By David Melly & Paul Snyder

Happy last day of 2025! We hope that, for you, it was a year to remember and not one to forget.

For the track and field community, this year left us with a lot to process. A quick search through the newsletter archives finds four uses of the word “change” in our subject lines this year, with phrases like “forecast,” “wide open,” “worth a try,” and “what?” sprinkled in as well. With one Olympic cycle firmly in the rearview and another just picking up steam, it makes sense: 2025 was, ultimately, a period of mass transition.

As the clock ticks to midnight tonight, we have a lot more questions than answers. Somewhere between “who will I kiss when the ball drops?” and “how hungover will I be tomorrow?”, you may start thinking instead about the bigger, more long-term unknowns looming for track and field in the year to come.

What do pro leagues look like next year?

Every professional sport evolves over time, but few go through as many evolutions and permutations as ours. That’s because we’ve never really had a dominant professional circuit.

Currently, we have the Diamond League, which seems to persist as “best of all the bad options.” One big improvement we got out of the 2025 season was the reclassification of the DL final to one last big event before the World Championships. The positioning, in essence, traded a little bit of star power for real stakes: a lot of the top stars opted to skip out on Zurich, but increased prize money and the promise of a wild-card entry to Worlds kept things interesting. Sure, the meets are still hard to watch (in the U.S.) and can feel repetitive mid-season, but it’s still the closest thing we have to a Premier League for track and field.

There was still enough of a perceived gap in the market, however, that several entities stepped up to try and fill the void. Grand Slam Track took the biggest swing at a legitimate Diamond League alternative, but unfortunately was also the biggest flop. All the public-facing messaging around the League’s bankruptcy filing insists that GST will return for a second season, but there’s a bit of a “fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me” sentiment at this point in the game. It’s safe to say that, until GST is able to roll out a compelling argument for its own continued relevance, no one is taking for granted that it’ll be a genuine presence on the pro circuit moving forward.

At the other end of the spectrum, ATHLOS NYC’s second one-off exhibition meet was enough of a purported success that the event, organized by Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, has announced it’s expanding into a multi-event league for the 2026 season with stars Sha’Carri Richardson, Gabby Thomas, and Tara Davis-Woodhall attached as “advisor-owners.” Much like GST, there are more questions than answers at this point in time: How does a women’s-only event map onto a landscape that prizes gender parity? Will keeping its events in the fall ever move ATHLOS out of novelty status to feel like a “real” part of the season? Does the limitation of events to sprints, middle-distance, and long jump continue? Unlike GST, however, they benefit (at least in public perception) from taking an approach that’s generally seen as safer: starting small and expanding, rather than swinging for the fences and coming up short.

And then there’s the 11th-hour announcement that, once again, USATF will by trying to tie its disparate offerings into a branded package. This time, it’s a “USATF Tour”, which unifies 17 meets scheduled from March to July under one calendar. It’s unclear how this will be different from these meets operating entirely independently; the landing page for the site includes the notation “TBD” no less than seven times. You’ll need at least three different streamers to watch all the meets, and there doesn’t seem to be any clearly-stated prize or other incentive for athletes to participate in multiple events. The number of events isn’t even clear: the website says “16 unique events” but lists 17, the LA Distance Classic and LA Grand Prix are listed as separate events despite occurring on back-to-back days in the same city, and there’s an unnamed “Grand Prix” event set to air on NBC that has a date but no location.

It would be great if there was a unified domestic circuit for professional track and field in the U.S. It would be great if there was a premiere showcase for the best of women’s sports with a hefty prize purse. And it would be great if we all agreed to prioritize one A-tier circuit that mattered throughout the regular season. But more than anything else, it would be great if we could build a little year-over-year momentum for any one of these initiatives rather than facing down a whole bunch of unknowns each December.

How does World Ultimate Champs shape the season?

One of the few positive side effects of a life-altering global pandemic was that we haven’t had a track season without a global championship since 2018. In 2026, we’ll see what a season looks like when the entire sport isn’t oriented toward a ten-day conclusion where gold medals drown out any other metric of success.

Or will we? World Athletics is rolling out its new “World Ultimate Championship,” which, despite its name, is a three-day track meet and not a frisbee tournament. On paper, it’s sort of an unholy hybrid of a true global championship and a beefed-up Diamond League final, with most, but not all, events slated for a one-round final with big prize money on the line.

How this slots into the global calendar, and how it is perceived, remain to be seen. For steeplechasers, it might be business as usual, given that the event is omitted entirely (same goes, at least this year, for a number of jumping and throwing events). Small fields of 16 athletes on the track and 8 in the field will mean that simply qualifying for the meet will be prohibitively difficult, if not impossible, for even most pros. Conversely, it relies a lot on the biggest names to lend their star power to the event—only a few passes or withdrawals from reigning World/Olympic champs could make this event feel too small in a hurry.

Adding a new championship-style event to a non-championship year is a great idea in theory, but it has to feel like a championship level of stakes and competition to be taken seriously.

Does 2026 become the year of the comeback?

2025 was a year to forget for more than a few of the sport’s biggest stars. Olympic champs like Grant Holloway and Jakob Ingebrigtsen battled injuries and less-than-perfect returns, whereas domestic stars like Elle St. Pierre and Parker Valby returned late from long breaks. Some of the most dominant athletes of the last decade – like Yulimar Rojas, Shericka Jackson, and Soufiane El Bakkali—were not able to return to the top of podiums they’d once frequented.There’s a silver lining in each of these individual storm clouds, however: everybody loves a comeback story.

A year or two ago, athletes like Holloway and El Bakkali simply couldn’t seem to lose, and it was starting to get boring. Now, they get to head into 2026 with a chip on their shoulders rather than a target on their backs. Ingebrigtsen and Rojas are current world world record holders who remain squarely in their primes, at 25 and 30 years old, respectively. A few years of bad Achilles luck can’t possibly keep two of the sport’s biggest talents down for too much longer, right?

St. Pierre and Valby both returned to racing in November at the Abbott 5k in New York. St. Pierre was coming back from giving birth to her second son in May, and Valby was finally healthy again after an injury-plagued rookie season. Together, they represent two of the country’s biggest distance talents, but right now, we’re not quite sure where they fit into a broader pecking order where Nikki Hiltz and Sinclaire Johnson are dominating the middle distances and Shelby Houlihan has re-entered the chat.

Last, but certainly not least, there’s the crop of 30-something sprint stars who aren’t quite done. Shericka Jackson is just two years removed from her epic 21.41 200m gold in Budapest, and at 31, she’s still got the better part of a decade ahead of her if her countrywoman Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce is a model to follow. Trayvon Bromell already had a bit of a comeback season of his own, getting back atop the 100m ranks on the DL circuit but still falling short of the podium at USAs. And let’s not forget that both Tokyo Olympic champions, Elaine Thompson-Herah (33) and Lamont Marcell Jacobs (31) aren’t totally over the hill just yet, even if they’re a little farther removed from their best seasons and haven’t shown signs of life in a while. Ya never know.

Who tries a new event next?

2025 saw Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone forego the hurdles during her typically blistering trips around the oval. That foray into a new-ish-to-her event culminated in another gold medal, a 47.78 world-leading time, and a new American record. We already know that the closest thing to a rival SML has in the 400m hurdles—Femke Bol—will be experimenting with the 800m in 2026, and has already been spotted exploring fascinating training systems in her pursuit of half-mile glory. New events are in!

It’s pretty clear that if McLaughlin-Levrone gives the 400m her undivided attention for another season or two that she would have realistic ambitions to break the world record. She’s demonstrated world-class ability at this “off event” at every level of her competitive life. And what else does she have to prove in her primary event?

Male 400H World champ Rai Benjamin has also talked about wanting to take on the flat 400m or even the 200m in future seasons. Is there something about the hurdles that makes them get really boring over time? Regardless, it’ll be fun to see if Benjamin can improve on his PBs of 44.21 from 2023 or 19.99 from 2018. Heck, he even ran a wind-legal 10.03 in 2020 – is 2026 the year that births the first sub-10/sub-20/sub-44/sub-47 runner in history?

If there was ever a time for stars who’ve solidified their place atop one event to try another, it’s now. What’s to stop Faith Kipyegon from going even longer in distance, when she could always retreat to the safety of the 1500m if it doesn’t work out? Heck, even Jakob Ingebrigtsen has teased a return to the steeplechase. And simply typing out the words “Grant Fisher marathon debut” will trigger some sort of seismic activity as distance bros all over the world start to jump up and down with excitement all at once. And over in the infield, there’s one true wild card who could mix things up: Ryan Crouser.

Crouser is the best male shot putter in history, yes. But he still holds the American high school national record in the discus (72.40m) and secured World Youth Championship silver in that event back in 2009. During Crouser’s last complete outdoor season, 2024, his World ranking score in the shot was 1520. During 2025, the highest ranking attained by a discus thrower was 1476, belonging to Mykolas Alekna. Now those numbers should be taken with a grain of salt—comparing greatness across disciplines is tricky business—but if you’re Crouser, coming off an injury-shortened-ravaged campaign that still saw you win World gold in the shot, don’t you at least think about kicking the tires on a different event that you were historically great at as a teen, and that might tax your shot-put-worn body in different, career-extending ways?

Greater Akron stepped onto the national college scene with authority in a big way in 2025.

From national titles to being drafted at the professional level, area athletes shined.

Here’s our top 10 college moments involving local athletes:

1. Akron Zips men’s soccer returns to NCAA Tournament glory

Behind Big East Offensive Player of the Year Stefan Dobrijevic and conference goalkeeper of the year Mitch Budler, the University of Akron men’s soccer team reached the elite eight of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2018.

NEVIS – Karly Cobb couldn’t have asked for a better way to begin her reign as the new head coach of the Nevis volleyball team.

Not only did the Tigers go undefeated to capture the Northland Conference title, but they capped off the season by winning the Section 5A championship to qualify for the state Class A tournament. Nevis lost both matches at state to finish the season with a 24-9 record.

“My first season as head coach was incredible. I had the most supportive assistants, the most motivated team, and an incredible backing from the school and community. I am grateful to be a part of this community and am loving every minute of coaching for the Nevis Tigers,” said Cobb. “The team had their success this season due to their willingness to work hard and work together toward their common goal: getting to the state tournament.”

The Tigers won the Northland Conference title with a 7-0 record by defeating Clearbrook-Gonvick (25-20, 25-12, 25-17), Laporte (25-10, 29-27, 23-25, 25-13), Pine River-Backus (25-18, 25-15, 25-18), Cass Lake-Bena (25-12, 25-9, 25-15), Blackduck (25-17, 25-18 25-22), Northome-Kelliher (25-22, 25-17, 25-20) and Walker-Hackensack-Akeley (22-25, 25-19, 25-13, 25-8).

PR-B finished second in the conference with a 6-1 record as Blackduck (5-2), N-K (4-3), Laporte (3-4), W-H-A (2-5), C-G (1-6) and CL-B (0-7) rounded out the standings.

Nevis opened the season with wins over Park Rapids (25-23, 25-23, 25-27, 22-25, 15-10), Fosston (25-15, 18-25, 25-22, 18-25, 15-9) and Lake of the Woods (25-20, 25-12, 25-18). The Tigers went 4-1 at the Ada-Borup-West Invitational and 1-3 at the Duluth East Invitational. At Ada, Nevis defeated Thief River Falls (25-22, 25-12), Red Lake County Central (25-19, 25-21), Fosston (23-25, 25-11, 15-9) and A-B-W (25-19, 25-20) while losing to Kittson County Central (25-7, 25-23). In the Duluth tournament, the Tigers defeated Duluth Denfeld (25-17, 25-13) while losing to Cloquet (25-22, 22-25, 15-11), Superior (25-23, 25-17) and Brainerd (27-25, 15-25, 15-5).

To close out the regular season, the Tigers posted wins over Sebeka (25-16, 25-18, 22-25, 25-18), Browerville-Eagle Valley (25-16, 23-25, 25-16, 20-25, 15-9), Verndale (28-26, 25-18, 23-25, 25-23) and Menahga (24-26, 25-14, 25-17, 20-25, 15-6) before going 1-3 at the Pumpkin Classic in Moorhead. Nevis opened that tournament with losses to Moorhead (25-12, 25-8), Fargo North (28-26, 25-19) and Duluth East (25-22, 25-20) before closing with a win over Osseo (25-21, 25-22).

Contributed / Jodi Sandmeyer

For the Section 5A tournament, the Tigers received the No. 1 seed in the West and used wins over No. 9 B-EV (25-14, 25-17, 25-19), No. 4 Bertha-Hewitt (25-20, 25-21, 22-25, 25-21) and No. 3 Verndale (25-20, 23-25, 16-25, 25-16, 15-7) to reach the championship match. Nevis earned a trip to the state tournament with a 26-24, 20-25, 25-21, 29-27 win over Swanville, the No. 1 seed in the East, in the section title match.

In their fifth state tournament appearance, the No. 7-seeded Tigers lost to Russell-Tyler-Ruthton (25-20, 25-21, 25-21) and Fillmore Central (25-22, 25-13, 25-6). R-T-R, the No. 2 seed, lost to No. 1 Mayer Lutheran in the title match while Fillmore Central, the No. 3 seed, defeated No. 5 Cleveland for fifth place. Nevis also qualified for state in 2009, 2011, 2012 and 2013.

“I feel that the girls had a good state tournament appearance,” said Cobb. “They played very competitively with RTR, finishing only a few points behind them every set and RTR ended up getting second in the tournament. Of course the girls had to work through nerves since it was their first time playing at (state) for every girl on the team. We then played Fillmore Central, and although that game did not go as we hoped it would, our girls stuck together and still gave it their all.”

Leading the Tigers this season were seniors of Ava Forbes, Clair Isaacson, Brenna Lindow, Danika Anderson and Amber Pyburn. Freshman Mackenzie Lindow and junior Cassandra Bolster rounded out the starting lineup with junior Emma Wike; sophomores Mya Durgin, Evelyn Dierkhising and Kyleigh-Ann Smart; and freshmen Arianna Hamblin and Sage Chase playing key roles as reserves.

Contributed / Jodi Sandmeyer

Forbes, Isaacson, Brenna Lindow, and Anderson received all-conference honors with Forbes being named the conference MVP, Brenna Lindow being named the conference’s Outstanding Setter and Anderson earning the conference’s Defensive Player award. Pyburn and Mackenzie Lindow were all-conference honorable mention players.

In 26 of the 33 matches (statistics weren’t available for the Thief River Falls, Ada-Borup-West, Duluth Denfeld, Brainerd, Kelliher-Northome, Moorhead and Bertha-Hewitt matches), Forbes led the Tigers with 458 kills, 62 blocks and 44 ace serves while adding 231 digs. Isaacson was second with 315 digs, tied for second with 38 ace serves and had 113 kills and 22 blocks. Brenna Lindow led the way with 782 set assists while contributing 31 blocks, 27 kills and 22 ace serves. Anderson was the team leader with 402 digs while serving 15 aces. Pyburn chipped in 185 kills, 83 digs, 46 blocks and 19 ace serves. Mackenzie Lindow had 190 digs, 112 kills, 38 ace serves and 21 blocks. Bolster had 50 digs and 13 kills. Dierkhising had 24 kills and 17 digs, Durgin had 35 digs and 13 kills, Hamblin had 37 digs, and Chase had 15 digs.

Contributed / Jodi Sandmeyer

Anderson also broke a school record with 52 digs in a match against Verndale in the postseason. Ava Forbes surpassed 1,000 kills and Brenna Lindow surpassed 1,000 set assists.

The Tigers will have five starting spots to fill, but Cobb is counting on her team to put another competitive group on the floor next season.

“I want to give the seniors a ton of credit for leading our team. Amber, Danika, Clair, Ava and Brenna gave their heart, grit and determination this season. They led with grace and their faith. They showed the other girls in the program what it means to be a part of something bigger than themselves. They had the motto ‘no doubt in my mind’ and they proved that to everyone. There was no doubt that they were here this season to accomplish their goals and they did just that. It is always hard saying goodbye to seniors, but this year is extra hard because these five have all been a part of the program since they were third graders, and I have coached all of them since 8th/9th grade on the JV team. I hope they know what a mark they have made on the Nevis program and I know they will always look back and cherish the memories,” said Cobb. “We will have two returning starters next year in Mackenzie Lindow and Cassandra Bolster. We will also have a few players that came off the bench this year and helped us out in Evelyn Dierkhising, Mya Durgin, Sage Chase and Ari Hamblin. Of course, after graduating five seniors we know we have some building to do. The younger classmen are fired up and want to get back down to St. Paul. They have now experienced the state tournament and want to make it their goal again. Our girls plan to put in the work this offseason and be ready to start off the 2026-27 season strong.”

Five Birmingham Region high school volleyball teams won to the AHSAA Elite Eight State Championship Tournament this season.

Class 7A Thompson earned a spot in the title match before falling to McGill-Toolen while Hewitt-Trussville lost to Thompson in semifinal action.

Other teams reaching the final four were Class 6A Spain Park and Class 5A Briarwood while Class 6A Homewood tell in first round play.

The Birmingham News All-Region team is comprised of players from Jefferson and Shelby counties, and compiled by the AL.com high school sports staff with input from coaches.

AL.com named Player of the Year, Attacker MVP, Defensive MVP, Setter MVP and Coach of the Year. Award winners are listed separately, but considered first-team selections.

BIRMINGHAM NEWS ALL-REGION VOLLEYBALL TEAM

(Players listed alphabetically)

Sydnie Broom, Hoover

6-1, Sr., Middle

244 kills, region-best 109 blocks, 74 digs, 27 aces

College: Undecided

Christiana Callens, Hewitt-Trussville

5-6, So., Libero

544 digs, 158 assists, 54 aces

College: Undecided

Kamryn Coleman, Homewood

5-8, Jr., Setter/Right Side

791 assists, 119 kills, 24 blocks, 242 digs, 103 aces, region-best 2.4 aces per match

College: Undecided

Lucy Comer, Mountain Brook

5-10, So., Outside Hitter

313 kills, 17 blocks, 291 digs, 45 aces

College: Undecided

Johnna Cox, Hewitt-Trussville

6-0, So., Outside Hitter

466 kills, 31 blocks, 272 digs, 47 aces

College: Undecided

Clara Crawford, Briarwood

5-9, Sr., Middle

223 kills, 67 blocks, 214 digs, 72 aces

College: Undecided

Bristol Hannah, Pelham

5-5, So., Setter

784 assists, 38 kills, 14 blocks, 227 digs, 40 aces

College: Undecided

Marion Haskell, John Carroll

6-1, Sr., Right Side

416 kills, 67 blocks, 88 digs, 25 assists, 42 aces

College: Bucknell

Maddy Henderson, Thompson

6-0, Jr., Setter/Right Side

616 assists, 414 kills, 61 blocks, 323 digs, 85 aces

College: Undecided

Zoe Jones, Montevallo

6-0, Sr., Outside Hitter

Region second-best 498 kills, region-best 14.23 kills per match, 230 digs, 77 aces

College: Wallace-Hanceville

Sullivan Lell, Mountain Brook

5-4, Jr., Libero

477 digs, 84 assists, 50 aces

College: Southern Mississippi

Ja’Niyah Mosley, Spain Park

5-9, Sr., Middle

278 kills, 75 blocks

College: Undecided

Kayleigh Nguyen, Hewitt-Trussville

5-10, Jr., Setter

983 assists, tied region second-best 23.4 assists per match, 192 kills, 66 blocks, 389 digs, 63 aces

College: Undecided

Mae Noerager, Homewood

6-1, Sr., Right Side

222 kills, 49 blocks, 47 digs

College: Trinity (Texas)

Aliyah Pooler, Hoover

5-10, Sr., Outside Hitter

271 kills, 25 blocks, 268 digs, 37 aces

College: Alabama State

Alexis Rudolph, Chelsea

6-1, Jr., Outside Hitter

Region-best 511 kills, region second-best 12.17 kills per match, 41 blocks, 298 digs, 25 assists, 61 aces

College: Undecided

Aubrie Smith, Pelham

5-9, Sr., Outside Hitter

357 kills, 24 blocks, 241 digs, 49 aces

College: Undecided

Noelle Suellentrop, Briarwood

5-11, So., Setter

Region second-best 1,076 assists, tied region second-best 23.4 assists per match, 66 kills, 33 blocks, 252 digs, 68 aces

College: Undecided

Abby Tingle, Hoover

6-1, Jr., Outside Hitter

310 kills, 63 blocks, 70 digs

College: South Alabama

Bea Wiggins, Spain Park

5-11, Sr., Outside Hitter

487 kills, 44 blocks, 353 digs, 55 aces

College: Sewanee

PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Julie Roberts, Briarwood

5-10, Jr., Outside Hitter/Right Side

436 kills, 38 blocks, 258 digs, 61 assists, 97 aces

College: Undecided

ATTACKER MVP

Millie Burgess, Vestavia Hills

6-1, Sr., Outside Hitter

424 kills, 42 blocks, 294 digs, 43 aces

College: Jacksonville State

DEFENSIVE MVP

Kenzly Foote, Thompson

5-7, Sr., Defensive Specialist

Region second-best 673 digs, region second-best 14.96 digs per match, 151 assists, region-best 104 aces, region second-best 2.31 aces per match

College: Undecided

SETTER MVP

Cailyn Kyes, Spain Park

5-7, Sr., Setter

Region-best 1,144 assists, region-best 24.34 assists per match, 94 kills, 36 blocks, 344 digs, 66 aces

College: Trevecca

COACH OF THE YEAR

Judy Green, Thompson

HONORABLE MENTION

Outside Hitter/Right Side: Leighton Hendley, Briarwood, So.; Helen Morrison, Briarwood, Fr.; Mady Kirkpatrick , John Carroll, Sr.; Hunter Jordan, Montevallo, Sr.; Claire Ogden, Vestavia Hills, Sr.; Layne Moller, Chelsea, So.; Reese Wolfe, Hewitt-Trussville, Sr.; Sarah Johnson, Homewood, Sr.; Adele Moffatt, Mountain Brook, Jr.; Lakhair Yellock, Parker, Sr.; Peyton Harrington, Spain Park, So.

Middle: Brielle Merriweather, Thompson, Jr.; Marley Cowan, Vestavia Hills, Sr.

Setter: Addison Jenkins, Hoover, Sr.; Jayla Green, Thompson, So.; Isabella Marino, John Carroll, Sr.; Wendy McGehee, Shelby County, Sr.; Darby Rhodes, Mountain Brook, So.

Defensive Specialist/Libero: Lillie Hill, Vestavia Hills, Jr.; Sophia Bagley, Chelsea, Sr.; Addison Wood, Homewood, Jr.; Camdyn Kyes, Spain Park, Fr.; Cheyenne Conner, Hoover, Sr.

Kopacz spent two seasons at Colorado State as the lead defensive coach, implementing an opportunistic style of play and mindset focused on improving team defense. The Rams went from last in the conference in opponent hitting efficiency in 2023, to first in both 2024 (.190) and 2025 (.187). Among his individual work included daily practice planning focusing on blocking, team defense, middle/setter offense and overall team development, mapping individual development plans for each athlete.

 

The Rams’ defensive success propelled Colorado State to both the 2024 Mountain West Conference regular season and tournament championship, earning the program’s first NCAA Tournament Berth since 2019. He guided 2024 AVCA All-American Malaya Jones during the run, while Jones and Emery Herman both recorded AVCA All-Region honors.

 

He also served as the head coach of the 2024 Mountain West All-Star team that finished as the Silver Medalists at the Global Challenge Tournament held in Pula, Croatia.

 

Prior to the Rams, Kopacz spent the last two seasons as an Assistant Coach and Recruiting Coordinator at the University of Nebraska Omaha. At Omaha, he mentored the setter position and assisted in the development of offensive game-plans. Kopacz helped Omaha to their first D1 NCAA tournament appearance and first Summit League Championship in 2023. His work with the program included mentoring AVCA All-American McKenna Ruch, while also helping guide Ruch and Shayla McCormick to AVCA All-Region honors.

Kopacz started his college coaching career at the University of Colorado in January of 2021 as a Volunteer Assistant Coach. With the Buffaloes, he assisted with the training of first contact and floor defense and helped design scouting reports and prepare the scout team.

The Libertyville, Illinois native played club volleyball at Indiana University where he was a captain and earned All-Big Ten and All-MIVA honors. Kopacz graduated from Indiana with a degree in Informatics and Computing with a specialty in Sports Marketing and Management.

After graduation from Indiana in 2016, he worked in Benefits Administration, most recently as a Senior Account Manager at bswift, while consulting for several different clubs and high school teams in the Chicagoland area.