CANYON, Texas – West Texas A&M Athletics proudly announces the hiring of Andrea Doa as the department’s new Assistant Athletic Director for Marketing. With multiple years of Division 1 experience, Doa joins WT from Syracuse University, where she served as a Marketing Coordinator and led innovative, high-impact initiatives across several high-profile sports programs.
 
At Syracuse, Doa was the primary marketing lead for the women’s basketball and men’s lacrosse programs and served as the on-field producer for football, overseeing all fan-facing promotions and sponsor activations. She played a key role in enhancing the Otto’s Kids Club, growing it to more than 800 members and over $27,000 in annual revenue and revitalized the department’s internship program, managing a team of 40+ game day staff. Her expertise extended to script writing, game presentation, talent management, and sponsorship fulfillment across multiple platforms, helping elevate the Syracuse game day experience.
 
“Andrea’s creativity, energy, and leadership will make an immediate impact at WT,” said Zoe Spencer, Associate Athletic Director for Branding and Strategic Initiatives. “Her experience within the Power 4 at Syracuse prepared her to lead at a high level, and her passion for engaging fans and building memorable game day experiences aligns perfectly with our vision at West Texas A&M.”
 

In her new role at West Texas A&M, Doa will oversee all facets of the department’s marketing strategy, including social media, fan engagement, and promotional campaigns across all 16 varsity sports. Her role is a key step forward as WT Athletics continues to grow its brand and enhance the fan experience.
 

“I’m incredibly excited to join the team at West Texas A&M and contribute to a department that is truly investing in the magic of college athletics. As someone passionate about marketing and fan experience, I look forward to creating meaningful, memorable moments for our fans and helping elevate the game day atmosphere in Canyon,” said Andrea Doa. “A special thank you to Doug Lipinski for welcoming me into the WT Athletics family. His transformational leadership is already making a powerful impact on a program with such pride and incredible potential.”
 

Doa holds both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Sports Administration and is set to play a key role in enhancing the fan experience and brand presence for West Texas A&M Athletics.
 

A Massachusetts high school student who was arrested by immigration agents on his way to volleyball practice has been released from custody after a judge granted him bond Thursday.

Marcelo Gomes da Silva, 18, who came to the U.S. from Brazil at age 7, was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents Saturday.

Authorities have said the agents were looking for the Milford High School teenager’s father, who owns the car Gomes da Silva was driving at the time and had parked in a friend’s driveway

Speaking with members of the media outside the detention center shortly after his release on $2,000 bond, Gomes da Silva described “humiliating” conditions and said his faith helped him through his six days of detention.

On his wrist, he wore a bracelet made from the thin sheet of metallic blanket he was given to sleep on the cement floor.

“I’ll always remember this place,” he said. “I’ll always remember how it was.”

His lawyer, Robin Nice, told reporters after the hearing in Chelmsford that his arrest “shouldn’t have happened in the first place. This is all a waste.”

“We disrupted a kid’s life. We just disrupted a community’s life,” Nice said. “These kids should be celebrating graduation and prom, I assume? They should be doing kid stuff, and it is a travesty and a waste of our judicial process to have to go through this.”

She said Gomes da Silva was confined to a room holding 25 to 35 men, many twice his age, most of the time he was detained, with no windows, time outside, privacy to use the restroom or permission to shower.

Nice said that at one point Gomes da Silva, who is active in his local church, asked for a Bible and was denied.

Gomes da Silva, who said his father taught him to “put other people first,” said many of the men imprisoned with him didn’t speak English and didn’t understand why they were there.

He had to inform some of them they were being deported, and then watched them break down in tears.

“I told every single inmate down there: When I’m out, if I’m the only one who was able to leave that place, I lost,” he said. “I want to do whatever I can to get them as much help as possible. If they have to be deported, so be it. But in the right way, in the right conditions. Because no one down there is treated good.”

He said some days, he was given only crackers to eat, which he shared with cellmates. His first stop after being released was for McDonald’s chicken nuggets and french fries.

Not ICE’s target, but detained anyway

U.S. Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said earlier this week ICE officers were targeting a “known public safety threat” and Gomes da Silva’s father “has a habit of reckless driving at speeds in excess of 100 miles per hour through residential areas.”

“While ICE officers never intended to apprehend Gomes da Silva, he was found to be in the United States illegally and subject to removal proceedings, so officers made the arrest,” she said in a statement.

Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons said Monday that “like any local law enforcement officer, if you encounter someone that has a warrant or … he’s here illegally, we will take action on it.”

Upon his release, Gomes da Silva pushed back on ICE’s characterizations of his father: “Everything I got was from my dad. He’s a good person. He never did anything wrong.”

When he was able to call his parents during his detainment, Gomes da Silva said his father sobbed and told him the family was scared to leave the house.

Gomes da Silva initially entered the country on a visitor visa and was later issued a student visa that has since lapsed, Nice said.

He told reporters he didn’t know his immigration status until he was arrested.

He said an officer asked him, “Do you know why you were arrested?” He said no.

“I told her, ma’am, I was 7 years old. I don’t know nothing about that stuff,” he recalled. “I don’t understand how it works.”

Nice described him as deeply rooted in his community and a dedicated member of both the school marching band and a band at his church.

The immigration judge set a placeholder hearing date for a couple of weeks from Thursday, but it might take place months from that, Nice said.

“We’re optimistic that he’ll have a future in the United States,” she said.

A shaken community

“I love my son. We need Marcelo back home. It’s no family without him,” João Paulo Gomes Pereira said in a video released Wednesday. “We love America. Please, bring my son back.”

The video showed the family in the teen’s bedroom. Gomes da Silva’s sister describes enjoying watching movies with her brother and the food he cooks for her: “I miss everything about him.”

Students at Milford High staged a walkout Monday to protest his detainment.

Other supporters packed the stands of the high school gymnasium Tuesday night, when the volleyball team dedicated a match to their missing teammate.

Amani Jack, a recent Milford High graduate, said her classmate’s absence loomed large over the graduation ceremony, where he was supposed to play in the band.

She said if she had a chance to speak with the president, she’d ask him to “put yourself in our shoes.”

“He did say he was going to deport criminals,” she said. “Marcelo is not a criminal. He’s a student. I really want him to take a step in our shoes, witnessing this. Try and understand how we feel. We’re just trying to graduate high school.”

Veronica Hernandez, a family advocate from Medford who said she works in a largely Hispanic community where ICE has had an active presence, said cases like Gomes da Silva’s show immigration enforcement is serious about taking “anybody” without legal status, not just those accused of crimes.

“I think seeing that something so simple as a child driving themselves and their friends to volleyball practice at risk struck a chord,” she said.

For Nevada javelin thrower Lilly Urban, her first attempt is usually her best.

But the Wolf Pack track and field star had to make her third throw a charm at last week’s NCAA West Preliminary.

After a hurl of 50.96 meters in her first attempt and 50.53 on her second, Urban sat outside a top-12 spot required to qualify for the NCAA Championships.

“I was stressing,” Urban admitted. “I was back in the grass waiting for everyone to throw, and I kind of freaked out stressing about, ‘Will I make it? Will I not make it?’ I knew my mark wasn’t far enough, so I was kind of scared but still motivated. I wanted to do it and just thought that we’re going all in.”

Urban increased the pace on her approach and unleashed a throw that sailed through the prevailing during the 91-degree day. After releasing the javelin, she walked over to her coach Scott Williamson and gave a head shrug, not knowing if it was good enough to move into the top 12. Then her mark flashed, a throw of 53.49 meters, moving her into eight place to clinch a trip to Oregon’s Hayward Field for the national championships.

“I was a little nervous,” Williamson said heading into the last throw. “That was a great competition with so many kids that got to that point that competed really well. She’s a javelin thrower that doesn’t necessarily like headwinds, and we kind of had a headwind and a crosswind, so that maybe affected her a little bit more. I knew she could do it. It was just a matter of putting it together and adjusting her technique a little.”

Urban has had a historic sophomore season at Nevada, breaking the school javelin record four times, including a personal best of 56.89 meters at the Mountain West Championship to win gold and clear the second-best throw by more than three meters. Urban’s throw of 56.89 meters ranks ninth in the nation with Georgia freshman Manuela Rotundo having the NCAA’s longest throw this year at 64.17 meters.

Urban has already earned All-American honors by being one of 24 javelin throwers to qualify for nationals. But she could be the first to win first-team All-American honors with a top-eight finish since hammer thrower Caira Hane in 2006. That’s the kind of potential Williamson saw in Urban when he recruited her out of Germany many years ago.

Williamson heard of Urban through an agency called Scholar Book and was recruiting her before the pandemic. But once COVID-19 spread across the globe, Urban decided to stay in her home country. At that point, she thought her dream of competing in the United States had come and gone. But Williamson reached back out to the Frankfurt native once the world returned to normalcy and lured her to Reno with the help of Nicola Ader, the German native who won seven All-American honors with the Wolf Pack in the heptathlon/pentathlon before serving an assistant.

“I was pretty happy because she could speak German,” Urban said of Ader’s impact. “Even though my English is not bad, it just felt comfortable and kind of nice to have someone that knows your culture and where you come from and speaks the language, which makes everything easier than I thought. There’s a great connection now. We have about five Germans on the team.”

Urban will be the first individual to make the national championships for Nevada since Ader’s senior season in 2022. She is the first Wolf Pack javelin thrower to make nationals since Marissa Hammond in 2011. But Nevada has sent at least one individual or relay team to six of the last eight NCAA outdoor track and field championships.

“That’s a pretty remarkable thing,” Williamson said. “When you start looking at the level of athletes that are at that meet and what it takes to get there, that’s pretty big accomplishment, and I’m proud of the fact that we’ve been able to do that.”

Next week will mark Urban’s first trip to Eugene’s Hayward Field, which is considered the world’s greatest track and field stadium. It underwent a $270 million renovation that was completed in 2022. The Wolf Pack contingent will leave Reno for Oregon on Tuesday with Urban competing Thursday. She expects to be nervous and excited when she takes to the track.

“I think it’s gonna be a mix” Urban said. “I’m pretty excited, and I think it’s going to be a lot of fun. But still a little bit of pressure, so I hope I don’t get too nervous. But I think it will be a great mix because it will be fun and pressure at the same time, and sometimes that means the greatest things will happen.”

After Urban’s family in Germany stayed up past midnight to track her throw at the NCAA West Preliminary online, at least one family member will support her in person next week. Urban’s older sister, Hannah, is making the trip from Deutschland to America and will be in Oregon for nationals, bringing a little piece of home to Urban’s biggest competition yet.

“It’s exciting because I often see my friends having their family here at conference or at prelims, and it’s just fun to see them having family around,” Urban said. “I know how it feels to have family around because when I was in Germany they would always come to my meets. To have her here this year is just a huge thing, and I appreciate that she’s making it the whole way from Germany to here.”

Urban didn’t get to Nevada until the middle of the semester during her freshman year in January 2024. Less than 18 months later, she will compete against the best javelin throwers in college. Urban increased her personal best from 49.03 meters last year to almost 57 this year, something she credits to working out with the multis group in practice to increase her power and speed.

Williamson said he quickly realized Urban had the work ethic and total package to make it to nationals. It perhaps has come quicker than anybody expected. But as Urban heads off to Oregon, she does so with Williamson’s advice of enjoying the moment and following the script that has led to so much success this season. And if she does that, she could return to Reno a first-team All-American.

“I don’t want to expect too much, but I really hope I can throw around 55 or 56 again, which could maybe place in the first 8,” Urban said. “That would be a really huge goal. I’m always proud to stand for the Wolf Pack, and I try to give something back for all they give me for studying here, for doing sports here. So, I’m happy to give that back, and I hope that next year it’s going to be more people competing with me on the national stage.”

Wolf Pack outdoor track and field All-Americans

* Nicola Ader (pentathlon, heptathlon, long jump)

* Nicole Wadden (heptathlon)

* Emily Myers (steeplechase)

* Caira Hane (hammer throw)

* Nicole Petty (800 meters)

* Marissa Hammond (javelin)

* Jenni Ashcroft (pole vault)

* Ali McKnight (heptathlon)

* 4×400 relay (Emily Costello, Annalies Kalma, Carolyn Ross, Halyn Senegal)

* 4×100 relay (Samantha Calhoun, Angelica Earls, Tanisha Hawkins, Kashae Knox)

Bozeman, Mont.- For the past five years at least, Northern Arizona has been the standard when it comes to outdoor track and field in the Big Sky Conference. The Lumberjacks have won nine titles between the men and women’s program, including sweeping both this year. Montana State has seemingly been the only team to challenge NAU, especially the last two seasons. 

The Bobcats have closed the gap between themselves and Northern Arizona, winning the Big Sky title on the men’s side in Bozeman last season, and the women putting up their best point total in program history. The proof of the gap closing is the amount of athletes headed to nationals. NAU will send five total athletes, while MSU will send three individual athletes alongside the first ever women’s 4X400 relay team. 

Senior Rob McManus, a two-time Big Sky Conference winner in the 3,000 meter steeplechase, will represent the Bobcats again on the national stage. McManus expressed how the success of the Bobcats has been growing over the last few years. “It’s a lot of hard work. The men winning the title on this home track last year really showed we’re just so competitive and such a well-rounded team.”

McManus also mentioned the emergence of the women’s team. “The women’s team coming into indoor and outdoor conference this year, just showing that they can really compete with an NAU and be super competitive at the conference level. And I think our women’s teams just really turned it up a notch too.” 

Peyton Garrison, Bobcats junior sprinter and member of the 4X400 relay team, spoke on how special this Montana State program has become. “This program is so special, I think every year we all notice how it just keeps growing, gets getting better, and as you can see, there’s more people going to nationals. And that’s all we can ask for.”

Garrison also mentioned that the closeness of all the girls amongst the team is truly what makes them great, especially on the relay team. The team not only communicates at a high level, but goes to dinner together and spends time with one another often, building chemistry that has led them to history. This will be the first Montana State 4X400 meter relay team to compete at the national event. 

The Montana State women set records at that seemed like almost every meet they showed up to. Whether it was sprints, long distance running, or field events, this Bobcats team has made their mark in history. The Bobcats finished second at the conference championships, finishing behind NAU for the fourth-straight year. A lot of the younger talent is performing at a high-level, showing that the Bobcats could dethrone the Lumberjacks in the near future. 

Hailey Coey, the junior jumper from Billings, is one of those Bobcats that has been tearing up the field events everywhere she goes. Coey has made her mark in long jump, launching herself to a mark of 21-3.50, placing her into the number two spot in Big Sky Conference history. The Billings West graduate jumped over 21 feet during regionals, securing her spot as the first ever Montana State long jumper to qualify for the national meet. Coey also holds the Montana State record for long jump. 

Coey made a statement when speaking on the success of this Bobcats women’s program in 2025. “I think we probably have the best MSU women’s team in school history.” Coey also noted that it excites her to not only be able to represent Montana State on the biggest stage, but to see her fellow teammates, “excel and have great successes.” Another Bobcat athlete speaking on the joy they get from the team performing well, the biggest reason why this team is so successful, they are all bought into the bigger goal. 

Head coach Lyle Weese spoke on the teams ability to bring the best out of one another, “They have, raised each other’s ability level, but to see so many school records, school records in every event group, obviously it’s exciting for our program, but also that so many of them will be back and not graduating.” 

The Bobcats have the opportunity to shrink the gap and break more records next week, as the NCAA National Track and Field Championships begin in Eugene, Oregon. 

By Ethan Hudson

As the 2024/25 school year comes to an end for Greenwich Country Day School (GCDS), so does the spring 2025 athletic season, one that proved to be very successful for GCDS. With a season that yielded a coveted New England Preparatory School Athletic Council (NEPSAC) championship, GCDS Athletic Director Tim Helstein had high praise for the Tigers, declaring the season as one of the most successful the school has ever had.

The GCDS Boys Varsity tennis team was among one of the most victorious Tiger programs this spring, capturing the Fairchester Athletic Association (FAA) Tournament team championship (the first in program history), regular season tournament championship, and NEPSAC championship. With a 15-0 regular season record, head coach Steve Feder credited the consistent winning to his players’ attitudes, saying, “I am so proud of our team for their commitment to each other. Tennis is usually an individual sport but our players are completely invested in our team’s success.”

Undefeated seasons for the GCDS spring sports programs do not stop there. Joining the Boys Varsity Tennis team with perfect regular seasons are the Boys Varsity Golf team (11-0) and the Boys Varsity Lacrosse team (16-0). The latter ended the season with a FAA regular season championship, the second in the last three years for the Boys Varsity Lacrosse program. The team benefited from strong veteran leadership throughout the season. “Our senior class in particular deserves a lot of credit – they are flat out winners both on and off the field,” said head coach Andrew Copelan.

In addition to the boys varsity team, the GCDS Girls Varsity Lacrosse team capped off an impressive season, qualifying for the FAA semifinal. Senior Ella Wilner made history this season becoming the first player to score a 200th career goal in GCDS Girls Lacrosse history.

Although not all programs were fortunate enough to go undefeated in the FAA, athletes from all respective teams still turned out some impressive performances this spring. Junior Grace Gapen, a member of GCDS’s track and field team won first place at the NEPSAC Track and Field championships, winning both shot put and discus.

Yet the individual accolades for the Tigers do not stop there. After every athletic season, GCDS distributes their “Pride Award” for each sport, one that goes to a student-athlete who has overcome adversity, shown true dedication, and growth throughout the season. For Varsity Baseball, Bryce Hill and Mason Zuniga received the award. For Varsity Softball, Gabby Zarro was the recipient. For Boys Varsity Tennis, Julian Toub received the award. For Girls Varsity Tennis, Brynn Forlizzi and Jane Loverro were the recipients. For Boys Varsity Golf, Brennan Cunnion received the award. For Girls Varsity Golf, Charlotte Datwent was the recipient. For Boys Varsity Lacrosse, Parkin Overbay received the award. For Girls Varsity Lacrosse, Chloe Morris was the recipient. For Varsity Rowing, Cate Auerswald and Sof ia Orr received the award. For Varsity Sailing, Harrison Thompson was the recipient. For Varsity Track and Field, Romell Sarsoza and Annetta Solari received the award. For Girls Water Polo, Fiorella Deus was the recipient

As important as performance is for athletes during games, their behavior after the final whistle is something that GCDS does not take lightly. That’s why, similar to the Pride Award, one student-athlete from every team is selected as the recipient of the “Coaches Award,” which goes to an athlete who demonstrated exemplary sportsmanship throughout the season.

This year, the Tigers truly showed their sportsmanship stripes. In fact, some teams had more than one recipient, such as MD Mutescu and Katherine Salce of the Varsity Rowing team, Liam Kennon, Mia Secko-Thompson, and Charlie Maloney of the Varsity Track and Field team, William Bugbee, Steve Carre, and Griffyn Flood of the Boys Varsity Lacrosse team, Bianca Amen and Ella Wilner of the Girls Varsity Lacrosse team, and Kathryn Byxbee, Talia SandhuZach Cole, Nico Della Pietra, and Austin Nelson of the Girls Water Polo team. Landon Ristau of the Varsity Baseball team received the award, as well as Peter Manuel of the Boys Varsity Golf team, Alex Darwent of the Girls Varsity Golf team, Grant Zucconi of the Varsity Sailing team, Sophia Schwartz of the Varsity Softball team, Felipe Miguens of the Boys Varsity Tennis team, and Abby Greenlatt of the Girls Varsity Tennis team.

Because of so many notable individual seasons this year, GCDS will be graduating 20 senior student-athletes who have committed to play their respective sports at the college level, ranging from NCAA Division I to Division III.

Ben Bilden will be playing soccer at Dartmouth; MD Mutescu will be rowing at Northeastern; Austin Nelson will be playing water polo at George Washington; Eli Rosen will be running track and field at Emory; Ella Larken will be rowing at Villanova; Brianna McDermott will be playing basketball at Holy Cross; Owen Chickering will be sailing at Northeastern; Dylan Kellan will be playing lacrosse at Notre Dame; Wyatt Lupo will be playing golf at Hamilton; Mia Rodgers will be playing golf at Wesleyan; Emily Behr will be swimming at Trinity; Bobby Jones will be playing lacrosse at MIT; Griffyn Flood will be playing lacrosse at Wesleyan; Danielle Braver will be playing soccer at William Smith; Brennan Cunnion will be playing football at Dennison; Luca Corsano Leopizzi will be playing football at Johns Hopkins; Stephen Carre will be playing lacrosse at Sacred Heart; Jackson Anderson will be rowing at Princeton; Elle Price will be playing hockey at Albertus Magnus; Ella Wilner will be playing lacrosse at Clemson. These former Tigers are sure to keep dominating, regardless of the color of their uniforms.

The spring 2025 athletic season resulted in a plethora of medals, trophies, and memories for GCDS student-athletes. Helstein expressed his content with this year’s athletes, saying “It was a pleasure to watch you practice and compete with pride and purpose. It is without question that I can say, ‘You have earned your stripes!’ Go Tigers!”

Seventeen Edmonds-Woodway student athletes who will be competing at the collegiate level signed their national letters of intent during a ceremony at the high school Thursday afternoon. Teammates, family members and coaches were in attendance to watch as the athletes committed to continuing their athletic careers in college.

The athletes are:

Abby McCorvey – Edmonds College – Softball

Catie Ingalls – Nebraska Wesleyan University – Softball

Kate Baldock – Emerson College – Soccer

Gabbie Martin-Mazzeo – Pomona-Pitzer College – Soccer

Isak Haverlock – Olympic College – Baseball

Josh Akiyama – Shoreline Community College – Baseball

Noah Ushikubo – Northwest University – Track and Field

Nick Manz – Northwest Nazarene University – Track and Field

Luke Adams – Carroll University – Cross Country/Track and Field

Soloman September – Illinois College – Football

Rienna Mostrales – Everett Community College – Volleyball

Adison Oliver – Montana State University – Dance

Madison Morales-Tomas – University of Washington – Dance

Sumire Talik-Martinez – Delaware State University – Equestrian

Simone Bennett – Grinnell College – Swim

Boden Chapek – University of Washington – Rowing

Cameron Hiatt – Dartmouth College – Basketball