NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State track & field program will travel to Champaign, Ill., for the Fighting Illini Twilight hosted by Illinois on Saturday afternoon. Action is set to begin at 1 p.m. 

The Redbirds will make the in-state road trip for the fourth consecutive year and return following an impressive showing in Champaign last year. Last April, Junior Charles Cruse (pole vault),  Senior Devin Turner (long jump), and Senior Madison Saunders (triple jump) each entered the top-10 list for their events.

following a strong showing in California and Texas last weekend. On the west coast, the distance squad competed at the Bryan Clay Invitational hosted by Azusa Pacific. Across the three-day meet, Illinois State saw three student-athletes enter the top list for their respective events.

On Wednesday, Freshman Astrid Van Breedam ran the 10th fastest mark in program history with a time of 10:34.76 in the 3000m steeplechase. Van Breedam’s time also qualified her for the U20 European Athletics Championships in Finland this August.

Just a day later, Junior Maggie Reed moved to eighth in program history for the 5000m with a time of 16:49.83. On the men’s side, Junior Yusuf Baig also entered the top-10 list and to seventh all-time with a time of 14:02.20.

On Friday and the last day of the meet, in the women’s heats of the 1500m, Sophomore Grace Erb (4:30.40), Van Breedam (4:32.95), Sophomore Colleen Zeibert (4:33.19), and Reed (4:33.37) ran new personal best marks. Sophomore Kane Shields also recorded a career best in the men’s 1500m with a time of 3:48.49. 

In Waco, Texas, at the Michael Johnson Invitational hosted by Baylor, Senior Windsor Roberts recorded a season-best mark after clearing the bar at 3.87m (12-8.25) in pole vault. On the men’s side, Cruse tallied an eighth-place finish, clearing the bar at 5.07m (16-7.50).

Philadelphia, Pa. – (April 25, 2025) – The Fordham track & field team has been busy, as the Rams are at the 2025 Penn Relays this week.
 
Competition started on Thursday night, as Katarina Birimac took part in the College Women’s 10,000m Championship, placing third overall in a season-best time of 33:48.47.
 
Friday’s races for the Rams started with the College Distance Medley Relay.  Fordham’s women’s team of Megan McCann, Alexandra Williams, Brenna Sears, and Meredith Gotzman placed 19^th overall in 11:53.27, while the men’s group of Nathan Bezuneh, Sam Freeman, Ben Borchers, and Rodolfo Sanchez took second in 9:51.06.
 
Next up were the heats of the College men’s 4×100 relay, where the Rams’ contingent of Dakota Strain, Matthew Nurse, Liam Volz, and Njam Abdul-Latif finished 11^th in 41.46 seconds.
 
The Championship of America for the 4×200 relay was next with the women’s team of Dillyn Green , Kylie Ritz, Sara Labor, and Ileana Chlorou placing 19^th in 1:42.84.  In the men’s race, Fordham’s team of Strain, Volz, Nelson Lindsay, and Abdul-Latif broke the school record, running 1:26.23 to finish 12^th overall.  The previous mark was 1:26.7 set by Steve Sharpe, Ricky Jones, Michael Scott, and Wayne Seaton in 1989.
 
The final track event for the Rams was the College men’s 4×400 relay, where Fordham’s team of Kevin Callaghan, Lindsay, Nurse, and Freeman placed 11^th in 3:13.76.
 
The lone individual competing on Friday was James Alati in the men’s College Javelin Throw, placing 25^th with a mark of 159′ 9″.
 
The Rams conclude their stay at the Penn Relays on Saturday.
 

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — The No. 16-ranked University of Michigan water polo team opened the CWPA Championships with a decisive 20-10 win over St. Francis in the first round on Friday (April 25) evening at the Katherine Moran Coleman Aquatics Center.

Emma Gustafsson led the way for the Wolverines with a standout performance, scoring six goals and adding two assists to power the Michigan (18-10) offense. Ari Karampetsou recorded a hat trick of her own, while four additional Wolverines each tallied two goals: Issy Jackson, Kaia Levenfeld, Jillian Schlom, and Sophia Panossian.

U-M struck early in the first quarter, with Panossian scoring just 24 seconds into the game. After a quick response from St. Francis (13-17), Karampetsou scored her first of the night to put the Wolverines back in front, 2-1. Panossian added her second goal shortly after, and Karampetsou converted a penalty shot to make it 4-1. Although St. Francis responded with two more goals, Michigan closed the period with a power-play goal from Gustafsson to take a 5-3 lead after eight minutes.

In the second quarter, U-M continued to find success offensively. Jackson opened the frame with a goal, and both Schlom and Claire Eusey added to the tally as the Wolverines pushed a 8-5 lead. Gustafsson scored her second goal of the night in the final minute before halftime, sending Michigan into the break with a 9-6 advantage.

The Maize and Blue offense surged in the third quarter, outscoring St. Francis 6-3 in the frame. Jackson opened the quarter with her second goal of the game, and Gustafsson continued her strong performance by scoring three goals in the period. Karampetsou added her third goal of the game, and Maiken Pardon added another for U-M late in the quarter to stretch the lead to 15-9 heading into the final frame.

In the fourth, Michigan closed strong, scoring five goals while allowing just one. Schlom added her second goal early in the quarter, and Levenfeld followed with two goals to push the game out of reach. Gustafsson tallied her sixth and final goal with just over four minutes remaining, and Jordan Schneider scored Michigan’s 20th goal to wrap up the win.

With the win, the Maize and Blue will advance to face Harvard on Saturday (April 26) at 3 p.m. at the Katherine Moran Coleman Aquatics Center. The contest can be streamed on ESPN+.

[RESULTS] WATERVILLE, Maine – The 2025 North Atlantic Conference (NAC) Outdoor Track & Field Championship opened Friday afternoon at Colby College with the High Jump and Pole Vault events.

Husson junior Alexis Freeman highlighted the day by setting a new NAC Championship record in the Pole Vault, clearing 3.00 meters (9-10.00).

The remainder of the championship resumes Saturday at 11:20 AM at the Alfond Track on Colby’s campus.

Men’s High Jump:

VTSU-Johnson junior Eli Wilson captured the NAC title with a top mark of 1.93 meters (6-4.00), edging out UMaine-Farmington senior Ben Vachon and Thomas College freshman Jontreaz Hardy, who each cleared 1.90 meters (6-2.75).

Husson sophomore Mykal Roberson, UMPI freshman Jovain Barrett, and UMF freshman Owen Booker each recorded a 1.80 meter (5-10.75) effort, while Thomas sophomore Henry Phillips and UMPI junior Westley Dyer cleared 1.75 meters (5-9.00).

Men’s Pole Vault

UMaine-Farmington senior Seamus Reeve won the NAC title with a height of 3.35 meters (11-0.00), leading a strong UMF contingent. Freshman Owen Booker and senior Ben Vachon both cleared 3.20 meters (10-6.00), as did Thomas junior Miles Gadwah.

UMPI’s Alessandro Marroquin placed fifth with a 3.05-meter (10-0.00) effort while Thomas senior Jordan Brooke and Husson freshman Ian Cottrell tied at 2.90 meters (9-6.25). Thomas sophomore Henry Phillips capped the scoring with a 2.75-meter (9-0.25) clearance.

Women’s High Jump:

Thomas College sophomore Emma Burr claimed first in the Women’s High Jump, clearing 1.56 meters (5-1.50). She tied with Husson junior Nina Gregory, who placed second based on attempts. UMaine-Farmington senior Carrie Burr was third at 1.46 meters (4-9.50).

Three athletes cleared 1.36 meters (4-5.50): Thomas first-year Kara Anderson finished fourth, while UMF’s Kennedy Todd (JR) and Emma Syphers (FR) tied for fifth.

Women’s Pole Vault:

Husson junior Alexis Freeman set a NAC Championship record in the Pole Vault, clearing 3.00 meters (9-10.00) to top the field. The previous mark of 2.90 meters was set last spring by Thomas College’s Emma Burr, now a sophomore, who placed second this year with a 2.65-meter (8-8.25) performance.

UMF junior Erica Johnson and Thomas senior Julia Reny tied for third at 2.35 meters (7-8.50). Husson freshman Brianna Andrews placed fifth with a 2.20-meter (7-2.50) clearance, followed by UMF freshman Monica Lewis in sixth at the same height. Husson’s Nina Gregory and UMF’s Emma Syphers each cleared 1.90 meters (6-2.75).

 

The University of Minnesota Duluth track and field teams finished up a record-breaking couple of days at the 115th annual Drake Relays at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa. The Bulldog squads competed on both Thursday, April 24 and Friday, April 25 at the Drake Stadium. 

The first success story of the meet came from the women’s 4x800m relay team, who broke the school record in the event. They ran a 9:04.37 and placed second in the college division. The team consisted of Madeline Verkerke, Sierra Ingle, Ellie Hanowski, and Rachel Ulrich. 

Later in the evening, UMD graduate student Shaelyn Hostager went on to break a 13 year old school record that was also previously set at the Drake Relays. Shae ran a time of 34:56.62 in the women’s 10,000m. 

The final record to fall at the Relays came from the Bulldog men’s 4x400m team. The squad of Billy Auvin, Brock Unger, Alex Croston, and Brady Johnson finished in ninth place in the college division with a time of 3:14.55.

Tomorrow you can catch the UMD track and field teams at home for the Bulldog Open. The first event of the day will start at 12:00 p.m. and will be the men’s javelin throw. You can also follow along with the results here.

HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. – No. 3 Stanford captured its first-ever conference title on Friday, edging No. 5 USC 3-2 in the MPSF Championship match to win the league’s inaugural tournament at Spiker Beach in Huntington Beach, Calif.

The clinching point came from Stanford’s No. 3 pair, freshman Charlotta Bell and junior Kelly Belardi, who rallied for a come-from-behind win over USC’s Mabyn Thomas and Maya Gessner, 18-21, 21-13, 15-9. Their victory sealed the Cardinal’s historic first conference crown.

With the win, Stanford earned an automatic bid to the 2025 NCAA Championship, set for May 2–4 in Gulf Shores, Ala.

Now 31-8 on the season, the Cardinal is just one win shy of tying the program’s single-season victory record.

Stanford’s title run was fueled by four straight wins, including three against top-five teams. Throughout the 2025 season, the Cardinal has defeated 18 ranked opponents, 11 of them in the top 10.

The championship dual, played in two waves, opened with a dominant performance on court two. Freshman Avery Jackson and sophomore Brooke Rockwell delivered a 21-13, 21-16 victory, highlighted by Jackson’s six aces across two sets.

USC quickly responded on court four, where the Women of Troy handed Stanford’s Chloe Hoffman and Logan Tusher their first loss as a pair since March 14, winning 21-17, 21-14.

Stanford reclaimed the lead with a straight-set win on court one. Senior Taylor Wilson and sophomore Ruby Sorra earned their 18th win together by defeating USC’s Madison White and Zoey Hensen, 21-18, 21-15.

USC evened the match again on court five, where Daria Gusarova and Emmy Sharp fell 21-15, 21-17.

That set the stage for Bell and Belardi on court three—a role they’ve grown accustomed to. Just a day earlier, the duo had clinched the dual over USC with another three-set victory. Once again, they rose to the occasion, rebounding from a first-set loss to secure the MPSF title.

Stanford now turns its attention to the NCAA tournament, with the selection show airing Sunday at 10 a.m. PT on NCAA.com.