Sports

HS TRACK AND FIELD

Published

8 months ago

April 8, 2025

Jhaven Sims and Eyinah Smith were two aspiring track athletes searching for events that would challenge their athleticism and showcase their speed.

They found the perfect fit in the hurdle races.

Both record setters from Scranton High School are making rapid progress in their final seasons. Sims and Smith are enhancing their résumés and honing their techniques, driven by their desire for success.

Sims, a senior, comes off an outstanding first two weeks of outdoor competition. He eclipsed his school mark in the 110-meter hurdles with a blistering time of 14.54 seconds in a win over Valley View and is also in pursuit of the record in the 300 hurdles with a season-best time of 43.14.

Smith is also out of the blocks quickly. She shares the fastest time in the Lackawanna Track Conference Division I for the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 16.94 and holds the top effort of 48.14 for the 300 hurdles.

— — —

Sims and Smith started their track careers in junior high and always had the speed to do well in the sprints.

Oftentimes track coaches identify that quickness and evaluate an athlete’s ability to clear the hurdles. If they can, the next part is to master the technique of taking only three steps in between the barriers.

It takes patience, time and repetitions.

Then, after years at the junior high level, those who race in the hurdles face the unique task of combining all of the elements and having to do so over hurdles that are raised three inches higher for varsity competition.

“The hardest part was getting used to jumping over the hurdles,” Sims, 17, said. “I had the benefit of racing against teammates Edie Salazar and Memphis Shotto in practice. I had to keep my focus because I was always tailing behind them.

“With the higher hurdles, it wasn’t too bad. It is all about having a determined mentality with the hurdles and combining the speed with the physical part of the race. The challenge was just being faster. You can’t just jump a hurdle; you have to sprint through them.”

After making the leap, Sims had an immediate impact as a sophomore. He had a season-best time of 15.77 and finished third in the 110 hurdles at the Robert Spagna Championships. At the District 2 Class 3A Championships, Sims finished fifth in the 110 hurdles and 300 hurdles.

Last season, he set a school record in the regular season with a time of 15.44 seconds, finished third at the District 2 Class 3A championships with a time of 15.80 into a strong headwind and added a silver medal in the 300 hurdles with a time of 40.55 and qualified for the PIAA Championships.

“Setting a school record was a great thing, but I had higher expectations for myself,” Sims said. “You can never be satisfied with something.”

Smith didn’t compete in the hurdles until her junior year. She was a sprinter in her sophomore year, focused on the 100 and 200, but wanted more out of the sport.

“At the end of my sophomore year, I was good, but I wanted to be great at something,” Smith, 17, said. “From the start, my goals were to make the all-star teams and help the team win.

“I started doing the hurdles, and it was overwhelming at first. I didn’t think I was going to be that good, but I really worked hard at it.”

Once Smith made the transition to the 100 hurdles and 300 hurdles in 2024, she started to leave her mark.

At the Walter Godek Twilight Invitational, Smith finished 18th in the 100 hurdles with a time of 18.70. When she started to take three steps in between the hurdles, her times dropped significantly. She had a fifth-place finish in the 100 hurdles at the Robert Spagna Championships and closed the season with a bronze medal at the District 2 Class 3A Championships with her school-record time of 16.09.

In the 300 hurdles, Smith won bronze at the District 2 meet with a personal-best time of 47.65 seconds.

“That was very exciting,” Smith said. “I actually thought that I could have done better, though. After the season, I started working out in the summer. I knew in my head that I could go far in track with the hurdles.”

Sims played football in the fall and indoor track during the winter. Smith was a defensive standout for the Scranton girls basketball team this year.

Once practices moved outdoors, the teammates worked together to prepare for the spring season ahead and built a friendship.

“He is very motivating and helps me a lot,” Smith said. “I am not new to it, but I am still learning. He helps me when I am struggling.”

After building some additional confidence with good performances during the indoor season, Sims bolted to a win in the 110 hurdles with a time of 15.54 just off his school mark of 15.44 in the opener against Wallenpaupack. Then, against Valley View, he darted to a time of 14.54 to obliterate his mark and share the third-fastest time recorded in the Lackawanna Track Conference history with Wallenpaupack’s Chad Goodall (1990), North Pocono’s Nate Wilmot (1997), Abington Heights’ Antonio Maletta (2018) and West Scranton’s Colin Manley (2024).

“I ran through, and I heard a 14.3 (hand-held watch time), which was surprising,” Sims said. “I was confident I could get to the 14s this season. That meet, I tried to push through every hurdle. It sparked something for me. A lot of work goes into this, and that was a big accomplishment.”

In the meet against Wallenpaupack, Smith won the 300 hurdles with a time of 48.14. She had a season-best time of 16.94 in the 100 hurdles and added a win in the 300 hurdles against Valley View.

“I feel like I am getting better and stronger,” Smith said. “It is still the beginning of the season; hopefully, I will continue to get better.

“I like both races, but I would say the 100 hurdles is my favorite because it is straight through. The 300 hurdles is a much more difficult race.”

— — —

Sims and Smith have enjoyed their ascension among the elite hurdlers in the LTC and District 2.

Both will also continue their track careers in college. Sims is headed to West Chester University, and Smith will compete at East Stroudsburg University.

“I have had a lot of fun running track and learning the hurdles,” Smith said. “There was a time when basketball was my main sport, but I always used to run fast. I am truly grateful for the opportunities track has offered me, especially being able to go to college and pursue a career in nursing.”

For now, their minds and focus are on the remainder of the LTC Division I meets and the postseason.

“My focus is to keep working in practice,” Sims said. “I want to work on the 300s, and I think I can be better in that event. That has been a primary event for me and got me to go to states last year. I believe I can get into the 39s and the 38s. And I am also focused on helping the team win.”

TIMES-TRIBUNE TOP 5

Girls teams

1. Abington Heights (2-0)

2. Wallenpaupack (2-0)

3. Delaware Valley (2-0)

4. Lakeland (1-0)

5. Mid Valley (1-0)

Boys teams

1. Mid Valley (1-0)

2. Dunmore (2-0)

3. Abington Heights (2-0)

4. Wallenpaupack (2-0)

5. Delaware Valley (2-0)

Originally Published: April 8, 2025 at 12:00 AM EDT

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Why On Is Entering Football

Published

1 hour ago

December 16, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Hi everyone, welcome back to SportsVerse, my twice-weekly newsletter that tells stories you can’t find anywhere else about the intersection of sports, fashion, business, and culture. This will be the final SportsVerse edition of 2025 (unless I decide to put a special edition out in the event of big industry news, which often happens around this time of year). I wanted to say thank you again to everyone who has engaged with this newsletter since January. It’s been so much fun seeing it grow and grow and grow. I’ll catch you all in 2026 for more. And if you need best-in-class sports culture analysis and fun content in the meantime, be sure to sign up for OffBall’s daily newsletter, written by the incredible Ashtyn Butuso, edited by yours truly. Peace.

When On first entered the tennis category after attracting investment from Roger Federer in 2019, it became clear that the brand had ambitions far greater than dominating just the running footwear market where it first made a name for itself. When the Swiss sneaker company began branching out into high-end fashion collaborations with the likes of Loewe, Beams and Post Archive Faction, it also became apparent that the brand had intentions far greater than simply producing performance shoes and apparel for sports.

Very early on, the brand’s founders and executive team set out a strategy that, if executed correctly, would see the once-niche disruptor brand from Zurich transform itself into a bona fide sportswear powerhouse, taking its place alongside the likes of Nike, Adidas, New Balance, and others.

For years, I’d wondered which sport the brand would look to for its next expansion. Naturally, I asked all the On executives and co-founders whenever I came across them in meetings or interviews, but they all remained tight lipped (a wise decision) while adding that the brand was always assessing new sports or categories for potential growth.

I’d been told that a lot of (very serious) golfers compete in the On’s training and running shoes, so I wondered if it could be that. But late last week, On gave the biggest indication yet of its next big move, with its surprise signing of Sydney Schertenleib, a fast rising star of FC Barcelona and the Swiss national team.

The 18-year-old is joining On specifically as an ambassador to promote the brand’s training and lifestyle collections, meaning we won’t be seeing On products on the football pitch just yet. It also doesn’t mean that two years from now, On will be churning out football gear and boots (cleats) for athletes or the general public. But make no mistake, On’s signing of Schertenleib — the first deal of any kind for On in football — was a very intentional play and a major indication of its trajectory.

Yes. Signing Schertenleib presents a perfect opportunity for On to begin lightly introducing its brand to the football world, opening the door to scores of fans and consumers who may not have bought products from — or even heard of — the brand so far. It’s relatively low risk and low cost, since it’s not like On will be investing hundreds of thousands of dollars into R&D to develop and market football products, given she will simply be endorsing the brand’s training and lifestyle clothing, which already exists. Schertenleib is expected to continue wearing Adidas boots in-game.

This is a key growth category for On. Training and lifestyle essentially = sports-inspired fashion gear for everyday use, either in the gym, around the house or out and about. It’s the category that generates the lion’s share of sales for sportswear powerhouses, which is helping scale On from a specialist footwear maker into an all-round sportswear giant that will generate over $3 billion in annual revenue this year. It’s the reason why the brand has pushed hard into popular culture and lifestyle over the past 18 months, signing big-ticket ambassadors from Zendaya to FKA Twigs to Burna Boy, splashing out on multi-million dollar Super Bowl ads.

Schertenleib is clearly an outlier when placed against the above names. But her signing makes a lot of sense. She’s a generational talent with the footballing world at her feet. On is getting in early, backing her while she’s still a young talent and hoping to benefit tenfold from the association down the line. She is also the first athlete to be signed to specifically promote training and apparel, rather than a sport like tennis or track and field. This is a smart move: it’s all well and good using famous actors or music stars to promote lifestyle and training gear, but no one underscores the authenticity and credibility of sportswear better than an elite, highly marketable athlete.

Yes. She fits the profile that On is looking for when it comes to assembling its next-gen roster of ultra-marketable Gen-Z athlete talent.

For many years now, On has been executing a strategy to find elite sporting talent who may have been overlooked or undervalued by other brands in the market. These athletes represent major upside potential for a brand like On, making it a very mutually beneficial partnership. The brand is building a unique roster of the next

We saw it happen with Ben Shelton, who has publicly admitted he never wanted to be one of 30 other tennis players in Nike’s roster, and has steadily grown to represent On’s ambitious brand building in the world of tennis as his own stature in the game — and wider culture — has grown. 23-year-old Swiss hurdler Ditaji Kambundji signed for On in January this year, again helping the brand speak to a younger audience through her compelling social media content, and providing an instant return in a sporting sense with her gold medal showing at the World Championships.

Sydney Joy Schertenleib on Instagram: “BTS archives, loved it! …

Schertenleib aligns with both the age profile and the style of athlete that On is looking for right now — young, highly marketable and with the world at her feet. At just 18 years old, she has amassed over 460,000 followers on Instagram alone, and has already started promoting the brand with collaborative content on the platform. Her choice to sign with On is a reflection of her savvy ambitions for her own personal brand, knowing she will get far greater marketing focus at a brand like On rather than Adidas or Nike.

That’s that for today, friends. Thanks for coming along for the ride.

See you next time,

DYM

Also, shoutout to Cherry Beagles and her incredible platform, The 400 Club, for including SportsVerse in the holiday season’s “gift ideas for the sports girl.”

The 400 Club on Instagram: “Gift ideas for the sports girl ✨”

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Sports

Slekis Announces 2026 T&F Slates & Staff Updates

Published

3 hours ago

December 16, 2025

Your Sports Nation

THIBODAUX, La. – Nicholls State University track and field coach Stefanie Slekis announced the 2026 schedule along with the hiring of assistant coach Cameron Bolt on Monday afternoon.

Nicholls will compete in two in state meets and two out of state meets for the indoor season. The teams will begin the season in Baton Rouge at the LSU Purple Tiger on Jan.16 followed by the McNeese Indoor II on Jan. 30. The Colonels will cross state lines to compete in the Bulldog Invitational hosted by Samford University on Feb. 13 before concluding the season at the Southland Conference Championship on Feb. 25-26.

The outdoor season is action packed with three out of state completion’s and four instate events. The Red & Gray will begin outdoor action at the Louisiana Classics hosted by Louisiana in Lafayette on March 20-21. Next, the squads will open the month of April in Austin, Texas at the Texas Relays on April 1-4. The Colonels return to the boot for the Pelican Relays (4/10-11), Strawberry Relays (4/17), and the LSU Alumni Gold (4/25). Nicholls will wrap up regular season action at Texas A&M’s Alumni Muster in College Station, Texas on May 1-2. The Southland Conference Championship is in Nacogdoches, Texas on May 14.

Coach Slekis is looking forward to the new season with some new opportunities for her student-athletes. Bolt joins the staff after coaching over 200 National qualifiers, 15 All-Americans, four National Champions. Additionally, he is the owner of Bolt Track and Field Club team that he started in 2023 and has had more than 20 National qualifiers.

We are so excited for our 2026 Indoor and Outdoor Track & Field schedule. For our schedule we changed up the second half of both our Indoor and Outdoor seasons from the past few years,” Slekis said. “Indoor we will head to Birmingham to compete at Samford’s Bulldog invitational which will give our team the opportunity to test themselves on the facility we will return to for the indoor championship. Outdoor we close out the season at two of the best SEC track & field programs in the country who have phenomenal facilities. Going first to LSU and then bringing full teams to Texas A & M for the Alumni Muster. Before we return to Texas for the Southland Championship hosted by SFA.”

Coach Slekis gave her overall thoughts on the addition of Coach Bolt and how he can help the team improve.

“We are changing things up a bit this year and I am also really excited to see how well our student-athletes perform this season especially our track & field only student-athletes who had the entire fall semester working with our new assistant coach Cameron Bolt,” Slekis said. “Cam comes with a wealth of knowledge as a young coach who founded his own track & field club and continuously worked to prepare himself for his first NCAA Division I collegiate coaching opportunity. His energy combined with his knowledge base make him a phenomenal hire. He understands how to develop student-athletes and maximize their potential. Through fall testing his event group has seen improvement across the board so it will be fun to see that hard work translate to their specific events this next semester.”

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Wisconsin volleyball beats Texas in four to reach Final Four

Published

5 hours ago

December 16, 2025

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Four Zips Named to the 2025 Academic All-MAC Volleyball Team

Published

5 hours ago

December 16, 2025

Your Sports Nation

CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Mid-American Conference announced the 78 student-athletes placed on the Academic All-MAC Team for the 2025 volleyball season, as Martina Villani, Gabby Brissett, Vanessa Del Real and Sarah Bettis represented the University of Akron.

The Academic All-MAC honor is awarded to a student-athlete who has excelled in both athletics and academics. To qualify, a student-athlete must have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.20 and have participated in at least 50 percent of the contests in that sport.

Martina Villani, Junior Criminology and Criminal Justice, 3.861

Gabby Brissett, Senior, Biology, 3.745

Vanessa Del Real, Junior, Speech-Language Pathology & Audiology, 3.81

Sarah Bettis, Junior, Biomedical Science, 3.363

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Five Rockets Receive Academic All-MAC Honors

Published

5 hours ago

December 16, 2025

Your Sports Nation

TOLEDO, Ohio – The Toledo women’s volleyball team had five student-athletes named to the Academic All-MAC team for the 2025 season, the league office announced on Monday.

Senior Macy Medors led the Rockets, tallying a 3.989 GPA as she earned her third conference honor. Anna Alford and Sierra Pertzborn received the honor for a second-consecutive season. Grace Freiberger and Olivia Heitkamp were named honorees for the first time.

To qualify, student-athletes must be a sophomore or higher academic standing, have maintained a 3.20 cumulative GPA or higher and competed in 50% of contests during the 2025 season.

2025 Toledo Women’s Volleyball Academic All-MAC Team

Anna Alford, Senior, Public Health Management, 3.415

Grace Freiberger, Sophomore, Recreational Therapy, 3.909

Olivia Heitkamp, Sophomore, Early Childhood Education, 3.501

Macy Medors, Senior, Recreational Therapy, 3.989

Sierra Pertzborn, Redshirt Sophomore, Nursing, 3.558

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ESPN serves up NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Semifinals and Championship, Dec. 18 & 21

Published

5 hours ago

December 16, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Kansas City field consists of No. 1 Kentucky, No. 1 Pitt, No. 3 Texas A&M and No. 3 Wisconsin
Championship broadcast live on ABC for the third straight year; semifinals slated for ESPN, Thu., Dec. 18
All matches will also stream on the ESPN App

It all comes down to Kansas City as ESPN’s exclusive coverage of the NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Championship culminates this week live from the T-Mobile Center with the National Semifinals on Thursday, Dec. 18, followed by the Championship match on Sunday, Dec. 21.

The stage is set as the final four teams face off in the semifinals beginning with No. 3 Texas A&M vs. No. 1 Pittsburgh in the first semifinal on Thursday, Dec. 18, at 6:30 p.m. ET, followed 30 minutes later by No. 3 Wisconsin vs. No. 1 Kentucky. Both matches will be presented on ESPN and available on the ESPN App.

For the third consecutive year, ABC is home to the Championship match, broadcasting live on Sunday, Dec. 21, at 3:30 p.m. and for the first time, ABC will also air a dedicated 30-minute preview show ahead of the Championship’s first serve, beginning at 3 p.m. Both the preview show and the match will be available on the ESPN App.

On the Mic
For the fourth straight year, game action for all three matches will be called by play-by-play commentator Courtney Lyle, alongside analysts Holly McPeak (three-time beach volleyball Olympian) and Katie George (2015 ACC Player of the Year). For the second consecutive year, the trio is joined by sideline reporter and former FSU beach volleyball standout Madison Fitzpatrick.

Studio Coverage
Studio Coverage will originate from the T-Mobile Center as Christine Williamson, Emily Ehman (four-year Northwestern standout) and Mary Wise (three-time AVCA Coach of the Year) bring viewers pre- and post-game insights and analysis throughout the semifinals and Championship.

The trio will prep viewers for all they need to know ahead the National Semifinals and National Championship match, bringing additional insight and analysis as a champion is crowded.

Every Serve, Every Angle
ESPN has all the action in Kansas City covered from every angle, including exclusive and behind-the-scenes coverage. This year, along with 25-plus cameras and two dozen replay sources, ESPN will have new and enhanced telestrations, giving the fans an additional in-depth look at the Xs and Os of the game.

Additionally, the presentation will have multiple jibs, giving fans a sweeping view over the arena. ESPN will also use six state-of-the-art slow-mo cameras to give viewers a look at the action at the net.

For the first time at the National Championship, the broadcast will feature Bolt 6, showcasing enhanced technology that shows viewers serve speed, spike speed, spike height and other statistical facets of the game.

In addition to the traditional main telecast, an alternate “High End Zone” viewing option will be available on ESPN+/ESPN App for the semifinals and the Championship, giving fans the option to watch the match from the end zone angle.

Kansas City Bound
The National Semifinals boast programs that have made a combined 15 national semifinal appearances. Pittsburgh is making its fifth consecutive trip to the National Semifinal with a No. 1 seed behind them as the Panthers look to hoist their first NCAA trophy. The Wildcats are making their first trip back to the semifinals since the ’20-21 season in which they cut down the nets in Omaha. Storied program Wisconsin makes its seventh trip to the national semifinals, looking to win the program’s second national title (2021). Rounding out the field are the Texas A&M Aggies, who are on the quest to win the program’s first national championship.

2025 NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Championship

Date	Time (ET)	Match	Network
Thu, Dec 18	6:30 p.m.	No. 3 Texas A&M vs. No. 1 Pittsburgh Courtney Lyle, Holly McPeak, Katie George, Madison Fitzpatrick	ESPN ESPN App *
	Between Match Coverage	NCAA Women’s Volleyball Studio Christine Williamson, Emily Ehman, Mary Wise	ESPN ESPN App *
	30 mins after Semifinal 1	No. 3 Wisconsin vs. No. 1 Kentucky Courtney Lyle, Holly McPeak, Katie George, Madison Fitzpatrick	ESPN ESPN App *
Sun, Dec 21	3 p.m.	NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Championship Preview Show Christine Williamson, Emily Ehman, Mary Wise	ABC ESPN App
	3:30 p.m.	NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Championship Courtney Lyle, Holly McPeak, Katie George, Madison Fitzpatrick	ABC ESPN App *
	Following Championship match	NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Trophy Ceremony	ESPN App

* There will be two streams available on the ESPN App (Traditional Simulcast and High End Zone angle)

All of ESPN. All in One Place.
ESPN offers its full suite of networks and services directly to fans on the ESPN App, providing more choice, flexibility and access to all of ESPN, including more than 47,000 live events per year, on-demand replays, industry-leading studio shows and original programming, and more. The ESPN App gives fans a unique viewing experience that includes multiview and synchronized two-screen viewing options, swipe-able vertical video and a personalized SportsCenter For You, as well as integrated game stats, ESPN Fantasy sports, betting odds and information from DraftKings, sports merchandise, and more. These features are available to all fans who watch on the ESPN App on mobile and connected TV devices, whether they subscribe directly or through a pay TV package. Bundling options available for fans include a limited time offer for the ESPN DTC Unlimited plan with Disney+ and Hulu for $29.99/month for the first 12 months. For more visit stream.espn.com.

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