The Braves brought home three conference championships and 10 All-MVC honors at the Hartzog Track & Field Complex.

Kaitlyn Sheppard won the first conference title for the Braves on Sunday, winning the women’s 1500m event at 4:16.84. Abigail Hancock (4:19.50), Trixie Wraith (4:19.74) and Eimear McCarroll (4:21.60) finished in fourth, fifth and sixth place, respectively, to score points.

Jamie Phillips added an outdoor men’s 800m conference title to go with his indoor men’s 800m gold, winning the event in 1:47.74. The time is the first 800m time under 1:48.00 in Bradley history and ranks as the 64th-fastest time in all of Division I Track & Field. Jack Crull clocked in at 1:48.63 to bring home the silver, while Jaxson Copelin finished in seventh. This is the first time a Bradley runner has won the men’s 800m outdoor conference championship.

Jayde Rosslee also completed an indoor/outdoor championship sweep, winning the men’s 5000m event with 14:14.13, over 13 seconds ahead of second place.

The Braves finished on the podium in five other events over the two-day events, beginning with Caleb Lind (30:47.23) placing third in the men’s 10000m race on Saturday morning. 

Jack Crull and Jaxson Copelin brought home the silver and bronze in the men’s 1500m event, respectively, with Crull finishing in 3:45.62 and Copelin clocking in at 3:46.40.

Amiyah Davis closed her storied Bradley career with another swift 400m performance, running a 54.36 to finish in third place. Carolina Martinez capped her successful freshman season with a fifth-place finishing 55.15 in the race.

Trixie Wraith and Eilen Brenne brought home third- and fourth-place finishes in the women’s 800m event, running a 2:09.16 and 2:09.40, respectively.

Sheppard closed the MVC Championships with a second-place performance in the women’s 5000m, clocking in at 16:44.48. Nadia Potgieter finished in fourth place at 16:50.12.

COMING UP…

The top performers throughout the season will compete in the NCAA West Preliminaries in Bryant-College Station, Texas, on May 28-31. The NCAA will confirm the competing athletes on Thursday, May 22.

BRADLEY RESULTS

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Former Nebraska volleyball All-American Merritt Beason has been selected to train with the USA Volleyball Women’s U23 National Team for the NORCECA U23 Pan American Cup, set for July 25-Aug. 2 in Leon, Mexico. 

Beason will be one of 18 athletes taking part in a training block at the National Team Training Center in Anaheim, Calif., from July 18-25. From that pool, 12 athletes will be chosen to represent the United States in Mexico.   

Beason’s previous experience with the U.S. National Team includes a silver medal at the 2024 Pan Am Cup Final Six with the U.S. Women’s National Team, as well as a gold medal and MVP honors at the 2022 Pan Am Cup with the Women’s U1 National Team. 

Beason finished her Husker career in 2024 with All-Big Ten First Team honors for the second year in a row. She also picked up her third AVCA All-Region honor, averaging 2.78 kills per set while helping NU reach the NCAA Semifinals. Beason was an AVCA All-America First Team selection in 2023 and earned Academic All-America honors following her senior season. 

Former Husker Kayla Banwarth, who is Beason’s professional coach for the Atlanta Vibe and was recently named PVF Coach of the Year, will serve as an assistant coach. 

USA Volleyball Women’s U23 Roster 
Name, (Pos., Height, Hometown, College/Pro, Region) 
Merritt Beason (OPP, 6-3, 2003, Gardendale, Ala., Pro Volleyball Federation, Southern)  
Lauren Briseño (L, 5-7, 2003, San Antonio, Texas, Baylor Univ., Lone Star) 
Brooke Bultema (MB, 2004, Cincinnati, Ohio, Univ. of Kentucky, Ohio Valley) 
Averi Carlson (S, 5-11, 2003, Lucas, Texas, SMU, North Texas) 
Chloe Chicoine (OH, 5-10, 2004, Lafayette, Ind., Univ. of Louisville, Hoosier) 
Raven Colvin (MB, 6-1, 2003, Indianapolis, Ind., Pro Volleyball Federation, Hoosier) 
Ifenna Cos-Okpalla (MB, 6-2, 2004, Flower Mound, Texas, Texas A&M, North Texas) 
Cara Cresse (MB, 6-6, 2003, Ft. Wayne, Ind., Univ. of Louisville, Hoosier) 
Eva Hudson (OH, 6-1, 2004, Ft. Wayne, Ind., Univ. of Kentucky, Hoosier) 
Devin Kahahawai (OPP, 6-4, 2004, Kailua, Hawaii, Univ. of Texas, Aloha) 
Caroline Kerr (S, 5-11, 2004, Champaign, Ill., Univ. of Tennessee, Great Lakes) 
Emmy Klika (L, 5-7, 2003, Novelty, Ohio, Pro Volleyball Federation, Ohio Valley)
Ava Martin (OH, 6-1, 2004, Overland Park, Kan., Creighton Univ., Heart of America) 
Jurnee Robinson (OPP/OH, 6-1, 2004, Simpsonville, S.C., LSU, Palmetto)  
Lauren Rumel (OH, 6-2, 2003, Tucson, Ariz., Oregon State Univ., Arizona) 
Marianna Singletary (MB, 6-4, 2004, Charleston, S.C., N/A, Southern)
Norah Sis (OH, 6-2, 2003, Papillion, Neb., Pro Volleyball Federation, Great Plains)  
Ella Swindle (S, 6-2, 2004, Columbia, Mo., Univ. of Texas, Heart of America)  

Coaches
Head Coach: Marie Zidek (DePaul)  
Assistant Coach: Kayla Banwarth (PVF, Olympian) 
Assistant Coach: Danielle Scott (LOVB, Olympian) 
Performance Analyst: Matthew Andrews (Michigan) 
ATC: Cherryl Bueno (Coast to Coast AthletiCare) 
Team Lead: Taylor Marten (Ozark Juniors) 

​​NEW ORLEANS – Senior Parker Wolfe earned his first national track and field accolade of the season when the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association named him Men’s National Athlete of the Week on Monday, May 19.

This is the second time in program history that a male athlete from North Carolina has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the outdoor season. Ethan Strand won for the first time earlier in May.

Wolfe became the first ACC runner to defend the 5k and 10k titles successfully. Wolfe was also named the men’s track MVP. This was the second time in Wolfe’s career that he won a conference MVP, as he was named the 2024 Men’s Indoor Championship MVP.

In the 10k race on day one, Wolfe (28:51.09) ran the fourth fastest time in school history. Wolfe stayed in the lead pack for the entire race, and as he entered the final lap, he pushed to the head of the pack and cruised to the title four seconds ahead of his closest challenger. Wolfe ran the ACC and meet record in the 5k in 13:13.49. The senior came out and jumped into the lead pack, battling with Wake Forest’s Rocky Hanson, who pushed Wolfe into battle early. Rocky and Wolfe had a sizable lead heading into the 3000m mark, and Hanson dropped out, giving Wolfe the lead position as he coasted to a 23-second victory.

The Philomath High School boys volleyball team ended its regular season Saturday with tournament victories over Molalla and Junction City and will now prepare for a Class 4A “culminating event” this weekend at Hillsboro.

The Warriors (16-6) had victories of 25-23, 34-32 over Junction City and 25-10, 21-25, 15-10 over Molalla in their appearance at a tournament hosted by Estacada. Philomath went 1-2 in pool play with losses to the state’s No. 1 team, Class 6A Central Catholic, as well as the host school. The pool play win came over Cottage Grove.

Coach Helen Bennett said the team had fun playing against the unbeaten and top-ranked Rams.

“It’s obvious they have been playing for a few years, as they really don’t have any weaknesses and multiple players can pound some balls,” Bennett said. “Estacada was also tough — they are a 4A team, so there’s a chance we might see them again in the tournament.”

Philomath and Newport finished the season tied for first place in Special District 2 with 10-2 records. The Warriors were seeded No. 4 for the 4A state tournament, which is not recognized by the Oregon School Activities Association since boys volleyball is not yet an official sport with the “emerging” designation. But even if unofficial, the tournament will determine the top team this spring in 4A.

Eight teams qualified for the tournament and the Warriors will face Cascade in the quarterfinals. In the other matches, No. 8-seed Marshfield will face No. 1 Crook County, No. 6 Phoenix squares off against No. 3 Estacada and No. 7 Molalla will take on No. 2 Newport.

“The seeding is a bit deceiving because all teams are ranked in one poll regardless of your classification,” Bennett said.

In those rankings, Crook County is No. 21, Newport No. 22, Estacada No. 23 and Philomath No. 27. Cascade comes in ranked No. 47.

“Cascade’s league was mainly 5A and 6A teams and also one of the biggest leagues with eight teams, so their record of 4-10 and 6-11 overall probably wouldn’t be the same if they were placed with teams in their class,” Bennett said. “So we need to come prepared for that first round — and mainly my main goal is team consistency.”

Philomath won more than 70% of its matches this season but has gone through ups and downs in certain parts of the game.

“When we are playing well and executing our offense, we are competitive and fun to watch,” Bennett said. “But we can also make a lot of errors, which of course is understandable being our first year, but it’s those unforced errors that give teams the edge. So our goal is having the competition earn their points and we minimize giving them points.”

Philomath will play three matches in the 4A tournament, which will take place at the Olympus Sports Center in Hillsboro. The quarterfinal match vs. Cascade is scheduled for 10 a.m. Saturday.

Philomath will play Marshfield or Crook County at 4 p.m. Saturday in either a loser’s bracket game or in the semifinals. The championship match is scheduled for 6 p.m. Sunday. Trophy matches will be played Sunday at 10 a.m. (seventh/eighth), noon (fourth/sixth) and 4 p.m. (third/fifth).

Related

The five former student-athletes/coaches and administrators that were selected to the 2025 class include: women’s golf coach/administrator Sue Bower (1992-2016), football and track’s Devon Breaux (2012-16), volleyball/beach volleyball’s Tea Juric (2013-17), baseball’s Nathan Southard (2003-06), women’s basketball’s Leslie Vorpahl (2013-17). In addition, the 2008-09 women’s golf team will be inducted.

The Billy Slatten Award, given annually to someone who has given extraordinary service, commitment and support to Tulane University and its student-athletes, will be presented to Tulane board member emeritus and donor Richard Yulman. This award was established in 2004 in honor of William A. “Billy” Slatten, a longtime supporter of Tulane Athletics, a member of the Tulane Board of Trustees and the Intercollegiate Athletics Committee.

Joe Scheurmann, the head coach and athletic director at Delgado Community College, is the 2025 recipient of the Don and Lora Peters Career Achievement Award. This award honors a former Tulane student-athlete who earned his or her undergraduate degree while competing for the Green Wave. The recipient has combined his/her athletic experience with their Tulane education to achieve a career of distinction in an athletics-related field. This award was established in 2023 to recognize Donald “Don” and Lora Peters in acknowledgement of their steadfast support and dedication, and their commitment to helping prepare student-athletes for their futures post-graduation.

“We are fortunate to have an opportunity to induct another phenomenal Hall of Fame class in 2025,” Harris said. “Annually I am impressed by those that have laid the foundation of our athletics department.

We are excited and thrilled to honor them and welcome them back to campus in September. Roll Wave!”

The induction ceremony for the 2025 Hall of Fame Class is set for Friday, September 12, followed by in-game recognition as the Green Wave take on Duke inside Yulman Stadium on Saturday, September 13.

2025 Tulane Athletics Hall of Fame Class

Sue Bower, Women’s Golf Coach, 1992-2005; Administrator, 2005-16

• Spent 24 years on Tulane staff, 13 as head women’s golf coach and 11 in athletic administration
• Inherited a program ranked 121st of 122 schools nationally in 1992, eventually leading the program to five postseason trips, including a team berth to the 2005 NCAA Championship
• Led Tulane to back-to-back Conference USA championships in 2004 and 2005; both of those teams finished the year ranked in top 20 nationally
• Earned Coach of the Year honors no fewer than nine times, including National Golf Coaches Association East Region Coach of the Year in 2003
• Transitioned from coach to administrator in 2005-06 when women’s golf program was discontinued in wake of Hurricane Katrina, then served as sport’s primary administrator upon a successful restart
• Served as senior woman administrator and chaired Hall of Fame committee for Tulane Athletics as an administrator
• Served as athletic director at Guilford College in North Carolina after departing Tulane
• Currently serves as AD at Academy of the Sacred Heart in New Orleans

Devon Breaux, Men’s Track & Field/Football, 2012-16

• A two-sport athlete who excelled in jumps and sprints on the track and was a wide receiver on the football field.
• Three-time NCAA regional qualifier in the long jump (2012, 2014, 2015), the first Tulane male track athlete to qualify three times in the regional era.
• Placed 19th in the long jump at NCAA outdoor championships in 2015.
• Won the American Athletic Conference indoor championship in the long jump in 2015 and was freshman of the meet at the 2013 Conference USA indoor championships after scoring in three events (LJ, HJ, 4×100).
• Three-time All-Conference selection in the long jump and high jump and twice earned conference athlete of the week honors.
• In four seasons as receiver for the Green Wave football team, caught 41 passes for 625 yards (15.2 avg) and five touchdowns. 

Tea Juric, Volleyball/Beach Volleyball, 2013-17

• A native of Croatia was one of Tulane’s first volleyball players to play indoors in the fall and beach in the spring, excelling at both disciplines.
• Indoors, she ranks in Tulane’s career top 10 in six categories, including fourth with 1,479 career kills, eighth with 3.36 kills per set, fifth in total attacks with 3,914, sixth in digs with 1,291 and ninth with 2.93 digs per set.
• Was named Conference USA and Louisiana Freshman of the Year in 2013.  She was also first-team All-CUSA in 2013, while garnering second-team All-American Athletic Conference as a senior in 2016.
• Earned First-Team All-Louisiana honors in 2015 and Second-Team All-State in 2014.
• On the sand, became the first player in Tulane history to win 100 matches and had a career record of 103-43.
• More than half (58) of her beach volleyball career victories came at the No. 1 spot in lineup.
• Twice earned All-Conference honors in Coastal Collegiate Sports Association (CCSA).
• Part of the first Tulane pair to be selected for AVCA College Sand Volleyball national championship.

Nathan Southard, Baseball, 2003-06

• A member of Tulane’s last team to reach the College World Series in 2005.
• Finished his career with a .321 batting average with 29 home runs, 168 RBI, 50 stolen bases and 277 hits.
• Ranks in the top 10 of 10 career categories, including doubles (sixth, 61), games played (seventh, 241), games started (seventh, 219), runs (ninth, 204), hits (ninth, 277) and triples (ninth, 8).
• Ranks in the top 10 of 10 single season categories, including triples (fourth, 5 in 2006), runs (fifth, 80 in 2005) and doubles (seventh, 24 in 2005).
• Posted his best season in 2005, hitting .341, third-best on the team behind current Tulane Hall of Famers Micah Owings and Tommy Manzella.
• Tied a school record with three home runs against Houston, becoming only the second player in conference history to achieve this feat.
• Batted .500 (8-for-16) in New Orleans Regional and was named to the All-Tournament team.
• Was consistently named to the Conference USA Commissioner’s Honor Roll and was repeatedly recognized as a Tulane Scholar-Athlete throughout his four years with the Green Wave.
• Drafted in the 17th round by the St. Louis Cardinals and played three years in their minor league system before embarking on his professional business career. 

Leslie Vorpahl, Women’s Basketball, 2013-17

• Started 87 of 129 games in four seasons in a Tulane uniform, scoring 1,255 points, dishing out 558 assists and connecting on 192 three-pointers
• Ranks third in school history in career assists, fifth in three-pointers and sixth in minutes (3,679)
• Her 15 assists against Grambling on Nov. 12, 2016, are the most in a game in school history, one more than the 14 done twice by current head coach Ashley Langford
• Won the American Athletic Conference’s most improved player award in 2016 and the league’s scholar-athlete of the year and sportsmanship award in 2017
• A member of the Conference USA All-Freshman team in 2014 who twice was named Third-Team All-Conference in The American Athletic Conference, in 2016 and 2017
• Twice earned CUSA Freshman of the Week honors in 2013-14 and was named to the Tulane Classic all-tournament team in 2016
• She has played professionally for eight seasons overseas

2008-09 Women’s Golf Team

• The program was reinstated after three years following Hurricane Katrina and won the 2009 Conference USA championship by 23 strokes
• Finished 20th at the 2009 NCAA National Championship
• Finished 5th at 2009 NCAA East Regional Championship
• Final National Ranking of 28th in 2009 (Golfstat)
• The team won 2 tournaments and finished second in two other events in 2008-09
• Produced the conference’s Coach of the Year, Player of the Year, Newcomer of the Year and Freshman of the Year

Billy Slatten Award
Richard Yulman

• Helped lead the charge to return Tulane football to campus, making a $15 million naming-rights gift to the project
• Yulman Stadium, which opened in 2014, is named for Richard, his late wife, Janet and the entire Yulman family
• Served as a vocal advocate and proponent for Tulane Athletics during his tenure on the Board of Trustees at Tulane

• Retired chairman and owner of mattress manufacturing giant Sealy

• Parent of daughter, Katy Yulman-Williamson, who graduated from Tulane with a degree in psychology in 2005
• Along with Katy and Katy’s husband, Greg Williamson, renewed his support for Tulane Athletics through a lead commitment to Investing in Excellence, a major capital campaign to upgrade facilities and infrastructure across the university’s athletic programs
• Is credited as one of the champions of the modern-day renaissance of Tulane Football and Tulane Athletics

Don and Lora Peters Career Achievement Award
Joe Scheuermann, Baseball

• A New Orleans native who played for his Hall of Fame father “Rags” at Delgado Community College before transferring to Tulane for the 1983 season
• He played regularly on a pair of 40-win teams in 1983 and 1984 under Hall of Famer Joe Brockhoff, including the first-ever team to receive an NCAA at-large berth in 1983
• After graduating from Tulane in 1984, he joined Brockhoff’s staff as an assistant coach, along with other administrative roles, before succeeding his father as Delgado’s coach in 1990
• Now in his 35th year with the Dolphins, he has won more than 1,200 games – the most at one school by a coach in Louisiana history – and led his teams to five appearances in the Junior College World Series, most recently in 2023
• He added the title of athletic director at Delgado in 2013
• He led efforts to construct the Tom and Gayle Benson Athletic Complex at Delgado, a state-of-the-art facility that opened last fall
• Will be inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame in June 2025; also a member of the NJCAA Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame and the All-American Amateur Baseball Association Hall of Fame
• Won the Eddie Robinson Award from the Allstate Sugar Bowl Greater New Orleans Sports Hall of Fame in 2016, for outstanding achievement in athletics, academics, sportsmanship and citizenship with limited resources

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