Sports
Another HBCU Star Bolts to Power Four Program
Florida A&M’s (FAMU) Kirk Dawkins was one of the best stories in college track this season. Now, he’s taking his talents to a Power Four program. After a record-breaking run through the 2025 season, Dawkins—who proudly carried the HBCU banner into the NCAA Outdoor Championships—has entered the transfer portal and committed to Iowa State University of the Big 12.
It’s the latest blow in what’s becoming an all-too-familiar pattern: elite HBCU track and field talent leaving for Power Four programs. But to understand why Dawkins’ departure matters, you have to understand what he meant to FAMU.
A Star is Born in Tallahassee
Born and raised in Kingston, Jamaica—where sprinting is second nature and Olympic medals are a national currency—Dawkins grew up racing through the streets on errands for his parents. He honed his craft at Kingston College before taking a leap to the U.S. to compete at the University at Albany. The cold Northeast didn’t suit him, and after one season, Dawkins transferred to Florida A&M. That’s when everything changed.
With warmth on the track and in the community, Dawkins found his stride.
In 2025, he swept the SWAC’s indoor and outdoor 800-meter titles, added gold in the mile and 1500-meter, and broke through at the NCAA East Prelims with a personal-best 1:46.62 to punch his ticket to Eugene, Oregon, for the NCAA Championships.
“Saying that you’re going to make it to Eugene is one thing, but doing it is the next,” Dawkins told the Tallahassee Democrat before the NCAA Outdoor Championships. “I have some unfinished business.”
Dawkins wasn’t just representing FAMU in Eugene—he was carrying the HBCU flag solo in the 800-meter race.
“To know I’m the only one representing FAMU and HBCUs at the national meet is a very nice feeling,” he said. “It’s all about executing and coming out on top.”
A Track to Greatness
Even before the NCAA Championships, Dawkins had made history, becoming the first Rattler since 2022 to qualify for the event. His coaches, Garfield Ellenwood II and Tamika Kimchen, had seen this coming.
“We set out a plan,” Dawkins told the Democrat. “If I got to a specific point, we knew this season would be the year of glory.”
But it’s not just glory Kirk Dawkins is chasing. He’s eyeing a spot on Jamaica’s national team for the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo. He needs a 1:44.70 to qualify—less than two seconds off his PR.
“I believe with the training I’ve been doing and the mentorship of my coaches, family, and peers, I know I have a big chance of making it,” Dawkins said.

The HBCU Exodus Continues
Dawkins’ transfer to Iowa State is the latest in a wave of high-profile HBCU track and field stars departing for Power Four schools this summer. He joins names like Jamarion Stubbs, Tyson Williams, and Amarianna Lofton.
Stubbs, a sprint king from Alabama State, announced his transfer to Arkansas after racking up six SWAC titles and a top-25 NCAA ranking in the 100 meters. Johnson C. Smith’s Tyson Williams—a freshman phenom and DII indoor 200m champ. Committed to South Carolina shortly after placing third at the NCAA DII Outdoor Championships.
Then came Central State’s Amarianna Lofton, a two-time SIAC high jump champion and elite multi-event performer, who announced her move to Purdue. She leaves CSU with four conference golds and a legacy of dominance in the jumps and hurdles.
One after another, HBCU stars are leaping from conference podiums to Power 4 lineups. And it’s not a knock on their original schools. It reflects how good HBCU programs have gotten at developing elite athletes.
Is it fair to ask a student-athlete not to chase greater exposure, better facilities, and potential Olympic pipelines? Or is it a gut-punch to programs like FAMU that have poured in the coaching, care, and culture?
Dawkins and the Dilemma
But Kirk Dawkins is different. While others left after DII championships or breakout freshman seasons, Dawkins reached the pinnacle of NCAA Division I competition—on his own terms, from an HBCU, without the hype machine of a Power Four behind him.
“All the hard work and the days of throwing up all paid off,” said Garfield Ellenwood II, Director of Track and Field at FAMU. “To see his excitement—that’s what it’s about… seeing them reach their goals.”
Still, the pattern is clear. HBCUs are producing world-class athletes, but keeping them is becoming the next big challenge.
Whether it’s improved NIL deals, better facilities, or Olympic development pipelines, Power 4 programs have plenty to offer. And while HBCU coaches remain proud of their athletes’ success, every departure leaves another “what if” behind.
The Legacy He Leaves
Dawkins was set to graduate in 2026 with a degree in Supply Chain Management, and his love for FAMU runs deep. He calls it “a place of culture,” and credits his transformation to the mentorship and support he received there.
“I’m not going to the meet like I’m from one of the smallest schools,” he said before the NCAA Championships. “It’s all about executing and coming out on top.”
Whether he runs his next race in Iowa State colors or on the world stage for Jamaica, Dawkins will always be a part of HBCU track and field’s proud lineage.
But his departure—and the growing trend it represents—raises big questions. Can HBCUs remain the launchpad for elite track talent and also the destination? Or are they now destined to be a proving ground from which Power Four programs pluck?
For now, all we know is this: Kirk Dawkins is headed to Iowa State. But the legacy he leaves at FAMU—and the fire he sparked across HBCU track—won’t fade anytime soon.
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Sports
Jaguars Women’s Track & Field Posts Multiple Top-10 Finishes to Launch Inaugural Indoor Campaign
AUGUSTA, Ga. – The Augusta University women’s track and field team opened its inaugural indoor season on Saturday at the Visit Winston-Salem College Kick-Off, competing against a deep field of Division I and Division II programs at JDL Fast Track. The Jaguars produced a strong slate of early-season marks across sprints, middle distance, and distance events, highlighted by a top-three 5,000-meter finish from Madison Thomas and multiple top-10 performances.
Sprint Group Opens Season With Strong 200 and 400 Marks
Freshman Madison Mitchell paced Augusta in the 200 meters with a time of 26.15, placing 17th overall. Fellow freshman Taneiha Bowman followed in 26.72. Sophomore Josalyn Branch also opened her season in the event.
In the 400 meters, freshman Ava Adams led the group with a 1:01.25 to finish 13th. Sophomore Janiya England added a 1:03.98 in her season debut. Freshman Thanna Davis delivered Augusta’s fastest 400 of the day, placing 10th in the seeded section in 58.67.
Middle-Distance Athletes Deliver Solid Early Times
Freshman Brie Andrews opened her indoor campaign in the 800 meters, finishing 20th in 2:28.67.
Augusta’s mile group produced one of the most complete team showings of the meet, placing five runners inside the top 25. Freshman Josabeth Graciano led the Jaguars in 5:15.54 for seventh, followed by freshman Caleigh Munro in ninth at 5:19.12. Freshman Gabriella Burton placed 15th in 5:26.02, with juniors Grace Gyetko (5:32.02) and Cheyenne Ryan (5:38.46) rounding out the group.
Distance Squad Secures Five Top-10 Finishes in the 5,000 Meters
Junior Madison Thomas led Augusta with a third-place finish in the 5,000 meters, running 17:49.24. Sophomore Danielle Thayer placed seventh in 18:31.71, followed by sophomore Maria Biondolillo in eighth (19:05.37), freshman Amelia Ogden in ninth (19:14.81), and junior Swaye Mohler in tenth (19:27.44).
Sophomore Ansley Graddy and freshman Elkin Regina also opened their indoor seasons in the event.
In addition to this weekend’s performances, junior Madison Kennedy—reigning PBC Cross Country Runner of the Year—recorded the third-fastest 5K time in Outdoor Peach Belt Conference history this past fall.
Reed Leads Augusta in High Jump
Freshman Jamiya Reed cleared 1.44 meters (4-8.75) in the high jump to finish 14th in her collegiate debut. Freshman Paige Justice also competed in the event.
The team returns to Winston-Salem the following week for the ‘Twas the Meet Before Christmas on Friday, Dec. 12.
Fans of Jaguar Athletics can subscribe to the email listserve by clicking here. Fans can follow Augusta University at www.augustajags.com and receive short updates on Facebook at Augusta University Athletics and on Twitter at @AugustaJags
Sports
Nebraska volleyball advances to Sweet 16 with sweep of Kansas State
Dec. 7, 2025, 6:30 a.m. CT
Nebraska (32-0) entered the second round of the NCAA tournament on Saturday, taking on Kansas State (18-10). Though the Wildcats put up a fight, the Huskers swept the night (25-17, 25-21, 25-16) to advance to the Sweet 16.
Nebraska struggled at times against the Kansas State defense, the Wildcats posted 14 blocks and 32 digs. This helped KSU stay in each set against the Huskers, even taking the lead multiple times. But Nebraska found itself out in front by the time it reached the red zone, allowing it to get the sweep.
The Huskers finished with 43 kills off 99 attacks for a .253 hitting percentage and posted 48 digs and eight blocks to hold Kansas State to .118 and 27 kills on 102 attacks. Nebraska also delivered seven service aces in the win.
Harper Murray and Andi Jackson co-led Nebraska, each delivering ten kills in the sweep. Murray also snatched six digs while Jackson posted a team-high three blocks and earned her ten kills off 15 attacks. Taylor Landfair hit 8-of-18 on the night, while Virginia Adriano finished 7-of-12 with a service ace.
Rebekah Allick posted six kills off 13 attacks for the Huskers, while Allie Sczech finished 2-of-4. Bergen Reilly tallied 34 set assists and a service ace. Laney Choboy and Olivia Mauch each delivered two service aces. The duo also combined for 25 digs, with Mauch earning 13 and Choboy grabbing 12.
Nebraska will host Kansas on Friday in the Sweet 16. The match is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. and can be seen on ESPN2.
Contact/Follow us @CornhuskersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Nebraska news, notes and opinions.
Sports
Devils Begin 2025-26 Season With Victory at SU Kickoff Open
WINCHESTER, Va. – The Dickinson men’s indoor track and field team opened up their 2025-26 slate in emphatic fashion on Sunday afternoon by winning the Shendandoah University Holiday Kickoff Open inside the James Wilkins Jr. Athletics & Events Center.
Sprints
Franklyn Akabi-During picked right up where he left off last season by winning the 60m with a time of 6.86, while Darian Crim joined him on the podium in third at 7.01. Josh Gould and Dominick Rosini claimed 23rd (7.42) and 33rd (7.68). With hurdles added to the distance Barrett Chalmers and Aidan Coyne hit the line in fifth (9.61) and sixth (9.68).
Akabi-During nabbed his second win of the day during the 200m thanks to a time of 22.07, followed right behind by Crim who took second at 22.69. Jack Shronk rounded out the Top-5 by crossing in 23.59. Owen Seveland claimed tenth (23.89) as Rosini, Coyne and Chalmers earned 18th (24.98), 24th (25.80) and 28th (26.17).
The trio of Shronk, Sveland and Benjamin Dench competed in the 400m securing eighth (52.67), ninth (53.10) and eleventh (55.07).
Distance
The 800m event was packed with Devils as the duo of Michael Dooley and James Masterson finished one (1:58.70) and two (1:58.92). Sean Harris (2:07.80), Matthew Gareau (2:08.93), Alexander Radishofski (2:09.49), Quinn Chewning (2:10.34), Jack Rickleman (2:11.37), Evan Feldman (2:14.86), Walker Crochet (2:16.09) and Dylan Elder (2:17.09) occupied spots seven through 14.
Two members of the Red and White were involved in the 3000m with Nathan Caldwell grabbing second (8:50.70), while Alexander Kane seized fourth (9:03.67).
Caldwell added another victory to the Devils ledger with a time of 15:09.29 in 5000m, followed by Kane at 15:26.76. Slots six to eleven were filled with Dickinson athletes thanks to Wiley Mulholland (16:38.98), Jacob Sokatch (16:40.39), Jad Jamaleddine (16:50.89), Matthew Colden (16:57.34) and Andrew Edwards (17:00.52). William Kane completed the group of Devils by hitting the line in 17:24.42 for 14th.
Dickinson filled the podium for the mile run as Avi Ghorai won the race in 4:47.45, followed by Crochet (4:50.52) and Griffin McConnville (4:51.54). The trio of Chewning (5th – 4:52.35), Feldman (7th – 4:58.49) and Jack Solovey (8th – 5:00.07) also competed in the event.
Relay
The Red and White put three different teams out for the 4x400m with the group of Akabi-During, Crim, Harris and Seveland taking second (3:29.02). The unit of Dooley, Gareau, Masterson and Shronk clocked in at 3:32.56 for fourth, while Chalmers, Coyne, Crochet and Radishofski earned sixth (3:47.17).
Field
Elder grabbed sixth in the high jump after clearing 1.48m.
Oliver Stroka posted another DC win during the weight throw by dropping down at 15.86m.
Three Devils tried the shot put with Daniel Echeverri grabbing fifth at 11.83m, followed by Stroka in eighth (10.79m) and Elder nabbing 16th (7.97m).
Up Next
Dickinson will next compete after the New Year holiday when they take part in the Moravian University Indoor Meet in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania on Saturday, January 17th beginning at 10am.
Sports
Point Loma Nazarene wins volleyball regional; Mesa’s season ends with loss
Third-seeded Point Loma Nazarene will play sixth-seeded Bentley at 10 a.m. Thursday in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division II women’s volleyball tournament in Sioux Falls, S.D.
PLNU advanced to the NCAA quarterfinals for a second straight year Saturday night by defeating Fresno Pacific 3-1 in the Western Regionals championship hosted by the Sea Lions at Golden Gym.
Meanwhile, Mesa College was defeated 3-0 by Feather River College Sunday afternoon in the championship match of the California Community College Athletic Association women’s volleyball tournament in Folsom.
Top-seeded Feather River (36-1) won the state title for the third time in four years. Second-seeded Mesa College (31-2) had won 28 straight matches going into Sunday’s match. The Olympians won the state title in 2023 and lost in the semifinals in 2024.
Feather River swept by scores of 25-12, 25-19, 25-23. Mia Lundberg led Mesa with 10 kills and four digs. Charlotte Underwood had five kills and two digs while Bella Town (Carlsbad High) had five kills and two blocks. Ruby Ennis (Lakeside) had 17 assists and seven digs while Trina Nguyen (Mira Mesa High) had 11 digs.
Point Loma Nazarene (27-4) prevailed Saturday night by set scores of 25-17, 17-25, 25-16, 25-18. Fresno Pacific finished with a 27-2 record, with both losses coming to PLNU in Golden Gym.
Thursday’s match against Bentley (also 27-4) will also be a rematch. PLNU scored a four-set win over Bentley on Sept. 12 en route to winning the Colorado Premier Challenge Tournament in Denver.
Freshman middle blocker Hailey Clark paced PLNU against Fresno Pacific with 14 kills, while senior outside hitter Abigail Nua finished with 13 kills and a block, while sophomore outside hitter Saren Rogers (Victory Christian Academy) had 13 kills.
Junior setter Sophia Baugh had 50 assists and a service ace. Senior libero Macy Reynolds had 19 digs and freshman defensive specialist Hailey Wilson had 18 digs to 17 for freshman setter Jolyna Salas (Tri-City Christian).
Sports
Track & Field Teams Claim 19 Top-10 Finishes
Men’s Track & Field | 12/6/2025 7:48:00 PM
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
>> The Saint Francis track & field teams opened its indoor season at the Bison Opener.
>> Saint Francis compiled 19 top 10 finishes.
>> The Red Flash faced the following colleges: Shippensburg, Lock Haven, Bucknell, Carnegie Mellon, Lincoln (Pa.), West Chester, Millersville, Mount St. Mary’s, Penn State, Bloomsburg, and Indiana (Pa.)
FLASH WOMEN NUGGETS
The women’s team accumulated seven top 10 performances.
Olivia Renk finished second in the 200-meter and fourth in the 60-meter on the women’s side. The sophomore clocked in a time of 25.46 in the 200-meter and a 7.72 time in the 60-meter.
In the women’s long jump, Taylor Foster finished in fifth place in the event with a jump of 5.29m. Foster also claimed eighth place in the women’s triple jump with 10.63m.
Aubrie Wells and Karsyn Ford both finished with 3.25m to tie for eighth place.
Rounding out the top 10 finishes was Rylee Nicklas taking 10th in the women’s weight throw with a toss of 14.22m.
FLASH MEN NUGGETS
The men’s team registered 12 top 10 finishes on the day.
1-weight throw,
Jayden Foster took eighth place in the men’s 200-meter dash with a time of 22.81. Meanwhile, Tyler Craft claimed the ninth spot with a time of 37.08 in the 300-meter. Craft jumped his way into second place in the long jump with 6.94m.
Staying in the meter dashes, James Parmelee (1:10.38) took third and Holden Schreier finished seventh (1:12.90) in the men’s 500-meter.
Two more Red Flash placed top 10 in the high jump, Ayden Martinage (8th, 1.85m) and Braydon Beach (10th, 1.80m).
Running over to the pole vault, Dylan Andrews finished with a jump of 4.25 to give himself seventh place.
Clark Gulycz took fourth in the men’s shot put with a mark of 17.07m.
Saint Francis took another two top 10 finishes, this time in the men’s triple jump. Nehemyah Williams gained third place with a leap of 14.35m. Ian Conway was not far behind him in seventh with 12.54m.
Vincent Franco finished out the Red Flash in sixth place with a time of 15.94m.
NEXT UP FOR FLASH
Track & field will next compete at the Wagner College Seahawk Shootout hosted by Wagner College on Friday the 12.
Sports
PHOTO: Nebraska volleyball showcases grit in a sweep against Kansas State | Unlimited Sports
The Nebraska Huskers showed up to battle and proved their grit and capability, adapting to Kansas State’s style of play on Dec. 6, 2025, at John Cook Arena inside the Bob Devaney Sports Center. Nebraska continued its dominant postseason run and swept Kansas State (25-17, 25-21, 25-16) in front of 8,601 fans. With the win, the No. 1 Huskers advanced to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen.
Nebraska controlled the match, out-hitting Kansas State, .253 to .118, and extending its streak of out-hitting opponents by at least .100 for seven consecutive matches. Nebraska was still tested in many areas throughout the game and had to overcome and adapt under pressure.
“You know, they really challenged us in a lot of areas and thought this was one of the first matches in a while,” said coach Dani Busboom Kelly. “We had to gut it out with our serve and pass and floor defense, which is kind of like classic Nebraska volleyball. And I felt like we handled it really well.”
Juniors Andi Jackson and Harper Murray led the way with 10 kills each, with Jackson having a .533 hitting percentage on 15 swings. Nebraska’s balanced attack featured eight kills from senior outside hitter Taylor Landfair, seven from freshman opposite hitter Virginia Adriano and six from senior middle blocker Rebekah Allick, while junior outside hitter Bergen Reilly was a huge threat on offense with 34 assists.
Defensively, the Huskers fulfilled their high postseason standard. Nebraska totaled 48 digs, led by Olivia Mauch’s 13 and Laney Choboy’s 12, limiting Kansas State to only 27 kills. Nebraska placed their serves well, which brought them seven aces.
“Our defense hung in there, and just we were ready for long rallies. So, I was really proud of us even when it didn’t feel super clean, like we still we’re just playing Nebraska volleyball,” said setter Bergen Reilly.
Nebraska will next host No. 16 Kansas in a regional semifinal on Friday, Dec. 12, 2025, at 8:30 CST at John Cook Arena inside the Bob Devaney Sports Center.
The Nebraska Huskers huddle together before taking on Kansas State on Dec. 6, 2025, at the Bob Devaney Sports Center. The Nebraska Huskers claimed a 32-0 overall record after beating Kansas State.
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