Nikolov joins his older brother Alex Nikolov as just the second player in AVCA history to win both the AVCA Newcomer of the Year and National Collegiate Player of the Year awards in the same season. Making the honor even more unique, the Nikolov brothers are the only sibling pair in AVCA history to win National Player of the Year.

Nikolov becomes the eighth Long Beach State Men’s Volleyball player to earn National Player of the Year honors as he is now part of an elite club that features Long Beach legends Brent Hilliard (1992), Tyler Hildebrand (2006), Paul Lotman (2008), Taylor Crabb (2013), TJ DeFalco (2017, 2019), Josh Tuaniga (2018), and Alex Nikolov (2022).

In a sensational rookie campaign, Nikolov has collected numerous honors and has broken several records. The 6-foot-10 setter out of Sofia, Bulgaria has totaled 97 aces this season to set the Long Beach State program and Big West single-season records. He is just three service aces shy of tying the NCAA single-season aces record. His 97 aces shattered the previous LBSU record set 17 years ago by Paul Lotman (60 in 2008) by nearly 40. In just one season, Nikolov ranks ninth in Long Beach State career records. Additionally, his 0.94 service aces per set leads the nation.

With what is believed to be the fastest recorded serve in NCAA history, Nikolov recorded a career-high eight aces to tie for second in the LBSU single-match record book. That mark is also a new Walter Pyramid single-match record and is good for seventh in the NCAA Record Book for service aces in a five-set match. Additionally, he has led the Beach to 227 aces this year as the 2025 team set a new program record by topping the 2008 squad that had 210 aces in a single-season.

This year, Nikolov has done an excellent job leading Long Beach State to a nation-leading .395 team hitting percentage, which currently ranks third all-time in the NCAA, coming in behind only the 2019 Hawaii squad (.435) and the 2019 LBSU team (.414).

Nikolov has contributed on all sides of the ball with 10.00 assists per set which is good for 14th in the nation and third in The Big West. He leads the Beach with 1.51 digs per set and ranks in the Top 10 in the conference. With 0.76 blocks per set, Nikolov is second on the team and 11th in The Big West. He also chips in on the offensive attack averaging 1.56 kills per set this year.

The AVCA National Collegiate Player of the Year award adds to his already impressive resume that includes AVCA Newcomer of the Year, AVCA All-America First Team, Big West Player of the Year, Big West Freshman of the Year, All-Big West First Team selection, and All-Big West Freshman Team. Earlier this season, Nikolov won The Big West Setter of the Week award three times and The Big West Freshman of the Week honor on seven separate occasions.

Winning the National Player of the Year award as a freshman puts Nikolov in elite company across NCAA Division I athletics. He now joins the short list of Kevin Durant (2007), Anthony Davis (2012), Johnny Manziel (2012), Jameis Winston (2013), Zion Williamson (2019), Paige Bueckers (2021), and Alex Nikolov (2022).

 

PITMAN, NJ — #5 Rowan captured three major awards by the New Jersey Athletic Conference in its year-end awards and All-Conference selections in men’s outdoor track & field as the Profs had 28 student-athletes earn honors.

Jason Agyemang was named the NJAC Thomas M. Gerrity Most Outstanding Athlete while Jamir Brown was chosen the NJAC Rookie of the Year. Head coach Dustin Dimit and his staff were honored with the Bill Fritz Coaching Staff of the Year by their peers.

All-NJAC honors were determined by finish at the recent NJAC Outdoor Track & Field Championship and major awards were voted on by the league’s nine head coaches.

Agyemang swept the hurdles over the weekend, hitting personal bests and NCAA Division III top-10 times in both the 110 and 400 hurdles events. He ran the second-fastest 110 hurdles time in NCAA Division III this season with a time of 13.74 seconds. That ranks as the third-fastest all-time in D3 history. Agyemang, who was a Week 6 NJAC Track Athlete of the Week, clocked in at of 52.69 seconds in the 400 hurdles to rank as the sixth-fastest in D3 this year.

Brown adds to the sweeps, taking home the outdoor Rookie of the Year honor to add to his indoor top rookie honor. The freshman hurdles sensation clocked a 13.60 in the 110 hurdles preliminary, setting a new NCAA D3 record, conference meet record, and Rowan program record. That time was also the best by a freshman among all NCAA divisions this year. He came in under the old NJAC championship meet record of 13.64 that stood for nearly 25 years, set by Glassboro State’s Garry Moore in 1981. In addition to his top D3 time in the 110 hurdles, he also currently owns the #11 time in the 400 hurdles.
 
Dimit and his staff are named the Bill Fritz Coaching Staff of the Year for the tenth consecutive season as he guided Rowan to its tenth straight outdoor title. The 2025 Profs garnered 10 event wins, nine second-place finishes, and 10 third-place finishes en route to 313 points, which included four podium sweeps. They guided two major award winners in Most Outstanding Athlete Jason Agyemang and Rookie of the Year Jamir Brown, coaching the duo to top all-time D3 times in the 110 hurdles.

Also claiming first-team honors were Joshua Cason (5000 meters), Matthew Conway (10,000 meters), Caleb Clevenger (3000 meter steeplechase), Jamile Gantt (High Jump), Tyler Raimondi (Pole Vault), and Damitrius Hester (Javelin). The 4×100 relay of Dominic George, Robert McKinney, Shamar Love, and Evan Corcoran and the 4×400 relay of Lowrentzky Ambroise, Nana Agyemang, Samael Milevoix, and Luke Halbruner also earned a first-team nod.

Second-team accolades went to Love (100 meters, 200 meters), N. Agyemang (Long Jump), James Coleman (400 meters), Miles Voenell (10,000 meters), Kwaku Nkrumah (110 meter hurdles), Arrington Rhym (High Jump), Max Owens (Pole Vault), and Josh Caudill (Shot)

McKinney (100 meters, 200 meters), Halbruner (400 meters), Cameron DiTroia (10,000 meters), Anaias Hughes (110 meter hurdles), Samuel Agbessi (400 meter hurdles), Noah Wampole (High Jump), Jason Tomaino (Pole Vault), Ian Bain (Discus), and Val Augustin (Decathlon) all scored spots on honorable mention list.

Here is a breakdown of the awards:
Agbessi – HM (400 meter hurdles)
J. Agyemang – 1st (110 meter hurdles), 1st (400 meter hurdles)
N. Agyemang – 1st (4×400 relay), 2nd (Long Jump)
Ambroise – 1st (4×400 relay)
Augustin – HM (Decathlon)
Bain – HM (Discus)
Cason – 1st (5000 meters)
Caudill – 2nd (Shot)
Clevenger – 1st (3000 meter steeplechase)
Coleman – 2nd (400 meters)
Conway – 1st (10,000 meters)
Corcoran – 1st (4×100 relay)
DiTroia – HM (10,000 meters)
Gantt – 1st (High Jump)
George – 1st (4×100 relay)
Halbruner – 1st (4×400 relay), HM (400 meters)
Hester – 1st (Javelin)
Hughes – HM (110 meter hurdles)
Love – 1st (4×100 relay), 2nd (100 meters), 2nd (200 meters)
McKinney – 1st (4×100 relay), HM (100 meters), HM (200 meters)
Milevoix – 1st (4×400 relay)
Nkrumah – 2nd (110 meter hurdles)
Owens – 2nd (Pole Vault)
Raimondi – 1st (Pole Vault)
Rhym – 2nd (High Jump)
Tomaino – HM (Pole Vault)
Voenell – 2nd (10,000 meters)
Wampole – HM (High Jump)

Rowan will head to the Widener Final Qualifier meet on Monday, May 12th before selections to the Division III Outdoor Championships, which get underway on May 22nd in Geneva, Ohio.

“I am incredibly proud of Georgi,” said Long Beach State Head Coach Alan Knipe. “He has done a great job in any role we have thrown his way and is an incredible teammate. He is very deliberate in his attention to detail in all areas of his life. This award showcases our program’s motto, ‘Expect greatness in every area of your life.’ A huge shout out goes to Sandra Shirley, the Director of the Bickerstaff Academic Center, and her amazing staff for all of their outstanding work with our student-athletes.”

Academically, Binev is a junior transfer from Long Beach City College carries a perfect 4.0 grade point average as a Kinesiology Exercise Science major at Long Beach State University.

Athletically, Binev is a sophomore outside hitter from Varna, Bulgaria. This season, the 6-foot-4 Binev has been an essential part of the top-ranked Beach’s success. The versatile Binev has come off the bench in 67 sets this season and has done an excellent job in every aspect of the game, specifically from the serving line where he has helped LBSU set a new single-season program record of 227 aces.

The Elite 90 award honors the exceptional achievements of student-athletes. This prestigious accolade is given to those who have not only excelled at a national championship level in their sport, but have also achieved the highest academic standards among their peers. The Elite 90 is proudly awarded to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative GPA at the finals site for each of the NCAA’s 90 championships.

Binev becomes the first Long Beach State Men’s Volleyball student-athlete to win the Elite 90 award and the second LBSU student-athlete in program history. He joins Former Long Beach State Beach Volleyball player Kobi Pekich who took home the award in 2017.

 

INDIANOLA, Iowa– The No. 21 Wartburg women’s track and field team is in first place at the American Rivers Conference outdoor track and field championships with 89 points after Friday’s events.
 
Team Standings:
1            Wartburg                        89
2            Loras                              56
3            Dubuque                        41
4            Central                           39
5            Nebraska Wesleyan      38
6            Simpson                        37
7            Luther                             8
8            Buena Vista                    3
9            Coe                                 1

 

Event Wins:

Heptathlon

1            Caitlin Benesh                           4286 points

4x800m

1            Wartburg                                      9:25.90 (H. Meyer, E. Johnson, H. Ramsey, I. Skay)

 

All-Conference Finishers:

3000m Steeplechase

2            Ellie Meyer                                   10:40.47

3            Maddie Merna                              11:16.43

10000m

2            Ava Vance                                    38:47.06

Heptathlon

3            Brooke Shafer                            4110 points    

High Jump

3            Grace Braden                             1.55m 5-01.00

Long Jump

3            Olivia Tollari                                5.49m 18-00.25

Discus

3            Abby Veld                                    44.63m 146-05

 

Qualified for Tomorrow’s Finals:

400m Hurdles

1            Sophia Stahle                             1:02.86

3            Ryann Decker                             1:03.54

4            Grace Braden                             1:05.97

400m

1            JoJo Tyynismaa                          56.15

7            Natalie Bork                                58.61

100m Hurdles

1            Grace Braden                             14.50

3            Ryann Decker                             15.13

5            Sophia Stahle                             15.39

8            Caitlin Benesh                            15.79

800m

2            Haley Meyer                              2:14.74

4            Nadia Bowden                           2:15.46

6            Hannah Ramsey                       2:17.76

200m

2            JoJo Tyynismaa                          24.73

7            Addison Parker                           25.38

100m

8            Addison Parker                            12.64

 

Notes:

• This is the ninth title in the 4x800m in program history
• This is the third title in the heptathlon in program history
• This is Benesh’s first career outdoor conference title
• At press time, Tyynismaa’s prelim 400m time stands 30^th on the TFRRS list for this season
• Benesh’s heptathlon score ranks sixth on the program’s top 10 list
• Shafer’s heptathlon score ranks eighth on the program’s top 10 list
• Merna’s 3000m steeplechase time ranks eighth on the program’s top 10 list

Up Next

Events resume at 10:00 a.m. tomorrow in Indianola.

 

Ottawa, KAN. – The Ottawa University bowling program is pleased to announce the signing of Brandon Hiestand for the 2025-26 season.

Hiestand is a native of Mount Clemons, Michigan, and is a transfer from Concordia University Ann Arbor. Hiestand averaged 173.91 in 21 games his freshman season for the Cardinals, and 178.02 in 41 games his sophomore season. Prior to Concordia Ann Arbor, Hiestand attended L’Anse Creuse North High School, where he was a member of the bowling team.

Hiestand is the son of Randy Hiestand and Kimberly Bojakowski, and is a history major.

We asked Fordham faculty and staff to reflect on their most memorable, meaningful moments from the past year. Their highlights remind us why our work matters, and why the Fordham community continues to inspire.

Forging Friendships That Will Last for Years to Come

“Students fuel us and inspire us,” said psychology professor and Associate Dean for Strategic Initiatives Rachel Annunziato, Ph.D. This year, one student, Steven Laureano, reminded her of this. Annunziato met him as a first-year when she was tapped to be a summer faculty advisor for this year’s graduating class, and “he stood out quickly as embodying what I love about our students; he was so kind, excited, grateful, and hard-working,” she said. Annunziato focused on creating a schedule that would fit his commute and his work in sales, and “I have watched him soar ever since,” she said. 

“He is now a well-known leader in the Commuter Student Association, a superstar psychology major, the recipient of our Davidson Scholarship, and a few weeks ago he called to tell me that he was accepted into Fordham’s Graduate School of Social Work, where his mom is also a student.” They may even graduate from GSS together.
“Students like Stephen are symbolic of the close connections that faculty form here—he’s one of those students that I know I’ll get to be in touch with for so many years to come,” she said. “It’s a gift to be at a place like this where those kinds of relationships are possible. I’ve been at Fordham for almost 15 years and you always get this joy, each and every year.”

Creating a Sense of Home in the Classroom 

Theology professor Leo Guardado, Ph.D., began his undergraduate Christian Mystical Texts class one morning in April by asking his students how they felt in this current moment. Students cried, he said; they shared what it’s like to feel unwanted by society. “What I thought would be a brief discussion turned into a class-length holy time and holy space for sharing our vulnerabilities, anxieties, and fears,” said Guardado, who received two Faculty of Arts and Science awards this year, the Humanities award and the James C. McGroddy award, in recognition of his excellence in teaching.

“It became clear to me as I listened to my students that one of the most critical tasks facing us is the communal and ongoing re-creation of a sense of home even amidst the ongoing threats and persecution that is tearing apart communities,” Guardado said. Inviting students to share their stories was a simple gesture, he said, that created a time for healing.

They tabled their discussion on the 16th century Spanish mystic, Teresa of Avila, for the next class, but “the conversation about the reality we are living through made spirituality even more relevant as a source of resistance to violence. We heal together, not alone.”

CCEL in Action in Albany

Each year for the past three years, the Center for Community Engaged Learning [CCEL] has participated in Albany’s annual SOMOS Conference, a statewide gathering of community leaders, elected officials, and changemakers dedicated to promoting justice, public service, and cultural celebration. This year Travis Proulx, vice president of external affairs, joined to participate in a panel discussion on the future of DEI in higher education.

The students who took part in the event made it truly memorable for Keisha Shay, Ph.D., director of academic development and administration in CCEL. They helped design a participatory installation called “Clima,” a handmade tree where visitors could hang their personal pledges and visions for a better climate future.

“Seeing our students engage with communities beyond the Bronx and Manhattan was truly meaningful,” said Shay. “It was a powerful reminder of what’s possible when education uplifts and empowers.”

A Defining Moment in Water Polo’s Winning Season

Before the Fordham men’s water polo team finished its greatest season ever, 32-1, and went further than any other Fordham team in the NCAA Championship, they had to defeat a rival they had only beaten once in the program’s history: Princeton.

“They’ve just been our thorn in our side that we’ve never been able to get past,” said Head Coach Brian Bacharach. But their Sept. 27 game—one of the highlights of Bacharach’s year—was different. “It was the first time in five years that we got them to come to our place to play, so we got a home game against them, and the night was just magical. We played amazing and the stands were packed. We never had so many people in our place before, so we had to open up seating down on the pool deck. We brought all the parents down, because there was not any room up in the stands.” After the win, hundreds of alumni were there to celebrate. “They knew how long it’s taken for us to finally get over the top against those guys. That was our first marquee win.”

Music Meets Mission 

As Director of Ignatian Mission Initiatives, Rob Parmach, Ph.D., organizes many opportunities to connect Fordham faculty, staff and students to the local communities around Lincoln Center and Rose Hill. Looking back on them all, a visit by the all-male a capella group, The Fordham Ramblers, to a local middle school, was the most memorable.

“This was for me a great example of seeing God in all things—you have 13 college adults who are talented musicians, but also college students who want to mentor and give a good life lesson to these middle school kids who are in sixth, seventh, and eighth grade. They teach them not only about how they put music together, identifying that it’s hard work and it requires a lot of patience and collaboration and teamwork, but also to recognize that through their music and through their soft skills, they’re becoming lifelong friends.”

Getting Everyone in the Room—and on the Field

University Secretary Dorothy Marinucci had a hard time picking just one standout moment from the past year. “January’s Mental Health and Crime Symposium was extremely well received, and I was very proud to have worked on it with my colleagues,” she said. She also spearheads the yearlong commencement planning that brings everyone from the Ram Van crew to facilities to public safety to faculty together for meetings.. “It’s a wonderful opportunity where we’re all in the room together and we go over every crazy thing and we all get to see each other. It’s not that often that we can do that.”

The return of Fordham’s Dagger John Day, which Marinucci and Kathy Law, office coordinator and event specialist in the Office of the University Secretary, helped bring back last June after the pandemic put it on hold, was another highlight of the past year. “We wanted to bring it back in a more engaging, fun way, and so we created a cornhole tournament and other games, and we opened up the football field snack bars to serve hamburgers and hot dogs. It was fun.”

This year, the celebration will move indoors to the air-conditioned Rose Hill Gym on Monday, June 2.