got sixth in the Big Ten.

PACIFIC REGION COACH OF THE YEAR

Kevin Hambly, Stanford University
2025 Record (as of Dec. 9): 29-4
Despite losing a number of key players from last season, Hambly and the Cardinal have enjoyed a very successful campaign so far in 2025. His ninth season at Stanford included an Atlantic Coast Conference title and another NCAA Championship Sweet Sixteen appearance. Late this season, he earned his 400th career coaching victory.

SOUTH REGION COACH OF THE YEAR

Craig Skinner, University of Kentucky
2025 Record (as of Dec. 9): 27-2
Skinner more than earned his second-consecutive Region Coach of the Year award, as his team has taken no prisoners in 2025. They enter the Sweet 16 on a 24-match winning streak and ran the table in the Southeastern Conference, earning both the regular-season title—the school’s ninth in a row—and SEC Tournament championship.

SOUTHEAST REGION COACH OF THE YEAR

Heather Gearhart, Winthrop University
2025 Record (as of Dec. 9): 18-7
Gearhart made her third season as the head coach at Winthrop a memorable one. She helped the Eagles take home the 2025 Big South Conference regular-season title, after they went 12-2 in league play and closed the regular-season with a 10-match winning streak. The team had five players on the 2025 All-Big South teams.

SOUTHWEST REGION COACH OF THE YEAR

Sam Erger, Southern Methodist University
2025 Record (as of Dec. 9): 27-5
Erger and the Mustangs have solidified their place in the upper echelon of Division I volleyball in 2025. The fourth-year SMU coach has her team is in the Sweet Sixteen for the first time in program history. In the NCAA Championship second-round sweep of Florida over the weekend, she picked up her 100th career win at SMU.

WEST REGION COACH OF THE YEAR

Dani Busboom Kelly, University of Nebraska
2025 Record (as of Dec. 9): 32-0
Replacing a legend is never easy, but Busboom Kelly has proven that she’s up to the challenge in her first year as head coach at Nebraska. Her 2025 team has made history with a 30-0 regular-season record and 20-0 mark in Big Ten play. How dominant have the Huskers been? They enter the Sweet 16 having dropped only seven sets this season.

 

Check out the Division I Awards Archives, which include the All-Region Teams and Award Winners history.