Sports
Andrija Prlainović for B92.sport, announcement of the semi-final WC Serbia – Hungary
That semi-final match is scheduled for 15:35, and the experienced Andrija Prlainović, a former Serbian water polo player who conquered the planet with the national team and won everything there is to win, is sending support and optimism to Uroš Stevanović’s team.
One of the best ever in this sport, who has collected a total of 33 medals under the cap of Serbia, of which two consecutive Olympic golds, is quite satisfied with how Serbian water polo players look at this global competition.
“We look convincing and safe, it’s a pleasure to watch from the sidelines and cheer. It’s been a long time since the national team looked this good, safe and powerful. Since 2016-2017, I don’t think the national team has looked this good in a tournament. I’m optimistic before the semi-finals and before the continuation of the tournament,” begins Andrija Prlainović’s story for B92.sport.
Peđa Milosavljević/Starsport
On the way to the semi-finals, Serbia recorded two victories against South Africa and Romania, lost to Italy in the group after the penalty shoot-out and captain Nikola Jakšić’s dismissal, and that defeat meant the match was more in the knockout phase, where our team first eliminated Japan (21:14) in the round of 16.
“There were different moments when that 2023 quarter-final with Italy was played, compared to the group game, now we are in a better composition. Neither Mandić nor Ćuk were playing then. Now we are here with both of them and with players who won Olympic gold, who are now full of confidence and that is one of the reasons why we look like this. You can see that the players are playing freely, they do not lack confidence and everything really looks good. It is always good to have a strong the opponent in the group, just to see what the current state of consciousness of the players, of the team is, how the team will react to those difficult moments, phenomena that cannot really be influenced, to the referee’s decisions and to the opponent”, Prlainović is clear.
“Changing the rules? That’s in our favor?”
VSS/UNIQA/Slobodan Sandić
In the quarterfinals, there was a duel with the United States of America, where the Olympic champions safely and smartly secured a triumph (14:9), in which way they advanced towards the four best selections on the planet and scheduled a duel with the Hungarians.
“That game in the round of 16 was quite good for us. It was good for us that we had Japan and we didn’t have free time, but a game that requires seriousness and maximum commitment, and we prepared well for that. We played very well against the USA from start to finish.”
Apart from the additional match in the play-off for the quarter-finals, the new water polo player from Radnički from Kragujevac also points out that the changed rules benefit the Serbian water polo players, who adapted to the new game system quite quickly.
“The players got used to it very quickly. We, our best players, like the smaller pitch and less swimming. I’m thinking of Jakšić, Mandić, Ćuk, and our centers like it, too. Vico, especially, likes the smaller pitch. As for the rule change, I would say that we, as a national team, benefited from it. It certainly didn’t hurt us. And now, what those rules will bring to the average viewer and what the goal of the rule change is, I don’t know. There are no people in the stands, as it looks to people on television – I believe it looks very similar to the way it looked in the early years and the last decade. I don’t see any big changes there, nor will a large number of people start watching water polo because of the change in the rules,” Andrija points out.
The duel with Hungary, which defeated Croatia (18:12) in the quarter-finals and left the current world champion without the opportunity to defend the gold won in Doha 2024, will show whether all the pieces have been put together in the Serbian mosaic.
Uroš Stevanović’s team was preparing for the WC with the Hungarians in Budapest, when Serbia narrowly lost 13:12, and the last time the two teams met in a major competition was at the Olympic Games in Paris, when the northern neighbors were also better (17:13).
“We are the dominant team in today’s water polo”
VSS/UNIQA/Slobodan Sandić
Hungarian shooting rhapsody or Serbian solid defense – Prlainović has no dilemma.
“We are the best there, for sure. The best in the world water polo when it comes to defense, both positionally, probably with one player less, but especially positionally. One on one in the game, we are the dominant team, especially now with Wapenski, who is a returner and who brought great quality and defense in the attack. We are the dominant team in today’s water polo. I expect and believe that we can stop all this the best that Hungary has,” the former Serbian representative points out.
“What you said, you are right, the Hungarians are first of all a shooting team with good swimmers. They solve those situations very quickly with shots from 5, 6, 7 meters. I think they will have a lot of headaches to stop our attacking options. So I really expect us to find ourselves in the final, based on what I have seen. I am optimistic about the semi-finals with, of course, respect for the Hungarian team, which played very well in this tournament, which came close to beating Spain in the group”.
VSS/UNIQA/Slobodan Sandić
“They beat Croatia by a big margin, where they were constantly in the lead from the second quarter. It is a team with a lot of well-coordinated players, who know each other very well. Most of them have been in Ferencvaros for many years. They have won trophies with the club and with the national team. They are not inexperienced players, although the team is quite young, but there are good water polo players among them who have been there for many years in the national team. The opponent for all respect, and also the biggest rival in history. That is why this is really water polo classic. It can’t be more than that,” says Andrija, who was asked if it would be “better” for us to have Croatia on the other side.
“No, it’s more or less irrelevant in the semi-finals. It’s impossible to get to the semi-finals in a competition like this. The four best teams are currently there”.
“Spain is the favorite, but I’m not writing the Greeks off”
Spain and Greece will meet in the first semi-final at 11:35.
“I was expecting Spain, because they are the number one favorite in terms of composition, along with Serbia. The Greeks are a surprise. Of the first seven from Paris, they lack Vlahopoulos and Papanastasi, in my opinion, their two best players. They made a feat here by reaching the semi-finals, and well deserved. They also played quite good two games in the group, although they lost both times, but when they needed to against Italy, they took advantage of the recklessness of the Italian player, the brutality, they separated at the beginning and then they kept it up until the end. They play at a high pace, but I wouldn’t write off the Greeks. They know that they will beat the Spaniards, the role of the favorites is nothing.”
Sports
Hill & Marques Set School Records, Handful of Eagles Break into Winthrop Record Books at Gamecock Opener
COLUMBIA, S.C. — School records fell Friday at the Gamecock Opener, as Mitchell Hill and Kayah Marques highlighted Winthrop’s first meet of 2026 with record-setting performances in the 600 meters.
MEET INFORMATION
Jan. 10 | Carolina Indoor Track & Field Complex | Final Results
IN THE FIELD
- Autumn Craig won the women’s weight throw event with a mark of 14.42 meters.
- Maurion Jamison placed third in the men’s triple jump with a 14.27-meter effort, moving into fifth place in the Winthrop record book.
- Timothy Speaks captured the men’s weight throw title with a 16.06-meter throw, ranking sixth in program history.
- Carina Fiorucci finished fifth in the women’s pole vault after clearing 3.30 meters, tying her own mark for fifth in the school record book.
ON THE TRACK
- In the men’s 60 meters, Michael Boucher clocked a 6.893 to place sixth, moving into sixth place in the Winthrop record book.
- A time of 22.70 in the men’s 200 meters from Carlos Frank resulted in a 20th-place finish and the ninth-fastest mark in program history.
- The men’s 300 meters featured a strong showing, led by Tristen Patterson’s 35.08, which placed ninth and ranked second all-time at Winthrop.
- Kendale Cooke followed closely with a 35.17 to finish 10th, moving into fourth in the school record book.
- Darrell Price added another top-15 effort in the event, placing 14th with a 35.69 that ranks eighth in program history.
- A school record highlighted the men’s 600 meters, as Mitchell Hill ran a 1:22.14 to place third.
- Hill doubled back in the men’s 1,000 meters, finishing second in 2:36.70, the sixth-fastest time in Winthrop history.
- On the women’s side, Jordan Bailem placed seventh in the 60-meter hurdles with an 8.78, tying the third-fastest mark in the program record book.
- Alex Cameron recorded an 11th-place finish in the women’s 300 meters after crossing in 42.90, the fourth-fastest time in school history.
- Jayla Weeks followed with a 44.90 in the women’s 300 meters to place 15th, ranking eighth all-time at Winthrop.
- Another school record fell in the women’s 600 meters, as Kayah Marques posted a 1:42.34 to finish fourth.
- Marques closed the meet by winning the women’s 1,000 meters in 3:01.71, the second-fastest mark in program history.
- The women’s sprints wrapped up with Amaiya Whitlock’s 7.89 in the 60 meters, good for 14th place and tied for seventh in the record book.
NEXT UP
The Eagles will be back next week for a two day event, the Tryon International Classic.
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Sports
Greenwell Breaks 1000m School Record, Ohio Women’s Track & Field Concludes Marshall Alumni Classic
HUNTINGTON, W. Va. – Junior Ellie Greenwell (Park Hills, Ky.) led Ohio women’s track & field team at the Marshall Alumni Classic with a record breaking performance in the women’s 1000 meters on Saturday, Jan.10.
In Greenwell’s first time competing in the 1000 meters, she won the event with a time of 2:49.92. Greenwell’s performance is a new school and program record. Two other Bobcats finished in the top three of the 1000 meters alongside Greenwell. Sophomore Kaitlyn Stewart (Floyd Knobs, Ind.) placed second (2:54.84) and senior Sara Doughman (Lebanon, Ohio) placed third (2:56.36).
Ohio kicked off the meet with a handful of field events. Junior Emilee Baumann (Powell, Ohio) won the women’s pole vault with a mark of 3.65 meters (11-11.75). Ohio had three throwers place in the top five of the women’s shot put. Graduate student Jasmine Correa (Holland, Mich.) placed second with a PR of 12.73 meters (41-9.25). Sophomore Lauren Mader (Green Bay, Wis.) placed fourth (11.56m/37-11.25) and sophomore Kiyah Baker (Troy, Ohio) took home fifth place (11.51m/37-9.25, PR). In the women’s weight throw, freshman Aubree Beery (Lancaster, Ohio) placed second (16.66m/54-8) in her collegiate debut while sophomore Ashley Cornathan (Hilliard, Ohio) took home fifth place (14.90m/48-10.75, PR). Freshman Kewogo Bendick finished eighth in the women’s long jump with a mark of 5.20 meters (17-0.75).
Ohio’s first track events of the day were the preliminaries of the 60m and 60m hurdles. In the 60m hurdles preliminaries, freshman Zoey Caldwell (9.18) and junior Gracie Smith (9.27) (Grove City, Ohio) both qualified for the finals. Caldwell went on to place fifth (9.02) in the finals and Smith took home seventh place (10.01). Freshman Alexys Sterling qualified for the 60m finals and placed seventh overall (7.97/7.82). Sterling also placed third in the women’s 200m (25.68) followed by senior Ashley Long (Hilliard, Ohio) in fourth place (25.83, PR)
In the women’s 300m, freshmen Sydney Huckstep and Alyvia Mentlow both recorded stellar performances in their collegiate debuts. Huckstep placed second (40.43) and Mentlow placed third (40.48). Ohio swept the top three of the women’s 800m with sophomore Jaclyn Garvey (Grand Blanc, Mich.) in first (2:14.90), senior Sophie Besett (Twinsburg, Ohio) in second (2:17.14) and junior Elinor Shuttleworth (Beavercreek, Ohio) in third place (2:20.25).
Graduate students Kelsi Harris (Liberty Township, Ohio) and Theresa Hagey (Akron, Ohio) led a slew of Ohio runners in the women’s 3,000 meters. Harris won the event with a time of 9:43.21. Hagey followed behind Harris, placing second with a time of 9:50.11.
The Bobcats concluded the meet with the women’s 4x400m relay. Shuttleworth, Garvey, Besett and junior Abby Wells (Westerville, Ohio) placed second with a time of 3:58.77.
The Bobcats will be back in action at the Indiana Invitational on Friday, Jan. 16.
#OUohyeah
Sports
Circumstances aside, Trent Moser happy in return to No. 8 BYU volleyball for senior season
PROVO — Trent Moser said it best with a smile and a nod.
After BYU’s 6-foot-8 senior transfer from Grand Canyon opened the season with 14 kills in a 3-0 win over Saint Francis in front of 3,343 fans at the Smith Fieldhouse, Moser smirked at the simple question: Good to be home?
“It’s amazing,” Moser said after hitting .333 with a dig, two assists and four blocks. “Playing here and playing at GCU was totally different. It was good, but we got around 1,000 people per game; it was awesome. But when I get here to warm up, there are already 1,000 people in the stands.
“It feels so good having that much support.”
Moser had seven kills on his first nine swings, hitting .667 to lead the Cougars to a 25-22 win over the Red Flash (0-1) in the opening set.
The outside hitter had the first kill of the opening set, and finished with 14 kills and four blocks as the No. 8-ranked Cougars opened the 2026 season with a 25-22, 25-20, 25-18 win over NEC contenders Friday night.
After which, Moser helped gather his teammates — returners, freshmen and transfers alike — and the group threw a Super Y (the kind you probably remember Chase Roberts introduced with the football team) and cheered with the crowd.
For Moser, who started his career at BYU, that moment alone was a unique one.
The Gilbert, Arizona native played two seasons in Provo, where he earned All-MPSF freshman team honors in 2023 and started nine matches in 2024.
But Moser transferred to GCU after that season, and went on to a standout career with the Lopes, leading the team in kills and earning All-America honorable mention honors by the American Volleyball Coaches Association.
Then early in the offseason, he got a message from the coaching staff: a mandatory team meeting in the locker room, where GCU officials told the players they were cutting the program.
Such a moment is never easy. But several close friends from Provo made it a little easier for Moser.
“GCU posted it on Instagram at the same time they told us,” he recalled. “In that meeting, I was sitting down and Jackson Fife (BYU libero) called me, as well as some other friends to see what was happening.
“Jackson said, ‘Dude, you should come back’. And I said, if Shawn wants me back, I’m cool with it.”
Turns out, BYU coach Shawn Olmstead was “very cool with it.” Moser was a standout under Olmstead before, was better after a year in the Valley of the Sun, and wanted to return to the school where his sister Tristyn also played volleyball in 2016-17.
“I think it’s such a cool story,” Olmstead said. “A kid like that, who has that kind of experience, goes to another school and becomes an All-American. Then circumstances fall the way they did, and credit to him — I think it’s a credit to the guys and all the coaching staff.”

Olmstead sent Moser a text when he found out the program was cut, but not inviting him back to BYU or trying to schedule a campus visit. He had a simple message: If you need anything, let me know if I can help you.
“I found out that day the guys were already talking to him,” Olmstead added. “He was talking to Jackson, and Jackson called us while we were in a staff meeting … and said, I’m talking to Trent; what do you think?
“We said, you know the answer to that. And right when he hung up, that’s when I texted Trent. From there, we immediately went back and forth.”
Moser also brought along some friends, including sophomore setter Kyle Zediker and 6-foot-5 outside hitter Connor Oldani, who had six kills and 10 digs Friday night. There was also Max Philippe, a 6-foot-6 freshman from Houston who initially committed to GCU but reversed course when the program was cut and signed with BYU.
Pair them with returning players like senior setter Tyler Herget, who had 35 assists and eight digs Friday night, and BYU lived up to the billing of a top-10 team nationally on opening night.
“I had great things to say about those guys; I love those dudes,” Moser said. “They were little freshmen last year at GCU, and it was fun leading them. So when Shawn asked me about them, I only had great things to say about those guys: great workers, want to win, want to compete every day.”
BYU continues nonconference play Saturday against Saint Francis (7 p.m. MST, Big Ten+), before hosting UC San Diego next week as part of six-straight home matches to open the season.
The Key Takeaways for this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team. The article, itself, is solely human-written.
Sports
Panthers Kick Off 2026 at Tryon International Collegiate Opener
TRYON, N.C. – The High Point University men’s track and field team traveled to the western part of the state to compete at the Tryon International Collegiate Opener hosted by Big South Conference foe UNC Asheville. The Panthers used this meet as practice for the Big South Indoor Championships at the end of February at the same facility.
High Point sent a select group of student-athletes to compete, including throwers, high jumpers, distance runners and combined events athletes.
In the throwing events, Caleb Barley placed first in both the weight throw and shot put. He first threw a personal best 16.63 meters in the weight throw before throwing a personal best in the shot put, 16.72m. Bradley Weiner and Prince Brockington also placed in the top five in the weight throw as Weiner tossed in a new personal best 16.56m throw.
In the high jump Shaun Thomas took home first place after clearing 2.08m for a season-best height.
In the men’s distance events, HPU had six athletes place in the top 10 in the 3000m race led by Brendan Cook with an 8:33.33 time in his first meet of his collegiate season. Max Bonilla, Blake Nicholson, Luke Simpson, Simon Triezenburg and Jake Fiorillo were among Cook in the top 10.
AJ Miller placed second in the mile and clocked a 4:19.13 in his first-ever mile event of his career. Greg Abel competed in the 800m and clocked a 2:02.03 time for fifth place in his second meet as a freshman.
The combined events athletes competed in three events, including the 60m hurdles, the high jump and the shot put. Cole Wilson placed sixth in the shot put (14.45m), fifth in the high jump (1.93m) and sixth in the 60m hurdles (8.54). Nigel Steenwinkel placed second in the 60m hurdles (8.40), 13th in the high jump (1.73m) and 14th in the shot put (12.16m).
UP NEXT: High Point travels to Blacksburg, Virginia for the Virginia Tech Invitational on January 16-17.
#GoHPU x #OnTheProwl
Sports
Mount Markham girls volleyball wins tournament title with win over Rome Free Academy (53 photos)
Coach Terry McKane has preached to his Mount Markham girls volleyball squad that the goal is to get 1% better every day of the season.
The Mustangs have done that so far with a 9-0 record and the ultimate goal of reaching the Section III Class C final once again.
Mount Markham hosted its annual Varsity Tournament on Saturday, providing the team with an opportunity to battle-tested against a field of quality Section III teams.
The Mustangs went 6-0 in pool play and made it to the tournament’s gold title game to face Rome Free Academy, also 10-0 and the reigning Class A sectional champion.
The Black Knights took the first set (25-15), but Mount Markham recorded victories in the second (25-22) and third (15-13) sets to grab the tournament crown.
“We faced such a good team in RFA,” McKane said. “The sets were really close and tight. We dropped that first set, then the kids responded. They did have us late (in the third set), but we came away with the win.”
RFA went 5-1 in pool play and beat Whitesboro, 2-0, in the gold semifinals.
“Nothing but respect for RFA,” McKane said. “They have some great players.”
Mount Markham also won 2-0 in the semis against Carthage. In the end, the Mustangs had the upper hand.
“We’re starting to get better at the right time. I think today we were 4-5% better than the 1% better we usually strive for,” McKane said. “Our seniors are leading and the flow of the defense is so good.”
South Lewis, which went 3-3 in pool play, won 2-1 over South Jefferson in the silver final. The Spartans compiled a 2-4 record in Pool A.
Also for Pool A, Whitesboro and Stockbridge Valley each had a 2-4 mark. Carthage went 4-2 and Port Byron finished 0-6 in Pool B.
“It was a good day of volleyball,” McKane said. “It’s good to have these quality teams in the tournament. It just pushes each of us to get better.”
Mount Markham faces Little Falls at 7 p.m. Monday.
Mount Markham Varsity Girls Volleyball Tournament, Saturday, January 10, 2026
All-Tournament Team
Layla Rice, Mount Markham (MVP)
Kyra Piersma, Mount Markham
Savannah Wilcox, Mount Markham
Jenna Preski, RFA
Mylee Magnanti, RFA
Brooklyn Palmer, Whitesboro
Mattingly Dorchester, Carthage
Grace Smith, South Lewis
Hannah Hedger, South Jefferson
Devyn Bingel, Stockbridge
Alivia Mills, Port Byron
Sports
Miller Sets Meet Record, Track & Field Collects 11 Wins at Leonard Hilton Memorial Invitational
RUNNING EVENTS
Following a successful cross country season, Miller continued his dominance by capturing the men’s 3,000 meters in 8:11.89 to set a meet record. Sophomore Remay Abraha added a third-place finish in 8:18.86.
Sophomore Addison Hite won the women’s 3,000-meter race with a personal-best and fourth-best time in program history at 9:38.97.
Sophomore Kali Magana opened the season strong as she crossed the finish line first in 1:24.08 in the women’s 600 yards.
Freshmen Sean Aigboboh and Micah Washington made their collegiate debuts in the men’s 60-meter as Aigboboh won the event in 6.74, followed by Washington in second at 6.78.
Senior Kaycee McCoy placed second in the women’s 60-meter with a personal best 7.48 while junior Ruth Agadama and freshman Zyon Alston tied for third with a time of 7.56.
The Cougars dominated the men’s and women’s 60-meter hurdles as graduate Jamar Marshall Jr. won the men’s race in 7.71 and sophomore Noah Hanson finished third with a personal best 7.99. McCoy captured the women’s title in 8.18, followed by graduate Miracle Thompson’s second place finish in 8.49.
Freshman Dominic Harper made a statement in his collegiate debut by winning the men’s 200 meters with a time of 21.12, followed by sophomore King Taylor in second at 21.82.
After missing the 2025 indoor season, junior Michaela Mouton started the 2026 season strong with a second place finish in the women’s 200-meters in 24.63. Sophomore Invida Maurina finished third in the women’s 400 meters with her time of 56.89.
The women’s 4×00-meter relay of freshman Kamree Wolridge, freshman Jada Stanford, senior Matilde Ochoa and Mouton recorded the victory in 3:46.49. Freshman Lanai Gant, freshman Mallory McLemore, sophomore Norah Nwonumah and sophomore Carlysia Cresser followed in second at 3:50.73.
In the final race of the day, sophomore Damarien Jacobs, graduate Ryan Mulholland, Washington and Aigboboh combined for a second place 4×400-meter relay finish in 3:18.44.
FIELD EVENTS
Sophomore Esther Osisike claimed the women’s weight throw title on her final attempt at 18.74 meters for the fifth-best mark in program history. Senior Zaeda Houff captured third place with a personal best 18.25 meters and moved to eighth on the top-10 program list. On the men’s side, graduate Canaan Wharry placed second with a personal best mark of 18.49 meters and sixth best mark in program history.
Junior Cordell Nwokeji opened his season with a victory in the men’s shot put at 18.16 meters. Sophomore Sydney Freeman finished second in the women’s shot put with a personal best 15.20 meters, good for seventh all-time while sophomore Cleo Oye-Agyepong took third at 15.14 meters.
Sophomore Evina Panagiotou won the women’s pole vault with a clearance of 4.13 meters while senior Aubrey Tupper, junior Nicole Prall and sophomore Kayla Byrd recorded a three-way tie for third at 3.63 meters.
Agadama placed second in the women’s long jump at 5.81 meters and sophomore Athena Stith finished third at 5.59 meters. On the men’s side, freshman Bradley Lowman earned second with his mark of 7.19 meters.
Freshman Shieana Hall finished second in the women’s triple jump at 12.42 meters, followed by freshman Saphina Stanley in third at 12.12 meters.
Senior Turey Stoudemire added a third-place finish in the men’s high jump at 2.10 meters.
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