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Baseball Travels to Charlotte to Face North Carolina

EVANS REMAINS PERFECT IN 2025 Carolina travels up I-77 to Truist Field in Charlotte, N.C., for a 7 p.m. first pitch against No. 21 North Carolina. The game will be streamed on SEC Network Plus. Tuesday’s game also will be on the Gamecock Sports Network presented by Learfield with Derek Scott and Stuart Lake on […]

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Baseball Travels to Charlotte to Face North Carolina

EVANS REMAINS PERFECT IN 2025

  • Carolina travels up I-77 to Truist Field in Charlotte, N.C., for a 7 p.m. first pitch against No. 21 North Carolina.
  • The game will be streamed on SEC Network Plus.
  • Tuesday’s game also will be on the Gamecock Sports Network presented by Learfield with Derek Scott and Stuart Lake on the call.

SERIES VS. NORTH CAROLINA
FOR STARTERS

  • The Tar Heels won 2-of-3 games at Boston College this past weekend, including winning Sunday’s game, 10-0, in seven innings.
  • Aidan Haugh allowed just one hit in seven innings on Sunday while Hunter Stokely was 3-for-5 with three RBI in the win.
  • Stokely leads UNC with a .374 batting average, nine home runs and 30 RBI.
  • On the mound, Hough is 3-2 with a 1.93 ERA and 43 strikeouts in 32.2 innings pitched.
  • Scott Forbes is in his fifth season as head coach at North Carolina. He has led the Tar Heels to four NCAA Tournament bids and a trip to the 2024 College World Series.

BATS SHINE IN OKLAHOMA SERIES

  • North Carolina leads the all-time series, 64-40-1, heading into Tuesday’s contest.
  • South Carolina has won the last three meetings in Charlotte. The Gamecocks picked up a 2-1 win last year. Dylan Brewer had three hits and Roman Kimball struck out five in the win.
  • The two teams have faced each other in Charlotte in each of the last eight meetings. Each team has won four games in those eight contests. 

HALL OF HITTING

  • Junior Nathan Hall continues to lead the Gamecocks at the plate this season.
  • Hall has a .404 batting average, good for ninth in the SEC, to go along with three home runs and 20 RBI.
  • Hall is slugging at a .574 clip and is reaching base 48.2 percent of the time.
  • Hall leads the team with seven steals and has added seven doubles.
  • In Sunday’s game against Arkansas, Hall led off the game with a home run and had three hits on the day.
  • It was the first time a Gamecock led off a game with a home run since Will McGillis in the 2023 Gainesville Super Regional.
  • Hall carries a 15-game hitting streak and an 18-game reached base streak into Tuesday’s game.

PROBABLE PITCHING ROTATION
Tuesday
South Carolina Brendan Sweeney (Jr. RHP) 0-2, 9.00 ERA, 8.0 IP, 7 BB, 12 SO
North Carolina Cam Padgett (Jr. RHP) 2-1, 4.76 ERA, 17.0 IP, 5 BB, 12 SO

  • Junior Jarvis Evans is a perfect 3-0 with a 3.42 ERA and 27 strikeouts in 26.1 innings pitched this season.
  • He went six innings in a 4-3 win over the College of Charleston on March 18, striking out five and allowing just one run.
  • Evans had a spot start in Sunday’s game against Arkansas, pitching three innings and allowing two runs.
  • Evans has the longest outing by innings this season, going seven strong at The Citadel on March 5.

UP NEXT

  • Carolina hit .336 in the three games against Oklahoma and are only behind Arkansas in conference batting average after one weekend.
  • The Gamecocks had 14 hits in Saturday’s 11-6 win over Oklahoma. Kennedy Jones had three of those hits, including a monster home run.
  • Henry Kaczmar led the team with six hits on the weekend. He moved his batting average to .257 on the year.
  • Jordan Carrion and Nathan Hall each had hits in all three games. Carrion is now hitting .309 this season with 11 RBI. Hall leads the team with a .404 batting average and has a current 15-game hitting streak. 

SCOBEY LOOKING LIKE A VET

  • Freshman third baseman KJ Scobey had three hits in Friday’s game against Oklahoma, then belted a solo home run in Saturday’s 11-6 win over the Sooners.
  • Scobey had four hits and three runs scored in the series against OU.
  • Scobey added four hits in the Arkansas series and is now hitting .333 in SEC only games.
  • On the season, Scobey is hitting .300 with three home runs, 12 RBI and has committed just two errors at third base.

SCOUTING NORTH CAROLINA

  • The Gamecocks host top-ranked Tennessee this weekend for a three-game series at Ray Tanner Field at Founders Park.
  • Friday’s game starts at 7 p.m., with Saturday and Sunday’s games at 4 and 5 p.m., respectively.
  • Friday and Saturday’s games will be on SEC Network Plus with Sunday’s game on SEC Network with Tom Hart and Chris Burke on the call.

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Savanna Hershberger: Kent State track & field/cross country | News, Sports, Jobs

Screenshot Name: Savanna Hershberger High school: Northern Bedford County Hometown: Martinsburg Sport: Cross Country and Track and Field College choice: Kent State Other colleges considered: Grace College, Campbell University Why I picked Kent State University: “The Lord’s hand was truly on my college decision. I had been praying over the matter, and then I had […]

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Name: Savanna Hershberger

High school: Northern Bedford County

Hometown: Martinsburg

Sport: Cross Country and Track and Field

College choice: Kent State

Other colleges considered: Grace College, Campbell University

Why I picked Kent State University: “The Lord’s hand was truly on my college decision. I had been praying over the matter, and then I had a call with Coach Laura Rybka. From the first call, I immediately knew. Our goals aligned for my future, and the Lord truly made it clear to me and instilled peace in me over my future.”

Greatest high school achievement: “My greatest high school achievement is yet to come. I believe that this track season will be my best to date.”

Coach Yeatt’s quote: “Savanna is an incredible young woman who I have been blessed to coach for the past three years. She has a joy for running that drives her in her training and she is extremely competitive. This year, she has taken on a leadership role with the track team. As the only senior on our girls’ team, she has been a great role model to a large group of younger athletes. I look forward to seeing where her running career takes her.”

How I got my start in running: “My sister Denae was an excellent distance runner in high school. I grew up watching her and all my other siblings run, and in fifth grade, I ran my first 5k and won in the women’s division. I immediately fell in love with the sport and knew that this was my future.”

Favorite college growing up: UCLA Bruins

Other interests: My church and agriculture

What getting to play in college means to me: “Getting to run in college means the fulfillment of my 5th-grade self. My dream to run at a Division 1 University is now fulfilled. It means using the gifts the Lord has given me to my full capacity.”

Probable college major: Communications with an Agriculture emphasis

Parents: Ross and Yvonne Hershberger



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TCU wins 2025 NCAA Beach Volleyball National Championship

It is a celebration in Gulf Shores, Alabama as the TCU Horned Frogs defeat the Loyola Marymount Lions in the 2025 NCAA Beach Volleyball Tournament finals on Sunday morning to earn the program’s first National Championship. The Horned Frogs won the Big 12 regular season and Conference Tournament in the first year of the league […]

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It is a celebration in Gulf Shores, Alabama as the TCU Horned Frogs defeat the Loyola Marymount Lions in the 2025 NCAA Beach Volleyball Tournament finals on Sunday morning to earn the program’s first National Championship.

The Horned Frogs won the Big 12 regular season and Conference Tournament in the first year of the league sponsoring the sport. After dropping only five matches all season, TCU earned the No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Horned Frogs made its first National Championship appearance after getting to the NCAA Tournament in five consecutive seasons and reaching the Final Four in 2023. Since becoming an officially sanctioned NCAA event, the Championship has only ever been won by USC (six titles) and UCLA (two titles). As the No. 4 seed, LMU reached the Final with a first round sweep of No. 13 Florida Atlantic before taking down the sport’s titans USC 3-1 in the quarterfinal and knocking off top seeded UCLA 3-2 in the semifinal. TCU swept past Georgia State and Texas into a semifinal battle with Tournament mainstay 6-seed Cal Poly which the Horned Frogs won 3-1.

TCU opened the scoring with the All-Big 12 pair of Ana Vergara & Anhelina Khmil securing the point from Court 4, 21-14, 21-19, bringing that pairing to a perfect 21-0 when playing together this season. LMU tied it up with a Court 2 straight set victory 21-16, 21-17 over TCU’s Hailey Hamlett & Maria Gonzalez. The back-and-forth affair continued as TCU pulled ahead with the Court 3 point while LMU brought the match level again by taking the point on Court 5. It all built to the showdown from Court 1 between each squad’s top pair as the All-American marquee matchup would decide the National Champion. The Horned Frogs’ pair of Tania Moreno & Daniela Alvarez have been performing at the elite level of the sport together TCU since 2021 and competed in the 2024 Paris Olympic Games representing Spain. It was LMU’s duo of Michelle Schaffer & Anna Pelloia who emerged with the first set, escaping with the the 21-18 advantage. Alvarez & Moreno bounced right back with a 21-15 set win to force the decisive third set. TCU stormed to a quick advantage in that third set and who better to deliver the clinching moment than four-time First Team All-American and 2025 National Player of the Year Daniela Alvarez with the block at the net and the thrill of emotion as the Horned Frogs rushed the sand to celebrate being crowned as National Champions



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Jumps, Hurdles, and Distance Shine at Jesse Owens Classic and Duke Twilight

Jesse Owens Classic Results | Duke Twilight Results YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – Despite poor weather throughout the weekend, multiple members of the Eastern Michigan University track and field programs turned in Mid-American Conference (MAC)-leading performances to spearhead a successful weekend at the Jesse Owens Classic, hosted by Ohio State University, at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium, […]

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Jesse Owens Classic Results | Duke Twilight Results

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) –

Despite poor weather throughout the weekend, multiple members of the Eastern Michigan University track and field programs turned in Mid-American Conference (MAC)-leading performances to spearhead a successful weekend at the Jesse Owens Classic, hosted by Ohio State University, at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium, in Columbus, May 2-3, and the Duke Twilight Meet, hosted by Duke University, at Morris Williams Track & Field Stadium, in Durham, N.C., Sunday, May 4.
 
Senior Brendan Hill (Huber Heights, Ohio/Wayne) and freshman Lucky Fiaku (Nimo, Nigeria/Busy International Secondary) set the top high jump mark in the MAC with jumps of 2.12m (06-11.50) while competing at the Jesse Owens Classic, and Gabe Singh (Toledo, Ohio/Sylvania Northview) bettered his conference-best time in the 400-meter hurdles, placing first in 50.62.
 
At the Duke Twilight Meet, junior Kian Wiles (Hull, England/St. Mary’s College) improved his MAC-leading time in the 1500m run by nearly three seconds, finishing 12th in 3:40.73.
 
Due to poor weather in Columbus, multiple events were not completed, including the 110m hurdles, 200m dash, 400m dash, discus throw, triple jump, and 4x100m relay.
 
How it Happened – Men at Jesse Owens Classic
Both Hill and Fiaku set PRs and the top jump in the MAC for high jump with marks of 2.12m (06-11.50). Their marks rank eighth in program history and are the first edit to the event’s top-10 list since former Eagle Xavier Clais posted a 2.14m (07-01.25 – Program No. 4) jump in the 2009 season.
 
The Eagles had a dominant performance in the 400m hurdles as Singh earned his first first-place finish in the event this season with a MAC-leading and EMU No. 3 time of 50.62. His time ranks second in the Great Lakes Region, 15th on the East Qualifying List, and 34th in the nation. Michael Hawkins (Detroit, Mich./Cass Technical/Michigan State) took third with a personal-best 52.61, a time that slots third in the conference.
 
Samuel Jeffery (Fonthill, Ontario/E.L. Crossley Secondary) placed first out of 16 in the long jump with a season-best 6.98m (22-11) leap.
 
Jake McEachern (Lloydminster, Alberta/Lloydminster Comprehensive) also earned a season-best mark as he finished second in the hammer throw with a 61.57m (202-00) toss, one that slots third in the conference.

How it Happened – Men at Duke Twilight Meet

Wiles improved his MAC-leading time in the 1500m run by nearly three seconds, finishing in 3:40.73, while also jumping the junior to No. 4 in EMU laurels. Lachlan Cornelius (Queensland, Brisbane, Australia/Anglican Church Grammar School) finished sixth in the 800m run with a 1:49.62.

How it Happened – Women at Duke Twilight Meet

Senior Chloie Musta (Mesick, Mich./Cadillac) had a strong showing in the 800m run, finishing 12th out of 38 runners in a career-best 2:08.08, placing her third in the MAC this season and sixth in EMU history.

 

Marta Moreno (Wassenaar, Netherlands/American School of The Hague) saw action in the 5000m, placing 27th in 16:51.44.

How it Happened – Women at Jesse Owens Classic

Freshman Ashtan Winfrey (Columbus, Ohio/Columbus Africentric Early College) put on a show in the long jump in front of a hometown crowd, leaping 5.83m (19-01.50) for the best mark of the meet, a personal-best, and the No. 8 jump in the MAC this season. Also finishing in the top 10 for the long jump was Nene Garner (Powell, Ohio/Thomas Worthington), who jumped 5.48m (17-11.75), as well as Shamoya Clemetson (Naples, Fla./Barron Collier), who finished with a 5.30m (17-04.75) mark.

 

The Eagles also placed three competitors in the top 10 of the triple jump as Alimot Alowonle (Lagos, Nigeria/Tindip College/New Orleans) placed fourth with a jump of 11.76m (38-07.00), Kyra Buffen (Columbus, Ga./Buford/Benedict) finished sixth with a mark of 11.49m (37-08.50), and Mariia Yelanska‘s (Dnipro, Ukraine) jump of 11.32m (37-01.75) was good for ninth.

 

Senior Isabella Brent (Dearborn Heights, Mich./Divine Child) tossed a personal-best 55.10m (180-09) in the hammer throw, bettering her program No. 7 mark and placing herself inside the conference top-10 at No. 7. Aleah Johnson (Botkins, Ohio/Botkins) also grabbed a PR and program top-10 mark in the event, placing 14th with a 51.48m (168-10) throw, a toss that stands eighth in program history.

 

EMU Individual Results

 *Denotes Personal Best

^ Denotes Season Best


 Bold Denotes Program Top 10 Mark

 

Men’s Results – Duke Twilight

 

800m

6. Lachlan Cornelius – 1:49.62

 

1500m

12. Kian Wiles – 3:40.73* EMU #4

 

Men’s Results – Jesse Owens Track & Field Classic

 

400m Hurdles

1. Gabe Singh – 50.62* EMU # 3

5. Michael Hawkins – 52.61*

12. Matt McKnight – 55.63

 

800m

5. Drew Graves – 1:54.38

16. Nicholas Kline – 1:59.57

 

1500m

12. Donovan Johnson – 4:02.82*

18. Ty Dailey – 4:08.11

21. AJ Hawkins – 4:15.30

23. Isaac Garcia – 4:18.63*

 

3000m Steeplechase

12. Aaron Schwieterman – 9:58.63

 

5000m

25. Joey Furlong – 14:58.71

39. Carson Vanderschaaf – 16.01.86*

 

Hammer Throw

2. Jake McEachern – 61.57m (202-00)^ 

 

High Jump

1. Lucky Fiaku – 2.12m (06-11.50)* T-EMU #8

2. Brendan Hill – 2.12m (06-11.50)* T-EMU #8

 

Javelin Throw

5. Samuel Jeffery – 53.33m (175-0)*

6. Drew Knieper – 52.91m (173-07)^

 

Long Jump

1. Samuel Jeffery – 6.98m (22-11)^

 

Shot Put

21. Leland Godfrey – 14.60m (47-10.75)

 

Women’s Results – Duke Twilight

 

800m

12. Chloie Musta – 2:08.08* EMU #6

 

5000m

27. Marta Moreno – 16:51.44

 

Women’s Results – Jesse Owens Track & Field Classic

 

400m

4. Mia Biehl – 59.56

 

400m Hurdles

21. Tijana Japundzic – 1:05.06

28. Sophie Emin – 1:07.61

 

800m

20. Cora Henderson – 2:17.50

 

1500m

49. Cora Henderson – 4:45.45

 

3000m Steeplechase

6. Anita Zaro – 11:02.86

11. Liv Hatch – 11:19.77*

 

5000m

24. Lucy Jones – 17:33.44^

32. Cara Weber – 17:51.97

 

Discus Throw

29. Aleah Johnson – 32.32m (106-00)

 

Hammer Throw

8. Isabella Brent – 55.10m (180-09)* EMU #7

14. Aleah Johnson – 51.48m (168-10)* EMU #8

26. Faith Moore – 46.26m (151-09)

32. Lena Korte – 40.73m (133-07)

 

High Jump

8. Micah Martin – 1.70m (05-07.00)

9. Natalie Buratczuk – 1.65m (05-05.00)

 

Javelin Throw

5. Erica King – 40.70m (133-06)

10. Lena Korte – 33.66m (110-05)

 

Long Jump

1. Ashtan Winfrey – 5.83m (19-01.50)* MAC #8

6. Nene Garner – 5.48m (17-11.75)*

10. Shamoya Clemetson – 5.30m (17-04.75)

23. Nyla Joseph-Guevara – 4.93m (16-02.25)

 

Pole Vault

T-19. Megan Rybitski – 3.53m (11-07.00)

T-19. Samantha Smith – 3.53m (11-07.00)

 

Shot Put

6. Lena Korte – 13.36m (43-10.00)

 

Triple Jump

4. Alimot Alowonle – 11.76m (38-07.00)^

6. Kyra Buffen – 11.49m (37-08.50)

9. Mariia Yelanska – 11.32m (37-01.75)

14. Nyla Joseph-Guevara – 10.59m (34-09.00)

18. Kaydence Doxley – 9.61m (31-06.50)

Up Next

The Eagles return to action at the Hillsdale College Last Chance, hosted by Hillsdale College, at the Outdoor Track at Hayden Park, Wednesday, May 7, and again Friday, May 9, at the Len Paddock Open, hosted by the University of Michigan, at the U-M Track & Field Stadium.

 

Follow Us

For updates on all things EMU cross country/track & field, continue to check EMUEagles.com or follow the team on Instagram, X, and Facebook at @EMUXC_TF.

 





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Volleyball Championship on ESPN Showcased Athletes and Gulf Shores

I’ve covered a lot of sporting events in my career, but there was something undeniably electric about the 2025 NCAA Women’s Beach Volleyball Championship this weekend in Gulf Shores. From the very first serve to the final point, it wasn’t just a tournament—it was a statement. And what a statement TCU made. The Horned Frogs […]

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I’ve covered a lot of sporting events in my career, but there was something undeniably electric about the 2025 NCAA Women’s Beach Volleyball Championship this weekend in Gulf Shores. From the very first serve to the final point, it wasn’t just a tournament—it was a statement.

And what a statement TCU made.

The Horned Frogs claimed their first-ever national title in a dramatic 3-2 win over Loyola Marymount University (LMU). It wasn’t just a win—it was a seismic shift. For the first time in championship history, neither UCLA nor USC hoisted the trophy. Instead, a hungry, fearless TCU team stood victorious on the white sands of Alabama, redefining the power map of collegiate beach volleyball.

I was on the ground, and let me tell you, the energy was unreal. The athletes? Dialed in. The fans? Fired up. And the vibe? Pure magic.

What impressed me the most wasn’t just the level of play—it was the heart. The hustle. The belief. The grit. TCU didn’t just win points—they fought for them. Digs that looked impossible, blocks that rocked the court, and serves that sliced through the wind like laser beams.

This wasn’t just a win for TCU—it was a win for every program fighting to prove they belong. The whole event, set behind The Hangout in Gulf Shores, felt like a festival of athleticism. You had people dancing on tables during timeouts, cheering in the sun, and celebrating every rally like it was a Super Bowl play. And with over 450 matches across all divisions just days earlier at the AVCA Small College Championship, Alabama is officially the new heart of beach volleyball in May.

LMU had its share of shining moments, but this was TCU’s time. As the final point hit the sand, sealing both the match and a legacy, their players stormed the court in a rush of tears and screams–culminating in a celebratory dog pile that marked their historic win.

Adding to the excitement, two programs—Texas and Boise State—made their inaugural appearances at the NCAA Beach Volleyball Championship. Texas, seeded No. 7, earned a hard-fought 3-2 win over No. 10 California before falling to eventual champion TCU in the quarterfinals. Boise State, seeded No. 14, took on No. 3 Stanford in the opening round. Though they didn’t advance, their presence on the national stage marked a proud and promising milestone for the program.

I walked away from the finals with sand in my shoes, a camera full of unforgettable moments, and soaking wet from jumping into the Gulf to capture that iconic shot of the team hoisting the trophy in the water after their win. Totally worth it!!!

NCAA Women’s Beach Volleyball isn’t just growing, it’s thriving. And if this weekend proved anything, it’s that the best is yet to come. Until next year—same beach, even more magic!



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Track and Field Wrap up Regular Season; Sacha Moves up in Program All-Time Performances

Story Links NASHVILLE – SIUE track and field wrapped up their regular season yesterday with Vanderbilt’s Music City Challenge. The Cougars saw strong performances across the board.    Konrad Sacha placed fourth in the men’s 400m at 47.44. This moves him from fifth to fourth in the programs all-time outdoor […]

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NASHVILLE – SIUE track and field wrapped up their regular season yesterday with Vanderbilt’s Music City Challenge. The Cougars saw strong performances across the board. 
 
Konrad Sacha placed fourth in the men’s 400m at 47.44. This moves him from fifth to fourth in the programs all-time outdoor performances.
 
Drew Tucker claimed first in the men’s high jump at 2.00m (6-6 3/4).
 
Taylor Lehman placed second in the men’s 400m hurdles at 53.35.
 
Vashanti Reynolds placed second in the women’s 100m hurdles at 13.88.
 
Grant Milbrath placed fourth in the men’s hammer throw at 58.65m (192-5). He also placed third in the men’s shot put at 15.98m (52-5).
 
Maryiah Menicucci places second in the women’s hammer throw at 45.08m (147-11). She also competed in the women’s shot-put placing sixth at 12.28m (40-3)
 
THROWS
Gabby Yaccino placed eight in the women’s discus at 39.96m (131-1). Also competing was Allison Sanders (14th/37.04/121-6) and Abigail Irvin (18th/31.78/104-3).
 
Also competing in the men’s hammer throw was Joel Degracia placing 12th at 43.78m (143-8).
 
Sanders also competed in the women’s hammer throw where she placed sixth at 45.96m (150-9) and was followed by Gabby Yaccino in seventh at 44.36m (145-6).
 
Abigail Irvin competed in the women’s shot put placing 19th at 8.63m.
 
JUMPS
Sheena Cumberbatch placed 10th in the women’s long jump at 5.35m. She also competed in the women’s triple jump placing 10th at 11.32m (37-1).
 
Zaria Searcy tied for seventh in the women’s high jump at 1.62m (5-3). Also competing in the women’s high jump was Harper Smith who tied for ninth at 1.50m (4-11).
 
SPRINTS & HURDLES
Jazmin West placed fourth in the women’s 100m at 12.24. Also competing was Darrell Rice (18th/12.97).
 
In the women’s 100m hurdles Kaylee Allen placed 11th at 12.29
 
Also competing in the women’s 100m hurdles was Mia Jackson, she placed fifth at 14.33.
 
In the women’s 400m hurdles was Megan Derrick who places 16th at 1:06.77 and Kennedy Williams in 18th at 1:08.30.
 
Also competing in the men’s 400m hurdles was Simon McClaine. He placed fifth at 54.25. McClaine also competed in the men’s 110m hurdles placing sixth at 14.87.
 
Mia Jackson placed 17th in the women’s 200m, crossing the finish line at 24.54. Following her was Kaylee Allen (25th/25.14) and Jazmin West (31st/25.33).
 
In the men’s 200m Konrad Sacha placed 11th at 21.63. Also competing was Chase Burston who placed 30th at 22.45.
 
Also competing in the men’s 400m was Chase Burston in 19th at 50.49.
 
DISTANCE & MID-DISTANCE
For the women’s 3000m Kinze Shea placed sixth at 10:21.10.
 
In the women’s 3000m steeplechase Mia Loafman finished in 12th at 11.43.76. She was followed by Courtney Anthonies in 15th at 12:54.76.
 
Tanner Emerson competed in the men’s 3000m steeple chase placing seventh at 9:41.79.
 
Emilee Franklin ran the women’s 1500m placing 41st at 4:54.67. Following her was Ana Keller in 44th at 4:56.53.
 
In the men’s 1500m D’Andre Watson finished in 34th at 3:59.89. Following him was Logan Luttrell (38th/4:12.62), Jackson Edwards (39th/4:12.03) and Tyler Guthrie (41st/4:15.98).
 
Sophia Harrison ran the women’s 5000m placing 20th at 17:53.62. Erica Woodard followed in 33rd at 18:53.50.
 
Harrison also ran the women’s 800m placing 47th at 2:26.41.
 
RELAYS
For the men’s 4x100m Konnor Bouman, Jonah Grawer, Simon McClaine and Chase Burston placed third at 43.24m.
 
UP NEXT
The Cougars prepare for the Ohio Valley Outdoor Championships. This will be a three day event starting May 15th and wrapping up May 17th.
 
 



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A study on factors influencing digital sports participation among Chinese secondary school students based on explainable machine learning

Comparison of baseline variables between the two groups Detailed results are presented in Table 2. The participation of secondary school students in Digital Sports has resulted in two distinct groups: participants (n = 1007) and non-participants (n = 3918). Statistically significant differences (P < 0.05) were observed between the two groups in the following variables: gender, stage of secondary school, academic performance, […]

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Comparison of baseline variables between the two groups

Detailed results are presented in Table 2. The participation of secondary school students in Digital Sports has resulted in two distinct groups: participants (n = 1007) and non-participants (n = 3918). Statistically significant differences (P < 0.05) were observed between the two groups in the following variables: gender, stage of secondary school, academic performance, self-assessed physical health, interest in ICT, perceived ICT competence, ICT Social Perception, mother’s education, father’s education, parents’ voluntary participation in sports, family wealth, ICT available at home, ICT available at school, Digital Teaching Training Level for Teachers, index proportion of all teachers with ISCED5A Master’s qualifications, and Weekly Number of Physical Education Days. No statistically significant differences (P > 0.05) were found for the following variables: BMI, body image, ICT autonomy, ISEI of mother, ISEI of father, parents’ emotional support, Home cultural possessions, home educational resources, whether School Digital Teaching Discussions with Staff, and school type.

Table 2 Comparison of basic characteristics of the participating and non-participating groups.

Multilevel logistic regression results

16 variables with P < 0.05 from univariate analysis were included in the multilevel logistic regression model, with Table 3 presenting the results. The null model revealed significant between-school random variation in secondary school students’ likelihood of Digital Sports participation [σ_u2 = 0.26 (0.05), P < 0.001]. The ICC value indicated that 7.4% of the variance in Digital Sports behavior probability was attributable to school-level factors, justifying the use of multilevel modeling. Model 1 demonstrated significant positive correlations of weekly physical education class days (P < 0.001) and school ICT resources (P < 0.001) with Digital Sports engagement, accounting for 24.98% of between-school variance. However, neither digital training for teachers (P = 0.275) nor the proportion of teachers with master’s degrees (P = 0.172) showed significant associations. Model 2 identified significant student- and family-level predictors after adjusting for school-level variables (weekly physical education class days and school ICT resources). Even after controlling for student and family variables, weekly physical education class days (AOR 1.30, 95% CI 1.16–1.46) and school ICT resources (AOR 1.06, 95% CI 1.02–1.10) remained significantly positively correlated with Digital Sports participation. The final Model 3 highlighted household ICT resources (AOR 1.08, 95% CI 1.04–1.13) and students’ ICT social perception (AOR 1.18, 95% CI 1.07–1.30) as significant positive correlates, whereas academic performance exhibited a significant negative correlation (AOR 0.995, 95% CI 0.994–0.996).

Table 3 Results of Stepwise logistic regression.

Model development and hyperparameter optimization

The five variables with P < 0.05 in the multilevel logistic regression were selected as input variables for model construction. After data standardization, the dataset was divided into training and test sets at a ratio of 85% (n = 4186) to 15% (n = 739). The grid search method exhaustively evaluates all possible combinations within specified parameter ranges to identify the globally optimal parameter configuration, thereby significantly enhancing the model’s generalization ability and computational efficiency. To optimize model performance, GridSearchCV combined with 5-fold cross-validation was employed for hyperparameter tuning of K-nearest neighbors (KNN), Gaussian naive Bayes (GNB), gradient boosting decision tree (GBDT), and logistic regression (LR). The optimized key parameters for each model are presented in Table 4, while non-critical parameters were set to their default values.

Table 4 Optimal hyperparameter combinations for each algorithm.

Model performance comparison

As shown in Table 5, the AUC values of GNB, GBDT, KNN, and LR models on the test set were 0.700, 0.641, 0.707, and 0.717, respectively. In this study, the AUC values of GNB, KNN, and LR models all exceeded 0.7, indicating their good discriminative performance in predicting secondary school students’ digital sports participation. Figure 2 presents the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves of the four prediction models, where the x-axis represents the false positive rate (FPR) and the y-axis denotes the true positive rate (TPR). Points closer to the top-left corner indicate higher model accuracy. The area under the ROC curve (AUC) reflects the predictive performance of the models, with larger AUC values indicating higher prediction accuracy. Among the primary models, the LR model performed best; however, as logistic regression is a linear model, it may fail to capture the nonlinear relationships between variables and the outcome. Therefore, this study constructed an ensemble stacking model using the LR model as the meta-model and GNB and KNN models as base models to enhance the interpretability of the conclusions. As shown in Table 5, the stacking model achieved an AUC of 0.723, outperforming the LR model and demonstrating better performance in terms of the F1 score.

Table 5 Test set model results.
Fig. 2
figure 2

Working feature curve of the test set using a machine learning model.

Explainability analysis

After completing the model development, explainability analysis was conducted on the best-performing Stacking model using the SHAP (SHapley Additive exPlanations) method. This analysis included global explanation of variable impacts and individual variable dependency explanation.

Global explanation of variable impacts

Figure 3a ranks the relative importance of the five influencing factors from high to low based on their mean absolute SHAP values: academic performance, weekly physical education class days, household ICT resources, school ICT resources, and ICT social perception. Among these, the SHAP mean values of academic performance and weekly physical education class days are significantly higher than those of other factors, indicating their importance as key determinants.

Figure 3b presents the SHAP beeswarm plot, where each point represents a sample distributed along the y-axis, and the horizontal position reflects its impact on the prediction outcome. The color gradient (red for high values, blue for low values) reveals that lower academic performance, more weekly physical education class days, richer household ICT resources, more sufficient school ICT resources, and higher ICT social perception are all significantly associated with an increased probability of secondary school students’ digital sports participation.

Fig. 3
figure 3

Importance ranking of SHAP features with swarm map.

Single-variable dependency explanation

Figure 4 presents the feature dependence plots, illustrating the threshold effects and nonlinear relationships of five variables on secondary school students’ Digital Sports participation. When the number of weekly physical education class days (0 to 5 days) is 0 or 1, the SHAP values are near the zero line on the y-axis, indicating minimal or even negative effects on students’ Digital Sports participation. However, when the number of days reaches 2 or more, the model is more likely to predict participation, and the strength of this positive effect increases with the number of days. The impacts of school ICT resources and household ICT resources (0 to 10 points) on Digital Sports participation are similar: as these resources increase, the slope changes, suggesting that the effect strengthens with higher ICT resource availability. For values below 8 points, SHAP values remain below the zero line, indicating a model prediction of non-participation; only when values exceed 8 points does the model predict participation, highlighting the high ICT resource requirements for Digital Sports behavior. The lowess curve for ICT social perception reveals a largely linear positive relationship: when social perception exceeds the student population average, SHAP values rise above the zero line, and the model predicts participation. The slope changes in academic performance indicate that when scores range from 250 to 500, the model tends to predict participation, with a stronger negative effect as scores increase; beyond 500 points, the model tends to predict non-participation, and the negative effect gradually weakens with higher scores.

Fig. 4
figure 4



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