European Aquatics and the Champions League Water Polo Final 4 Malta Organising Committee have announced a commitment to deliver a set of sustainable practices to minimise the environmental impact of all aquatics events.

With several upcoming 2025 European Aquatics events on the horizon – including the Champions League Final 4 at the end of May – the two organisations are aiming to set a new benchmark in sustainability and community engagement.

At the heart of their vision is a comprehensive strategy designed to significantly reduce the environmental footprint of the events.

The initiative also aims to leave a lasting social and economic legacy that will benefit not just the host nation of Malta, but also the broader international community.

By championing the Aquatics Social Responsibility Strategy, the organisers are looking to inspire healthier, more active lifestyles, while promoting inclusion and wellbeing through the power of sport.

In alignment with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, the strategy highlights how aquatics events can serve as a dynamic force for positive change – from environmental stewardship to community empowerment.

With this pioneering approach, European Aquatics and the Champions League Water Polo Final 4 Malta Organising Committee are not just hosting a competition, they’re setting the stage for a movement toward a more sustainable and socially responsible future in global aquatics.

During the Final 4 event, there will be a series of key initiatives that will help make the event a huge success out of the water, as well as in the pool.

These include a Green Task Force of trained and dedicated volunteers – including children – who will act as green wardens and wear T-shirts with slogans such as ‘Leave Only Ripples, Not Trash’ and ‘Respect the Water, Protect The Land – Keep It Clean.’

There will also be a ‘Sustainable Fun Zone’ that will highlight sustainability through interactive activities and raise awareness in an entertaining and engaging way. 

Numerous recycling stations will be located inside and outside the venue, a new lighting system – utilising LEDs –  will ensure higher efficiency, and a designated parking area away from the pool will mean the event is held in a car-free zone.

Community ties to water polo are also set to be strengthened through the distribution of free tickets to local nurseries, which will allow young children the opportunity to enjoy the games, and help to inspire the next generation of players.

You can find out more information about the Champions League Final 4 sustainability and legacy initiatives by clicking here.

ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Naval Academy Director of Track and Field / Cross Country Jamie Cook is among the 2025 Maine Sports Hall of Fame inductees. Cook joins nine other inductees who will be formally recognized at an induction ceremony at Husson’s Gracie Theatre in Bangor, Maine, on Sept. 21.
 
“It’s such an honor to be recognized by my home state and I’m very appreciative of all the people who helped me get there, especially my parents and siblings,” said Cook. “My dad was my biggest influence, his support and my mom doing all the behind-the-scenes stuff is what motivated me. I appreciate them for everything they have done for me.”
 
The Honors and Selection Committee selects Maine sports figures to be inducted into the Maine Sports Hall of Fame from applications that are submitted for consideration and approval. The requirements necessary to be eligible as an inductee are:

• Nominee must be a Maine sports figure whose achievements have brought distinction and honor to the state of Maine in any field of sport.
• Nominee must be a Maine sports figure or one who has made a major contribution to the development and advancement of sports in the state of Maine.
• Nominee must be a Maine sports figure having five (5) years of retirement from their last competitive event in their sports field of expertise (in extraordinary circumstances this can be waived).

 
Others inductees into the Maine Sports Hall of Fame class include Paralympian Clara Brown; “American Ninja Warrior” star Jesse “Flex” Labreck; Bryant Barr, a former Mr. Maine Basketball who played in college with NBA star Stephen Curry; Maine Celtics president Dajuan Eubanks; Kelly Bowman Flagg, a high school standout who went on to play Division I at the University of Maine and is the mother of standout NBA prospect Cooper Flagg; Danny Paul, a longtime track and cross country coach who won dozens of Maine road races over three decades; award-winning college basketball coaches Lynn Hersey and Warren Caruso; and longtime Bangor Daily News sportswriter Larry Mahoney.
 
Cook attended Kennebunk High School in Kennebunk, Maine, where he was a three-sport athlete, winning two national high school championships and state championships in six different track and field events. In football, he was all-state at five different positions and was named the Lobster Bowl MVP.
 

Additionally, Cook was honored as a three-time All-American and academic All-American while competing for Penn State from 1995 to 1998. He was also a Big Ten, IC4A, and Penn Relays champion in the multi-events during his collegiate career. He was a 2004 U.S. Olympic Team Trials competitor in the decathlon and competed in six USA Track & Field combined events (decathlon/indoor heptathlon) from 2002 to 2005. He also represented the United States versus Germany in the 2003 Decathlon Duel. His personal best in the decathlon, 7,853 points, came during the 2004 Olympic Trials year.
 
Cook is in his eighth season at the helm of the Naval Academy program and has won 30 Patriot League championships and 24 Patriot League Coach of the Year awards. Under his guidance, the Mids have dominated the Army-Navy Star Series, which is part of the overall Star Series presented by USAA, winning 24-consecutive indoor and outdoor Star Meets. Navy has claimed six IC4A outdoor championships and one ECAC outdoor championship under Cook. Last season, Cook sent a program-best four competitors (Jacques Guillaume, Nathan Kent, Braden Presser and Brahmir Vick) to the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Eugene, Oregon.
 
Cook’s coaching career began at the University of Pennsylvania from 2001 to 2010. During his tenure with the Quakers, he coached 64 Ivy League champions, oversaw seven school records, and helped Penn capture a pair of team titles (2001, 2002).
 
After his tenure at Penn, Cook spent seven years (2010 to 2017) as an assistant coach at the University of Oregon. He guided athletes to 27 All-America honors, 18 individual conference titles, and six individual NCAA championships. He assisted with all 15 of the Ducks’ men’s and women’s NCAA titles in track and field.
 

PITTSBURGH – Recent Pitt volleyball alum Emmy Klika has been selected to the Women’s U23 National Team. She joins 17 other athletes who will train for the NORCECA U23 Pan American Cup, July 25-August 2 in Leon, Mexico. Klika most recently competed with USA volleyball as a U21 Pan American Cup member. 

The two-time All-ACC and All-Region performer recently joined PVF’s (Pro Volleyball Federation) Orlando Valkyries and started at libero to help them earn the organization’s first title last weekend. Klika owns the program record for most digs in a NCAA Tournament with 63 in 2024, earning Pittsburgh Regional All-Tournament honors for her efforts. She was a part of all four of the program’s National Semifinal appearances and three ACC Championships. 

The selected athletes will gather for a training block at the National Team Training Center in Anaheim, Calif., from July 18-25. From this pool, 12 athletes will be chosen to represent the United States in Mexico.  

DePaul University women’s head coach Marie Zidek will lead the team, assisted by five-time Olympian Danielle Scott (LOVB) and Olympian Kayla Banwarth (PVF). 

USA Volleyball Release

ST. LOUIS, Mo. – The Bear Beats is a weekly release that will be posted on Mondays to provide a look back at the past week of action and to preview the events for the upcoming week. The 28th episode will feature men’s and women’s outdoor track and field, men’s and women’s tennis, baseball, softball, and golf.
 
A look in the rear-view mirror (events from May 12-18):
 
No. 1 Women’s and No. 20 Men’s Outdoor Track and Field

• Track and Field competed one last time before the NCAA selections were announced at the Midwest Final Qualifier at Augustana.
• For the women

  • 1500m

    • Senior Virginia Pridgen made the podium in third place with a time of 4:29.47
    • The mark is now the 24th best in Div. III this spring
    • Junior Katie Rector also finished in the top 10 with a time of 4:43.28

  • 800m

    • First year Lauren Raley and sophomore Caroline Echols went back to back in eighth and ninth place with times of 2:11.70 and 2:11.72, respectively
    • Sophomore Cate Christopher finished in 12th place with a mark of 2:13.43

  • 3000m Steeplechase

    • Senior Julia Patterson was third with a time of 10:44.55, marking the 15th best in Div. III this year
    • Junior Riley Clark finished in fifth place with a new 34th best time in Div. III in a time of 10:57.02

  • Pole Vault

    • Senior Yasmin Ruff won the final pole vault of the regular season with a clear of 3.86m
    • Junior Mackenzie Walker finished in seventh place with a clear of 3.41m

  • High Jump

    • Sophomore Olivia Theisen tied for second with a clear of 1.64m, a new 34th best mark in Div. III this year

  • Long Jump

    • Graduate Ebun Opata finish in third place with a leap of 5.62m

• For the men

  • 1500m

    • Senior Frankie Lynch finished eighth in a field of 53 with a time of 3:53.26
    • Junior James Corbett was also a top finisher in 11th place with a time of 3:53.89

  • 800m

    • Sophomore William Frohling was a fifth place finisher with a time of 1:51.86
    • Junior Brandon Brazil set a new personal best with a ninth place time of 1:53.69

  • Pole Vault

    • The Bears had three of the top four finishers
    • Sophomore Peter Lichtenberger won the event with a successful clear of 4.95m
    • First-year Zachary Duckworth and junior George Bourdier both cleared 4.80m, but due to tiebreakers Duckworth finished third and Bourdier finished fourth

• A full list of results can be found here.

 
No. 4 Golf

• WashU finished fifth at the NCAA Championships, moving up four spots from day three.
•  The Championships were held at the Kingsmill Resort in Williamsburg, Va.
• The Bears finished with a four-day team score of 1,206 (311, 296, 299, 300), finishing just three strokes behind fourth-place George Fox.
• Senior Sydney Kuo was the top finisher for the Bears, tying for seventh with a 293 (74, 76, 70, 73).
• Junior Tiffany Chan finished 24^th with a 298 (78, 72, 75, 73) and sophomore Amy Beanblossom finished 50^th with a 302 (79, 74, 75, 74).
• Sophomore Reagan Robinson finished with a 313 (80, 74, 79, 80) and first-year Nicole McGuire finished with a 324 (83, 80, 80, 81).
• The Women’s Golf Coaches Association Awards were announced at the championships with several Bears earning recognition.
• Kuo was named a First Team All-American which marks the fourth-straight First Team All-America honor for her.
• Chan earned a spot on the Second Team and Beanblossom earned an Honorable Mention, both marking their first-career All-America honors.
• Kuo, Chan, Beanblossom and McGuire were also all named to the WGCA All-Central Region team.
• Additionally, Head Coach Dave Reinhardt was named the Central Region Coach of the Year.

 
No. 10 Softball

• WashU team lost to Wartburg 3-4 on Thursday in the opening game of the NCAA Tournament.

  • Wartburg had a three-run sixth inning to take a lead on the Bears.
  • In the bottom of the sixth inning, senior Maggie Baumstark drew a one-out walk, stole second and advanced to third on a grounder from senior Erin Reardon.
  • First-year Harper Nix drew a walk and senior Natalia Pilpil singled up the middle, scoring Baumstark for a 3-1 game. 
  • The Bears rallied for two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning, starting with a lead-off walk from sophomore Kristina Donaldson. Junior Sydney Schneider reached base on a fielder’s choice and sophomore Kennedy Grippo singled to center. Sophomore Julia Nicholus singled up the middle, scoring Schneider for a 4-2 game. First-year Emma Dow, who came on to run for Nicholus, stole second and scored on a sacrifice fly from Baumstark.
  • Sophomore Maria Brooks took the loss in the circle, pitching six innings with seven hits, four runs and six strikeouts.
  • The box score can be found here.

•  The No. 10 Washington University in St. Louis softball team earned two wins on Saturday afternoon to advance to the NCAA regional final series on Sunday.

  • Game 1: WashU 4, Lake Forest 2
    
    Due to weather, WashU and Lake Forest played two full innings before the game was halted. The game continued on Saturday morning at nearby Lindenwood University.
  • The Bears had a two-run fourth inning to break the scoreless deadlock. 
  • WashU added two more in the top of the sixth inning. 
  • Lake Forest answered with two runs in the bottom of the sixth inning. 
  • Reardon finished 2-for-4 and Grippo went 2-for-3 with one RBI. Cendana finished 1-for-2 with one run scored and two RBI.
  • Senior Jordan Rossi earned the win in the circle, pitching 5.1 innings with four hits, one run, and three strikeouts.
  • The box score can be found here.
  • Game 2: WashU 3, Wartburg 2 
    
    Wartburg struck first with a run in the bottom of the first inning.
  • The Bears got on the board in the top of the fifth inning. With one out, Baumstark doubled down the left field line, and Reardon was hit by a pitch. Senior Brooke Capparelli flied out to right field, moving the runners up a base and both went on to steal with Baumstark scoring to make it a 2-1 game.
  • WashU tied the game in the top of the sixth inning. With two outs, Grippo singled to short and Nix drew a walk. Sophomore Julia Nicholus, on to pinch hit, singled to right field, scoring Grippo for a 2-2 tie.
  • In the top of the seventh with one out, Reardon was hit by a pitch. With two outs, Pilpil singled up the middle and senior Taylor Geluck singled through the left side, scoring Reardon for a 3-2 Bears’ lead.
  • Sophomore Maria Brooks earned the win in the circle, pitching 3.2 innings of relief with two hits, no runs, and six strikeouts.
  • The box score can be found here.

• WashU ended its 2025 run with a 2-0 loss in the NCAA regional final to No. 11 Redlands on Sunday afternoon.

  • Redlands scored its two runs in the bottom of the third inning, starting with a lead off single from Ady Kim. Saya Fuji laid down a sacrifice bunt and Paige Messenlehner was hit by a pitch. Both runners moved up on a passed ball and went on to score on a double down the left line from Brooklyn Bard.
  • The box score can be found here.

• Sophomore Kennedy Grippo and Reardon were named to the All-Tournament Team

 
RV Baseball

• Despite losing an early lead, WashU opened up its regional bracket with a 10-9, walk-off win over Ohio Northern on Friday.
• The Bears got things started in the bottom of the first inning when senior Brandon Buday reached on an error by the Polar Bears. A sacrifice bunt by graduate Colter Couillard-Rodak pushed Buday over to second. Then with two outs, graduate Will Yarbro hit a single through the right side that allowed Buday to race around and score from second, putting WashU ahead 1-0.
• WashU would add three runs in the second, two runs in the third and one run in the fourth to jump out to a 7-2 lead.
• Both teams scored two runs in the sixth inning as the Bears maintained their seven-run lead, 9-4.
• However, ONU got two runs in the seventh and three in the top of ninth to tie the score at 9-9.
• After sophomore Anthony Equale flew out to center to start the bottom of the ninth, Buday hit a hard single to the shortstop and slid into first, head first, to reach safely. A bloop single to center by Couillard-Rodak put runners on first and second.
• Graduate Noah Reichman then stepped up and smacked a single to left that was played off the wall. Buday had to wait and tag up, but once he started, he ran through third, touching the base, and made another slide, this time into home around the nearly simultaneously arriving throw from the third baseman for the walk-off run.
• Sophomore Parker Guthrie got his first postseason win of his career, pitching the final three innings.
• The box score can be found here.
• Against No. 2 Wisc.-Whitewater, the Bears dropped a heart breaker 4-3 in 11 innings.
• UWW got on the board first in the bottom of the third inning. The Warhawks used a hit batter and a walk to get runners on before a double put them ahead 2-0. A single then allowed UWW to take a 3-0 lead after three.
• The Bears began their comeback in the sixth inning when Reichman led off with a single through the right side. Yarbro followed with a walk. Then with one out, senior Braden Mazone singled through the left side to load the bases. The third WashU hit of the inning came from junior Shane Pellegrino, who collected two RBIs and cut the Bears’ deficit down to just one, 3-2.
• When it seemed that UWW would be able to escape in nine innings, first-year student Cooper Greene launched his second home run of the season over the fence in right field to tie the game and send the contest into extra innings.
• A scoreless 10th inning then led the Warhawks to the bottom of the 11th. WashU was able to induce a groundout and strikeout before UWW earned a walk. They then followed with a double to right that allowed the runner to score from first for the 4-3 win.
• Equale led the Bears at the plate, going three-for-four while Reichman went three-for-five with a run scored. As a team, WashU was able to turn three double plays during the game.
• Junior Miles Quemuel-Labrador took the loss, pitching the final 4.2 innings and striking out three.
• The box score can be found here.
• The loss had the Bears play back-to-back with a chance to reach the regional final. It was in this contest that WashU had to face off against regional host Adrian.
• With one out in the bottom of the first, Couillard-Rodak singled through the left side before Reichman doubled to right-center field, scoring the Bears’ first run, 1-0. The Bulldogs then took the lead, scoring a single run in both the second and third innings.
• The fourth and fifth innings belonged to the Bears as Yarbro led off the fourth with a double to left and scored when first-year student Ryan Soong hit a single up the middle to tie the game at 2-2. WashU loaded the bases with just one out before Adrian got a pair of outs.
• Then, with one out in the bottom of the fifth, Couillard-Rodak hit a triple to right and then scored when Reichman safely reached first on a fielder’s choice. The run gave the Bears a 3-2 advantage.
• Unfortunately, that was the final run of the season as the regional host went on to score at least one run in each of the final four innings to close the Bears’ season with a 7-3 win over WashU.
• The box score can be found here.

 
 
 
On the horizon:
 
No. 1 Women’s and No. 20 Men’s Outdoor Track and Field

• The 2025 NCAA Championships will be held May 22-24 at the SPIRE Institute’s Outdoor Track and Field facility in Geneva, Ohio.
• The selections have been made for both the men’s and women’s programs
• For the Women
  
• For the men
  
• The Championship Landing page can be found here.

 
 
No. 10 Women’s Tennis

• WashU has reached the Elite 8 for the second year in a row and will face off against No. 1 Chicago on Tuesday, May 20 at the Biszantz Family Tennis Center in Claremont, Calif.
• Following the conclusion of the team bracket, both sophomore Eleanor Archer and first-year Caitlin Bui will participate in both the singles and doubles portion of the national championship.
• Bui is currently ranked No. 11 while Archer is ranked No. 35.
• Combined the duo is ranked No. 2 after winning the ITA Small College National Championship in the fall.
• Live stats and will be available here.

 
No. 28 Men’s Tennis
 

• WashU had four members of the team qualify to participate in the 2025 NCAA Div. III Singles and Doubles Championship.
• Seniors Pato Garcia Muriel and Stefan Hester were selected as a doubles team and are currently ranked #11 in the latest ITA Poll.
• The enter with a 14-5 record at the top doubles spot for the Bears while also picking up a 6-1 win over the No. 2 team from Denison.
• In singles, juniors Colin Scruggs and Eric Kuo have been chosen to compete for a national title.
• Scruggs is currently ranked No. 18 while Kuo has moved up to No. 21 in the ITA poll.
• The opening rounds begin on Friday, May, 23 at the Bizantz Family Tennis Center in Claremont, Calif.
• Live stats and video can be found here.

 
To stay up to date on all things WashU athletics, visit washubears.com, or download the WashU Bears mobile app for iPhone and Android.
 
Watch the Bears on the WashU Sports Network, also available in 1080 HD on Amazon Fire, Roku, and AppleTV.
 

Please tap the link for the latest edition of the Mule Weekly Recap!

INSIDE:  Women’s Lacrosse advances to NCAA Division III Final Four for the first time in program history, 10 Track & Field Athletes set to compete in the NCAA Division III Championships later this week, Men’s Crew earns first trip to IRA National Championships at the end of May, Colby Athletics sets a new mark with 55 athletes across all sports named to the All-NESCAC team this year, and more.