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Which players will define baseball in 2025?

Here’s a look forward at 2025 as we try to guess who will define Major League Baseball in the upcoming season. (Again, we’re looking only at players not featured in our 2024 list, linked above.) But who will be the top names of 2025? Obviously, some will be the same. Who else though? All right, […]

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Which players will define baseball in 2025?

Here’s a look forward at 2025 as we try to guess who will define Major League Baseball in the upcoming season. (Again, we’re looking only at players not featured in our 2024 list, linked above.)
But who will be the top names of 2025? Obviously, some will be the same. Who else though?
All right, this is cheating. We said at the top that we weren’t going to include anyone who made our list of the top players of 2024, and Ohtani was, of course, atop that list. But that was Ohtani the DH. He didn’t pitch, but he is going to this year, getting back to his jaw-dropping two-way feats. Man, can’t you just not wait?
The A’s have been a lot more aggressive this offseason than many might have anticipated, and you have to wonder if Butler’s emergence is one of the primary reasons why. After being sent back to the Minors on May 14, Butler returned to the big leagues in June and, thanks to some tweaks to his swing, was simply one of the best hitters in baseball for the next four months. Butler and Brent Rooker look like the new Bash Brothers, and Butler (a perfect 18-for-18 in stolen bases last year) might put up a 30-30 season in 2025.
So his rookie season did not quite turn out the way most of us, least of all the Orioles, thought it was going to. But let’s not forget just how heralded of a prospect Holliday was, just how much raw talent he has, and that he just turned 21. It’s going to break through at some point, and probably soon. While his younger brother, Ethan, is now MLB Pipeline’s No. 1 Draft prospect for 2025, don’t be surprised if Big Brother is the one who makes everyone’s jaws drop this year.
It has been a while — a long while — since we saw deGrom over a full season. In fact, we’ve barely seen him at all lately, with just 41 innings in two seasons since signing with the Rangers. He hasn’t pitched more than 15 games since 2019. But we all still remember who this guy is when he’s healthy, right? deGrom finished ninth in NL Cy Young voting in ’21 despite pitching in only 15 games. (That 1.08 ERA helped.) His cameo at the end of ’24 (1.69 ERA over 10 2/3 innings) sets him up well for a normal offseason and a return to form in ’25, and if he can stay on the hill … well, he might just be the best pitcher in baseball. When deGrom is right, no one else is really all that close. That’s a big if. But it could happen.
The Tigers’ efforts to rebuild around young players have not all quite panned out — though there is still time for the likes of Casey Mize and Spencer Torkelson — but Greene sure has. He put up All-Star numbers in 2024 — he and Kerry Carpenter have been the central drivers of this offense — and, at the age of 24, Greene is only getting better. These are exciting times for Detroit sports right now, and Greene is set up to be a Tigers centerpiece for the next half-decade. He’s also a blast to watch. He might be your favorite player; you just don’t know it yet.
J-Rod has been primed for an MVP season for a couple of years now, but it should be noted that he has taken steps backward since his spectacular debut in 2022. In both of the past two seasons, his batting average, OBP, slugging and WAR total all have dropped. Rodriguez is still the best hitter on the Mariners, though, and no one’s worried. It would be useful if the Mariners could get him a little lineup help, but more than anything else, you wonder if he’s going to make a power jump here in the next year or so after launching only 20 homers in 2024. J-Rod has played three full seasons and he’s still only 23 years old. We’ve seen what he can do when he’s on a hot streak. One of these days, he’s going to put that together for a full season.
The No. 2 pick in the 2023 MLB Draft made it up for 31 games in 2024 and didn’t quite take the Majors by storm, hitting .218 with only three homers. But you don’t have to squint to see Crews’ otherworldly talent. Crews basically does everything well, and now that his plate discipline is coming along, he and fellow Nats outfielder James Wood might be ready to help lead this team back toward serious contention. He’s the No. 1 MLB Pipeline prospect right now. He’ll be an All-Star any minute.
Will he be the best Cub since … peak Kris Bryant? Sammy Sosa? It remains to be seen if Tucker will remain at Wrigley Field beyond this season, but for 2025, he’s the superstar this fanbase has been waiting for. His arrival instantly makes the Cubs the favorites in the NL Central, and the regulars at the Friendly Confines are going to love him. For years we’ve been saying he’s underrated, underappreciated, even under-seen. That’s not going to be a problem when he’s wearing a Cubs uniform.
Mookie is headed back to shortstop this year, though it’s easy to lose track of what position he is even playing anymore. It’s funny how Betts — you know, the 2018 American League MVP, the almost-certain Hall of Famer, the three-time World Series champion — almost got lost this past season in Los Angeles. Shohei Ohtani had his incredible season, Freddie Freeman became a postseason hero, and Betts missed 45 games in the middle of the 2024 season with a fractured left hand and was moving all over the field. There may be no more quintessential ballplayer than Betts, and here’s betting we see him for a lot more than 116 games in 2025. Maybe he’ll just go out and win another MVP Award.
In 2021, Guerrero had an MVP-quality season, and he’d have won the award if Shohei Ohtani hadn’t been out there, doing Ohtani things. But for all the excitement about Vlad Jr., he took steps back in ’22 and ‘23, to the point that many wondered if he’d ever reach those levels again. In ’24, he did: His OPS+ was 166, just below 2019’s 167, and he hit .323 on the season, the highest average of his career. As you have probably heard, he’s going to be a free agent after this year because the Blue Jays never did work out an extension with him. That means we’ll be talking about him essentially every day for eight months, once the season begins. And for good reason.
De La Cruz was an outstanding, but significantly flawed, player in 2023. He was even better, with fewer flaws, in ’24. What in the world is he going to be in ’25? De La Cruz can do anything on a ballfield, and he has shown the ability to improve upon his weaknesses. This makes sense: He is, after all, only about to turn 23 on Jan. 11 and figures to keep evolving and improving every year. I can only assume, by 2028, he’ll be able to fly. (And he’ll still be only 26.)
Chourio started last season as the youngest player in baseball — debuting on Opening Day just 18 days past his 20th birthday — and ended it that way as well. But while he began 2024 a little green and occasionally a little overwhelmed by big-league pitching, he finished it as the best hitter on a division-winning team. Chourio is the sort of superstar you build whole teams around, which is exactly what the Brewers are doing. (Don’t forget, he’s now under club control through 2033, thanks to an extension he signed before that debut.) Chourio may be repping the Brew Crew in the All-Star Game as soon as this year … and he may win an MVP Award before you’re quite ready for him to.

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Women’s Track and Field Clocks Two Top Qualifying Times During Day 1 of MIAA Outdoor Championships

Story Links Watch Day 2 Live Live Results The Hope College women’s track and field team picked up one medal and recorded two of the top qualifying efforts during Day 1 of the MIAA Outdoor Championships on Thursday at Alma […]

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The Hope College women’s track and field team picked up one medal and recorded two of the top qualifying efforts during Day 1 of the MIAA Outdoor Championships on Thursday at Alma College.

Juniors Catherine Leahy (200 meters) and junior Sara Schermerhorn (400 meters) delivered the best performances for the Flying Dutch while qualifying for the finals on Friday, May 2.

Competition begins at noon with field events. Running finals are scheduled to start at 4:15 p.m.

In the shot put, senior Greta Robrahn (Zeeland, Michigan / Zeeland East) earned a bronze medal with a third-place toss of 12.75 meters (41 feet, 10 inches).

Two more of Robrahn’s teammates scored in the event: Kamryn Bice (Monroe, Michigan / Monroe) in sixth at 11.58 meters (38-0) and Karly Roelofs (Kingsley, Michigan / Kingsley Area) in eighth at 11.10 meters (36-5).

In the 3,000-meter run, senior Maddy Struck (Hainesville, Illinois / Grayslake Central) placed fourth at 11:27.17. Sophomore Annika Sytsma (Kalamazoo, Michigan / Kalamazoo Christian) took fifth after a PR 11:35.11.

Hope is in third place after Day 1 with 27 points. Cavin University leads the seven-team pack with 108 points. Trine University is third with 71.

In the 10,000-meter run, junior Alexis Deighan (Birmingham, Michigan / Seaholm) finished sixth after recording a PR time of 38:56.65.

In the hammer throw, junior Sophia Raymond (Woodstock, Illinois / Woodstock) posted a sixth-place throw of 40.57 meters (133-1).

In the pole vault, sophomore Abigail Cumings (Grand Rapids, Michigan / Forest Hills Central) cleared 2.85 meters (9-4 ¼) for seventh place.

During qualifying, the Flying Dutch clocked three of the fastest four qualifying times in the 200-meter run.

Leahy (Elk Rapids, Michigan / Elk Rapids) finished first with a PR run of 44.83 and was followed by Schermerhorn (Traverse City, Michigan / Traverse City West) in third at 25.81 and freshman Sofia Fisher (Lombard, Illinois / Montini Catholic) in fourth at 26.09.

Leahy’s time ranked 44th in NCAA Division III this season.

In the 400-meter run, Hope swept the top two spots in qualifying and advanced two more runners to the final.

Schermerhorn led the effort at 56.71 points and was followed in second by Leahy at 57.74.

Junior Frances Cozzens (Lyman, New Hampshire / Saint Johnsbury Academy) finished fifth at 59.94. Senior Jasmine Zimmerman (Byron Center, Michigan / Home School) was sixth with a PR 1:00.03.

In the 400-meter hurdles, three Hope runners qualified. Junior Molly Durow (Glenview, Illinois / Glenbrook South) posted the second-fastest run during prelims at 1:07.15 and was followed by junior Elliana Johnson (East Lansing, Michigan / Haslett) in fifth after a PR 1:07.96 and Lauren Newens (Sterling Heights, Michigan / Adlai Stevenson) in seventh after a PR 1:10.10.

In the 800-meter run, three Flying Dutch reached the final: Durow in third at 2:18.63, senior Noel Vanderbilt (Saugatuck, Michigan / Home School) in fourth with a PR 2:18.19 and sophomore Amanda Markham (Hoffman Estates, Illinois / William Fremd) in fifth at a season-best 2:19.59.

In the 100-meter run, junior Ava Schmidt (Saline, Michigan / Saline) took eighth during prelims by posting a time of 13.01.



 



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Devils Open Up Conference Championships on Friday at Ursinus

Story Links CARLISLE, Pa. – The Dickinson women’s outdoor track and field team will look for their first Centennial Conference Championship since they won four straight from 1999 to 2002 beginning this Friday when the Red and White head to Collegeville, Pennsylvania and Patterson Field at Ursinus College for the three-day […]

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CARLISLE, Pa. – The Dickinson women’s outdoor track and field team will look for their first Centennial Conference Championship since they won four straight from 1999 to 2002 beginning this Friday when the Red and White head to Collegeville, Pennsylvania and Patterson Field at Ursinus College for the three-day meet.

The Devils will try to improve on their second-place result from 2024 when they tallied 166 points to trail only the champion Johns Hopkins who collected up 281.5. The rest of the Top-5 included Ursinus (90), Swarthmore (68) and Gettysburg (57).

At the beginning of the season the Red and White were expected to compete for the conference crown totaling 73 points for the second straight season in the preseason poll falling just behind Johns Hopkins at 81. The rest of the poll was made up of Swarthmore (62), Ursinus (57), Gettysburg (49), Haverford (42), Franklin & Marshall (29), McDaniel and Muhlenberg (23) and Bryn Mawr (11).

In the field, Annie Leder will be expected to be a key contributor in the Devils scoring all weekend as she ranks inside the Top-5 for both the triple and long jumps sitting first in the long (5.87m) and fourth for triple (11.27m). Jenna Deep should also be a threat in the hammer throw qualifying third at 43.22m. Amiyah Priebe is the other top qualifier for Dickinson holding down first the 3,000m steeplechase (11:03.77). Erin Olsavsky is the second fastest qualifier for the 100m (12.19) and 200m (25.60), while sitting in fifth for javelin (34.19m). The trio of Elizabeth Barbash, Leah Biwott and Lily Swain all rank fourth for the 5000m (17:44.97), 100m hurdles (15.29) and 400m hurdles (1:08.14). 

Top 15 Red Devil Qualifiers for CC Championships
Javelin – Erin Olsavsky (5th – 34.19m) | Jenna Deep (14th – 24.39m) | Sarah Glickson (15th – 23.47m)
Shot Put – Damien Labrada (6th – 11.82m) | Jenna Deep (15th – 10.45m)
Discus – Damien Labrada (12th – 33.13m)
Hammer Throw – Jenna Deep (3rd – 43.22m) | Damien Labrada (8th – 39.27m) | Sarah Glickson (13th – 34.57m)
High Jump – Leah Biwott (7th – 1.52m)
Pole Vault – Lily Swain (6th – 3.25m) | Sylvie McMaken-Marsh (15th – 2.90m)
Long Jump – Annie Leder (1st – 5.87m) | Leah Biwott (6th – 5.30m) 
Triple Jump – Annie Leder (4th – 11.27m)
Heptathlon – No Qualifier
100m – Erin Olsavsky (2nd – 12.19) | Emily Chaine (13th – 13.03)
100m Hurdles – Leah Biwott (4th – 15.29) | Annie Leder (6th – 15.81) | Lily Cusa (12th – 17.01) | Sylvie McMaken-Marsh (13th – 17.10)
200m – Erin Olsavsky (2nd – 25.60) | Emily Chaine (12th – 27.19)
400m – Maddie Brown (2nd – 58.54) | Marley Kurey (3rd – 59.12) | Abbe Kitchin (9th – 1:01.60)
400m Hurdles – Lily Swain (4th – 1:08.14) | Lily Cusa (8th – 1:11.82) | Lauren Scott (13th – 1:17.36)
800m – No Qualifier
1500m – Amiyah Priebe (11th – 4:43.43) 
3000m Steeplechase – Amiyah Priebe (1st – 11:03.77) | Elizabeth Barbash (4th – 11:36.24) 
5000m – Elizabeth Barbash (4th – 17:44.97) | Amiyah Priebe (7th – 18:09.11) | Myra Naqvi (10th – 18:17.55)
10,000m – Myra Naqvi (6th – 38:06.32) | Maddie Garber (7th – 39:44.33) | Abby Duffy (11th – 42:53.61) | Jenna Kerns (12th – 43:17.21)
4x100m Relay – 6th (50.21)
4x400m Relay – 3rd (4:03.92)
4x800m Relay – 4th (9:44.34)

Championship Links
Live Video (Fri) | Live Video (Sat) | Live Video (Sun) 
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Men’s Track and Field Records Four Fastest Qualifying Runs to Open MIAA Outdoor Championships

Story Links Watch Day 2 Live Live Results The Hope College men’s track and field team clocked four of the fastest qualifying times at the MIAA Outdoor Championships on Thursday at Alma College. Senior Lucas Guidone (800 meters), junior Liam […]

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The Hope College men’s track and field team clocked four of the fastest qualifying times at the MIAA Outdoor Championships on Thursday at Alma College.

Senior Lucas Guidone (800 meters), junior Liam Danitz (200 meters), sophomore Dylan Terpstra (400 meters) and freshman Kevin Barifagok (400-meter hurdles) led the Flying Dutchmen with the top prelims performances in their respective events and advanced to the finals on Friday, May 2. 

Competition begins at noon with field events. Running finals are scheduled to start at 4:15 p.m.

Hope also earned a medal in the 3,000 meters on Thursday and is in fifth place after Day 1 with 20 points. Trine University leads the seven-team pack with 96 points.

In the 3,000 meters, senior Jonathan Harlow (Holland, Michigan / Home School) claimed silver by clocking a second-place run of 9:35.45. 

Two more of Harlow’s teammates also scored: sophomore Shane Pitcher (Saline, Michigan / Saline) in sixth at 10:02.12 and freshman Noah Norris (Ann Arbor, Michigan / Washtenaw Academy) in eighth with a PR of 10:06.15.

In the shot put, junior Caleb Paarlberg (Alto, Michigan / Caledonia) placed fifth after heaving a toss of 13.47 meters (44 feet, 2 ½ inches).

In the 10,000 meters, freshman Cooper Jacobsen (Grand Rapids, Michigan / First Hills Eastern) clocked a seventh-place run of 32:11.16. Junior Nile Devers (Gobles, Michigan / Gobles) was eighth at 32:24.05.

During prelims, Barifagok (Las Vegas, Nevada / Cristo Rey Saint Viator) posted a PR 53.78 seconds in the 400 hurdles, which was the 24th-fastest run in Division III this season. 

Two more of Barifagok’s teammates qualified for the final: freshman Logan Lipka (Frankenmuth, Michigan / Frankenmuth) in third at a PR 56.72 and senior Samuel Miller (Zionsville, Indiana / Zionsville) in fourth at a PR 56.68.

In the 800-meter run, three Hope runners advanced, led by 1-2 prelim finish from Guidone (Chicago, Illinois / Taft) with a season-best 1:54.66 and senior Lucas Guidone (Chicago, Illinois / Taft) in second 0.12 behind Guidone. Junior Carter Dean (Traverse City, Michigan / Traverse City West was seventh after a PR 1:55.71.

In the 400-meter run, two Flying Dutchmen qualified for the final. Terpstra (Hudsonville, Michigan / Hudsonville) posted the fastest time during prelims at 48.74 seconds. Senior Joshua Ennen (Zeeland, Michigan / Zeeland West) also advanced, placing eighth at 50.23.

In the 200-meter run, two Flying Dutchmen advanced to the final. Danitz posted the top qualifying time at 21.75 seconds, edging Trine’s Zion Jackson by .01. junior Nolan Sanders (Midland, Michigan / H.H. Dow) was seventh at a season-best 22.44.

In the 100-meter run, two Hope runners qualified for the final: Danitz (West Branch, Michigan / Ogemaw Heights) in second at 10.76 seconds, 0.01 behind Jackson, and Sanders in seventh with a season-best 11.09.

In the 110 hurdles, Lipka qualified for the finals with a run of 15.49 seconds.

 



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President Trump Talks Tariffs, Women's Sports In University Of Alabama Speech

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Ball State University – Official Athletics Site

MUNCIE, Ind. – Ball State track and field will close out the regular season at the Jesse Owens Classic in Columbus, Ohio this weekend. Competition will open with field events Friday afternoon.  Last Time Out:  The Cardinals had multiple outstanding performances last weekend at the Knights Invitational in Orlando, Florida. Kenli Nettles was among the team’s […]

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MUNCIE, Ind. – Ball State track and field will close out the regular season at the Jesse Owens Classic in Columbus, Ohio this weekend. Competition will open with field events Friday afternoon. 

Last Time Out: 

The Cardinals had multiple outstanding performances last weekend at the Knights Invitational in Orlando, Florida. Kenli Nettles was among the team’s top performers after her incredible race in the 400-meter hurdles. Shaving nearly three seconds off her time, Nettles finished second overall with a PR of 58.96, moving her into the third fastest in Ball State history. 

Later in the day, Ball State’s 4×100-meter relay team of Moriah Johnson, Alana Springer, Jenna Oriani and Kylee Marshall also ran a record-book race with a season-best finish of 44.99. The team landed second overall and now holds the program’s fourth fastest 4×100 race. 

Individually, Oriani ran very well in the 400-meter dash. With a finish of 54.16, Oriani moved up from the fifth fastest time in the record books to the fourth fastest time and was fourth overall in her field. Close behind her was Emma Potter who finished sixth overall in a PR time of 54.25, adding her name to the record book as well. 

Up Next: 

Following this weekend, the Cardinals will look to bring home a ring at the Mid-American Conference (MAC) Outdoor Championships which will be held in Athens, Ohio on May 15-17. 

Ball State Individual Entries at Jesse Owens Classic:

Friday

Field Events

2:00 p.m. Javelin

4:00 p.m. Long Jump

 

Track Events

4:30 p.m. 400m Hurdles 

6:00 p.m. 200m

Saturday

Field Events

10:30 a.m. Discus

11:00 a.m. Triple Jump

12:00 p.m. High Jump

1:30 p.m. Shot Put

Track Events

1:20 p.m. 100m Hurdles Prelims

1:30 p.m. 100m Prelims

2:35 p.m. 400m

3:03 p.m. 800m 

3:55 p.m. 100m Hurdles Finals

4:10 p.m. 100m Finals

5:15 p.m. 4x400m

 



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Montana State Track and Field Competes at Bengal Invitational in Pocatello

Story Links BOZEMAN, Mont. — As the calendar turns to May, Montana State track and field will turn the corner towards the home straightaway of their season this weekend at the Bengal Invitational in Pocatello, Idaho.  Fresh off a record-breaking April, the Bobcats head to the Gem State on Friday for a […]

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BOZEMAN, Mont. — As the calendar turns to May, Montana State track and field will turn the corner towards the home straightaway of their season this weekend at the Bengal Invitational in Pocatello, Idaho. 

Fresh off a record-breaking April, the Bobcats head to the Gem State on Friday for a two-day meet hosted at Davis Field. 

The penultimate meet of the regular season pits the Cats against host Idaho State and Montana, among other schools, in what will be the final tune-up for many competing athletes before the 2025 Big Sky Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Sacramento begin May 14-17. 

“It has been a really good meet for us over the last three years that we’ve gone there,” head coach Lyle Weese said. “There are trials and finals in the sprint events, which is a good preview for the conference meet. There tend to be a good number of teams that are good in the jumps, vaults, and throwing events, so it’s a bit of a conference preview for us in many ways between the level of competition and the trials and finals in the sprints. It’s kind of a run-through for the sprints, hurdles, jumps, vault, and throwing events.” 

Action begins with the women’s hammer on Friday at 1 p.m., with track events getting underway at 3 p.m. in the women’s 100 meter hurdle prelims. 

A full meet schedule can be viewed here. 

Only the main distance squad will hang back in Bozeman to train, with all other event groups a full-go on Friday in Pocatello under sunny skies and temperatures in the upper 60s. 

In their last three weekends of competition, Montana State has set nine new school records, including seven on the women’s side (shot put, discus, 200 meters, 3,000 meter steeplechase, 5,000 meters, 4×100 meter relay, 4×400 meter relay) and two on the men’s side (4×100 meter relay, 4×400 meter relay). 

“It’s been impressive that the success has been across all of the event groups,” Weese said. “It seems like all of the event groups for both men and women are putting up some great marks and great performances. For me, the most exciting thing is that we’re going to be heading into conference championships and then into NCAA regionals and beyond with individuals that are competitive across the entire array of events.” 

Last week, the Cats’ distance squad turned in a handful program all-time top ten marks at the Payton Jordan Invitational, hosted by Stanford in Palo Alto, California, while the rest of the team competed at the Montana Open in Missoula. 

Kyla Christopher-Moody was named Big Sky Women’s Track Athlete of the Week for the second time this season after placing third in the 5,000 meters in Palo Alto, while Sydney Brewster was named Big Sky Women’s Field Athlete of the Week for the second straight week after winning both the shot put and discus in Missoula. 

Following the weekend’s results, the Montana State women held steady at No. 3 in the USTFCCCA Week Five Mountain Region Rankings released on Monday, while the men stayed put at No. 7. 

The Bobcat men still own the top-ranked 3,000 meter steeplechase group in the country according to the USTFCCCA Event Squad rankings while ranking No. 17 in the 1,500 meters, No. 19 in the hammer throw, No. 21 in the 5,000 meters, and No. 38 in the shot put. 

The Bobcat women rank No. 25 in the pole vault, No. 26 in the hammer, No. 36 in the 5,000 meters, and No. 40 in the 200 meters. 

Following the Bengal Invitational this weekend in Pocatello, the Bobcats wrap up the regular season with the Tom Gage Invite the following Friday, May 9, in Bozeman at the Bobcat Track & Field Complex. Admission is free for the lone outdoor home meet of the season. 

#GoCatsGo 



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