Connect with us

Sports

Texas Adds World Junior Record Holder and British Sprint Champion, Eva Okaro, for 2025

Fitter and Faster Swim Camps is the proud sponsor of SwimSwam’s College Recruiting Channel and all commitment news. For many, swimming in college is a lifelong dream that is pursued with dedication and determination. Fitter and Faster is proud to honor these athletes and those who supported them on their journey. British Olympian Eva Okaro […]

Published

on

Texas Adds World Junior Record Holder and British Sprint Champion, Eva Okaro, for 2025

Fitter and Faster Swim Camps is the proud sponsor of SwimSwam’s College Recruiting Channel and all commitment news. For many, swimming in college is a lifelong dream that is pursued with dedication and determination. Fitter and Faster is proud to honor these athletes and those who supported them on their journey.

British Olympian Eva Okaro has signed with the University of Texas and will head to Austin next fall to join the women’s swimming and diving team. At the time of her verbal commitment, she wrote:

“I am so excited to announce my verbal commitment to the University of Texas where I will continue my athletic and academic career. I am super grateful for this opportunity, looking forward to seeing what the future holds. HOOK EM’🤘🔥

Okaro specializes in sprint free and fly. She is currently competing at the Aquatics GB Swimming Championships 2025, taking place this week in London, and has so far won national titles in the 50 free (24.48) and 50 fly (26.19), both with lifetime bests. She’ll swim the 100 fly on Saturday and the 100 free on Sunday.

She is the reigning World Junior Record-holder in the SCM 50 free, having taken down Anastasyia Shkurdai’s previous WJR mark (23.69) with 23.66 in the final at 2024 Short Course World Championships in Budapest last December. Okaro finished just off the podium in fourth place behind Gretchen Walsh (22.83 World Record), Kate Douglass (23.05), and Kasia Wasick (23.37). She became the second-fastest British swimmer of all time with the swim, trailing only Fran Halsall who clocked a 23.44 in 2009.

Okaro was featured in British Vogue when she became the first black woman to represent Team GB in the swimming pool at the Olympics last summer in Paris. She swam a leg on Great Britain’s women’s 4×100 free relay in both the prelims and the final, splitting 53.84 and 53.75, respectively. She first broke onto the international scene at age 14 when she represented Team GB at the 2021 LEN European Junior Championships in Rome and took home a bronze medal in the 50 free with 25.45, after going 25.33 in the semi-finals.

Okaro and her twin sister Izzy Okaro grew up in Kent. Both elite swimmers, they now board at Repton School in Derby, about 3 hours to the north.

Best times (converted):

  SCM LCM
50 free 23.66 (21.31) 24.48 (21.33)
100 free 54.01 (48.65) 54.45 (47.61)
50 fly 25.83 (23.27) 26.19 (22.96)
100 fly 1:00.07 (54.11) 59.44 (52.28)

The Longhorns finished third in the team standings at the 2025 NCAA Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships, getting edged by Stanford, 417-394, for second place. Okaro’s best converted 50 free time would have landed her in the A final, where she would have placed 5th. She also would have been a welcome addition to Texas’s sprint relays. She will begin next fall with the other members of the class of 2029: Haley McDonald, Avery Collins, Sarah Rodrigues, Ella Mongenel, and Nikolett Padar.

If you have a commitment to report, please send an email with a photo (landscape, or horizontal, looks best) and a quote to [email protected].

About the Fitter and Faster Swim Tour 

Fitter & Faster Swim Camps feature the most innovative teaching platforms for competitive swimmers of all levels. Camps are produced year-round throughout the USA and Canada. All camps are led by elite swimmers and coaches. Visit fitterandfaster.com to find or request a swim camp near you.

FFT SOCIAL

Instagram – @fitterandfasterswimtour
Facebook – @fitterandfastertour
Twitter – @fitterandfaster

FFT is a SwimSwam partner.

Sports

Final track poll keeps Central squads in top 25

Story Links NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA — The Central College men’s and women’s track and field programs combined to have 23 individual entries into the national top-50 lists, keeping both teams in the top-25 in the latest United States Track & Field and Cross Country Association National Team Rating Index, released Tuesday. […]

Published

on



NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA — The Central College men’s and women’s track and field programs combined to have 23 individual entries into the national top-50 lists, keeping both teams in the top-25 in the latest United States Track & Field and Cross Country Association National Team Rating Index, released Tuesday.

The Dutch men came in at No. 22 and the women are No. 24.

Points in the National Team Rating Index are based off placement in the National Descending Order Lists. The higher an athlete sits on the top-50 list, the more points he or she adds to his or her team’s total. These points do not reflect placement or scoring at the NCAA Championships but are to show the individuals and teams that have the best chances at scoring well at said meet.

Central’s women had eight individual entries and two relay squads in the national top 50 list, headlined by Olivia Bohlen (junior, Belle Plaine) at No. 3 in the heptathlon (5,045 points) and Peyton Steffen (junior, Marion) at No. 4 in the 3,000-meter steeplechase (10 minutes, 33.21 seconds).

The Dutch men had 15 individual entries, most prominently Kale Hobart (sophomore, Mason City) at No. 2 in the heptathlon (6,922 points) and Gunner Meyer (junior, Fairbank, Wapsie Valley HS) at No. 6 in the 110-meter hurdles (14.10 seconds).

The University of Wisconsin – La Crosse is No. 1 on the men’s list and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology is the top women’s team heading into this weekend’s NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Geneva, Ohio.

 



Link

Continue Reading

Sports

Four Men’s Track and Field athletes set for NCAA Division II Championship, action begins Thursday

Story Links PUEBLO, Colo. – The Lock Haven men’s track and field team is set to send four athletes, Matthew Muthler (Decathlon), Eric Zalar (Hammer), Ryan Miller (400-Meter) and Peter Bellomo (Javelin) to Pueblo, Colorado to compete on the biggest stage in the NCAA Division II Track and Field Championship hosted by Colorado State […]

Published

on


PUEBLO, Colo. – The Lock Haven men’s track and field team is set to send four athletes, Matthew Muthler (Decathlon), Eric Zalar (Hammer), Ryan Miller (400-Meter) and Peter Bellomo (Javelin) to Pueblo, Colorado to compete on the biggest stage in the NCAA Division II Track and Field Championship hosted by Colorado State University-Pueblo.
 
The NCAA Division II Track and Field Championships will take place at the CSU Pueblo Thunder Bowl in Pueblo, Colorado, hosted by Colorado State University–Pueblo on May 22-24.

“Our teams have had a historic season and to have four men qualify for the NCAA Championships is the icing on the cake,” head coach Aaron Russell said. “It is such an amazing opportunity for each of them to capitalize on the hard work they’ve put in over the last 12 months.  Both Matthew and Ryan returned for graduate school this year to use their final year of eligibility, so to see their sacrifice and dedication pay off is really heartwarming.  They’ve both contributed so much to our programs and I’m really excited to see them leave their mark on the national stage.  Sophomores Peter Bellomo and Eric Zalar might be making their outdoor national debuts as well, but nobody should count them out from making runs at All-America accolades.  Both have been at or near the top of every competition they’ve competed in this year, and I think you’ll see that experience pay off in Colorado.”

 

2025 NCAA DII Outdoor Track & Field Championship

May 22 – 24 (Thursday – Saturday)

CSU Pueblo Thunderbowl | Colorado State University-Pueblo | Pueblo, Colo.

 

CHAMPIONSHIP HOME PAGE

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

LEONE TIMING

LIVE VIDEO

 

2025 Pennsylvania State Athletic Championships (PSAC) Indoor Champion and All-American in the Heptathlon, Matt Muthler, is seeded fourth going into the championship week after his record setting performance of 7355 points, which was a new point total for the PSAC All-Time, PSAC Championship meet, and a new Lock Haven program record.

 

Muthler will start the championship meet for the Bald Eagles when he competes in five of the decathlon events on Thursday (May 22). The following events on day one of the two-day decathlon will 100-Meter at 10:30 a.m. (12:30 p.m. EST), Long Jump at 1:15 p.m. (3:15 p.m. EST)*, Shot Put at 2:25 p.m. (4:25 p.m. EST)*, High Jump at 3:30 p.m. (5:30 p.m.)* and 400-Meter at 5:15 p.m. (7:15 p.m.)*.

 

On Friday (May 23) Muthler will compete in the 110-Meter Hurdles at 9:30 a.m. (11:30 a.m. EST)*, Discus Throw at 10:20 a.m. (12:20 p.m. EST)*, Pole Vault at 11:30 a.m. (1:30 p.m. EST)*, Javelin Throw at 1:50 p.m. (3:50 p.m. EST)* and 1500-Meter at 2:55 p.m. (4:55 p.m. EST)*

 

*Indicates estimate times

 

In the hammer throw, Eric Zalar earned his trip with a throw of 200-1 at the Penn Relays. The throw was the second furthest in program history. Zalar goes into the championship seeded 15th out of 22. He will throw on Thursday (May 22) at 3:30 p.m. (5:30 p.m. EST).

 

Ryan Miller is seeded 20th after his time Lock Haven program record time of 46.74 in the 400-meter. The 400-meter preliminary round will be on Thursday (May 22) at 5:55 p.m. (7:55 p.m. EST). The finals for that event will be on Saturday (May 24) at 6:30 p.m. (8:30 p.m. EST).

 

Peter Bellomo threw his best javelin throw at the Lock Haven Qualifier with a mark of 213-5, which is the fifth-best throw in program history. The throw from the Lock Haven Qualifier puts P. Bellomo 21st going into the NCAA Championship and will throw on Saturday (May 24) at 2:45 p.m. (4:45 p.m. EST).

 



Link

Continue Reading

Sports

Calvary Chapel boys volleyball falls in CIF championship — The Downey Patriot

NORWALK — After a history-making run through the CIF-Southern Section D9 Boys Volleyball playoffs, the season came to an end for the Calvary Chapel (Downey) team Saturday (May 17). It was an unprecedented run for the Grizzlies, as they made school history by advancing to their first-ever championship match. After a monumental come-from-behind semifinal victory […]

Published

on


NORWALK — After a history-making run through the CIF-Southern Section D9 Boys Volleyball playoffs, the season came to an end for the Calvary Chapel (Downey) team Saturday (May 17).

It was an unprecedented run for the Grizzlies, as they made school history by advancing to their first-ever championship match.

After a monumental come-from-behind semifinal victory over Beverly Hills, the Grizzlies fell short to the California Academy of Math & Science (CAMS), in straight sets, 3-0, in the final.

CAMS defeated the Grizzlies, 25-16, 25-20, 25-19.

Calvary finished the season at 7-12 overall.

The Grizzlies, however, have a bright future, as they will graduate only four seniors and will have two seniors and six underclassmen (four sophomores, two juniors) leading the way in 2026.

“That’s one of the good things about them, is having such a senior core that was able to teach and uplift these upcoming freshmen,” Calvary third-year head coach Jeremiah Mitte said. “They are the future, and I think my boys understood that as well and they did their best to try to protect and uplift as they went through (the season). My players played their hearts out.

“I’m proud for my boys and proud of everything that we were able to accomplish. It (the loss) stings, because of how everything played out and they gave everything that they had, and they are just so much stronger. (Saturday) was just not our day.”

Calvary interim athletic director Nathan Tachin, who was holding the runner-up plaque, said of the team, “I’m really proud of the boys,” he said. “They worked really hard for this. They did what they did and still am very proud of them.

“League play helped us big time and having the tie breakers really helped us, seeding-wise in the division. Even getting the runner-up is still a blessing and getting a banner in general to say, “CIF Finalists.”

Tachin had great things to say about his third-year head coach. “I’m really proud of coach (Jeremiah) Mitte,” he said. “I’ve known him for about 15 years. He actually coached me while I was in junior high and high school. He’s been put in many positions and has strived in every one of them.”

Senior outside hitter Jonah Heinz led the Grizzlies with five kills in the match, while sophomore opposite Andrew Rubio had four kills. Freshman middle blocker Blake Roemheld, junior setter Luke Neff and senior outside hitter Corey De Wit added two kills each. Senior middle blocker Alejandro Sactic had one. As a team, the Grizzlies had only 16 kills in the match.

“I’m proud of the team,” Heinz said. “We should have won that game. It wasn’t a team that we should have lost to.”

CAMS totaled 37 kills as senior opposite Alfredo Lopez led with nine kills, while freshman middle Joseph Cha and freshman outside Anay Saran added eight and seven kills, respectively.

The first set saw the Grizzlies take an early, 7-2 lead behind two kills from Heinz. The Coyotes then went on an 11-1 run to lead, 13-8. They never trailed the rest of the way.

Calvary closed to within four points, 15-11 on errors by the Coyotes. CAMS ended the set on another run, outscoring the Grizzlies, 7-2, with Heinz added his third kill in that run for Calvary.

Senior libero Stephen So led the Grizzlies with eight digs, while Heinz added five. Neff led with six assists.

The second set was even for the most part through the first 34 points, as it was tied, 17-17. Trailing, 15-8, the Grizzlies got right back into the set with four consecutive points, all while Neff was serving. He started the 4-0 run with a kill, as he tipped the ball over for a point.

That was followed by three errors by CAMS to trail by three, 15-12.

After a couple of points by the Coyotes, Calvary won three points on three more errors by CAMS, to trail, 17-16. With Roemheld serving, Sactic had a block for a kill to even the set at 17-17.

After a service error by CAMS, De Wit had a kill to trail, 20-19. However, the Coyotes finished off the set with a 5-1 run to win, 25-20 and take a 2-0 lead in the match.

Heinz and Rubio lead with two kills each in the set. The Coyotes had 11 kills to lead the way. So and De Wit led with eight and five digs each, while Neff added five assists.

With their backs against the wall and needing a win to get back into the match, the Grizzlies matched CAMS point-for-point all the way through a 15-15 tie. De Wit and Rubio had the only kills of the set for Calvary up to that point.



Link

Continue Reading

Sports

How The Plague Uses Horror to Capture Male Adolescence

“The Plague” filmmaker Charlie Polinger simply wanted to make a film that actually reflected his adolescent experiences. “I see a lot of movies about 12 year old boys that are often either a little more ‘Goonies’-style biking around at night [that are about] this kind of carefree feeling or a little more bro-y hangout kind […]

Published

on


“The Plague” filmmaker Charlie Polinger simply wanted to make a film that actually reflected his adolescent experiences.

“I see a lot of movies about 12 year old boys that are often either a little more ‘Goonies’-style biking around at night [that are about] this kind of carefree feeling or a little more bro-y hangout kind of movies. My sense of being 12 was it was more like [a] social anxiety hellscape,” Polinger told Executive Awards Editor Steve Pond at TheWrap’s Cannes Conversations in partnership with Brand Innovators.

“You see that [represented] more commonly, I think, in movies about women or about young girls, [movies] like ‘Carrie’ and ‘Raw’ and ‘Eighth Grade.’ You don’t see it as often in films about boys because there’s a certain vulnerability to [being] the object of terror or to [feel] insecurity in your body. There’s sort of a fear of that vulnerability being shown [when it is] centered around masculinity,” Polinger observed. “I thought it could be exciting to kind of take a genre that I’ve seen more with women and apply it to a story about boyhood.”

The resulting film, “The Plague,” marks Polinger’s feature directorial debut. It follows Ben (Everett Blunck), a young boy at a water polo summer camp for boys headed by an adult male instructor (Joel Edgerton). Ben quickly finds himself torn between his fear of being ostracized and his conscience when the camp’s other boys begin to bully Eli (Kenny Rasmussen), a fellow campmate whose skin condition prompts his bullies to declare that he has “the plague” and run screaming loudly in the other direction whenever he comes near.

Sharon Waxman, Kristen Stewart, The Chronology of Water, Cannes 2025

“I’m actually a very bad swimmer,” Polinger revealed with a laugh when asked how he conceived the film’s story. “It came from experiences I had going to some all-boys summer camps, and my experiences at those and my experiences being that age in school and in general — and wanting to tell a story that felt like it really immersed the audience in the subjective experience of being a 12-year-old boy and all of the sort of chaos and anxiety that comes with that.”

Polinger wrote the film while he was staying at his parents’ house during the COVID-19 pandemic, but it was not until Edgerton agreed to star in it years later that Polinger was finally able to put “The Plague” together. “I think at first [Joel] was actually inquiring about directing it, and I was like, ‘I really have to do this one,’” Polinger recalled. “He was [then] generous enough to offer to act in it and help produce it, just to help get it made. That was really the thing that took us over the edge and [helped us find] the financing.”

While Polinger notes that “The Plague” is not a “traditional horror film,” the thing that always excited him about the project was the chance it would give him to immerse viewers in its young protagonist’s perspective — where things that adult viewers might not think are a big deal feel like they have “like and death stakes.” “That’s where the genre stuff came from,” Polinger said, before revealing that he even looked at war films for reference.

“Every single glance and every whisper feels dangerous,” the director explained. “I really was just trying to think about how Ben, the protagonist, would feel in any given moment, and [I tried to] find ways to cinematically evoke his interior state through the external world.”

Watch the full video below.

Dr. Stacy Smith and Sharon Waxman speak at the “How Data-Driven Inclusion Is Winning Over Audiences” panel at TheWrap’s Cannes Conversations in partnership with Brand Innovators. (Credit: Brand Innovators/TheWrap)



Link

Continue Reading

Sports

MASN to air Orioles & Nats minor league games

BALTIMORE — The Orioles flagship station, MASN is continuing its recent shakeup by adding minor league baseball game telecasts. Later this month the network will begin covering the O’s and Nationals farm systems. Minor league games will air live across MASN, MASN2, and MASN+. Here’s a look at the preliminary schedules. “We are excited to […]

Published

on

MASN to air Orioles & Nats minor league games

BALTIMORE — The Orioles flagship station, MASN is continuing its recent shakeup by adding minor league baseball game telecasts.

Later this month the network will begin covering the O’s and Nationals farm systems.

Minor league games will air live across MASN, MASN2, and MASN+.

Here’s a look at the preliminary schedules.

MASN minor league schedule
MASN Minor League schedule

“We are excited to announce the addition of these minor league games, which will allow both Nationals and Orioles fans to see the franchises’ stars of tomorrow on MASN today and further connect them to their teams,” said GREG BADER, MASN Executive Vice President and General Manager.

Last month the network launched MASN+, giving Birds and Nats fans first time streaming abilities.

While Baltimore and MASN are locked-in on a long term television rights deal, Washington games will be up for grabs at season’s end following a settlement earlier this year.

Continue Reading

Sports

Hannah Caiola Named NE10 Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year

Story Links NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Southern Connecticut Women’s Outdoor Track & Field standout Hannah Caiola was named The Northeast 10 Conference Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year for the 2025 season, as announced by the conference on May 20th.  Caiola completes the season sweep of the award after also being […]

Published

on


NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Southern Connecticut Women’s Outdoor Track & Field standout Hannah Caiola was named The Northeast 10 Conference Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year for the 2025 season, as announced by the conference on May 20th. 

Caiola completes the season sweep of the award after also being named the NE10 Indoor Track Athlete of the Year. She has been absolutely dominant on the track this season. Coming off a decorated indoor season, she broke the SCSU Outdoor Record in the 400m Dash with a time of 52.36. That is currently the #2 time in all of Division II, and ranks in the top-40 across all divisions. She brought home three golds at the 2025 Northeast-10 Conference Championships, winning the 200m, 400m, and 4×100, and was named the meet’s Most Outstanding Track Performer. Most recently, she won the New England Championships in the 200m Dash with a personal-best time of 23.81, which ranks 35th in all of Division II. It is also the second-fastest 200m time in program history. She was also an All-East Region performer in four events (200m, 400m, 4×100, 4×400). 

Caiola will compete in her third-straight NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field National Championships in Pueblo, Colorado from May 22nd-24th. 


 



Link

Continue Reading

Most Viewed Posts

Trending