Sports

Men’s Volleyball Sweeps Princeton for 37th EIVA Tournament Title – Penn State

PRINCETON, N.J. – Penn State won the EIVA Tournament for the 37th time in program history, taking down No. 19 Princeton 3-0 (25-20, 27-25, 25-19) in the championship match Saturday at Dillon Gymnasium. The Nittany Lions swept all three of their opponents in the tournament to improve to 14-15 and grab the conference’s automatic bid […]

Published

2 months ago

April 27, 2025

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PRINCETON, N.J. – Penn State won the EIVA Tournament for the 37^th time in program history, taking down No. 19 Princeton 3-0 (25-20, 27-25, 25-19) in the championship match Saturday at Dillon Gymnasium. The Nittany Lions swept all three of their opponents in the tournament to improve to 14-15 and grab the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Tigers, who won the regular season title and hosted the event as the top seed, closed the season at 15-11 overall.

Matthew Luoma led the offensive effort with 18 kills, while Ryan Merk anchored an outstanding defensive performance by Penn State with his 12 digs. The Nittany Lions held the Tigers to .159 hitting, which was well below their final season efficiency of .277.

Michael Schwob tallied 35 assists and led Penn State to .290 hitting. His bigger production came from the service line, where he recorded three aces for the fifth-consecutive match. His nine aces through three matches this week played a large role in his receiving the EIVA Tournament Most Outstanding Player award. Schwob was joined on the EIVA All-Tournament Team by Luoma, Merk, and Will Kuhns.

Gaige Gabriel contributed both offensively and defensively in the win, hitting .667 with eight kills while also leading the team in blocks with five. Kuhns finished with nine kills and three blocks, Carter Dittman contributed six kills and two blocks, and Owen Rose chipped in with two kills and two blocks. Rose helped Penn State get to the championship match with great numbers through the first two wins as he hit .733 with 2.00 kills/set and 1.67 blocks/set in sweeps over Harvard and NJIT.

Saturday marked Penn State’s first EIVA Tournament win at a location other than Rec Hall since securing the title at Rutgers-Newark in 1996.

Princeton was paced by Nyherowo Omene with 13 kills, three aces, and two blocks. He was joined on the All-Tournament Team by setter Henry Wedbush.

Set 1
Luoma hit .357 with seven kills to lead Penn State to a 25-20 win in the opening set. Schwob racked up 12 assists and recorded his first ace of the night. The Nittany Lions started to pull away early with a 4-0 run that put them up 8-4. Luoma was in on the first three points of the run with a pair of kills and a block alongside Kuhns and Gabriel. Schwob capped it with an ace. They went on to lead by as much as eight at 14-6 following a kill by Dittman, but Princeton was able to fight back and get as close as one at 16-15 after an ace by Wedbush. Penn State responded with a 4-0 run and never looked back. Set point was later scored on a kill by Luoma.

Set 2
Set two was much more closely contested with 13 ties and six lead changes before Penn State came through with the 27-25 win. Luoma again led the way with seven kills, while Schwob again tallied 12 assists. The largest lead by either team was three, which Princeton had at 10-7 after an ace by Wedbush and again at 11-8 with a kill by Omene. Penn State led by three at 18-15 following a kill by Gabriel. Penn State clawed its way to 24 first with a kill by Kuhns to make it 24-22. Princeton avoided two straight set points with a solo block by Owen Mellon and an attack error by the Nittany Lions. Schwob followed with a kill but Omene responded with another kill for the Tigers to knot the score at 25-all. A service error by the Tigers made it 26-25, and the Nittany Lions capitalized with a kill by Gabriel for set point.

Set 3
Gabriel, Luoma, and Kuhns contributed four kills apiece as Penn State hit .375 and rolled to a 25-19 win in the third set. Schwob added 11 more assists and two more aces. The Nittany Lions used a 6-0 run to go up 10-4 and led the rest of the way. The first four points of the run went in the order of Gabriel kill, Schwob ace, Gabriel kill, and another Schwob ace to force a Princeton timeout. The Nittany Lions came out of the timeout with two more points on kills by Gabriel and Luoma. Penn State went on to lead by as much as nine at 19-10 after a kill by Schwob. Match point was later scored on a kill by Luoma to secure the EIVA Championship for the Nittany Lions.

Up Next
The NCAA Tournament selection show will air live on April 27 at 4 p.m. ET on NCAA.com.

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Sports

87-year-old Central Florida woman still competes in track and field

If you need help with the Public File, call (407) 291-6000 At WKMG, we are committed to informing and delighting our audience. In our commitment to covering our communities with innovation and excellence, we incorporate Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies to enhance our news gathering, reporting, and presentation processes. Read our article to see how we […]

Published

17 minutes ago

June 24, 2025

Your Sports Nation

If you need help with the Public File, call (407) 291-6000

At WKMG, we are committed to informing and delighting our audience. In our commitment to covering our communities with innovation and excellence, we incorporate Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies to enhance our news gathering, reporting, and presentation processes. Read our article to see how we are using Artificial Intelligence.

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Sports

Quentin Nauman wins second national track and field title

The past few months have been incredible for Western Dubuque High School sensation Quentin Nauman. Along with capturing four state championships earlier this year, Nauman won the HOKA Festival of Miles in St. Louis. But over the weekend, Nauman won perhaps his biggest race of the year. Running on his future track at Hayward Field […]

Published

28 minutes ago

June 24, 2025

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The past few months have been incredible for Western Dubuque High School sensation Quentin Nauman.

Along with capturing four state championships earlier this year, Nauman won the HOKA Festival of Miles in St. Louis. But over the weekend, Nauman won perhaps his biggest race of the year.

Running on his future track at Hayward Field at the University of Oregon in Eugene, Oregon, Nauman won the mile at the Nike Outdoor Nationals/USA Track and Field U20 Championships.

The senior-to-be clocked a time of 4:00.52 to win by just .01 second over Evan Noonan running for the Nike Elite Club. Nauman, a 17-year-old, was also ninth in the 800 at the meet, which features the best athletes in the country.

Nauman won gold at the Iowa high school state track and field championships in the 800, 1,600 and 3,200, along with running on the winning distance medley relay. He swept the four races as a sophomore and is also a multi-time Drake Relays champion.

Nauman has already committed to run at Oregon when he exhausts his high school eligibility.

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Parkway Central freshman takes fifth at state tennis tournament | Sports

Parkway Central Colts freshman Arhan Meka finished fifth in his first state boys tennis tournament. Parkway Central Colts freshman Arhan Meka with Colts coach Lee Hays. (Photo provided) Provided Coach Lee Hayes was happy to have Meka join his program. “I had heard of him through the kids on the team and some teaching pros,” […]

Published

1 hour ago

June 24, 2025

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Parkway Central Colts freshman Arhan Meka finished fifth in his first state boys tennis tournament.

ParkwayCentraltennisfreshman — Parkway Central Colts freshman Arhan Meka with Colts coach Lee Hays. (Photo provided)

Provided

Parkway Central Colts freshman Arhan Meka with Colts coach Lee Hays. (Photo provided)

Provided

Coach Lee Hayes was happy to have Meka join his program.

“I had heard of him through the kids on the team and some teaching pros,” Hays said. “He was young and impressive as a player.”

Meka went 17-2 in the regular season and in districts. His only two losses were to Eureka senior and Class 3 state singles runner-up and Webster Groves’ Paul Castleman, the Class 2 singles runner-up.

In the Class quarterfinals, Meka lost 6-2, 6-2 to Castleman.

“Castleman really wanted the match,” Hays said. “He raised his level and played exceptionally well against Arhan.”

Meka then rebounded with three wins to finish fifth. Meka defeated Noah Blum, of Warrensburg, 6-1, 7-5 to finish in fifth place.

His strong effort at state impressed Hays.

“He is not a quitter,” Hays said. “Though disappointed, he finished strong. To be 14 and be this solid of a player, he will be fun to watch. If he stays with it and is healthy, he will be a player we will all enjoy watching.”

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Meet the High Divers of the World Aquatics Championships – Singapore 2025

Up next in the Women’s competition is Maya Kelly. Maya achieved a 6th place finish at the World Aquatics High Diving World Cup 2024 in Bahrain, Manama and is excited to compete in Singapore 2025. We put Maya into the question-and-answer hot seat. Here’s what we got from her: Image Source: Maya Kelly competes at […]

Published

3 hours ago

June 24, 2025

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Up next in the Women’s competition is Maya Kelly. Maya achieved a 6th place finish at the World Aquatics High Diving World Cup 2024 in Bahrain, Manama and is excited to compete in Singapore 2025.

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

Maya finds beauty in architecture, and one landmark stands out to her is Copenhagen Opera House “I do find the Opera House really cool in Copenhagen, so I think I would like that,” she shared. A dive with the iconic building as a backdrop would be a spectacular sight!

Though her competition experience is just beginning, Maya has a favorite. “Probably Bahrain,” she said, referring to her current World Cup event in Bahrain. Her only other major competition was in Montreal during her junior years, but “that was indoors,” so this outdoor adventure takes the top spot.

Maya finds her competitive focus with the help of music—and she’s a proud Swiftie! “Probably anything by Taylor Swift,” she revealed about her go-to playlist. “I have a specific meet playlist I listen to before every competition.” Swift’s empowering lyrics and catchy tunes help set the mood.

Among her repertoire, one dive stands out as her favorite. “Probably my backflip pike,” Maya said. While she didn’t compete with it at Bahrain 2024 World Cup, it remains her personal signature move, showcasing her grace and precision in the air.

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Attend water polo tournament on the waters of Oswego Lake this weekend

Attend water polo tournament on the waters of Oswego Lake this weekend Published 4:20 pm Monday, June 23, 2025 The tournament was held for the first time in 2024. (Courtesy photo: Lake Oswego Open Water Polo Invitational) Those strolling near Millennium Plaza Park and Lakewood Bay this weekend may notice splashing and excitement emanating from […]

Published

4 hours ago

June 24, 2025

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Attend water polo tournament on the waters of Oswego Lake this weekend

Published 4:20 pm Monday, June 23, 2025

: The tournament was held for the first time in 2024.
(Courtesy photo: Lake Oswego Open Water Polo Invitational)

Those strolling near Millennium Plaza Park and Lakewood Bay this weekend may notice splashing and excitement emanating from the Oswego Lake waters near the Lakeshore Inn.

The Lake Corporation and the Lake Oswego Water Polo Organization are organizing the second annual Lake Oswego Open Water Polo Invitational from Friday, June 27 to Sunday, June 29 at a sectioned-off course on Lakewood Bay near the Lakeshore Inn.

The event will feature teams from the local water polo club (which includes athletes from Lake Oswego High School and Lakeridge High School) as well as squads from areas such as San Diego, Seattle, Portland and Beaverton.

Organizer Katy Brown said the idea was hatched due in part to the success of the local water polo teams and wanting to provide a community event while highlighting a sport that is often overlooked in the Pacific Northwest. The area of play had never been used as a water polo course before, but Brown said it worked well.

“It far exceeded our expectations,” Brown said of last year’s event. “We got great feedback from the water polo club and the community.”

The Lake Oswego Water Polo Organization consists of more than 100 kids ranging in age from 8 through 18. It includes competitive teams with a range of ages that compete year-round, club director Daniel Ramirez said. A number of teams recently qualified for the Junior Olympics.

“We have the best depth (in the Pacific Northwest) and it’s a real testament to the kids, the coaching staff and the community we have built,” Ramirez said. “Our kids like being a part of our club. They are proud to be local athletes. They like our coaching staff, enjoy competing for us and the community we bring.”

Competitive water polo players have to be very strong swimmers who are able to stay in the water for minutes on end while being grabbed by opponents, and Ramirez said the sport promotes swimming skills and confidence.

“The intense exercise allowed me to perform much better academically. It taught me discipline, and the twelve years of practice taught me time management to also keep up with my school work,” Lakeridge High school graduate Adrienne Medak said in a press release.

Ramirez said an event like this gives exposure to the sport while providing an opportunity for the kids to get more recognition.

For more information on the event, visit https://lowpoopenwaterinvitational2025-n53399.mystrikingly.com/#home.

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Will Taylor's minor league baseball journey brought him back to Greenville for the weekend

Former Dutch Fork and Clemson standout Will Taylor is now a member of the Greenville Grasshoppers, part of the Pirates organization. GREENVILLE, S.C. — Will Taylor was back in familiar territory this past weekend. The Dutch Fork graduate is in his first full season of professional baseball. A fifth round draft pick by the Pirates […]

Published

4 hours ago

June 24, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Will Taylor's minor league baseball journey brought him back to Greenville for the weekend

Former Dutch Fork and Clemson standout Will Taylor is now a member of the Greenville Grasshoppers, part of the Pirates organization.

GREENVILLE, S.C. — Will Taylor was back in familiar territory this past weekend.

The Dutch Fork graduate is in his first full season of professional baseball. A fifth round draft pick by the Pirates in the 2024 MLB Draft, Taylor started his career at the Single A affiliate in Bradenton, Florida before being called him to Greensboro, the High A affiliate of the Pirates.

That promotion brought him to the Upstate as Greensboro faced the Greenville Drive at Fluor Field where Taylor has played before during his days at Clemson.

In his first two seasons at Clemson, Taylor played football and baseball. Taylor came to the Tiger program as a quarterback with the plant for him to move to wide receiver. As a freshman in 2021, he was the team’s primary punt returner before suffering a season ending knee injury which set him back at bit in the spring for baseball.

In 2024, Taylor had made the decision to concentrate on baseball and last April, he injured his wrist while diving for a foul ball and that broken bone in his wrist kept him out of the lineup for the rest of the season.

But in spite of those setbacks, Taylor looks back on his time at Clemson with great fondness as he was one of the occassional athletes who played two sports in college at a high level.