Sports

Stadium Wonders

Published

3 months ago

August 29, 2025

Odds are, if you’ve spent any time on the internet over the past decade, you’ve seen Grayson Stadium. You just might have been a bit distracted.

The 99-year-old Grayson Stadium in Savannah is the home of the Savannah Bananas, the team that has cultivated a legion of dedicated fans with its off-the-wall brand of baseball that it has dubbed Banana Ball. Among the rules of Banana Ball are a two-hour time limit, a ban on bunts and the ability to steal first base. The Bananas even have a rule where if a fan catches a foul ball, it counts as an out.

The Bananas call themselves “world famous”—and that isn’t an unearned boast. With more than 18 million followers across social media, the Bananas are a big deal. Their tour this summer includes 21 stops at MLB, NFL and college football stadiums—all of which have been sold out. Their unique brand of baseball-adjacent entertainment has become so popular that this year the Bananas added two more teams—the Firefighters and the Texas Tailgaters—who played their own games in sold-out minor league stadiums in addition to games against the flagship Bananas team. The Bananas have plans to add two more teams in 2026.

But Banana Ball started at Grayson Stadium, and the Bananas’ popularity is helping to preserve the historic ballpark.

Watch “Stadium Wonders” on the Sports Illustrated YouTube channel

Grayson Stadium was originally built in 1926 but was destroyed by a hurricane in ’40 and had to be rebuilt. The plans for the new stadium called for a much bigger structure than the one you see today, but construction was halted in ’41 due to the United States’ involvement in World War II. The result was a partially finished stadium that, while smaller than its designers had originally hoped for, has nonetheless served generations of baseball fans in coastal Georgia.

And those fans got to see some of the biggest names in the sport. Jackie Robinson, Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle and Lou Gehrig all played exhibition games there. Henry Aaron came through town as a visiting player during his one season in the South Atlantic League. Later, his brother Tommie became the first Black man to manage a minor league team in the Deep South when he was named skipper of the Savannah Braves. Hall of Famer John Smoltz made a rehab start at a sold-out Grayson Stadium during his comeback from Tommy John surgery in 2001. Another Hall of Famer, Adrián Beltré, began his pro career in Savannah as a 17-year-old. More recently, All-Stars like Jacob deGrom and Ryan Zimmerman got their feet wet in pro ball while calling Savannah home.

Several factors have brought baseball to a halt at Grayson over its long history, though. Two decades after the aforementioned hurricane, the Savannah chapter of the NAACP called for a boycott of Grayson Stadium due to the city’s refusal to integrate the stands at the municipally owned ballpark. Attendance fell sharply and the team, a Class A affiliate of the White Sox, moved to Virginia in the middle of the season. Savannah didn’t get another pro team until six years later.

Affiliated baseball remained at Grayson Stadium until the end of the 2015 season, when the Savannah Sand Gnats of the South Atlantic League left the aging ballpark in favor of a brand new stadium in Columbia, S.C. Nearly 90 years after the ballpark was built, the era of professional baseball at Grayson Stadium was over.

That’s where the Bananas come in. They originally came to Grayson as an amateur college summer ball team in the Coastal Plain League and were an immediate success. Owner Jesse Cole’s fan-friendly approach to baseball helped set a new Grayson Stadium attendance record in the team’s first year in 2016. Later, the franchise began experimenting with the wacky Banana Ball variation of baseball. By ’23, the Banana Ball concept had become so popular that the team left the CPL, quit playing traditional baseball and became a full-time exhibition team.

Despite their busy touring schedule, the Bananas still call Savannah home. (They’ll play 29 home games at Grayson this season, and it’s where the team practices in between tour stops.) As the Bananas evolve, so too does Grayson. The team has invested in a variety of improvements to the ballpark, including additional seating, a new artificial playing surface and a new outfield party deck. Much of the stadium’s historic charm remains, though. The park’s brick exterior remains untouched, the grandstand includes wooden benches that are original to the 1941 rebuild, and there is a manual scoreboard in center field.

When attending a game at Grayson, you feel yourself pulled in two directions. On the one hand, the game on the field is cacophonous, frenetic and utterly goofy. It’s undeniably a product of the internet age and would gobsmack any time traveler from Grayson’s early days. But at the same time, you’re able to sense the history of the place. All the bells and whistles of Banana Ball can’t hide the fact that this is a century-old ballpark, the likes of which very few are left standing. It would be worthy of any fan’s bucket list even if it was just home to a college summer ball team. The fact that it now exists in this constant tension between new and old makes it even more special.

Sports

PRIMER: NCAA Volleyball Championship Second Round

Published

8 minutes ago

December 7, 2025

Your Sports Nation

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – No. 23 Iowa State (23-7, 12-6 Big 12) continues its 18th NCAA Championships appearance as the No. 5 seed advancing to the second round to meet No. 4-seed Minnesota.

Saturday, Dec. 6, 7 p.m., vs. No. 17 Minnesota (23-9, 12-8 Big Ten)

Maturi Pavilion, Minneapolis, Minn.

Tickets | Live Stats | ESPN+ | Media Center | Notes

By the Numbers

1 – Morgan Brandt leads all active Big 12 players with 3,773 career assists. The total ranks fourth in program history.

3 – Christy Johnson-Lynch ranks No. 3 all time in Big 12 history with 219 league victories.

3 – ISU ends regular season as the Big 12 leader in three categories: kills (14.14 per set), assists (13.03 per set) and digs (15.22 per set). The kill and assist average rank top 20 nationally.

5 – Iowa State placed five on All-Big 12 teams and took home Big 12 Libero and Setter of the Year.

10 – Maya Duckworth now ranks 10th in Iowa State history with 1,072 kills. Duckworth became the 12th in ISU history to join the 1,000-kill club.

12 – Iowa State has 12 Big 12 wins for the first time since 2012.

The 2025 Cyclones

ISU advanced with a first-round win over St. Thomas. Rachel Van Gorp had 33 digs, the second-most in a tournament match by a Cyclone and most since 2012. ISU served 12 aces led by Nayeli Ti’a with five, tying the ISU tournament record. Van Gorp served four, now the third-highest tournament ace total.

Iowa State ended regular season at 22-7 and 12-6 in Big 12 play to finish tied for third after being picking ninth in preseason. ISU has the most regular season wins since 2011, while the last time ISU was ranked this late in the season was in 2017.

Rachel Van Gorp is the unanimous Big 12 Libero of the Year, and Morgan Brandt earned Big 12 Setter of the Year while both were placed on All-Big 12 First Team. Tierney Jackson was named All-Big 12 Second team, while true freshmen Alea Goolsby and Reagan Hanfelt were selected for the All-Rookie Team.

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2025 NCAA volleyball live updates: Bracket, schedule, highlights

Published

25 minutes ago

December 7, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Updated Dec. 6, 2025, 9:04 p.m. ET

The NCAA Division I volleyball tournament’s second round concludes on Saturday.

No. 1 seeds Nebraska, Texas and Pitt all swept their first round matches and play again Saturday. Kentucky, the fourth No. 1 defeated No. 8 UCLA in the second round on Friday to advance to the Sweet 16.

Cal Poly defeated No. 4 seed USC in the second round of the tournament play on Friday, the biggest upset of the tournament thus far. Stanford also got an early scare from Utah Valley, losing the first set before rallying. Cardinal setter Logan Parks did not play in the match.

The 2025 NCAA volleyball Final Four will be held at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri. It’s the third time since 2010 that the venue, formerly known as the Sprint Center, has hosted the volleyball national championship.

What time is NCAA volleyball tournament?

Date: Saturday, Dec. 6
Start time: Eight matches, beginning at 6 p.m. ET Saturday. Match-by-match times below.

How to watch NCAA volleyball tournament

The 2025 NCAA volleyball tournament will air across the ESPN and ABC family of networks. All first- and second-round games can be found streaming on ESPN+, ESPN’s subscription streaming service, and Fubo, which offers a free trial to potential subscribers.

Watch the 2025 NCAA volleyball tournament live with Fubo (free trial)

Follow along with USA TODAY Sports for live updates, scores and schedule for the 2025 NCAA volleyball tournament:

Live results of Saturday’s NCAA women’s volleyball tournament

Minnesota 2, Iowa State 0

The Gophers win the first two sets 25-22, 25-21.

SMU 1, Florida 0

The Mustangs win the first match 25-11.

TCU 1, Texas A&M 1

The teams are knotted at one set each.

Nebraska 1, Kansas State 0

Nebraska goes for the it’s 32nd win of the season.

Texas 3, Penn State 0

Texas eliminates defending champion Penn State, 25-16, 25-9, 25-19.

Pittsburgh 3, Michigan 0

No. 1 seed Pitt won 25-23, 25-23, 25-18 to eliminate Michigan.

Louisville 3, Marquette 2

Louisville staved off an upset 21-25, 25-11, 23-25, 25-19, 15-12.

NCAA volleyball second-round matchups, game times

The second round concludes Saturday Dec. 6.

Lexington bracket

No. 1 Kentucky 3, No. 8 UCLA 1 (30-28, 25-16, 28-30, 25-17)
No. 3 Creighton 3, No. 6 UNI 1 (25-18, 23-25, 25-22, 25-21)
No. 2 Arizona State 3, Utah State 1 (25-15, 25-18, 22-25, 25-15)
Cal Poly 3, No. 4 USC 2 (25-19, 25-20, 20-25, 14-25, 15-7)

Austin bracket

No. 4 Indiana 3, No. 5 Colorado 0 (25-20, 25-17, 25-23)
No. 3 Wisconsin 3, North Carolina 0 (25-14, 25-21, 27-25)
No. 1 Texas vs. No. 8 Penn State, 7:30 p.m. ET, Saturday
No. 2 Stanford vs. Arizona, 9 p.m. ET, Saturday

Pittsburgh bracket

No. 3 Purdue 3, No. 6 Baylor 1 (25-16, 25-19, 23-25, 25-20)
No. 1 Pittsburgh 3, Michigan 0 (25-23, 25-23, 25-18)
No. 2 SMU vs. Florida, 8 p.m. ET, Saturday
No. 4 Minnesota vs. No. 5 Iowa State, 8 p.m. ET, Saturday

Lincoln bracket

No. 4 Kansas 3, No. 5 Miami 1 (25-17, 25-22, 22-25, 27-25)
No. 2 Louisville 3, Marquette 2 (21-25, 25-11, 23-25, 25-19, 15-12)
No. 1 Nebraska vs. Kansas State, 8 p.m. ET, Saturday
No. 3 Texas A&M vs. No. 6 TCU, 8 p.m. ET, Saturday

NCAA volleyball first-round results

Lexington bracket

No. 1 Kentucky 3, Wofford 0 (25-11, 25-19, 25-12)
No. 8 UCLA 3, Georgia Tech 2 (24-26, 25-19, 25-23, 25-18, 15-10)
Cal Poly 3, No. 5 BYU 2 (25-19, 17-25, 20-25, 25-20, 15-10)
No. 4 USC 3, Princeton 0, (25-19, 25-12, 25-13)
No. 3 Creighton 3, Northern Colorado 2 (12-25, 25-23,25-23,17-25, 8-15)
No. 6 Northern Iowa 3, Utah 2 (15-25, 21-25, 26-24, 25-20, 15-10)
Utah State 3, No. 7 Tennessee 2 (25-19, 25-15, 19-25, 25-18, 15-11)
No. 2 Arizona State 3, Coppin State 0 (25-11, 25-14, 25-12)

Austin bracket

No. 1 Texas 3, Florida A&M 0 (25-11, 25- 8, 25-14)
No. 8 Penn State 3, South Florida 1 (25-23, 12-25, 25-21, 25-19)
No. 5 Colorado 3, American 0 (25-16, 25-19, 25-16)
No. 4 Indiana 3, Toledo 0 (25-18, 25-15, 25-17)
No. 3 Wisconsin 3, Eastern Illinois 0 (25-11, 25-6, 25-19)
North Carolina 3, No. 6 UTEP 1 (24-26, 25-11, 25-18, 25-21)
Arizona 3, No. 7 South Dakota State 1 (25-21, 22-25, 25-15, 25-15)
No. 2 Stanford 3, Utah Valley 1 (21-25, 25-21, 25-13, 25-14)

Pittsburgh bracket

No. 1 Pitt 3, UMBC 0 (25-10, 25-17, 25-13)
Michigan 3, No. 8 Xavier 0 (25-19, 25-15, 25-23)
No. 5 Iowa State 3, St. Thomas-Minnesota 2 (21-25, 25-13, 25-16, 21-25, 15-8)
No. 4 Minnesota 3, Fairfield 0 (25-12, 25-7, 25-13)
No. 3 Purdue 3, Wright State 0 (25-13, 25-21, 25-19)
No. 6 Baylor 3, Arkansas State 2 (23-25, 25-20, 30-28, 23-25, 15-10)
Florida 3, No. 7 Rice 0 (27-25, 25-23, 25-19)
No. 2 SMU 3, Central Arkansas 0 (25-13, 25-13, 25-13)

Lincoln bracket

No. 1 Nebraska 3, LIU 0 (25-11, 25-15, 25-17)
Kansas State 3, San Diego 2 (21-25, 25-17, 26-28, 25-22, 15-12)
No. 5 Miami 3, Tulsa 1 (25-22, 13-25, 25-22, 25-20)
No. 4 Kansas 3, High Point 0 (25-20, 25-15, 25-18)
No. 3 Texas A&M 3, Campbell 0 (25-20, 25-10, 25-13)
No. 6 TCU 3, Stephen F. Austin 0 (25-8, 26-24, 25-20)
Marquette 3, Western Kentucky 0 (25-22, 25-21, 25-16)
No. 2 Louisville 3, Loyola Chicago 0 (25-17, 25-9, 25-12)

NCAA volleyball tournament rounds

Second round: Dec. 6
Regionals: Dec. 11 and 13 or Dec. 12 and 14
Semifinals: Thursday, Dec. 18
National championship: 3:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, Dec. 21

All games on ESPN Unlimited, ESPN, ABC

NCAA volleyball games Friday

Cal Poly 3, USC 2

Cal Poly 3, No. 4 USC 2 (25-19, 25-20, 20-25, 14-25, 15-7)

Final: Stanford 3, Utah Valley 1

No. 2 Stanford 3, Utah Valley 1 (21-25, 25-21, 25-13, 25-14)

Final: Arizona State 3, Utah State 1

No. 2 Arizona State 3, Utah State 1 (25-15, 25-18, 22-25, 25-15)

Final: Nebraska 3, Long Island University 0

No. 1 Nebraska swept Long Island University 25-11, 25-15, 25-17

Final: No. 3 Wisconsin 3, North Carolina 0

No. 3 Wisconsin swept North Carolina 25-14, 25-21, 27-25

Final: No. 3 Creighton 3, No. 6 UNI 1

No. 3 Creighton defeated No. 6 UNI 25-18, 23-25, 25-22, 25-21

Final: No. 4 Minnesota 3, Fairfield 0

No. 4 Minnesota swept Fairfield 25-12, 25-7, 25-13

Final: Texas 3, Florida A&M

No. 1 Texas swept Florida A&M (25-11, 25- 8, 25-14)

Final: Arizona 3, No. 7 South Dakota State 1

Arizona defeated No. 7 South Dakota State 25-21, 22-25, 25-15, 25-15

Final: Kentucky 3, UCLA 1

No. 1 Kentucky defeated No. 8 UCLA 30-28, 25-16, 28-30, 25-17

Final: Kansas 3, Miami 1

No. 4 Kansas defeated No. 5 Miami (25-17, 25-22, 22-25, 27-25)

Final: Texas A&M 3, Campbell 0

Texas A&M swept Campbell 25-20, 25-10, 25-13

Final: SMU 3, Central Arkansas 0

No. 2 SMU swept Central Arkansas 25-13, 25-13, 25-13

Final: Purdue 3, No. 6 Baylor 1

No. 3 Purdue defeated No. 6 Baylor 1 (25-16, 25-19, 23-25, 25-20)

Final: No. 4 Indiana 3, No. 5 Colorado 0

No. 4 Indiana swept No. 5 Colorado (25-20, 25-17, 25-23)

Final: Kansas State 3, San Diego 2

Kansas State defeated No. 8 San Diego 21-25, 25-17, 26-28, 25-22, 15-12

Final: Pitt 3, UMBC 0

No. 1 Pitt swept UMBC 25-10, 25-17, 25-13

Final: Penn State 3, South Florida 1

No. 8 Penn State defeated South Florida 25-23, 12-25, 25-21, 25-19

No. 8 Penn State took the first set 25-23, while South Florida took the second set 25-12. The defending champions won the third set 25-21 and the fourth 25-19 to win, 3-1.

Final: Iowa State 3, St. Thomas-Minnesota 2

No. 5 Iowa State defeated St. Thomas-Minnesota 21-25, 25-13, 25-16, 21-25, 15-8

St. Thomas took the first set 25-21, while Iowa State took the second, 25-13, and third, 25-16. St. Thomas forced a decisive fifth set by taking the fourth 25-21, but Iowa State closed it out 15-8 in the fifth.

Final: Louisville 3, Loyola Chicago 0

No. 2 Louisville swept Loyola Chicago 25-17, 25-9, 25-12.

Final: TCU 3, Stephen F. Austin 0

No. 6 TCU swept Stephen F. Austin 25-8, 26-24, 25-20.

Final: Florida 3, Rice 0

Florida swept No. 7 Rice 27-25, 25-23, 25-19.

Final: Michigan 3, Xavier 0

Michigan swept No. 8 Xavier 25-19, 25-15, 25-23

Final: Marquette 3, Western Kentucky 0

Marquette swept No. 7 Western Kentucky 25-22, 25-21, 25-16.

NCAA volleyball games Thursday

Final: USC 3, Princeton 0

No. 3 seed USC swept Princeton 25-19, 25-12, 25-13

Final: Kentucky 3, Wofford 0

No. 1 Kentucky swept Wofford 25-11, 25-19, 25-12

Final: Arizona State 3, Coppin State 0

No. 2 Arizona State swept Coppin State 25-11, 25-14, 25-12

Final: Wisconsin 3, Eastern Illinois 0

No. 3 Wisconsin swept Eastern Illinois 25-11, 25-6, 25-19

Final: Purdue 3, Wright State 0

No. 3 Purdue swept Wright State 25-13, 25-21, 25-19

Final: Creighton 3, Northern Colorado 2

No. 3 Creighton swept Northern Colorado 12-25, 25-23,25-23,17-25, 8-15

Final: Kansas 3, High Point 0

No. 4 Kansas swept High Point 25-20, 25-15, 25-18

Final: Cal Poly 3, BYU 2

Cal Poly defeated No. 5 BYU 25-19, 17-25, 20-25, 25-20, 15-10

Final: Utah State 3, Tennessee 2

Utah State defeated No. 7 Tennessee 25-19, 25-15, 19-25, 25-18, 15-11

Final: North Carolina 3, UTEP 1

North Carolina downed No. 6 UTEP 24-26, 25-11, 25-18, 25-21

Final: Northern Iowa 3, Utah 2

No. 6 Northern Iowa defeated Utah 15-25, 21-25, 26-24, 25-20, 15-10

Final: UCLA 3, Georgia Tech 2

No. 8 UCLA defeated Georgia Tech 24-26, 25-19, 25-23, 25-18, 15-10

Final: Baylor 3, Arkansas State 2

No. 6 Baylor defeated Arkansas State 23-25, 25-20, 30-28, 23-25, 15-10

Final: Miami 3, Tulsa 1

No. 5 Miami defeated Tulsa 25-22, 13-25, 25-22, 25-20

Final: Indiana 3, Toledo 0

No. 4 Indiana swept Toledo 25-18, 25-15, 25-17

Final: Colorado 3, American University 0

Colorado eliminated American 25-16, 25-19, 25-16

NCAA volleyball tournament automatic qualifiers

Here’s a look at the 31 teams that earned automatic berths to the 2025 NCAA volleyball tournament by virtue of winning their conferences:

ACC: Stanford
American: Tulsa
American East: UMBC
Atlantic Sun: Central Arkansas
Atlantic 10: Loyola Chicago
Big East: Creighton
Big Sky: Northern Colorado
Big South: High Point
Big Ten: Nebraska
Big 12: Arizona State
Big West: Cal Poly
CAA: Campbell
Conference USA: Western Kentucky
Horizon: Wright State
Ivy: Princeton
MAAC: Fairfield
MAC: Toledo
MEAC: Coppin State
Missouri Valley: Northern Iowa
Mountain West: Utah State
NEC: LIU
Ohio Valley: Eastern Illinois
Patriot: American
SEC: Kentucky
SoCon: Wofford
Southland: Stephen F. Austin
SWAC: Florida A&M
Summit: St. Thomas
Sun Belt: Arkansas State
WAC: Utah Valley
WCC: San Diego

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Emma Reaves Breaks Own School Record in Tri-Meet with URI, Stonehill

Published

54 minutes ago

December 7, 2025

Your Sports Nation

KINGSTON, R.I. — Sophomore thrower Emma Reaves (Westminster, Md.) placed first in the shot put, headlining the women’s track and field team’s first-place finish in the team’s tri-meet with the University of Rhode Island and Stonehill College, winning with 104 points.

UNH’s men’s track and field team finished in third with 89 points, while URI won the meet with 96 points and Stonehill closed with 91 points.

In addition to Reaves’ win, the following Wildcats placed:

Women’s Long Jump
- Sophomore Sarah Moore (Lisbon, Maine), first place (5.75m)
- Graduate student Autumn Agri (Stratham, N.H.), second place (5.35m)
- Junior Audrey Thornton (Freedom, N.H.), third place (5.28m)

Men’s Long Jump
- Freshman Rio Calle (Weare, N.H.), fourth place (7.01m)

Women’s Triple Jump

Men’s Triple Jump
- Sophomore Ethan Palmer (Bowdoin, Maine), third place (14.60m)

Women’s Shot Put
- Reaves, first place (14.38m)
- Freshman Payton Goulding (Cumberland, R.I.), third place (11.86m)
- Sophomore Ruby Prentiss (Falmouth, Maine), sixth place (11.13m)

Men’s Shot Put

Women’s Weight Throw
- Reaves, first place (17.87m)
- Goulding, third place (15.23m)
- Junior Briana Danis (Hooksett, N.H.), fifth place (15.06m)
- Prentiss, sixth place (14.31m)1.5

Men’s Weight Throw
- Senior Liam McGovern (North Kingstown, R.I.), first place (19.79m)
- Abaka-Amuah, second place (19.53m)
- Senior Jack Washam (Nashua, N.H.), third place (17.73m)

Women’s High Jump

Men’s High Jump
- Junior Gunnar Sokol (Berwick, Maine), seventh (1.90m)
- Sophomore Samuel Grube (Dover, N.H.), ninth (1.90m)

Men’s Pole Vault

Men’s 1 Mile

Women’s 60m Hurdles

Women’s 600m Run

Men’s 600m Run
- Sophomore James Gecek (High Bridge, N.J.), seventh (1:25.58)

Women’s 60m Dash
- Nada, first (7.71)
- Moore, second (7.72)
- Thornton, third (7.88)
- Sophomore Eva Roberts (Derry, N.H.), fifth (7.92)

Men’s 1000m Run

Women’s 300m Dash
- Thornton, second (42.43)
- Sophomore Brooke White (Barnet, Vt.), fifth (42.90)
- Senior Liliana Chirichella (Troy, N.H.), seventh (43.66)
- Roberts, ninth (45.25)

Women’s 3000m Run
- Senior Claire Ronan (Port Jefferson Station, N.Y.), first (10:09.32)
- Senior Carolyn Day (Wolfeboro, N.H.), third (10:37.08)

Men’s 3000m Run

Women’s 4x400m Relay
- New Hampshire “A” (Chirichella, Hickey, Dillon, Agri), second (4:08.42)

Men’s 4×400 Relay
- New Hampshire “A” (Gecek, Daniel Anderson [Naugatuck, Conn.], Calle, Lesniak), fourth (3:28.38)

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ACU Heads to College Station for First Meet of the Indoor Season

Published

1 hour ago

December 7, 2025

Your Sports Nation

The ACU track and field team opens its indoor season by competing in the McFerrin 12-Degree Invitational on the campus of Texas A&M on Saturday. The meet will be a low-key meet designed to get in some competition before the Christmas break.

Joining ACU and host Texas A&M in the field will be Baylor, Sam Houston State, SMU, and UTSA.

This meet will be the first competition for several newcomers to the program. There are plans to have three 4×400 relays for the women and the men and some of the newcomers will only run on the relays this weekend.

ACU entries for the men include: 60 (Horatio Brooks); 300 (Gage Heighten); 1000 (Evan Martin); Mile (Benjamin Castro, Vincent Luffey); 3,000 (Mark Barajas, Carlos Cortez); 60 hurdles (Canaan Fairley, Miguel Hall); high jump (Canaan Fairley); long jump (Horatio Brooks); weight throw (Rhet Punt, Matthew Udemba).

There will also be a large relay pool to fill out the three 4×400 relays and this pool includes newcomers who will only be competing in the relays – Durrell Collins, Abraham Olufemi-Dada, Nickens Lemba – and two returnees also running solely on the relays this weekend – Ethan Krause and Ryan McMeen.

ACU entries for the women include: 60 (Lauren Foxworth, Darinasia Taylor, Kee’Lani Whitlock, Neriah Williams, Morgan Morris, Halle Gunter, Jaeden Thomas); 300 (Morgan Morris, Kaycian Johnson); 600 (Madelyn McFadden, Anna Vyn, Gracee Whiteaker, Jalyn Childers); 1000 (Emma Santoro); Mile (Lola Buentello); 60 hurdles (Hana Banks, Nele Huth, Natalie Poe, Skyla Riedel); high jump (Kaia Anderson, Kennadi Payne, Natalie Poe); long jump (Halle Gunter, Nele Huth, Skyla Riedel, Jaeden Thomas); shot put (Sterling Glenn, Ciara Tilley, Mariana Van Dyk); weight throw (Sterling Glenn, Mariana Van Dyk).

Because the McFerrin Invitational will not have a triple jump in the meet, two Wildcats took part in the OU Winter Field Fest. Arthur Jenkins recorded a 14.94m triple jump, while Mackenzie Flaugher went 11.70m.

The McFerrin 12-Degree Invitational will be held in the Murray Fasken Indoor Track on the Texas A&M campus. The field events will begin at 2 p.m. and the running events at 4 p.m. on Saturday.

Coach Miles Smith: I’m excited to see our kids compete. They have been working hard. We have a lot of newcomers who are getting their first taste of collegiate competition, so it will be fun to watch them compete. Our goal is to come out healthy and learn what we need to work on over the next few weeks before the bulk of our season kicks off in mid-January.

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Petitjean, Weber Set Personal Bests In Boston

Published

1 hour ago

December 7, 2025

Your Sports Nation

BOSTON – The Elon University women’s track and field team opened its indoor season with two members of its distance squad competing at the Sharon Colyear-Danville Opener on Saturday at the BU Track and Tennis Center.

Senior Sarah Petitjean led the Phoenix in the 3,000 meters, posting a personal-best time of 9:49.97 to place 52nd in a field of 95 runners.

In the 5,000 meters, junior Hannah Weber also set a personal record with a time of 16:29, improving her previous best by nearly three seconds.

ON DECK
Elon will be idle for the winter break before returning to competition on Jan. 17 at the Mondo College Invitational at the JDL Fast Track Complex.

— ELON —

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Mountaineers Set New 4×400-Meter Relay Meet Record at Indoor Season Opener

Published

2 hours ago

December 7, 2025

Your Sports Nation

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – The App State women’s track and field team opened the 2025-26 indoor season at the Visit Winston-Salem College Kick-Off on Saturday. A new meet record, set by the 4×400-meter relay quartet of junior Nicole Wells, seniors Damyja Alejandro-Ortiz and Daye Talley, and junior Jayla Adams, punctuated the day’s action.

“This was a great season opener for all event groups to knock the rust off from months ago. The athletes are really motivated to be back from break and start the season.” said director of track & field/cross country Damion McLean. “Expectations are high this season, so we have to stay motivated on an elite level to be competitive.”

Wells, Alejandro-Ortiz, Talley, and Adams stopped the clock at 3:45.76 for a new meet record in the women’s 4×400-meter relay. The previous meet record was 3:49.07, set in 2021 by Duke’s Jenna Crean, Lauren Hoffman, Megan McGinnis, and Kiara Ekeigwe. The Mountaineers were two seconds shy of the App State school record of 3:43.85, which was set at the 2023 Sun Belt Indoor Championships. Earlier in the afternoon, Adams and Talley finished third (24.39) and fifth (24.77), respectively, in the women’s seeded 200 meters. Adams remains third in the App State all-time list with her personal best of 24.22, which she set during the 2024 campaign. In the women’s unseeded 200 meters, sophomore Kaitlyn McLeod placed fifth with a time of 25.04.

In her collegiate indoor debut, freshman Alana Braxton posted a pair of first place finishes in the women’s triple jump (12.32m (40′ 5″)) and women’s long jump (5.87m (19′ 3.25″)). Fellow freshman Ashlynn Wimberly landed second with a leap of 12.14m (39′ 10″) and sophomore Jahaila Wright placed sixth with a leap of 11.60m (38′ 0.75″) in the women’s triple jump. With a leap of 5.31m (17′ 5.25″) freshman Kelly MacBride rounded out the top 10 in the women’s long jump.

Senior Ava Studney placed first in the women’s pole vault, recording a clearance of 3.95m (12′ 11.5″).

Junior Kendall Johnson placed second with a time of 7.50 in the women’s 60 meters, coming within 0.08 of her personal best and program record of 7.42, which she set at last season’s SBC Indoor Championships. Wells rounded out the top 10 in the women’s 60 meters with a time of 7.73.

With a time of 2:18.09, senior Addison Ollendick-Smith placed fourth in the women’s 800 meters. Ollendick-Smith, who stands second all-time in the program record book, was seven seconds shy of her personal best of 2:11.13, which she set last season.

With a personal best toss of 14.70m (48′ 2.75″), junior Dianna Boykin placed eighth in the women’s weight throw. Sophomore Emily Edwards placed eighth with a toss of 12.17m (39′ 11.25″) in the women’s shot put and rounded out the top 10 in the women’s weight throw with a mark of 14.03m (46′ 0.5″).

Up Next

The Mountaineers will resume the indoor track and field season with the UNC Asheville Collegiate Opener at Tryon International on Jan. 10.