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The final event of the Freeride World Tour Challenger series took place at Arapahoe Basin April 15-16. Edwards skier Joey Leonardo placed fourth no the second day to punch his ticket to the Freeride World Tour next winter.Casey Day/FWT Edwards skier Joey Leonardo has qualified for the 2026 Freeride World Tour (FWT). The 22-year-old placed […]

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April 18, 2025

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The final event of the Freeride World Tour Challenger series took place at Arapahoe Basin April 15-16. Edwards skier Joey Leonardo placed fourth no the second day to punch his ticket to the Freeride World Tour next winter.
*Casey Day/FWT*

Edwards skier Joey Leonardo has qualified for the 2026 Freeride World Tour (FWT). The 22-year-old placed fourth at the final stop of FWT Challenger series at Arapahoe Basin on Wednesday to wind up second in the overall season rankings. He’ll join Glenwood Springs skier Kelly Hilleke — who won the second event at the two-day competition at A-Basin and was the overall season champion as well — and nine other athletes from Region 2 on next year’s FWT.

“Boy am I excited about it,” Leonardo said. “It’s a childhood dream come true.”

The FWT Challenger series is the penultimate step to the FWT, which is the highest level of freeride skiing and snowboarding on the planet. Nine Region 1 (Europe, Oceania and Asia) and nine Region 2 (North and South America) athletes are awarded slots on the FWT based upon their season rankings on the FWT Challenger circuit, which included four scheduled stops this year.

Leonardo won the FWT World Junior championship in 2020 and placed eighth in 2021. Never a member of an official ski team, Leonardo was coached by his dad, Jeff, who grew up in New Jersey and didn’t start to ski until his late teens.

Joey Leonardo goes big at the Freeride Junior World Championship in Verbier, Switzerland, on March 31, 2021. Leonardo finished eighth.

“I couldn’t have done it without him, and my mom as well,” Leonardo said. “I’m eternally grateful for everything they’ve done for me. I definitely wouldn’t be here without them.”

The 2021 Battle Mountain graduate has spent the last four years pursuing a degree at Montana State University, honing his freeride skills at nearby Bridger Bowl. His results database is a little sparse — he only competed in one competition each year from 2022-2024 — as he leaned into his studies more than the slopes. It’s been worth it though: Leonardo graduates in a couple weeks with a major in environmental science with a land and rehabilitation focus and a minor in Spanish.

“I know skiing is not entirely a reliable career and getting an education is a good thing, so I’ve definitely prioritized that,” he said.

This past winter, however, Leonardo took advantage of having just a three-credit course load. He competed at four FWT Qualifier events — which included a pair of victories at Copper Mountain and a bronze at Crested Butte — and three FWT Challenger competitions. His original goal was to accumulate enough points to make it into the four-star competitions for next year.

The first Challenger stop at Whitewater in Canada was canceled due to unsafe conditions. Without the guarantee of an eventual makeup competition in A-Basin, Leonardo knew he couldn’t fall at stop No. 2 at Kirkwood Mountain Resort on March 29-31, as final rankings are determined by an athlete’s two best results.

“I just tried to play it smart,” he said of his mindset going into Kirkwood. “I didn’t try to do anything too crazy, just linked up a bunch of features, threw a left 3, right 3 in. I just wanted to stay on my feet, have a good run.”

He was rewarded with a victory.

“Honestly, if it wasn’t for that comp, I wouldn’t be on the tour next year,” Leonardo admitted before adding that he came into the Whitewater makeup event on April 15 at A-Basin with a similarly conservative approach. “I knew I was ahead and I figured if I just landed a good run, not doing anything too crazy again — like it worked in Kirkwood — that it would be good enough.”

He didn’t hold back too much, however, on the icy east wall of “The Legend,” turning two 360s in addition to a front and backflip off various features.

“I just didn’t do enough at the top,” Leonardo said of his 10th-place showing, which left his FWT dreams on life support going into the next day.

“It turned the pressure on for sure,” he continued. “I knew for the second day I would have to step my run up if I wanted to make it.”

The Edwards product, who grew up skiing mostly at Vail and Beaver Creek, did exactly that. He charged into “Tom and Jerry” with zero hesitation and popped a massive backflip into “narrow North Pole.” Then he stomped a left 360 into a front flip off the Hollywood wind lip midway through. He continued to rack up points on the lower section of the course, dropping another left 360 and a second back flip. At the bottom of “land of the giants,” he tweaked a safety grab through the hallway air cliff.

“The venue was awesome,” Leonardo said of A-Basin, which he only skied at once or twice growing up and not at all in the last seven years. “It could have used a bit more snow. It definitely added a scariness factor to the runs — there was a lot of no-fall zones.”

Hilleke took the win while Canadian Lochlan Harvey placed second and Aspen’s Canyon Cherney picked up the bronze. Even with a wooden medal, Leonardo left satisfied.

“It was just a great week and (I’m) thrilled with the outcome,” he said.

Joey Leonardo launches a front flip off a feature at A-Basin during the Freeride World Tour Challenger event on April 16.

FWT coming to the Olympics in 2030?

It’s an exciting time in the world of freeriding. The International Olympic Committee is expected to announce this year whether or not the sport should be included in the 2030 Olympic program.

“I just think that would be so cool — even if I didn’t get to participate — just for the growth of the sport,” Leonardo said. “But that’s in the future and I’m just looking forward to this next winter more than anything.”

Good news: there will be a global championship in 2026, too. The inaugural FIS Freeride World Championships are set for Feb. 1-6 in Andorra. Freeride is also coming back to the U.S. It was announced April 14 that the FWT will return to the country for the first time since 2017 as the YETI Alaska Pro brings athletes to the technical spines of Haines.

“Bringing the Tour back to Alaska has been a dream in the making for years,” stated Nicolas Hale-Woods, CEO and founder of FWT, in a press release. “Haines offers some of the most dramatic and respected terrain in the world—it’s the ultimate freeride venue.”

Alaska also hosted FWT events in 2015, 2016 and 2017. U.S. resorts have hosted more than 100 FWT Junior, Qualifier and Challenger events.

Next year, Leonardo plans to base himself out of Tacoma, Washington, but will spend a couple months in Europe over the winter since he’s guaranteed the first four FWT stops. If he can be in the top-13 at the finals qualification cut, he’d get to go to Alaska and earn FWT starting rights for next year as well.

“For awhile I’ve been saying that even just to get one winter on the tour, even if I wasn’t able to re-qualify, that would be sufficient. But I know as soon as I get a comp in or two, I’m definitely going to want to do this for another year,” he said. “Competing with the best of the best, I’m going to have to step my game up. But it’s just something I’ve really wanted for a really long time, so I’m excited to give it my best shot.”

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Track and Field Earns Three Top-Eight Finishes on Final Day of SEC Outdoor Championships

Story Links LEXINGTON, Ky. – University of Missouri track and field capped off the Southeastern Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships with three top-eight finishes on Saturday at UK Track & Field Complex. Ames Burton was the first scorer for the women’s team on the final day of competition, adding three points […]

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May 18, 2025

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LEXINGTON, Ky. – University of Missouri track and field capped off the Southeastern Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships with three top-eight finishes on Saturday at UK Track & Field Complex.

Ames Burton was the first scorer for the women’s team on the final day of competition, adding three points from a sixth-place finish in discus after a 54.40m (178-6) mark. On the men’s side, Skylar Coffey and Sterling Scott earned eighth-place finishes, with Coffey adding a point from discus with a season-best throw of 57.71m (189-4) and Scott’s 15.65m (51-4.25) in triple jump.

Tarique George joined Coffey in the top-10 finishers in men’s discus, taking ninth with a throw of 57.58m (188-11), a personal-best result. Kobi Walker and Mirriam Chepkirui posted individual records in the women’s 5000m, finishing 27th in 16:33.66 and 28th in 16:34.99, respectively.

In the men’s 5000m, Tyler Freiner closed out the day with a personal-record time of 14:08.81 to take 14th, just behind the team’s top finisher in the event, Drew Rogers, who earned a 12th-place result in 14:02.04.

UP NEXT

The Tigers continue postseason action at NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships West Region Preliminary Round at E.B. Cushing Stadium in College Station, Texas, on May 28-31. Competitors will receive a berth to the competition if they are ranked among the top 48 marks in the region in each event.

FOLLOW THE TIGERS

For all the latest on Mizzou Cross Country and Track & Field, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the teams on Facebook, Instagram and X (MizzouTFXC).

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Kennedy volleyball relies on survival skills to beat Esperanza in D5 final – Orange County Register

Kennedy volleyball players win the volleyball CIF Southern Section Division 5 Championships against Esperanza in Norwalk on Saturday, May 17, 2025. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG) Kennedy volleyball players win the volleyball CIF Southern Section Division 5 Championships against Esperanza in Norwalk on Saturday, May 17, 2025. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County […]

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May 18, 2025

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NORWALK – Kennedy’s boys volleyball team beat Esperanza in four close and entertaining sets, 23-25, 27-25, 25-20, 26-24, in the CIF Southern Section Division 5 championship match Saturday at Cerritos College.

As Fighting Irish senior libero Karl Narshall said afterward, “We survived.”

The athleticism and quality of play from both teams showed the depth of talent of Southern California high school boys volleyball. The match featured explosive kill shots, seemingly impossible digs and sharp serving from both teams.

It is the second boys volleyball championship for the Fighting Irish, who won their other title in 2017.

The Fighting Irish (20-10) continue their season in the CIF Southern California Regional playoffs that begin Tuesday. Regional brackets will be released Sunday. Six teams from CIF-SS Division 1 and the champions of Division 2-9 are invited to play in the regional.

Esperanza finished the 19-14.

Kennedy senior opposite hitter Logan Benda had 17 kills. Senior middle blocker Seth Sainz had 15 kills and sophomore outside hitter Kaiden Kim had seven kills.

Jaden Baena had 19 assists and Jason Narike had 16 assists.

Narike scored the match’s final two points with service aces.

Esperanza senior outside hitter had a match-high 22 kills. Senior outside hitter Tyler Lemmon added 16 kills for the Aztecs.

Travis Walker, in his 20th year coaching Kennedy’s boys volleyball team, said his team was close to self-destructing in various matches during the season.

“We knew we’ve had the most talent on the floor any time we’re out there,” Walker said. “It’s just a matter of, ‘Can we get through those three or four errors we’re going to make.’ That’s been our Achilles’ heel all year.”

Esperanza led for much of the first set and won it 25-23.

“If you play a team like Esperanza,” Walker said, “they’re going to take advantage of your errors and they did.”

Kennedy led most of the way in the second set. Esperanza caught up at 25-25 but the Irish won it 27-25.

Kennedy led all the way in the third set, a 25-21 win that ended with one of Sainz’s many high-velocity kills. The fourth set was a great back-and-forth battle, with Narike’s two aces to the back left corner providing the match-winning points.

Narshall said Kennedy has struggled with consistency at times.

“Volleyball is a momentum sport,” said Narshall, who had a team-leading nine digs Saturday. “It’s not all about huge plays and huge aces. It’s all about playing the game, winning the rally.

“We made a lot of errors in that last set, and we barely made it out alive.”

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No. 8 Baseball Blasts Old Dominion 12-1 to Cap Weekend Sweep

Story Links HAMPTON, Va. — No. 8 Coastal Carolina flexed the offense again on Saturday, routing Old Dominion 12-1 in seven innings at War Memorial Stadium to complete its sixth-straight weekend sweep and extend its winning streaks to 14 games overall and 18 games in […]

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May 18, 2025

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HAMPTON, Va. — No. 8 Coastal Carolina flexed the offense again on Saturday, routing Old Dominion 12-1 in seven innings at War Memorial Stadium to complete its sixth-straight weekend sweep and extend its winning streaks to 14 games overall and 18 games in Sun Belt Conference play.

The Chanticleers (44-11, 26-4 SBC) scored 11 runs over their final three at-bats and got a long-awaited home run from Ty Barrango, whose three-run blast to deep center in the sixth inning broke the game wide open. It was Barrango’s first home run since Opening Weekend and the exclamation point of a six-run frame.

Sebastian Alexander and Blake Barthol also homered for Coastal, while Chad Born and Colby Thorndyke combined for five RBIs. Barthol went 2-for-5 with his 11th long ball of the season and added a stolen base, while Alexander reached base four times and scored three runs.

Freshman Jaxon Appelman made his second career appearance and struck out five of the six batters he faced to close the door. Starter Riley Eikhoff, along with Luke Jones and Matthew Potok, held the Monarchs (21-29, 15-15 SBC) to just one run on six hits.

The Chants plated four runs in the fifth to take control before breaking it open with the six-run sixth. Barrango added a sacrifice fly in the fifth to finish with a career-high four RBIs.

NOTEBOOK

Series Sweep Streak Grows to Six: Coastal’s three-game sweep of Old Dominion marked its sixth consecutive weekend sweep and its 14th win in a row overall. The Chants have now won 18 consecutive Sun Belt Conference games and finish the regular season with a league-best 26-4 conference record.

Barrango Breaks Out: Shortstop Ty Barrango delivered a towering three-run homer to center field during the Chants’ six-run sixth inning. It was his first round-tripper since Feb. 15 against Kansas State. Barrango finished with four RBIs — the most in a game during his collegiate career — including a sacrifice fly in the fifth.

Appelman Dominates in Relief: Freshman right-hander Jaxon Appelman was electric in his second outing of the season. The 6-foot-5 reliever struck out five of the six batters he faced over two perfect innings, throwing 25 pitches and needing just 16 strikes to carve through the Monarchs.

Offensive Firepower Continues: The Chants have now scored 10 or more runs in 19 games this season. Saturday’s effort was powered by nine hits and six free passes. Coastal took advantage of six hit-by-pitches and three ODU errors to plate runs in bunches.

Top Performers:

Blake Barthol: 2-for-5, HR (11), 2 RBI, 2 R, SB

Sebastian Alexander: 2-for-3, HR (9), 2B, BB, 3 R, SB

Chad Born: 1-for-3, 3 RBI, HBP

Ty Barrango: 1-for-3, HR (2), 4 RBI

Jaxon Appelman: 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K

Up Next: Coastal Carolina will enter the Sun Belt Championship in Montgomery, Alabama, as the No. 1 overall seed. The tournament begins Tuesday.

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2025 NCAA Division III men’s and women’s outdoor track and field championships qualifiers announced

2025 NCAA Division III men’s and women’s outdoor track and field championships qualifiers announced | NCAA.com Skip to main content Link 0

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May 18, 2025

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2025 NCAA Division III men’s and women’s outdoor track and field championships qualifiers announced | NCAA.com

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Women’s Track & Field: Ariella Rogahn-Press Qualifies for NCAA Outdoor Championships

Story Links ST. PAUL, Minn. – Macalester College first year Ariella Rogahn-Press (Albuquerque, N.M./Bosque School) is set to compete at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in the 400 meters, the NCAA announced. The top 22 athletes who declare in each event qualify for the […]

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May 18, 2025

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ST. PAUL, Minn. – Macalester College first year Ariella Rogahn-Press (Albuquerque, N.M./Bosque School) is set to compete at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in the 400 meters, the NCAA announced. The top 22 athletes who declare in each event qualify for the NCAA Championships, which will be held May 22-24 at SPIRE Academy in Geneva, Ohio.

This is already the second NCAA national meet for Rogahn-Press, who placed sixth in the 400 meters to earn All-American honors at the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships in March. At the MIAC Outdoor Championships, held at Macalester Stadium May 9-10, she placed second in the 400 with Division III’s second-fastest time this season. Her time of 53.89 also is the 11th-fastest time ever run at the Division III level. Rogahn-Press also finished second in the 200 meters and helped the Scots’ 4×100 and 4×400-meter relay teams take fifth and fourth, respectively. Her performances earned her MIAC Outdoor Track & Field Rookie of the Year after receiving the same award for the indoor season.

Rogahn-Press is scheduled to run the 400 meters at 3:15 p.m. Eastern time on Friday, May 23. The top nine finishers in the prelims advance to Saturday’s final at 2:20 p.m. Eastern. The meet will be held at SPIRE Academy in Geneva, Ohio.

Participant List | Live Results | Live Video | Championships Website

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District 2 boys volleyball capsules – Scranton Times-Tribune

CLASS 3A Dates: Quarterfinals, Wednesday and Thursday; Semifinals, May 27; Final, May 29 at Scranton High School at 5 p.m. Advance to states: 1. Defending champion: Delaware Valley. Seeds: 1-Delaware Valley (9-3); 2-Abington Heights (12-4); 3-Wilkes-Barre Area (10-4); 4-Wyoming Valley West (5-7); 5-West Scranton (5-5); 6-Scranton (4-6); 7-Hazleton Area (2-12). Players to watch: Luke Peereboom […]

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39 minutes ago

May 18, 2025

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CLASS 3A

Dates: Quarterfinals, Wednesday and Thursday; Semifinals, May 27; Final, May 29 at Scranton High School at 5 p.m.

Advance to states: 1.

Defending champion: Delaware Valley.

Seeds: 1-Delaware Valley (9-3); 2-Abington Heights (12-4); 3-Wilkes-Barre Area (10-4); 4-Wyoming Valley West (5-7); 5-West Scranton (5-5); 6-Scranton (4-6); 7-Hazleton Area (2-12).

Players to watch: Luke Peereboom (DV) 143 kills, 22 blocks; Gino Gualadini (DV) 140 kills; Eric Choi (DV) 369 assists; Shawn Theodore (AH) 130 kills; Shane Brower (AH) 120 kills; Nolan Moore (AH) 88 kills; Jordany Rodriguez Disla (WBA) 154 kills, 247 digs; Reylie Ramirez (WBA) 90 kills, 52 service points; Tijan Njai (WBA) 325 assists; Zabwon Welch (WVW) 78 kills; Carlos Tecoti (WVW) 241 assists; Derek Romero (WVW) 112 digs.

Favorite: Delaware Valley. The Warriors have won the last two District 2 Class 3A championships, and despite suffering heavy losses of star players to graduation in 2024, the team is well coached and gaining momentum. Delaware Valley’s only loss in the WVC season came against undefeated Holy Redeemer.

Sleeper team: Wilkes-Barre Area. The Wolfpack did lose to Delaware Valley, 3-0, in the WVC regular-season finale. However, they have enough talent on the roster to fight their way into the final. An anticipated showdown against second-seeded Abington Heights could be one of the top matches of the season. In March, Abington Heights defeated Wilkes-Barre Area, 3-1.

Bottom line: Delaware Valley played a challenging schedule in the WVC and against District 11 powers Parkland and Bethlehem Freedom. Abington Heights went undefeated against Lackawanna League opponents and, like Delaware Valley, played teams from District 11 in its nonleague schedule. Delaware Valley and Abington Heights share common opponents in Bethlehem Freedom, Holy Redeemer, Wilkes-Barre Area, Crestwood, and Hazleton Area. Delaware Valley went 3-2, while Abington Heights went 2-3. Delaware Valley has an advantage due to its 3-1 victory over Crestwood, while Abington Heights suffered a 3-0 loss to the same team.

CLASS 2A

Dates: Quarterfinals, Tuesday; Semifinals, May 22; Final, May 29 at Scranton High School, 30 minutes after conclusion of Class 3A final.

Advance to states: 1.

Defending champion: Blue Ridge.

Seeds: 1-Holy Redeemer (16-0); 2-Crestwood (12-3); 3-Western Wayne (12-4); 4-Berwick (11-5); 5-Blue Ridge (11-5); 6-Nanticoke Area (9-6); 7-Valley View (10-5); 8-Dallas (7-8).

Players to watch: Josh Rocha (HR) 772 kills, 108 digs; Jack Wasiakowski (HR) 87 kills; 793 assists; JJ Stec (CRE) 323 kills; Thomas McLaughlin (CRE) 222 kills; Zach Koons (CRE) 623 assists; Luke Joseph (CRE) 325 digs; Vinny Silon (WW) 284 kills, 127 digs; John Pyatt (WW) 191 kills; Theo Black (WW) 514 assists; Carlos Guzman (BER) 128 kills; Jackson Matash (BER) 323 assists; Parker Glasgow (BR) 156 kills; Owen Martin (BR) 85 kills; Bryce Conklin (BR) 321 digs; Riley Phillips (BR) 397 assists; Zachary Zubritski (NAN) 98 kills; Luke Stevens (VV); Jagger Roe (VV); Carter Brunn (DAL) 173 kills.

Favorite: The Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches Association ranks Holy Redeemer fifth in the state for Class 2A. This dominant team powered through the regular season and lost only one set. Counting invitational tournaments, the Royals are 27-5 overall.

Sleeper team: Western Wayne is a team that could advance to the final. The Wildcats have a talented group and have won four straight matches to close the regular season. They also did battle with Crestwood in the season opener but lost 3-1.

Bottom line: It would be a monumental upset of epic proportions for a team to knock off Holy Redeemer. That is just a fact. The Royals are a powerhouse this season and proved so by dominating in the Wyoming Valley Conference. They have played and beaten five of the teams in the tournament and won each match, 3-0.

Originally Published: May 18, 2025 at 12:00 AM EDT

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