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A Not

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A Not

Courtesy: Blaine Hubbuch

Let me tell you about a time I ACCIDENTALLY stole a car! It was December 1995, and I was on a Christmas Training trip with the Northwestern University Men’s Swimming and Diving team. To our delight, this particular year’s destination was the sun-soaked island of Oahu in Hawaii.

We had just finished practice for the morning and were back at the hotel deciding how we would each spend the day. The coaches had rented several Ford Econoline 15-passenger vans for exploring the island, and I was in charge of the van that would be going to Makapuu Beach, located in the southeast corner of the island, just beyond the better-known snorkeling tourist hotspot, Hanauma Bay. With its uncrowded shores and waves ideally suited for body surfing, Makapuu was a team favorite. However, on this particular morning, the majority of the team opted to attend the annual Pipe Masters surfing contest at the famous Banzai Pipeline, leaving just six of us bound for Makapuu.

As we navigated the winding, coastal highway on the cliffs high above the Pacific Ocean, Makapuu slowly revealed to us its secluded beach down the hill. We found a parking spot in the middle of the lot, grabbed our gear, and headed for the beach. Several hours later, with sand-skinned knees from repeated, failed attempts to tame Mother Nature in her ocean, it was time to head back for practice. We unlocked the doors to the van and jumped in, reluctant to return for what would surely be another grueling workout. As we sat there getting situated for the drive back to town, something seemed off. A sippy cup sat in the cup holder, a Disney-themed beach towel was draped over the back seat, and most concerning of all, a man’s wallet lay on the floo,r containing the ID of someone we didn’t know. THIS WASN’T OUR VAN! We quickly exited and searched the premises. To our dismay, our van wasn’t anywhere in sight. A teammate then made a bold suggestion, “Since our key successfully unlocked the van, maybe it would start the engine too!” It certainly seemed plausible, so I gave it a shot. Viola!! It worked, and the van rumbled to life. We then came to a conclusion that sealed our fate and decided the best course of action was to drive the van back to our hotel and coordinate a swap later. We rationalized that this family must have chosen the wrong van, experienced the same key mix-up that we did, and innocently took our van by mistake. It seemed so obvious!

As we cruised back up the highway toward Waikiki, confidence growing in our solution, someone suddenly shouted, “Turnaround! There’s our van!” Sure enough, there it was sitting in an empty McDonald’s parking lot. Once parked, half our crew ran inside to look for the family so we could make the exchange. The rest of us proudly approached our van, only to have our confidence shattered as we noticed the driver’s door slightly ajar with a jimmied ignition, revealing the bitter truth. Our van hadn’t been mistakenly taken; it had been hotwired and stolen. Panic quickly ensued upon realizing we had unknowingly stolen a vehicle, leaving a family stranded at the beach with no ride home.

Before calling the police, we decided to get an adult involved to help lend some credibility to our story. Since this was before the age of cell phones, we scrounged up a quarter and called our hotel from a pay phone. Luckily, Dan Walter, the diving coach, answered and agreed to meet us. (Fun fact: Dan was the stunt double who filmed the sequence of dives that would become the famous “Triple Lindy” dive for the classic 1986 Rodney Dangerfield movie, Back To School.) As Dan arrived with an eye roll, so did the police, and we struggled to explain our story to the officers. To our surprise, they said this happens often because for some inexplicable reason, rental car companies use universal keys for their vans. They also explained that 15-passenger, Econoline van theft is extremely common since these vans are typically used by tourists and make easy targets for criminals. The officers proceeded to “legally hotwire” our van so we could drive it back to the rental agency, but first, we had to get the van we “borrowed” back to its rightful owners.

In a scene straight out of a comedy, we formed a caravan, led by a siren-blaring, lights-flashing police escort, back to Makapuu Beach. When we arrived, a bewildered family sat on the curb, watching in disbelief as our chaotic parade pulled into the lot. I sheepishly handed the father his key and tried to offer an apology hoping for some sort of sympathy. Instead, he just stared at me and said, “Really? You guys go to Northwestern?” With a nervous laugh and my pride shattered, I turned and walked away.

And that’s how a sunny beach day in paradise turned into an accidental case of grand theft auto, with six embarrassed swimmers, one magical key, and zero chance of ever living it down.

ABOUT BLAINE HUBBUCH

Blaine Hubbuch grew up swimming in Louisville, KY, training with the elite Lakeside Seahawks program, best known as the home of Olympic legend Mary T. Meagher. He once shared a lane with Mary T while she was preparing for the 1988 Summer Games. What started as the thrill of a lifetime ended with him being lapped multiple times and receiving a generous slice of humble pie. Undeterred, he went on to a successful collegiate career competing for Northwestern University under Coach Bob Groseth. In his spare time, he casually writes on the sport of swimming, with his first article appearing in the spring 2025 issue of SwimSwam (“Dennis Pursley: You Don’t Miss Practice”). Blaine lives in the Chicago suburbs with his wife and two daughters. He still swims laps regularly, not to chase Olympic dreams, but to justify second helpings at dinner.

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PRIMER: NCAA Volleyball Championship Second Round

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December 7, 2025

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MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – No. 23 Iowa State (23-7, 12-6 Big 12) continues its 18th NCAA Championships appearance as the No. 5 seed advancing to the second round to meet No. 4-seed Minnesota.

Saturday, Dec. 6, 7 p.m., vs. No. 17 Minnesota (23-9, 12-8 Big Ten)

Maturi Pavilion, Minneapolis, Minn.

Tickets | Live Stats | ESPN+ | Media Center | Notes

By the Numbers

1 – Morgan Brandt leads all active Big 12 players with 3,773 career assists. The total ranks fourth in program history.

3 – Christy Johnson-Lynch ranks No. 3 all time in Big 12 history with 219 league victories.

3 – ISU ends regular season as the Big 12 leader in three categories: kills (14.14 per set), assists (13.03 per set) and digs (15.22 per set). The kill and assist average rank top 20 nationally.

5 – Iowa State placed five on All-Big 12 teams and took home Big 12 Libero and Setter of the Year.

10 – Maya Duckworth now ranks 10th in Iowa State history with 1,072 kills. Duckworth became the 12th in ISU history to join the 1,000-kill club.

12 – Iowa State has 12 Big 12 wins for the first time since 2012.

The 2025 Cyclones

ISU advanced with a first-round win over St. Thomas. Rachel Van Gorp had 33 digs, the second-most in a tournament match by a Cyclone and most since 2012. ISU served 12 aces led by Nayeli Ti’a with five, tying the ISU tournament record. Van Gorp served four, now the third-highest tournament ace total.

Iowa State ended regular season at 22-7 and 12-6 in Big 12 play to finish tied for third after being picking ninth in preseason. ISU has the most regular season wins since 2011, while the last time ISU was ranked this late in the season was in 2017.

Rachel Van Gorp is the unanimous Big 12 Libero of the Year, and Morgan Brandt earned Big 12 Setter of the Year while both were placed on All-Big 12 First Team. Tierney Jackson was named All-Big 12 Second team, while true freshmen Alea Goolsby and Reagan Hanfelt were selected for the All-Rookie Team.



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2025 NCAA volleyball live updates: Bracket, schedule, highlights

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December 7, 2025

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Updated Dec. 6, 2025, 9:04 p.m. ET



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Emma Reaves Breaks Own School Record in Tri-Meet with URI, Stonehill

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December 7, 2025

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KINGSTON, R.I. — Sophomore thrower Emma Reaves (Westminster, Md.) placed first in the shot put, headlining the women’s track and field team’s first-place finish in the team’s tri-meet with the University of Rhode Island and Stonehill College, winning with 104 points.
 
UNH’s men’s track and field team finished in third with 89 points, while URI won the meet with 96 points and Stonehill closed with 91 points.
 
In addition to Reaves’ win, the following Wildcats placed:
 

  • Women’s Long Jump

    • Sophomore Sarah Moore (Lisbon, Maine), first place (5.75m)

    • Graduate student Autumn Agri (Stratham, N.H.), second place (5.35m)

    • Junior Audrey Thornton (Freedom, N.H.), third place (5.28m)

  • Men’s Long Jump

    • Freshman Rio Calle (Weare, N.H.), fourth place (7.01m)

  • Women’s Triple Jump

  • Men’s Triple Jump

    • Sophomore Ethan Palmer (Bowdoin, Maine), third place (14.60m)

  • Women’s Shot Put

    • Reaves, first place (14.38m)

    • Freshman Payton Goulding (Cumberland, R.I.), third place (11.86m)

    • Sophomore Ruby Prentiss (Falmouth, Maine), sixth place (11.13m)

  • Men’s Shot Put

  • Women’s Weight Throw

    • Reaves, first place (17.87m)

    • Goulding, third place (15.23m)

    • Junior Briana Danis (Hooksett, N.H.), fifth place (15.06m)

    • Prentiss, sixth place (14.31m)1.5

  • Men’s Weight Throw

    • Senior Liam McGovern (North Kingstown, R.I.), first place (19.79m)

    • Abaka-Amuah, second place (19.53m)

    • Senior Jack Washam (Nashua, N.H.), third place (17.73m)

  • Women’s High Jump

  • Men’s High Jump

    • Junior Gunnar Sokol (Berwick, Maine), seventh (1.90m)

    • Sophomore Samuel Grube (Dover, N.H.), ninth (1.90m)

  • Men’s Pole Vault

  • Men’s 1 Mile

  • Women’s 60m Hurdles

  • Women’s 600m Run

  • Men’s 600m Run

    • Sophomore James Gecek (High Bridge, N.J.), seventh (1:25.58)

  • Women’s 60m Dash

    • Nada, first (7.71)

    • Moore, second (7.72)

    • Thornton, third (7.88)

    • Sophomore Eva Roberts (Derry, N.H.), fifth (7.92)

  • Men’s 1000m Run

  • Women’s 300m Dash

    • Thornton, second (42.43)

    • Sophomore Brooke White (Barnet, Vt.), fifth (42.90)

    • Senior Liliana Chirichella (Troy, N.H.), seventh (43.66)

    • Roberts, ninth (45.25)

  • Women’s 3000m Run

    • Senior Claire Ronan (Port Jefferson Station, N.Y.), first (10:09.32)

    • Senior Carolyn Day (Wolfeboro, N.H.), third (10:37.08)

  • Men’s 3000m Run

  • Women’s 4x400m Relay

    • New Hampshire “A” (Chirichella, Hickey, Dillon, Agri), second (4:08.42)

  • Men’s 4×400 Relay

    • New Hampshire “A” (Gecek, Daniel Anderson [Naugatuck, Conn.], Calle, Lesniak), fourth (3:28.38)



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ACU Heads to College Station for First Meet of the Indoor Season

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December 7, 2025

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The ACU track and field team opens its indoor season by competing in the McFerrin 12-Degree Invitational on the campus of Texas A&M on Saturday. The meet will be a low-key meet designed to get in some competition before the Christmas break.

Joining ACU and host Texas A&M in the field will be Baylor, Sam Houston State, SMU, and UTSA.

This meet will be the first competition for several newcomers to the program. There are plans to have three 4×400 relays for the women and the men and some of the newcomers will only run on the relays this weekend.

ACU entries for the men include: 60 (Horatio Brooks); 300 (Gage Heighten); 1000 (Evan Martin); Mile (Benjamin Castro, Vincent Luffey); 3,000 (Mark Barajas, Carlos Cortez); 60 hurdles (Canaan Fairley, Miguel Hall); high jump (Canaan Fairley); long jump (Horatio Brooks); weight throw (Rhet Punt, Matthew Udemba).

There will also be a large relay pool to fill out the three 4×400 relays and this pool includes newcomers who will only be competing in the relays – Durrell Collins, Abraham Olufemi-Dada, Nickens Lemba – and two returnees also running solely on the relays this weekend – Ethan Krause and Ryan McMeen.

ACU entries for the women include: 60 (Lauren Foxworth, Darinasia Taylor, Kee’Lani Whitlock, Neriah Williams, Morgan Morris, Halle Gunter, Jaeden Thomas); 300 (Morgan Morris, Kaycian Johnson); 600 (Madelyn McFadden, Anna Vyn, Gracee Whiteaker, Jalyn Childers); 1000 (Emma Santoro); Mile (Lola Buentello); 60 hurdles (Hana Banks, Nele Huth, Natalie Poe, Skyla Riedel); high jump (Kaia Anderson, Kennadi Payne, Natalie Poe); long jump (Halle Gunter, Nele Huth, Skyla Riedel, Jaeden Thomas); shot put (Sterling Glenn, Ciara Tilley, Mariana Van Dyk); weight throw (Sterling Glenn, Mariana Van Dyk).

Because the McFerrin Invitational will not have a triple jump in the meet, two Wildcats took part in the OU Winter Field Fest. Arthur Jenkins recorded a 14.94m triple jump, while Mackenzie Flaugher went 11.70m.

The McFerrin 12-Degree Invitational will be held in the Murray Fasken Indoor Track on the Texas A&M campus. The field events will begin at 2 p.m. and the running events at 4 p.m. on Saturday.

Coach Miles Smith: I’m excited to see our kids compete. They have been working hard. We have a lot of newcomers who are getting their first taste of collegiate competition, so it will be fun to watch them compete.  Our goal is to come out healthy and learn what we need to work on over the next few weeks before the bulk of our season kicks off in mid-January.

 



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Petitjean, Weber Set Personal Bests In Boston

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December 7, 2025

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BOSTON – The Elon University women’s track and field team opened its indoor season with two members of its distance squad competing at the Sharon Colyear-Danville Opener on Saturday at the BU Track and Tennis Center.
 
Senior Sarah Petitjean led the Phoenix in the 3,000 meters, posting a personal-best time of 9:49.97 to place 52nd in a field of 95 runners.
 
In the 5,000 meters, junior Hannah Weber also set a personal record with a time of 16:29, improving her previous best by nearly three seconds.
 
ON DECK
Elon will be idle for the winter break before returning to competition on Jan. 17 at the Mondo College Invitational at the JDL Fast Track Complex.
 

— ELON —



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Mountaineers Set New 4×400-Meter Relay Meet Record at Indoor Season Opener

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December 7, 2025

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WINSTON-SALEM, N.C.  – The App State women’s track and field team opened the 2025-26 indoor season at the Visit Winston-Salem College Kick-Off on Saturday. A new meet record, set by the 4×400-meter relay quartet of junior Nicole Wells, seniors Damyja Alejandro-Ortiz and Daye Talley, and junior Jayla Adams, punctuated the day’s action. 

“This was a great season opener for all event groups to knock the rust off from months ago. The athletes are really motivated to be back from break and start the season.” said director of track & field/cross country Damion McLean. “Expectations are high this season, so we have to stay motivated on an elite level to be competitive.” 

 

Wells, Alejandro-Ortiz, Talley, and Adams stopped the clock at 3:45.76 for a new meet record in the women’s 4×400-meter relay. The previous meet record was 3:49.07, set in 2021 by Duke’s Jenna Crean, Lauren Hoffman, Megan McGinnis, and Kiara Ekeigwe. The Mountaineers were two seconds shy of the App State school record of 3:43.85, which was set at the 2023 Sun Belt Indoor Championships. Earlier in the afternoon, Adams and Talley finished third (24.39) and fifth (24.77), respectively, in the women’s seeded 200 meters. Adams remains third in the App State all-time list with her personal best of 24.22, which she set during the 2024 campaign. In the women’s unseeded 200 meters, sophomore Kaitlyn McLeod placed fifth with a time of 25.04.

 

In her collegiate indoor debut, freshman Alana Braxton posted a pair of first place finishes in the women’s triple jump (12.32m (40′ 5″)) and women’s long jump (5.87m (19′ 3.25″)). Fellow freshman Ashlynn Wimberly landed second with a leap of 12.14m (39′ 10″) and sophomore Jahaila Wright placed sixth with a leap of 11.60m (38′ 0.75″) in the women’s triple jump. With a leap of 5.31m (17′ 5.25″) freshman Kelly MacBride rounded out the top 10 in the women’s long jump.

 

Senior Ava Studney placed first in the women’s pole vault, recording a clearance of 3.95m (12′ 11.5″). 

 

Junior Kendall Johnson placed second with a time of 7.50 in the women’s 60 meters, coming within 0.08 of her personal best and program record of 7.42, which she set at last season’s SBC Indoor Championships. Wells rounded out the top 10 in the women’s 60 meters with a time of 7.73.

 

With a time of 2:18.09, senior Addison Ollendick-Smith placed fourth in the women’s 800 meters. Ollendick-Smith, who stands second all-time in the program record book, was seven seconds shy of her personal best of 2:11.13, which she set last season.

 

With a personal best toss of 14.70m (48′ 2.75″), junior Dianna Boykin placed eighth in the women’s weight throw. Sophomore Emily Edwards placed eighth with a toss of 12.17m (39′ 11.25″) in the women’s shot put and rounded out the top 10 in the women’s weight throw with a mark of 14.03m (46′ 0.5″).

 

Up Next

The Mountaineers will resume the indoor track and field season with the UNC Asheville Collegiate Opener at Tryon International on Jan. 10.

 



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