NEW ORLEANS – Ole Miss track & field junior and three-time reigning NCAA shot put champion Tarik Robinson-O’Hagan has landed a spot on an eighth consecutive watch list for The Bowerman for 2025 – the final watch list before the cut to semifinalists later this month.
 
The Bowerman – collegiate track & field’s version of the Heisman Trophy – began in 2009 and is presented each year to the most outstanding male and female athletes in the nation. The trophy is named after famed Oregon head coach, Bill Bowerman.
 
Robinson-O’Hagan is one of only three athletes nationally to have made every watch list in 2025 alongside Cal discus thrower Mykolas Alekna and North Carolina distance runner Ethan Strand.
 
This is the eighth career watch list appearance for Robinson-O’Hagan, who was a semifinalist for The Bowerman in 2024 following a spectacular sophomore campaign that saw him sweep the NCAA men’s shot put titles. Robinson O’Hagan is the first Ole Miss men’s thrower to make the watch list, and only the fourth in Rebel men’s history overall alongside Olympians Ricky Robertson (2012), Isiah Young (2013) and Sam Kendricks (2014).
 
Last weekend, Robinson-O’Hagan punched his third consecutive outdoor national double ticket in the shot and hammer to the 2025 NCAA Outdoor Championships with stellar performances in both events at NCAA East Regional in Jacksonville. In the hammer, Robinson-O’Hagan took down the East Regional record on his top qualifying blast of 74.51m/244-5 in the first round. Prior, no athlete in the history of the East Regional (which began in 2010) had even eclipsed 243 feet. Robinson-O’Hagan carried that momentum into the shot put, where his stadium record and season-best heave of 20.85m/68-5 immediately secured his return trip to Eugene.   
 
At the SEC Outdoor Championships, Robinson-O’Hagan claimed his third straight men’s hammer title with a school-record throw of 75.72m/248-05, which registered as the second-best mark in SEC meet history and fourth overall in conference history. He also ranks 21st in collegiate history – sixth among American born collegians. Robinson-O’Hagan followed up his hammer performance by defending his SEC shot put title, giving him nine career conference titles and 104 total SEC points. He is now one of just three in SEC history outdoors to sweep the shot put and hammer twice and the only athlete ever to sweep both indoor and outdoor shot/weight and shot/hammer events once, let alone in back-to-back seasons.
 
He enters the national meet seeded fourth in the hammer (75.72m/248-05) and second in the shot put (20.85m/68-5), and he reigns as the only thrower in the world to surpass both 69 feet in the shot and 248 feet in the hammer this season (when including indoor shot put mark).
 
Nearly three months ago at the NCAA Indoor Championships, Robinson-O’Hagan secured his third consecutive national title in the shot put (20.49m/67-02.75), while also taking fifth in a stacked weight throw competition (24.09m/79-00.75). Those finishes each earned All-America status and contributed 14 NCAA points to the Rebel men’s 20-point total and tie for 10th-place overall, which was the second-best indoor finish in Ole Miss men’s history.
 
Robinson-O’Hagan was also named SEC Indoor Field Athlete of the Year and won a share of the SEC Cliff Harper Trophy after his second consecutive sweep of the weight and shot titles. His 20 points helped propel the Rebel men to a tie for third place at the conference meet – tied for the best in Ole Miss men’s history indoors.
 
A native of Woonsocket, Rhode Island, Robinson-O’Hagan is one of only 10 athletes in Division I history to win at least three national shot put crowns in a row across the indoor and outdoor seasons, only the second three-peat by an SEC athlete alongside South Carolina’s Brad Snyder (1998 indoor, ’98 outdoor, ’99 indoor).
 
Robinson-O’Hagan has not lost to a fellow collegian in the shot put since April of 2024, and indoors specifically that streak stretches back to January of 2024. His career-best throw of 21.11m/69-03.25 from earlier this indoor season ranks him 21st in collegiate history indoors, as well as second-best in SEC history. His SEC-winning weight throw blast of 24.35m/79-10.75 ranks 13th in collegiate history – pushing his combined career-bests to 45.46m, which trails only North Dakota State’s Payton Otterdahl from 2019 (45.92m).
 
As a sophomore in 2024, Robinson-O’Hagan became the youngest to sweep the NCAA men’s shot put titles indoors and outdoors since 1989, as well as the fourth-youngest to do so all-time. Overall last season, Robinson-O’Hagan claimed those two NCAA titles, four First-Team All-America awards, 26 NCAA points, four SEC titles and 40 points en route to sweeping the USTFCCCA South Region Men’s Field Athlete of the Year and SEC Men’s Field Athlete of the Year awards indoors and outdoors. He also claimed both the SEC Cliff Harper Trophy indoors and the SEC Commissioner’s Trophy outdoors after scoring 20 points at each conference meet.
 
In less than three full seasons with the Rebels, Robinson-O’Hagan has laid waste to the Ole Miss record book, claiming top marks in the weight throw (24.35m/79-10.75) and shot put (21.11m/69-03.25) indoors, and the hammer (75.72m/248-5) and shot put (20.98m/68-10) outdoors. In addition to his 104 career SEC points and nine SEC titles, Robinson-O’Hagan owns three total national titles, 10 All-America awards and 47 NCAA points scored.
 

Robinson-O’Hagan also made a name for himself at last summer’s U.S. Olympic Trials as the youngest finalist in both the men’s shot put and hammer. He placed eighth in the shot put with an Ole Miss outdoor school record of 20.98m/68-10 and demolished his own record in the hammer by five feet at 74.54m/244-7. Track & Field News ranked him seventh in the hammer and eighth in the shot put.
 
Semifinalists for the award are slated to be announced Wednesday, June 25 (women) and Thursday, June 26 (men). Finalists will be announced the week of Monday, June 30.
 
Ole Miss is currently preparing for the 2025 NCAA Outdoor Championships, which this year returns to TrackTown USA at the University of Oregon’s Hayward Field from June 11-14.
 
The Bowerman 2025
Men’s Watch List – June 5, 2025
Mykolas Alekna, California (Discus)
Jordan Anthony, Arkansas (Sprints)
James Corrigan, BYU (Mid-Distance/Steeple)
Nathaniel Ezekiel, Baylor (Sprints/Hurdles)
Ishmael Kipkurui, New Mexico (Distance)
Liam Murphy, Villanova (Mid-Distance/Distance)
Tarik Robinson-O’Hagan, Ole Miss (Throws)
Habtom Samuel, New Mexico (Distance)
Ethan Strand, North Carolina (Mid-Distance/Distance)
Ja’Kobe Tharp, Auburn (Hurdles)
 
* Watch List career debuts
 
Also receiving votes:
Micahi Danzy, Florida State (Sprints)
Geoffrey Kirwa, Louisville (Steeple/Distance)
Angelos Mantzouranis, Minnesota (Hammer/Throws)
Jamar Marshall, Jr., Houston (Sprints/Hurdles)
Tinoda Matsatsa, Georgetown (Mid-Distance/Distance)
Kendrick Smallwood, Texas (Sprints/Hurdles)
Ja’Kobe Tharp, Auburn (Hurdles)
Kostas Zaltos, Minnesota (Throws)
 
ABOUT THE BOWERMAN
The Bowerman, which debuted in 2009 and is named after former University of Oregon coach Bill Bowerman, is presented annually by the USTFCCCA to the most outstanding male and female NCAA track & field athletes in the nation.
 
Bill Bowerman served the sport of track and field in numerous ways. His leadership as president of the USTFCCCA’s predecessor organization, the National Collegiate Track Coaches Association, and his contributions to NCAA track and field and the running community as a whole are among his many lasting legacies.
 
For more information on The Bowerman, the award, the trophy and Bill Bowerman himself, visit TheBowerman.org.
 
THE AWARD: The Bowerman is bestowed to collegiate track & field’s top male and female athlete for the year. The Bowerman Advisory Board, and ultimately, The Bowerman Voters, are instructed to consider performances inclusively from the collegiate indoor track & field and outdoor track & field seasons only. Cross country results are not within this consideration. The current collective track & field season began on November 29, 2024 and will end on June 14, 2025.
 
HISTORY: The Bowerman was first awarded in 2009. The first official watch lists were announced in 2010. Last year’s winners were Parker Valby of Florida and Leo Neugebauer of Texas.
 
ABOUT THE WATCH LIST CONSTRUCTION: Members of The Bowerman Advisory Board produce these watch lists by voting on their current top-10 “who’s who” among collegiate track & field athletes. The “watch list” represents the group’s consensus top 10 for that update. Those “receiving votes” are listed on at least one member’s top 10 but did not garner enough votes to be listed in the consensus top 10. There are a total of eight watch lists during the season. 
 
UP NEXT: Semifinalists for the award are slated to be announced Wednesday, June 25 (women) and Thursday, June 26 (men). Finalists will be announced the week of Monday, June 30.
 

On Saturday, May 31, the team travelled to Winchester for a double-header, facing teams from The Channel Islands and Southampton University.

Heading into the weekend with a strong win and a narrow loss already under their belts, the team were feeling confident.

Their first match saw the Andover girls, aged between 14 and 16, deliver a 16-2 win against The Channel Islands, showcasing impressive offensive and defensive skills.

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Andover Swimming and Water Polo Club girls secured two impressive victories. (Image: Andover Swimming and Water Polo Club) Their second game against Southampton University ended with a decisive 21-2 victory.

The young squad demonstrated their ability to outplay their more experienced senior counterparts with their consistent scoring and teamwork.

Scott Buchan, head coach of the swim team at Andover, was commended for his role in the team’s success.

The players’ fitness and swimming strength were noted as key factors in their impressive performances.

The team, led by captain Ellie, also includes players Abi, Jess, Meg, Kitty, Molly, Aimee, Lucy and Alice.

The club has expressed pride in the young athletes’ achievements.

When Houston track and field lined up for the men’s 4×100-meter relay at NCAA West Regionals, senior John Adesola wasn’t supposed to be there.

But there he was. Adesola was asked to step in and run a leg of the relay he hadn’t competed in all season, a decision made just two days before the event, after sophomore Cayden Broadnax and freshman Germain Smith-Mata suffered injuries.

The sprinter and hurdler had experience in the relay, running the second leg last year, but this season, when he competed, he was an anchor. 

With no time to rehearse handoffs in the updated order, Adesola and the other fill-in freshman Noah Hanson, had to rely on instinct and trust as they ran alongside freshman Brice Chabot and Ryan Mulholland.

“It was new to me this year,” Adesola said. “Obviously, we hadn’t done any handoff practice in that order the whole year, but it was a good experience.”

The relay squad narrowly missed qualifying, finishing with a time of 39.48 seconds, putting them 13th overall, but for Adesola, the day was far from over.

Immediately after the relay, he competed in the 110-meter hurdles. Despite the fatigue and the mental toll of jumping between events, he clocked a personal record of 13.26 and earned his spot at nationals.

Still riding the high of qualifying in the hurdles, Adesola had little time to celebrate before lining up for the 100-meter dash. Again, he was one spot shy of qualifying with a 10.09.

“I feel great. I’m blessed,” Adesola said. “Came out with two PRs and punched a ticket to Eugene. That’s what I came here for.”

It was a grueling day, but Adesola kept his composure.

“At that point, it’s more of a mental thing, just keeping yourself calm and trusting that you can go and execute,” he said. “I had a lot of adrenaline pumping at the time, I just needed to calm myself down, not let my nerves get the best of me.”

He didn’t, and now, he’s bound for the national stage.

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BOZEMAN, Mont. — Montana State University track and field is getting ready for the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Eugene, Oregon.

The championships run Wednesday through Saturday. MSU set a program record with seven Bobcats competing in four events, which is tied for third most in program history.

“It was so fun to see the men’s program to continue to move forward and then it was really exciting to see our women’s team really take a step forward,” MSU head coach Lyle Weese said about his team’s progress this season.

Senior Rob McManus is making his third straight nationals appearance in the 3000m steeplechase. McManus joins Levi Taylor (2022-24 in steeplechase), Duncan Hamilton (2021-23 in steeplechase) and Nick Lam (2007-09 in javelin) as the only Bobcats to reach the championship meet three straight times.

“The national meet is something that we really strive for, and so it’s just really special to make it back again, and I caught myself very lucky to get back for a third year in a row,” McManus said.

Sophomore Harvey Cramb becomes the fourth MSU man to compete in the 1500m in nationals and first since Cristian Soratos in 2015. The Brisbane, Australia, native took fourth in his heat at the NCAA West First Round after winning the Big Sky Championship in the 1500m and second in the 800m.

“It’s such an honor, and to do it my sophomore year is a great opportunity, and to be able to put your name with some of the best in the country is awesome,” Cramb said.

Junior Hailey Coey was the first Bobcat at regionals to punch a ticket to Eugene. The Billings West alum is the only field athlete for Montana State as she becomes the first ever Bobcat to compete in nationals in long jump.

“It’s super cool. I’m really glad that I’m able to do it and be the first in school history again,” Coey said on representing the Treasure State. “I’m really glad that it’s someone from Montana that’s able to represent Montana State.”

MSU is also participating in another event for the first time at nationals. The 4x400m relay team of Corvallis native and freshman Olivia Lewis, junior Peyton Garrison, junior Giulia Gandolfi and junior Caroline Hawkes becomes the first Bobcat relay team to compete in the championships.

“We honestly didn’t know that we were the first team to make it,” Garrison said on the relay team reaching nationals. “Some of the pictures that were shown, we were jumping in excitement and we’re just so excited.”

We will have more on the MSU athletes and their progress at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships through the next week.

CHELMSFORD, Mass. (AP) — A Massachusetts high school student who was arrested by immigration agents on his way to volleyball practice has been released from custody after a judge granted him bond Thursday.

Marcelo Gomes da Silva, 18, who came to the U.S. from Brazil at age 7, was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents Saturday. Authorities have said the agents were looking for the Milford High School teenager’s father, who owns the car Gomes da Silva was driving at the time and had parked in a friend’s driveway.

Speaking with members of the media outside the detention center shortly after his release on $2,000 bond, Gomes da Silva described “humiliating” conditions and said his faith in God helped him through his six days of detention.

On his wrist, he wore a bracelet made from the thin sheet of metallic blanket he was given to sleep on the cement floor.

“I’ll always remember this place,” he said. “I’ll always remember how it was.”

His lawyer, Robin Nice, told reporters after the hearing in Chelmsford that his arrest “shouldn’t have happened in the first place. This is all a waste.”

“We disrupted a kid’s life. We just disrupted a community’s life,” Nice said. “These kids should be celebrating graduation and prom, I assume? They should be doing kid stuff, and it is a travesty and a waste of our judicial process to have to go through this.”

She said Gomes da Silva was confined to a room holding 25 to 35 men, many twice his age, most of the time he was detained, with no windows, no time outside and no permission to shower. He was able to brush his teeth twice. Nice said that at one point Gomes da Silva, who is active in his local church, asked for a Bible and was denied.

Gomes da Silva, who said his father taught him to “put other people first,” said many of the men imprisoned with him didn’t speak English and didn’t understand why they were there. He had to inform some of them that they were being deported, and then watched them break down in tears.

“I told every single inmate down there: When I’m out, if I’m the only one who was able to leave that place, I lost,” he said. “I want to do whatever I can to get them as much help as possible. If they have to be deported, so be it. But in the right way, in the right conditions. Because no one down there is treated good.”

He said some days, he was given only crackers to eat, which he shared with the other men. One of his first stops after being released was to McDonald’s to get a soda, chicken nuggets and french fries.’

Not ICE’s target, but detained anyway

U.S. Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said earlier this week that ICE officers were targeting a “known public safety threat” and that Gomes da Silva’s father “has a habit of reckless driving at speeds in excess of 100 miles per hour through residential areas.”

“While ICE officers never intended to apprehend Gomes da Silva, he was found to be in the United States illegally and subject to removal proceedings, so officers made the arrest,” she said in a statement.

Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons said Monday that “like any local law enforcement officer, if you encounter someone that has a warrant or … he’s here illegally, we will take action on it.”

Gomes da Silva initially entered the country on a visitor visa and was later issued a student visa that has since lapsed, Nice said. She described him as deeply rooted in his community and a dedicated member of both the school marching band and a band at his church.

The immigration judge set a placeholder hearing date for a couple of weeks from Thursday, but it might take place months from that, Nice said.

“We’re optimistic that he’ll have a future in the United States,” she said.

A federal judge considering Gomes da Silva’s request to be released while his immigration case proceeds has given the government until June 16 to respond and ordered that Gomes da Silva not be moved out of Massachusetts without 48 hours’ notice given to the court. The government sought permission Wednesday to move Gomes da Silva to a detention facility in a different New England state, Nice said. A judge quickly denied the request.

A shaken community

“I love my son. We need Marcelo back home. It’s no family without him,” João Paulo Gomes Pereira said in a video released Wednesday. “We love America. Please, bring my son back.”

The video showed the family in the teen’s bedroom. Gomes da Silva’s sister describes watching movies with her brother and enjoying food he cooks for her: “I miss everything about him.”

Students at Milford High staged a walkout Monday to protest his detainment. Other supporters wore white and packed the stands of the high school gymnasium Tuesday night, when the volleyball team dedicated a match to their missing teammate.

Amani Jack, also a recent Milford High graduate, said her classmate’s absence loomed large over the graduation ceremony, where he was supposed to play in the band. She said if she had a chance to speak with the president, she’d ask him to ‘just put yourself in our shoes.’

“He did say he was going to deport criminals,” she said. “Marcelo is not a criminal. He’s a student. I really want him to take a step in our shoes, witnessing this. Try and understand how we feel. We’re just trying to graduate high school.”

Veronica Hernandez, a family advocate from Medford who said she works in a largely Hispanic community where ICE has had an active presence, said cases like Gomes da Silva’s show immigration enforcement is serious about taking “anybody” without legal status, not just those accused of crimes.

“I think seeing that something so simple as a child driving themselves and their friends to volleyball practice at risk struck a chord,” she said.

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Associated Press reporter Kathy McCormack in Concord, New Hampshire, contributed to this story.

Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Eight Metro Conference teams walked off the playing field with San Diego Section championships this spring. If it isn’t already a record, it has to be now.

Regardless, the honor roll is special.

Eastlake High School’s top-seeded girls beach volleyball team (15-9) started off the monster showing by winning the Division II championship on May 10 with a 4-1 decision over seventh-seeded Canyon Crest Academy (9-8).

San Ysidro High School’s second-seeded boys volleyball team (24-10) slayed top-seeded Monte Vista (23-13) by a count of 3-1 to win the Division V title on May 15.

Mater Dei Catholic High School’s top-seeded boys volleyball team (33-10) defeated sixth-seeded Maranatha Christian (26-6) by a count of 3-1 to capture the Division III championship on May 16.

Olympian High School’s second-seeded girls lacrosse team (13-10) quickly followed by claiming the Division III title on May 17 with a 9-7 victory over top-seeded Tri-City Christian (14-3).

Mater Dei Catholic High School’s third-seeded boys lacrosse team (15-5) followed suit by claiming the Division III banner that same day by a score of 10-9 over top-seeded Classical Academy (17-4).

Three softball finals took care of the rest.

No. 2 Eastlake (20-11-1) opened the floodgates with a 9-0 win over eighth-seeded Rancho Bernardo (13-14-1) in last Friday’s Division I championship contest.

No. 7 Olympian (19-12-1) fired a no-hitter at No. 4 El Centro Southwest (19-9) on Saturday to capture the Division III title by a score of 7-0.

That left No. 1 Mater Dei Catholic (25-7) and No. 3 Bonita Vista (25-7) to duke it out for Saturday night’s primetime Open Division encounter that went to the Lady Crusaders by a 6-1 score.

That’s eight. That’s great!

Incredibly, there’s more.

Mater Dei Catholic’s boys volleyball team went on to sweep through the Southern California Division IV regional bracket to claim a berth in Saturday’s inaugural state boys volleyball championship game. The SoCal champion Crusaders defeated NorCal champion Livingston, 3-1, to emerge with the Golden State’s first gold medal in the division.

Both Mater Dei Catholic and Bonita Vista qualified for the Southern California regional softball playoffs. Quarterfinals were scheduled to start Tuesday, with the championship game slated for Saturday at the remaining highest-seeded team.

The Lady Crusaders received the No. 2 seed and the Lady Barons the No. 3 seed in the Division I bracket behind top-seeded El Modena (22-9).

Overall, the Metro Conference populated five division finals last weekend: three in softball and two in baseball.

On the hardball side, both seventh-seeded San Ysidro (Division II) and top-seeded Otay Ranch (Division IV) held leads in their championship game matchups but were unable to hold them.

San Ysidro (21-13) dropped a 7-3 decision to the fifth-seeded Mt. Carmel Sundevils (21-12) last Friday after coughing up a 3-2 lead while Otay Ranch (23-11) zipped in front of second-seeded Ramona (23-7) by a score of 5-1 but ended up on the short end of an 8-6 score on Saturday that featured a disheartening ending.

 

Parade of champions
Of the Metro’s three softball champions, Eastlake was the first to celebrate with the banner, the school’s first since garnering runner-up finishes in 2018 (Division I) and 2024 (Division II).

“It couldn’t have been any more amazing,” first-year coach Jandi Diego said. “

Eastlake took control from the beginning of the game with a 4-0 lead through the opening two frames. The Lady Titans distanced themselves from their North County opponent with four more runs in the fifth inning for an 8-0 lead.

Eastlake out-hit Rancho Bernardo 12-2. The Lady Broncos committed five errors.

Senior Rachel Del Busto and junior Bryn Grayson each had three RBI while junior Mia Vasquez and senior Deziree Gomez each drove in one run.

Grayson and senior Bri Ayap each had three hits while Vasquez and senior Mackenzie Olshenskie each scored two runs.

Meanwhile, junior Addison Suriano tamed the Lady Broncos with a one-hitter with six strikeouts.

The Lady Titans came full circle after a 11-2 loss to Imperial in last year’s championship game.

“We knew how good we were last year (21-12 record) and fell a little short,” Del Busto said. “This year we played every game as if it was our last. They (my teammates) deserve this.”

The Lady Titans went undefeated through their four section playoff games. They opened with a 3-2 win over seventh-seeded Steele Canyon, defeated sixth-seeded El Capitan, 7-2, in their second game and eliminated Steele Canyon, 10-1, in the division semifinal.

Suriano pitched all four games. She fanned 10 batters in the second win over the Lady Cougars (18-14-1).

Vasquez picked up three RBI in that game with three hits including a double. Ayap had three RBI in the win over El Capitan (16-16) while Olshenskie (double) had two RBI. Grayson and Vasquez (home run) each had one RBI in the playoff opener against Steele Canyon.

“Last year we made it to the championship game in Division II, and this year we were moved up to Division I,” Diego said. “We had a strong schedule. We played in the toughest league in the Metro Conference (Metro-Mesa League). It helped us be competitive in Division I.

“The girls responded. They put the team first. It was a testament to all the seniors. The success to the season started with hard work at practice, the girls knowing their role and playing as a team.”

Team leaders for Eastlake included Olshenskie with a 0.457 hitting average to go with 30 RBI, 10 doubles, one triple and seven home runs, Ayap with a 0.368 average, senior Ryan Pham with a 0.339 average to go with 10 RBI, Grayson with a 0.339 average, junior Kaili Balajadia with a 0.333 average and Del Busto with a 0.326 average, 14 RBI and two home runs. Gomez (0.312 average) chalked up 13 RBI and two home runs while Vasquez (0.282 average0 tallied 10 RBI and two homers.

Suriano finished 9-7 in the pitching circle with a 2.66 earned-run average and 110 strikeouts in 136.2 innings in 25 logged appearances while Balajadia was 4-1 with a 2.51 ERA and 45 strikeouts in 47.1 innings through 10 appearances.

On wings of an Eagle
Seventh seeds aren’t supposed to do much in a championship bracket. But don’t tell that to the Olympian Lady Eagles, who proceeded to reel off five consecutive wins, in the process upsetting the No. 2, No. 3 and No. 4 seeds, to unequivocally stamp their names as the 2025 San Diego Section Division III softball champions.

Sophomore Alexandra Perez made the ride even more memorable by pitching a no-hitter in the championship game against the fourth-seeded El Centro Southwest Eagles.

It’s the second CIF championship title for Olympian, which previously captured the Division II title in 2018.

The Lady Eagles (19-12-1) faced off the division playoffs with a 3-0 win over the 10th-seeded Coronado Lady Islanders (11-14) on May 20 to advance to meet second-seeded Coastal Academy (18-6). The Chula Vista team made its first upset in the bracket look easy with a 7-1 victory.

Seniors Daniella Mendoza and Sophia G. Aquino, each with a double, supplied one RBI apiece in the win over Coronado while freshman Gabriella Mendiola scored twice. Perez pitched a complete game three-hitter with 10 strikeouts.

Mendoza led the way with four RBI and a home run in the victory against Coastal Academy while senior Kaitlynn Robeson knocked in three runs. Perez pitched six innings with three hits, one run allowed and nine strikeouts to pick up her second consecutive playoff win.

The third-seeded San Dieguito Academy Lady Mustangs (18-8-1) were a much different story, however, as Olympian managed to squeeze out a 4-3 win to keep its championship hopes alive. The teams would meet again after the Lady Mustangs eliminated Coastal Academy, 9-0, to force a double-elimination game against the Lady Eagles.

Olympian was up to the task again with a 6-4 victory to secure a berth in the division championship game at SDSU.

Freshman Isabella Zamora had two RBI in the first win over SDA while Robeson and sophomore NiKayla Flowers each drove in one run. Perez once again was in the pitching circle, turning in a complete game effort with seven strikeouts.

The Lady Eagles appeared on the brink of disaster after trailing the Lady Mustangs, 4-1, through five innings in the teams’ rematch. But a five-run rally in the top of the sixth inning carried the Metro-South Bay League champions to the come-from-behind win. Olympian rapped out 12 hits in the game while SDA committed four errors.

The Lady Eagles wasted little time in spreading their wings by scoring two runs in each of the opening two frames of the championship game for a 4-0 advantage on the scoreboard. Three more runs in the bottom of the fifth inning rounded out the final score.

Olympian out-hit El Centro Southwest 12-0 as each team committed one error.

Robeson and senior Jacqui De Murguia (double, triple) each had two RBI. De Murguia had three hits in the game while Robeson, Zamora and Mendoza (double) each had two hits.

Perez faced 25 batters in the game with two walks and two strikeouts. She threw 84 pitches to complete the no-hitter.

It was the fifth pitching win for Perez in the section playoffs. She improved to 12-7 with 132 strikeouts in 139.1 innings.

Southwest (19-10) was making its first CIF finals appearance since 2018.

Team leaders for Olympian included De Murguia with a 0.487 hitting average to go with 15 RBI, 19 doubles and four triples, Flowers with a 0.479 hitting average to go with seven RBI, Robeson with a 0.447 hitting average to go with 31 RBI and 18 doubles, Zamora with a 0.349 average to go with nine RBI, senior Jaiden Liera with a 0.345 hitting average to go with 19 RBI ang three home runs.

Aquino logged 15 RBI while senior Samantha Becerra and Mendoza each collected 10 RBI.

The CIF championship title nudged Olympian into the No. 4 seed in the Division III Southern California regional playoffs.

 

Primetime showdown
The Mater Dei Lady Crusaders and Bonita Vista Lady Barons remained the teams to beat in the Metro Conference this season. Bonita Vista one-upped Mater Dei Catholic by winning the Metro-Mesa League title while the Lady Crusaders topped the Lady Barons, 6-1, to win this year’s Open Division championship game.

Played at Helix High School because of a power outage and rain delay at UC San Diego, Saturday’s Open Division final was predictably close — a bunch of zeroes — until Mater Dei Catholic broke through with five runs in the bottom of the fifth inning. The Lady Crusaders added another run in the sixth inning after yielding a run to the Lady Barons in the top of the frame.

Sophomore Arri Romero pitched a complete game for Mater Dei Catholic, though she gave up nine hits and struck out three batters.

The Lady Crusaders appeared to play bend-but-don’t-break.

Juniors Gigi Flores and Liana Quinones, both with doubles, each drove in two runs while senior Bella Hiner picked up the other RBI. Flores had two hits in the game while sophomore Maya Matthies scored twice.

It was the ninth section championship title for MDC head coach Mike Centrullo (three Open Division, one Division I, one Division II and four Division IV). In contrast to most of the season, his team played small ball to win this year’s biggest game.

“We played a tough team like Bonita, I give a lot of credit to Bonita,” Centrullo said. “They out-hit us. The short game has saved us. The small ball is really important.”

“Our motto is Corinthians 1:10 — ‘perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.’” Hiner said. “We trust in God. We trust each other. They’re my sisters. They’re amazing.

“That one inning our energy was insane. We went all out for each other. We trusted our coaches with the calls. We trusted each other with our hits. As a senior, we obviously wanted to go out like this.”

“We had a great season,” BV coach Vanessa Kalavi said. “I knew we were going to be very good. With five seniors (departing), we’re going to be strong again next year.”

Romero improved to 22-4 on the season with Thursday’s regional semifinal matchup looming ahead against Bonita Vista.

 

Championship photo series by Jon Bigornia

 

SoCal Regionals

Five Metro Conference teams (four in softball, one in baseball) got a taste of the Southern California regional playoffs, and three (two softball, one baseball) have remained in the hunt for a regional championship.

Open Division semifinalist Eastlake received the No. 4 seed in the Division II regional baseball playoffs and defeated No. 5 Glendora, 4-1, in Tuesday’s opening quarterfinals to advance to Friday’s semifinals against No. 8 Rancho Bernardo, another Open Division section qualifier.

Because of graduation ceremonies, the game was moved back. The Titans (21-10-1) will host the Broncos (19-13) at 12:30 p.m.

Both Eastlake and Glendora managed four hits apiece. The Titans scored one run in the bottom of the first inning to take the early lead and beefed up with three runs in the fourth inning. Glendora got its only run in the top of the fifth inning.

Junior Hamza Hatahet (double) keyed the hosts with three RBI while senior Kalani Jauregui tacked on one RBI. Senior Nick Romero struck out 11 batters in six innings while allowing three hits. Freshman Lucas Yriqui finished up with one hit in one inning with two strikeouts.

Eastlake’s newly crowned Division I section champion softball team (21-11-1) will meet No. 2 Westlake (20-14) in Friday’s Division II regional semifinals at 4 p.m. on the road, also a date change because of graduation.

The Lady Titans edged No. 3 Bakersfield Christian, 3-2, in Tuesday’s regional opener as junior Addison Suriano pitched a complete game with five hits allowed, five strikeouts and one earned run and senior Rachel Del Busto (two hits) supplied the offense with three RBI, including a home run.

Bakersfield Christian finished its season 23-10.

Westlake defeated No. 7 Rancho Bernardo, 5-3, on Tuesday. Either Eastlake or Westlake will face No. 1 Christian (24-8-1) in the regional championship game on Saturday after the Lady Patriots edged No. 4 Monache (18-7-1) by a slim 1-0 score in Thursday’s semifinals.

Saturday’s championship game is set for a 4 p.m. start.

Freshman Alyssa McCurty drove in the semifinal game’s one run in the bottom of the sixth inning as senior Tyler Krystek scored the winning run. Christian employed the services of three pitchers in the contest. Junior Ava Barrios went four innings with three hits and three strikeouts while McCurty pitched one inning with one strikeout. Sophomore Sienna Staite pitched two scoreless innings with one hit.

The Lady Pats emerged victorious by generating just four hits.

The Division III section champion Olympian Lady Eagles, seeded fourth in the Division III regional bracket, shaded No. 5 West Ranch, 7-6, in nine innings on Tuesday to advance to Thursday’s semifinal at Division II section champion Point Loma.

Senior Jacqui De Murguia led the offense for the hosts with four hits, including a double, and two RBI. Sophomore NiKayla Flowers (two hits), freshman Isabella Zamora and senior Kailynn Robeson (double) each knocked in one run.  Senior Daniela Mendoza scored two runs.

Senior Alexandra Perez pitched eight innings with six runs allowed (four earned) and six strikeouts. West Ranch finished its season with a 17-16 record.

Regional no. 1 seed Pt. Loma (27-6-1) won 3-0 on Thursday to end the Lady Eagles’ season at 20-13-1. Perez pitched six innings with four hits, two earned runs allowed with three strikeouts.

Mater Dei Catholic continued their tug-of-war with a dramatic encounter on Thursday after both teams received a bye in the Division I quarterfinals. No. 3 Bonita Vista took an early 3-1 lead in the semifinal matchup before No. 2 Mater De Catholic went in front 4-3 in the fourth innings. The teams were tied 4-4 through six innings before the host Lady Crusaders won in walk-off fashion with a run in the seventh inning to prevail 5-4 on the scoreboard.

Mater Dei Catholic (26-7) will travel to No. 1 El Modena (23-9) for Saturday’s regional championship game after the Lady Vanguards topped No. 5 Poway (24-9) by a score of 8-6 in nine innings in Thursday’s semifinal.

Senior Lilia Alpuche had three hits and two RBI for the Lady Crusaders in Thursday’s game. Juniors Bella Harris and Liana Quinones each delivered one RBI. Quinones scored two runs in the game while Harris, sophomore Anabelle Gallagher and senior Bella Hiner each scored once.

Sophomore Arri Romero pitched five innings with four earned runs allowed and three strikeouts while senior Analesse Garcia pitched two innings with one hit, one walk and one strikeout to record the win.

Bonita Vista finishes an otherwise stellar season 25-8.