Tufts student-athletes are on a roll, as teams and individuals advance in post-season (and in some cases, post-graduation) competition.

Men’s Lacrosse

The top-ranked Jumbos played one of their best games of the season on May 18 in the NCAA Division III men’s lacrosse semifinals, exploding for 26 goals to knock off No. 5 Bowdoin College on Bello Field, and now head to the national title game for the third consecutive season. 

Tufts (21-0) will take on No. 17 Dickinson College (17-5) in the NCAA championship game on May 25 at 7 p.m. at Gillette Stadium, the first time Tufts has played a title game in Foxborough. It is the first meeting of the two teams. 

In the quarterfinals Tufts beat No. 7 Gettysburg College 17-8 on May 17, also on Bello Field. 

Women’s Lacrosse

The women’s lacrosse team narrowly edged No. 7 Salisbury, 8-7, after initially taking an 8-5 lead early in the fourth quarter of the NCAA women’s lacrosse quarterfinals at Bello Field on May 18. 

With the victory, the No. 1 ranked Tufts (20-1) returns to the NCAA Final Four for the third time in program history and the first since 2022. They will take on No. 6 Gettysburg College on May 23 at 7 p.m. at Kerr Stadium on the campus of Roanoke College in Salem, Virginia. 

Tuftsand Gettysburg have played just once before, when the Jumbos defeated the Bullets 16-9 in Gettysburg on May 23, 2022.

Men’s Tennis

The Jumbos picked up a resounding 4-1 win against RPI on May 11 to advance to the NCAA Division III men’s tennis championship quarterfinals in Claremont, California against No. 6 Emory. It is their fourth straight season at the NCAA finals site, and their third straight match against a ranked opponent.

The Jumbos enter the quarterfinal round with a 22-2 record and were ranked No. 3 in the most recent Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) poll. Both Vuk Vuksanovic and Javier Gonzalez will compete later in May in the NCAA individual championships in singles and doubles.

Women’s Track and Field

The women’s track and field squad has eight entries in the NCAA Division III outdoor track and field championships on May 22-24 at the SPIRE Institute in Geneva, Ohio. 

Arielle Chechile (400-meter hurdles), Makayla Moriarty (400-meter dash), Harper Meek (high jump), Elysse Cumberland (long jump, triple jump), Jordan Andrew (long jump, triple jump), and Jackie Wells (javelin) will compete on behalf of Tufts. 

Men’s Track and Field

The Jumbos picked up a trio of entries in the NCAA outdoor men’s track and field championships on May 22-24 at the SPIRE Institute in Geneva, Ohio. 

Amokrane Aouchiche will compete in the 10,000-meter run; Josh Wilkie will take on the 400-meter hurdles; and Sahr Matturi will be in the long jump competition. 

Women’s Rowing 

The Jumbos received an automatic berth into the NCAA DIII women’s rowing championships after winning the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) championship race on May 11 for the second straight year.

The NCAA championships will be held May 30-31 at Mercer Lake in West Windsor, New Jersey. Eight teams were selected for the 2025 DIII rowing championships, with each team consisting of two boats (first varsity and second varsity). Tufts is the defending NCAA champion, winning its first national title last year in Bethel, Ohio. This is Tufts’ seventh berth into NCAAs overall, and second straight as an automatic qualifier.

Men’s Rowing

For the fourth year in a row, the men’s rowing team has earned an at-large berth into the Intercollegiate Rowing Association (IRA) Division III national championship regatta coming up May 30-31 on Cooper River in Camden, New Jersey.

The IRA national championship first included a DIII championship in 2022. Tufts has qualified for all four subsequent IRA DIII championships. The Jumbos were one of seven teams that earned the inaugural DIII berths in 2022 and finished as the national runner-up, with only the first varsity competing. At the last two IRA championships, both first and second varsity eights have raced. The Jumbos placed fifth in 2023 and tied for second in 2024.

Women’s Sailing

The women’s sailing team earned an at-large berth into the 2025 Intercollegiate Sailing Association (ICSA) Fleet Race national championship, which will be hosted by St. Mary’s College (Maryland) May 20-23.

Thirty-six teams will compete at the event, first in a pair of 18-team semifinal regattas. The top nine teams from each semifinal will advance to a two-day final.

Coed Sailing

The Jumbos received an at-large selection into the 2025 Intercollegiate Sailing Association (ICSA) Fleet Race national championship. The ICSA Open championship will be hosted by St. Mary’s College (Maryland) May 24-27.

Thirty-six teams will compete at the national championship regatta, first in a pair of 18-team semifinal events. The top nine teams from each semifinal will advance to a two-day final. 

Tufts will be one of 13 schools representing the strong New England Intercollegiate Sailing Association at the national championship. The Jumbos had a 10th-place finish at the 2025 New England Fleet Race championship April 19-20 in Rhode Island.

ROCKTON, Ill. (WIFR) – Two athletes on Hononegah’s girls track and field team signed their papers to compete in the sport in college.

Isabella Trout will run cross country at Rockford University and will be on the school’s inaugural track and field team.

Off the track she has a perfect 4.0 gpa. On the track coaches said she runs too much though it shows this is more than a sport to her. They also applauded her dedication to cheering on teammates at meet even when she can’t compete.

“With the injuries it’s definitely sometimes wavered but even through it my teammates have been overly supportive,” said Trout. “It’s amazing that I can still continue to watch them. Even when they are injured, I continue to support them so it’s a lot of support on support being able to come back from these injuries.”

Trout’s teammate Emma Kuo signed to run track at Augustana college in Rock Island. She said she loved how close the team felt and the beauty of the campus. She received other offers but wanted to run at a school the size of Augustana’s.

She said her favorite memory with the Indians track team is hanging out with teammates after meets.

She also comes from a family of runners.

“The day I beat my mom’s personal record was so exciting. We took a lot of pictures together,” said Kuo. “I beat my dad’s mile personal record, he really wasn’t a runner, but he did a timed trial in college.”

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LEXINGTON – The Lexington boys volleyball team proved its merit in the Div. 1 state title conversation alongside the Bay State Conference’s quadrant of titans Monday night.

But No. 1 Brookline, however slim, proved its edge.

A chaotic environment against a nonleague, unfamiliar power fueled a rollercoaster of a rock-fight on the road, though the Warriors (16-1) overcame late deficits in the first two sets en route to a 3-1 win (27-25, 26-24, 23-25, 25-17) over the No. 7 Minutemen – snapping their program-record 17-game win streak.

Kris Vaivars (27 kills) and Alec Smagula (47 assists) led yet another star-studded performance, supported by a long list of complementary performances.

The end result was a gutsy win that felt like one of the most significant of the season to date – even considering the 5-1 record Brookline posted against No. 2 Natick, No. 4 Needham and No. 5 Newton North.

“This win, even though we won in four, I think it was a great win,” said Warriors head coach Lexi De La Cruz. “We didn’t know what to expect. I talked to my guys, I thought this team gave us one of the best games we have played in so far. They played better than how Needham played us. They played better than – even (in the loss to Natick), we were playing sloppy. … It felt like this was a great win based on the level the other team was playing.”

Lexington brought tenacity, composure and high-level play from the opening serve, trading thunderous kills, eye-opening defense, and long rallies throughout in front of a rowdy crowd fit for state tournament game. Ale Luciani (18 kills) and Nadav Vachtel (10 kills, two blocks) paced the Minutemen (17-2), who then saw Adam Mann (eight kills) step up in the third and fourth sets once fellow standout hitter Nic Sanchez de Rojas (six kills, two aces) left with injury.

In the first set, Lexington battled back from down 22-20 to take a 25-24 lead on Mahin Rajesh’s (22 assists, two blocks, two kills) kill. In the second, it led 22-20 before clawing back from a 4-0 Brookline run with a Xander Jackson (four blocks, four kills) block to force extra points again at 24-24. And in the third, the Minutemen answered a 3-0 run from Brookline – which made it 23-23 – with consecutive Luciani kills to force a fourth set.

“It definitely felt different today,” De La Cruz said. “Dealing with (that) adversity helps us.”

Vaivars posted at least five kills in all four sets, and Smagula makes the Brookline attack run at a high level. But in each of those moments, the Warriors’ supporting cast proved the difference.

Teammates raved about Liam Raybould’s (eight kills, four blocks) night. Amir Tomer (five kills, block) passed extremely well. Kais Al-Fakhuri (three kills, three blocks) and Zachary Spencer (five kills, two blocks) combined for several key plays in critical times at the net, Jacob Lam served well, and Conor Christopher (four kills, block) was an offensive spark.

“I think we just have a deeper roster,” De La Cruz said. “Our role players are doing key parts. We definitely have Kris and Alec, but every single one of our players produces something unique that helps us win. … That’s the difference.”

Lexington seemed bound to win at least one set after the way it fought in the first two. Once it did, though, Brookline answered with a 25-17 fourth set that featured a 10-2 run in the early stages.

“When you lose a (set), you have to prove something,” De La Cruz said. “Proving that is coming out strong and winning the next set like we did.”

BUFFALO, NY – Makhia Laster (Buffalo, NY/Tapestry Charter) of the Buffalo State outdoor track and field team has officially qualified for the 2025 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships next week. Laster will compete in what has become her signature event in the long jump. The meet will be hosted in Geneva, OH at the SPIRE Institute from May 22-24 with the women’s long jump taking place on Thursday, May 22.
 
Laster earns a spot at her fourth straight national meet between indoor and outdoor. She finished third in the event at NCAA Championships last season while earning First Team All-America status. In addition, she earned Second Team All-America status in each of the last two indoor seasons between the long jump and 60-meter dash. Laster holds the school record in the long jump for both indoor (5.80 meters) and outdoor (5.99 meters) and has won each of the last four SUNYAC titles in the event. Currently sitting ninth in the country in the event, Laster aims to make one last mark on her legacy at Buffalo State.

Laster quickly emerged as one of the top track athletes to compete at Buffalo State in program history. Entering NCAA Championships, Laster earned six SUNYAC Championships, 17 All-SUNYAC honors, 10 USTFCCCA All-Region honors, four All-America honors, and earned the Buffalo State Ruth Houston Award for Female Most Outstanding Career. She set her season-best mark of 5.97 meters last week at AARTFC Regionals.

 

LARAMIE, Wyo. (May 19, 2025) – University of Wyoming Athletics has announced a multi-year extension with Cowgirl Volleyball Head Coach Kaylee Prigge. The extension runs through the 2027 season.

“I am eternally grateful to love what I do and who I do it with,” said Prigge.

“We are thrilled to have the opportunity to continue growing and building Wyoming Volleyball for this community and the state of Wyoming. I want to thank Tom Burman, Taylor Stuemky and our entire administration for their support of the program and trust in our staff. Our athletics department is special because of the high-level commitment to every UW team. We truly are one state, one university and one team.”

In her first two campaigns at Wyoming, Prigge has led the Cowgirls to back-to-back national postseason appearances, UW has played in each of the last two NIVC Tournaments, advancing to the Great Eight Round in both seasons. In her two seasons, Prigge has led the Cowgirls to 39 victories.

As head coach, Prigge has guided six Cowgirls to All-Mountain West honors while seven student-athletes have been named to the CSC Academic All-District Team.

“Our future is bright and that is because of the group of young women that make up Cowgirl Volleyball. Their commitment to the development and growth of our program, is what I am most proud of and excited to continue. GO POKES!”

-WYO-

Up next in the women’s competition is Morgane Herculano. Morgane placed 11th at the World Aquatics Championships in Doha 2024 and ready to show the world what she has been training for in the World Championships in Singapore 2025. 

We put Morgane into the question-and-answer hot seat. Here’s what we got from her:

When asked about her ideal landmark to dive in front of, Morgane didn’t hesitate. “Maybe the bridge in San Francisco. the Golden Gate! Yes, the Golden Gate,” she said. Combining iconic architecture with her thrilling sport would be an unforgettable moment.

Of all the places Morgane has competed, Doha holds a special place in her heart. “The view, the way they set up the pool, and having all four sports together at the World Championships—it was incredible.” It was also her first World Championships, making it even more memorable.

If Morgane could invite anyone to watch her perform, her pick is presidential. “Barack Obama,” she said. With such a respected audience member, her dives would be even more impactful!

Morgane keeps it simple when preparing for a competition. “I eat a banana about an hour before diving,” she said. “It’s easy to digest and doesn’t make me feel heavy.” This practical snack ensures she’s fueled and focused.

Morgane draws inspiration from nature and majestic landscapes. One location on her wish list is “the big mountain in Chur,” a breathtaking Swiss destination. It’s a testament to her connection with natural beauty and her adventurous spirit.

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