California club’s girls 18 team heads to national championships
WHERE THEY’LL REPRESENT THE 831.. TAKING ON THE NATIONS BEST. VO- THE SAND CITY VOLLEYBALL CLUB’S 18 GOLD GIRLS TEAM.. IS HEADING OUT TO SALT LAKE CITY UTAH.. COMPETING IN USA VOLLEYBALL’S GIRLS JUNIOR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT..IT’S THE TEAM’S FOURTH YEAR HEADING TO THE TOURNAMENT.. BUT THIS YEAR.. WAS A LITTLE DIFFERENT.. SOT VID 0080 […]
WHERE THEY’LL REPRESENT THE 831.. TAKING ON THE NATIONS BEST. VO- THE SAND CITY VOLLEYBALL CLUB’S 18 GOLD GIRLS TEAM.. IS HEADING OUT TO SALT LAKE CITY UTAH.. COMPETING IN USA VOLLEYBALL’S GIRLS JUNIOR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT..IT’S THE TEAM’S FOURTH YEAR HEADING TO THE TOURNAMENT.. BUT THIS YEAR.. WAS A LITTLE DIFFERENT.. SOT VID 0080 1:03:50-1:04:01 MAYA GIANNINI SENIOR AT PALMA HIGH SCHOOL VO- THE CLUB.. KNOWS A THING OR TWO ABOUT ADVERSITY.. NEEDING TO GRIND OUT A CHAMPIONSHIP BID.. WITHOUT HAVING A FULLY HEALTHY TEAM. SOT VID 0076 52:51- 52:58 NATALIE MENDOZA SENIOR AT SALINAS HIGH SCHOOL BUTT VID 0076 53:45-53:57 JENNIFER RIVERA SENIOR AT SALINAS HIGH SCHOOL VO- A GROUP OF HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS FROM ALL OVER THE CENTRAL COAST.. LOOKING TO PUT A STAMP ON THEIR LAST CLUB VOLLEYBALL TOURNAMENT.. WITH GOALS OF BRINGING BACK A NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP.. SOT VID 0080 1:04:47-1:04:54 BUTT VID 0074 49:54-50:04—- 50:07-50:09 THE TOURNAMENT BEGINS FRIDAY…. ENDING ON SUNDAY.. AND WITH EVERYTHING THEY’VE BEEN THROUGH.. HOPING THEY STAY HEALTHY THIS W
Sand City Volleyball Club’s girls 18 team heads to national championships
Updated: 1:09 PM PDT Apr 25, 2025
The Sand City Volleyball Club’s girls 18 team is heading to Salt Lake City, Utah, to compete in the USA Volleyball’s Girls Junior National Championship Tournament after overcoming a season filled with adversity.”I’m really excited because this team has gone through so much, and we all thought it was going to be the worst season ever, and it turned out to be a really great season,” said Maya Giannini, a senior at Palma High School.The team faced numerous challenges, including not having a fully healthy roster throughout the season.”I don’t think there was a single tournament that there wasn’t someone sick, like the past three tournaments, honestly, there was a lot to deal with,” said Natalie Mendoza, a senior at Salinas High School.”I feel so rewarded to get this because there’s other teams that want the same thing. They want the dream of going to nationals, especially in their last season, it’s your last chance to make it big,” said Jennifer Rivera, also a senior at Salinas High School.The group of high school seniors from across the Central Coast is determined to make their last club volleyball tournament memorable, with hopes of bringing back a national championship.”There’s a lot of girls who aren’t going on to play in college, so leaving out on the court for them because this is their actual last matches,” Laela Burges, a senior at San Luis Obispo High School. “To be able to coach the same players for four or five years in a row is fantastic,c and they just keep proving themselves, each year, year in and year out. Super proud, just a super proud coach,” said Kit Moore, head coach of the Sand City Volleyball Club.The tournament begins Friday and ends on Sunday, with the team hoping to stay healthy and perform their best.See more coverage of top Central Coast stories | Download our app / Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel
SAND CITY, Calif. —
The Sand City Volleyball Club’s girls 18 team is heading to Salt Lake City, Utah, to compete in the USA Volleyball’s Girls Junior National Championship Tournament after overcoming a season filled with adversity.
“I’m really excited because this team has gone through so much, and we all thought it was going to be the worst season ever, and it turned out to be a really great season,” said Maya Giannini, a senior at Palma High School.
The team faced numerous challenges, including not having a fully healthy roster throughout the season.
“I don’t think there was a single tournament that there wasn’t someone sick, like the past three tournaments, honestly, there was a lot to deal with,” said Natalie Mendoza, a senior at Salinas High School.
“I feel so rewarded to get this because there’s other teams that want the same thing. They want the dream of going to nationals, especially in their last season, it’s your last chance to make it big,” said Jennifer Rivera, also a senior at Salinas High School.
The group of high school seniors from across the Central Coast is determined to make their last club volleyball tournament memorable, with hopes of bringing back a national championship.
“There’s a lot of girls who aren’t going on to play in college, so leaving out on the court for them because this is their actual last matches,” Laela Burges, a senior at San Luis Obispo High School.
“To be able to coach the same players for four or five years in a row is fantastic,c and they just keep proving themselves, each year, year in and year out. Super proud, just a super proud coach,” said Kit Moore, head coach of the Sand City Volleyball Club.
The tournament begins Friday and ends on Sunday, with the team hoping to stay healthy and perform their best.
See more coverage of top Central Coast stories | Download our app / Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel
Women’s Track & Field Lands 69 Athletes on Patriot League Academic Honor Roll
LEWISBURG, Pa.- Bucknell women’s track and field continued its excellence off-the-field success in the classroom by placing a league-high 69 student-athletes on the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll as announced this week by the conference office. The squadron recorded a 3.51 semester GPA. To be eligible for the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll, a student-athlete […]
LEWISBURG, Pa.- Bucknell women’s track and field continued its excellence off-the-field success in the classroom by placing a league-high 69 student-athletes on the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll as announced this week by the conference office. The squadron recorded a 3.51 semester GPA.
To be eligible for the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll, a student-athlete must earn a 3.20 grade point average (GPA) in the spring semester and participate in one of the Patriot League’s spring championship sports.
Of Bucknell’s 69 Honor Roll members, 57 also made the Bucknell Dean’s List with a GPA of 3.50 or better, and 13 women’s track and field student-athletes earned perfect 4.0s: Alexa Andron, Noel Fullman, Ainsley Danilson, Lauren Joyce, Keeley Misutka, Brenna Paxton, Sarah Policano, Laura Posh, Karly Renn, Caryn Rippey, Kaitlyn Segreti, Aidan Smith, and Brylee Tereska.
Evelyn Bliss and Kaitlyn Segreti earned Patriot League All-Academic Honors and Brylee Tereska made the CSC (College Sports Communicators) Academic All-District list.
Below are the Bucknell women’s track and field members of the 2025 Patriot League Academic Honor Roll:
34 Johnnies Achieve Academic All-MIAC Honors in Track & Field
By: Ryan Klinkner, SJU Director of Athletic Communications
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MIAC Release BLOOMINGTON, Minn. – Thirty-four Saint John’s University track and field student-athletes earned 2024-25 Winter and Spring Academic All-MIAC honors on Thursday, June 26. For the fifth-straight academic year, SJU led the MIAC in male honorees with a total of […]
By: Ryan Klinkner, SJU Director of Athletic Communications
MIAC Release
BLOOMINGTON, Minn. – Thirty-four Saint John’s University track and field student-athletes earned 2024-25 Winter and Spring Academic All-MIAC honors on Thursday, June 26.
For the fifth-straight academic year, SJU led the MIAC in male honorees with a total of 173 in 2024-25, followed by Gustavus Adolphus (149), Macalester (134), St. Olaf (133) and Carleton (110). The Johnnies had 85 fall honorees in cross country, football and soccer.
Those honored (listed alphabetically) include:
-Senior Andrew Adams (Plymouth, Minn./Wayzata), a finance major (pre-law emphasis) with a 3.96 GPA;
-Senior Tommy Allen (Woodbury, Minn./St. Paul Academy), a biochemistry major (pre-medicine emphasis) with a 4.0 GPA;
-Junior Jacob Becker (Lincoln, Neb./Mount Michael Benedictine), a computer science and mathematics double-major with a 3.78 GPA;
-Sophomore Noah Besemann (New Brighton, Minn./Irondale), a biology and environmental studies double-major with a 4.0 GPA;
-Sophomore Connor Brynteson (Minneapolis, Minn./Robbinsdale Cooper), a computer science major with 3.94 GPA;
-Senior Eamon Cavanaugh (Oak Park, Ill./Oak Park and River Forest), a history (secondary education) major with a 3.88 GPA;
-Senior Ryan Conzemius (La Crosse, Wis./Aquinas), a biology major with a 3.90 GPA;
-Junior Mitchell Degen (Brainerd, Minn.), a global business leadership major with a 3.85 GPA;
-Sophomore Aaron Freier (Red Wing, Minn.), an art major with a 3.91 GPA;
-Senior Jaeden Frost (Omro, Wis.), a nutrition major with a 3.59 GPA;
-Senior Joe Gathje (Bloomington, Minn./Jefferson), an economics major with a 4.0 GPA;
-Junior Kole Guth (St. Peter, Minn.), an exercise and health science major with a 3.55 GPA;
-Sophomore Matt Hansen (Longmont, Colo./Niwot), a global business leadership major with a 3.69 GPA;
-Sophomore Jack Johnston (Maple Grove, Minn.), a biochemistry major with a 3.77 GPA;
-Sophomore Vincent Kaluza (Cold Spring, Minn./Rocori), a physics major with a 3.78 GPA;
-Junior Aiden Langheim (Jordan, Minn.), a finance major with a 3.79 GPA;
-Senior Max Lelwica (Brainerd, Minn.), a biochemistry major (pre-medicine emphasis) with a 3.68 GPA;
-Senior Ethan Leonard (Chaska, Minn.), an accounting major with a 3.78 GPA;
-Junior Jacob Malecha (Lonsdale, Minn./New Prague), a global business leadership major with a 3.67 GPA;
-Sophomore Peyton Martinek (Coon Rapids, Minn.), a physics major with a 3.69 GPA;
-Sophomore Max McCoy (Bennington, Neb./Mount Michael Benedictine), a biology major with a 3.69 GPA;
-Senior Jackson McDowell (Centennial, Colo./Arapahoe), a global business leadership major with a 3.66 GPA;
-Sophomore Lars Molenkamp (Almere, Netherlands/Oostvaarders College), an economics major with a 4.0 GPA;
-Junior Owen Montreuil (Jordan, Minn.), a finance major with a 3.98 GPA;
-Junior Aidan Morey (Omaha, Neb./Creighton Prep), an accounting major with a 3.96 GPA;
-Senior Sam Rabaey (Hastings, Minn.), a mathematics and physics double-major with a 3.97 GPA;
-Senior Liam Sheeley (Edina, Minn./Holy Angels), an exercise and health science major with a 3.72 GPA;
-Sophomore Cooper Smith (Alvarado, Minn./East Grand Forks), an accounting major with a 4.0 GPA;
-Junior Nick St. Peter (Maple Grove, Minn.), a data science major with a 3.90 GPA;
-Sophomore Cole Stencel (Mapleton, Minn./Maple River), a physics major with a 3.82 GPA;
-Senior Aidan Thomas (Blaine, Minn./Totino-Grace), a computer science and mathematics double-major with a 4.0 GPA;
-Senior Anthony Thurk (St. Bonifacius, Minn./Waconia), an accounting major with a 3.51 GPA;
-Sophomore Andrew Withuski (Wahpeton, N.D.), a biology major (pre-dentistry emphasis) with a 3.57 GPA;
-Sophomore Wyatt Witschen (Monticello, Minn.), a finance major with a 3.68 GPA.
Student-athletes must be a sophomore, junior or senior with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.50 on a 4.00 scale to qualify for Academic All-MIAC recognition. Transfers, like freshmen, must complete a full academic year to be eligible the following season.
Athletically, student-athletes must be a member of a MIAC-sponsored, varsity team and be academically and athletically eligible. The student-athlete must have utilized a season of participation (per NCAA and MIAC definitions) and have remained on the sports roster through the conclusion of the sports season.
The Academic All-MIAC honor is the fourth in track and field for Allen and the third for nine others: Adams, Cavanaugh, Conzemius, Frost, Gathje, Lelwica, Leonard, Sheeley and Thomas.
Degen, Lelwica, McDowell, Montreuil and Thurk were named to the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District team June 24.
SJU track and field finished second – by half a point, 207-206.5 – out of 11 teams at the 2025 MIAC Outdoor Championships and third at the MIAC indoor meet. SJU qualified six athletes in six events at the 2025 NCAA Division III Outdoor Championships and finished fourth out of 73 teams. The Johnnies collected a program-record six top-eight finishes across the three-day meet and seven total All-America performances.
2025-26 volleyball matchups announced – Mount Royal University Cougars Athletics & Recreation
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CALGARY, ALTA. – The Cougars return to the court again in mid-October to start off the 2024-25 season. This season looks a little different as the men will start their season off alone on October 17th as they take on Thompson Rivers University. The women will start their season […]
CALGARY, ALTA. – The Cougars return to the court again in mid-October to start off the 2024-25 season. This season looks a little different as the men will start their season off alone on October 17th as they take on Thompson Rivers University. The women will start their season the following week as both teams take on the University of Saskatchewan.
Last season was a year of retooling for the men’s volleyball team as they missed the playoffs for the first time since the 2017-18 season. After graduating 7 players the year prior, the team had one of the youngest rosters in all of U SPORTS. Although the team didn’t make playoffs, this past season the team got stronger and bigger as players touched the floor for big minutes for the first time in their tenure. Head coach Shawn Sky looks to turn this team back around as he has many times in his career as they open up the season at 8 PM on October 17th against the Thompson Rivers Wolfpack.
Year one for Rhonda Schmuland was a great success after taking over the Cougars women’s volleyball team. In her first season, she brought the Cougars back to the playoffs after missing the year prior. Going into this season, the Cougars will need to stay hungry to make a return to the U SPORTS National Championship. Their home opener will take place on October 24 at 6 PM MT.
Their senior night will take place on February 7, 2026 in a Crowchild Classic matchup against the University of Calgary.
For fans looking to enjoy MRU live-streamed games, passes for Canada West TV will go on sale in August.
A sign of the times arrived this week in the email inboxes of Washington donors big and small. Andrew Minear, executive director of Montlake Futures, UW’s donor collective, sent a note to members on Monday confirming the organization will “step away from the forefront” of the school’s name-image-likeness efforts, and will not process recurring payments […]
A sign of the times arrived this week in the email inboxes of Washington donors big and small.
Andrew Minear, executive director of Montlake Futures, UW’s donor collective, sent a note to members on Monday confirming the organization will “step away from the forefront” of the school’s name-image-likeness efforts, and will not process recurring payments or contributions beyond June 30. Minear did leave open the possibility of exploring “complementary services” in the future.
“(W)e will first take time to evaluate the landscape and remain ready to support UW if the opportunity arises,” he wrote. In the meantime, Montlake Futures will continue to exist as an entity with a board of directors, but without any operational function. Minear encouraged donors to direct their contributions to the school’s Tyee Club.
In Washington’s ideal world, Montlake Futures will never solicit another donation, and Joe Knight and his Dawgs Unleashed team will be busy stacking legitimate endorsement deals for UW athletes. The House v. NCAA settlement will introduce direct school-to-athlete revenue sharing, along with a new enforcement mechanism designed to phase out donor collectives and allow only so-called “real” NIL deals.
Texas Longhorns Win 4th Directors Cup in Five Seasons Thanks in Part to NCAA Swimming Title
The Texas Longhorns have won their 4th Directors Cup in five seasons, narrowly beating out USC and Stanford in one of the most competitive battles in the history of the award. The top three teams were separated by only 4.5 points at the end of the season. The award, originated in 1993, evaluates athletic department […]
The Texas Longhorns have won their 4th Directors Cup in five seasons, narrowly beating out USC and Stanford in one of the most competitive battles in the history of the award. The top three teams were separated by only 4.5 points at the end of the season.
The award, originated in 1993, evaluates athletic department successes across the NCAA sporting spectrum to see which schools lead the way in diverse athletic programs.
Stanford owns 26 of the 31 awards given all-time. The only other two Division I schools to win are Texas, which has now won four of the last five, and North Carolina, which won the first edition in the 1993-1994 season.
The win for the Longhorns was secured, ironically, by their long-time rivals Texas A&M. When the Aggies tied USC with 41 points to be named co-champions of the men’s outdoor track & field championships, the Trojans were knocked out of contention for the title. If they had won the track & field championship outright, they would have also won the Directors Cup title.
Top 10 Standings – 2024-2025 Division I Directors Cup Standings
Texas – 1,255.25
USC – 1,253.75
Stanford – 1,251
North Carolina – 1,195.25
UCLA – 1,149
Tennessee – 1,078
Florida – 1,072
Ohio State – 1,032.25
Oklahoma – 1,017.20
Duke – 1,010
The Virginia Cavaliers, winners of the women’s NCAA title, finished 12th overall.
Teams score points based on the national finishes of their best 19 athletics programs. Five of those must be men’s and women’s basketball, women’s volleyball, women’s soccer, and baseball, while the other 14 can be any NCAA sanctioned championship sport (including swimming & diving, and water polo).
The Longhorns scored big points in swimming this year, with their men securing their record-setting 16th team title and the women finishing 3rd. That accounted for 185 of Texas’ points.
The Longhorns made their big move in the spring season, though, in spite of a disappointing early exit for the baseball team at the hands of UTSA in the Austin regional final as the #2 overall seed in the tournament. USC was also eliminated in the regional final, though for the Trojans that finish was better-than-seed.
The Texas softball team, though, came away with a clutch NCAA title late in the year, upending their former Big 12 rivals from Texas Tech in the Women’s College World Series.
As college athletics evolve post House settlement, with schools allowed to share revenue with athletes, the Directors Cup will become a crucial measure of which schools are maintaining and financially supporting broad athletics departments, and which are siphoning off resources from low-revenue sports like swimming & diving to fund more high-profile sports like football and basketball.
Full List of 2024-2025 NCAA Division I Team National Champions
Women’s Swimming & Diving: Virginia
Men’s Swimming & Diving: Texas
Men’s Water Polo: UCLA
Women’s Water Polo: Stanford
Men’s Basketball: Florida
Women’s Basketball: UConn
Baseball: LSU
Men’s Cross Country: BYU
Women’s Cross Country: BYU
FCS Football: North Dakota State
FBS Football: Ohio State
Note: The FBS football championship is not, technically, an NCAA Championship, but it is used for Directors Cup standings, alongside the FCS football championship, which is an NCAA Championship.
The Directors Cup for NCAA Division II athletics, which counts up to 15 teams that must include men’s and women’s basketball, men’s baseball, and women’s volleyball, was won by Grand Valley State. The Lakers had a 4th place national finish in men’s swimming and an 8th-place national finish in women’s swimming.
GVSU has won five consecutive Directors Cups, nine out of the last ten, and 16 overall. No other school has won more than six (UC Davis). In fact, only one other Directors Cup has been won by a school still in Division II Athletics – Adams State in 1998-1999.
Nova Southeastern, which won the women’s swimming & diving title, finished 9th, while Drury, which won the men’s title, finished just 57th overall. Men’s swimming & diving scored almost 30% of their total points (100/344).
In NCAA Division III athletics, Johns Hopkins won the Directors Cup for the third-straight season. Division III schools can count up to 18 teams, four of which must be men’s and women’s basketball and men’s and women’s soccer.
Williams, who finished 8th this year in the standings, is the dominant team in Division III history with 22 wins. JHU is the only other school with multiple titles.
Women’s swimming & diving champions MIT finished 6th in this year’s overall standings, while men’s swimming & diving champions Denison were 20th in the final Division III Directors’ Cup standings.
In NAIA, 13 teams can score, four of which must be men’s and women’s basketball, men’s soccer, and women’s volleyball. The University of the Cumberlands in Kentucky won the NAIA Directors’ Cup this year, their second-straight title and second overall title.
That was another school boosted by big swimming & diving points, with both their men’s and women’s programs finishing 4th at the NAIA Championships and picking up 80 points each.
SCAD Savannah, which won both the men’s and women’s NAIA titles in swimming & diving this year, finished 11th in the Directors’ Cup standings.
T&F’s Ezekiel Sits as Semifinalist on Bowerman Watchlist
NEW ORLEANS – Baylor track & field star Nathaniel Ezekiel added another honor to his accolade list as a semifinalist for the Bowerman Award, the organization announced on Thursday afternoon. Ezekiel has spent the most time on the watchlist out of the semifinalists, second behind North Carolina’s Ethan Strand. Ezekiel is Baylor’s third semifinalists […]
NEW ORLEANS – Baylor track & field star Nathaniel Ezekiel added another honor to his accolade list as a semifinalist for the Bowerman Award, the organization announced on Thursday afternoon.
Ezekiel has spent the most time on the watchlist out of the semifinalists, second behind North Carolina’s Ethan Strand. Ezekiel is Baylor’s third semifinalists in program history as KC Lightfoot (2021) and Trayvon Bromell (2014, 2015) also made the honor.
The Bowerman is bestowed to collegiate track & field’s top male and female athlete for the year. The Bowerman Advisory Board, and ultimately, The Bowerman Voters, are instructed to consider performances inclusively from the collegiate indoor track & field and outdoor track & field seasons only.
Ezekiel’s historic senior season was highlighted by the NCAA Outdoor Championships, running his final lap in a Baylor uniform with a personal-best of 47.49 and the No. 3 all-time mark in collegiate history to win the 400-meter hurdles title. The Nigerian was the first national champion for Baylor in the 400mH since Bayano Kamani in 2001 and only the third Bear to win the event.
Ezekiel ended his Baylor career with multitudes of honors, including 2025 USTFCCCA Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year, Big 12 Indoor and Outdoor Athlete of the Year, a nine-time All-American in the indoor and outdoor seasons and the BU program record holder in the 400mH, the indoor 400m and a member in the indoor 4×400 relay. Most notably, Ezekiel concluded his collegiate career as the only athlete in NCAA history to have multiple all-time top ten marks in the 400mH, owning four.
The finalists for the Bowerman award will be announced Tuesday, July 8 with online fan voting happening from July 8-10. The Bowerman winners will be announced on Thursday, December 18 at the USTFCCCA Convention in Grapevine, Texas.
THE BOWERMAN MEN’S SEMIFINALISTS
Mykolas Alekna, California (Discus)
Jordan Anthony, Arkansas (Sprints)
James Corrigan, BYU (Mid-Distance/Steeple) Nathaniel Ezekiel, Baylor (Sprints/Hurdles)
Ishmael Kipkurui, New Mexico (Distance)
Carlie Makarawu, Kentucky (Sprints)
Ralford Mullings, Oklahoma (Throws)
Brian Musau, Oklahoma State (Distance)
Ethan Strand, North Carolina (Mid-Distance/Distance)
Ja’Kobe Tharp, Auburn (Hurdles)
