ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – Due to overwhelming community support, Missouri Western State University will reinstate the Griffon Track & Field program.

MWSU announced last week that it would be ending Track & Field due to facility limitations.

“Given the dedication of our student athletes and their success in competition and in the classroom, it was a difficult decision to make,” said Dr. Elizabeth Kennedy, president. “I appreciate the supporters who have stepped up to help us create a plan to support the team in the future.” 

“This is a great day!” said Andy Carter, director of athletics. “I am grateful that people want to ensure we can provide an outstanding student-athlete experience for Griffon Track and Field.”

“The Missouri Western Board of Governors is eager to work with Griffon Track & Field supporters to build the future of this program,” said Lee Tieman, chair of the MWSU board of governors. “It’s always a good day when you can do something to directly help our students.”

More details will be announced at a later date.

Alex Ovechkin is on vacation with his family in Turkey and he already had some special guests visit him.

While taking in their family’s accommodations, Nastya Ovechkina posted a video to her Instagram Story on Saturday showing a herd of at least 13 wild goats walking by their pool area.

Ovechkin’s goat encounter on vacation comes two months after he broke the NHL goals record on April 6. By scoring his 895th career goal, Ovechkin became, in goal-scoring parlance, the Greatest Of All Time (G.O.A.T.).

Days after Ovechkin’s huge accomplishment, the Capitals honored their captain with “Gr8ness goats” during a celebration at Capital One Arena. Naturally, Ovechkin couldn’t resist holding, petting, and feeding the animals himself before departing the event.

According to reporting from Match TV, Ovechkin’s vacation in Turkey will last from June 7 to July 7.

Match TV, quoting a source close to the situation, wrote (as translated by Google Translate):

“The trip program includes not only sunbathing, tasting local cuisine in an all-inclusive format, and swimming in the pool and sea, but also a number of meetings.

Thus, on June 15, Ovechkin will talk with KHL President Alexei Morozov, who will visit his hotel.

In addition, Alexander will begin preparing for the season in June, loading himself with general physical training. The emphasis will be on yoga, stretching and beach volleyball.”

By the time Ovechkin returns home to Russia in July, he’ll have approximately two months before Capitals’ Training Camp begins ahead of his age-40 season in the NHL.

LA CROSSE — Analena Peterson crossed the finish line, looked up at the scoreboard stationed on the south end of Roger Herring Stadium, and exclaimed, “Oh my gosh!”

Oh my gosh is right. The Catholic Memorial senior enjoyed an outstanding day in La Crosse, highlighted by setting a new Division 2 state record in the 200-meter dash with a time of 24.28 seconds during the WIAA State Track and Field Championships on Friday at Veterans Memorial Field Sports Complex.

That gave Peterson the fastest preliminary time across the two heats, setting her up well for today’s final in La Crosse. She broke the previous mark of 24.34 set by Shorewood’s Delea Martins in 2023.

And it’s not the only event in which Peterson is sitting pretty.

Earlier in the day, the Eastern Illinois recruit ran the fastest preliminary time in the Division 2 girls 100meter dash at 12.13 seconds. That came after the threetime defending state champion and record-holder in the event, Amery senior Lucci Aizpurua, was a “did not start” in Heat 1.

Peterson finished fifth in the 100 last season (12.47) and fourth as a sophomore (12.27). She was also third in the 200 (24.94) at state as a junior, an event Aizpurua also claimed in 2024.

Peterson’s teammate, senior Marvanous Butler-Brown, is also in line for a medal in the D2 boys 100 dash after registering a preliminary time of 10.97 seconds. That put him sixth across the two heats, but just 0.13 off the fastest time run by Cameron Gray of Milwaukee Academy of Science.

Butler-Brown finished third in the 100 (11.08) last season.

The Augustana football recruit was also a member of the defending 4×100-meter state championship relay, but the injury bug bit the Crusaders late in the season, resulting in the team failing to start in the prelims on Friday. The relay was set to run out of Lane 1 in the first heat one year after running a winning time of 42.76 seconds. It finished fourth in the Big Foot Sectional last week.

New Berlin West’s track and field team had a stellar start of its own to the WIAA State Track and Field Championships on Friday.

It’s poised for even more success today — even after breaking its own state record.

Senior Trevor Berwanger and sophomore Zach Hewitt each cleared 6 feet, 6 inches in the Division 2 boys high jump, putting them in a tie for third in the event. Six athletes in all cleared 6-6, but only Edgerton sophomore Brock Anderson went higher, ultimately winning gold with a height of 6-9.

After standing together on the podium, Berwanger and Hewitt got to watch the Vikings’ lightningquick 4×200-meter girls relay take center stage.

Having set the D2 state record in the preliminary heats last season, West replicated that feat on Friday when the quartet of Caroline Gerovac, Aubrey Lane, Raquel Gerovac and Ashley Babcock clocked in at 1 minute, 42.55 seconds to lead both heats. That also broke their old mark of 1:42.65 from a year ago — a race Babcock, Lane and Caroline Gerovac were each a part of.

They’ll enter today’s final as the top seed. Lake Country Lutheran’s 4×200 relay of Rachael Boldt, Adeleine Catlin, Rachel Leibham and Sarah Stippich also qualified for the final with a fourth-best time of 1:45.23, while LCL senior Karli Molnau secured a spot in the 400 dash final (7th, 58.54) and senior teammate Emma Keidl did the same in the 300 hurdles (6th, 45.26).

Along with Peterson, Lane and Babcock qualified for the 200 dash final, as Lane was fourth (24.88) and Babcock sixth (25.22) in the preliminary heats. All three also ran in the D2 girls 4×400 relay prelims to help the Vikings (3rd, 3:56.71) and Crusaders (4th, 3:58.10) punch their tickets into today’s final.

Kettle Moraine Lutheran set the D2 state record with a top time of 3:54.60. The previous mark was 3:54.94 (Wittenberg-Birnawood, 2018).

News and notes

Eisenhower junior Javaryn Love is in position to medal, or even better, in the open 400 dash after running the second-best qualifying time (49.51) in prelims behind Saint Francis senior Joran Bell (48.68). … Senior Faith Wehrman, the Division 2 girls state cross country champion in 2022, medaled in the Division 2 girls 3,200-meter run. Wehrman, who took fourth in the event as a sophomore, tracked down Bloomer sophomore Ciara Hartman midway through the race but was passed up by both Hartman and eventual winner Bella Grenier of University School over the final few laps, settling for third (10:46.88)….Wehrman also helped the Eisenhower girls’ 4×800 relay team finish 12th with a time of 9:47.67. The event was won by Bloomer thanks to an outstanding anchor leg by Hartman, while runner- up University School also broke the previous state record of 9:19.00 set in 2013 by East Troy.

Team Cup Volleyball was an event in the late 1980s and early ’90s that brought the best of indoor and beach men’s volleyball players into weekly matches held at the Great Western Forum in Los Angeles.

It was wildly entertaining to watch the beach players dominate without the challenges of the elements.

More than 30 years later, the AVP League is duplicating that excitement.

Some of the best beach volleyball players in the world were in attendance Saturday at Viejas Arena for night two of stop No. 2 on the AVP League tour.

If one thing is clear after two events of this unique format, it’s this: trucking in 300 tons of sand into indoor arenas has only made the beach game more thrilling.

“It’s not your traditional beach volleyball event, but it makes it a little more physical for us so that allows us to work on maybe a little faster offense,” said 2024 Olympian Kristen Nuss after her and Austin Aces teammate Taryn Brasher took down the Dallas Dream’s Kylie Deberg and Haley Harward, 15-13, 15-10.

“It’s definitely fun. The crowd enjoys sometimes when they’re not dealing with the heat or the wind or rain, all the elements. So I think the energy is just a little bit higher inside.”

La Costa Canyon High School graduate and 2024 Olympian Chase Budinger and teammate Miles Evans make up half of the San Diego Smash. They defeated the Austin Aces duo of Avery Drost and UCSD graduate Wyatt Harrison in Friday night’s late action, 15-12, 15-13.

To Budinger, Viejas Arena is not unfamiliar. He played in then-Cox Arena in high school basketball’s 2006 McDonald’s All-American Game in which he shared MVP honors with Kevin Durant. The next year, he started for the University of Arizona’s 69-48 win over SDSU.

Budinger had eight kills and hit .538 with three digs, a block and an ace in the win Friday night.

“The game really changes so you have to get back to the basics because everyone’s level is going to rise,” Budinger said. “The game is simpler but tougher because you have to serve tougher, you have to be more precise with your heads and your passing has to be more accurate. Playing in this indoor environment, I’m still searching for what my advantage is, and it’s been fun and challenging.”

Budinger and Evans were locked in a battle with the L.A. Launch team of Hagen Smith and Logan Webber in Saturday’s late match.

The women’s side of the Smash went through an eventful weekend. On Friday, Geena Urango and Toni Rodriguez were leading Brasher and Nuss, 11-10, in the first set before Rodriguez went down with a shoulder injury and couldn’t return.

Abby Van Winkle, who partners with Torrey Pines High School grad Savvy Simo on the AVP Tour as well as internationally, stepped in Saturday in Rodriguez’s place.

Urango and Van Winkle played well together but ultimately dropped a 15-9, 21-23, 15-11 decision to the Launch’s Terese Cannon and Torrey Pines alumna Megan Kraft.

Olympians Andy Benesh and Miles Partain got back on track after Friday’s upset loss to Smith and Webber, downing Drost and Harrison, 16-18, 15-10, 15-9.

Despite going 0-2 on the weekend, Harrison said the challenging format will help them long-term.

“As we go through it and get used to playing with that kind of pressure and buildup, it will definitely help us,” said Harrison, an All-Big West Conference performer and captain at UCSD (2018-21). “These guys are awesome. They’re going to make really good plays and we can live with that. But I liked that we stayed aggressive.”

Originally Published: June 7, 2025 at 8:27 PM PDT