6A, 5A state track and field: Records fall on opening day
PROVO — Only a few dozen medals were awarded, but multiple state records weren’t safe on the first day of the 5A and 6A state track and field meet at BYU’s Clarence F. Robison Track Complex. Timpview star Jane Hedengren broke her own state record in the 5A girls’ 3,200-meter run in 9 minutes, 48.73 […]
PROVO — Only a few dozen medals were awarded, but multiple state records weren’t safe on the first day of the 5A and 6A state track and field meet at BYU’s Clarence F. Robison Track Complex.
Timpview star Jane Hedengren broke her own state record in the 5A girls’ 3,200-meter run in 9 minutes, 48.73 seconds, while Mountain Ridge’s Kinzlee Riddle tied the state record in a 6A girls’ 200-meter qualifying heat in 23.30 seconds.
It’s one of several rewritten records by Hedengren, who held the previous state record set last year in 9:52.96. The senior who has signed with BYU also holds state records in the 800 meters (2:05.96), 1,600 meters (4:32.61), and was part of the 5A-record relay teams in the 4×400 and 4×800-meter squads set last year en route to winning Ms. Track honors by the Deseret News.
“It’s bittersweet being (the last 3,200) with this team,” Hedengren said after the race. “I’m kind of sad it’s the last one, but I’m really excited to get to do it with these ladies today.”
The previous Ms. Track honoree, Fremont’s Amare Harlan who currently runs and jumps for Michigan, also saw her state record time of 23.30 in the 200 tied in Thursday’s 6A girls’ qualifying heat. Riddle, who also ran the fastest qualifying time in the 100 meters in 11.81 and second-fastest in the 400 in 56.17, will have a shot at the record in Saturday’s final — as well as the state 400 record held by Provo’s Meghan Hunter (52.59).
Riddle set the 6A record in the event earlier this month when she ran a 53.01 at the PACS BYU Invitational back on May 2.
American Fork leads the 6A boys’ meet with 50 points, ahead of Herriman (41), Lone Peak (26) and defending champion Corner Canyon (25). Maple Mountain and Viewmont are tied atop the 5A boys’ leaderboard with 33 points, just two ahead of Springville and three more than Woods Cross.
The Vikings got a boost from Hayden Arbuckle, who won the 5A 3,200-meter race 9:07.86 before setting a new 5A record in the 4×800-meter relay with teammates Talmage Bruschke, Ben Hyde and Bryce Arbuckle in 7:42.55.
The Cavemen also lead the 6A girls’ meet by a tighter margin, 34.5 to 31 over second-place Riverton, with Herriman (30), Lone Peak (28) and Layton (23) just behind.
Two-time defending champion Timpview is two points behind Spanish Fork in the 5A girls’ meet with 30 points, ahead of Cedar Valley (18.5) and Box Elder (16).
Full results are available at SportTrax.
6A boys’ track and field
3,200 meters — 1. Jackson Spencer, Herriman, Jr., 8:56.43; 2. Kaden Evans, American Fork, Sr., 9:00.08; 3. Ryker Bement, American Fork, Sr., 9:07.29; 4. Micah Tang, Herriman, Sr., 9:08.55; 5. Carter Moore, American Fork, Sr., 9:08.83; 6. Austin Plewe, American Fork, Jr., 9:10.51; 7. Jonah Tang, Herriman, Sr., 9:13.38; 8. Jonathan Thornley, Layton, Sr., 9:15.51.
Pole vault — 1. Kaleb Allen, Taylorsville, Sr., 13′06.0; 2. Jackson Barney, Cedar Valley, Sr., 12′06.0; 3. Ben Anson, Clearfield, Jr., 12′03.0; 4. Colton Reid, West Jordan, Jr., 11′00.0; 5. Joshua Downs, Box Elder, So., 11′00.0; 6. Brett Johnson, Salem Hills, Sr., 11′00.0; 7. Nathan Call, Salem Hills, Jr., 10′06.0; 8. Brody Jex, Box Elder, Jr., 10′06.0.
Timpview’s Lily Alder and Jane Hedengren compete in the girls 3200m run during the 5A high school state track meet at the Clarence F. Robison Outdoor Track and Field in Provo on Thursday, May 15, 2025. Hedengren won and Alder placed second. (Photo: Kristin Murphy, Deseret News)
Every year on 23 June, Olympic Day brings the world together in celebration of sport and the Olympic values of excellence, friendship, and respect. World Aquatics proudly joins the Olympic Movement in marking this occasion and in championing the power of sport to inspire and connect. The 2025 Olympic Day theme, “Let’s Move? Let’s Move.” […]
Every year on 23 June, Olympic Day brings the world together in celebration of sport and the Olympic values of excellence, friendship, and respect. World Aquatics proudly joins the Olympic Movement in marking this occasion and in championing the power of sport to inspire and connect.
The 2025 Olympic Day theme, “Let’s Move? Let’s Move.” encourages everyone to get active, bring someone with you and make movement part of your day. Aquatic sports are among the most accessible and inclusive ways for people of all ages to move. Whether you’re embracing water for the physical and mental benefits, competing at the highest level or supporting someone in their first experience of aquatics, it can be a celebration of movement and community. We are united by water for health, life, and sport.
Image Source: An Australian team member jumps in during warm-up before the Water Polo by the Sea match between Australia and the United States of America at the Bondi Icebergs in Sydney, Australia (Mark Kolbe/Getty Images
Today, World Aquatics encourages everyone to get active – in the pool, at the beach, in lakes or rivers – and enjoy the physical and mental benefits that aquatics brings.
That spirit of global movement and shared responsibility was on full display at the Paris 2024 Olympics, where 1,439 athletes from 191 countries competed across swimming, diving, water polo, artistic swimming and open water swimming, making aquatics one of the most internationally represented sports at the Games.
Image Source: Competitors dive into the River Seine for the Women’s 10k at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games (Martin Bureau – Pool/Getty Images)
The Games also marked a breakthrough moment for World Aquatics’ digital presence, bringing together athletes and fans from around the world.
Compared to Tokyo 2020, Paris 2024 delivered a 1,800% increase in digital engagement, with 1.3 billion impressions, 621 million engagements and 609 million video views. It was the most successful digital event in the organisation’s history. The online global aquatics community grew by 1.1 million during the Paris Games alone.
Image Source: Team Mexico trains prior the Team Acrobatic final at the Artistic Swimming World Cup Super Final 2025 in Xi’an, China (Lintao Zhang/Getty Images)
Looking ahead, World Aquatics continues to build on this momentum. In just a few weeks, the world’s top athletes will gather for the World Aquatics Championships – Singapore 2025, where history will be made and global audiences will once again come together, through movement.
As always, World Aquatics reminds everyone to enjoy aquatic activities safely. Whether you’re in open water or at your local pool, take appropriate precautions, follow local safety guidance and never swim alone.
Today on Olympic Day, let’s move, let’s connect, as we are united by water!
Update the books | Penn State track and field ends season in record-breaking fashion | Penn State Track & Field News
Hundreds of fans, athletes and coaches cheered on as the national championship banner was unveiled at the 2025 Penn State National Open, revealing Cheickna Traore’s 2024 NCAA Track and Field Outdoor National Championship 200-meter victory. Fast forward a year later, and while the Nittany Lions won’t have a new championship banner hung from the indoor […]
Hundreds of fans, athletes and coaches cheered on as the national championship banner was unveiled at the 2025 Penn State National Open, revealing Cheickna Traore’s 2024 NCAA Track and Field Outdoor National Championship 200-meter victory.
Fast forward a year later, and while the Nittany Lions won’t have a new championship banner hung from the indoor track, several athletes have pushed themselves one step closer to earning one.
The 2025 track and field season saw its share of highs and lows, from seven school records to a handful of Penn State’s top athletes being injured.
Freshman phenom Ajani Dwyer made his name known in the first meet of the indoor season, running the second-fastest 60-meter time in school history during his first collegiate race.
His 6.55-second personal best didn’t stand for long, as Dwyer soon tied the 6.54-second school record at the U.S. Championship where he finished sixth.
Sprinter Ajani Dwyer runs the 60-meter dash at the Nittany Lion Challenge.
Courtesy of Matt Rudisill | Penn State Athletics
In the outdoor season, Dwyer came within 0.01 seconds of breaking the 100-meter record, but after suffering an injury at the Big Ten championship, his postseason hopes were ruined.
However, he wasn’t the only freshman men’s sprinter to break a school record this season.
In the final meet of the indoor regular season, Jake Palermo took the track and carved more than one second off his 400-meter personal best. The Rochester, New York, native put himself atop the record books with a time of 45.65 — his best of the season.
Three months later at the NCAA East First Round, Palermo set an outdoor personal-best 45.88. Two days later in the finals, he ran another personal-best with a time of 45.75 seconds, but missed the NCAA championship by one place.
Collectively, the men’s sprint squad crushed expectations in the men’s 4x400m, running a season-best at the NCAA East First Round to advance to the NCAA championship.
Jake Palermo (5) runs on the track during the Penn State Tune Up event inside the Penn State Multi-Sport Facility on Friday, Feb. 21, 2025 in University Park, Pa.
Courtesy of Matt Rudisill Penn State athletics
The group followed with another season-best and No. 3 time in school history in the NCAA championship prelims, securing second team All-American status.
Graduate student Zoey Goldstein made the most of her fifth year at Penn State. She entered the NCAA East First Round seeded 45th, but ran sub-53 seconds for the first time in her career, setting a personal-best 52.56 and the fifth-best time in Penn State history to earn her spot in the finals.
During the indoor season, freshman Tayissa Buchanan made a name for herself, becoming the team’s go-to 600-meter runner following a seventh-place finish at the Big Ten championship.
At 800 meters, school record-holder Hayley Kitching extended her record, running 2:01.14. She also came within two seconds of a school record in the 1,000-meters. However, she sustained an injury prior to her outdoor campaign.
Allon Clay, Olivier Desmeules, Yukichi Ishii and Darius Smallwood were a force to be reckoned with during the indoor season, with Desmeules earning Penn State’s only Big Ten championship in the men’s 600m.
Smallwood set the No. 3 time in the 600m and the No. 2 time in the 800m, while Ishii set the No. 3 time and Desmeules the No. 4 time in the 800m.
In the outdoor season, Handal Roban, who was coming off an injury, Desmeules and Clay earned bids to the NCAA East First Round. Roban and Clay advanced to the NCAA championship, finishing in 14th and ninth place, respectively.
Senior Florence Caron continued to impress in just her second season in the NCAA, furthering her own records in the indoor and outdoor 5,000-meters and the 10,000 meters. Caron competed at the NCAA championship in each event.
Multi-event athlete Maddie Pitts dominated the pentathlon and heptathlon, competing in both at the NCAA championship, as she continued to climb the record books at Penn State, moving to No. 3 all-time in the pentathlon and No. 5 in the heptathlon.
MORE TRACK AND FIELD COVERAGE
Less than a week after the NCAA championship, Handal Roban is back at it again.
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As part of the International Olympic Day celebrations, Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, hosted a series of aquatic sports competitions.
On June 20, “Ozen” sports complex featured a showcase of artistic swimming. Seventeen young athletes, coached by Ekaterina and Alexandra Nemich, performed a series of solo and group routines that captivated the audience. […]
As part of the International Olympic Day celebrations, Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, hosted a series of aquatic sports competitions.
On June 20, “Ozen” sports complex featured a showcase of artistic swimming. Seventeen young athletes, coached by Ekaterina and Alexandra Nemich, performed a series of solo and group routines that captivated the audience.
The following day, June 21, Astana hosted the final stage of the Astana Cup water polo tournament. Teams from four cities competed, with a total of 80 young water polo players participating. The home team from Astana claimed victory, while Semey secured second place and the team from Uralsk finished third.
Young swimmers who train at the Barys Arena pool also took part in swimming competitions. The event welcomed athletes born between 2008 and 2019, with 128 participants competing in various races.
“The main goal of Olympic Day is not to celebrate champions, but to engage as many people of all ages in sports as possible. For us, it’s not just about organizing competitions, but about creating an environment where sports enthusiasts can feel part of the Olympic movement and join in the global celebration of this important date,” stated the NOC Kazakhstan.
Earlier, the final rounds of the National School League in various sports were held as part of the festivities. Olympic-themed lessons featuring renowned athletes of Kazakhstan were organized for students in Almaty and Astana. Additionally, physical education teachers attending the “Summer School” participated in lectures delivered by experts from the Korea Institute of Sport Science.
On June 22, sports enthusiasts of all ages will test their skills in the ASTANA TRIATHLON Sprint competition, set to take place in the capital’s Central Park. On the same day, the “Oasis” pool in Astana will host open water swimming competitions for students of the iSwim school.
International Olympic Day is celebrated annually on June 23, commemorating the founding of the International Olympic Committee in 1894.
Who should we have picked as SW FL Girls Team of the Year
Video as 2025 SW FL Sports Award winners receive their prizes on stage The 2025 Southwest Florida High School Sports Award ceremony was held Thursday, May 29 at Suncoast Arena. The News-Press and Naples Daily News held their annual Southwest Florida Sports Awards Show on May 29 at Suncoast Arena on the campus of Southwest Florida State College. […]
Video as 2025 SW FL Sports Award winners receive their prizes on stage
The 2025 Southwest Florida High School Sports Award ceremony was held Thursday, May 29 at Suncoast Arena.
The News-Press and Naples Daily News held their annual Southwest Florida Sports Awards Show on May 29 at Suncoast Arena on the campus of Southwest Florida State College. During the show, we announced the Seacrest Volleyball team as the 2024-25 Girls Team of the Year.
Did we get it right?
Here’s a chance to have your say. Here are all of our Girls Team of the Year nominees for the 2024-25 high school season. Who would you have selected to be the Southwest Florida Girls Team of the Year?
The poll will remain open at news-press.com and naplesnews.com until 10 a.m. on June 2o.
CLICK HERE TO SEE THE POLL AND VOTE. You can also scroll down to the bottom.
Here are the nominees:
Barron Collier Tennis
Led by Chelsea Casapu, the Southwest Florida Girls Tennis Player of the Year, the Cougars went 12-2, reaching the Class 2A state championship finals.
Community School of Naples Lacrosse
The Seahawks finished 16-5, advancing to the Class 1A Final Four, and were powered by Stella Lynch, the Southwest Florida Girls Lacrosse Player of the Year.
Evangelical Christian Basketball
The Sentinels went 22-8 and reached the Class 2A Final Four, losing to eventual state champion Miami Country Day, 37-35.
Evangelical Christian Softball
The Sentinels (28-3) won their second consecutive state championship, defeating Geneva 17-14 to claim the Class 1A title.
First Baptist Volleyball
The Lions finished 23-5 and advanced to the Class 2A Final Four, losing to eventual state champion Westminster Christian.
Fort Myers Beach Volleyball
The Green Wave went 15-3, going unbeaten against Lee and Collier foes. Fort Myers reached the Class 2A Final Four, falling to eventual state champion Gulf Breeze.
North Fort Myers Soccer
The Red Knights (21-3) reached the Class 5A Final Four, losing to eventual state champion Ponte Vedra, 2-1.
North Fort Myers Softball
The Red Knights went 20-8 and advanced to the Class 5A Final Four, losing to eventual state champion Winter Springs, 5-4.
Seacrest Volleyball
The Stingrays (20-5) defeated Boca Raton Christian to win the Class 1A state championship, the program’s fourth consecutive state crown.
International Olympic Day: Celebrations Planned Across Kazakhstan
International Olympic Day is celebrated annually on June 23—a day dedicated to inspiring people of all ages to engage in sports, lead active lifestyles, and embrace the values of the Olympic movement. In Kazakhstan, a variety of sporting events will be held to mark the occasion.
The celebrations will bring together sports enthusiasts […]
International Olympic Day is celebrated annually on June 23—a day dedicated to inspiring people of all ages to engage in sports, lead active lifestyles, and embrace the values of the Olympic movement. In Kazakhstan, a variety of sporting events will be held to mark the occasion.
The celebrations will bring together sports enthusiasts of all ages, with the main events taking place in Astana.
On June 20, the swimming pool at the “Ozen” sports complex will host an artistic swimming competition. The program will feature performances by 17 synchronized swimmers coached by renowned athletes of Kazakhstan – Ekaterina and Alexandra Nemich.
On June 21, the final matches of the Astana Cup water polo tournament will take place. Youth teams from Pervouralsk (Eurasia), Astana, Astana 2, Semey, and Uralsk will compete, with total of 80 young athletes registered to participate.
At the “Oasis” pool in Astana, open water swimming competitions will be held for students of the iSwim school. Children born between 2007 and 2018 will compete in a 25-meter freestyle race.
On June 22, sports enthusiasts of all ages are invited to take part in the ASTANA TRIATHLON Sprint, which will be held in Central Park from 5:30 AM to 10:30 AM. The event will feature both individual and team races over sprint distances.
On June 23, children training at the Barys Arena pool will participate in swimming competitions. A total of 128 swimmers, born between 2008 and 2019, will showcase their skills.
As part of a yearly tradition, Kazakhstan’s Olympians will extend their warm wishes to babies born on June 23. The “Olympian is Born” campaign is a cherished part of Olympic Day celebrations in Kazakhstan. Prominent athletes have prepared gift packages for the babies and their parents, which will be delivered to maternity hospitals across the country.
It’s worth noting that International Olympic Day is celebrated annually on June 23 in honor of the founding of the International Olympic Committee in 1894. The holiday is dedicated to promoting Olympic values, sports, and healthy living across all generations.
The final All-Big Bend teams of the year are here as the spring sports round out the Tallahassee Democrat’s annual award season. Athletes from across the area have been honored in the Tallahassee Democrat’s 2025 spring All-Big Bend teams. Local student-athletes are being recognized from the flag football field to the dirt diamonds of baseball […]
The final All-Big Bend teams of the year are here as the spring sports round out the Tallahassee Democrat’s annual award season.
Athletes from across the area have been honored in the Tallahassee Democrat’s 2025 spring All-Big Bend teams. Local student-athletes are being recognized from the flag football field to the dirt diamonds of baseball and softball as they made their mark in their respective sports during the spring season.
Teams were compiled by area coaches’ votes, season statistics, team finishes, and, when applicable, input from the Democrat staff.
The presentations highlight area teams, athletes and coaches.
Be sure to purchase a subscription at offers.tallahassee.com to stay on top of every All-Big Bend announcement.
2025 Spring All-Big Bend Schedule
Tuesday: All-Big Bend Tennis
Wednesday: All-Big Bend Beach Volleyball
Thursday: All-Big Bend Lacrosse
Friday: All-Big Bend Flag Football
Sunday: All-Big Bend Boys Track and Field
Monday: All-Big Bend Girls Track and Field
Tuesday: All-Big Bend Softball
Wednesday: All-Big Bend Baseball
Liam Rooney covers Florida State athletics for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at LRooney@gannett.com or on Twitter @__liamrooney
