STANDISH, Maine – The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) weekly honors have been released and Saint Joseph’s College of Maine women’s track and field was highlighted by sophomore Haley Williams being named GNAC Track Athlete of the Week and sophomore Ella Labrie earning GNAC Field Athlete of the Week recognition following their performances at the Elm City Classic.

Williams collected Track Athlete of the Week after a strong day on the track, placing second in the mile in 6:00.44 and running a leg on the winning distance medley relay that clocked 14:38.93, contributing to two major scoring performances for the Monks. 

Labrie was tabbed Field Athlete of the Week after scoring in both horizontal jumps, finishing fourth in the long jump with a mark of 4.80m (15′ 9″) and adding a fourth-place finish in the triple jump at 10.48m (34′ 4.75″), a mark that meets the New England Division III provisional standard. As of December 7, 2025, she ranks first in both the long jump and triple jump within the GNAC.

Saint Joseph’s will head to Southern Maine Saturday for the USM Alumni Open.

 

The first weekend of the NCAA volleyball tournament delivered on kills, points and of course, upsets. At campuses across the country, big names dominated, but there is still a Cinderella or two to cheer for as the tournament moves to the Sweet 16 this coming weekend. Here’s what you need to know from the first two rounds.

No. 1 seeds dominated…

Perhaps it’s not a surprise to see No. 1 seeds romp their way to the regional semifinals, but Nebraska, Texas, Kentucky and Pittsburgh each won their first two matches of the tournament with relative ease. Among the four teams, only one dropped a set — Kentucky dropped its third set to UCLA in the second round, and then came back to take that match with a 25-17 set. Meanwhile, Pittsburgh had 99 kills over the weekend, and Texas scored 73 points more than its opponents. And Nebraska? They were so good that they inspired their own bullet point in this story. (See below.)

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…but there were plenty of upsets to enjoy

Unseeded Marquette took out the higher-seeded Western Kentucky (No. 7) in the first round in just three sets, then took Louisville — which went to the national semifinal last season — to five sets before the Cardinals eventually pulled out the win. After a 25-5 regular season, UTEP earned a sixth seed, but unseeded North Carolina knocked them out 3-1 in the first round. Rice had a No. 7 seed but lost to Florida, and Utah State won a barn-burner 3-2 match over No. 7 Tennessee in the first round of the tournament.

STANDISH, Maine – The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) weekly honors have been released and Saint Joseph’s College of Maine was well-represented, with junior Jacob Schmader (Limington, Maine) named GNAC Track Athlete of the Week, freshman Stephen Pierre (Turner, Maine) selected as GNAC Field Athlete of the Week, and freshman Eli Benjamin (Rochester, N.H.) earning GNAC Rookie of the Week recognition following their performances at the Elm City Classic.

Schmader claimed Track Athlete of the Week after placing third in the 600 meters with a time of 1:24.80, a mark that meets the New England Division III provisional qualifying standard. 

Pierre earned Field Athlete of the Week honors by winning the long jump with a mark of 6.74m (22′ 1.5″), an automatic qualifier for the New England Division III Championships and a new Saint Joseph’s program record. He also cleared 1.83m (6′ 0″) in the high jump to place third, giving him two top-three finishes in the jumps and ranking him first in the GNAC in the long jump and fourth in the high jump as of December 7, 2025. 

Benjamin was tabbed Rookie of the Week after scoring in two events in his collegiate debut, finishing second in the high jump with a clearance of 1.88m (6′ 2″), which surpasses the New England Division III provisional standard, and adding a sixth-place effort in the 60 meters with a time of 7.64. His high jump mark currently ranks first in the conference as of December 7, 2025.

Saint Joseph’s will head to Southern Maine Saturday December 13th for the USM Alumni Open.

 

SALT LAKE CITY — Over her 36-year tenure as head coach of the women’s volleyball team at the University of Utah, Beth Launiere has become an icon of the sport.

That storied career — one that makes her the all-time winningest head coach (689-439) at Utah — has come to an end, though. Launiere announced her retirement from the game Monday, citing a desire to enter “the next chapter of my life.”

“Thank you to the hundreds of players whom I have had the privilege to coach, and the many assistant coaches, support staff and administrators who were my daily collaborators to build this program into what it is today,” Launiere said in a statement. “I will miss the daily interactions, but I know our relationships will last a lifetime.

“It has been an honor to represent one of the greatest universities in the country. I will forever love Utah and will always be a Ute!”

Launiere leaves as the third-longest tenured coach in Utah history, following former Red Rocks head coach Greg Marsden (40 years) and men’s swimming coach Don Reddish (37 years).

The decision, Launiere said, was a “difficult decision,” but it was time for another voice. Her decision comes after leading Utah to 20 NCAA Tournament appearances, with the most recent being the last two seasons.

In those 36 years, Launiere’s program reached four Sweet 16 appearances, six conference championships in the Mountain West, and 20 of the school’s 25 20-win seasons. She also helped Utah to a 45 consecutive week streak of appearing in the AVCA Coaches Top 25 from 2000-02 and again in 2019-22.

“Her legacy as one of the greatest coaches in the history of Utah athletics is well-established, and the number of student-athletes, coaches and staff she has influenced in such a positive way stands at the top of her lengthy list of accomplishments,” Utah athletic director Mark Harlan said. “The standard of excellence and winning culture that Beth has created and sustained here for nearly four decades cements her place in Utah athletics history.

“She will be greatly missed, but her established standard and culture will carry forward.”

That culture will continue with the hiring of associate head coach Alyssa D’Errico to the top position. After being in her role for three seasons, D’Errico now becomes the sixth volleyball head coach in Utah history.

“Alyssa D’Errico is a tremendous identifier of talent and is elite in developing student-athletes and building genuine relationships,” Harlan said in a statement. “With her championship pedigree, All-America playing experience, and the three years she has spent at the University of Utah as associate head coach, she is uniquely equipped to take over leadership of our volleyball program.

“I’m thrilled to appoint Alyssa as our new head coach, and excited to see her establish herself as this programs’ leader, building on the legacy that Beth Launiere has built.”

D’Errico comes to Utah after a six-year tenure at Dayton, where she spent time as the associate head coach and the school’s recruiting coordinator. She began her career at Louisville in 2015 following a four-time national championship playing career at Penn State where she was captain.

“I couldn’t be more pleased for Alyssa D’Errico to be named the next head volleyball coach at the University of Utah,” Launiere said in a statement. “She has great knowledge of the game, and a work ethic second to none.

“Alyssa is a leader who invests in her players in both time and care, and is a tremendous role model for young women. Her exceptionalism as a four-time NCAA women’s volleyball national champion was a prelude to her extraordinary attributes as a coach and what she brings to the profession. I have no doubt Alyssa will maintain the culture we have strived to create and continue Utah volleyball’s winning tradition.”

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Vanderbilt E. Bronson Ingram Chair in Football Clark Lea is a finalist for the George Munger College Coach of the Year it was announced Monday by the Maxwell Football Club, making the Commodore head coach a candidate for multiple national honors. He is also up for the Walter Camp Football Bowl Subdivision and American Football Coaches Association Coach of the Year Awards.

The winner of the George Munger Award—other finalists are Curt Cignetti of Indiana, Mike Elko of Texas A&M and Texas Tech’s Joey McGuire—will be revealed on Dec. 30, with the formal presentation of the award set for March 14, 2026, in Atlanta.

Lea has already been named the AFCA Region 2 Coach of the Year, and he is also a candidate for the Paul “Bear” Bryant and Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Awards.

The recognition comes after Lea guided the Dores to their first-ever 10-win season and a 6-2 finish in SEC action, the most conference victories Vandy has posted in program history. The Commodores earned three victories over top-15 opposition, defeating four nationally-ranked schools in all, this fall and have been included in the Associated Press poll each of the last 12 weeks. That included helping the Dores to their first appearance in the AP top 10 since 1947.

With the Commodores set to play Iowa in the ReliaQuest Bowl on Dec. 31, Lea has guided Vandy to consecutive postseason bowl berths for just the second time ever.

The Panthers drew the curtains on their season after suffering a 3-0 loss against No. 2-ranked University of La Verne Leopards on Saturday, Nov. 8. The loss closed out a season that started with promise, but ultimately ended in a losing conference record.

In the sweep, the Panthers recorded an average hitting percentage of 0.135 with 33 total kills compared to the Leopards’ .284 percentage and 45 kills. Ultimately, La Verne proved to be the better team in this match, allowing them to clinch the regular season Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) title. La Verne went on to make a run to the national championship of the NCAA DIII tournament, finishing runners-up.

The match was also senior night for the Panthers. Political science major Olivia Sampon, strategic and corporate communications major Emma Derksen, psychology major Olivia Harrison and public relations, advertising and entertainment marketing majors Brooke Leslie and Keira Sarni were honored during the ceremony.

“Being surrounded by my teammates, coaches, friends and a lot of family made the night really meaningful,” Sarni said. “There’s something powerful about looking around the gym and realizing how much support you’ve had over the years.”

Although the seniors closed out their collegiate careers with a loss, the Panthers fought for every point. The first set ended 25-17 with La Verne immediately dominating the court. During the second set, Chapman had its first and only lead of the match at 7-5 but eventually fell short 25-22. In the final set, the Panthers could not shut down La Verne’s offense or break through their defense, ultimately ending the set at 25-16. 

In preparation for the match, the team prioritized adjusting their defense and offense to match La Verne’s. The Panthers had 50 digs, and junior business finance major Lia Ono leading with 16 — the most of any player in the match. Chapman also had two blocks compared to the Leopards’ 10.

The Panthers finished with a 6-10 conference record, and missed the SCIAC playoffs for the third time in four seasons.  

The Panthers took the time to reflect on their journey this season to improve for the next. The seniors waved their goodbyes and looked back on how much the program has given them.

“Playing volleyball at Chapman has shaped me into the person I am today,” Sarni said. “I’ve grown so much, not just as an athlete, but as a leader, a teammate and a friend.”

Despite the emotional night, a new chapter is in the works for next season. With a talented group returning, they’ll look to follow in their seniors’ footsteps.