The University of Minnesota Duluth men’s and women’s track and field teams didn’t have to travel far Saturday to compete in the first meet of their season, competing in CSS Opener inside the Burns Wellness Center on the campus of the College of St. Scholastica.

The women’s side had eight first place finishers and performers, which included a relay team. Kate Fitzgerald won the 60m race with a time of 7.74, a new PR for the senior. Another PR was run by 60m hurdle champion sophomore Lilian Wanzek, who ran to a 9.09. Wanzek also won the long jump with a distance jumped of 5.52. 

Junior 600m runner Emily Bastain earned a first place finish and PR time of 1:38.16, a race in which the Bulldogs took the first five spots, including junior Madi Wodele in second with a PR of 1:38.42. 

Other first place finishers on the indoor track included sophomore Avary Fitzpatrick in the 400m (59.54) and junior Ellie Hanowski in the 3000m (10:43.93). The Bulldog 4×400 relay of Wodele, Kuechle won in a 4:09.26

In addition to Wanzek’s jump, two other first place spots in field events were scooped up by UMD, including sophomore Sophie Mahnke in the high jump (1.55m), and freshman Ilm’aime Ntambwe in the triple jump (11.28m).

24 women earned top-three spots on the podium Saturday.

On the men’s side, freshman Nolan Bien ran to a 8.39 in the 60m hurdles to finish on top, while sophomore Austin Kehr posted a 1:22.52 in the 600m. The Bulldogs 4×400 relay of Brady Johnson, R. Olson, Bien and J. Heimkes finished first with a time of 3:28.48.

Senior jumper Will Heydt jumped to a PR of 7.04m to best his field, and then recorded a meet and venue record of 14.90 – that doubled as another PR – in the triple jump. Sophomore Noah Rodenwald won the pole vault with a height of 4.40.

In all, 16 men’s competitors earned top-three places.

The Nebraska volleyball team (33-0) plays in the Elite Eight of the NCAA tournament after sweeping Kansas on Friday. The Huskers face the Texas A&M Aggies (26-4), who defeated Louisville in a reverse sweep.

Nebraska’s offense ranks first nationally with a .355 hitting percentage. The defense is equally impressive, ranking first nationally in opponent hitting percentage, .121. 

Junior Harper Murray leads the team, averaging 3.47 kills and 2.18 digs per set, and has a team-high 31 aces. Setter Bergen Reilly runs the offense at an elite level with an average of 10.41 assists and 2.70 digs per set. Middle blocker Andi Jackson is averaging 2.79 kills per set on .486 hitting with 1.16 blocks per set. 

PREPS

Three future Division I players are among the first and second teams

Swingers, blockers, diggers and facilitators. The Journal’s 2025 All-Metro volleyball team has it all.

The Journal’s choices include three future Division I players among the top 12 (six first-team choices, six more on the second team).

Cleveland’s Azlynn Tittmann, who has signed with Boise State, is one of this season’s three first-team hitters. 

The 6-foot-1 senior registered 332 kills, an average of 4.6 kills per set.

Joining Tittmann as hitters on the first team are La Cueva junior Jula Utash and St. Pius senior Alyssa Bendinskas.

The 5-8 Bendinskas had nearly 300 kills for the Class 4A state champion Sartans, plus 49 aces and 251 digs. She is headed to Austin Peay to play beach volleyball at the next level.

Utash is the latest in a long line of dynamic hitters to put on the La Cueva colors. The junior powered her way to 370 kills last season as the Bears reached the Class 5A state championship game.

Bendinskas was not the only St. Pius Sartan to make the first team. Senior Maya Perea is generally regarded as the top libero in New Mexico, and she makes a return appearance on the Journal’s All-Metro group following a season in which she dug 331 balls.

And Utash was one of two Bears to make the first team. Her setter, freshman Charlie Ferguson, is the first-team choice this season. Ferguson did a brilliant job of feeding her hitters in the La Cueva attack, averaging over 9 assists per set. She finished with an impressive 758 assists for the season.

The first team is rounded out by Albuquerque Academy middle Kiara Brown. The sophomore was a six-rotation player for the Chargers, and finished the year with 341 kills, 223 digs and 60 blocks.

The third of the D1 signees this season is Albuquerque High hitter Kaelynn Ashley, who also is headed for Austin Peay in Tennessee, but to play on the hard courts. Her younger sister, Ayva, is the second-team setter.

Rounding out the second team are sophomore outside hitters Avery Steele from Hope Christian and Rowan Jaime from Academy, plus senior middle Aaliyah Simpson from Cleveland, and La Cueva libero Embrey Eisele, also a sophomore.

ALBUQUERQUE JOURNAL
2025 ALL-METRO VOLLEYBALL TEAMS

FIRST TEAM

• Jula Utash, 5-8, jr., OH, La Cueva
• Azlynn Tittmann, 6-1, sr., OH, Cleveland
• Alyssa Bendinskas, 5-8, sr., OH, St. Pius
• Kiara Brown, 6-0, soph., MB, Albuquerque Academy
• Maya Perea, 5-5, sr., libero, St. Pius
• Charlie Ferguson, 5-9, fresh., setter, La Cueva

SECOND TEAM

• Kaelynn Ashley, 5-10, sr., OH, Albuquerque High
• Avery Steele, 5-9, soph., OH, Hope Christian
• Rowan Jaime, 5-10, soph., OH, Albuquerque Academy
• Aaliyah Simpson, 5-11, sr., MB, Cleveland 
• Embrey Eisele, 5-4, soph., libero, La Cueva
• Ayva Ashley, 5-9, jr., setter, Albuquerque High