Sports
Will Victoria Cameron Become The NCAA’s Newest Track And Field Star At Nationals?
Victoria Cameron (center) was second in the women’s 100 meters at the NCAA West First Round in … More
Victoria Cameron wasn’t supposed to be here.
At least, that wasn’t the plan initially, with the Tarleton State University sophomore hardly envisioning a future at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships coming out of Stephenville High School.
Didn’t matter that Cameron came up just seven-hundredths of a second short of Sha’Carri Richardson’s Class 4A 100 meter record at the UIL State Outdoor Championships in May of 2023. Nor did it matter that anyone with eyes could see she had an innate ability to run fast.
Cameron had already committed to play soccer at Tarleton State, just a couple miles down the road from where she grew up.
And two years ago, she was committed to it.
But then, maybe a month before her college start – or maybe as she put her hands on the fence overlooking the pasture at home where her family’s favorite cow grazed – things flipped.
“I realized I couldn’t really leave track,” said Cameron, who lives about four miles from her college campus, in a town of just over 20,000. “Like, there was this attachment to it.”
What a decision that turned out to be.
Victoria Cameron Emerges Over The 2025 Track Season
As Tarleton State made its full-fledged transition to the NCAA Division I in July of 2024, Cameron exploded as a track athlete in 2025, reaching indoor nationals in March before another national qualification came in May.
“(I) just want to put my hometown college on the map,” she said.
Cameron enters the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships on Thursday at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon with the eighth-fastest wind-legal time in college at 11.01 seconds, securing that effort at the NCAA Division I West First Round in College Station.
Still, there’s a star quality that seems to encircle her.
Take a moment from regionals, for instance. Cameron was recognized inside a restaurant …in College Station, Texas.
“It just makes me happy to have seen that,” she said. “Like, if my name’s out there, my college’s name is out there.”
Tarleton State’s Talented Athlete Is Biding Her Time
That being said, Cameron currently splits her time between two sports.
This fall, she logged 230 minutes in 18 games with the Tarleton State’s women’s soccer team, scoring a goal and generally cutting her teeth in the collegiate game. A few years ago, University of Kentucky track and field legend Abby Steiner did the same.
On the track, however, Cameron is an exceptional sprinter.
From her first outing at 100 meters at the Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays in March to her most recent performance at the Regional Championships – a timeline spanning six meets – Cameron only got better with time, clocking progressive performances of 11.33, 11.25, 11.05 and 11.01 over her last four meets.
In the same venue where she won a state-championship winning 100 meter time of 11.35 seconds in 2023, Cameron ripped off a wind-assisted 11.09 inside Mike Myers Stadium. A few weeks later, in Denton, Texas, she ran a wind-legal 11.22.
“I love seeing my times go down over time,” she said. “Nothing feels better than having a PR so, I don’t know, my love for the sport just kind of helps put everything in place.”
In May, Cameron was named the WAC Conference’s women’s track athlete of the year. This weekend will mark the first time over the outdoor season she will race outside Texas.
The bigger question lies in wake: Will she be able to break 11 seconds?
Victoria Cameron Is Moving Closer To History
Cameron is on the cusp of a barrier that few women in college history have ever reached. Her career best 11.01 is 71st in U.S. history and she’s just outside the NCAA’s top 25 all-time performances.
“As soon as I got to the line, I had an overwhelming feeling of just being able to lock in,” Cameron said of her race. “And then when I came out of the blocks, I kind of knew I was behind, but the biggest key to that race was just having patience throughout it all.”
That being said, the college sophomore isn’t perfect. In the prelims at indoor nationals in Virginia Beach, Virginia, a poor start hindered her first 20 meters and she suffered at the line, running 7.38 seconds–a little over two-tenths off of her career-best 7.14.
Cameron said her focus this spring has been about fixing those issues. She’s been working on block starts and her reaction time.
While the first variable is physical, the second is in some ways mental.
“My reaction time over the season has proven to be a hit or miss – either I’m last out of the blocks, or I’m right up with everyone,” she said. “So I could definitely improve.”
Tarleton State sophomore Victoria Cameron qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the … More
Can The College Sophomore Win An NCAA Title?
It would be unfair to say that Cameron is the favorite heading into nationals.
Four women enter NCAAs with season bests under 11 seconds – TCU’s Indya Mayberry, LSU’s Tima Godbless, Ohio State’s Leah Bertrand and Florida State’s Shenese Walker – while Cameron would have to secure two nearly perfect races across two rounds to claim victory.
But there’s no doubt she’s chasing the moment.
On Thursday, she’ll bring the Tarleton logo to Tracktown, a revered site for track and field greatness.
“As my coach would say, ‘I don’t want it to be a ‘Tarleton-Question-Mark,’ I want it to be a ‘Tarleton-Exclamation-Point,’” Cameron said. “That’s the goal here.”
Leaving her indoor performance behind her, Cameron insists anything can happen this weekend in Eugene. The first objective is reaching the final. The second will be to give herself a shot to win it.
“I believe really anything is possible within track and field due to the fact that it’s not a very forgiving sport,” she said. Indoors, the girl with the fastest time ended up false starting, so anything can happen. So you just gotta give it your all and believe that you’re going to win it before you run it.
What To Know Ahead Of The NCAA Outdoor Track And Field Championsnhips
Nationals begins on Wednesday starting at 1:30 p.m. at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon. You can follow live results here. Men’s and women’s competition will alternate days, with the men’s first round action beginning on June 11, the women’s first round following on June 12 and then men’s and women’s finals taking place on June 13 and June 14. The women’s 100 meter first round will kick off at 5:15 p.m. PST on June 12. In the men’s competition, Minnesota is looking to win its first national team title since 1948.
Sports
Former Illini basketball sharpshooter Luke Goode engaged to Illinois volleyball star Kayla Burbage
Love is in the air for two of Champaign’s top athletes in recent years. Former Illini men’s basketball wing Luke Goode popped the question to Illinois volleyball middle blocker Kayla Burbage, the couple shared via Instagram on Wednesday.
“Proverbs 18:22: ‘He who finds a wife finds a good thing, and obtains favor from the Lord,’” Goode wrote. “Going into the New Years as future Mr. and Mrs. Goode!”
Goode spent the first three years of his college career in Champaign, graduating from the Gies School of Business in 2024 with a bachelor’s degree in finance. After his sophomore season was cut short due to a foot injury, Goode bounced back as a junior, playing in all 38 games for the 2024 Elite Eight team. That season, the 6-foot-7 sharpshooter averaged 5.7 points and shot 38.9% from three on just over four attempts per game.
Last season, Goode spent his final year of eligibility playing for his home state Indiana Hoosiers before turning pro. He is currently suiting up for the South Bay Lakers in the NBA G League. In 11 games so far as a rookie, Goode is putting up 7.6 points and 3.0 rebounds in just above 20 minutes per game.
Burbage just finished up her final season of college volleyball. After spending her freshman campaign at Missouri, Burbage decided to make the move to Champaign. As a sophomore and junior, Burbage played in every match on Illinois’ schedule: 60 total. A shoulder injury sidelined the 6-foot-4 North Carolina native for her senior season, but she returned for a graduate year in 2025. In her final season at Huff Hall, Burbage ranked second in total blocks (82.0) for the Illini and had the fifth-most kills on the team (98).
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North Texas’ first women’s professional volleyball team will officially launch its inaugural season on Saturday, Jan. 10.
DALLAS — For North Texas volleyball fans, Saturday’s season opener represents more than just a first serve, it’s the beginning of something the region has been waiting for.
The Dallas Pulse, the region’s first women’s professional volleyball team, will open its inaugural season Saturday, Jan. 10, hosting the Indiana franchise at Comerica Center in Frisco.
The matchup marks the first Major League Volleyball game played by a Dallas-based team and is a milestone moment for the metroplex.
The Pulse will play 14 home matches during the 2026 Major League Volleyball season, giving local fans a consistent opportunity to support a women’s pro team built in their own backyard.
- Saturday, Jan. 10 – Indy
- Thursday, Jan. 15 – San Diego
- Thursday, Feb. 5 – Omaha
- Sunday, Feb. 8 – Grand Rapids
- Thursday, Feb. 19 – Indy
- Sunday, Feb. 22 – Grand Rapids
- Friday, Feb. 27 – Orlando
- Friday, March 13 – Columbus
- Sunday, March 15 – Atlanta
- Saturday, March 21 – San Diego
- Thursday, March 26 – Atlanta
- Friday, April 17 – Columbus
- Friday, May 1 – Omaha
- Sunday, May 3 – Orlando
Leading the team into its first season is head coach Shannon Winzer, who was named to the role in September. The January debut places Dallas at the center of the league’s early growth as women’s professional volleyball continues to gain momentum nationwide.
The timing feels right for North Texas. The region has long been a volleyball hotbed, producing elite athletes through nationally recognized club programs, championship high school teams and top-tier collegiate programs. Until now, many of those players, and the fans who followed them, had no local professional team to rally behind.
Dallas Pulse leadership told WFAA that they hope to change that.
Season ticket deposits are currently open, and the Pulse holds the No. 1 overall pick in the Major League Volleyball Draft scheduled for Nov. 24, giving the team a chance to add a cornerstone player ahead of its debut season.
Major League Volleyball is also preparing for future growth, announcing plans to add expansion teams in Washington, D.C. and Northern California in 2027.
LONG BEACH, Calif. — UC San Diego men’s volleyball will prepare for the upcoming season with four exhibitions this weekend as part of the North American Challenge. The event will be hosted by Long Beach State on Friday and Sunday at the LBS Financial Credit Union Pyramid.
The Tritons will play two Canadian sides, Alberta and Calagry. They will play each team once on both days of the challenge.
SCHEDULE
Friday, Jan. 2
- 2 PM – vs Calgary
- 4:30 PM – vs Alberta
Sunday, Jan. 4
- 12:30 PM – vs Alberta
- 3 PM – vs Calgary
Live stats for all four matches will be available HERE. Fans interested in attending matches can purchase tickets through Long Beach State HERE.
UP NEXT
The Tritons open the 2026 season at home next Tuesday, Jan. 6. Jessup will visit LionTree Arena for a match that begins at 7 PM.
About UC San Diego Athletics
After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program has begun a new era as a member of The Big West in NCAA Division I. The 24-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in Divisions II and III and helped guide 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. A total of 83 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 39 have garnered prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. UC San Diego scholar-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world’s preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 90 percent, the highest rate among public institutions in NCAA Division I or II. For more information on the Tritons, visit UCSDtritons.com or follow UC San Diego Athletics on social media @UCSDtritons.
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