Sports

Both Track & Field Teams Take Second at 2025 Ivy League Heptagonal Outdoor Championships

Story Links NEW HAVEN, Conn. – 12 first place finishes highlighted Harvard track & field’s showing at the final day of the 2025 Ivy League Heptagonal Outdoor Championships, as both Crimson squads finished in second place in the team standings. Junior Molly Malague completed a double distance competition, as the […]

Published

4 weeks ago

May 12, 2025

Your Sports Nation

NEW HAVEN, Conn. – 12 first place finishes highlighted Harvard track & field’s showing at the final day of the 2025 Ivy League Heptagonal Outdoor Championships, as both Crimson squads finished in second place in the team standings.

Junior Molly Malague completed a double distance competition, as the Metuchen, New Jersey native captured the Ivy League title in the women’s 3000m steeplechase. Winning the 10,000m yesterday, Malague cruised to the win with a time of 10:05.51, a mark that ranks second all-time in school history.

In the men’s 4x100m relay, the Crimson cemented one of the best seasons in program history, as sophomore Timi Esan, junior Jonas Clarke, and first-years Jordan Coleman and Harlow Tong combined for a time of 40.16 to win the event. Harvard becomes the first program since Cornell from 2010-2015 to win three or more consecutive Ivy League titles in the men’s 4x100m relay.

Over in the field events, a clutch throw propelled sophomore Milina Wepiwé to the Ivy League championship in the women’s discus. Sitting in third heading into her final throw, Wepiwé launched a throw of 59.51m (195’3″) to win the event, as the Ivy League record holder now holds the meet record as well at the Ivy League Heptagonal Outdoor Championships.

Back on the track, senior Victoria Bossong score key points in the women’s 400m, as the Cumberland Foreside, Maine native won her second Ivy League title in the event after crossing the finish line in 53.83. Bossong ends her Ivy League Heptagonals career with two conference titles in outdoor competition.

History arrived in the men’s high jump. Sophomore Tito Alofe won his second-straight Ivy League title in the event after clearing 2.25m (7’4.5″), as he now owns the outright school record in the men’s high jump. A native of Peachtree City, Georgia, Alofe is the first repeat Ivy League men’s high jump champion since 2017.

Esan made a statement in the men’s 100m dash, winning the Ivy League title in the event after sprinting a 10.42 to sit atop the podium. A native of London, United Kingdom, Esan is the Crimson’s first men’s 100m dash champion since 2003 when Chris Lambert ’03 finished in first place.

For the first time in her career, sophomore Sophia Gorriaran is the Ivy League champion in the outdoor women’s 800m. A three-time All-American in the 800m in both indoor and outdoor competition, Gorriaran now owns the meet record after running a 2:02.17 in the final.

Harvard completed the sweep in the 800m moments later, as sophomore Ferenc Kovacs won his first Ivy League title in the men’s 800m. A sensational second lap propelled Kovacs to the top of the podium, as he won the event with a time of 1:47.92, a mark that ranks fifth all-time in school history.

Senior Chloe Fair closed out her Ivy League Heptagonals career with a win in the women’s 400m hurdles after posting a time of 56.61. Fair now owns two Ivy League championships in the women’s 400m hurdles, joining Jade Miller ’17 and Brenda Taylor ’99 as the only student-athletes in program history to win multiple conference titles in the women’s 400m hurdles.

The women’s 5000m saw junior Penelope Salmon win her first Ivy League championship in outdoor competition. A native of Auckland, New Zealand, Salmon crossed the finish line in 16:18.97 to bring home the gold.

Another event sweep arrived in the men’s 5000m, as senior Ben Rosa completed a distance double by winning the race after posting a time of 14:01.11. Rosa won the 10,000m yesterday, as Harvard has now produced the last four Ivy League men’s 5000m champions.

The day ended with the relays, as the men’s 4x800m relay of senior Noah Ward, junior Justin Levy, senior Joe Ewing and Kovacs captured gold with a time of 7:20.78, a new school record.

HARVARD HIGHLIGHTS:

Along with Crimson’s 12 first place finishes at the final day of the 2025 Ivy League Heptagonal Outdoor Championships, a plethora of Harvard student-athletes added points to the team tally throughout the day.

Sophomore Lilly Hodge scored half a point after finishing a tie for sixth in the women’s high jump, clearing the bar at 1.68m (5’6″).

After Malague won the women’s 3000m steeplechase, senior Ellaney Matarese scored six points with a third place finish in the steeplechase, as her time of 10:16.82 now ranks fourth all-time in school history.

In his first Ivy League Heptagonal Outdoor Championships appearance, first-year William Brunner finished in fifth in the men’s 3000m steeplechase with a time of 9:07.03.

Wepiwé scored 10 points with a first place finish in the women’s discus throw, as junior Michaela Denson added on with a sixth place showing, logging a throw of 49.34m (161’10”).

Salmon, the winner in the women’s 5000m, also scored in the women’s 1500m, finishing in fifth after crossing the finish line in 4:26.33.

Over on the men’s side of the 1500m, Ewing scored two points, placing in fifth after posting a 3:43.60.

A pair of Crimson scored in the women’s 100m hurdles. Senior Izzy Goudros garnered All-Ivy League Second Team finish after taking second place with a time of 13.46, a personal-best and a mark that ranks fourth all-time in program history. The women’s 60m hurdles champion at the 2025 Ivy League Heptagonal Indoor Championships, junior Fabiola Belibi took sixth place with a time of 13.75.

In the men’s 110m hurdles final, sophomore Simon Weiser ran a personal-best 14.15 to take fifth place, as that mark ranks third all-time in school history.

Harvard went one-two in the women’s 400m, as Bossong won the race while Fair finished in second with a time of 54.09.

Junior Mfoniso Andrew and sophomore Mickaila Haisley finished in second and third, respectively, in the women’s 100m. Andrew posted a time of 11.51, while Haisley ran a 11.58.

In the men’s 400m hurdles, junior Michal Husek scored two points with a fifth place finish, recording a personal-best time of 52.19

A pair of Crimson scored in the women’s 200m. Goudros finished in second with a time of 23.76, as Andrew captured third after finishing the sprint in 23.78, a time that ranks fifth all-time in school history.

The men’s 200m saw three Harvard student-athletes score. Clarke led the way, finishing in third with a time of 21.16, as Coleman took fourth (21.50) and first-year Liam Acevedo finished in fifth (21.61).

Along with Salmon, senior Ella Gilson tallied points in the women’s 5000m, placing fifth after posting a time of 16:40.95.

Rosa and sophomore Sam Burgess scored in the men’s 5000m. A native of Framingham, Massachusetts, Burgess finished in sixth after running a 14:09.86.

The Crimson’s 4x800m relay of senior Marianne Mihas, Matarese, Bossong and Gorriaran made history with their second place finish, setting a new school record with a time of 8:27.37.

In the women’s 4x400m relay, sophomore Marta Amani, junior Jacklynn Okereke, first-year Ella Cooper and Andrew posted a time of 3:42.80 to finish in fourth place.

The weekend ended with the men’s 4x400m relay, as first-year Hudson Allain, Acevedo, and seniors Peter Fischer and Steffan Jones took third place with a time of 3:09.49.

UP NEXT:

Harvard travels to Fairfax, Virginia next weekend, featuring at the ECAC/IC4A Outdoor Championships.

For complete coverage of Harvard Track & Field, follow us on Twitter (@HarvardTFXC) and Instagram (@harvardtfxc).

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Sports

Akerstrom Named to USA Water Polo Junior National Team

U.C. San Diego’s Landon Akerstrom has been selected for the 2025 USA Water Polo Junior National Team. He will compete in the World Aquatics Men’s Junior Championships in Zagreb, Croatia, starting June 14. Akerstrom stands out as a sophomore attacker, having led the Tritons in key stats and earning conference honors. Team USA will face […]

Published

30 minutes ago

June 7, 2025

Your Sports Nation

By the Numbers

Akerstrom scored 76 points, including 59 goals, during the 2024 season.
He had a 17-game scoring streak and contributed to 22 of 27 games played.

State of Play

The USA team is drawn into Group A, competing against Croatia, Hungary, and Montenegro.
The championship will have its final game on June 21, 2025.

What’s Next

Akerstrom is set to travel to Croatia and demonstrate his skills on an international stage, aiming to help Team USA advance through group stages for a shot at the championship.

Bottom Line

Akerstrom’s inclusion in the junior national team highlights his exceptional talent and sets the stage for further recognition as he competes internationally, reinforcing the Tritons’ reputation in collegiate water polo.

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Sports

Oregon has heavyweights in loaded NCAA 1,500

What’s on the track at Hayward Field in 2025? Hayward Field will play host to a wide variety of track and field events in 2025. The NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championship meet at Hayward Field will feature a competitive women’s 1,500-meter race. Oregon has three entrants in the 1,500 meters: Silan Ayyildiz, Klaudia Kazimierska […]

Published

1 hour ago

June 7, 2025

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The NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championship meet at Hayward Field will feature a competitive women’s 1,500-meter race.
Oregon has three entrants in the 1,500 meters: Silan Ayyildiz, Klaudia Kazimierska and Mia Barnett.

The loaded women’s 1,500-meter field for the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championship meet will include a two-time collegiate record-holder, an Olympic finalist and a fast-rising senior whose personal records have been dramatically dropping.

And those are just the Ducks.

The gates will open Wednesday at Hayward Field for the June 11-14 meet, which is formatted to have the men compete on Wednesday and Friday, and the women on Thursday and Saturday.

There are 24 women entered in Thursday’s 1,500 semifinal heats, and Oregon is one of two teams to have three entrants – Silan Ayyildiz (the record-holder), Klaudia Kazimierska (the Olympian) and Mia Barnett (the up-and-comer).

Making it to Saturday’s 12-woman final won’t be an easy task.

Also entered are three from Washington, including 2024 Irish Olympian and Big Ten champion Sophie O’Sullivan, 2024 NCAA outdoor runner-up Kimberly May of Providence and her teammate Shannon Flockhart, who leads the NCAA this season with a time of 4 minutes, 4.97 seconds.

Also entered is Northern Arizona’s Maggi Congdon, who ran 4:02.79 at the U.S. Olympic Trials last summer, and Virginia’s Margot Appleton, who was third at the NCAA outdoor meet in 2023 and has 4:05.68 PR.

“The depth is better than it’s ever been,” Oregon assistant coach Shalane Flanagan said. “It’s a meeting of the titans.”

A record-setting season for Oregon’s Silan Ayyilidz

Ayyildiz, a senior from Turkey, has been on a record-breaking tear since January. She’s produced the fastest times in collegiate history in the indoor and outdoor mile, and was also on the Ducks’ collegiate record-setting distance medley relay team.

She ran the indoor mile in 4:23.46 in mid-February in Boston, and a week later anchored the 10:42.05 DMR finish. At the Drake Relays in April, she ran 4:25.5 to get the outdoor mile record as well.

Ayyildiz’s outdoor mile time converts to a 4:05.83 for the 1,500.

“She has obviously had a stellar year,” Flanagan said. “Her strength is just naturally very good.”

Ayyildiz won the Big Ten title last fall in cross-country and finished 13th at the national championship meet. She also won conference titles in the 5,000 both indoors and outdoors. She was second to O’Sullivan in the outdoor 1,500.

Now comes her final collegiate challenge.

“I’m excited and feel like I’m pretty ready,” Ayyildiz said. “It’s really good to have a high-quality group to train with. I’m so grateful that I have the fortune to train with them.”

Oregon Olympian Klaudia Kazimierska hitting her form

After dealing with an injury during the indoor season, Kazimierska has been ramping up the last couple months. She ran a PR 2:02.03 in the 800 at the Drake Relays on April 23, won a conference title at that distance in May and then a week later ran 4:03.26 at the Sound Running Track Fest in Los Angeles. It was the third-fastest in-season time in collegiate history.

But Kazimierska’s PR actually came late last summer in the weeks after finishing 10th at the Paris Summer Games when she clocked a 3:59.95 at a meet in her home country of Poland.

That makes her the fastest in the field this week, just ahead of O’Sullivan who ran 4:00.23 in the Olympic semifinals.

“When you go into those big meets you need to remember the race is the same as it is every other time of the year,” Kazimierska said. “You have to be relaxed and have fun with it. … You don’t want to create any pressure where you feel like you have to do something special there. You just need to be yourself.”

Oregon’s Mia Barnett moving out of the shadows

Not to get lost in the accomplishments of her teammate is Barnett, who also ran faster than the former collegiate outdoor mile record when she finished second to Ayyildiz in the same race in 4:26.4, which converts to 4:06.66 for the 1,500.

Barnett, whose 1,500 PR is 4:08.44, was third in the 1,500 outdoors and second in the mile indoors at the conference championship meets. She too was a member of the Ducks’ record-setting DMR.

This will be her seventh national championship meet indoors and outdoors, though she’s attempting to make her first outdoor final.

“I feel like I’ve definitely learned a lot,” Barnett said. “I’ve had a hard time making the finals because everyone is so good. But this season specifically, I have definitely been more comfortable as a racer and being more relaxed when I run and I feel like I am in more control of what I can do when I race now.”

Her teammates have taken notice of her tactical ability.

“Mia’s been very consistent recently and seeing how she’s improving with every race, and her confidence,” Kazimierska said. “She always knows how to move in those races; she’s very decisive.”

All three will need to be mentally sharp this week, Flanagan said, as there is very little separation among entries in terms of physical talent.

“There’s a lot of really great athletes and tight range of ability,” Flanagan said. “Honestly, it feels like it rests on my shoulders. Their ability to execute and having a good race plan is probably the most important piece. I don’t know if they can out-run people too much because it’s such a great field. It’s going to be about positioning and who has the right mindset that day.”

NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships

Men’s meet: June 11, 13
Women’s meet: June 12, 14
Where: Hayward Field

Chris Hansen covers University of Oregon football, men’s basketball, track and field, cross country and softball for The Register-Guard. You can reach him at chansen@registerguard.com and you can follow him on X @chansen_RG

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Sports

Coach Questionnaire: Lakeridge Swimming- Derek Abbott

USA TODAY High School Sports | USA TODAY Sports Derek Abbott- Head Swimming Coach, Lakeridge High School 1. How have the off-season workouts been for your team? How many swimmers are returning? “Most of our kids are multi-sport kids or swim for a club team. So the off-season workouts are great, because they are actively […]

Published

2 hours ago

June 7, 2025

Your Sports Nation

USA TODAY High School Sports
| USA TODAY Sports

Derek Abbott- Head Swimming Coach, Lakeridge High School

1. How have the off-season workouts been for your team? How many swimmers are returning?

“Most of our kids are multi-sport kids or swim for a club team. So the off-season workouts are great, because they are actively working hard and winning in other school sports or refining their technique and endurance in their club.”

“We have 21 out of 42 swimmers returning from the team last year. This is both boys and girls teams”

2. What will be your team’s biggest challenge?

“Our biggest challenge will be filling the void of some very good leadership that graduated this last year. We lost our 4 captains from last year Noelle Foden-Vencil, Keaton Weil, Jackson Waste (playing wter polo for Drexel University) and Alexander Schaffer (playing water polo for Air Force Academy). We also graduated 3 swimmers who were very fast; Brenda Cha (swimming for Vanderbilt), Rowan Hauber (swimming for Iowa) and Jordynn Canelis (swimming for Western Colorado).”

3. What are you expecting from your team this season?

“Our expectation is the same every year. We will work hard in and out of the water. We want to be the hardest working team in the state. We want to win every dual meet we swim this year, which means every swimmer has to contribute to the team. And we hope to see our girls in the top 5 at state and our boys in the top 10 at state.”

4. What swimmers should fans watch out for this season?

“If you come to a Lakeridge meet, be prepared to see the swimmers rally as a team and support one another to accomplish such a unity for an ‘individual sport’. On the boys end though, keep an eye on Liam O’Shea, CJ Hanson, Max and Sam Swaim, Matty McComish and Zack Wyman. On the girls end, Mara Newman, Katie Manzione, Brynn O’Shea, Sonya Ahmadyar, Dorothy Wang and Christal Mcaninch.”

5. What meet are you looking forward to most this season?

“Absolutely the most popular and electrifying meet is our big rivalry meet against Lake Oswego High. Our swimmers come ready to swim and compete on that meet. We also pack the house with the fans that night.”

6. What teams, besides your own, do you think are the top contenders in your league?

“For the guys we know that Lake Oswego is really good and so are Tigard and Tualatin. For the girls Lake Oswego is really good, as is West Linn and Tualatin and Saint Marys.”

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Sports

Astros, Cooper Hummel Agree To Minor League Deal

The Astros are bringing back outfielder/first baseman Cooper Hummel on a minor league deal, reports Ari Alexander of KPRC 2. The Gaeta Sports Management client will head to Triple-A Sugar Land after electing free agency from the Orioles yesterday. Hummel spent most of the 2024 season in the Houston organization. The Astros grabbed him off […]

Published

2 hours ago

June 7, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Astros, Cooper Hummel Agree To Minor League Deal

The Astros are bringing back outfielder/first baseman Cooper Hummel on a minor league deal, reports Ari Alexander of KPRC 2. The Gaeta Sports Management client will head to Triple-A Sugar Land after electing free agency from the Orioles yesterday.

Hummel spent most of the 2024 season in the Houston organization. The Astros grabbed him off waivers from the Giants in early April. They quickly outrighted him off the roster but would later reselect his contract. Hummel didn’t get much MLB action, appearing in six games and going 0-8 with two strikeouts. He hit well in the minors, though, running a .277/.419/.454 slash line across 442 trips to the plate. He walked at a massive 17.9% clip while hitting 10 homers and stealing 15 bases.

The switch-hitting Hummel remained on the roster throughout the winter and Spring Training. He’s out of options and the Astros decided not to have him break camp. They had no choice but to place him on waivers as a result. Hummel signed a minor league deal with the Yankees and was limited to 10 Triple-A games by injury. He went on to sign a pair of MLB contracts with the Orioles but was only on the active roster for a combined four days and took one at-bat.

Hummel figures to have a little more stability in a familiar setting in Sugar Land. This is the second reunion signing in as many days for the Astros. They brought back veteran catcher Omar Narváez, who finished last year with their Triple-A team, on a minor league deal last night.

Sports

Forest Grove pool reopens after spring closure

Forest Grove pool reopens after spring closure Published 11:00 pm Friday, June 6, 2025 1/2 Swipe or click to see more The Forest Grove pool will open after months of maintenance Monday, June 9. (Submitted by Forest Grove Parks & Recreation) 2/2 Swipe or click to see more New lobby flooring, retiling the pool and […]

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3 hours ago

June 7, 2025

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Forest Grove pool reopens after spring closure

Published 11:00 pm Friday, June 6, 2025

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The Forest Grove pool will open after months of maintenance Monday, June 9. (Submitted by Forest Grove Parks & Recreation)

After more than three months out of commission, Forest Grove’s pool is ready for swimmers to dive in — just in time for the summer heat.

The city’s aquatic center reopens Monday, June 9, with a public swim session from 7:15 to 8:45 p.m., complete with free popsicles to help guests cool off poolside.

Closed since March for what officials called essential repairs, the pool received a tune-up with new gutters and retiling. Updates also spruced up the facility with replaced lobby flooring, a fresh coat of paint and a new book nook for lounging between laps.

Typically, the pool closes for maintenance after the summer season. But due to this year’s extended spring closure, city staff say there won’t be a separate maintenance period later this year.

Now back open, the aquatic center offers programming to keep residents of all ages active: swim lessons, water polo, lifeguard certification, a junior lifeguard course, and even a “Home Alone” safety class for kids. Pool and spray park rentals are also available for parties and group gatherings.

While the pool is shifting into its summer schedule, afternoon public swims from 2 to 4 p.m. won’t begin until Monday, June 16.

For full schedules, registration and rental info, visit forestgrove-or.gov/243/Parks-Recreation.

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Sports

BGSU Track and Field’s Katherine Mendenhall’s ‘strictly business’ attitude earns her a spot as regional qualifier – BG Falcon Media

Photo courtesy of Katherine Mendenhall. When 5-foot-7 Katherine Mendenhall walks onto the track, it’s strictly business — it’s a mental game. The academic stress and personal problems take a step back for the time she’s jumping over the crossbar. Photo courtesy of Katherine Mendenhall. This mentality is one that helped the 23-year-old high jumper qualify […]

Published

3 hours ago

June 7, 2025

Your Sports Nation

When 5-foot-7 Katherine Mendenhall walks onto the track, it’s strictly business — it’s a mental game. The academic stress and personal problems take a step back for the time she’s jumping over the crossbar.

This mentality is one that helped the 23-year-old high jumper qualify for, and participate in, the NCAA East Regional Track and Field meet in Jacksonville, Florida at the end of May.

Mendenhall is not alone in her accomplishments. The BGSU track and field team’s historic season included winning the conference championship for both indoor and outdoor seasons.

“I mean it just feels unreal. It feels so special, and it feels really special to be a part of something so historic and something that’s never happened before,” Mendenhall said. “That’s really the word I can think—it’s just so unreal [and] there’s so many words to describe how it feels but that’s how I would sum it up.”

Mendenhall and five other track and field athletes represented BGSU at the University of North Florida regional event, including Kylee Cubbison, Trista Fintel, Morgan Patterson, Sabrina Imes and Bianca Staples.

Mendenhall, a graduate student set to graduate in August with a Master of Business Administration degree, currently works for the City of Dublin. Despite her high-achieving accomplishments, she said you have to leave it all behind when competing.

“Just making sure your s— is aligned, like making sure that you know while being an athlete, you’re not stressing about school at the time — you got all the things that you needed done before you compete. You kind of need to leave your s— at the door, and I think personally that’s kind of my thing. When I get out there, it’s like a switch is flipped,” Mendenhall said.

Having her priorities straight proved to work for Mendenhall. She said she remembers the moment clearly when she found out she was the very first BGSU high jumper in history to qualify for regionals.

“That was such an exciting day, and I remember jumping that mark and I sat down for like 15 minutes just with my face in my hands because I was so struck that I jumped that,” said Mendenhall. “I was so struck that I knew I was gonna go to Florida.”

She called the high jump an art, and one requiring intricate technique.

As an undergrad student, Mendenhall maintained a 4.0 GPA. She’s also received the Academic All-MAC Award and the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association All-Academic Award.

She said being both a student and an athlete is something she’s proud of.

“Being a student-athlete, and that’s hard because a sport is a job itself, and school is — they’re both full-time jobs. So, I think being able to do those … What I’m proud of is being able to have the balance of being a student and being an athlete and being able to do both of those sufficiently,” she said.

Although her collegiate career has come to an end, Mendenhall said the realization hasn’t even set in yet.

“I don’t think it’s really hit me yet because I think this is normal — we have our winter and spring season, and then we go straight in the summer, and we don’t do track. So, I think right now, I’m not even thinking about it, but I think once the fall hits and, you know, I see everyone back at the track doing our off-season workouts, I think that’s when it will hit. And that’s when I’ll probably have like an identity crisis,” Mendenhall said with a laugh.

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