NORMAN – Oklahoma track and field throws athlete Ralford Mullings was named the USTFCCCA Division I National Men’s Field Athlete of the Year and head coach James Thomas and associate head coach Jerel Langley, along with heptathlete Pippi Lotta Enok, picked up USTFCCCA Midwest Regional awards. The coaches association announced Thomas was awarded Men’s Coach of the Year, Langley Women’s Assistant Coach of the Year and Enok and Mullings Field Athletes of the Year.

Mullings, who hails from Kingston, Jamaica, claimed the NCAA Outdoor Championships discus throw title on June 14. He tossed the implement for a PR of 69.31m (227’3.00″) to shatter a 33-year-old meet record and beat world record holder Mykolas Alekna of California. Mullings’ improvement cements his status as the No. 2 performer in collegiate history as the 69.31m (227’3.00″) mark sits ninth on the all-time collegiate chart. He was also the SEC Outdoor Championships discus throw title winner. Mullings is the first NCAA discus champion to win the national award since Ryan Whiting in 2010 and becomes the first Sooner in program history to be named national athlete of the year.

This marks Thomas’ second regional coach of the year accolade in as many seasons at the helm of OU T&F. During his time at Georgia (2021-23) and Texas Tech (2013-21) he earned 11 Regional Assistant Coach of the Year honors. Langley, in his ninth year at OU, collects his third regional assistant coach of the year award and second of the 2025 season, as he also earned the indoor nod. Enok and Mullings claim the first regional accolades of their career.

Thomas directed the Sooner men to a sixth-place finish (30.5 points) at the 2025 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships, the team’s best outdoor placement since 1997 and second highest in program history. He guided two men to national titles, BJ Green (triple jump) and Ralford Mullings (discus throw) and two more athletes to top-six finishes to total four NCAA First Team All-America honors.

Langley coached Enok to the second heptathlon national title of her career, with her performance at the NCAA Outdoor Championships setting a program record of 6,285 points, breaking the Estonian record and moving to No. 10 all-time collegiately. He also assisted Olivia Lueking to her fifth conference title, winning the gold medal at the SEC Outdoor Championships in the pole vault.

Enok’s exceptional performance in the combined events on the national stage earned her the regional award. The Jõhvi, Estonia, native marked the end of her collegiate career with the No. 7 all-time heptathlon score in NCAA Outdoor Championships meet history.

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PHILADELPHIA – Temple Volleyball head coach Linda Hampton-Keith announced Monday the hiring of former Temple Volleyball student-athlete Olivia Vance to the coaching staff. Vance will take the role of assistant coach and recruiting coordinator.
 
“We are thrilled to announce the return of Olivia back to our Nest in a new coaching role,” said Hampton-Keith. “A standout former player and seasoned professional, Olivia brings a unique combination of high-level playing experience, knowledge of the game, and an unwavering commitment to excellence.”
 
Vance returns to Broad and Cecil in a new role, formerly as a student-athlete in the 2023 season. Vance appeared in 26 matches in her lone year as an Owl and finished the year by making her mark on the program. She finished third that season in kills (253) and had 13 matches with 10 or more kills. On the defensive side of the game, Vance ranks eighth all-time in solo blocks with 17.
 
Hampton-Keith continued about Vance, “Her return marks an exciting step for our program. Olivia’s skillset, work ethic, and passion for volleyball will undoubtedly enhance our staff and positively impact our student-athletes. We are confident her leadership will play a pivotal role in continuing our program’s upward trajectory.”
 
Vance comes to Temple after spending time overseas in Portugal playing professional volleyball with Leixões Sport Club.
 

Edwardsville High School announced two student-athletes will be moving on to compete in NCAA sports.

Zach Lane (track and field) and Cincere Ruffin (track and field) will both compete at the next level.

Here’s a closer look at their accomplishments.

Lane will continue his track and field career at SIUE.

One of the top sprinters in the state, Lane graduates with state medals, including a state championship on the 4×100-meter relay team in his junior season, and two outdoor school records.

Despite missing much of his senior season with an injury, Lane helped the 4×100-meter relay team finish second at the state meet.

During Lane’s career, Edwardsville won a state championship in 2024 and finished second in 2022.

SIUE is an NCAA Division I school that competes in the Ohio Valley Conference.

Ruffin will continue his track and field career at McKendree in Lebanon.

In his only season with the Tigers, Ruffin was a state qualifier in the 100-meter dash and 200-meter dash.

Ruffin is part of one program record at Edwardsville. He, along with Darren Wilson, Clayton Lakatos and Lane, own the 4×100-meter record.

Individually, Ruffin ranks second in program history in the 200-meter dash with a time of 21.37 and third in program history in the 100-meter dash with a time of 10.65.

McKendree is an NCAA Division II school that competes in the Great Lakes Valley Conference.

GARDENDALE, Ala. (WBRC) – A Gardendale High School legend, NCAA All-American, and current professional volleyball player is returning to her alma mater as head coach.

Merritt Beason, Gardendale High School c/o ‘21, is preparing for her first season leading the Rockets.

“A bunch of the girls that are actually going to be seniors and juniors this year, I was doing private lessons for in my driveway before I left for college,” said Beason.

And once Beason left for college, she made a name for herself on a national scale. Beason began her career at Florida and ended as an All-American at Nebraska, leading the Cornhuskers to back-to-back final four appearances. Beason is now a professional volleyball player after being selected first overall in the 2024 Pro Volleyball Federation Draft (PFV).

While Beason has been a private coach for years, this is her first time leading a team for a full season.

“The goal is to ultimately change the goal in Gardendale, and to me that looks more than just a year. Obviously, you can’t build a historic program in a year,” said Beason.

Beason played for the Atlanta Vibe last year in the PVF. She says it is yet to be determined which team she will play for in 2026.

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Wheeling, W. Va. – After seeing a successful fall followed by historic performances during the winter, the spring season would bring new life to the Wheeling Athletic Department. With two of the three new programs beginning their years, it was a chance for new opportunities for women in the department while other programs looked to build on their success. The competitive fire continued into the spring, with the teams combining for four conference tournament appearances, two trips to the National stage, and several highlight moments throughout the year. 

Up first was the newest sport to the Wheeling athletics lineup, Acrobatics & Tumbling, as they compete in their inaugural season. They kicked off the season on February 2nd in front of a packed Alma Grace McDonough Center and scored 185.170 points against West Liberty. It was a strong start to the season and as the year went on they continued a Mountain East Conference (MEC) heavy schedule. They had several strong individual performances throughout the season, and it all came together with the first win in program history on March 10th against West Virginia State. The Cardinals beat the Yellow Jackets 215.255-203.555. The Cardinals would earn  one more win in their final event of the regular season against Bluefield State to finish 2-6. The season continued at the MEC Individual Championships, with the Cardinals qualifying in the trio pass and scoring a 5.525 to round out their inaugural season. 

Next in the lineup was the rebirth of the Wheeling Women’s Lacrosse program, who made their return to the field after a five-year hiatus. They would make a splash in their season debut, taking down Allegheny 22-9 to get things started. The Cardinals would win each of their first two games, but a tough non-conference stretch had them sitting at 2-3 entering MEC play. Wheeling’s offense would once again be the catalyst to the team’s success, as they scored 39 goals in their first two conference games, starting out 2-0. The Cardinals would add two more conference wins to their ledger, and clinched the #4 seed in the MEC Tournament field. They would host Davis & Elkins in the MEC Play-in Game and picked up an 11-8 win to advance them to the semifinals. There, their run would come to an end as they fell to the #1 seeded Bobcats, but capped off a strong return to the field. Wheeling was recognized for their hard work on the field with four players earning All-MEC honors, including a First Team honor for Trinity Rose and Head Coach Faith Flanagan winning MEC Women’s Lacrosse Coach of the Year. 

The women’s sports continued to lead the charge as the Wheeling Softball team was up next, playing host to UINDY. The year began with a tough non-conference schedule as Head Coach Mallory Chapman prepared her team for the road ahead in the MEC. The Cardinals would take on UINDY, Malone, and Gannon before heading to Florida, where they picked up their first win and went 2-8 in 10 games. The Cardinals would split a doubleheader with Walsh upon their return and entered conference play at 3-15. After a slow start that saw them go 1-10 over their first 11 conference games, the Cardinals would turn things around at the end of March with a rain delay doubleheader sweep of Frostburg State. They would go 5-6 over their next 11 games and played themselves back into the MEC playoff picture. It came down to the final weekend of the season, with the Cardinals needing a split against Point Park, and a 13-1 win in game one would clinch their first MEC playoff spot since the 2018 season. The Cardinals would play a pair of tough games in the tournament, falling 1-0 to Glenville State before dropping the second game 2-1 to end their run. Amber Morgan led the way, earning Second Team All-MEC honors as she helped lead the young team. 

The first men’s sport of the spring season would be Men’s Lacrosse and they got things started against #19 Chestnut Hill. The offense was strong, but the Cardinals fell 16-10 showing they can compete against ranked opponents. Wheeling would split their four non-conference games, before falling to Lake Erie in their Great Midwest Athletic Conference (GMAC) opener. They picked up their first conference win the next time out and ended up splitting their first six conference games to sit at 3-3. Wheeling needed a late-season win against Malone on April 16th and got just that as they earned a 17-13 win to clinch their playoff spot. They ended the regular season with a 23-6 win over Davis & Elkins, awarding the Cardinals their first home playoff game since 2011. Wheeling would defeat #5 seeded Davenport 12-9 in the first round, before falling in the GMAC semifinals to Seton Hill. It was Wheeling’s first semifinal appearance since 2018 as they put an exclamation point on the revitalization of the program, that began with this year’s senior class. 

Wheeling Baseball was the next program to take the diamond and they started things off strong taking three of four against Pitt-Johnstown. They would go 5-5 over their 10-game non-conference schedule to start the season and hit MEC play with a bang going against defending champion The University of Charleston. The Cardinals went 1-3 in that opening weekend, a trend that continued through the MEC south portion of their schedule. With a team consisting of 23 new players, the Cardinals had their struggles and would finish 14-33 overall and 5-22 in conference play. In their final weekend of the season, the Cardinals would host West Liberty and picked up a 7-1 win in their final home game of the year. The Cardinals had two All-MEC honorees, with pitcher Sebastian Khan and outfielder Brett Johnson each earning honors for their work throughout the season. Just this past week, the Cardinals racked up their final honor, with centerfielder Nic Ancelet earning American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) Atlantic Region All-Defensive honors. 

Coming off a National Championship in their inaugural season, the Wheeling Women’s Rugby team was back for their first 7’s season. After going undefeated in 15’s, the Cardinals opened the 7’s season at the Frostbite 7’s and went 3-3 in their first 7’s run. The Cardinals played six regular season tournaments and would win three of those tournaments as they put together a 20-7-1 regular season record. It would earn them a spot in the Collegiate Rugby Championship (CRC) National 7’s and they opened postseason play with a handed 19-5 win over Bowdoin College. However, in the quarterfinals they would meet their 7’s nemesis American International College, falling 31-14. The Cardinals would win their consolation round opener against New Haven before seeing their spring season come to an end. Overall, the Cardinals went 32-7-1 combined in their inaugural season and look to continue to build towards a National Championship sweep. 

The following week, it was the Men’s Rugby team’s turn to take the pitch, coming off a CRC National 7’s Championship a season ago. Just as they did that season, the Cardinals rolled through the 7’s regular season schedule, winning two of their three regular season tournaments and going 13-1, with their lone loss coming against Iowa Central Community College in their final regular season game. The Cardinals then went into the Big Rivers Rugby Conference (BRRC) 7’s Tournament and tied their first round match with Aquinas College 14-14. From there, the Cardinals never looked back, scoring 30 or more points in each of the final four games and earning a BRRC Championship with a 31-5 win over Marian. The Cardinals rode that momentum into the CRC National 7’s, scoring 30 or more points in three of the first four games to get back to the National title game. There, they would take on St. Bonaventure and won 19-5 to win their second straight national title. Also for the second year in a row, Shadreck Mandaza was named the tournament’s MVP and the Cardinals continued their National Championship reign. 

After having their share of success in the fall, the Men’s and Women’s Golf teams returned to the course for their spring seasons. For the men, the Cardinals once again took on a new look with a young roster and they showed improvement each time they hit the course. Their top finish came at the West Liberty Invitational, where they finished 7th out of 10 teams shooting a team score of 602. On the women’s side, the Cardinals added two more top 10 finishes while also taking part in match play in two separate events. The Cardinals top performance was a second place finish at West Liberty, where they shot a combined 422 over two days of competition. Nicole Lincicome and Ella Keffer would each take home All-MEC honors, rounding out a strong season on the course for each of Wheeling’s top golfers. 

The Track & Field team rounded things out with their outdoor season as they once again battled for MEC titles. The Cardinals once again had a strong array of talent to face throughout the spring season with a combination of NCAA DI and DII talent. The Cardinals once again had a young team at the helm, and as they entered the MEC Championship field, many athletes were competing for the first time. The Cardinals would put two athletes on the podium on the men’s side, with Kabwe Bwalya taking second in the Men’s Triple Jump and Joshua Boehm taking third in the 400-Meter Dash. On the women’s side, the Cardinals had one individual champion, as Keala McCurry swept the Pole Vault title with a height of 3.35 meters. The Cardinals additionally had four athletes finish in the top five of their events, rounding out the outdoor season. 

As the department looks ahead to 2025-2026 season, the Cardinals look to continue their growth in the department and continue to compete for National Titles. 

STOCKTON, Calif. – Head Coach Greg Gibbons dipped into the transfer portal Monday afternoon, bringing in two in-state transfers in graduate Olivia Keller and sophomore Mila Stojakovic as well as sophomore Olga Gergacz from the east coast to join the Pacific volleyball program as the 2025 season approaches.

“Our latest additions of Olivia, Mila, and Olga bring a lot of veteran experience and leadership both on and off the court to our squad and add to an already very competitive team. I am excited for this team and look forward to being with them as they grow and compete together,” Gibbons said.

Keller spent the last three seasons at Fresno State, highlighted by her 2022 campaign in which she tallied 135 kills in 27 matches played and a career-high 15 kills against Boise State. Keller was also a key component of the 2023 Fresno State team that toppled the top two seeds of the Mountain West Conference en route to the MWC tournament title and a postseason berth.

In addition to her success on the court, she was a two-time Academic All-Mountain West Team selection in 2022 and 2023 as well as a Mountain West Scholar Athlete in 2023.

Meanwhile Stojakovic comes up to Northern California from Pepperdine, where she did not appear in any contests for the Waves as a freshman last season. Prior to hitting the collegiate ranks, she was a four-year letter winner as a middle blocker and outside hitter at St. Francis Catholic High School where she helped her school to a sectional championship in 2023.

Off the court, Stojakovic hails from a highly decorated family athletically as her dad, Peja, was a first round draft by the Sacramento Kings in the 1996 NBA Draft where he spent seven and a half seasons, garnering three NBA All-Star Appearances, an All-NBA Second Team Selection and two NBA three-point shooting contests. His number 16 jersey was retired by the Kings during the 2014 season. Her brother Andrej is currently a member of the University of Illinois men’s basketball team.

Reaching Pacific after spending the previous season at American University, Gergacz brings with her a championship pedigree at the international level. Despite not appearing in a contest for the Eagles, she was a U17 National Champion in her native Hungary and placed tenth at the European Championships before earning a 15th place finish at the World Championships as part of her U19 team. She’s made a total of 17 appearances representing the Hungarian National Team.

All three will make their Pacific debuts on Aug. 29 when Pacific faces Cal Baptist to open the 2025 season.

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Tickets for upcoming events can be purchased through the PacificTigers.com tickets tab, or by calling the Box Office at 209-946-2474.  Groups of 10 or more are eligible for a group discount and exclusive fan experiences.

 

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