For a second straight year, Cal Poly Beach Volleyball made a surprise push to the NCAA Championship semifinals, but fell just short of the title match on the beaches of Gulf Shores, Alabama.

The No. 6 seed Mustangs lost to No. 2 seed TCU in the semifinal round 3-1, on Saturday, May 3.

The defeat ended a strong tournament run for Cal Poly, who beat No. 11 seed LSU in the opening round before upsetting No. 3 seed Stanford in the quarterfinals earlier in the day Saturday.

Their hopes of an NCAA title were dashed by the Horned Frogs, who had beaten the Mustangs in their only other matchup this season at the Center of Effort Challenge on April 12.

It was just the second final four appearance in program history, as last year’s third place run was the only other time the Mustangs had made it through quarterfinal action.

The No. 2 pair of junior Izzy Martinez and sophomore Logan Walter were the lone Mustang pairing to secure a victory, winning in three sets.

Cal Poly’s No. 1 pairing of senior Piper Ferch and sophomore Erin Inskeep went down in just two sets, looking outmatched after securing a win over the Cardinal earlier that morning. 

Not long after, No. 3 pairing of graduate student Lindsey Sparks and sophomore Quinn Perry were unable to hold off TCU’s dominant attack, falling in the third set 15-13 to secure the final.

TCU will move on to the championship round to face No. 4 seed LMU, who secured an upset win against UCLA.

The Mustangs will be looking to get back to the tournament next year with a different looking lineup, as starters Ferch, Sparks, Madi Nichols and Abbey Reinard will be graduating at the end of this year.

BEVERLY, Mass. – The Conference of New England (CNE) announced its women’s and men’s track and field all-conference teams with eight members named for the women’s team and 14 members named for the men’s team. The CNE also featured junior Madison DiPasquale (Wallingford, Conn.) as field athlete of the year. DiPasquale was also named to the community service team. Along with DiPasquale was junior Guilian Marconi (Southampton, Mass.) from the men’s team who was named to the community service team. 

Women’s Track and Field:

The Hawks to make the CNE first team were senior Cali Leonard (Boston, Mass.) for her performance in the 100m, sophomore Jordan Murphy (East Hampton, Conn.) that earned this accolade with her high jump skills, and DiPasquale was named to first team for her discus event performance. In the second team those who were named were freshman Tamara Greene (Hartford, Conn.), sophomore Averi McCoy (Bensalem, Pa.), sophomore Caroline Crocker (Bernardston, Mass.), Leonard, and DiPasquale. The Hawks named to the third team were Crocker, junior Tommie Barker (Canton, Conn.), and freshman Weeko Thompson (Hopkinton, R.I).

DiPasquale had an incredible season where she consistently broke Hartford records and earned top-placements in tournaments. This season she has set three new records for the University of Hartford. She is number one overall in the women’s shot put with her performance at the CNE Championships on April 25th where she threw a distance of 12.33m. She also holds two number two spots in University of Hartford history that is in the discus throw that she launched a distance of 39.06 at the Silfen Invitational on April 11th, and then earned the number two spot on UHart’s school leaderboard in the hammer throw with a distance of 45.02m. DiPasquale has made the field athlete of the year, to the community service team, and the CNE all-conference first team in the discus event. She has also earned two places on the CNE all-conference second team for her performance in the shot-put and hammer throw.

Leonard in her senior year was named as a member of the CNE all-conference first team in the 100m hurdles. Leonard most recently took first place in the CNE Championships on April 25th that helped her team take second overall. Leonard has finished first place in the 100m event in all of the other competitions her and her team competed in including the Trinity Invitational, Silfen Invitational, Rage in the Cage Invitational, and the UMass Lowell Invitational.

Murphy is named in her junior year as a member of the CNE all-conference first team in the high jump. Murphy most recently was awarded first place in the CNE Championships just this past weekend with a height of 1.61m. She also earned first place in the Trinity Invitational.

Greene was named to the CNE all-conference second team for her performance in the 100m hurdles. She most recently earned second place overall in the CNE Championships where she ran a time of 15.49 seconds. Greene also earned second place with a time of 15.48 seconds at the Rage in the Cage Invitational.

Crocker, Leonard, McCoy, and Greene were all named to CNE all-conference second team for their performance in the 4x100m relay. The team placed second overall in the CNE championships with a time of 51.86 seconds.

Crocker was also named to CNE all-conference third team for her success this season in the 100m hurdles and the long jump event. Crocker earned third place at the CNE Championships and second place at the Silfen Invitational.

Barker was named to the CNE all-conference third team in her junior season in the shot put event. Barker earned third place most recently at the CNE Championships and third place at the Trinity Invitational. Barker also earned another palace on the third team for her performance in the hammer throw. Tommie placed third overall in that event as well at the CNE Championships with a distance of 41.37m.

Thompson was named to the CNE all-conference third team in their freshman season for their great achievements in the discus event. Weeko placed third at the CNE Championships with a distance of 33.11m.

 

Men’s Track and Field:

Those 14 named for the men’s track and field team include sophomore William Pavlinsky (New Milford, Conn.), freshman Aidan Lybarger (South Burlington, Vt.), senior Conor Convery (Port Jervis, N.Y.), freshman Owen Klein (Coventry, R.I.), senior Riley Brutvan (Gardiner, N.Y.), sophomore Benjamin Vroeginday (Southington, Conn.), sophomore Stephen Haney (Foxborough, Mass.), senior Brandon Edmund (Xavier, N.Y.), freshman Aidan Quee (Springfield, Mass.), junior Spencer Beane (North Reading, Mass.), senior Jovan Joseph (Wrentham, Mass.), senior Joseph Lothamer (Newburgh, Ind.), senior Joseph Stephenson (Crown Point, Ind.), and freshman Daren Johnson (Meriden, Conn.).

Pavlinsky was named CNE all-conference first team in the shot put event. He earned first place in the CNE Championships this past weekend after throwing a distance of 14.01m, an entire 0.54m separating the second place spot from him. This distance also gave Pavlinsky the all-time fourth mark in University of Hartford history.

Lybarger was named CNE all-conference first team in the discus event. Lybarger took first place at the CNE Championships with a distance of 50.29m, this also made history for University of Hartford as he is now the all-time leader in this event. Second place in history is 3.23m behind Lybarger to make this triumph event greater.

Convery was named CNE all-conference first team in the hammer throw event as he earned first place at the CNE championships tossing a distance of 54.70m. This also set an all-time school record to give him the first place in school history in this event. Convery consistently took first place in the hammer throw event all season including at the Trinity Invitational, Rage in the Cage Invitational, and the UMass Lowell Invitational.

Klein was named CNE all-conference second team in the 5000m event. Klein took second place in the CNE Championships.

Brutvan was named to the CNE all-conference second team and third team for his performance in the 3000m steeplechase and 5000m. He took third place overall with a time of 15:31.80 in the 5000m and second place in the 3000m steeplechase at the CNE Championships. Brutvan also holds the second all-time mark for school history in the 3000m steeplechase.

Hartford’s men’s 4x100m relay team was named CNE all-conference second team. This team was made up of Vroeginday, Quee, Beane, and Edmund. The team earned second place this past weekend at the CNE championships with a time of 43.49 seconds.

Hartford’s men’s 4x400m relay team was named CNE all-conference second team. This team was made up of Benae, Haney, Edmund, and Joseph. The team earned second place at the CNE Championships with a time of 3:24.88. This time also earned them the fifth overall all-time mark in the University of Hartford track history.

Lothamer was named to CNE all-conference second team for his performance in the pole vault event. Lothamer earned second place at the CNE Championships clearing a distance of 4.25m. He also placed first overall at the Rage in the Cage Invitational hosted by Hartford with a height of 4.15m cleared. Lothamer is tied for first with his 4.25 height in University of Hartford track history.

Stephenson was named to the CNE all-conference second team in his senior year. Stephenson placed second in the hammer throw event with a distance of 50.63m at the CNE Championships. This also earned the second all-time mark in University of Hartford history.

Edmund was named to the CNE all-conference third team in the 100m and 200m event. Edmund placed third at the CNE championships with a time of 11.21 seconds and third in the 200m dash at a time of 22.72 seconds.

Johnson was named to the CNE all-conference third team in the 1500 meter run. Johnson ran a time of 4:09.79 to earn third place at the CNE Championships. Earlier in the season he placed first overall at the Rage in the Cage Invitational with a time of 4:08.42.

ABOUT THE CONFERENCE OF NEW ENGLAND:

Originally founded in 1984 as the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC), and reconstituted as the Conference of New England (CNE) in 2024, the CNE is an NCAA Division III athletic conference composed of 10 full member and five associate member institutions throughout the New England region. Its membership aims to provide student-athletes with a positive experience in their pursuit of excellence through high academic standards, quality competition, and a meaningful student life. The Conference administers championships in 20 intercollegiate sports.

 

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GULF SHORES, Ala. — Hundreds of volleyball players and thousands of fans have descended on the beaches of Gulf Shores on Saturday for the National Collegiate Beach Volleyball Championship.

The event was supposed to take place in Huntington Beach, California, but due to the wildfires that ripped through the area in January, it was moved to the Gulf Coast.

A quick change and an unanticipated economic boost.

On Friday, sixteen teams of the country’s best volleyball athletes began vying for a national title.

The 9th annual, single-elimination tournament is set to wrap up Sunday.

“In light of the ongoing recovery efforts approximately 50 miles up north in Los Angeles County, our focus is currently on ensuring hotel rooms and other resources remain focused on supporting those in need,” Orange County Sports Commission Executive Director Anthony Brenneman said in a prepared statement.

A quick pivot, with just four months to plan.

The relationships that we have with our friends here in Gulf Shores allowed us the ability to make the switch and make it pretty quickly,” NCAA director of championships and alliances Kristin Fasbender said.

The tournament is no stranger to Gulf Shores. It’s been hosted here since the inaugural tournament in 2016.

Kristin fasbender // ncaa director of championships and alliances

“We’ve worked with the folks for 9 championships, 10 years minus our covid year, and you go through a lot,” Fasbender said. “It’s great to be back here on these beaches.”

The tournament kicks off the summer season on the Gulf Coast.

“I know we’ve got a team that has 100 tickets or more, so we have fans coming in from all over,” Fasbender said.

They’re not just watching volleyball.

Michelle Russ// vice president of sales, sports and events with Alabama’s Beaches Sports and Events

“This is a great event for our beaches, not only does it bring in sixteen teams, but they bring in friends and families that travel here and stay overnight,” Sports and Events with Alabama’s Beaches vice president Michelle Russ said. “They spend money in our restaurants and attractions, so it is a great boost for our economy. Especially this time of year, because we’re not quite into summer, so it’s a great early boost in May for our businesses.”

The national championship matchup is set for Sunday morning at 10:30.

Durham, N.C. – Day one of the 2025 Outdoor Track and Field Championships kicked off Friday evening in Durham Memorial Stadium in Durham, North Carolina. On the men’s side, Virginia Union leads the way with 49 total points with rival Virginia State in second with 43 points and Claflin rounding out the top three with 37 points. On the women’s side, reigning champions Fayetteville State lead the pack with 45 points, trailed by Claflin with 31 points in second, and Winston-Salem State in third. 
 

CIAA Women’s Track Day 1 

Jade Lane won the women’s javelin with a new personal best throw of 38.19 meters, while Claflin took second and third place. Charnessa Reid won the women’s long jump with a mark of 6.04 meters. Fayetteville State finished third-sixth in the long jump to score big points.  Fayetteville State’s Aaliyah White won the women’s shot put with a mark of 13.47 meters. 

On the Track Elicia Bryant won the 1500-meter run. FSU gathered third, fourth, six and seventh place finishes. Virginia State finished second and eighth place. WSSU, Claflin and Lincoln all got two women into the finals of the 100-meter hurdles prelim.  WSSU continued their strong showing on the track gathering four final appearances in the 400-meter dash. In the 100-meter dash prelims Bianna Benloss obtained the eighth fastest time in all of division 2 with 11.42 seconds.  

In the 800 meter run both Winston-Salem State and Fayetteville State represented 5 of the eight finalists. VUU, Lincoln and JCSU rounded out the finalist for the event.  The 400-meter hurdles saw Claflin take two final spots with no other team having more than one make the final. The final prelim of day one was the 200-meter run where the Rams advanced four runners, the Panthers had three and the Golden Bulls advanced one to the finals.  

After day one Fayetteville State leads with 45 points, Claflin sits in second with 31 and Winston-Salem State is in third with 27. 

CIAA Men’s Track Day 1

Jude Butumbi won the men’s long jump with a mark of 7.39 meters which is the 19th best mark in all NCAA Division 2.  Virginia Union gathered the top three spots in the men’s shot put.  The men’s high jump was won by Joseph Briscoe of Virginia State with a NCAA qualifying mark of 2.14-meter jump. Livingstone finished in second and Virginia Union placed third. In the pole vault Lincoln’s Adam Green won the event with a mark of 3.75 meters. 

In the 1500 meter run VSU finished in first, fourth and fifth place and Virginia Union placed second and third. Claflin then scored the remaining points finishing sixth through ninth place. Both Livingstone and JCSU got two men into the finals of the 110-meter hurdles. In the 400-meter both Claflin and JCSU got two runners into the finals.  

In the 800-meter run Virginia State won the event, but Claflin advanced four different runners into the finals. JCSU, Livingstone and Claflin all had two runners advance to the finals in the 400-meter hurdles with Lincoln and Virginia State each having one. Bluefield State, Johnson C. Smith, Virginia Union and Claflin advanced two runners to the finals in the 200-meter dash.  

After day one Virginia Union leads with 48 points, Virginia State in second with 43 and Claflin in third with 37.

You can follow the live results of the entire championship here.    

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