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Photos: Wisconsin volleyball 2025 season in photos

Contact Jim Polzin at jpolzin@madison.com.

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The Elyria Youth Track Club, a program of the Elyria Youth Sports Club, is set to partner with Oberlin College Track and Field for a clinic.

The clinic will take place from 5-7 p.m. Jan. 7 at Oberlin College.

The clinic, open to all Elyria Youth Track athletes, will focus on showing young athletes fundamental and advanced techniques directly from Oberlin College Track and Field athletes and coaches, according to Aric Bowens, CEO of Elyria Youth Sports Club.

“I know last year, we went to an indoor track meet — our whole organization — and we got to meet Coach Izzy (Alexander, assistant coach for Oberlin College Track and Field),” Bowens said. “Since then, myself and Coach Izzy have been in communication with how can we get our kids infused with Oberlin College Track?”

According to Alexander, athletes participating in the clinic will learn a variety of skills and techniques in different stations at the college indoor track.

Youngsters will have exposure to different aspects of track through stations incorporating horizontal jumping into a sand pit, throwing shot puts, running sprints and relay racing, she said.

“This particular event is the first community event that we’re being involved with that specifically relates to track and field, so that’s something we’re really excited about,” Alexander said. “We hope to make it an annual event.”

With the clinic, Alexander said a vision is to help the youngsters feel more comfortable in their athletic ability, but also make them familiar with Oberlin College and the athletes they will interact with.

Athletes also can have a vision for what their future could look like if they wish to further their track career, Alexander said.

“If you can see it, you can be it,” she said. “They can realize that college and being a collegiate athlete is something that they can achieve, too, because they will have been more familiar with Oberlin.

“Track and field really has been a transformative part of our lives, and this event is kind of a way to give back and a way to foster continued participation.”

Alexander said the Oberlin College Track and Field team has continued to nurture its presence in the community by partnering with organizations like Oberlin Community Services, Oberlin Heritage Center and the Western Reserve Land Conservancy.

The Track and Field Clinic also marks a positive first step in a strong relationship with the Elyria Youth Track Club.

“We’re really thrilled to host this event,” Alexander said. “They’ve been really terrific to work with.”

Bowens said there are around 50 athletes in the Track Club who practice throughout the year, and participate in training like weight lifting and conditioning.

This “invaluable experience” for young track athletes will help strengthen their athletic ability, and connect them to different resources and organizations in Lorain County.

“I think it is an amazing opportunity,” Bowens said. “We’re super excited, just for this experience for our children.

“We would love to continue to keep the relationships going and growing for our organization.”

For more information, email elyriayouthsportsclub@gmail.com.

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State was the unanimous pick to win the 2026 EIVA title in a vote of the conference’s coaches. The poll was released on Monday along with a list of Players to Watch, which included the Nittany Lions’ Ryan Merk and Owen Rose.

Penn State received all seven first-place votes to finish atop the preseason poll, coming in ahead of NJIT (34 points) and George Mason (32) in second and third. Rounding out the poll were Princeton (26), Charleston (22), Harvard (22), and Sacred Heart (11).

Princeton won last year’s regular season title, but Penn State put it together at the right time. The Nittany Lions swept all three matches in the EIVA Tournament to win the championship as the third-seeded team.

Merk is a three-time All-American for the Nittany Lions, earning second team recognition in as a sophomore and honorable mention status as a freshman and junior. The libero is a three-time first-team All-EIVA selection.

Rose was an AVCA honorable mention All-American as a sophomore in 2024. He is also a three-time All-EIVA selection, making the first team as a freshman and sophomore and the second team last season as a junior.

Merk and Rose are the team’s two captains this season.

Penn State opens the 2026 season with four straight home matches. The Nittany Lions host Mount Olive (Jan. 9), Manhattan (Jan. 10), St. Thomas Aquinas (Jan. 15), and Lewis (Jan. 17) during that stretch.