MINOT, N.D. – The Minot State track and field program has found its new leader in a seasoned coach with plenty of NCAA Division I experience.

Minot State’s Associate Director of Athletics for External Operations, Janna McKechnie, is pleased to introduce Erik Stevens as the Beavers’ newest head coach. Stevens takes over leadership of the Minot State track and field program, replacing former coach Jordan Aus, who stepped down to fill the role of Associate Director of Athletics for Revenue and Ticketing in November.

“We are excited to welcome Coach Stevens to Minot State University,” McKechnie said. “Coach Stevens brings a strong commitment to developing the whole student-athlete, and a clear vision for building a competitive, disciplined, and positive track and field program. We are confident his leadership will elevate our program both on and off the track.”

Coach Stevens will begin his duties as the head track and field coach for the Beavers after the start of the new year.

“I want to start by thanking President Steven Shirley and Vice President for Student Affairs and Intercollegiate Athletics, Kevin Harmon, for this opportunity to lead the next phase of Minot State University track and field,” Coach Stevens said. “I also want to thank Jordan Aus and the rest of the search committee for a great experience through the interview process.

“Minot State is a place where you can feel the support that is behind you as a coach,” he added of his decision to pursue the Beaver head coaching position. “That is an important part of building a program. And the history of excellence that Minot State has in this sport is something that I want to bring back to the University as we start this new chapter together.”

Coach Stevens steps into his role mid-season with the Beavers, who began the indoor track and field season with meets hosted by the University of Mary and North Dakota State earlier this month. The new coach will focus on quickly establishing an identity for the Minot State program moving forward in preparation for the Beavers’ next meet, the Marauders Indoor Opener on Saturday, January 17, in Bismarck.

“The most important aspect to address is to bring stability and identity to who we want to be as a program,” he said. “Bringing the student-athletes and coaches together to immediately determine that identity will be critical with me taking over the program at this time.

“Creating our identity is the most important first step,” Coach Stevens added. “Then, if we can establish what our process is, and bring the focus to trusting that process, we can get some immediate results.”

But Coach Stevens is looking beyond just leading the current Beaver student-athletes to success this season.

“We want this program to be the best track and field and cross-country program in the state of North Dakota,” he said. “That is going to take a lot of work from our staff and our student-athletes. Identifying and recruiting the right student-athletes, who will help develop our identity and establish the championship mindset and culture, will help us to realize the goal of becoming a program that can continually be in a position to finish in the top five in our conference, and bring Minot State back to the forefront of track and field.”

Coach Stevens takes over the Minot State track and field program after spending the last 3 1/2 seasons as an assistant coach at NCAA Division I North Texas, where he led the distance runners and was the head cross-country coach for four seasons.

During his time at North Texas, Coach Stevens guided two cross-country runners to the NCAA National Championship, and the women’s cross-country team finished 5^th in the American Athletic Conference in 2024, the team’s best finish since 2017. In track and field, he guided the distance runners to five new school records and four American Athletic Conference/Sun Belt Conference championships.

Prior to his time with the Mean Green, he spent one season as head cross-country coach and the assistant track and field coach for distance runners at NCAA Division I Texas State, and also served as a volunteer assistant coach at NCAA Division I Florida State for one year, spent two years as a volunteer assistant coach at NCAA Division I Georgia, and two years as a volunteer assistant coach at NCAA Division I UCLA.

A 2006 graduate of Arizona with a degree in History Education and a minor in kinesiology and coaching, Coach Stevens holds USATF Level 1 & 2 certifications and is a USTFCCCA Endurance Specialist.

 

PELLA—Recent Central College graduate Addison Parrott has been named a finalist for the American Rivers Conference’s Johana Olson Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award.
           
Parrott is among three finalists for the Johanna Olson Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award, along with Nebraska Wesleyan University track and field athlete Avery Decker and  Simpson College women’s soccer/track and field athlete Madison Hays.
           
Parrott graduated with a 3.85 cumulative grade point average as a sociology and psychology major with a minor in religious studies. She is now in graduate school to achieve her master’s in clinic mental health counseling from Liberty University (Va.).
           
A distance runner at Central, Parrott tallied third All-American performances between cross country and track and field. In 2024, she became the first Central female to win the American Rivers Conference cross country title, earning league Most Valuable Performer honors. She also won the indoor 5,000-meters title at the 2025 conference meet.
           
Parrott was a two-time College Sports Communicators Academic All-District selection. She was a member of the American Rivers Academic All-Conference six times across track and field and cross country. She also earned USTFCCCA All-Academic honors five times.
           
The league awards were established in 2000-01. Central student-athletes have received the men’s award five times and the women’s award three times. Central’s most recent winner was NCAA Today’s Top 10 Award and Gagliardi Trophy winner Blaine Hawkins in 2021-22.
 

ARLINGTON, TEXAS – The UT Arlington volleyball program welcomed two transfers, Erica Dellesky and Karisa Martin, to its 2026 signing class, Tania Schatow announced on Wednesday.
 
ABOUT THE RECRUITS
 
ERICA DELLESKY
S, 5-10, Junior
Katy, Texas/Obra D. Tompkins HS—Virginia Tech
 
Erica Dellesky, a 5’10 setter from Katy, Texas, joins UTA after an impressive start to her collegiate career at Virginia Tech. In 52 matches and 167 sets played, Dellesky has totaled 629 assists and 214 digs.
 
In high school, Dellesky was a four-year letterwinner at Obra D. Tompkins High Schol and the program’s all-time career assists leader. She totaled more than 2,000 career assists, along with 911 digs and 132 service aces. Dellesky was a two-time undefeated District 6A champion and a three-time Academic All-District selection. As a senior, she earned a spot on the 2022-23 AVCA Phenom Watch List, was named team captain and MVP and received Preseason Second Team All-America honors.
 
“We are so excited to have Erica join the team. From the first phone call we had, I had a feeling she would be a great fit with this group. She is a setter that has great location on her sets, while showing the ability to keep the tempo,” Schatow stated. “Her experience in the ACC will be great to have in our gym, while building connections with our hitters this Spring. I am looking forward to working with her as we grow and advance our offense.” 
 
 
KARISA MARTIN
RS, 6-1, Junior
Monroe, Washington/Monroe HS—Bellevue College
 
Karisa Martin, a 6’1 rightside hitter from Monroe, Wash., comes to UTA after spending two seasons at Bellevue College. In her collegiate career, Martin is a four-time NWAC Region Offensive Player of the Week, a two-time NWAC First Team selection and a 2025 NWAC All-Tournament Second Team honoree.
 
Before college, Martin competed at Monroe High School and played club volleyball for Seattle Juniors and Sudden Impact Volleyball Club.
 
“I had a very similar feeling while taking to her on the phone that she would fit in perfectly with the team we are building. She is a physical lefty, that has proven her ability to terminate at a high level,” Schatow said. “She finished her career at Bellevue College with a hitting percentage over 0.300 and over 2 kills per set. I am looking forward to integrating her into our offense this Spring.” 
 
 
 

#BuckEm

FOLLOW THE MAVS
For the latest news on UTA Volleyball, log on to UTAMavs.com or stay connected to the Mavs on social media. Follow the Mavericks on Twitter @UTAMavsVB, on Instagram @UTAMavsVB and on Facebook at Facebook.com/UTAMavsVB.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A new four-court indoor volleyball facility is moving into the Goleta Valley.

The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved a 15-year lease for the facility with youth sports nonprofit Santa Barbara Volleyball Club. 

The agreement allows the club to demolish the current duplexes and storage sheds at 4550 Hollister Ave., adjacent to the Page Youth Center and Fire Station 13, to build the 18,400-square-foot steel facility.

Alongside the courts, there will be restrooms, reception, storage and 18 parking spots, one of which will be an ADA-compliant space, all funded through donations and community fundraising. 

SBVC’s lead on the demolition will save costs for the county, as it will not have to pay anything for this project. Additionally, the club will not pay rent during the lease in exchange for the facility’s construction.

Construction is expected to start in 2026 and will not be completed until 2027, according to Matt Riley, SBVC executive director.

“The new gym will address a long-standing shortage of indoor court space in the region and will allow SBVC to expand programming, reduce reliance on shared school facilities, and increase access for local families,” he said in a statement.

The site has been formerly used to house county departments that were in the process of relocating. 

However, the buildings are not suitable for county use, Kirk Lagerquist, general services director, wrote in a letter to the board. If SBVC did not propose to take over the space, the county would be responsible for abatement and demolition.

Instead, it will be transformed into a modern space for the community and local youths to promote health and wellness while reducing county liability with the unsafe structures, Lagerquist added in the letter.

The project still needs to acquire a conditional-use permit from the county Planning & Development Department.

“This project represents a major investment in the future of youth sports in Santa Barbara,” Riley said.

ELLENSBURG, Wash. – Three Central Washington University volleyball student-athletes were named to the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Division II Academic All-District Women’s Volleyball Team. This will be Scottie Ellsworth’s second time earning Academic All-District while Ellie Marble and Kayleigh-Shay Chang both will earn the honor for the first time.
 
The 2025-26 Academic All-District Women’s Volleyball teams, selected by College Sports Communicators, recognize the nation’s top student-athletes for their combined performances on the court and in the classroom. The CSC Academic All-America program separately recognizes women’s volleyball honorees in four divisions — NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA.
 
Student-athletes selected as CSC Academic All-America finalists will advance to the national ballot to be voted on by CSC members. First-, second- and third-team Academic All-America honorees will be announced January 13, 2026.
 
The Division II and III CSC Academic All-America programs are partially financially supported by the NCAA Division II and III national governance structures to assist CSC with handling the awards fulfillment aspects for the 2025-26 Divisions II and III Academic All-America programs. The NAIA CSC Academic All-America program is partially financially supported through the NAIA governance structure.
 

Ellsworth, an AVCA Honorable Mention All-American and a three-time Academic All-GNAC honoree, owns a 3.99 GPA in Elementary Education. Marble, a First Team All-GNAC and two-time Academic All-GNAC honoree, has a perfect 4.0 GPA in Physical Education & School Health. Chang, an Honorable Mention All-GNAC and Academic All-GNAC honoree this season, has a 3.75 GPA and is undeclared on a major.
 
The entire CSC Academic All-District list can be found HERE