BRIDGEWATER, Mass. — The Bridgewater State University volleyball team has been picked to finish in second place in the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) standings as the 2025 MASCAC Volleyball Preseason Coaches Poll was released today by conference director of media relations, Emily Loux.

The defending MASCAC Tournament champion Bears received 60 points in the poll including four first-place votes. Westfield State University is the preseason favorite to capture the conference title as the defending regular season champion Owls recorded 61 points with five first-place votes. Framingham State University rounds out the top three teams in the poll with 47 points.

Under the guidance of head coach Tony daSilveira (7th Year), the Bridgewater State volleyball team will open the 2025 season on Tuesday, September 2nd as the Bears travel to Keene State College to take on the Owls at 6:00 PM.

The 2025 home opener is slated for Tuesday, September 9th at 6:00 PM against Curry College.

MASCAC play gets underway on Tuesday, September 23rd (6:00 PM) as the Bears welcome the Buccaneers of Massachusetts Maritime Academy to the Tinsley Center. 

Returning All-MASCAC selection Lily Welch (Jr., OH, Hanson, Mass.) will help lead the Bears in 2025.

Bridgewater State finished in second place in the 2024 MASCAC standings with a 6-1 conference mark (13-10 overall). The Bears knocked off Framingham State in the MASCAC Tournament semifinals before rallying for a 3-2 victory over top-seeded Westfield State in the conference title match to advance to the NCAA Division III Tournament for the 11th time in program history and first since 2008.

East Texas A&M University students looking for a fun, low-stress way to stay active will have plenty of opportunities this semester through the intramural sports program provided by Campus Recreation.

Intramural sports bridge the gap between competitive athletics and casual play, offering a chance for students to compete, meet new people and build lasting memories.

“Intramurals are all about giving students a chance to stay active, make friends and play the sports they enjoyed in high school without the huge time commitment,” said Coordinator of Sports Programs Xavier Deloatch. “It’s free, it’s fun and it’s a great way to be part of the ETAMU community.”

This semester’s lineup includes a mix of leagues and tournaments:

• Fantasy football
• Coed sand volleyball
• Flag football
• Ultimate Frisbee
• Tennis singles
• Pickleball
• Soccer
• Volleyball
• Futsal
• Golf scramble
• Cricket
• Dodgeball
• Badminton singles
• Super Smash Bros
• NBA 2K
• Table tennis singles
• 3v3 basketball

Most leagues run three to four weeks with weekly games, followed by playoffs and a chance to win championship prizes.

Registration is free for all current East Texas A&M students, faculty and staff with a Campus Rec membership. Students can sign up individually or as part of a team through IMLeagues.com.

With many sports offered throughout the year, Campus Recreation encourages students to get involved.

“Sports are a healthy way to have fun, create memories and develop teamwork and leadership skills that will last a lifetime,” Deloatch said.

Registration ends for some of the sports on September 2. For deadlines and game schedules, visit MANESync. Follow the Community Calendar to stay abreast of Campus Rec activities and other events.

Cooper Lutkenhaus, a 16-year-old 800m runner set to become the youngest American to compete at a World Track and Field Championships, is now the youngest U.S. track star in recent history to turn professional.

Lutkenhaus, who is starting his junior year of Northwest High School outside of Dallas, is forgoing his remaining high school and college racing eligibility, said Ray Flynn, his new agent.

“Being able to sign with Nike, I feel like that’s every kid’s dream when they get in the sport of running,” Lutkenhaus told Flotrack. “You don’t get this chance every day, and nothing’s guaranteed in this sport.”

Most high school phenoms who turn pro do so after after their senior seasons.

Lutkenhaus turns 17 on Dec. 19. In 2021, sprinter Erriyon Knighton turned pro less than a month before turning 17. Allyson Felix turned pro in 2003 at age 17.

Lutkenhaus finished second to Donavan Brazier in the 800m at the Toyota USA Track and Field Outdoor Championships on Aug. 3, clinching a spot on the team for the World Championships in Tokyo in mid-September.

He is set to become the first 16-year-old to compete for the U.S. in World Track and Field Championships history. Currently, the youngest American to ever compete at worlds is Mary Cain, who did so in the 1500m at age 17 in 2013.

Lutkenhaus’ time in the U.S. 800m final — 1 minute, 42.27 seconds — crushed the U18 world record by 1.1 seconds. (U18 world records are for athletes who turn 17 or younger in the year of their competition. Kenyan Timothy Kitum ran 1:42.53 for 2012 Olympic bronze when he was 17 years old, but turning 18 later that year.)

Lutkenhaus went into nationals with a personal best of 1:45:45 (a U.S. high school record time) from the Nike Outdoor Nationals high school meet in June.

That seeded him 13th in the senior U.S. men’s 800m field by best time in 2025.

“Obviously wasn’t supposed to make the team,” he said Aug. 3. “A lot of people didn’t think I’d make the final.”

Lutkenhaus’ three-second PR launched him from outside the 90 fastest Americans in history to fourth behind the best times from Bryce Hoppel, Josh Hoey and Brazier.

His time would have been the American record as recently as Aug. 10, 2024, when Hoppel lowered the record to 1:41.67 to place fourth in the Olympic final.

Lutkenhaus plans to stay with his high school coach, Chris Capeau, the next two years.

“But I’m going to get to race the best athletes in the world,” Lutkenahus said. “Who doesn’t want that chance, especially at 16 years old?”

Cooper Lutkenhaus finished second to Donavan Brazier in the U.S. 800m final.

ORADEA, Romania – Pepperdine water polo freshman Csanád Bella wrapped up competition at the European U18 Championships this past weekend, finishing in sixth place while representing Hungary.

The Budapest native was a bright spot for the Hungary side that went 4-2 overall in the tournament including a 3-0 mark in group play before falling in the quarterfinals.

Bella netted eight goals total in the tournament including a pair of hat tricks which propelled Hungary to a pair of wins.

His three-goal efforts came in the tournament opener against the Netherlands in a 15-11 win and against Greece in a 19-13 victory.

He went on to add a late game-tying goal in the final group play contest, a 12-11 triumph over Italy. The quarterfinals then saw a narrow 14-13 loss to Serbia to put Hungary out of contention for a medal. 

Returning in the consolation bracket, Bella added his eighth goal of the tournament in an 18-14 win over Croatia. In the fifth-place game, Hungary fell 10-7 to close out the tournament in sixth place.

Bella and the Waves open the season this weekend at the Triton Invite hosted by UC San Diego with a pair of fixtures against No. 20 Navy and Pomona-Pitzer on Saturday to begin the season.

ABOUT PEPPERDINE WATER POLO

Pepperdine water polo has seen success spanning decades under Terry Schroeder who gave the reins to Merrill Moses following the 2023 season. Highlighted by its national championship in 1997 with Moses as the starting goalie, the Waves have reached the NCAA Tournament on 13 occasions and recently won the inaugural WCC Regular Season Championship in 2023. Overall, the program has seen 60 athletes garner All-American honors while boasting a winning record in 36 of 50 seasons.

TICKETS

For more information and to purchase tickets to upcoming home events, visit here.

FOLLOW

To stay up-to-date on the latest Pepperdine water polo news, follow the Waves on social media @PepperdineMWP.

MOSCOW, Idaho– Idaho Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Tracy Hellman and his staff have announced 37 new signees to join the team for the 2025-26 season. 

BY THE NUMBERS

The class consists of 13 transfers from all levels of college track and field, 33 student-athletes who graduated high school in the Pacific Northwest. Five of the collegiant transfers have qualified for their respective national meets and seven of the new freshmen are reigning state champions.

The new group of Vandals are led by 11 long and middle distance runners, nine jumpers and multi-athletes, nine sprinters, and eight throwers. 

HEAR FROM COACH

“One of the goals I had when I was hired was to build a well-rounded track and field program that has goals to win the Big Sky Track and Field Championships.  This announcement is a good first step towards that goal.  I also want to express my gratitude to the Track and Field Staff and administration in their help in landing these outstanding student athletes.  Great people, great students, and great athletes is the common trait of this class.  We also are committed to getting back to bringing in the best of the PNW, and this class confirms that.  The future of Vandal track and field and cross country is exciting!  Go Vandals!”

MEET THE CLASS

DISTANCE

Kristian Børve headlines the Vandals’ distance additions, coming to Moscow as the Norwegian U20 national champion in the 5K. This summer, Børve placed sixth in the event at the European U20 Championships and finished ninth in the 1500 at this month’s Norwegian Championships. He also represented Norway at the 2024 U20 World Championships in the 3000 and 5000-meter disciplines. 

Three high schoolers from Oregon and Washington add to the depth of Idaho’s distance room. Hannah Ward joins the Black and Gold from Cheney, WA, where she closed out a strong prep career for the Cheney Blackhawks at the 2025 WIAA State Meet with a second-place finish (10:37.78) in the 3200, and fifth (4:58.52) in the 1600. Both were personal bests. 

Conor Thompson and Jaysen Rodriquez arrive at the U of I from the Beaver State. Thompson closed his high school career with a second at the OSAA State Cross Country meet last fall and the 3K at the state track meet in May. Rodriquez scored a fourth-place finish in the 800 in a personal best 1:54.18 at the WIAA state meet last spring.

The Vandals are also adding the reigning NWAC 1500 and steeplechase champion. Mary Nakamura spent the past two seasons at Spokane Community College, where she was a part of back-to-back outdoor conference title teams. 

Four members of the 2025-26 distance team have been previously announced, with all four arriving to the Palouse from Idaho’s Treasure Valley.   

All but one of Idaho’s distance additions will hit the ground running this fall as members of the Vandals’ cross country team. 

JUMPS AND MULTIS

Idaho’s nine-athlete jumps and multi’s class includes four reigning state high school champions, an NAIA All-American, and a member of a Division II national championship relay team. 

Sydnie Zywina joins the Vandals as a graduate student, following four highly successful years at Lewis-Clark State College in Lewiston. The Orofino, Idaho native placed in the top two in the triple jump at the Cascade Conference meet in each of her four years, winning the title in 2024 and 2025. Zywina was named a NAIA All-American triple jumper at the 2025 national indoor meet, and was a national qualifier in the triple jump during both the indoor and outdoor season in each of the past three seasons.

Adams State transfer Jada Miller was a member of the Bears’ Division II national championship-winning team in 2024 and was a critical part of their national champion DMR team. She arrives in Moscow with personal bests of 19 feet, nine inches in the long jump, a triple jump mark of 39 feet, five inches, and a 24.46 in the 200. 

Two Pacific Northwest state high school javelin champions are joining the Vandals, in the form of Adisyn Andrews and Gabe Love. Andrews, a native of Walla Walla, WA, won the state title with a personal-best 135 foot, eight inch throw. She was also a part of the Blue Devils’ state 4×100 relay team that claimed a spot on the podium. On top of being a back-to-back state champion in the javelin, Love finished in the top five in the 100 and the 200 at Hayward Field. The Prineville, Oregon native’s 2025 state championship-winning throw of 188 feet, eight inches would have placed sixth at the 2025 Big Sky Outdoor Championships. 

Kimberlee Priebe makes the move 85 miles south to join the Black and Gold from Coeur d’Alene, where she won the 2025 IHSAA 6A High Jump title and back-to-back district championships. 

A trio of commits from the Evergreen State, Jackson Williams, Jarae Long, and Bradley Giesen, and previously announced 11-time Idaho state champion Lexi Huettig, round out the 2025-26 class of Vandal jumpers and multi-athletes. 

SPRINTS

Logos High School’s Naomi Taylor is the current 100, 200, and 400-meter state champion at Idaho’s 2A level. The Moscow native set her personal best in all three events at the state meet this past spring, a 12.61 in the 100, 25.36 in the 200, and a 58.13 in the 400. Taylor is also a veteran of the Knights’ relay teams, winning three straight state titles in the 4×400. 

Keenan Kuntz and Ashley Hollenback-Willems, two of the six Washington State transfers to join the Vandals, were both members of the Cougars’ 4×100 relay teams that qualified for last season’s National Championship in Eugene. 

Hillsboro, Oregon’s Ryan LeClair took home first in both the 200 and the 400 at last spring’s OSAA State Championship. The former Spartan holds a personal best of 21.64 in the 200 and 48.13 in the 400. 

Five additional freshman sprinters will join the Vandals in 2025: MaKenna Ritter, Veronica Russell, Logan Peterson, Matteo Ganje, and previously announced Omar Chaaban. 

THROWS

Eight new throwers join Coach Julie Taylor this season. 

Five transfers from Pullman: Mason Andulajevic, Evan Berg, Blake Sturgis, Baylee Wroble, and Lindi Kessinger bring NCAA meet experience to the Black and Gold. Berg, a sophomore from Spokane, was a qualifier for the 2025 West Regional in the javelin. Sturgis took a unique path to Moscow, with stops at DIII Dubuque (Iowa), where he was a member of both the basketball and track teams, before spending the past two seasons at WSU. The Spokane native also qualified for the NCAA First Round a season ago, finishing 15th in the javelin.

Another former collegiant dual-sport athlete, Evan Hartt, arrives in Moscow from DII Minot State. In his one season with the Beavers, Hartt made waves in competition and in the classroom, by grabbing the discus school record and being named a USTFCCA All-Academic honoree. 

Kathryn Burnette is a reigning two-time Idaho 2A state champion in the shot put, holding the record in the classification and the second spot in the all-time record books. The former Potlatch Logger was a three-time state qualifier in the discus, finishing as high as fifth in 2024. 

Umpqua Community College transfer MaKenzie Carpenter rounds out the Vandals’ 2025 additions. 

UP NEXT

Idaho Cross Country begins their 2025 campaign on Friday, August 31, in Cheney, WA at the Clash of the Inland Northwest. 

FOLLOW THE VANDALS

To stay up to date with Idaho Cross Country, follow the team on Instagram(IdahoTrack), X(IdahoTFXC), and visit govandals.com.