NEW ORLEANS, La. – The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) announced its 2025 NCAA Division II All-American honors, and Colorado State University Pueblo Track & Field made a major impact with 10 student-athletes earning prestigious All-American recognition. Headlining the list was senior thrower Katherine Higgins, who was also named the South Central Region Field Athlete of the Year by the USTFCCCA.

Higgins concluded a dominant season and career by capturing both the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Championship and the NCAA Division II National Title in the shot put, where she recorded a personal-best throw of 16.38 meters on her home turf in Pueblo, Colorado. In addition to her athletic prowess, Higgins received the Elite 90 Award, which honors the student-athlete at the national championships with the highest GPA, cementing her legacy as both a champion and a scholar. She graduates as a six-time All-American.

Joining Higgins on the women’s All-American list were:

• Helen Braybrook – The junior mid-distance standout from England was the national runner-up in the outdoor 800 meters and the indoor national champion in the same event.

• Febe Wessels – A junior, Wessels earned first-team All-American honors in the shot put, finishing fifth at nationals.

• Keturah Templeman – The freshman made an immediate impact, earning second-team All-American honors in the javelin.

• Leah Keisler – A first-year runner who captured the indoor national title and earned first-team All-American status outdoors in the 800 meters.

• Margot Thomas-Gatel – A fan favorite and fifth-year senior from France, Thomas-Gatel closed out her ThunderWolves career with a sixth-place finish in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, claiming first-team All-American honors.

On the men’s side, CSU Pueblo collected four All-American awards:

• Reece Sharman-Newell – The elite mid-distance runner claimed the national championship in the 1,500 meters, earning first-team All-American honors.

• Jon Sweepe – The sophomore grabbed second-team All-American honors in the 1,500 meters.

• Tim Anstett – Delivered a strong performance in the 800 meters to claim first-team All-American recognition.

• Emil Meggle – The sophomore rounded out the group with second-team All-American honors in the 800 meters.

With 10 total All-American honors, a national champion on each side, and regional and academic accolades, CSU Pueblo Track & Field continued to assert itself as a national powerhouse in NCAA Division II athletics

For the second time in her collegiate career, Seeley Lake native Klaire Kovatch is headed to her sport’s biggest stage after clinching another trip to the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Eugene, Oregon from June 11-14.

Kovatch, now a junior at Colorado State, earned her trip by placing 12th in the discus at the West Regional meet in College Station, Texas this past weekend. Her throw of 178-2 on her second attempt was good enough to earn the 12th and final qualifying spot from the regional meet.

The Seeley-Swan high school graduate will be seeded 23rd out of 24 throwers at nationals later this month, however her top throw of the season would put her inside of the top 10 competitors; She set a career-best mark of 190 feet in the discus while winning a Mountain West Conference title in the event just two weeks prior.

The top seeded thrower for women’s discus at nationals this year is Louisville senior Jayden Ulrich who registered a toss of 212 feet, 7 inches at regionals.

Kovatch previously advanced to Outdoor nationals in 2023 as a redshirt freshman, finishing 21st overall in Eugene that season with a mark of just under 170 feet.

Prior to her time at Colorado State, Kovatch won three class C state titles in the discus at Seeley-Swan. She likely would have won four if not for COVID cancelling her junior season. She was also named the Montana Gatorade Girls Track & Field Player of the Year for 2020-21.

Kovatch will be in action on the final day of the NCAA Championships, with the women’s discus throw scheduled for 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 14.

LONG BEACH, Calif. — Long Beach State outfielder Kyle Ashworth has been named to the Collegiate Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District team, the organization announced on June 3.

Ashworth, a graduate student, earned the honor for the first time after leading the Dirtbags in several offensive categories and being named Second Team All-Big West. He hit .330 on the season and led the team in runs (43), hits (64), doubles (12), total bases (86), and on-base percentage (.456). He tied for the team lead in triples (2) and was second in RBI (35).

The Santa Ana, Calif., native hit both of his home runs in a Feb. 23 game against Seattle U, driving in seven runs. He finished the year with 20 multi-hit games, including seven three-hit performances, and nine multi-RBI games.

Ashworth was also perfect defensively, finishing the season without an error in 117 chances. In Big West play, he led the conference in on-base percentage (.507) and ranked among the top five in batting average (.393), walks (22), hits (46), and doubles (10).

Off the field, Ashworth earned a bachelor’s degree in consumer affairs in 2024 and is pursuing a single subject teaching credential in social science.

To qualify for Academic All-District honors, student-athletes must maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.50 or higher and meet performance standards in their sport. Ashworth now moves onto the CSC Academic All-America ballot.

 

~#LongBeachBuilt~

Air Force’s WCC-opener is Oct. 2 at Pacific.  The Falcons then play its first conference home game Oct. 12, hosting Cal Baptist.

The ensuing weekend has the Falcons in Southern California to take on LMU on Oct. 17 and Pepperdine on Oct. 19.

Air Force plays its final two WCC conference games at home, hosting San Jose State on Nov. 2 and Santa Clara on Nov. 8.  

The Falcons will be the host school for the 2025 WCC Men’s Water Polo Tournament, running Nov. 21-23 at the Cadet Natatorium.

The non-conference schedule will be announced later this summer.

Air Force Men’s Water Polo 2025 WCC Schedule

Date/Opponent

Oct. 2 at Pacific*

Oct. 12 CAL BAPTIST*

Oct. 17 at LMU*

Oct. 19 at Pepperdine*

Nov. 2 SAN JOSE STATE*

Nov. 8 SANTA CLARA*

Nov. 21-23/WCC CHAMPIONSHIPS (@ USAFA)

Home games in BOLD CAPS

 

In just over 500 days, the 2026 Youth Olympic Games will get underway in Dakar, Senegal, with men’s and women’s beach handball competitions part of the global sporting spectacular.

Running from 31 October to 13 November, Dakar 2026 marks the second time that beach handball will be part of the Olympic Games, following its debut at the 2018 Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Competing teams and athlete criteria

Following the decision made earlier this year by the Executive Board of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) that there will be no direct qualification tournaments for the Youth Olympic Games, but rather a set of principles, the International Handball Federation (IHF) can confirm the qualification criteria for beach handball at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games.

After discussions between the IOC and IHF, it has been decided that one of the preconditions for teams to compete at Dakar 2026 will be participation in the 2025 IHF Men’s and Women’s Youth (U17) Beach Handball World Championships, which will take place in Hammamet, Tunisia later this month.

The IHF has established its own sport-specific eligibility criteria which ensures alignment with the unique requirements and developmental standards of beach handball, with the IOC also confirming that athletes must be 17 years of age or younger at the time of Dakar 2026, up to and including the closing ceremony (23:59 local time).

Underpinning this will be 10 principles based on six pillars of athlete participation and quota allocation from the IOC. These are relevant for all National Olympic Committees (NOCs) whose National Federations (NF) wish to apply for their beach handball teams to be present at Dakar 2026.

The six pillars are: Universality, Continental Representation, Priority to Africa, Host Country representation, Athlete performance and Gender Equality, while the 10 principles can be found on the IOC website HERE.

A total of 16 teams – eight men’s and eight women’s – of 10 athletes each (160 in total) will compete in the beach handball competitions at Dakar 2026.

Process underway

The process of application is already underway with NOCs currently deciding in which sports they would like to compete in at Dakar 2026. 

Once they have made their choices, by the deadline of 31 July 2025, those NOCs who wish to enter teams in the men’s and women’s beach handball competitions will then undertake a selection process made by the IOC, in cooperation with the IHF, alongside the relevant NOCs and the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games Organising Committee (YOGOC). 

After the IHF has provided feedback and allocation proposals in September, the IOC will then share with the NOCs confirmation of their teams on 15 December 2025, with the process continuing all the way through to ‘Sport Entries’ – athletes selected – on 25 September 2026.

Saly Beach will be home to beach handball

Last month, the International Olympic Committee released a map of the venue locations for the Games, with the men’s and women’s beach handball competitions taking place at the ‘Saly Beach West’ venue.

The popular seaside and tourist resort is based in the Thiès Region on the ‘Petite Côte’ of Senegal, south of the capital, Dakar and will also feature the sailing (windsurfing), rowing coastal beach sprints, beach volleyball, beach wrestling and triathlon competitions.

Beach Handball at the Youth Olympic Games

The 2026 Youth Olympic Games (YOG) will be held in Dakar, Senegal from 31 October to 13 November 2026.

Dakar will be the fourth edition of the YOG, following its debut in Singapore (2010), the second edition in Nanjing, China (2014) and 2018 edition, in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Indoor/7-a-side handball featured at the 2010 and 2014 editions, before being replaced by Beach Handball at the 2018 edition, the debut event won by Argentina (women) and Spain (men).

The YOG is a major event which embodies the Olympic spirit, sporting excellence and the promotion of youth. The event has become a pillar of the Olympic Movement and is more than just sporting competitions. The YOG are part of an educational and cultural programme aimed at instilling the Olympic values of respect, friendship and excellence in young people around the world.

The election of Dakar as the host city of the YOG 2026 marks a historic moment for Africa. The decision was taken at the 133rd IOC Session in October 2018, making Dakar the first African city to host the YOG.

Initially planned for 2022, Dakar was postponed to 2026 due to the Covid-19 pandemic which has allowed for better planning of the event and ensured its success.

By:

Luke Brown


Tuesday, June 3, 2025 | 8:50 PM

STATE COLLEGE — Penn-Trafford’s run through the PIAA boys volleyball playoffs continued Tuesday evening in State College, as the Warriors defeated the Little Lions in straight sets to advance into Saturday’s quarterfinal round.

“They were tough,” Penn-Trafford coach Jim Schall said. “They were without their big hitter, and he probably, of course, would have made a difference there.”

Schall was referring to State College’s Carter Weight, a senior heading to Ohio State next year. Weight has dealt with a back injury this season, and that had him sidelined for his final game as a Little Lion.

The Warriors got rolling early, starting with a 4-0 lead in the opening set. State College started to storm back and tied it 4-4. Then the Warriors got hot again, scored six straight and forced State College coach Larry Campbell to call a timeout.

State College got on a 5-0 run in the middle of the set, making it 15-13. Back-to-back service aces from Connor Evangeliste made a big difference for the Warriors, earning their 23rd and 24th points of the set, opening the door to earn just one more and grab a 1-0 lead in the match, which they did.

Scores were deadlocked at 1, 3, 4, 5 and 6 in the middle set before Penn-Trafford went on a six-point run to get ahead 12-8.

State College’s Derrick Campbell had a big kill late in the set to cut P-T’s lead to 24-21, but the Warriors won the very next point for a middle-set victory, pinning State College’s back to the wall for the rest of the match.

The Little Lions started off the last set with two points back-to-back, and that’s fitting because State College showed the most fight in that third and final set.

“They played very good defense,” Schall said. “They made some errors in a few spots there. So, in each of the games, we were able to have some good runs of points.”

Penn-Trafford rallied from the 2-0 deficit to tie it 3-3 and took a 5-4 lead it never surrendered.

An impressive tip over the net from Nathaniel Rugh came late in the set to give the Warriors a 22-16 lead and rallied a solid crowd of people who made the two-hour drive to State College High School.

Surely Penn-Trafford fans are hoping to come back to the college town in 11 days for the PIAA Class 3A championships, held at Rec Hall, which is only six minutes from the site of Tuesday evening’s game.

To do that, the Warriors need to get through one of the state’s top teams in North Allegheny, the WPIAL champ that beat Penn-Trafford, 3-0, on April 16. It’s a program Schall and the Warriors know well, with battles in the regular season and preseason scrimmages.

“Well, we’ll have to do a little better,” Schall said. “We’ve got to put some balls away in a few spots. We had a good bit of time where we didn’t play, so I felt like in a few spots, we were a little rusty, so I think we’ll be ready.”

Tags: Penn-Trafford