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Dirtbags drop series to CSUN despite thrilling rubber match – Long Beach Current

The weekend series at Bohl Diamond on Blair Field against the Cal State Northridge Matadors was a case of hot and cold for the Long Beach State Dirtbags as they struggled to get their pitching and hitting to perform well in the same game. Friday, April 25, LBSU 13 – CSUN 7 Junior pitcher Kellen […]

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1 month ago

April 28, 2025

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Friday, April 25, LBSU 13 – CSUN 7

Junior pitcher Kellen Montgomery faced early adversity as the Matadors collected two runs on a home run in the second inning. The Dirtbags responded with two home runs from senior catcher Conner Stewart and senior shortstop Nathan Cadena, taking the lead 3-2.

Three RBI singles put CSUN back ahead 5-3 in the third inning, but a three-run home run from freshman third baseman Jake Evans put LBSU ahead 6-5 and shifted the momentum.

Freshman infielder Jake Evans pops up the ball against CSUN on April 27 at Bohl Diamond at Blair Field. The Dirtbags lost to the Matadors in extra innings 13-12. Photo credit: Samuel Chacko

The Dirtbags carried their momentum for the next two innings and added on seven more runs across the fifth and sixth innings, bringing up the score 13-5.

Cadena shined, going 3-4 with a triple shy of the cycle, tying with Evans and senior first baseman Conner Charpiot with three RBIs.

“They took out Tuesday’s loss in practice,” Dirtbags head coach TJ Bruce said. “It’s not really about taking it out on the next opponent, it’s about taking it out on the next opportunity you have, and it was practice for us, so I was really excited to see that, and it paid off today. ”

The run support gave confidence to Dirtbags pitcher Montgomery as he went scoreless from the fourth to his final sixth inning. The bullpen helped preserve the lead, only giving up two runs, allowing the Dirtbags to take game one 13-7.

Saturday, April 26, CSUN 6 – LBSU 0

After an explosive showing from the Dirtbags’ bats on Friday, they fell silent on Saturday.

The Matadors jumped on sophomore starting pitcher Owen Geiss early, tagging him for four runs on six hits in three innings of work.

Sophomore Tyler Gebb came out of the bullpen to try and buy the Dirtbags some time for their bats to warm up. This was to no avail as he only lasted one inning, giving up two runs on three hits in just one inning and the Dirtbags suddenly found themselves down 6-0 after four innings.

The Matadors joined the Dirtbags with offensive struggles as no team scored a run from the fifth inning on. For the Dirtbags, this was in large part due to the performance of junior pitcher Van Larson.

Larson was masterful in his five innings, only giving up one hit while allowing no runs and not walking a single Matador.

Larson gave the Dirtbags an opportunity to get back into the game, but they could not get a runner to cross home plate and fell 6-0.

Sunday, April 27, CSUN 13 – LBSU 12

After the Matadors scored one in the top of the first, the Dirtbags clapped back in the same inning, putting up two runs, with the first of two coming off a home run to left field from Cadena, followed by a single from Charpiot to take the lead 2-1.

The Dirtbags added one more in the second by way of an infield single from graduate right fielder Kyle Ashworth to make it 3-1 Dirtbags. The Matadors struck right back when Matador senior right fielder Andrew Gauna homered to left center to tie it 3-3.

The Dirtbags answered back viciously as freshman left fielder Matt Toomey ripped a two-run homer of his own.

With the bases loaded, Cadena was hit by a pitch that scored a run. Senior outfielder Alex Champagne followed that with a single up the middle that scored two to make it 8-3 after three innings.

Senior infielder Nathan Cadena gets drilled by a pitch in the bottom of the third with the bases loaded. Cadena had two hits and five RBI’s as LBSU lost to CSUN 13-12 on April 27 at Bohl Diamond at Blair Field. Photo credit: Samuel Chacko

The Matadors loaded the bases themselves and scored three runs on a single and a double to cut the lead to two at 8-6 in favor of the ‘Bags.

In the sixth, the Matadors loaded the bases again, and a hit by pitch and a three-run double put them up 10-8.

Ashworth again came up clutch with an RBI single in the seventh that cut the lead to one at 10-9, CSUN.

CSUN put up two more runs in the eighth and ninth innings, but Cadena came up huge and tied the game at 12 in the bottom of the ninth with a three-run homer that sent the crowd into a frenzy.

The Long Beach State Dirtbags celebrated as senior infielder Nathan Cadena hit a three-run homerun to tie the game 12 apiece on April 27 at Bohl Diamond at Blair Field. The Dirtbags ended up losing the game in extra innings 13-12. Photo credit: Samuel Chacko

Matadors’ redshirt freshman second baseman Kyle Panganiban doubled in the go-ahead run in the top of the tenth inning, and the Dirtbags could not answer back, ending the game 13-12 in favor of the Matadors.

“Sometimes your best just isn’t good enough,” Charpiot said. “You know, I felt like we kind of let our foot off the gas a little bit.”

The Dirtbags will face off the Arizona State Sun Devils in a two-game series at Phoenix Municipal Stadium on Tuesday, April 29.

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Unstoppable: Thornton leads Maple Mountain to back-to-back state titles | News, Sports, Jobs

1 / 5 Maple Mountain’s Trey Thornton reacts during a Region 7 boys volleyball match against Springville on Tuesday, April 29, 2025. Harold Mitchell, Special to the Daily Herald 2 / 5 Maple Mountain’s Trey Thornton (28) holds up the 5A Boys Volleyball State Championship trophy at the UCCU Center on Saturday, May 10, 2025. […]

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June 8, 2025

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1 / 5

Maple Mountain’s Trey Thornton reacts during a Region 7 boys volleyball match against Springville on Tuesday, April 29, 2025.

Harold Mitchell, Special to the Daily Herald

2 / 5

Maple Mountain’s Trey Thornton (28) holds up the 5A Boys Volleyball State Championship trophy at the UCCU Center on Saturday, May 10, 2025.

Courtesy Jeff Porcaro, Maple Mountain Sports

3 / 5

Maple Mountain’s Trey Thornton serves the ball in a high school boys volleyball match against Orem during the 2025 season.

Courtesy Jeff Porarco, Maple Mountain Sports

4 / 5

Maple Mountain’s Trey Thornton (28) takes a swing against Wasatch in the 5A boys volleyball state finals at the UCCU Center in Orem on Saturday, May 10, 2025.

Jeff Porcaro, Maple Mountain Sports

5 / 5

Maple Mountain’s Trey Thornton (8) takes a swing against Springville’s Nolan Snead (left) and Evan Straw in a Region 7 boys volleyball match on Tuesday, April 29, 2025.

Harold Mitchell, Special to the Herald

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Growing up in Alabama, 12-year-old Trey Thornton’s introduction to volleyball came through his three sisters, who all played, and a number of other girls on teams where he learned the game.

Thornton eventually grew to 6-foot-7, moved to Utah and helped created a very special legacy for the boys volleyball program at Maple Mountain High School.

Thornton was part of two state championships in the Beehive State and totaled 851 kills over that two-year span. His dominant, confident and complementary play has earned him the Daily Herald’s Valley Player of the Year for 2025.

Thornton said he sometimes practiced with the Maple Mountain girls team when he first arrived in Utah. That team, led by twins Marley and Morgan Pratt, won the 2023 5A state title. In Alabama he often played with Merritt Beason, who became an All-American and team captain for the Nebraska women’s volleyball team from 2021 to 2024.

Thornton credits time he’s spent playing volleyball with girls as a key to his all-around game.

“Ball control is something girls have on us,” Thornton said. “We might have more athleticism, where we can jump higher and hit harder, but their technical skills are so good. I can tell you it’s way harder passing on a girls net than on a men’s net because of their float serves. That’s really helped my control a lot.”

Maple Mountain has won 42 straight matches against Utah opponents and posted a 29-1 record in 2025. Thornton had 422 kills (he had 429 last season) which is 4.7 kills per set. He raised his hitting percentage from .364 to .431 and totaled 49 aces, 43 total blocks and 169 digs.

In the 5A state semifinals against Alta and future BYU teammate Corbin Batista, Thornton totaled 25 kills in a 3-1 victory. He added 21 kills and hit .421 as the Golden Eagles swept Wasatch in the finals.

“Trey can hit and block really well, but one of the things that’s overlooked generally and one of the skill sets that sets him apart is his ball control,” Maple Mountain coach Napoleon Galang said. “His defense and passing is really good. If we asked him to be a libero, he’d be the best libero on the team.

“He really grew into his game this year. His IQ with his offense just skyrocketed. He added smart tips and deep pushes to the corner, just any kind of shot he needed to score. He added so much to his tool belt offensively and had 10 different ways to score, not just five.”

Two summers ago, Thornton moved to Utah and was introduced to his future teammates at a casual get-together where the group played pickup beach volleyball in a backyard. That was the start of a many friendships that would carry him through the transition of the move to Utah.

“Trey is a very quite and humble kid,” Galang said. “He doesn’t celebrate loudly and just shows what he is by the way he played. It’s cool to see that from such a high-caliber player. He lets his skills speak for him.”

Thornton had plenty of help from talented teammates in winning back-to-back state titles, including 6-7 junior setter Taft Hillman and 6-6 senior middle Manase Storey. Thornton, Hillman and Storey mentored younger players such as junior Matheus Borges and freshmen Kimball Olsen and McKay Beattie as they worked to replace key teammates who graduated from the 2024 state champions (Mac Hillman, Gavin Pricer).

“I think our team had a great sense of self,” Thornton said. “We knew our identity and we were just a family. We knew that we had each other’s backs every game. Every day at school we were always looking out for each other. We’re really good friends and translated into our game play because we trusted everyone to do everything for the right reasons to reach our goals.”

Thornton — whose mother, Alisha Griffiths, played basketball at BYU in the early 2000’s — will begin his Cougar career as a counselor at the school’s volleyball camps this spring and summer and intends to play for Shawn Olmstead in 2026.

“I would say the culture at BYU is very special,” he said. “I could feel it even before I went on my official visit. We went to one of the women’s volleyball games. It was sold out and I had kind of that ‘aha!’ moment. I was meant to be here. It’s where I’ve been led and I’ve always dreamed of playing there. The coaching is some of the best around. They really care about their players.”

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Legacy’s Rafa Urbina named BoCoPreps player of the year – Boulder Daily Camera

When Rafa Urbina first watched UCLA volleyball in its 2018 national championship loss to Long Beach State, it set him on a path toward dominance in the sport, not just in Colorado, but on the national scale. He decided then and there that wanted to be just like those players. This week, the recent Legacy […]

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17 minutes ago

June 8, 2025

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He decided then and there that wanted to be just like those players.

This week, the recent Legacy graduate trained with USA Volleyball in preparation for the U19 World Championships in Uzbekistan, which are slated to begin on July 24. Once he wraps that up, he’ll join UCLA, which won national titles in 2023 and 2024. The Bruins house the winningest men’s volleyball program ever, having raked in 21 championships since 1970.

Naturally, that talent at the setting position earned him the BoCoPreps boys volleyball player of the year, and he nabbed a similar honor from CHSAA in the 5A division. He wrapped up his one and only season at Legacy — after the Adams 12 district team moved there from Thornton — with 731 assists, and ended his entire high school career with 2,033.

His road to an already illustrious volleyball career first began when his older sister, Alexandra, started playing. He was 7 at the time, and picked up the sport himself four years later. She now plays beach volleyball at Santa Clara University.

“We’re a competitive family,” Urbina said. “I just wanted to be better than her, and so that’s how that started. I guess that’s kind of what sparked my love for the game. It’s just in our nature. I guess we want to win. I mean, we would always play Mario Kart or video games at home on the Wii. We’d always just want to beat each other. We always make everything like a little competition.”

His father, Jorge, was right there alongside him and Alexandra from the very beginning. Jorge served as the head coach for the Lightning this year, and they won two matches at the Class 5A state tournament before bowing out in the third round of the consolation bracket.

Legacy's Rafael Urbina (left) and Caden Ulibarri attempt a block on Coronado's Gavin Mason during the Lightning's regional tournament match against Coronado on May 2, 2025. (Alissa Noe/BoCoPreps.com) — Legacy’s Rafael Urbina (left) and Caden Ulibarri attempt a block on Coronado’s Gavin Mason during the Lightning’s regional tournament match against Coronado on May 2, 2025. (Alissa Noe/BoCoPreps.com)

Jorge pushed Rafa to focus on playing setter early on, noting that “he had good hands.” He knew he had a better chance of succeeding at the position, given the low volume of kids that choose it from the get-go.

“What I helped him with was with the fundamentals of the game of how to play, how to hit, how to pass, how to set,” Jorge explained. “That was the start, basic fundamentals, same thing I did with my daughter. Once you learn the fundamentals, then the rest of the game comes to you naturally.”

Over the past couple of years, Rafa has taken his skills all the way out to Campbell, Calif., to compete with the Bay to Bay traveling volleyball club, with the hopes of elevating his game even more. Once he wraps up at Worlds, he’ll join a college program that is already teeming with talent.

He hopes he can leave his mark early on, whatever that may look like.

“The current starter, he’s a senior and he’s elite,” Rafa explained. “He’s on the senior national team. He’s won two national championships (in) his three years, so it’s going to be hard to knock him off his role. I just want to be the best at my role, whatever my role is, and be the best man I can be in order to make us successful.”

Best of the rest

While Urbina headlined the small contingent of volleyball players from Broomfield and Boulder counties, he wasn’t the only one to make waves on CHSAA’s all-state teams. His teammate, senior Elisha Thao, joined him on 5A’s honorable mention list thanks to his 249 digs and 23 aces.

Niwot, also in 5A, earned a second-team nod for junior libero Charlie Kirtland, who ended his season with 124 digs. Junior middle blocker/outside hitter Diego Kheng secured a spot on honorable mention thanks to his 112 kills and 64 digs.

View a list of Prep sports and high school teams we cover.

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Seven of the eight qualifying spots for the 2026 European Championships secured on day two

Romania’s Andra Sandhu scored twice against Czechia on day two. Photo: Cipriano Lucas Only one qualification ticket for the women’s 2026 European Water Polo Championships remains to be decided after a dramatic day two of action across the continent. 2026 European Water Polo ChampionshipsWomen’s Qualifiers, Day 2 ResultsSaturday 7 June 2025 Group A (Setubal) Czechia […]

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23 minutes ago

June 7, 2025

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*Romania’s Andra Sandhu scored twice against Czechia on day two. Photo: Cipriano Lucas*

Only one qualification ticket for the women’s 2026 European Water Polo Championships remains to be decided after a dramatic day two of action across the continent.

2026 European Water Polo Championships
Women’s Qualifiers, Day 2 Results
Saturday 7 June 2025

Group A (Setubal)

Czechia 11-12 Romania

Group B (Hannover)

Malta 7-21 Türkiye

Group C (Novi Sad)

Serbia 24-7 Switzerland

Ukraine 20-7 Finland

Group D (Novaky)

Slovakia 16-7 Sweden

*Romania line-up before their narrow 11-12 victory against Czechia in Setubal.* *Photo: Cipriano Lucas*

Just like on day one, the favourites won their matches on day two, and secured their respective spots at next year’s European Championships.

The only close clash was staged in Group A in Setubal where the Czechs were eager to grab their last chance to retain their place at the Championships.

However, the Romanians were also aware that securing their progression in their last match, against hosts Portugal on Sunday, wouldn’t be the safest bet, so they also put up a big fight.

Indeed, they dominated most of the game, as the Czechs never led again after going 1-0 up early on, though they kept coming back.

After being 4-7 down, Czechia came back to 8-8, then at 9-9 they even had a possession to take the lead, but wasted it and next came a 0-3 rush by Romania in 2:19 minutes which proved decisive.

Czechia did manage to pull two late goals back and with 22 seconds remaining they had the chance to go even once more, but they failed to score.

The win sent not only the Romanians through, but also the hosts Portugal, whose wait to return to the grand stage is finally over after 10 long years.

Türkiye made no mistakes against Malta, as after a somewhat balanced opening period, they hit nine goals in the following eight minutes and never looked back.

Just as in Setubal, the winners also sealed another team’s qualification – here the Germans celebrated going through on their rest day.

*Serbia won their second successive match to book their ticket to next year’s European Championships. Photo: Lazar Miljanivić*

Group C hosts Serbia kicked off their second game against Switzerland with a 4-3 first period, then blew the Swiss away in the following three and eventually stopped at 24 goals.

This second victory also landed the Serbs among the qualified teams, while the second spot is still up for grabs after Ukraine downed Finland 20-7, so it’s going to be a winner-takes-all clash between Ukraine and Switzerland on Sunday.

Both spots were booked in Group D in the same way as in the other groups of three. Slovakia left no chance for Sweden, who were defeated for the second time and ousted.

The Slovaks, along with Israel, reached safe waters and the top rank in the group will be decided on Sunday.

*Türkiye’s Naz Ozdemir struck twice in her team’s comprehensive 7-21 victory against Malta. Photo: Florian Petrow*

Watch all the action live on www.euroaquaticstv.com and stay up-to-date with all the results/tables by clicking here.

Gergely Csurka for European Aquatics

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All-Orange County boys volleyball team, player of the year 2025 – Orange County Register

ALL-COUNTY BOYS VOLLEYBALL TEAM 2025 BOYS VOLLEYBALL PLAYER OF THE YEAR LOGAN HUTNICK, HUNTINGTON BEACH, SOPHOMORE The best Orange County boys volleyball team this past season was Huntington Beach. Logan Hutnick was the best player on that Huntington Beach team. For leading the Oilers to an outstanding season, Hutnick is the Orangte County boys volleyball […]

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45 minutes ago

June 7, 2025

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ALL-COUNTY BOYS VOLLEYBALL TEAM 2025

BOYS VOLLEYBALL PLAYER OF THE YEAR

LOGAN HUTNICK, HUNTINGTON BEACH, SOPHOMORE

The best Orange County boys volleyball team this past season was Huntington Beach.

Logan Hutnick was the best player on that Huntington Beach team.

For leading the Oilers to an outstanding season, Hutnick is the Orangte County boys volleyball player of the year for the 2025 season.

Hutnick, a 6-foot-6 sophomore outside hitter, was a Sunset League player of the year, sharing the award with teammate Kai Gan, the Oilers senior setter.

He made all-tournament in all three tournaments in which the Oilers played. Hutnick had a team-high 560 kills and added 72 blocks, 30 service aces and 204 digs.

Huntington Beach finished 36-5 overall and won the Sunset League championship with a 12-0 league record. The Oilers played in the CIF Southern Section Division I final and in the CIF Southern California Regional Division I final.

In the CIF Southern Section Division 1 championship match Hutnick had a team-high 22 kills as the Oilers lost to Manhattan Beach Mira Costa in five sets. It was not the outcome Hutnick preferred, but he was pleased with the way Huntington Beach played against Mira Costa which would go on to win the first-ever CIF State boys volleyball championship and finish at No. 1 in the MaxPreps national rankings.

“Even though we lost,” Hutnick said, “I think that was the best we played. I liked the way we pulled together in that fourth set.”

Mira Costa served for match point four times in the fourth set. The Oilers kept scoring points to extend the set until coming away with a 31-29 win to tie the match at two sets apiece. The fifth set was tied 5-5, Mira Costa took a 14-7 lead, Huntington Beach battled back to make it 14-11 before Mira Costa scored the championship point.

The Oilers would play Mira Costa one more time. Huntington Beach lost to Mira Costa in the CIF Southern California Regional Division I final. Hutnick led the Oilers with 17 kills.

Huntington Beach coach Craig Pazanti was impressed with how Hutnick made the transition from being a middle blocker as a freshman to outside hitter for his sophomore year.

“Logan played great on defense, was a great passer and his offense speaks for itself,” Pazanti said. “He has the desire to be great. He’s a special athlete now but he’s nowhere near as good as he’s going to be.”

Hutnick said beyond all the wins and great matches, the most satisfying part of the season was the group effort that was essential to the Oilers success.

“I loved the way I felt on the court with my teammates,” Hutnick said. “It was really special to feel the teamwork and to be part of this family.”

BOYS VOLLEYBALL COACH OF THE YEAR

CRAIG PAZANTI, HUNTINGTON BEACH

Huntington Beach went undefeated in the always-tough Sunset League and advanced to the championship matches in the top division in the CIF Southern Section and CIF Southern California Regional playoffs.

For leading the Oilers to a high-achieving season, Craig Pazanti is the Orange County boys volleyball coach of the year for the 2025 season.

Huntington Beach finished 36-5 overall and 12-0 in league. The Oilers are No. 2 in the MaxPreps final national boys volleyball rankings, behind No. 1 Manhattan Beach Mira Costa which gave Huntington Beach three of its five losses.

Graduation took away some star players from last season’s team, so Pazanti had a puzzle to assemble. He moved some of those puzzle pieces around during the season to finalize a winning product.

“This season was about finding a group of guys that believed they could be good,” he said. “We were trying to be the best version of 2025 Huntington Beach volleyball that we could be. Aiden Atencio and Kai Gan became our vocal senior leaders after they both bought into being ‘that guy.’”

Pazanti has coached Huntington Beach to three CIF-SS championships and to four CIF SoCal Regional championships. He coached Mater Dei girls volleyball to three CIF-SS titles before going to Huntington Beach 18 years ago.

FIRST TEAM

Ben Brown, Corona del Mar, Jr.: He was a All-Sunset League first-team outside hitter and had 13 kills as the Sea Kings swept rival Newport Harbor in a Sunset League and 15 kills in a victory over Mater Dei.

Jackson Cryst, Sage Hill, Sr.: Cryst, a 6-10 outside hitter going to Long Beach State, led the Lightning to CIF Southern Section and CIF State championships and was selected to the Orange County All-Star Games.

Kai Gan, Huntington Beach, Sr.: The Oilers setter was a Sunset League MVP, helped the team win the Sunset League championship and advance to the CIF-SS Division 1 title and was an Orange County All-Star.

Brogan Glenn, Corona del Mar, Sr.: Glenn was an All-Sunset League first team libero, played in the Orange County All-Star games and is a UCLA signee.

Logan Hutnick, Huntington Beach, So.: The Orange County player of the year.

Jack Loper, San Clemente, Sr.: Loper, an outside hitter who signed with Stanford, helped the Tritons tie Beckman for the South Coast League championship, was a league MVP and an Orange County All-Star.

Luke Morrison, Beckman, Sr.: Morrison, an opposite hitter, was a South Coast League MVP, an Orange County All-Star led the Patriots to a co-league championship with San Clemente and is a Stanford signee.

Kai Patchell, Laguna Beach, Sr.: A 6-7 outside hitter, Patchell was All-Pacific Coast League, was selected to the Orange County All-Star Games and is headed to Manhattan University.

SECOND TEAM

Ben Arguello, Huntington Beach, Jr.

Jack Berry, Newport Harbor, Sr.

Max Draper, Tesoro, Jr.

Nick Ganier, Huntington Beach, Sr.

Nate Jackson, Edison, Sr.

Connor Engelbrecht, Orange Lutheran, Sr.

Dylan Gallagher, Mater Dei, Sr.

JP Wardy, Newport Harbor, Jr.

THIRD TEAM

Aiden Atencio, Huntington Beach, Sr.

Luke Balint, St. Margaret’s, Sr.

Daniel Booker, Corona del Mar, So.

Henry Clemo, Newport Harbor, Jr.

Jack Frame, Beckman, Sr.

Cayden McInness, San Clemente, Sr.

Seth Sainz, Kennedy, Sr.

Chase Wallin, Santa Margarita, So.

FOURTH TEAM

Kiren Dumain, JSerra, Sr.

Hayden Grange, Trabuco Hills, Sr.

Beckett Harvey, St. Margaret’s, Jr.

Finn Johansson, San Clemente, Sr.

Robert Linker, Beckman, So.

Gavin Looney, Beckman, Sr.

Kai Nguyen, Northwood, Sr.

Jeremiah Potasi, Mater Dei, So.

FIFTH TEAM

Ben Panzica, Los Alamitos, So.

Finn Smith, Tesoro, Sr.

Ryan Lim, El Toro, Sr.

Aidan McMahon, St. Margaret’s, Sr.

Connor McNally, Edison, Sr.

Wyatt Nicholls, Newport Harbor, Sr.

Bennett Smith, Mater Dei, Jr.

Logan Busch, Orange Lutheran, Sr.

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Texas Longhorns Second Program to Win Titles in Softball, Basketball, Volleyball

After securing their first softball national championship win on June 6, the Texas Longhorns became just the second school in history to hold national titles in softball, volleyball and basketball. UCLA stands as the only other school that has accomplished this feat, and both schools are recognized for having strong athletic programs across the board. […]

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58 minutes ago

June 7, 2025

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Texas Softbal — Jun 6, 2025; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Texas Longhorns infielder Joley Mitchell (9) smiles as she holds the National Championship trophy after the Longhorns defeated the Texas Tech Red Raiders 10-4 in game three of the NCAA Softball Women’s College World Series finals at Devon Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Rojo-Imagn Images / Brett Rojo-Imagn Images

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Vermont high school track and field: U-32 state championship sweep

U-32 remained on top. In a year of state records, Hartford’s Bennett Moreno surprised himself with an historic run. And Middlebury sprinter Jazmyn Hurley cruised to more individual hardware. Despite wet conditions, the track and field stars of Division II continued to shine bright on Friday. The U-32 girls and boys swept the team competition […]

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1 hour ago

June 7, 2025

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U-32 remained on top. In a year of state records, Hartford’s Bennett Moreno surprised himself with an historic run. And Middlebury sprinter Jazmyn Hurley cruised to more individual hardware.

Despite wet conditions, the track and field stars of Division II continued to shine bright on Friday.

The U-32 girls and boys swept the team competition for the seventh time since 2013, Moreno shattered his own divisional record in the 1,500 meters, slipping under the 4-minute barrier, and Hurley captured the 100 and 200 one year after a three-win performance during the D-II state championships at Burlington’s D.G. Weaver Athletic Complex.

The U-32 boys racked up 167 points to runner-up Hartford’s 80 to claim the second of back-to-back crowns and their 10th state title overall since 2013. The Raider girls, meanwhile, surged to a five-peat with 138 total points, out-distancing Rice (88).

“We take the team competition really seriously. It’s a big focus for us,” U-32 coach Andrew Tripp said. “We knew we were the favorites and we knew that we didn’t need any heroics, that’s what we told the kids before (the meet).

“No one had to be Superman today. We just had to do what we’ve done all year and we’d be good. And they did that.”

Depth, star power prevail for U-32 program

Ginger Long headlined the U-32 girls in her final state meet. The senior captured the 1,500 (4:51.57) and 800 (2:22.67) and ran a leg on U-32’s victorious 4×400 relay squad. Counting her success across cross-country, indoor and outdoor track, Long rolled up 12 individual state crowns in her career.

Long’s teammate, Madison Beaudoin, finished second to Long in 1,500 and 800, and was also a member of the winning 4×400.

“Between (Long) and (Beaudoin), I’ll probably never coach two women like that again, ever,” Tripp said. “Arguably, two of the best athletes in the history of the school. And they both showed out (Friday). There are lot of girls who had amazing days.”

Indeed. Morgan Towne totaled 26 points in four individual events, Clara Maker won the 300 hurdles (49.41), placed second in the 100 hurdles and was on the winning 4×100 and 4×400 relay squads, Isobel Kobel captured the 400 (1:00.44) and Adeline Cannella racked up 16 points.

For the U-32 boys, Cavan Farrell swept the 110 hurdles (16.08) and 300 hurdles (16.64), the Raiders swept all three relays, Zackary Parton swiped runner-up spots in long jump and high jump, and Noah Kopsco’s big day included first in the 400 (51.15).

Kopsco, Farrell, Drew Frostick and Josh Pearson made up U-32’s first-place 4×100. Frostick, Kopsco, Wyatt Mallory and Andrew McKinstry were on the winning 4×400. And McKinstry, Asa Dorfman, Oren Winters and Sawyer Tootle formed the victorious 4×800 for U-32.

“We are a really strong program and we take a lot of pride in that,” Tripp said.

Bennett Moreno dusts 1,500 D-II record in 3:58.48

Less than a week after lowering his 800 D-II record to 1:51.60 at Essex Invitational, Moreno felt under the weather leading up to Friday’s D-II state meet. He wasn’t expecting to challenge his 1,500 D-II record of 4:00.11, but U-32’s Cole Page pushed the pace.

And Moreno saw his opportunity. With a lap to go, Moreno said he knew he could close strong, clipping the line at 3:58.48. Moreno is the first D-II runner to break 4 minutes in the 1,500.

“I said, ‘All right, let’s do this. Whatever I got,'” Moreno said. “That led me to a 3:58. I was not in that mentality, but it switches once you’re in it.”

Vermont high school track and field: Bennett Moreno resets record

Hartford senior Bennett Moreno broke his Division II state record in the 1,500 during the D-II track and field championships at Burlington on June 6.

Moreno said the 800 record means more to him.

“The 1,500 is special and I’m so glad I found it, but the 800 is always going to be where my heart lies,” he said.

As of Friday, June 6, Moreno owns five D-II records: 800 and 1,500 in outdoor and 600, 1,000 and 1,500 for indoor. The senior will compete at New Englands and then nationals.

After setting records, Jazmyn Hurley races to 100-200 double

At the Essex Invitational, Hurley buried the 100 and 200 records for D-II. They have been long-fulfilled goals for Hurley. But Friday’s rainy weather and slick track surface made it difficult to top those times less than six days later.

Still, Hurley charged in with comfortable wins, 12.69 in the 100 and 26.10 in the 200. The Middlebury College-bound senior finishes her career with 11 individual state titles from indoor and outdoor combined.

“It was still fun, I had a nice time,” said Hurley, who will race at New Englands.

Contact Alex Abrami at aabrami@freepressmedia.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter:@aabrami5.

DIVISION II GIRLS TRACK AND FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS

Team scores: 1. U-32 138; 2. Rice 88; T3. Montpelier, Lake Region 42; 5. Harwood 39; 6. Fair Haven 37; 7. Lyndon 31; 8. Hartford 24; 9. Middlebury 20; 10. Woodstock 17; T11. Lamoille, Milton 16; 13. Mount Abraham 14.

100-meter dash: 1. Jazmyn Hurley, Midd 12.69; 2. Adeline Cannella, U-32 13.16; 3. Madison Perry, FH 13.30; 4. Bella Walsh, Rice 13.45; 5. Mollie Mislak, U-32 13.50; 6. Camille Edgar, Mont 13.54.

200: 1. Jazmyn Hurley, Midd 26.10; 2. Adeline Cannella, U-32 27.17; 3. Bella Walsh, Rice 27.58; 4. Mollie Mislak, U-32 27.89; 5. Eryn McGuire, Wood 28.12; 6. Grace Perreault, Wood 28.15.

400: 1. Isobel Koger, U-32 1:00.44; 2. Izzy Lacy, Rice 1:01.84; 3. Jeays Matz, Rice 1:02.75; 4. Samantha Hensel, Lyn 1:03.58; 5. Maddie Carbino, Hart 1:03.71; 6. Anna Wetherell, Mont 1:04.91.

800: 1. Ginger Long, U-32 2:22.67; 2. Madison Beaudoin, U-32 2:25.37; 3. Sara McGill, Mont 2:26.79; 4. Hailey Porter, Lam 2:30.93; 5. Jeays Matz, Rice 2:32.56; 6. Heidi Harldsen, Har 2:32.95.

1,500: 1. Ginger Long, U-32 4:51.57; 2. Madison Beaudoin, U-32 4:55.88; 3. Sara McGill, Mont 5:00.42; 4. Hailey Porter, Lam 5:01.44; 5. Evey Slavik, Rice 5:01.85; 6. Izzy Cellini, Wood 5:02.57.

3,000: 1. Evey Slavik, Rice 11:08.18; 2. Celia Wing, Har 11:09.29; 3. Elsie Koger, U-32 11:23.13; 4. Leah Jourdan, Lam 11:26.05; 5. Thea Boyles, Mont 11:46.74; 6. Adele Pritchard, Mont 11:46.94.

100 hurdles: 1. Zoe Martinez, Rice 16.54; 2. Clara Maker, U-32 16.88; 3. Morgan Towne, U32 17.25; 4. Maede Urie, LR 17.56; 5. Audrey Morris, Rice 17.83; 6. Barbora Tocikova, Lyn.

300 hurdles: 1. Clara Maker, U-32 49.41; 2. Camille Edgar, Mont 51.86; 3. Geneva Durgin, Hart 51.97; 4. Barbora Tocikova, Lyn 52.43; 5. Maeda Urie, LR 53.47; 6. Gabriella Marshia, Lyn 53.49.

4×100: 1. U-32 (Gould, Maker, Cannella, Mislak) 51.65; 2. Woodstock 52.97; 3. Fair Haven 54.45; 4. Lamoille 54.48; 5. Lake Region 55.07; 6. Hartford 55.47.

4×400: 1. U-32 (Long, Maker, Beaudoin, Koger) 4:09.86; 2. Hartford 4:23.75; 3. Lyndon 4:24.57; 4. Rice 4:26.23; 5. Montpelier 4:26.29; 6. Lamoille 4:35.58.

4×800: 1. Rice (E. Slavik, M. Slavik, Clarke, Matz) 10:26.51; 2. Hartford 10:38.37; 3. Harwood 10:42.09; 4. U-32 10:48.37; 5. Montpelier 11:05.77; 6. Lamoille 11:15.75.

Pole vault: 1. Clare Pritchard, Mont 9-2.25; 2. Seda Boyes, Independent 7-11.5; 3. Morgan Towne, U-32 7-5.75; 4. Maeve Daloz, U-32 7-5.75; 5. Jakobi Kmiecik, U-32 7-5.75; 6. Alida Apgar, Lyn 6-11.75.

High jump: 1. Maeda Urie, LR 4-7.75; 2. Hazel Stoddard, MTA 4-7.75; 3. Clare Pritchard, Mont 4-7.75; 4. Catherine Preuss, Milt 4-7.75; 5. Taylor Tritt, Rice 4-7.75; 6. Eryn McGuire, Wood 4-6.

Long jump: 1. Madison Perry, FH 16-08.75; 2. Morgan Towne, U-32 16-0.25; 3. Catherine Preuss, Milt 15-6.75; 4. Audrey Perry, FH 15-5; 5. Macey Mawhinney, Lyn 15-3.25; 6. Damiana Leese, Har 14-3.75.

Triple jump: 1. Maeda Urie, LR 34-8.5; 2. Madison Perry, FH 33-8.5; 3. Morgan Towne, U-32 33-1.75; 4. Piper Pauly, Wood 32-3.5; 5. Macey Mawhinney, Lyn 31-0.5; 6. Damiana Leese, Har 30-7.

Shot put: 1. Isabella Pockoski, Har 36-11.75; 2. Aerie Sanders, Rice 30-10.25; 3. Kaila Thompson, Milt 30-2.25; 4. Heidi Haraldsen, Har 29-4; 5. Rowan Kuehn, FH 28-1.5; 6. Clare Pritchard, Mont 26-6.25.

Discus: 1. Aerie Sanders, Rice 102-05; 2. Isabella Pockoski, Har 100-11; 3. Marie Voisin, Mont 97-02; 4. Brooklyn Hinton, LR 93-05; 5. Christin Haynes, U-32 87-04; 6. Rowan Kuehn, FH 87-04.

Javelin: 1. Heather Alexander, LF 110-10; 2. Gabriella Marshia, Lyn 77-10; 3. Hazen Stoddard, MTA 77-03; 4. Ophelia Mast, Rice 77-01; 5. Barbora Tocikova, Lyn 72-09; 6. Noa Martinez Cantero, Lyn 72-07.

DIVISION II BOYS TRACK AND FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS

Team scores: 1. U-32 167; 2. Hartford 80; 3. Rice 57; 4. Fair Haven 55; 5. Lake Region 31; 6. Lamoille 25; 7. Montpelier 25; 8. Lyndon 18; 9. Harwood 17; 10. Woodstock 15; T11. Mount Abraham, Milton 11; 13. Middlebury 8; 4. Missisquoi 4.

100-meter dash: 1. Shane Raetz, FH 11.33; 2. Jeonghun Jin, Rice 11.42; T3. Josh Pearson, U-32 11.62; Drew Frostick, U-32 11.62; 5. Ayodele Lowe, Hart 11.69; 6. Jericho Thatcher, LR 11.75.

200: 1. Jeonghun Jin, Rice 22.84; 2. Theodore Washburn, Rice 23.21; 3. Noah Kopsco, U-32 23.28; 4. Josh Pearson, U-32 23.64; 5. Elliot Rowe, Lam 23.71; 6. Devin Schlegel-Barber, Milt 23.73.

400: 1. Noah Kopsco, U-32 51.15; 2. Elliot Rowe, Lam 51.62; 3. Theodore Washburn, Rice 51.73; 4. Adler Lahar, LR 53.92; 5. Tighe Hrabchak, Hart 53.99; 6. Andrew McKinstry, U-32 54.03.

800: 1. Bennett Moreno, Hart 1:57.07; 2. Tennessee Lamb, U-32 1:59.75; 3. Wyatt Malloy, U-32 2:00.08; 4. Cody Young, U-32 2:00.28; 5. Cole Page, U-32 2:02.97; 6. James Underwood, Wood 2:03.20.

1,500: 1. Bennett Moreno, Hart 3:58.48 (D-II record); 2. Cole Page, U-32 4:06.56; 3. James Underwood, Wood 4:06.82; 4. Cody Young, U-32 4:07.49; 5. Samuel Brondyke, Mont 4:09.81; 6. Zeb Whitlock, Lam 4:10.98.

3,000: 1. Jay Borland, Mont 9:04.12; 2. Samuel Brondyke, Mont 9:05.52; 3. Ben Warfield, U-32 9:11.41; 4. Zeb Whitlock, Lam 9:19.21; 5. Oren Winters, U-32 9:24.49; 6. Luke Murphy, 9:33.32.

110 hurdles: 1. Cavan Farrell, U-32 16.08; 2. Nate Leavitt, Lam 16.69; 3. Malcolm Rose, U-32 17.23; 4. Ethan Gratton-Derby, LR 17.38; 5. Joshua Kafumbe, Midd 17.56; 6. Kingston Newell, Lyn 18.68.

300 hurdles: 1. Cavan Farrell, U-32 16.64; 2. Kleo Bridge, Mont 16.77; 3. Nate Leavitt, Lam 17.16; 4. Malcolm Rose, U-32 17.23; 5. Ethan Gratton-Derby, LR 17.56; 6. Atif Milak, Mont 17.98.

4×100: 1. U-32 (Pearson, Kopsco, Farrell, Frostick) 43.86; 2. Rice 44.56; 3. Middlebury 46.48; 4. Fair Haven 46.78; 5. Lyndon 48.84; 6. Lake Region 48.88.

4×400: 1. U-32 (Frostick, Kopsco, Mallory, McKinstry) 3:32.02; 2. Rice 3:36.07; 3. Hartford 3:36.25; 4. Lake Region 3:49.71; 5. Harwood 2:52.71; 6. Montpelier 3:53.35.

4×800: 1. U-32 (McKinstry, Dorfman, Winters, Tootle) 9:17.08; 2. Woodstock 9:28.28; 3. Hartford 9:33.61; 4. Lake Region 9:48.31; 5. Lamoille 9:52.73; 6. Middlebury 10:25.28.

Pole vault: 1. Tyler Noyes, Lyn 10-11.5; 2. Jace Hetrick, FH 10-5.5; 3. Jack Quicker, Wood 9-11.75; T4. Benjamin Lang, Hart; Malcolm Rose, U-32 9-5.75; 6. Ryan Parker, U-32 9-5.75.

High jump: 1. Ayodele Lowe, Hart 6-2; 2. Zackary Parton, U-32 5-8; 3. Jack Almeida, FH 5-8; 4. Beckett Bailey, Lyn 5-6; 5. Joseph Nyiringabo, Mont 5-4.25.

Long jump: 1. Ayodele Lowe, Hart 22-1; 2. Zackary Parton, U-32 20-6.5; 3. Shane Raetz, FH 19-11.5; 4. Landon Morris, Miss 19-5.25; 5. Truman Sawyer, MTA 19-2.5; 6. Angel Lockward, Lyn 19-1.25.

Triple jump: 1. Jayden Forbes, Hart 41-0.25; 2. Truman Sawyer, MTA 39-2.5; 3. Angel Lockward, Lyn 38-6.75; 4. Asa Young, 36-1.25; 5. Ari Jorgenson, U-32 35-0.25; 6. Jack Spaulding, 34-5.5.

Shot put: 1. Caden Lynch, FH 40-7; 2. Eric Poso, Rice 40-1.25; 3. Evan Coates, U-32 39-6.75; 4. Brandon Driver, Hart 39-6.75; 5. Alec Husmann, Hart 39-1; 6. Connor Rowley, Har 38-11.75.

Discus: 1. Devin Schlegel-Barber, Milt 124-7; 2. Connor Rowley, Har 114-01; 3. Eneko Farr, U-32 106-04; 4. Caden Lynch, FH 103-09; 5. Asa Young, FH 98-10; 6. Jack Eldred, Rice 91-07.

Javelin: 1. Adler Lahar, LR 148-07; 2. Mathew Tsouknakis, Hart 145-03; 3. Gavin Clark-Viola, Har 12-10; 4. Angel Lockward, Lyn 121-10; 5. Asa Young, FH 121-06; 6. James Mount, MTA 114-11.

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