For the first time since the inaugural 1926 European Championships, the German men’s water polo team will be missing from the grand stage after they lost their final qualification game on Wednesday. The defeat came in Istanbul, where hosts Türkiye downed them 17-16 in the decisive match. As the 2026 European Championships qualifiers came to a close across the continent, Slovakia, Netherlands, Georgia and France finished first in their respective groups.

European Water Polo Championships
Men’s Qualifications, Day 4
Wednesday 11 June 2025

Group A (Kranj)

Czechia 10-17 Poland
Slovenia 9-19 Netherlands

Standings: 1. Netherlands 12pts, 2. Slovenia 9pts, 3. Great Britain 6pts, 4. Poland 3pts, 5. Czechia 0pts

Group B (Istanbul)

Slovakia 23-8 Finland
Türkiye 17-16 Germany

Standings: 1. Slovakia 12pts, 2. Türkiye 9pts, 3. Germany 6pts, 4. Sweden 3pts, 5. Finland 0pts

Group C (Tbilisi)

Bulgaria 14-13 Switzerland
Georgia 19-9 Israel

Standings: 1. Georgia 9pts, 2. Israel 6pts, 3. Bulgaria 3pts, 4. Switzerland 0pts

Group D (Gzira)

Ukraine 14-13 Portugal
Malta 14-15 France

Standings: 1. France 8pts, 2. Malta 7pts, 3. Ukraine 3pts, 4. Portugal 0pts

Germany have always had a presence at the European Championships, sometimes as strong contenders, sometimes as the underdogs, and they’ve (almost) been at the top table every time. When they were not, like in 1947 and in 1950, it was only for political reasons (their entry was denied). Also in 1962, the West Germany team refused to take part at the Europeans in Leipzig, though East Germany played in that tournament. So, to be clear, when they were eligible, and politics didn’t intervene, they have always lined up at the start of the Europeans.

One hundred years after playing at the first European Championships – and grabbing the bronze medal – they now won’t go to Belgrade after losing their decisive qualification match to Türkiye in Istanbul on Wednesday.

Indeed, the writing was already on the wall after their devastating five-goal loss to Slovakia on the opening day. Because of that, it all came down to this last match against the hosts. And the Türks, enjoying all the advantages of playing at home, managed to take the upper hand in a game of several twists and turns.

The lead was changing hands constantly, as the Germans led 2-3, then the home side responded with three connecting goals, then came a German 0-3 rush for 5-6, but at half-time, Türkiye were 8-7 ahead.

Early in the third, after burying two penalties in 56 seconds, the hosts jumped to 11-8 and sat comfortably in the driving seat… Only to see the Germans catching a wave and hitting four goals in a row.

Denis Strelezkij stepped up, as he fired in a hat-trick in 1:43 minutes and Mark Gansen also converted a penalty to make it 11-12 with 1:05 remaining.

The Germans then killed two man-downs and had a six on five to take a two-goal advantage for the first time in the match, but they missed it, which was crucial, as Engin Colak then equalised from the centre.

Just 55 seconds later, Efe Naipoglu scored from action, then, with 3:50 on the clock, Fatih Acar sent the ball home from the penalty line for 14-12.

From that point, it was a back-and-forth game, as Strelezkij pulled one back twice, but the Germans were unable to prevent the Türks from scoring from three connecting possessions.

And once they failed to respond, Atakan Destici’s man-up goal put the Türks into a winning position at 17-14 with 1:27 to play.

Strelezkij tried to create a miracle single-handedly, hitting two goals in 41 seconds for 17-16 – his eigth and ninth of the game – but only 29 seconds remained.

And then it was all over when a red card was given to Zoran Bozic with 11 seconds to go and the Türks celebrated their eighth qualification since 1966 and their first since 2021.

The Germans, after participating in 33 editions, will have to watch the Belgrade action from home.

Also in Istanbul, Slovakia completed their brilliant set of results with a 23-8 thrashing of Finland, after kicking off with a powerful 7-0 opening period.

Elsewhere, in the other three groups, the two qualifying spots had already been booked the day before, but the top ranks were still to be decided.

Georgia beat Israel with ease in Tbilisi, while the Netherlands did the same against Slovenia in Kranj – with both matches ending with the same scoreline – 19-9.

A bit unexpectedly, the showdown between France and Malta went all the way to penalties, as the favourites France found it surprisingly tough to overcome the hosts.

Malta were 7-3 up early in the third, which was remarkable since many of the French players had returned to Gzira two weeks after playing there for Marseille in the Champions League Final Four (the home players could only dream of reaching similar heights).

The evening clash was an epic battle and one the home supporters will remember for some time, especially as the Maltese were superior for three periods – they were leading 8-6 with eight minutes remaining.

Steven Camilleri’s 6m shot even put them 9-6 ahead with 5:30 on the clock, but the French stepped up in the last few minutes and with 1:17 to go, Thomas Vernoux finally equalised at 9-9.

The hosts weren’t done, though, as Sam Gialanze took back the lead from action with 47 seconds remaining, but Enzo Nardon made it even again, with just 0:25 to play.

Malta earned a late man-up, but they missed it, so the decision was left to the penalties.

In the end, one save made the difference, as Arshak Hovhannisyan made a stop in the second round of the shootout to deny Liam Galea, which was enough for the French to clinch the top spot after a game where they never led in regular time.

After months of chasing fast times and podium finishes at the regional level, the best collegiate athletes will face off at the ultimate national championship. On Wednesday, June 11, the 2025 NCAA Division 1 Outdoor Track and Field Championships will kick off at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon. Here’s everything you need to know, including broadcast information and storylines, heading into the NCAA championships this week.

How to Watch the 2025 NCAA Outdoor Championships

The NCAA championships are set to begin on Wednesday, June 11 and continue until Saturday, June 14 with a packed schedule of events each day. The men’s competition will be contested on Wednesday, June 11 and Friday, June 13, and the women’s events will be held on Thursday, June 12 and Saturday, June 14. Each day of the NCAA championships will be broadcast live on ESPN and ESPN2. You can watch every multi event and field event live on ESPN+.

5 Races to Watch at the NCAA Meet

The Men’s 100 Meters

During the NCAA regional championships, a handful of athletes executed breakthrough performances in the east and west, including sprinter Jordan Anthony. The redshirt sophomore from Arkansas, who also plays wide receiver for the Razorbacks, ran a wind-aided 9.75 seconds (+2.1 m/s wind) at the NCAA West First Round in College Station, Texas. The performance is equal to No. 2 on the collegiate all-time list and equal to No. 3 on the U.S. all-time list in all-conditions. He also qualified for the NCAA championships in the 200 meters after running 20.20 seconds.

Anthony’s biggest competitor will likely be Abdul-Rasheed Saminu. The senior from South Florida is also having a breakout season after clocking 9.86 seconds to win the 100 meters at the NCAA East First Round in Jacksonville, Florida. The athlete from Ghana is now ranked No. 2 on the collegiate all-time list for wind-legal times, right behind collegiate record-holder Christian Coleman (9.82). Expect to see a thrilling duel between the two sprint stars this week starting with the first round on Wednesday.

The Steeplechase

The men’s and women’s steeplechase features two major contenders this year. On the women’s side, Doris Lemngole will aim to continue her streak of NCAA titles. In the fall, the sophomore from Alabama won the NCAA cross-country crown two weeks before breaking the collegiate record in the 5,000 meters. In March, at the NCAA indoor championships, Lemngole won the 5,000 meters and finished second in the 3,000 meters. In April, she shattered the collegiate record in the steeplechase, blazing 9:10.13 at the Wake Forest Invitational.

Though Lemngole is considered the heavy favorite in Eugene, two other athletes have also broken into the collegiate all-time list this season, including Pamela Kosgei of New Mexico (9:15.93) and Lexy Halladay-Lowry of BYU (9:18.05). The rivalry will heat up when the three battle through two rounds of racing this weekend.

The men’s competition will be led by Geoffrey Kirwa, who clocked 8:13.89 at the Bryan Clay Invitational in April. The freshman from Louisville is now No. 2 on the collegiate all-time list, behind long-time record-holder Henry Rono (8:05.4). So far this season, the competitor who’s come closest to Kirwa is Matthew Kosgei of New Mexico, who clocked 8:22.13 at the Stanford Invitational in April. With an NCAA title on the line, will Kirwa live up to the hype in his first championship appearance?

The women’s 800 meters

This year’s championship will feature one of the deepest middle-distance fields in history. So far this season, six women have broken two minutes in the 800 meters, a massive feat for college-aged athletes.

The final will likely be led by Michaela Rose after the senior from LSU notched a 1:58.12 personal best at the LSU Invitational in May. The 2024 NCAA outdoor champion will be out for redemption after finishing fourth at the NCAA indoor championships in March. Meghan Hunter of BYU, Gladys Chepngetich of Clemson, Makayla Paige of North Carolina, Roisin Willis of Stanford, and Smilla Kolbe of North Florida have also gone sub-2 this year. Each athlete is on the top 25 all-time collegiate performers list with Rose now No. 2 behind collegiate record-holder Athing Mu (1:57.73)—setting the stage for a highly anticipated showdown in Saturday’s final.

The men’s 1500 meters

This year, the men’s 1500 meters features three collegiate record-holders among a handful of all-time standouts.

In December, Ethan Strand opened his indoor track season with a collegiate record in the 3,000 meters, winning the BU Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener in 7:30.15. The junior from North Carolina later shattered the collegiate record in the indoor mile, running 3:48.32 in Boston. He’s come close to breaking the record in the 1500 meters—running a 3:33.22 personal best—but that distinction currently belongs to Liam Murphy.

In March, the senior from Villanova blasted 3:33.02 to win Raleigh Relays. In the same race, his teammate Marco Langon and Virginia’s Gary Martin (who is the co-owner of the collegiate record in the indoor mile after equaling Strand’s time in February) also dipped under the previous collegiate record (3:33.74) set by the late Eliud Kipsang in 2022. Abel Teffra of Georgetown will also be in the mix after running 3:33.84, making him No. 6 on the collegiate all-time list.

The women’s 5,000 and 10,000 meters

Until Parker Valby broke 15 minutes for the 5,000 meters last year, no collegian had ever dipped under the elusive barrier in the event. This year, three athletes have already gone sub-15, including distance phenoms Grace Hartman and Pamela Kosgei.

Kosgei, a sophomore from New Mexico, started the trend at the Bryan Clay Invitational, which she won in 14:52.45, just 0.27 seconds shy of Valby’s collegiate record. Halladay-Lowry was right behind her, running 14:52.93, though she will only be competing in the steeplechase this weekend. Two weeks later, Hartman ran her own breakthrough at the Duke Twilight meet. The junior from North Carolina State clocked 14:58.11, a rapid progression after running a season’s best of 15:28 in 2024. Kosgei is now No. 2 and Hartman is No. 4 on the collegiate all-time list of performers in the event.

The duo hold the same respective rankings in the 10,000 meters after Kosgei notched a 31:02.73 personal best and Hartman clocked 31:20.60 at separate meets on the same weekend in March. With 15,000 meters of racing ahead of them in Eugene, who will come out on top in this exciting double?

Taylor Dutch is a writer and editor living in Austin, Texas, and a former NCAA track athlete who specializes in fitness, wellness, and endurance sports coverage. Her work has appeared in Runner’s World, SELF, Bicycling, Outside, and Podium Runner.

By Will Johnson, Sports Editor

Owensville High School (OHS) aged volleyball campers (above) gather for a group photo while middle-school aged campers (below work on serving and spiking.

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Volleyball Dutchgirls move camp to Owensville Elementary School due to OHS bleacher project

Throughout the early part of last week, interested volleyball players going into fifth grade through high school worked on fundamentals which included serving, setting, spiking and passing. Normally held inside Owensville High School’s main gym, Jamie Ridenhour’s camp was moved over to Owensville Elementary School’s gym due to the current bleacher replacement project at OHS.

The Rehoboth Beach Public Library will hold its Summer Reading Kick-Off Party from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Monday, June 16, in the pavilion at Grove Park near the Rehoboth Avenue traffic circle.

Entertainment and activities for kids of all ages will include inflatable bowling, giant beach volleyball, cornhole, sack races, parachute races and an interactive music class.

Attendees can stop by the summer reading table to register for an adventure-packed program that rewards kids for reading books and attending summer events. All registrants will receive a free book and two tickets for the Wrap-Up Raffle to be held Friday, Aug. 8, when lucky readers will win prizes donated by several generous Rehoboth businesses.

For every 10 books they read, kids ages 11 and under can earn five tickets and a free book; ages 12-18 can earn this prize for reading five books, with the understanding that book length and difficulty increase with reading level. Kids will also receive a ticket for every library summer program they attend.

Shannon Davis, Rehoboth Beach Public Library youth services librarian, said, “We would love to expand on the successful summer we had last year, with 123 summer reading program participants reading over 1,925 books. This year, let’s see if we can make it to 2,000 books.”

Adults can join the fun with adventure bingo cards, which award tickets for doing fun activities around Rehoboth.

Free reading logs will be available for pickup all summer long at the Rehoboth Beach Public Library, 226 Rehoboth Ave. 

The NCAA Outdoor Championships begin on Wednesday in Eugene, Oregon, at Hayward Field, and you can catch all the action with FuboTV.

How to Watch NCAA Outdoor Championships – Men’s Day 1 – Wednesday

• Date: Wednesday, June 11, 2025
• Time: 7:00 PM EDT
• Channel: ESPN
• Stream: Fubo (Try for free)

Wednesday features exclusively men’s events. On the schedule are semifinals in the 4×100 Relay, 1500 Meters, 3000 Steeplechase, 110 Hurdles, 100 Meters, 400 Meters, 800 Meters, 400 Hurdles, 200 Meters, and 4×400 Relay as well as finals in the 10,000 Meters, Hammer, Pole Vault, Javelin, Long Jum,p and Shot Put.

Most of the men’s finals in the track events will take place on Friday.

Last year, winners of major men’s events included Houston’s Louie Hinchliffe in the 100 meters, Penn State’s Cheickna Traore in the 200 meters, Georgia’s Christopher Morales-Williams in the 400 meters, and Virginia’s Shane Cohen in the 800 meters.

Cohen was one of a handful of American men to win an event. The others were Washington’s Joe Waskom in the 1500 meters, North Carolina’s Parker Wolfe in the 5000 meters, Nebraska’s Darius Luff in the 110 meter hurdles, Texas Tech’s Caleb Dean in the 400 meter hurdles, Georgetown’s Parker Stokes in the 3000 meter hurdles, USC’s JC Stevenson in the long jump, Fairleigh Dickinson’s Salif Mane in the triple jump, Kentucky’s Keaton Daniel in pole vault, Ole Miss’ Tarik Robinson-O’Hagan in shot put and Georgia’s Marc Minichello in javelin.

Live stream the NCAA Outdoor Championships, Men’s Day 1 with Fubo: Start your free trial now!

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DAVIS, Calif. —A new era in Davis will begin on July 1 when Ari Homayun officially takes over as the new head coach for UC Davis beach volleyball. A rising star in collegiate coaching and decorated former student-athlete, Homayun brings with her a history of building successful teams, mentoring student-athletes, and excelling both on the sidelines and in the sand.

“We are thrilled to welcome Ari Homayun to UC Davis as our new head coach for beach volleyball” says Director of Athletics Rocko DeLuca. “Ari’s energy, competitive drive, and student-athlete-centered approach stood out immediately. Her impressive track record of success as both a player and coach, paired with leadership focused on team culture make her a perfect fit for our department and the future of Aggie beach volleyball.”

Homayun arrives in Davis after a historic season as head coach at CSUN, where she led the program to unprecedented achievements during the 2024-25 season. Under her leadership, the Matadors earned their first-ever win over a ranked opponent, posted a new program record for most wins in a single season, and developed a standout freshman who broke the school record for individual wins. And to top it all off Homayun became the winningest coach in program history in just her first season.

“I’m incredibly honored to join the UC Davis community and lead the beach volleyball program” states Homayun. “I’m excited to build on the strong foundation here and help our student-athletes grow – not just on the sand, but as people, teammates, and leaders. I want to thank Rocko DeLuca, [Senior Associate Athletics Director, Sports Administration & Development] Josh Flushman, and the entire administration for believing in me and giving me this opportunity. Their support and vision for the program mean a lot, and I’m truly looking forward to being part of the Aggie family”

Before her time at CSUN, Homayun served as an assistant coach at Cal Poly, working alongside Olympic gold medalist Todd Rogers. There, she helped guide the Mustangs to a Big West Championship, a top 10 national ranking, and the program’s first NCAA Championship match win. She launched her coaching career at Hawai’i, her alma mater, where she had a memorable playing career.

A four-time NCAA Championship participant, Homayun remains Hawai’i’s all-time leader in both overall (118) and dual (115) match victories. She was a multi-time All-Big West honoree, received American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Top Flight Awards, and earned academic all-conference recognition throughout her time as a student-athlete.