Sports
Battle for future of Razorbacks football begins Saturday
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — It wasn’t supposed to be the case, but because of a shuffle in the football practice schedule, one of the most exciting quarterback battles in a long time on the Arkansas campus is going to kick off Saturday. No, there is no threat to Taylen Green in the starting spot. Offensive coordinator […]


FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — It wasn’t supposed to be the case, but because of a shuffle in the football practice schedule, one of the most exciting quarterback battles in a long time on the Arkansas campus is going to kick off Saturday.
No, there is no threat to Taylen Green in the starting spot. Offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino would rather join those awkward Texas A&M administrators on stage doing those cult chants from a few days ago than willingly take the field without Green.
However, the future of the entire program begins to be determined with the first passes KJ Jackson and true freshman Madden Iamaleava throw in Saturday’s team scrimmage. It’s a full year battle that may not even be settled this time next year.
Right now Jackson is the veteran with the advantage of having a full year of the Petrino offense under his belt. On top of knowing the offense better, he has developed a reputation for being the guy who is going to take care of the ball and not make costly mistakes.
“It’s good competition in there, but I like KJ, and he’s made some good throws,” Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman said earlier this month. “Learning continues. [Jackson] continues to learn, but I think we’ll all feel really comfortable when he goes in the football game.”
Petrino can rest easy not only knowing Jackson is going to know the plays and his progressions, but that a drive isn’t going to suddenly be killed by trying to force a ball where it shouldn’t be thrown. That level of reliability is a big deal, especially coming off a season where most of Arkansas’ losses came because of turnovers as the worst possible time.
The only drawback for Jackson at the moment is his lack of actual game experience. With Malachi Singleton taking all the snaps last year when Green went down with injuries, Arkansas has no idea for sure how Jackson will handle himself under the pressure of live game action in the SEC.
While Jackson appears to have the back-up role locked down in the short team, Iamaleava has made a huge push for the No. 3 quarterback designation and well on his way to making a push of Jackson when it comes to who is going to be Green’s successor.
“But you’re right, right now [Iamaleava’s] gotten, not all, but most of the three reps,” Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman said. “So we’re trying to find — really right now KJ would be the two — and then we’re just trying to find out who that three is.”
He is the natural talent who just jumps off the screen when his tape runs. While he is a long way from knowing the offense, he has quickly built a reputation of instinctually finding the open man even if the progressions might have been wrong.
“You know, Madden’s a special talent now,” Petrino said earlier this week. “He can really get the ball out of his hands. He sees stuff and has a great, quick release. I know there’s times he drops back and he doesn’t know what the play is, but somebody pops open and he can stick it and put it right on their hands. The last guy that I coached that did that a lot as a true freshman was Lamar Jackson.”
His gifted arm talent and how quickly he has grown over the past few weeks in spring practices have given him the aura of a prodigy. There’s likely to be a wall that will pop up at certain points in full live action settings, but it’s difficult to picture him having missed an entire football season because he was ruled to be an ineligible transfer his final season of high school.
“You know where you don’t see anything but all of a sudden they throw a post for a touchdown and everyone’s going, ‘Damn, how did he see that?’” Petrino said. “‘That wasn’t even in his progression.’ Now we do need to get him to know the plays. There’s no question about that. But that ability is something that is hard to coach. And his vision is just something that’s really good.”
The last time Iamaleava officially touched the field, he threw for 3,626 yards and 43 touchdowns during his junior year. The following season he enrolled in Poly/Long Beach, a school he had attended before, but left after a semester to follow his brother Nico to Warren (a school in California not to be confused with the Lumberjacks in Arkansas).
When the state governing body ruled, his denial for transferring back to Poly with his sisters for his senior season was so harsh he was banned from playing there or anywhere else in California until Oct. 1, 2026. Still, without the final season of live work, he still possesses elite fundamentals.
“You’re not having to change anything in his footwork or his release,” Petrino said. “That makes it a lot easier coaching him, I can tell you that, because now it’s all about executing the offense and seeing things and knowing what’s going on. I think he has a chance to be a really special player.”
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Sports
Cal Poly’s Distance Runners Shine at Big West Meet
Cal Poly Track and Field tore it up over the weekend at the Big West Championships at Jack Rose Track in Long Beach. The Mustang men won their second straight Big West title, while the women placed second by just 1.5 points. Both teams combined for eight medals, matching their total from last year when […]

Cal Poly Track and Field tore it up over the weekend at the Big West Championships at Jack Rose Track in Long Beach.
The Mustang men won their second straight Big West title, while the women placed second by just 1.5 points. Both teams combined for eight medals, matching their total from last year when they swept the men’s and women’s titles.
Distances runners take men to victory
Coming into the Big West Championships, Cal Poly’s men were ranked the highest out of any squad in the conference according to the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association’s Track and Field Ratings Index.
The squad made sure not to disappoint, winning the Big West title with a score of 186 points.
Cal Poly’s distance team made waves at the meet, as two members captured victory in multiple events to help propel the men to a conference title.
Redshirt junior Aidan McCarthy played a large part in the win.
After being out with injury for last year’s conference championships, the indoor All-American continued his dominant 2025, earning titles in both the men’s 800 and 1500-meter dashes.
The Mustangs swept the top four finishes in the 1500, with junior Carson Smith, sophomore Chris Caudillo and senior Spencer Pickren taking the following three finishes, respectively.
McCarthy’s two victories not only marked a personal comeback but also set the tone for the other breakout performances from the distance squad.
Redshirt junior Michael Chambers also won two events, winning his first Big West titles in both the men’s 5000-meter and 3000-meter steeplechase.
The two athletes won all four events for the Mustang men.
Other standout performances are seniors Travis Martin and Colby Neron, who both placed second in the men’s hammer throw and javelin, respectively.
Mustang women come up just short of win
On the women’s side, Cal Poly came just over a point shy of capturing their second straight Big West title.
Junior Tatiana Cornejo captured victory in the women’s 1500-meter dash. The Elk Grove native took her second straight conference title in the event, following up last season where she won in both the 1500 and 800.
Fellow junior Lexi Evans also retained her title, earning the win in the pole vault with a leap of 14 feet.
The rest of the distance team continued it’s dominance over the weekend, with victories in the women’s 5,000 by redshirt senior Schuyler Gooley and the women’s 3,000 steeplechase by redshirt junior Isabel Sanchez.
The Cal Poly women totaled a score of 149, just behind UC Irvine with 150.5.
The Mustangs will now wait for the NCAA Preliminary qualifiers to be announced before preparing for the NCAA West Regionals on Wednesday, May 28.
Sports
UCU Athletes of the Week are Olukanni and Salazar
Story Links 2024-25 University Credit Union Athletes of The Week The University Credit Union Athletes of the Week are selected by the Athletic Communications staff. May 19, 2025 CESAR SALAZAR, MEN’S TRACK AND FIELD, SOPHOMORE, THROWS Cesar Salazar finished fourth in the men’s shot put event at The Big West Championships. His mark of 18.07m […]

2024-25 University Credit Union Athletes of The Week
The University Credit Union Athletes of the Week are selected by the Athletic Communications staff.
May 19, 2025
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CESAR SALAZAR, MEN’S TRACK AND FIELD, SOPHOMORE, THROWS
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FEYI OLUKANNI, WOMEN’S TRACK AND FIELD, JUNIOR, THROWS
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May 12, 2025
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J.C. ALLEN, BASEBALL, JUNIOR, THIRD BASE
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INDIA CALDWELL, SOFTBALL, SENIOR, RIGHT-HANDED PITCHER
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May 5, 2025
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ALLYSON ABANDONATO, WOMEN’S TRACK AND FIELD, JUNIOR, DISTANCE
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SPENCER SEID, BASEBALL, JUNIOR, LEFT-HANDED PITCHER
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April 28, 2025
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MICHAEL CROSSLAND, BASEBALL, SOPHOMORE, CENTER FIELD
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VARSITY EIGHT, WOMEN’S ROWING
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April 21, 2025
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ZARA WASSERMAN, SOFTBALL, SOPHOMORE, FIRST BASE
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COLTON LOMANTO, BASEBALL, REDSHIRT SENIOR, FIRST BASE
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April 14, 2025
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NATHAN TSENG, MEN’S GOLF, JUNIOR
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ELISE NISHIMURA, SOFTBALL, SOPHOMORE, SECOND BASE
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April 7, 2025
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KENDALL THOMAS, WOMEN’S WATER POLO, SENIOR, UTILITY
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ANTHONY CHERFAN, MEN’S VOLLEYBALL, SENIOR, OPPOSITE
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March 31, 2025
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SECOND VARSITY EIGHT+, MEN’S ROWING
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JULIA HAYNES, WOMEN’S TENNIS, GRAD STUDENT
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March 24, 2025
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FEYI OLUKANNI, WOMEN’S TRACK AND FIELD, JUNIOR, SHOT PUT
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KATHERINE KIM, WOMEN’S FENCING, FRESHMAN, FOIL
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March 17, 2025
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SUMAYAH SUGAPONG, WOMEN’S BASKETBALL, SOPHOMORE, GUARD
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ANIWANIWA TAIT-JONES, MEN’S BASKETBALL, SENIOR, GUARD/FORWARD
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March 10, 2025
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SUNNY SHARMA, MEN’S FENCING, JUNIOR, EPEE
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KATHERINE KIM, WOMEN’S FENCING, FRESHMAN, FOIL
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March 3, 2025
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SYLVANA NORTHROP, WOMEN’S TRACK AND FIELD, SENIOR, DISTANCE
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SPENCER SEID, BASEBALL, JUNIOR, LEFT-HANDED PITCHER
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February 24, 2025
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ALEX LEOPARD, BASEBALL, JUNIOR, OUTFIELDER
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CAROLINE CHRISTL, WOMEN’S WATER POLO, SENIOR, UTILITY
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February 17, 2025
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ASIA KOZAN, WOMEN’S SWIM, SOPHOMORE, MEDLEY
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HAYDEN GRAY, MEN’S BASKETBALL, SENIOR, GUARD
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February 10, 2025
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ANIWANIWA TAIT-JONES, MEN’S BASKETBALL, SENIOR, GUARD/FORWARD
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KELLY LEUNG, WOMEN’S TENNIS, SENIOR
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February 3, 2025
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CAROLINE CHRISTL, WOMEN’S WATER POLO, SENIOR, UTILITY
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SUNNY SHARMA, MEN’S FENCING, JUNIOR, EPEE
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January 27, 2025
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BEKZHAN YESSENGELDY, MEN’S SWIM, FRESHMAN, MEDLEY
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EVA BOEHKE, WOMEN’S SWIM, SOPHOMORE, MEDLEY
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January 20, 2025
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SABRINA MA, WOMEN’S BASKETBALL, JUNIOR, GUARD
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ANIWANIWA TAIT-JONES, MEN’S BASKETBALL, SENIOR, GUARD/FORWARD
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January 13, 2025
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BRYCE DVORAK, MEN’S VOLLEYBALL, GRADUATE STUDENT, SETTER
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SUMAYAH SUGAPONG, WOMEN’S BASKETBALL, SOPHOMORE, GUARD
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January 6, 2025
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KATHERINE KIM, WOMEN’S FENCING, FRESHMAN, FOIL
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ANIWANIWA TAIT-JONES, MEN’S BASKETBALL, SENIOR, GUARD/FORWARD
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December 30, 2024
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NORDIN KAPIC, MEN’S BASKETBALL, JUNIOR, FORWARD
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KAYANNA SPRIGGS, WOMEN’S BASKETBALL, SENIOR, FORWARD
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December 23, 2024
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KAYANNA SPRIGGS, WOMEN’S BASKETBALL, SENIOR, FORWARD
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TYLER MCGHIE, MEN’S BASKETBALL, SENIOR, GUARD/FORWARD
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December 16, 2024
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ANIWANIWA TAIT-JONES, MEN’S BASKETBALL, SENIOR, GUARD/FORWARD
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DAMILOLA SULE, WOMEN’S BASKETBALL, SENIOR, FORWARD
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December 9, 2024
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GRACIE GALLEGOS, WOMEN’S BASKETBALL, REDSHIRT SOPHOMORE, GUARD
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NORDIN KAPIC, MEN’S BASKETBALL, JUNIOR, FORWARD
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December 2, 2024
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JUSTIN ROCHELIN, MEN’S BASKETBALL, JUNIOR, FORWARD
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KYLIE PRIES, WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL, GRADUATE STUDENT, OUTSIDE HITTER
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November 25, 2024
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AVA McINNES, WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL, SENIOR, OUTSIDE HITTER In Saturday’s regular season finale, McInnes recorded a match-high 15 kills to help the Tritons clinch their first ever berth to the Big West Championship. She hit .483 against Cal State Bakersfield with just one error in 29 swings and finished with 17 points on her senior night. For the week, McInnes averaged 4.33 points, 3.50 kills, 1.83 digs and 1.00 block per set. She now holds the program’s career kills record (1,531), the single match kills record (31) and the second place spot in single season kills (469).
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TYLER McGHIE, MEN’S BASKETBALL, SENIOR, GUARD/FORWARD
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November 18, 2024
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ANTE BUZOV, MEN’S WATER POLO, SENIOR, UTILITY
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MADISON O’CONNELL, WOMEN’S SWIM, FRESHMAN, MEDLEY
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November 11, 2024
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AVA McINNES, WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL, SENIOR, OUTSIDE HITTER
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TYLER McGHIE, MEN’S BASKETBALL, SENIOR, GUARD/FORWARD
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November 4, 2024
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SUNNY SHARMA, FENCING, JUNIOR, EPEE
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SYLVANA NORTHROP, WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY, SENIOR
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October 28, 2024
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ASIA KOZAN, WOMEN’S SWIM, SOPHOMORE, FREE/MEDLEY
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LUCAS ROMAGUERA, MEN’S WATER POLO, SENIOR, ATTACKER
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October 21, 2024
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FELIPE FERREIRA, MEN’S WATER POLO, SENIOR, ATTACKER
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SYLVANA NORTHROP, WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY, SENIOR
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October 14, 2024
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LANDON AKERSTROM, MEN’S WATER POLO, SOPHOMORE, ATTACKER
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AVA McINNES, WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL, SENIOR, OUTSIDE HITTER
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October 7, 2024
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JULIA HAYNES, WOMEN’S TENNIS, GRAD STUDENT
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MAX CARVALHO, MEN’S SOCCER, SENIOR, FORWARD
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September 30, 2024
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BENNETT AXLINE, MEN’S WATER POLO, JUNIOR, UTILITY
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AUDREY HOLLIS, WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL, FRESHMAN, SETTER/OPPOSITE
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September 16, 2024
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RAQUEL KALPAKOFF, WOMEN’S SOCCER, SENIOR, FORWARD
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JACOB LEVY, MEN’S FENCING, JUNIOR, FOIL
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September 9, 2024
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LOGAN ESTES, MEN’S WATER POLO, SR., GK
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JASMINE SARAN, WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL, JR., MIDDLE BLOCKER
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September 2, 2024
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SYLVANA NORTHROP, WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY, SR., 5K
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ZENO CASTIGLIONI, MEN’S CROSS COUNTRY, SR., 8K
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August 26, 2024
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COURTNEY HILLIARD, WOMEN’S SOCCER, SR., FORWARD
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NOLAN PREMACK, MEN’S SOCCER, SR., GOALKEEPER
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Sports
Five From Outdoor Track & Field Qualify For NCAA Championship
Story Links BRUNSWICK, Maine – Five members of the Bowdoin College outdoor track & field team have qualified for the NCAA Division III Championships from May 22-24 at the SPIRE Institute in Geneva, Ohio. Adepoju Arogundade, Mardy Novak, Oliver Brandes, Ian Stebbins, and Kennedy Kirkland will all represent […]

BRUNSWICK, Maine – Five members of the Bowdoin College outdoor track & field team have qualified for the NCAA Division III Championships from May 22-24 at the SPIRE Institute in Geneva, Ohio.
Adepoju Arogundade, Mardy Novak, Oliver Brandes, Ian Stebbins, and Kennedy Kirkland will all represent the Polar Bears in Ohio.
Kennedy Kirkland is the top seeded athlete in the women’s long jump thanks to a 6.28m distance at the Wesleyan Invitational on March 22. The women’s long jump prelims and finals are scheduled for 5:30 p.m. on Thursday evening.
Ian Stebbins will enter nationals as the sixth-seeded men’s pole vaulter. Stebbins cleared a height of 5.05 meters at the New England Division III Championships on May 2. The men’s pole vault is scheduled for noon on Saturday.
Oliver Brandes qualified for the men’s 800m race as the eighth seed thanks to a season-best performance of 1:49.63 at the MIT Final Qualifier on May 15. The prelims of the men’s 800 will be held on Friday at 4:00 p.m. with the finals slated for 2:50 p.m. on Saturday.
Mardy Novak earned a trip to nationals to compete in the women’s javelin with a throw of 41.93 meters at the NESCAC Championship on April 26. Novak is seeded 12th in the competition, which will be held at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday afternoon.
Adepoju Arogundade will compete in the men’s 400 meter hurdles at the championship after a season-best time of 52.41 at the F.I.R.E. Meet hosted by Williams on May 9. The preliminaries of the 400 meter hurdles will be held at 6:10 p.m. Thursday evening with the finals set for 3:15 p.m. on Saturday.
Complete championship information can be found at the Championship Home Page, with live results available throughout the week here.
Sports
George Padjen resigns as Indy Ignite volleyball coach
Meet the co-founders of the Indy Ignite Co-founders of the Indy Ignite Don Hutchinson and Jim Schumacher talk about operations, their backgrounds in volleyball and starting the franchise. The Indy Ignite are looking for a new coach after their first season. The Pro Volleyball Federation team announced Monday that George Padjen resigned after a season […]
Meet the co-founders of the Indy Ignite
Co-founders of the Indy Ignite Don Hutchinson and Jim Schumacher talk about operations, their backgrounds in volleyball and starting the franchise.
The Indy Ignite are looking for a new coach after their first season.
The Pro Volleyball Federation team announced Monday that George Padjen resigned after a season that resulted in a runner-up league finish in the playoffs. The Ignite were 13-15, fourth, in the regular season.
“It’s been an unforgettable inaugural season with the Indy Ignite, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to be a part of such a special community here in Fishers and Indianapolis,” Padjen said in a team release. “While I have loved coaching in Indy, it’s time for me to spend more time with my family.”
Mary Kay Huse, Ignite president and general manager, said the team will search for a coach immediately.
Sports
ARC Beach Volleyball makes Big 8 Conference history – The American River Current
The American River College beach volleyball team competed at the NorCal Pairs Championships at Cosumnes River College on May 2 and 3. The Beavers finished the regular season 18-6, 12-2 in conference, and got second in the Big 8 Conference behind Sierra College. ARC sent all five pairs to the NorCal championships; this is the […]

The American River College beach volleyball team competed at the NorCal Pairs Championships at Cosumnes River College on May 2 and 3. The Beavers finished the regular season 18-6, 12-2 in conference, and got second in the Big 8 Conference behind Sierra College.
ARC sent all five pairs to the NorCal championships; this is the first time in program history that all five pairs have been sent to NorCal’s.
The tournament got started with Gwendolyn Hanson and Mallory Kuehl going down 21-17 in two straight sets to Maya Cann and Chloe Albiez from Feather River College.
This was the start to a rough day for ARC, four out of the five pairs were eliminated from championship contention in the first round. Samantha Chavez and Sadie White were the only pair from ARC to get the job done in the first round after getting the better of Emma Landaverde and Rachel Sanchez from West Valley College in three sets.
Chavez and White would go on to lose to Cann and Albiez from FRC in three sets, in the second round of the tournament.
Lillie Miranda and Maya Mischuck were the last pair from ARC to play in the first round, the pair lost to the number four seed from Fresno City College Phoebe Constable and Lusa Andrews, who would go on to become the eventual NorCal Pairs Champion, and would later advance to the Championship game at the California Community College Athletics Association State Championship in Long Beach.
Despite the second-round loss, Chavez and White would go on to win the constellation bracket for the 13th seed, qualifying them for the CCCAA State Championship.
“You kind of have to have a certain amount of resilience, especially when you go through the losers bracket, which is what Sam and Sadie had to do in order to qualify,” said ARC Beach Volleyball Head Coach Carson Lowden following the NorCal pairs Championships.
The State Championship was hosted at Long Beach City College on May 8-10. Chavez and White were unable to advance out of the Pool Stages where they finished pool play with a record of 0-3, including a loss to eventual State Champion Annah Legaspi and Nicole Lankton from Santa Monica College.
This was only the third season of Beach Volleyball for ARC, but they are already proving to be a strong competitor.
“Even though we are less experienced than some of these other programs, I think what it showcases is the depth and the quality of our volleyball program as a whole,” Lowden said.
ARC will look to build on this season of beach into a fresh start for indoor and beach next school year.
Sports
Kyle Pifer named Western Carolina Director of Athletics
Story Links Link to Tuesday’s Introductory Press Conference Release on WCU.edu Cullowhee, N.C. – Western Carolina University Chancellor Kelli R. Brown announced today, Monday, May 19, the selection of Kyle Pifer to serve as the director of athletics following approval […]

Cullowhee, N.C. – Western Carolina University Chancellor Kelli R. Brown announced today, Monday, May 19, the selection of Kyle Pifer to serve as the director of athletics following approval of his contract by the university’s Board of Trustees during a special-called meeting earlier in the day.
Pifer (pronounced PIE-furr) has served as the deputy athletics director and chief operating officer for WCU Athletics since November 2020 and, most recently, as the interim director of athletics following the departure of Alex Gary.
The appointment, effective immediately, follows a national search conducted by a 13-member committee, chaired by WCU Provost Richard Starnes. The North Carolina-based executive search consulting firm CSA assisted the search committee.
A formal introduction and campus reception is set for 10 a.m. on Tuesday, May 20, in the Hospitality Room of the Ramsey Regional Activity Center. The press conference will be streamed live through both WCU’s and the Catamount Athletics YouTube channels.

Pifer has served as a WCU Athletics senior staff member and second in command within the department for the past four years, managing all internal functions for the Catamounts, including budget and finance, capital projects, sport administration, event and facility operations, and human resources.
A skilled administrator, Pifer has spent the past 23 years of his professional career working in higher education and intercollegiate athletics. He served previously as the senior associate athletics director for compliance at Oregon State in Corvallis, Oregon, from 2013 until 2020, when he came to Cullowhee. He also held an associate athletic director position at the University of Washington in Seattle from 2009 until 2013 and worked in NCAA compliance positions at Oregon State and Gonzaga.
Pifer’s professional experience in major collegiate athletic conferences, such as the Pac-12, combined with his strong relationships on campus, in the community, with regional leaders, and within the Southern Conference, make him a good fit to lead the Catamount athletics program.
“After a comprehensive national search for WCU’s next Director of Athletics, I’m incredibly pleased that the best candidate was already a member of our Catamount family. Mr. Kyle Pifer is an outstanding choice to lead Catamount Nation into its next era,” said Brown. “In the short amount of time that Kyle has served as interim AD, he has distinguished himself as a collaborative and strategic university leader with a commanding grasp of the landscape of intercollegiate athletics. Catamount Athletics is in good hands with Kyle at the helm, and I am confident and excited about the future for our amazing student-athletes.”
Over the last four years in Cullowhee, Pifer has spearheaded the formation of the sport administrator committee and the student-athlete well-being committee, both aimed at the better management of the teams and to evaluate the student-athlete experience at Western Carolina. He has also served on numerous campus committees, including the institutional planning, well-being, health and safety, and emergency crisis management teams.
Pifer began his professional career as an NCAA compliance officer in 2003 at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington. In 2007, Pifer departed for the first of his two stints at Oregon State, beginning as an assistant director of compliance. He then took on the role of the director of compliance at the University of Washington in Seattle, advancing rapidly and earning four promotions in under five years, working his way to an associate athletics director position. He was a member of the UW Athletics department senior staff.
As the senior associate athletics director for compliance at Oregon State, Pifer has experience within on-campus and department operations, including a wealth of knowledge on NCAA compliance within the changing landscape of intercollegiate athletics. As a part of the OSU athletics executive staff, he was the sport supervisor for the Beavers’ men’s golf and the women’s cross country/track and field teams. He was also particularly influential in the development of the Oregon State track and field program, rekindling the program after a nearly 20-year hiatus from the sport sponsorship.
During his eight-plus years at OSU, concluding as the senior compliance administrator, Pifer served on a variety of campus committees, including the Enrollment Management Leadership Team, the High Incident and Event Group, and the Criminal History Attendance and Participation Committee.
A native of Frankfort, Indiana, Pifer is a former intercollegiate student-athlete at Francis Marion University, where he was a four-year track and field letter winner and earned academic all-district honors. He possesses a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Francis Marion where he was a member of the Francis Marion Honor Society and graduated summa cum laude in 1999. He earned his master’s degree in sport and athletic administration from Gonzaga in 2021.
Pifer and his wife, Sydney, have three daughters: Reese, Delaney, and Ellis.
Pifer was selected from an exceptionally competitive and well-qualified pool of candidates. The search committee identified three finalists who participated in on-campus interviews in Cullowhee.
“Kyle Pifer has the experience, vision, and energy to build on the great momentum Catamount athletics has experienced in recent years to take us to the next level,” Starnes said. “He is deeply committed to the success of our student-athletes in competition, in the classroom, and their lives after graduation.”
Brown appointed the search committee in March and set an ambitious and accelerated timetable to find a permanent successor for Gary, who served as WCU’s athletics director from February 2020 until March 2025.

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