After eight NCAA Beach Volleyball Championship tournaments, the queens of the sand have resided in Southern California. And that might continue this year, but if so, it will be a new local team reigning supreme.

Loyola Marymount will play for its first national championship Sunday in Gulf Shores, Alabama, after taking out four-time defending champion USC in the quarterfinals Saturday, followed by a 3-2 upset of top-seeded UCLA in the semifinal.

In doing so, LMU ensured that, for the first time since the tournament began in 2016, the national championship would not feature a team from UCLA or USC. The tournament was not played in 2020 due to COVID-19.

Coached by John Mayer, who is in his 10th season, fourth-seeded LMU (38-6) will take on second-seeded Texas Christian (31-5), which is also playing for its first national crown, at 7:30 a.m. PT Sunday (ESPN). The Horned Frogs advanced to the final with a 3-1 victory over sixth-seeded Cal Poly after blanking rival Texas, seeded seventh, 3-0 in the quarterfinal.

The Lions’ path was far from easy as they won three consecutive points to knock off the Bruins (32-7), who were seeking their third title and first since 2019.

Kenzie Brower and Jessie Smith got UCLA on the board with a 21-17, 21-12 win on court three over Lisa Luini and Abbey Thorup. Maggie Boyd and Sally Perez then defeated Anna Pelloia and Michelle Shaffer 25-23, 21018 on court one to put the Bruins within a point of their sixth national-title appearance.

LMU wouldn’t be denied. Chloe Hooker and Vilhelmiina Prihti took down Peri Brennan and Natalie Myszkowski 22-20, 21-16 on court two, followed by Isabelle Reffel and Magdalena Rabitsch rallying on court four for a 16-21, 21-14, 15-12 triumph over Alexa Fernandez and Kaley Mathews.

That meant all eyes on court five, where LMU’s Giuliana Poletti Corrales and Tanon Rosenthal were locked in a battle with Ensley Alden and Harper Cooper. The Lions opened with a 21-18 win, but the Bruins responded to win 21-19. The third and final set ended 15-12, with Poletti Corrales tapping a winner down the left side to kick off the celebration.

The Lions advanced to the semifinal by ousting USC, in search of its seventh trophy, by a 3-1 count.

LMU opened the quarterfinal by winning the first sets at all five positions against the fifth-seeded Trojans (27-11). Luini and Thorup helped pave the way to victory on court three with a 21-17, 21-18 defeat of Maya Gessner and Mabyn Thomas, followed by Poletti Corrales and Rosenthal putting LMU up 2-0 with a 22-20, 21-16 win over Madison Goellner and Kaileigh Truslow on court five.

USC’s Delaney Karl and Ella Larkin cut the lead in half by knocking off Rabitsch and Reffel by a 15-21, 21-14, 15-9 score on court four. The Trojans’ rally and hopes were dashed soon after when Pelloia and Shaffer posted a 21-13, 14-21, 15-7 top-court win over Zoey Henson and Madison White.

UCLA kicked off the day with a 3-0 dispatching of eighth-seeded Florida State. The team of Brower and Smith earned the first point with a 21-10, 21-12 victory on court three.

Minutes later on court two, Brennan and Myszkowski won 21-15, 21-15 to get the Bruins within one. Boyd and Perez needed three sets on the top court but wrapped it up 21-19, 19-21, 15-11 to propel the Bruins to the semifinals.

Connor Ohl sprinted into history on Friday at Golden West College.

Before he even looked up at the scoreboard for his time after swimming the 50-yard freestyle at Sunset League finals, the Newport Harbor High junior heard the crowd cheering.

“I knew right then that I went 19 [seconds],” Ohl said. “When I looked up, it was just the icing on the cake.”

With his time of 19.79 seconds, he became the second-fastest high school swimmer in the event in Orange County history. The county record is a 19.69 by Olympian Michael Cavic of Tustin, set in 2002.

Los Alamitos won the boys’ Sunset League swimming championship, while Newport Harbor’s girls used their depth to capture their third straight league crown.

Newport Harbor’s Kennedy Fahey, Madison Mack, Emerson Mulvey and Ariana Amoroso, from left, stand side-by-side as they wait for the start of the girls’ 50-yard freestyle during the Sunset League swim finals at Golden West College on Friday.

(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)

There were plenty of fast swims at the six-hour meet. Fountain Valley set five league records, with sophomore Alyssa Ton and junior Peter Vu setting two each in their individual events.

Ohl was electrifying, splashing the water after seeing the time and clasping the hand of senior teammate James Mulvey to his right.

Ohl, Mulvey and Dash D’Ambrosia swept the top three spots in the event for the Sailors.

“One-two-three is just incredible,” said Ohl, who also repeated as the boys’ 100 free champion in 44.86 seconds. “The fact that it’s three water polo guys and not trained swimmers, it’s even more incredible.”

He added that he would be gunning for Cavic’s county-record mark at next week’s CIF Southern Section Division 1 championships.

“I never thought I’d ever be reaching levels like this,” Ohl said. “It’s unbelievable. … First it was breaking the Newport record, then it was breaking 20 [seconds] and now it’s breaking this next record. It’s just this progression of going faster and faster.”

Members of the Newport Harbor girls’ swim team celebrate after winning the Sunset League title on Friday.

(Matt Szabo)

Newport Harbor’s girls had lost by four points to Fountain Valley in a league dual meet, but won going away at league finals for their third straight crown.

Senior Ariana Amoroso finished second in the 50 free and third in the backstroke to pace the Sailors. Amoroso is going to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, which announced in March that it would be cutting its swimming program, though the school’s swimmers are scrambling to raise money to try to save it.

“I’m happy to end on a win senior year,” said Amoroso, adding that it was bittersweet that the CIF finals would likely be her final swim meet. “I’m happy to see improvements in my times after recently switching club teams, too.”

Fountain Valley’s Kaitlyn Nguyen swims the girls’ 200 yard individual medley to first place during the Sunset League swim finals at Golden West College on Friday.

(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)

Caitlyn Stayt finished third in the 200 individual medley and fourth in the backstroke for the Sailors girls, who also got a pair of ‘A’ finals appearances by freshman Vivian Muir.

Stayt is one of two seniors who came out for swimming after helping the Sailors make the CIF Southern Section Open Division title match in water polo, along with Harper Price.

“The senior leadership has been amazing,” Newport Harbor coach Kevin Potter said. “They came back and just really stepped up. Harper swam the breaststroke. Last time she swam breaststroke was freshman year at league finals, and this year, we needed a breaststroker. She stepped in and scored huge points for us in that ‘A’ final.”

The versatile Ton won the girls’ 200 freestyle in 1:44.50 and backstroke in 53.68, each time a personal-best. She said she enjoyed the fact that her events were spaced apart, which allowed her to cheer for her teammates.

Newport Harbor’s Aidan Arie reacts to dominating the boys’ 100 yard butterfly during the Sunset League swim finals at Golden West College on Friday.

(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)

“There’s still some things to work on, but I’m really excited heading into CIF,” said Ton, a CIF champion in the 200 freestyle last year.

Her Barons senior teammate, USC-bound Kaitlyn Nguyen, won the 200 IM (1:59.76). Nguyen was second in the breaststroke to Corona del Mar sophomore Sofia Szymanowski (1:00.97), who placed second in the IM.

“I think Sofia’s got a really good chance of winning [CIF] next week [in the breaststroke], and I think Kaitlyn can also win it,” said Fountain Valley coach Nathan Wilcox, who coaches both in club swimming for Irvine Novaquatics. “It’s just going to come down to who wants it more. … I definitely think those girls are both top three next week.”

Corona del Mar’s Micah Grantham breaks the surface on the first lap of the boys’ 200 yard freestyle during the Sunset League swim finals at Golden West College on Friday.

(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)

Fountain Valley’s girls’ 200 medley relay, featuring Ton, Nguyen, freshman Audrey Prall and senior Leyna Nguyen, also won in a meet-record time of 1:44.00.

Among other top girls’ swimmers, CdM senior Nikki Lahey became a three-time league champion in both the 50 free (23.42) and 100 free (50.38).

“It’s really focusing on the little details and improving those next week,” said Lahey, bound for San Jose State. “I feel like I’m in a pretty good place with my times right now.”

Edison senior Gaby Kelly became a four-time league champion in the 500 free, winning it in a school record time of 4:52.27. Kelly never lost the race in a league meet during her entire high school career.

“I was really stoked about it,” said Kelly, who placed second in the 200 free. “Especially with all of the new teams coming into the league, I was a little nervous, but I was really stoked with how I went. Being able to have that achievement is really nice.”

Fountain Valley’s Alyssa Ton swims the girl’s 200 yard freestyle during the Sunset League swim finals at Golden West College on Friday.

(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)

On the boys’ side, Fountain Valley’s Vu claimed the 200 individual medley (1:48.77) and breaststroke (54.62).

Newport Harbor senior Aidan Arie blasted to a school-record 48.28 in the butterfly, and also won the 500 free in 4:36.93. He celebrated wildly after winning the butterfly, as he said he earned a Summer Junior Nationals cut.

Add Arie to the list of those incredulous at what Ohl is doing.

“At this point, if he told me he was going 18 [seconds], I’d believe him, the way he’s dropping,” he said. “It’s crazy. It’s not normal.”

Edison’s Holden Lee won the backstroke (49.88) and was third in the butterfly.

Isaac Squires, a talented water polo player, helped Huntington Beach win the medley relay and also was an individual champion in the 200 free, touching in 1:42.91.

“If I can’t beat them in water polo, it’s nice to beat them here in swim,” Squires said. “It’s fun, because it’s competitive, but it also helps because you get faster and you’re always conditioned.”

Isaac Squires of Huntington Beach swims the boys’ 200 yard freestyle to victory during the Sunset League swim finals at Golden West College on Friday.

(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)

Most of the league’s top swimmers will compete in the Division 1 meet, which will have preliminaries at 9 a.m. Thursday at Mt. San Antonio College and finals at noon on Saturday.

Fountain Valley looks to excel. Ton is seeded first in the girls’ 200 free, while Nguyen and Vu are seeded first in 200 IM for both genders.

Vu is also seeded first in the boys’ breaststroke, and Szymanowski and Nguyen earned the top two seeds in the girls’ breaststroke.

Ohl and Arie are seeded first in the boys’ 50 free and butterfly, respectively, with Ohl seeded second in the 100 free. Lahey earned top-four seeds in each of her sprint freestyle events, and Kelly is seeded third in the girls’ 500 free.

Edison’s Lee is seeded third in the boys’ backstroke.

Wilcox said he’s looking for a top-three finish at CIF for Fountain Valley’s girls, who finished fifth last year.

WORCESTER, Mass. – The Navy men’s track & field team posted a solid performance Friday at the Patriot League Outdoor Championship to end the day in second place with 56 points.  The Mids trail first-place Army by 12 points through six of the 22 events at the meet which is being contested at Hart Track in Worcester, Mass.

“I think we did a solid job today with the number of athletes we have qualified for finals. There were some big and clutch performances today. All in all, it was a good first day,” remarked Director of Track and Field Jamie Cook.

The Mids opened the day with a fast start when Murphy Smith won his second-straight 10,000m league title in 30:56.08. Alexander Kirkland competed in the event for the first time this spring and finished in second-place with a time of 30:57.87. Jackson Nguyen clocked a 31:20.52 to finish in eighth place.

“Coach [Aaron] Lanzel and the group always have a plan going into a race. Murphy [Smith] has a good feel when it’s time to make a move and Alexander [Kirkland] did a good job following suit,” stated Cook.

Dane Eike (3:51.76) and Matt Newell (3:56.37) finished in fourth and 11th place, respectively, to qualify for Saturday’s 1,500m finals.

Navy will be well represented in tomorrow’s 400m finals as all four entered Midshipmen posted qualifying times. Pete deJonge (47.99) led the foursome to take third place. Nathan Kent’s time (48.07) placed him fourth as he tries to defend his league title tomorrow. Joining them in the final will be teammates Jacques Guillaume (48.20, fifth place) and Simon Alexander (career-best 48.22, seventh).

Tyler Yurich (10.47) finished in third place in the 100m sprint to advance to the finals. Marcel Jackson (10.50) finished behind Yurich to place fourth and punch his ticket to the final. Jonah Johnson (10.55) will also contend for gold as he finished in sixth place.

Yurich continued to lead the Midshipmen in the sprint events as he finished in fifth place in the 200m with a time of 21.42. Kent also advanced to the finals with a sixth-place time of 21.44, and Johnson finished in seventh place in 21.47.

Greyson Gravitt (1:51.36) edged out American’s Carver Morgan (1:51.41) for the top time in the 800m semifinals. Carson Sloat finished sixth in the event (1:52.05) to keep his championship hopes alive. 

The Mids cruised in the 400m hurdles semifinals, which was led by David Walker who won the event with a career-best time of 52.05. Two-time defending league champion Guillaume finished in second place with a 52.88. Cooper Wakley ran a career-best 54.38 in the event to also qualify for the finals. 

Navy capped off the track events with a third-place finish in the 4x800m relay in 7:32.09 with a squad that consisted of James Partlow, Carson sloat, Matt Newell and Luke Nester.

Brian Schloeder took silver in the pole vault with a mark of 5.21m (17′ 1″). Gunnar Kimball finished in third place with a height of 5.06m (16′ 7.25″).

Caleb Walker finished in third place in the javelin with a throw of 62.22m (204′ 1″).

Wyatt Shaw placed sixth in the long jump with a leap of 7.12m (23′ 4.5″).

Senior team captain Thomas Christie leads the Mids and ranks second overall in the decathlon with 3,631 total points. Christie won the high jump with a leap of 2.01m (6′ 7″).  Teammate Nicolas Simmons is in third place overall with 3,609 points.

Saturday’s final day of competition will start at 8 a.m., with ESPN+ coverage beginning at 11 a.m.

Day One Team Scores (through 6 of 22 events)

1. Army: 68

2. Navy: 56

3. Boston: 39

4. Bucknell: 19

5. Lehigh: 18

6. Colgate: 13

7. Lafayette: 11

8. Holy Cross: 10

9. American: 0

 

COLLEGEVILLE, PA – The Johns Hopkins men’s outdoor track & field team opened the Centennial Conference Championship in strong form Friday at Ursinus College, ending the first day of competition atop the team standings with 31 points—five ahead of host Ursinus.
 
Two Blue Jays earned silver medals on the day: senior Peter Lim in the pole vault and sophomore Nash Minor in the 10,000-meter run.
 
The 10,000-meter group delivered a dominant showing, contributing 20 points to the team total. Minor led the way with his silver-medal performance, finishing in 31:39.65. Teammates Sean Enright (4^th | 32:17.54), Nick Pham (5^th | 32:17.71) and Dane Spahr (6^th | 32:26.46) followed closely, securing 12 points with top-six finishes.
 
In the pole vault, Lim cleared a season-best 4.45 meters to secure silver. Seth Wyzykowski (7^th | 4.00 meters) and Aiden Rothstein (8^th | 3.85 meters) added to the team’s tally, contributing a combined 11 points from the event.
 
In the decathlon, Sebastian Tangelson leads the field after five events with 3,521 points, highlighted by first-place finishes in the long jump, high jump and shot put. His long jump mark of 6.94 meters ranks fifth in program history and 57^th nationally this season. Fellow Blue Jay Owen Takahashi sits in second with 3,036 points, claiming victories in the 100-meter and 400-meter dashes.
 
Though outside scoring position, Leo Anderson made history in the hammer throw, posting the fourth-longest mark in program history with a throw of 41.03 meters.
 
The Blue Jays return to action Saturday, May 3, for day two of the Centennial Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships, with action scheduled to begin at 10 AM in the decathlon’s 110-meter hurdles.