DAVIS, Calif. — UC Davis Track & Field is strengthening its distance program with the addition of Assistant Coach Maria Anderson, a decorated former student-athlete and rapidly rising coach. Anderson brings a strong record of developing all-conference performers, guiding championship teams, and mentoring student-athletes on and off the course.

“We are excited to welcome Coach Maria to our coaching staff,” said Track & Field Head Coach Ngoni Makusha. “Her depth of experience, combined with the passion she showcased at Elizabethtown College and San Francisco State, will be a tremendous asset to our athletes and our program. We look forward to the leadership and enthusiasm she brings.”

Anderson arrives in Davis after spending the 2024 season at San Francisco State, where she coached the men’s and women’s distance squads. Prior to that, she spent six seasons at Elizabethtown College, rising from volunteer coach to Associate Head Coach while helping guide both the men’s and women’s teams to Landmark Conference Cross Country Championships. During her tenure, she coached multiple all-conference and all-region athletes, as well as competitors who qualified for NCAA Division III and Atlantic Regional Championships.

“I’m honored to join the coaching staff at UC Davis and grateful for the opportunity to work with such a talented group of student-athletes and coaches,” Anderson said. “I’m excited to get to work on this upcoming season and look forward to the progress made towards our team goals in the MPSF and Big West Conference.”

As a student-athlete at Elizabethtown, Anderson was a four-time All-Landmark Conference performer in cross country, the 2014 Landmark Conference Rookie of the Year, and helped lead the Blue Jays to four team championships. She also earned two All-Mideast Region honors, captured the 2018 Landmark Conference steeplechase title while setting a facility record, and finished her career as a five-time all-conference honoree in track & field.

Anderson graduated from Elizabethtown in 2018 with a degree in fine arts and earned her master’s in art education from Millersville University in 2022. She also holds A.C.E. personal training certification, USATF Level 1 coaching certification, and is pursuing USATF Level 2 in endurance.

ABOUT UC DAVIS ATHLETICS: 

UC Davis, the No. 2 ranked public university by the Wall Street Journal, is home to 40,000 undergraduate students and 12,000 employees. Ranked #1 in Agriculture and Forestry as well as #1 in Veterinary Medicine, UC Davis is located in a true California college town nestled between world-class destinations such as the San Francisco Bay Area, Napa Valley and Lake Tahoe. Over 650 Aggie student-athletes compete in 25 Division I varsity sports, with 16 sports transitioning to the Mountain West Conference beginning in 2026–27. 

For more information, visit https://ucdavisaggies.com/. 

 

Nevada volleyball coach Shannon Wyckoff-McNeal resigned Thursday after two years on job, becoming the third Wolf Pack head coach to step down in the last 11 days.

Wyckoff-McNeal joins baseball coach Jake McKinley and women’s soccer coach Vanessa Valentine is resigning recently. McKinley did so to join the Seattle Mariners’ staff. Wyckoff-McNeal said she stepped down to focus on her family.

“After a lot of reflection and prayer, I have chosen to step away in order to put my family first,” Wyckoff-McNeal said in a news release. “It’s truly heart-wrenching to leave a place and a group of people I care for so deeply. Nevada will always hold a special place in my heart, and I’m grateful for every relationship, every experience and every moment spent here. I want to extend my deepest gratitude to the University of Nevada, President (Brian) Sandoval and Stephanie Rempe for the incredible opportunity to be part of such a special place. My time here has meant more to me than I can express. This is a great university with a tremendous community, and being part of this program has been both inspiring and rewarding. Go Pack!”

Wyckoff-McNeal was hired Dec. 27, 2023 as Nevada volleyball’s 12th head coach, agreeing to a five-year pact that paid $155,000 annually with a $40,000 buyout if she left the school before Dec. 31, 2025. Hunt was hired by Nevada after a successful stint as an assistant coach at Washington State for more than a decade.

Nevada finished second-to-last in the MW in each of Wyckoff-McNeal’s two seasons with the Wolf Pack. In 2024, Nevada went 12-17 overall and 5-13 in the Mountain West. This season, the Wolf Pack was 8-20 overall and 4-14 in league play. Wyckoff-McNeal went 20-37 overall and 9-27 in the MW in two seasons. Her first year was marred by Nevada’s boycott of a match against San Jose State, which drew national headlines as the Wolf Pack players voted against taking the court versus the Spartans, whose team featured a a transgender player.

After making five NCAA Tournament berths from 1998-2005, Nevada volleyball has posted a winning record in just three of the last 20 seasons (2007, 2016 and 2019). It also has suffered from heavy transfers over the last decade, including three of the Wolf Pack’s top potential returners (Haylee Brown, Audrey Jensen and Kinsley Singleton) entering the portal earlier this week.

Nevada said it would conduct a national search for Wyckoff-McNeal’s replacement.

“I would like to thank Shannon for her dedication to the Nevada volleyball program and our student-athletes over the past two years,” Nevada athletic director Stephanie Rempe said in a news release. “I wish her all the best.”

BOISE, Idaho – Boise State track and field returns to action on Saturday in the Spokane Indoor Challenge.

Beginning at 10 a.m. MT, the Broncos will compete in 10 field events and 13 running events. In total, over four dozen student-athletes will participate in the challenge.

In last year’s competition, Boise State recorded eight personal records and three season bests. Janiah Brown, who graduated last year, won the women’s one mile.

Live results will be available on MileSplit.com.

NOTABLES

·       Head coach Pat McCurry is in his second season at the helm of Boise State’s track and field program. He previously served as an assistant with the Broncos from 2016-18, and also was the head coach at College of Idaho and San Francisco.

·       The event will be held in Spokane, Washington, at The Podium.

·       Boise State has competed in this event in each of the last three years.

·       Last week in Boston, Alex Thompson clocked a personal best with a 7:57.74 in the men’s 3K.

·       Kaiya Robertson also recorded a collegiate best with a 9:05.03 in the women’s 3K, the second fastest time in school history.

 

LINEUPS

Field Events:

Women’s Weight Throw (10:00 a.m. MT) – Amaya Dixon, Alexee Kline, Victoria Lotz, Addy MacArthur, Ruby Sereday, Coco Velasquez

Women’s Long Jump (11:00 a.m. MT) – Nadia Collins, Kenna DeLemos, Gabbie Hasskamp, Alix Mund, Emily Stefan, Love Uzoekwe

Women’s Shot Put (2:30 p.m. MT) – Amaya Dixon, Victoria Lotz, Addy MacArthur, Emily Stefan, Coco Velasquez

Women’s Triple Jump (3:00 p.m. MT) – Nadia Collins, Alix Mund

Women’s High Jump (3:45 p.m. MT) – Gabbie Hasskamp, Jamie Wade

Men’s High Jump (10:00 a.m. MT) – Aayden Simmons

Men’s Long Jump (11:00 a.m. MT) – Harvey Scott, Aayden Simmons, Raekwon Weatherspoon

Men’s Weight Throw (1:15 p.m. MT) – Joseph Garcia, Tyler Grant, Tanner Nett

Men’s Triple Jump (3:00 p.m. MT) – Aayden Simmons

Men’s Shot Put (4:00 p.m. MT) – Joseph Garcia, Tyler Grant, Tanner Nett

 

Running Events:

Women’s 60m, Qualifying (12:00 p.m. MT) – Priscilla Adu-Gyamfi, Campbell Brintnall, Audrey Kays, Breasia Roberts, Love Uzoekwe

Women’s 60m Hurdles, Prelim (1:00 p.m. MT) – Campbell Brintnall, Gabbie Hasskamp, Emily Stefan

Women’s 60m, Prelim (1:35 p.m. MT) – Priscilla Adu-Gyamfi, Campbell Brintnall, Audrey Kays, Breasia Roberts, Maggie Shirazi, Love Uzoekwe

Women’s Mile (2:40 p.m. MT) – Gabriella Chiara, Emme Hamm, Eliisa Marshall, Brynnli Poulsen

Women’s 300m (3:30 p.m. MT) – Priscilla Adu-Gyamfi, Eloise Bolles, Brooklynn Bright, Ciara Brown, Shyniece Davis, McKenna Murphy, Maggie Shirazi

Women’s 200m (5:00 p.m. MT) – Audrey Kays, Breasia Roberts

Women’s 4x400m Relay (6:40 p.m. MT) – Priscilla Adu-Gyamfi (A1),Eloise Bolles (A2), Brooklynn Bright (A4), Ciara Brown (A3), Gabriella Chiara (B2), Emme Hamm (C4), Gabbie Hasskamp (B1), Eliisa Marshall (C3), McKenna Murphy (C1), Brynnli Poulsen (C2), Maggie Shirazi (C1), Emily Stefan (B3)

Men’s 60m, Qualifying (12:20 p.m. MT) – Raekwon Weatherspoon, Allan McKeraghan

Men’s 60m Hurdles, Prelim (1:20 p.m. MT) – Dax Duggan, Noah Lara, Chase Lawyer

Men’s 60m, Prelim (1:45 p.m. MT) – Allan McKeraghan, Raekwon Weatherspoon

Men’s Mile (2:50 p.m. MT) – Angus Fitzgerald, Shawn Jones, Cody Lucas, Ezra Teeples

Men’s 300m (3:45 p.m. MT) – Cobe Cameron, Trevor Cogley, John Dailey, Dax Duggan, Xavier Fraley, Josh Green, Wade Pollock, DJ Warren Jr.

Men’s 600m (4:45 p.m. MT) – Drew Bradeson

Men’s 200m (5:25 p.m. MT) – Noah Lara, Allan McKeraghan, Harvey Scott

Mixed 4x400m Relay (7:10 p.m. MT) – Josh Green (A1), Trevor Cogley (A3), Chase Lawyer (A6), Priscilla Adu-Gyamfi (A5), Campbell Brintnall (A2), Shyniece Davis (A4)

PROVO — One week after being eliminated from the program’s 14th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance, BYU women’s volleyball is looking for a new head coach.

Longtime coach Heather Olmstead announced her departure from the university Thursday to pursue “new professional avenues,” according to a department news release.

Considered one of the top female head coaches in college volleyball, Olmstead went 279-55 in 11 seasons with the Cougars.

After taking over following her brother Shawn’s move to the men’s volleyball job, she became the fastest coach to reach 200 Division I wins — doing so in just 225 games — and was the third-fastest coach all-time to 100 Division I wins just 111 matches into her head coaching career.

The former AVCA national coach of the year in 2018 departs BYU after developing 14 All-Americans, 23 All-Region honorees, and nine All-Big 12 honorees while guiding the Cougars from the West Coast Conference, where her players earned 22 all-conference honors.

“Coaching at BYU has been an incredible chapter — one filled with championships, NCAA Tournament runs and record-setting seasons,” Olmstead said. “But the true highlight has always been the people. I’m grateful for every athlete who let me be part of her journey and for the chance to help shape strong leaders, teammates and women who go on to make a difference long after their playing days.

“As I move into this next chapter, I do so with deep gratitude for the BYU community, for the players who trusted me with their development and for the staff who stood beside me through every challenge. I wish this program continued success, and I’m excited for what’s next.”

Olmstead presided over what many consider to be the greatest season in BYU women’s volleyball history in 2018, which included 11 weeks as the No. 1-ranked team in the country, a 27-match win streak, and a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament that took the Cougars to the national semifinals before a straight-set loss to eventual champion Stanford.

“I want to thank Heather for everything she has done to make BYU women’s volleyball great,” BYU athletic director Brian Santiago said in a statement. “She poured her heart and soul into this program and guided incredible teams that have had consistent national relevance and success and represented BYU well. Her student-athletes have gone on to do remarkable things.

“We wish Heather all the best as she pursues new opportunities, and we will open a national search for a new women’s volleyball head coach immediately.”

Olmstead was also a rising coaching star internationally, serving as head coach of the U.S. U21 women’s national team that won the gold medal at the 2025 NORCECA Pan American Cup and 2024 NORCECA Women’s Continental Championships.

She also had experience with the U.S. collegiate national team and was an assist on the U.S. team that won gold in the 2015 Pan American Games.

Olmstead’s departure is the second longtime college volleyball staple to exit her program in the state of Utah, and comes days after legendary Utah volleyball coach Beth Launiere retired following a 31-year career.

But in the weeks since the Cougars’ first-round loss to Big West champion Cal Poly in Los Angeles, the Cougars have seen three key departures to the transfer portal — including a pair of All-Big 12 first-team selections in setter Alex Bower and star freshman Suli Davis.

Sophomore outside hitter Blaykli Bobik, an Arizona native who played in 20 of the Cougars’ 31 matches as a reserve, also entered the portal.

It’s unknown if the portal departures were influenced by or connected to Olmstead’s decision to leave her position.

But Davis, who broke a 40-year-old freshman kills record at BYU with 541 en route to freshman of the year honors by the Big 12 and the AVCA West region, took to her Instagram account to clear up any rumors of animosity between her and Olmstead and the other BYU coaches.

“I love coach Heather and the staff, I love my teammates, and everyone who has helped me at BYU,” she wrote. “I couldn’t be more grateful for them all. … I’m not transferring for those reasons.”

BYU has named associate head coach David Hyte as interim head coach while it conducts what it calls a national search for the program’s next head coach.

FARGO, N.D. – Minot State freshman Justin Williams had a successful collegiate debut on Thursday, turning in a 3rd-place performance in his first meet for Minot State, the Dakota Alumni Classic hosted by North Dakota State.

Williams, who also plays football for Minot State, was third in 22.66 seconds in the men’s 200 meters, the best performance of the day for the Beavers, who sent a small group of student-athletes to compete in the second indoor meet of the season.

Teammate and freshman Alex Roberts, another Beaver football player, also had a strong debut in the event, finishing 7^th in 23.38 for Minot State.

The Beavers also got an 8^th-place performance from sophomore Deuce Carr in the men’s 60-meter dash. Carr, who also plays football for Minot State, made his season debut, finishing in a time of 7.08 seconds.

On the women’s side, senior Summer Krebsbach led the way for the second straight meet for the Beavers as she was 5^th in the women’s 60-meter dash with a time of 7.83 seconds in the finals after clocking a time of 7.75 in the prelims.

The meet wraps up the 2025 portion of the indoor season for the Minot State track and field teams, who now get a month off before the heart of the indoor season gets underway on Saturday, January 17, with the Marauders Indoor Opener hosted by the University of Mary in Bismarck.

The Marauders Indoor Opener is the first of five meets that the Beavers will compete in in preparation for the NSIC Indoor Track & Field Championships, February 28 and March 1, hosted by Minnesota State, Mankato.

 

LEXINGTON, Ky. (KMTV) — The Creighton volleyball team is headed to the Elite Eight for the second straight season and third time in program history.

The Jays will face Kentucky, which is hosting the regional rounds, on Saturday at 4 p.m. central time.

The match will air on ESPN2.

CU beat Arizona State 3-1 in the regional semifinals, led by Ava Martin with 23 kills and Kiara Reinhardt with 15, including the kill that won the match.