Connect with us

Sports

Rematch Set for GCC Title Game

Story Links LOS ANGELES – For the third time in four years, eighth-ranked Fresno State and ninth-ranked Loyola Marymount will meet in the title game of the Golden Coast Conference Championship. The second-seeded Bulldogs earned a 19-12 win over third-seed Pacific in the first semifinal at the Burns Aquatic Center […]

Published

on


LOS ANGELES – For the third time in four years, eighth-ranked Fresno State and ninth-ranked Loyola Marymount will meet in the title game of the Golden Coast Conference Championship.

The second-seeded Bulldogs earned a 19-12 win over third-seed Pacific in the first semifinal at the Burns Aquatic Center of the 2025 GCC Championship. The top-seeded Lions then setup the rematch with a 16-19 win over fourth-seeded San Diego State in the second semifinal in their home pool.

The teams met in last year’s championship and in 2022. Fresno State won both meetings, including a 13-12 overtime win a year ago. The Lions have won the last two regular season meetings, including a 11-9 win in overtime on March 22.

The championship will start at 1 pm with San Diego State and Pacific facing off in the third place game at 11 am.


SEMIFINAL RECAP

Game 1: No. 2 Fresno State 19, No. 3 Pacific 12

Box Score | Photo Gallery | Postgame Interview

No. 8 Fresno State (14-7) used a strong second half to pull away from No. 21 Pacific (13-10) to earn a 19-12 win in the first semifinal on Saturday. They have been to five straight finals, winning the last four.

Fresno State’s Brooke Ochoa led the scoring frenzy with an impressive seven goals, adding three assists for a 10-point day. Hailey Andress, Caitlyn Mossman, Abbey Simshauser, and Sidney Strickland each tallied two goals for the Bulldogs, showcasing a balanced offensive attack throughout the match.

On the other side, Pacific’s Dora Alaksza and Hila Futorian each found the back of the net four times. Alicia Petkov, Addison McGowan, and Lily Van Putten added to the Tigers’ tally.

The match started with both teams exchanging goals, but Fresno State gradually built up their lead, finishing the first quarter ahead 4-3. They maintained their momentum, ending the second quarter 7-5, before exploding for seven goals in the third period, which solidified their victory.

Pacific’s goalie Maja Lizy Dulic made eight saves, while Fresno State’s Ida Tully-Giles recorded five.

Game 2: No. 1 LMU 16, No. 4 San Diego State 10

Box Score | Photo Gallery | Postgame Interview

No. 9 Loyola Marymount (19-11) outscored San Diego State (15-14) 8-2 in the final quarter and a half to close out a 16-10 victory at the Burns Aquatics Center in Los Angeles. Yanah Gerber led the Lions with seven goals.

The match began with LMU establishing an early lead, scoring six goals in the first period alone, while SDSU managed to net four goals. The Lions’ Ruth Arino Ruiz and Sophia DeMattia contributed significantly to the early lead, combining for three critical goals, setting the tone for the rest of the game.

Despite SDSU’s efforts, including multiple goals from Shannon Murphy and Sammi Byers, they trailed at halftime, 8-5.

The Aztecs opened the third quarter with three straight goals to tie the game at 8-8 on a Mimi Stoupas goal with 5:17 to play in the third quarter. The Lions then answered with four straight of their own to take the lead for good.

SDSUs Mandy Lagerlof kept the Aztecs in it early, making 12. Alyssa Barnuevo had 11 saves for LMU.



Link

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Sports

Try Water Polo for Free August 22–24!

Try Water Polo for Free – August 22–24, 2025 USA Water Polo invites athletes of all ages to dive into the sport with free one-day clinics happening nationwide from August 22 to 24, 2025. Whether you’re brand new to water polo or just looking for a fun team sport, this is your chance to get […]

Published

on


Try Water Polo for Free – August 22–24, 2025

USA Water Polo invites athletes of all ages to dive into the sport with free one-day clinics happening nationwide from August 22 to 24, 2025.

Whether you’re brand new to water polo or just looking for a fun team sport, this is your chance to get started—with no cost and plenty of splash!

What to Expect

  • Beginner-friendly practice plans
  • Local coaches ready to introduce the sport
  • All age groups welcome (check local listings)
  • Free trial membership through USA Water Polo

Inspired by successful “Try Hockey” and “Try Volleyball” campaigns, this national event aims to grow grassroots participation in aquatics by making the first experience easy, accessible, and fun.

Download Swimming World’s new App to learn more

Google/Android

Apple/iPhone

Participating Clubs

Host Club City State Contact Email Age Groups Date(s) Register
AAAA – Northside San Antonio TX Kari Brothers kari.brothers@nisd.net 1st–12th Grade (Boys & Girls) Fri, Aug 22 Register
Houston Hydra Houston TX Amy Vanderkooi amyburnsvanderkooi@gmail.com 1st–12th Grade (Boys & Girls) Aug 23–24 Register
Jacksonville Water Polo Jacksonville FL Manny Torres jaxwaterpolo@gmail.com 6th–12th Grade (Boys & Girls) Sat, Aug 23 Register
Longhorn Aquatics Austin TX Tom Andrew tom.andrew@austin.utexas.edu 4th–5th Grade Sat, Aug 23 Register
Lyons Aquatics Western Springs IL Doug Eichstaedt dougeichstaedt@gmail.com 1st–8th Grade (Boys & Girls) Aug 22–24 Register
NWC Water Polo Rolling Meadows IL Lesley Daniel nwcpolo2011@gmail.com 1st—3rd Grade Sat, Aug 23 Register
Southside Honey Badgers Pearland TX Daniel Cox daniel.hyperlite@gmail.com 1st–12th Grade (Boys & Girls) Aug 23–24 Register
WCAC United Ambler PA Mike Koziol waterpolo@wcacswim.org 4th–5th Grade Sun, Aug 24 Register
Next Level WPC St. Petersburg FL Zac Kappos zacchary.kappos@gmail.com 1st–12th Grade (Boys & Girls) Aug 23–24 Register
Hill Country Viper Pigeons Boerne TX Scott Slay csslay123@gmail.com 1st—8th Grade (Boys & Girls) Sun, Aug 24 Register
Modesto/Stanislaus WPC Modesto/Stanislaus CA Brent Bohlender bbrentpolo@aol.com 1st—8th Grade (Boys & Girls) Aug 22–24 Register
Rocky Mountain Neptunes Boulder CO Manucher Ghaffarifar manughaffari@gmail.com 1st—8th Grade (Boys & Girls) Aug 22–24 Register

Ready to Host a Clinic?

USA Water Polo is still welcoming more clubs to join. If your club would like to host a Try Water Polo day, email:
sportgrowth@usawaterpolo.org



Link

Continue Reading

Sports

Cross Collects Second Team All-American Honors in 100m

By: Hunter McKay Story Links EUGENE, Ore. –  Chance Cross competed on day two of the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships on Wednesday at Hayward Field.    In the 100m semifinal, Cross ran a time of 10.17 seconds to finish in 11th place. That time ranks fifth in […]

Published

on



EUGENE, Ore. –  Chance Cross competed on day two of the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships on Wednesday at Hayward Field.
  
In the 100m semifinal, Cross ran a time of 10.17 seconds to finish in 11th place. That time ranks fifth in program history. That finish earned him Second Team All-American honors. Cross finished his junior season with five of the fastest record times in program history.
 
Quotables
Director of Track and Field Cale McDaniel
 “Chance is the fastest man to wear the Owl uniform, and he is one the best human beings as well! Such an outstanding person and competitor, we are all so proud of him and the season he has had. Chance Cross is one of a kind.” 
 
Assistant Coach Paris Williams
“I couldn’t have asked more from Chance this year. Coming off of injuries the last two seasons and trusting in me my first year to do our best to get us to the NCAA Championships. He’s extremely coachable and always does the little things right. Anybody would be blessed to have him as their athlete, I’m so glad I get to do so. This is only the beginning!”
 
Next Up
Kali Terza (hammer throw) and Emma Sullivan (800m) will compete on Thursday at the NCAA Oudoor Track and Field Championships. 










Link

Continue Reading

Sports

Wilmington ends season at NCAA Championships

Story Links EUGENE, Ore. — Grand Canyon senior hurdler Cam Wilmington concluded his season in the semifinal round of the men’s 400-meter hurdles at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships on Wednesday evening at Hayward Field. With the event narrowed down to just 24 competitors, the top nine finishers in […]

Published

on


EUGENE, Ore. — Grand Canyon senior hurdler Cam Wilmington concluded his season in the semifinal round of the men’s 400-meter hurdles at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships on Wednesday evening at Hayward Field.

With the event narrowed down to just 24 competitors, the top nine finishers in Wednesday’s preliminary round advance to Friday’s final. Wilmington finished in 20th with a time of 51.57 seconds. Although he does not advance further into the meet, Wilmington earned All-American honorable-mention recognition for his finish in the nation’s top 24.

Under two weeks ago at the NCAA West First Round in College Station, Texas, Wilmington logged a personal best in the event with a time of 50.04. Days later, he ran a 50.12 to punch his ticket to Eugene. Either of those marks would have qualified for a top-nine finish. However, conditions in Eugene led to slower times across the board as only two of the event’s 24 entrants improved on their first-round marks.

Baylor’s Nathan Ezekiel cruised to the top time of the semifinal round with a mark of 47.86 that was over 1.2 seconds faster than the nearest competitor.

Wilmington ended a successful outdoor season that saw him make GCU history as the program’s first NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships qualifier in a men’s track event and 16th qualifier overall. He also was a WAC champion in the event.

 



Link

Continue Reading

Sports

Titans Conclude 2025 Track and Field Campaign with NCAA Semifinal Performances

Story Links EUGENE, Ore. – The 2025 Track and Field season came to a close for the Titans after sending two events to the semifinal round at the NCAA DI National Championship on Wednesday evening.  Joshua Hornsby, who punched his ticket to Eugene in the men’s 110m hurdles at the NCAA West First […]

Published

on


EUGENE, Ore. – The 2025 Track and Field season came to a close for the Titans after sending two events to the semifinal round at the NCAA DI National Championship on Wednesday evening. 

Joshua Hornsby, who punched his ticket to Eugene in the men’s 110m hurdles at the NCAA West First Rounds (May 28-31), ran a 13.53 in the event’s semifinal round. This placed him 14th out of the 22 finishers overall. Hornsby finishes the season holding the top four fastest times in Titan history (13.51, 13.53, 13.58, 13.61), all of which he set this season. 

The men’s 4×100 relay team composed of John Clifford, Isaiah Emerson, Dominic Gates and Ian Dossman placed 22nd place in the semifinal round with a time of 39.48. The athletes, who ran a combined time of 39.26, punched their ticket to the semifinal round on May 30 at the West First Round hosted on the campus of Texas A&M. 

SUPPORT THE TITANS!

Fans can purchase tickets for various Cal State Fullerton athletic events by visiting FullertonTitanstickets.com. The Athletic Ticket Office can also be contacted by phone at 657-278-2783 or by email at athletictixs@fullerton.edu.

FOLLOW THE TITANS!

Fans can keep up with the latest in Titan Athletics by following us on Facebook (Facebook/FullertonTitans), X (@FullertonTitans) Instagram (@FullertonTitans), YouTube (FullertonTitansAthletics) and TikTok (@FullertonTitans).  In addition, the women’s basketball team has established its own X (@FullertonTFXC) and Instagram accounts (@FullertonTFXC).

WATCH THE TITANS ON ESPN+

Titans fans can now watch every home event exclusively on ESPN+. Cal State Fullerton has built a top-tier production studio to give the viewers an ESPN quality production for all games at Titan Stadium. Additionally, all schools in the Big West Conference are committed to producing ESPN quality streams which will allow fans to watch the Titans on ESPN+ for all road conference games.

 





Link

Continue Reading

Sports

New Sarasota High volleyball coach wants to change Sailors direction

Sarasota County has produced some of the state’s best volleyball over the past decade. Cardinal Mooney, Riverview and Venice high schools have each made it to the final four in the past 10 years, with the Cougars (one) and Indians (two) bringing home state championships.  Sarasota High, however, could not tap into that local success. […]

Published

on


Sarasota County has produced some of the state’s best volleyball over the past decade.

Cardinal Mooney, Riverview and Venice high schools have each made it to the final four in the past 10 years, with the Cougars (one) and Indians (two) bringing home state championships. 

Sarasota High, however, could not tap into that local success. The Sailors haven’t made it to the regional round of postseason play since 2015 and have never played in a regional final. 

New Sarasota volleyball Head Coach Emma Thrift hopes to change that. 

Thrift knows Sarasota volleyball better than most. 

She played both indoor and beach volleyball at Riverview and has coached with Sarasota Volleyball Club — an AAU and travel organization — since she was a senior in high school. 

After routinely beating the Sailors in her high school days, the challenge of going to the rival excites Thrift. 

New Sarasota indoor volleyball coach Emma Thrift was a part of the inaugural beach volleyball team at Riverview High School.

Image courtesy of Emma Thrift

“It’s exciting to be on the other side,” Thrift said. “It fuels the fire a little bit more. It feels like I have something to prove.”

In the Sailors’ 10-11 season, Riverview eliminated Sarasota in its first district tournament game. 

That leaves plenty of room for improvement, but Thrift is focusing more on the intangibles than the record.

“Success for me this season would be building a solid culture and foundation,” Thrift said. “It’s not about winning, winning, winning. It’s about having them grow. Even if they lose, I want it to be five sets, close games, extra points every time. I don’t want it to be a 3-0 sweep. I would still count that as a win. Set wins are wins to me. When we see that growth in the season, that will set us up really well in the long term.”

Thrift, 23, graduated from Florida State University in 2024, but isn’t inexperienced in coaching. 

She has coached with Sarasota Volleyball Club, SRQ Beach Volleyball and The Classical Academy of Sarasota.

However, she is well aware she will be one of the youngest head varsity coaches in the state this season, and she’s planning on using that to her advantage. 

“I try to relate to them a little more because they’re still in high school,” Thrift said. “They’re going through the hardest part of their life right now. I feel like a lot of coaches as they get older kind of dismiss that, whereas I was more recently in their shoes. They want to feel respected and feel like they’re being heard, and I feel like I’m able to communicate that with them.” 

Despite Sarasota’s record and postseason result last year, Thrift should have some talent to work with this fall. 

Kills leader Liza Collier, a rising junior, is set to enter her junior season while Braelynn Rebholz, third in kills, will be a senior. 

Blocks leader Gemma Mulhollen is entering her junior season and ace leader Rylan Miller will be a senior. 

Sign Up for Daily Headlines

A daily dose of news from Longboat Key, East County, Sarasota and Siesta Key.

<

The work for next season has already begun.

Thrift held her first summer workout on June 9 at the school, and said roughly 50 players — including freshman, junior varsity and varsity — showed up, with more expected to come later in the summer. 

June will focus on building stamina and mental strength. Thrift intends on the Sailors playing deep into matches, which will require fortitude. That means cardio work on the track, high-repetition weightlifting and time on the court. 

Perhaps more important than strength and conditioning will be creating a team-first culture. Thrift said she can’t remember the players who were on the freshman and junior varsity teams when she was a varsity player. 

Instead, she wants an all-inclusive environment to encourage players to stay with the team through graduation. 

“What I really want to build right now is good culture,” Thrift said. “I want this team to be one unit. I don’t want freshman, JV, varsity. I want Sarasota volleyball. I feel like it didn’t really build a positive culture, and I want longevity.

“I know they can be great. I just need them to understand that they can be great as well.”

 



Link

Continue Reading

Sports

How Flag Day got its start | News

Flag Day is commemorated each year in the United States on June 14. Though Flag Day is not an official federal holiday, the day remains significant nonetheless, as it traces its origins all the way back to 1777. The Second Continental Congress formally adopted the flag of the United States on June 14, 1777. That […]

Published

on


Flag Day is commemorated each year in the United States on June 14. Though Flag Day is not an official federal holiday, the day remains significant nonetheless, as it traces its origins all the way back to 1777.



Link

Continue Reading

Most Viewed Posts

Trending