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Area roundup: St. Xavier men’s volleyball is national runner-up

It was a huge weekend for St. Xavier athletics. The men’s volleyball team finished second in the nation. The baseball team won the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament and qualified for the NAIA National Tournament. And the softball team pulled off a dramatic CCAC Tournament semifinal win to stay alive for a national bid, although […]

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It was a huge weekend for St. Xavier athletics.

The men’s volleyball team finished second in the nation.

The baseball team won the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament and qualified for the NAIA National Tournament.

And the softball team pulled off a dramatic CCAC Tournament semifinal win to stay alive for a national bid, although the championship game was suspended by rain.

The volleyball team, ranked second in the nation by the NAIA coaches all season and the national runner-up last year, lost 28-26, 25-23, 18-25, 25-19 to The Master’s of California, which was ranked No. 1 in the nation all season, on May 3 at the Alliant Energy PowerHouse in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

The Cougars (31-1) were led by Matt Pennala’s 20 kills as he broke the program’s single-season record with 395. He also had eight assists, eight digs three blocks and two aces.

Riverside-Brookfield grad Vejas Cuplinskas closed out his career with 12 kills.

The Master’s (27-0) was led by Isaac Seltzer’s 11 kills while NAIA Player of the Year Braden Van Groningen added eight.

The Cougars baseball team (31-22) was seeded third in the CCAC Tournament but beat Judson 6-0 on May 3 at Duly Health and Care Field in Joliet.

Three pitchers combined for the shutout for the Cougars, while Tahlor Steig had two doubles and Travis Hammond had two runs and two stolen bases.

The Cougars qualified for the NAIA Opening-Round Tournament, which begins on May 12. The time, location and opponent had not been determined as of May 4.

The softball team (35-6 and ranked 18th in the nation) trailed 4-0 heading into the bottom of the third inning against St. Ambrose. But the Cougars came up with nine runs and hung on for a 9-6 CCAC Tournament semifinal win on May 3 at the Crown Point Sportsplex in Indiana. 

Shepard grad Taylor Becker had a three-run double in the rally.

The two teams met again in the championship game of the double-elimination tournament on May 4 and were tied 3-3 in the top of the second when the game was suspended.

More Stagg champs in esports

Stagg continues to enjoy state championship success in esports.

Since the IHSA first sanctioned eports in 2022, the Chargers have won three state championships in team events and three state titles in individual events.

That included bringing home a pair of titles on May 3 at the state tournament, held at Evergreen Park for the third year in a row. 

Stagg won the Mario Kart 8 division, 123-111 over Normal West.

Members of the team are Kalina Bell, Jakub Gagestad, Jack Gawel, Christos Giapitzoglou, Adrian Gorski, Nikolas Kounavis and Mattew Oddie.

Individually, Stagg’s Ryan McNulty beat Minooka’s Chuck Purracchio 63-14 in the Madden competition.



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Arkansas track and field teams begin road to NCAA Outdoor Championships at West Region meet

Arkansas track and field teams begin road to NCAA Outdoor Championships at West Region meet | Whole Hog Sports Advertisement Advertisement Link 0

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Montecity Volleyball Club 13U Girls Team Takes First at Bayview Classic | Sports

The Montecito Volleyball Club 13U Girls squad won the Bayview Classic championship in Roseville over the long weekend. While the Montecito team played all season in the club division, they took a step up into the open division for the weekend, and they didn’t skip a beat. Montecito won all nine of its matches across […]

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The Montecito Volleyball Club 13U Girls squad won the Bayview Classic championship in Roseville over the long weekend.

While the Montecito team played all season in the club division, they took a step up into the open division for the weekend, and they didn’t skip a beat.

Montecito won all nine of its matches across the three days of competition, ending in a thrilling 2-1 victory over Absolute White of San Rafael in the title matchup.

The team consists of Charlotte Rottman, Savannah Hoover, Emma Frias, Ruby Donahoe, Greta Alldredge, Samara Natale and Tanner Jaeger.

The team is coached by Steve Rottman and Brogan Donahoe.



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Preview: NCAA West First Round

Story Links COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Thirty-two athletes from TCU track and field are set to compete at the NCAA West First Round Championships hosted by Texas A&M at E.B. Cushing Stadium May 28-31.   The NCAA West First Round Championships features the top 48 athletes in each event. Athletes will look […]

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COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Thirty-two athletes from TCU track and field are set to compete at the NCAA West First Round Championships hosted by Texas A&M at E.B. Cushing Stadium May 28-31.
 
The NCAA West First Round Championships features the top 48 athletes in each event. Athletes will look to finish in the top-12 of their respective events to secure their ticket to the 2025 NCAA Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Oregon.
 
MAKING HISTORY
The Horned Frogs are coming off a successful weekend in Lawrence, Kansas, at the 2025 Big 12 Outdoor Track and Field Conference Championship meet. As a team, the women finished third overall with 86 points, their best finish in program history since joining the Big 12. The men also made waves at the conference meet, finishing sixth overall with 64 points, tied for their second-best performance in school history (fifth in 2018).
 
Indya Mayberry was responsible for 28 of the team’s points, winning gold in both sprint events and helping TCU earn a silver medal in the 4x100m relay. The Fort Worth native was also named Big 12 Outstanding Freshman of the Year as voted on by the conference’s coaches.
 
TCU was crowned conference champions in six different events, including sweeping the men’s and women’s javelin and 200m titles. Preston Kuznof and Irene Jepkemboi won gold in the Big 12 javelin throw. The Frogs dominated the 200m with Kashie Crockett and Indya Mayberry winning event titles. Mayberry also won the 100m dash to sweep the outdoor sprints. Finally, senior Lloyd Frilot defended his indoor 800m conference championship, winning the outdoor title as well.
 
FROGS IN THE RANKINGS

TCU’s women have been ranked inside the top 25 of the USTFCCCA National Track & Field Rating Index for the entire outdoor season, including six different event groups ranked in the top 25. They currently sit at No. 15 heading into the regional meet.
 
Individually, the women boast eight top 12 times in the West Region Qualifying list led by Mayberry. The freshman boasts the No. 1 time in the 100m dash and the No. 5 time in the 200m. The Frogs also have a sprinters Iyana Gray and London Tucker sitting inside the top 10 seed times for the 100m dash, hoping to punch their ticket to nationals. Amelliah Birdow (400m hurdles) and Irene Jepkemboi (javelin) rank fifth in their respective events heading into the meet.
 
On the men’s side, TCU has five top 12 performances in the region. Senior’s Kashie Crockett (200m) and Lloyd Frilot (800m) have their sights set on Eugene. Jayden Douglas and Preston Kuznof are also in contention to advance to the NCAA Championships in the 400m hurdles and javelin throw, respectively.
 
SHE’S JUST A FRESHMAN
A freshman, Mayberry has burst onto the national scene, earning high praise on both the conference and national level. A four-time Big 12 Champion already, she swept the sprint races this season. During the indoor season, the Fort Worth native won both the 60m and 200m titles, and she followed it up with gold in the 100m and 200m at the outdoor conference championship meet to become the fifth woman in Big 12 history to sweep the conference sprints.
 
Mayberry also won her first National Championship, winning the indoor 200m (22.30) with the No. 7 performance in world history in the event. She has also been recognized on the watch list for The Bowerman Award, given to the most outstanding male and female track and field athletes in the nation.
 
SEASON RECAP
This season, TCU has seen a combined 14 school records fall. Sophomore hurdlers Amelliah Birdow and Jayden Douglas each lowered their own top times in the record books. Irene Jepkemboi also took down her own mark in the javelin throw and set a new Kenyan national record in the event, while freshman Preston Kuznof toppled the best mark in TCU history with his first collegiate throw (75.10m).
 
At the Big 12 Conference Championship Meet, junior Elise Dobson set the heptathlon school record with 5,338 points. Senior Llyod Frilot also took down head coach Khadevis Robinson’s program record in the 800m, dropping a 1:45.79. Mayberry also lowered the women’s 100m (11.03) and 200m (22.47) records.
 
Distance runner Graydon Morris added the 10,000m school record to his name this spring along with lowering his own 5,000m mark. His senior teammate Stone Burke also etched his name in the history books with the top 3,000m steeplechase time by a Frog. Lastly, Ben Kirbo vaulted his way to a new school record, clearing 5.47m in the pole vault last month.
 
The women have also seen school records fall in the 4x100m, 4x200m and Sprint Medley relay.
 
TUNE IN
First round competition begins on Wednesday, May 28, and runs through Saturday, May 31. The full meet schedule can be found here.
 
Fans can follow live results on Flash Results and stream all the action on ESPN+.
 
For all the latest TCU track and field news, follow the Frogs on X at @TCUTrackField, on Instagram at @tcu_track_xc and on Facebook at TCU Track and Field.
 





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MIAA boys’ volleyball tournament: Seedings and pairings, D1-2

With 39 teams in the Division 1 tournament and 41 teams in Division 2, the MIAA boys’ volleyball postseason brackets are set for 2025. Though a few teams got close, no one finished undefeated. Neither defending champion is seeded No. 1. How will this season follow one that saw unbelievable action in the critical last […]

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With 39 teams in the Division 1 tournament and 41 teams in Division 2, the MIAA boys’ volleyball postseason brackets are set for 2025.

Though a few teams got close, no one finished undefeated. Neither defending champion is seeded No. 1. How will this season follow one that saw unbelievable action in the critical last few rounds a year ago?

The two frontrunners in D1 are a team that last won a championship in 1992 (Brookline) and another that has not won it all since 2007 (Natick). Brookline (18-1) held the top spot in the Globe rankings all season and earned the top tournament seed, but Natick (16-2) can arguably call itself the hottest team in the state after winning its last 16.

The shock of losing three match points and the final two sets in last year’s semifinal is something Natick players knew they’d have to overcome mentally. Perhaps a five-set victory in Brookline — the Warriors’ only loss on the season — helped.

Newton North, which won that semifinal and then the final in five sets each, is trending down due to injuries. When healthy, the fourth-seeded Tigers (13-7) took Natick and Brookline to five sets. No. 3 Needham (17-5) and No. 5 Lexington (18-2) are both strong contenders who can not be counted out either.

Division 2 is led by the same three top contenders (No. 1 Agawam, No. 2 Westfield, No. 3 Wayland) as last season. Only four teams have ever made the D2 finals: these three and North Quincy, which has since been moved to D1.

This trio made for quite the spectacle last season when Wayland reverse-swept Agawam in the semifinal, then Westfield reverse-swept the Warriors in the final.

Now Agawam (19-1) is on the opposite side of the bracket — Westfield (17-4) and Wayland (12-8) on a possible semifinal collision course — but could meet the team that accounts for its only loss in the regular season, No. 5 Chicopee Comprehensive, in a semifinal.

For Agawam, Chicopee Comp. (13-7), and No. 4 West Springfield (15-5), this is the best chance in the near future to claim a title. Each is slated to move up to Division 1 for the 2026 season.

Who will seize the opportunity?


AJ Traub can be reached at aj.traub@globe.com. Follow him on X @aj_traub and Instagram @ajt37.





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Luciano, Johnson and Mui head to NCAA East Region Meet

Story Links VESTAL, N.Y. — Redshirt sophomore Brian Luciano, graduate student Marcus Johnson and senior Jennifer Mui travel to the NCAA East Region Track & Field Meet, which will be held May 28-31 at the University of North Florida. The Bearcat trio earned the distinction by finishing the current outdoor […]

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VESTAL, N.Y. — Redshirt sophomore Brian Luciano, graduate student Marcus Johnson and senior Jennifer Mui travel to the NCAA East Region Track & Field Meet, which will be held May 28-31 at the University of North Florida. The Bearcat trio earned the distinction by finishing the current outdoor track & field season ranked among the Top 48 performers in the East Region in an individual event. 

Johnson and Luciano return to the East Region Meet for the second year in a row while Mui is making her first appearance.

The top 12 finishers in each event at the NCAA East Region Meet advance to the NCAA Championships, which will be held June 11-14 at the University of Oregon. The NCAA West Regional Meet, which is being hosted by Texas A&M May 28-31, will also send its top 12 finishers in each event to the NCAA Championships.

Luciano is seeded No. 11 in the men’s hammer, which is scheduled for Wednesday, May 28 at 10 a.m. EST. He will compete in the last of four 12-person flights. The top 12 overall finishers qualify for the NCAA Championships.

Johnson is seeded No. 21 in the men’s 400 hurdles. The first round of that event is set for Wednesday, May 28 at 8:20 p.m. while the finals take place on Friday, May 30 at 7:25 p.m. 

Johnson in the first of six eight-runner heats on Wednesday. The top three finishers in each heat – plus the next six fastest times – advance to Friday’s finals. 

In the 400 hurdle finals, there will be three eight-runner heats. The top three finishers in each heat – plus the next three fastest times – advance to the NCAA Championships.

Mui, meanwhile, is ranked No. 40 in the women’s 3,000 Steeplechase (SC), which starts on Saturday, May 31 at 5:40 p.m. She is in the third of three 16-runner heats. The top three finishers in each heat – plus the next three fastest times – advance to the NCAA Championships.

Since 2004, Binghamton has posted 48 regional qualifiers on the men’s side and 22 from the women’s squad.



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Volleyball Releases Non-Conference Slate for 2025

Story Links MADISON, Wis. – Wisconsin volleyball and head coach Kelly Sheffield officially announce it’s non-conference slate for its 2025 regular season schedule. The Badgers will play five matches against teams ranked in the Top 25 of the final 2025 American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) coaches’ poll with all five participating in […]

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MADISON, Wis. – Wisconsin volleyball and head coach Kelly Sheffield officially announce it’s non-conference slate for its 2025 regular season schedule. The Badgers will play five matches against teams ranked in the Top 25 of the final 2025 American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) coaches’ poll with all five participating in the 2024 NCAA Tournament. 

To open the 2025 season, Wisconsin will host Notre Dame on August 17 at the UW Field House in an exhibition match.

Following the exhibition, the Badgers will kick off the regular season with the Opening Spike Classic over Labor Day weekend with the event taking place at the Badgers’ Kohl Center in Madison, Wisconsin. In the event, UW will open the event on Friday, August 29 against Kansas, with action resuming against Texas, Sunday, August 31.

In the month of September, UW will host four of its final six non-conference matches. In the first week of September, the Badgers will host UC Davis, Chicago State, and Milwaukee on September 4-5, and 9. 

Following the three-match home match stint, the Badgers will hit the road for a rematch with Georgia Tech on September 12, where they met just a season ago in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. On a short turnaround, the Badgers will then travel to Milwaukee to take on Marquette on September 17 at Fiserv Forum. 

Lastly, Wisconsin will wrap up its non-conference slate with Florida on September 21 at home.

Tickets are still being sold for the Opening Spike Classic and can be purchased HERE.

 



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