SCHENECTADY, N.Y. – Sophomore Ashley Sheldon is heading back to the national championships for the second straight year, as she was selected to compete in the high jump at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships, the NCAA announced on Friday evening.
 
Sheldon is one of 22 student-athletes to qualify for the national championship in the high jump, making her only the third Union women’s outdoor track and field athlete to be selected for the national meet. Noemie Bechu ’17 twice qualified for the 400-meter dash during her sophomore and junior seasons in 2015-16, while Janice Glidden ’85 made nationals in the heptathlon back in 1982.

Sheldon qualified for the meet with a program record-matching leap of 1.67 meters (5’5.75″) at the Liberty League Outdoor Track and Field Championships on May 3, winning her second conference title (and first outdoors) in two years. Her leap tied her for the 20th-best height in Division III this year, and she will be seeded in a tie for 19th at nationals. Allie Wildsmith of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy has the country’s best leap so far this outdoor season, clearing 1.78 meters (5’10”) in mid-April.

“We’re so proud of all the hard work Ashley put in this year to get to this point,” said head cross country and track & field coach Laura Nardelli. “She has battled through an ankle injury since her soccer season, and we finally decided to give her some time off over Spring Break to get her closer to full strength for the outdoor season. She’s so much stronger and more confident now, and just in the last couple of weeks has shown that she’s ready to hit some big marks.”

In two years, Sheldon already owns the school record in the indoor and outdoor high jump as well as the outdoor 100-meter hurdles, the indoor 60-meter hurdles and the indoor triple jump. The three-season student-athlete also is a two-year starter on defense for the women’s soccer team during the fall as well.

The 2025 NCAA Division III outdoor track and field championships run from Thursday, May 22 to Saturday, May 24 at the SPIRE Institute’s Outdoor Track & Field facility in Geneva, Ohio. Sheldon will compete on Friday’s second day of competition, with the women’s high jump set to begin at 11:30 a.m.  

 

GENEVA, Ohio – Four members of the St. Olaf College men’s and women’s track and field teams qualified for next week’s 2025 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships, as announced on Friday evening.

Junior Isabel Wyatt and senior Alison Bode will represent the women’s team, while juniors Ignatius Fitzgerald and Kevin Turlington will compete for the men’s team at the national meet. The event will be held at the SPIRE Institute Thursday through Saturday, May 22-24.

Wyatt will compete in her first NCAA Outdoor Championships as the No. 16 seed in the 800-meter run (2:09.44) after earning Second Team All-America honors in the event with a ninth-place finish indoors this year. The junior will run in the prelims at 3:15 CT on Friday. The finals will be held at 2 p.m. CT on Saturday.

Bode will run in the 10,000-meter run at the national meet for the third season in a row after earning the No. 15 seed (35:35.82). The senior is a two-time All-American in the event after finishing ninth last year and eighth as a sophomore. The 10,000-meter run will be contested at 8:15 CT on Thursday.

A first-time national qualifier in track and field, Fitzgerald is the No. 7 seed in the 3,000-meter steeplechase (8:52.30). The junior will race in the prelims on Thursday at 6:10 p.m. CT hoping to earn a spot in the finals the next day at 3:40 p.m. CT.

Turlington is the No. 21 seed in the 5,000-meter run (14:11.84) in his first outdoor national meet after claiming Second Team All-America honors with an 11th-place national finish indoors earlier this year. The event will be contested at 3 p.m. on Saturday in the second-to-last event of the championships.

 

A Crystal Lake South High School dean, who is also a Prairie Ridge High School volleyball coach, was arrested for driving under the influence and causing an injury crash while she had two children in the car.

The Crystal Lake Police Department and Crystal Lake Fire Rescue Department responded around 9:15 p.m. last Friday to the intersection of Route 31 and Three Oaks Road for a vehicle crash with injuries.

Crystal Lake Deputy Police Chief Thomas Kotlowski said the investigation showed the at-fault driver in the crash was Hilary Agnello, 43, of Crystal Lake.

Agnello was suspected to be under the influence of alcohol at the time and arrested by officers, Kotlowski said.

Kotlowski said at least two people were transported by ambulance from the crash with minor injuries.

Agnello had two juveniles in the vehicle with her, Kotlowski added.

Agnello was charged with driving under the influence, two counts of child endangerment, operating an uninsured motor vehicle and failure to reduce speed to avoid a crash.

A criminal complaint filed in McHenry County Circuit Court said the two children in Agnello’s car were ages 12 and 14.

An officer noted in a report that Agnello’s speech was thick-tongued and she had an odor of alcoholic beverage emitting from her breathing and field sobriety testing showed further signs of impairment.

The report said Agnello refused to submit to or failed to complete testing, resulting in a minimum 12-month suspension of her driving privileges.

Kotlowski said Agnello refused to submit to blood alcohol testing and a search warrant was obtained for blood samples, which will be sent to the lab for analysis.

Agnell is one of the deans at Crystal Lake South High School in District 155. She is also the girl’s volleyball head coach at Prairie Ridge High School in Prairie Grove, which is also in District 155.

Agnello was released from custody following her arrest and is scheduled to appear for her first court hearing in the case on June 10.

Court records show Agnell has a prior driving under the influence violation from 2017 and also has numerous traffic violations in McHenry County, including one where she fled the scene of a crash involving a parked vehicle last year.

Chris Lindauer has been named Paul A. Violich Director of Women’s Swimming, as announced by interim athletics director and chief operating officer Alden Mitchell on Thursday afternoon. 

Lindauer becomes the eighth head coach in program history, taking the helm of the NCAA’s most decorated women’s swimming and diving program, which boasts 12 national titles and 25 conference championships. 

Stanford remains the only women’s swimming and diving program to never finish outside the top 10 at a national championship meet.

“It is an absolute honor and privilege to have the opportunity to lead the most successful women’s swimming and diving program in NCAA history,” Lindauer said. “The standard for academic and athletic excellence at Stanford is second to none, and provides a platform for greatness well beyond the student-athlete experience. I’d like to thank Alden Mitchell, Angie Jabir, and Richard Zhu for believing in me and giving my family and I this amazing opportunity. It is my absolute mission to continue the excellent tradition of bringing NCAA Championships to The Farm, and I cannot wait to get started.”

Lindauer has a proven track record of elevating programs to new heights, coaching 10 individual national champions, 46 women’s NCAA All-Americans, and 49 men’s NCAA All-Americans during his 15-year coaching career.

He also brings an Olympic-level coaching pedigree, mentoring a pair of gold medalists and 13 Olympic qualifiers, in addition to serving on the USA National Team coaching staff from 2018-20. 

“We are excited to welcome Chris Lindauer to serve as the next leader of the Stanford women’s swimming and diving program,” said Mitchell, “With his Olympic, national team, NCAA, and ACC success, Chris will build upon the program’s rich tradition of competitive excellence in the pool and beyond. Chris’ humility, dedication to building lasting relationships, and focus on ensuring a high-academic experience will make a lasting impact on our student-athletes. We look forward to welcoming Chris, Beth, and their three sons, Jack, Owen, and Brady to The Farm.”

Lindauer comes to Stanford after a three-year stint leading the Notre Dame swimming and diving programs. During his time in South Bend, he led the men’s program to back-to-back historic NCAA finishes, including a program-best 10th place in 2024. 

His work with the men’s program included coaching 2024 ACC Swimmer of the Year Chris Giuliano and 2023 ACC Freshman of the Year Tommy Janton, a tandem that combined for five ACC titles and 14 All-America honors.

On the women’s side, Lindauer coached First Team All-ACC honorees Madelyn Christman (200 back) and Maggie Graves (1650 free) in 2024.

Lindauer’s success with the Fighting Irish earned him his first Olympic coaching role, serving as an assistant coach for Team USA at the 2024 Olympic Games. In Paris, Lindauer worked directly with Guiliano as he turned in a World record-breaking performance en route to Olympic Gold in the 4x100m freestyle relay, along with a silver medal in the 4x200m freestyle relay.

Prior to Notre Dame, Lindauer spent 13 seasons at Louisville, most recently serving as associate head coach. During his tenure, Lindauer coached numerous Olympians and 12 NCAA champions, with his student-athletes earning more than 100 All-America honors.

His time in Louisville was highlighted by the Cardinals’ first ACC men’s title in 2021, as well as a historic 2019 season in which Louisville became the first ACC school to have both the men’s and women’s teams earn top-five finishes at the NCAA Championships in the same season, a program-best finish for both teams.

With the Cardinals, Lindauer coached Kelsi Worrell (2012-16), a two-time NCAA champion and 2016 Olympic Gold medalist in the 4x100m medley relay. Lindauer was also key in the development of two-time NCAA champion Nick Albiero (2017-22), and Mallory Comerford (2015-19), a four-time national champion and the first woman in ACC history to earn Swimmer of the Year honors in three consecutive seasons.

A native of Westminster, Colorado, Lindauer also swam collegiately at Louisville, where he was a four-time Big East champion and seven-time All-Big East selection. He graduated in 2008 with a degree in Biology.

Lindauer arrives on The Farm with his wife, Beth, and their three sons, Jack, Owen, and Brady.

The hiring is contingent on the successful completion of a background check.