Sports

Virginia women’s track & field wins ACC Championships – The Cavalier Daily

Published

7 months ago

May 21, 2025

The last time the Virginia women’s track and field team won ACC Outdoor Championships was 1987 — at least until this past weekend.

The Cavaliers traveled down to Winston-Salem, N.C. for the meet hosted by Wake Forest, ready to fight for a title. The team boasted a bevy of strong performances from typical standouts like senior Margot Appleton and junior Celia Rifaterra but also included some of the newer faces like freshman Maya Rollins and recent transfer junior Christiana Ellina. Their combined efforts led to a first place finish for the team and a shiny new trophy coming back with them to Charlottesville.

Appleton entered the women’s 1500 meters as the fastest collegiate runner in the NCAA event this season, and, even with that heavy weight on her shoulders, she did not disappoint.

It was a textbook Appleton race. She got out solidly in the middle of the pack, staying there for the first 1100 meters. As the bell rang to note the last lap, Appleton began moving into Lane 2 to give herself some space to kick. In the first curve, Appleton had angled herself into first place side by side with Clemson sophomore Silvia Jelego with the rest of the runners right on their heels.

In the last 200 meters, the race became a battle between those two, seeing if Jelego could outkick Appleton who had begun to pull away. Appleton’s gait and technique stayed consistent and controlled, but as Jelego opened up her stride, she was clearly fighting exhaustion. Appleton maintained her kick and crossed the line into first place with a time of 4:11.28, winning this ACC event for the third year in a row.

After the race, the announcers asked her about the added stress on her as the top 1500 meter run in the NCAA right now.

“I think it’s good pressure to have,” Appleton said, “I knew I had to win that for my team, and it was even extra pressure but it was helpful and I’m glad I could get those points up.”

The Cavaliers took the win in another distance race as senior Jenny Schilling sped through the women’s 10k, nearly eight seconds ahead of the second place finisher from Notre Dame, senior Emily Covert.

On the field side of things, Rifaterra also won gold in the women’s high jump while also setting a new personal best of 1.86 meters, up from 1.84. Senior Carly Tarentino placed just behind her in second, tying with Pittsburgh junior Eva Baldursdottir.

New to Virginia this season, Ellina proved her talent in javelin, assuming yet another first place finish for the Cavaliers. She threw 52.44 meters — well over a meter ahead of the runner up.

Though only a freshman, Rollins clocked a solid silver in the women’s 100 meter hurdles. She even beat out one of the favorites for the race, Duke senior Birgen Nelson, by six thousandths of a second.

The women finished the meet with 93 points, winning the 2025 ACC Outdoor Championships by four points.

The men, however, did not fare as well, ending up in 13th place out of the 17 teams present. Junior Gary Martin ended up not racing in the men’s 1500 finals despite qualifying a couple days earlier. The announcers mentioned that someone had spotted Martin using an ice pack earlier in the meet, and eventually, it was revealed that he had tweaked his hamstring, and he was still intending to race at NCAA East Regionals.

However, there was still one exciting race for the Virginia men. Senior Alex Sherman took down the Virginia men’s 400 meter hurdles record, dropping 0.3 seconds from his personal best, finishing in 49.98 seconds and taking third in the event.

Overall, the ACC Championships were a good showing for the women’s team and prove that they most certainly have some up-and-coming stars for the rest of the season and for the year to come. Meanwhile, the men’s team will have some challenges to overcome heading into the rest of the postseason if they hope to continue raising the standard for their program finish at NCAA Championships.

Before that though, Virginia will head to Jacksonville, Fla. for NCAA East Regionals, startingMay 28 and running through May 31. The women will hope to continue setting a higher standard for the overall team, having gained some confidence from this past weekend, and the men will find their footing for the remainder of the post-season, especially with Martin back on the track.

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KWHS senior Madyn Waring signs to Oregon State for track & field

Published

3 minutes ago

December 17, 2025

Your Sports Nation

CASPER, Wyo. –– Kelly Walsh High School athlete Madyn Waring will compete in track and field at Oregon State University.

The KW senior held a signing ceremony on Tuesday with family and classmates to announce the signing, which will take her to Corvallis, Oregon, a region known for its quality college track and field athletics.

“It’s really exciting,” she said. “They compete a lot of their outdoor meets at Hayward Field in Eugene, which is like a track capital of the world. So many people don’t get to compete there in their lifetimes, so to be able to compete there is really exciting.”

As an added bonus, OSU has joined the PAC 12 starting next year. “Maybe having a chance at that PAC 12 title is really cool,” she added.

Waring said that OSU is particularly unique because they feature only women’s track, with no men’s team at all. “I like to have the attention on me, as you most likely know,” she joked while addressing the assembled crowd. “That was kind of a bonus.”

Waring said she had considered a number of other schools over the previous year, including an Ivy League school and even the Navel Academy. She made a visit to Boise State at one point, but was quickly won over by OSU. “I decided that it was the better fit and aligned more with what I was wanting in a college experience.”

Waring’s high school athletic skills were strong on the basketball and volleyball courts, but she fell in love with track & field, and decided it offered more options in her college career. “It was always [more] about the school than the sport,” she said.

“What I like about track is it’s all on me,” she continued. “So while coaching can help me a lot and I have teammates, it really comes down to how I perform and the effort I put in myself.”

She’s looking at competing in the heptathlon, which includes seven events over two days. “I don’t think I would ever get bored, there’s always something to grow in,” she said, adding that she has never tried the javelin since Wyoming doesn’t offer that activity. “I think my volleyball arm might lend itself well to that,” she said.

Outside of sports, Waring is excited to pursue a degree in environmental engineering, and OSU has been listed as an R1 research institution by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education.

“It checks all the boxes in that way,” said Waring.

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NTDP/WNT Athletes Ready to Shine in 2025 NCAA Women’s Volleyball Semifinals

Published

10 minutes ago

December 17, 2025

Your Sports Nation

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Dec 16, 2025) – From the NTDP courts to the NCAA semifinals, the impact of USA Volleyball’s development pipeline is on full display once again. Athletes and coaches from all four teams will bring rich experience from NTDP programs and U.S. national teams, showing how the pathway continues to prepare players and staff for the sport’s biggest stages.

The NCAA semifinals are set for Thursday, Dec. 18. No. 1 Pitt and No. 3 Texas A&M square off in the first semifinal at 6:30 p.m. ET, followed by No. 1 Kentucky and No. 3 Wisconsin, 30 minutes after the conclusion of the first match. Both matches are live on ESPN.

The final is December 21 at 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC.

Pitt

Pitt’s roster is led by 2025 U.S. Women’s National Team athlete Olivia Babcock, who competed with the team during Volleyball Nations League. She also helped the senior national team earn silver at the 2024 NORCECA Pan American Cup Final Six.

Fifty-eight percent of Pitt’s NTDP-eligible roster (international athletes not included) have either participated in an NTDP Training Series or with an age-group national team.

Blaire Bayless: 2024-25 U21 National Team (2024 U21 Continental Championships, gold; 2025 U21 Pan Am Cup, gold); 2023 U19 National Team (2023 Pan Am Cup, gold and MVP)
Abbey Emch: 2025 U19 National Team (2025 U19 World Championship, silver)
Bre Kelley: 2022-23 U21 National Team (2022 U21 Pan Am Cup, gold; 2023 U21 Pan Am Cup, gold); 2018 U18 National Team (2018 U18 Continental Championship, gold)

Babcock, Bayless, Emch, Sophia Gregoire, Ryla Jones and Haiti Tautua’a are all NTDP Training Series athletes.

Head coach Dan Fisher brings extensive USA Volleyball history to Pitt’s sideline, including coaching stints with the U.S. Men’s and Women’s National Teams. He’s also led age-group national teams to multiple Pan American Cup golds. Fisher and assistant coaches Kamalani Akeo and Kellen Petrone hVW also both coached with NTDP.

Texas A&M

Texas A&M’s emergence this season reflects its deep ties to NTDP.

Ifenna Cos-Okpalla was MVP and Best Blocker of the gold-medal winning 2025 U23 Pan Am Cup team, and Logan Lednicky was part of the 2025 Women’s National Team, competing in weeks one and two of Volleyball Nations League. Kirra Musgrove was on the 2024 Girls U19 National Team.

Sixty-nine percent of TAMU’s NTDP-eligible roster (international athletes not included) have either participated in an NTDP Training Series or with an age-group national team.

Musgrove, Addi Applegate, Megan Fitch, Lexi Guinn, Margot Manning, Taryn Morris, Morgan Perkins, Ava Underwood and Maddie Waak are all NTDP Training Series athletes.

Head coach Jamie Morrison brings world-class credentials from his years with both the U.S. Men’s and Women’s National Teams, as well as leading multiple age-group national teams to gold medals.

TAMU Director of Analytics Joe Skinner is a former coach with the U.S. Men’s Sitting National Team (helping lead them to the 2016 Paralympic Games) and has also coached with NTDP, as has assistant coach Jeff Fiorenza.

Kentucky

Kentucky continues its proud NTDP tradition, led by Brooklyn DeLeye, MVP of the 2024 and 2025 U21 NORCECA events, and Eva Hudson, who played for the 2025 U.S. Women’s U23 National Team and the 2024 senior national team. DeLeye was also part of the 2023 U19 National Team.

Seventy-one percent of Kentucky’s NTDP-eligible roster (international athletes not included) have either participated in an NTDP Training Series or with an age-group national team.

Eva Hudson: 2025 U23 National Team (U23 Pan Am Cup, gold); 2024 Women’s National Team (Pan Am Cup Final Six, silver); 2024 Women’s National Team Spring Training; 2023 U21 National Team (U21 Pan Am Cup, gold)
Brooke Bultema: 2025 U23 National Team
Molly Tuozzo: 2025 U21 National Team

Hannah Benjamin, Bultema, Jordyn Dailey, Kassie O’Brien, Asia Thigpen, Kennedy Washington and Georgia Watson are all NTDP Training Series athletes.

Associate head coach Meredith Jewell and assistant coach Kyle Luongo have both worked within NTDP.

Wisconsin

Wisconsin showcases a strong NTDP background, with Carter Booth also having senior U.S. National Team experience.

Sixty-nine percent of Wisconsin’s NTDP-eligible roster (international athletes not included) have either participated in an NTDP Training Series or with an age-group national team.

Carter Booth: 2024 Women’s National Team (Pan Am Cup Final Six, silver); 2020-21 U20 National Team; 2019 U18 National Team (U18 World Championship, gold)
Mimi Colyer: 2023 U21 National Team
Charlie Fuerbringer: 2025 U21 National Team; 2023 U19 National Team (U19 World Championship, gold); 2022 U19 National Team
Natalie Wardlow: 2025 U19 National Team; 2024 U19 National Team
Aniya Warren: 2025 U19 National Team; 2024 U19 National Team (U19 Continental Championship, gold)

Colyer, Grace Egan, Fuerbringer, Addy Horner, Madison Quest, Kristen Simon, Wardlow and Warren all have NTDP Training Series experience.

Assistant coach Lauren Carlini, a 2024 Olympian and longtime Women’s National Team setter, brings elite experience to the Badgers’ bench, and assistant coach Brittany Dildine has worked with NTDP.

From collegiate courts to the international arena, NTDP athletes continue to elevate the level of play. As the NCAA semifinals unfold, these connections underscore USA Volleyball’s commitment to developing world-class talent, with coaches and players alike from youth programs to the highest stages of competition.

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Three Husker volleyball players make first-team All-America

Published

26 minutes ago

December 17, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Andi Jackson, Harper Murray and Bergen Reilly all earned first-team All-American honors from the American Volleyball Coaches Association on Wednesday. Rebekah Allick was recognized on the second team.

It was the second straight year that Jackson was voted on to the first team. She set a Big Ten record for hitting percentage in conference games at .559 this season.

Murray and Reilly each earned a spot on the AVCA All-American team for the third season in a row, but made the first team for the first time this year. It was the first All-American honor for Allick in her fourth year of college.

For the Creighton Bluejays, Ava Martin and Kiara Reinhardt were voted onto the second team, while Annalea Maeder joined the third team.

All three Bluejays on the AVCA team are seniors, and this year’s team is the 14th in a row that included a Creighton player.

A committee of 11 Division I volleyball coaches selects the 42 players that make up the first, second and third teams for the prestigious honor.

Nebraska tied with Kentucky and Texas A&M for the most players on the first, second or third teams, with four players each. Creighton was next in line with three players.

The Huskers and Bluejays are among seven schools to place more than one All-American on the AVCA team for five years straight, joining Kentucky, Louisville, Pittsburgh, Stanford and Wisconsin.

Both in-state programs dropped a match in the Elite Eight round of the NCAA Tournament last weekend.

NU fell, 3-2, against Texas A&M. The Cornhuskers ended the campaign 33-1 under first-year coach Dani Busboom Kelly. Only one team in school history has finished the season undefeated. That was the 2000 squad, former head coach John Cook’s first in Lincoln.

Creighton lost to Kentucky in a 3-0 sweep. The Bluejays were also under a first-year head coach, Brian Rosen, who led the program to its second consecutive and third-ever Elite Eight appearance. It finished the season with a 28-6 record and a 16-0 conference record.

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Utah State Volleyball’s Kaylie Kofe Earns AVCA All-American Honorable Mention

Published

41 minutes ago

December 17, 2025

Your Sports Nation

LOGAN, Utah – Utah State volleyball sophomore setter Kaylie Kofe earned AVCA All-American honorable mention, the organization announced on Wednesday.

This is only the fifth AVCA All-America honors in program history for Utah State and the first since Liz McArthur also earned honorable mention in 2010.

Kofe led the Aggie offense to a program-record .274 hitting percentage this season, ranking third in the nation with 11.08 assists per set and also earning Mountain West Player of the Year honors. Kofe is the only player in the nation with three matches of 60 or more assists. Her 1,330 total assists this season ranks fifth all-time at USU while she already sits in eighth for career assists at Utah State with 2,290. Kofe also added 32 kills, 28 aces, 285 digs and 37 total blocks on the year.

Fans can follow the Aggie volleyball program on Twitter, @USUVolleyball, on Facebook at /USUVolleyball or on Instagram, @usuvolleyball. Aggie fans can also follow the Utah State athletic program on Twitter, @USUAthletics, Facebook at /USUAthletics and on Instagram, @USUAthletics.

– USU –

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More Sports on the Way: Volleyball joins the Roster of Premier Sport Offerings

Published

58 minutes ago

December 17, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Omaha, NE — Creighton University is excited to announce the addition of volleyball to its Premier Club Sports program, offering student-athletes a new way to compete, connect, and represent the Bluejays.

The Premier Club Volleyball program will provide a competitive and organized environment for students passionate about the sport. Athletes will have the opportunity to participate in structured practices, develop their skills, and compete against other collegiate club programs while maintaining a balance with academic and campus life.

The addition of volleyball highlights Creighton’s ongoing commitment to expanding inclusive, high-quality athletic opportunities beyond the varsity level. The program is expected to draw students with a range of experience, from former high school players to those seeking a more competitive continuation of their volleyball careers.

Introduced in 2025, the Premier Club Sports program was originally launched with men’s and women’s hockey, lacrosse, and golf — providing structured, coach-led competition at a level between traditional club play and NCAA athletics.

Creighton encourages interested students — new and returning — to fill out the Recruit Me Form or email our Director, Clay Caswell, at claycaswell@creighton.edu for any questions or for more information.

Any interested candidates for the Premier Club Volleyball Coach position can apply at the following link: https://hcps.fa.us2.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/CandidateExperience/en/sites/CX_1/job/204

For any questions regarding the new program or the coaching position, please email our Director, Clay Caswell, at claycaswell@creighton.edu.

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2025 AVCA Women’s NAIA All-America Teams

Published

1 hour ago

December 17, 2025

Your Sports Nation

The AVCA is pleased to announce its women’s volleyball All-America Teams for the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, as chosen by the NAIA Volleyball All-America Selection Committee.

The 2025 class includes 42 players—14 on the first, second, and third teams—from 29 schools, and an additional 55 players were honorable mention selections. Bellevue University (NE), Northwestern College (Iowa), and the University of Providence (MT) lead the way with three players each on the first three teams, and seven schools had two players chosen.

Coach of the Year: Candace Moats, Indiana Wesleyan University
Assistant Coach of the Year: Angie Boldt, Concordia University Nebraska
Player of the Year: Eva Joldersma, Indiana Wesleyan University, OH, Sr.
Freshman of the Year: Evelyn Brown, Mount Vernon Nazarene University, MH