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Bay State Conference dominates the sport in 2025 – Boston Herald

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Consider what’s characterized much of the last few years in boys volleyball.

Needham’s dynasty. Westfield’s dynasty. Western Mass.’ surge. Wayland’s surge. A loaded Bay State Conference. New leagues showcasing success. A whole lot of parity.

Those fingerprints were all over this spring, too. And yet, this season reached a rare, historic level to admire.

Brookline’s junior setter Alec Smagula spoke confidently about the heights his Warriors could reach when he was just a freshman, declaring them underrated all the way through a Cinderella run to the Div. 1 Final Four in 2023. Two years later, senior outside hitter Kris Vaivars set the program’s all-time kills record as arguably the state’s top player, pairing with Smagula’s mastery as a do-it-all setter to anchor Brookline’s emotional run to its first Div. 1 state title since 1992.

Star power, depth and versatility were the bones of a sparkling, 23-1 year. But the program’s passion – shown through its contagious energy all the way down the bench – was the heart in a rare year for Brookline.

Needham may not have won another state title, but the dynasty is alive and well in perhaps one of its more impressive runs. The Rockets had a very new rotation this year, and a much different look from the star power that fueled its unbeaten three-peat from 2021 to 2023. But defensive tenacity improved throughout the year, rising to its pinnacle to upset Natick in the state semifinals for a fifth straight appearance in the Div. 1 state final.

By all measures, the Bay State Conference has been formidable for years. Between Brookline, Newton North and Needham, it’s had representatives win each of the last five Div. 1 state finals. Though, never in the power rankings era – or possibly ever – had any conference claimed all four spots in one Final Four in any MIAA sport. Brookline, Needham, Natick and Newton North changed that.

The latter two were right in the mix as worthy potential champions themselves, and all four were dominant over the rest of the division. The lone exception was Lexington, who proved tough in one of the program’s best years with a personal record 17-game win streak.

Regardless, what the BSC’s power-four produced was rare. Almost as rare was how tight much of the rest of the field played out.

Last year’s parity had us on our toes with how the whole tournament would unfold, only for it to follow the chalk up until No. 2 Newton North beat No. 1 Needham in the state final. But this year, the first round alone produced more upsets than each of the previous three whole tournaments combined.

Barnstable felt a massive emotional lift with a win over New Bedford in the regular season. Taunton got the same when it split with Milford to share the brand-new Hockomock League title. Both went from needing preliminary-round wins to upsetting their way to the state quarterfinals as the 26th and 27th seeds – the two lowest seeds to reach that far in the sport. And beside them, Milford, Weymouth and St. John’s of Shrewsbury also shook off their sub-20 seeding to advance at least once in an all-time showing of parity.

Part of such a wild tournament stemmed from a level playing field. The major driver, though, was the first year the MIAA’s power rankings system seemed to miss the mark – which had been spot on in the other three tournaments.

That didn’t carry over to Div. 2, which saw all eight of its top seeds reach the state quarterfinals.

Wayland was hungry all year to avenge its reverse-sweep loss in the 2024 state finals to Westfield. Premier outside hitter Finn Bell anchored an otherwise deep group to reach the title game for the second straight year – exorcising the Warriors’ demons by beating the Bombers in the state semifinals. Yet, powers out of Western Mass. once again forced Wayland one win shy of the program’s first title.

Top-ranked Agawam looked like a wagon all year, only losing once; when star setter David Dzhenzherukha missed a regular season game against Chicopee Comprehensive. Otherwise, a deep crew of standout pins surrounded Dzhenzherukha for one of the state’s top attacks, and its defense shined in the final to secure its second state title in three years.

Afterward, head coach Kevin Pender had much to say about the strength of Western Mass., and the pride that comes with the growth the area has shown.

By taking the title, Agawam and Westfield have traded Div. 2 state championships over the four years since the sport expanded to two divisions. West Springfield rose up to nearly knock off the Brownies in the state semifinals, and six of those top-eight teams to reach the state quarterfinals hail from the region.

Five teams from the West had reached the stage in 2024, and only three did in 2023



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Men’s Track and Field Opens Season at Suffolk with Several Strong Performances

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December 7, 2025

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BOSTON, Mass. – The Bentley men’s track and field team began the 2025-26 indoor season at the Suffolk Relays on Saturday and had several strong performances.

Sophomore Michael Eddy won the one mile with a time of 4:32.97 which was almost three seconds better than the second place runner.

Senior Ryan Orr was second in the 800 at 1:56.07. Bentley had three runners in the top-five with William Reiser fourth and Anthony Cronin fifth.

The long distance races saw two Bentley runners have top-three finishes. Steven D’Alessandro was second in the 5000 (15:04.94) and Jeff Warnock was third in the 3000 (9:27.24).

In the field events, Donald Dumont was second in the long jump.

 



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Head Volleyball Coach in Hays, KS for Fort Hays State University

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5 minutes ago

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December 7, 2025

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Details

Posted: 07-Dec-25

Location: Hays, Kansas

Type: Full-time

Categories:

Coaching

Coaching – Volleyball

Sector:

Collegiate Sports

Required Education:

4 Year Degree

Organize, develop, recruit and administer all functions of a D-II Women’s Volleyball program funded for national success.


Volleyball staff includes additional positions for a Full-time Assistant (w/ benefits) and Graduate Assistant.


Fundamental duties include, but are not limited to, coaching, recruitment of student-athletes, commitment to academic and athletic success of student-athletes, as well as student-athlete development, budget and scholarship management, and supervision of support staff. The Head Coach will manage day-to-day team operations, practice/game preparation, and team travel. This position collaborates with intercollegiate athletics staff members, Sports Medicine, academic support, compliance, and institutional partners. The Head Coach must appropriately represent the team, department, and University in public and media appearances. This position reports directly to the Director of Athletics.

  1. Provides leadership, organization, and supervision for all aspects of the women’s volleyball program.
  2. Supervises student-athletes during practices and games, observing and evaluating performance and demonstrating proper techniques.
  3. Hire, supervise, evaluate, and mentor full-time, graduate assistant, and student staff.
  4. Supports and monitors the academic performance of student-athletes in conjunction with the compliance and academic support staff.
  5. Design and implement the overall program recruiting strategy – identification, evaluation, recruitment, and retention of prospective student-athletes. 
  6. Direct oversight and management of the program’s finances and administration of athletic scholarships.
  7. Manages the women’s volleyball program within the parameters of the approved operating budget.
  8. Develops and engages in impactful fundraising activities in conjunction with the Athletics’ External Relations staff as needed.
  9. Represents the university and women’s volleyball program at professional meetings, alumni events, University Foundation events, and other events as necessary.
  10. Enhances the student-athlete experience through team expectations, personal development, and opportunities, such as but not limited to community service, team building, leadership development, etc.
  11. Assists in directing or directs camps and clinics.
  12.  Responsible for scheduling of non-conference competitions and practices, team and recruiting travel arrangements, preseason arrangements, and student-athlete meetings.
  13. Attends and participates in scheduled compliance seminars and complies with all  Athletic Department efforts to monitor compliance with NCAA regulations.
  14. Responsible for compliance with NCAA, MIAA, and institutional rules and regulations, ensuring program compliance.  
  15. Active member of the FHSU Athletic Department and University.
  16. Performs other duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS
Relevant, successful coaching experience, preferably at the collegiate level.  Proven ability to teach sport-specific skills and develop successful competitive strategies. Strong communication skills (written and oral), a high level of organization, and attention to detail required.  Public relations skills.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE
Bachelor’s degree in a related field.  Relevant, successful coaching experience is required.  Master’s degree preferred.

https://ncaamarket.ncaa.org/jobs/21888746/head-volleyball-coach



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Men’s track and field wins four events at M City Classic to start indoor season

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December 7, 2025

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MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – The St. Olaf College men’s track and field team had four first-place finishes at the season-opening M City Classic on Friday and Saturday at the University of Minnesota Fieldhouse.

Senior Lance Nemecek, sophomore Jackson Bullock, and senior Kevin Turlington won individual events on the track for St. Olaf, which also had a first-place performance in the 4×400-meter relay. The Oles put recorded five performances that ranked on their all-time top-10 performers’ list at the first indoor meet of the season.

Nemecek, senior Cullen Moore, first year Paxon Myers, and junior Christian Fells all ran top-12 times in NCAA Division III this season in the 800-meter run to post the four fastest times of the day. Nemecek won the event in 1:54.02, followed closely by Moore in 1:54.16, which rank second and third in the country and third and fourth, respectively, on the Oles’ all-time list. Myers edged Fells at the line by one one-hundredth of a second in 1:55.73, as the pair posted the No. 10 and No. 11 times nationally.

Nemecek, Moore, and Myers were joined by sophomore Austin McInturff on the winning 4×400-meter relay, which compiled a time of 3:21.77 to rank second on St. Olaf’s all-time list. That time is just seven one-hundredths of a second off the program record set in 2016 and ranks fifth in the country.

St. Olaf logged the top-three times of the meet in the one-mile run, led by Bullock’s first-place time of 4:23.01. Senior Eli Doran (4:23.04) and junior Alex Bjork (4:23.37) were within half a second of Bullock, with all three Oles posting top-20 times in NCAA Division III to date.

Senior Kevin Turlington added a win in the 5,000-meter run with the fifth-fastest time in NCAA Division III (14:35.39). Fellow senior Gael Manzur Strandlund was third in 15:19.86 as well.

Sophomore Cristian Escobar Pearson bettered his No. 2 time on St. Olaf’s all-time list in the 60-meter dash in both the prelims (7.07) and finals (7.05) to finish eighth in the event. Junior Jesse Olson recorded the No. 8 score on the Oles’ list in the heptathlon (4,153) by registering four personal-bests in the seven-event, two-day competition to take fourth. Olson’s highest finish came in the high jump, where he placed third after clearing 182 meters (5′ 11 ½”).

St. Olaf will be back in 2026 at the Ole Opener at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 17 at Tostrud Center.

 



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Minnesota advances to Sweet 16 in NCAA volleyball tournament

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December 7, 2025

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Minnesota volleyball is in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2022, and they now have a chance to reach the Elite Eight for the first time since 2021.

After sweeping Fairfield University 3-0 in the first round of the tourney on Friday night at Maturi Pavilion in Minneapolis, the Gophers dominated Iowa State in a sweep Saturday night to advance to the Sweet 16.

The Gophers took the first set 25-22 before securing the second set 25-21. They crushed the Cyclones 25-14 in the third set to roll into the regional semifinal, where they will face No. 1 Pittsburgh on Thursday for a chance to reach the regional final, which would come with a spot in the Final Four on the line.

The Gophers were seeded fourth in their region, while Iowa State was the No. 5 seed.

Minnesota finished the regular season 22-9 and ranked No. 17 in the AVCA poll. Pittsburgh is ranked No. 4 in the nation, sporting a 28-4 record.

The Minnesota-Pitt regional semifinal will happen at 6 p.m. CT Thursday, and the Panthers will be hosting the match at the Petersen Events Center in Pittsburgh.

The match will be televised on ESPN2.



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Walker’s Record Highlights Indoor Season Opener

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December 7, 2025

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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Sha’Nard Walker set an event record in the 300m to highlight the start of indoor season, Saturday at the Birmingham Indoor Icebreaker at the Birmingham Crossplex.

Walker finished first in the 300m with an event-record 33.56, followed by Jancent Wallace who placed fifth with a 34.07.

In the 400m, Jonathan Gaines finished fifth with a time of 49.52 to lead the Cats, while Dashawn Buist grabbed a top-fiver finish in the 800m with a fourth-place 1:58.05.

For the jumpes, Michael Carter’s 7.27m earned him second in the long jump – he also took home fifth in the triple jump at 14.56m.

On the women’s side Betina Jean took two top-10 finishes -eighth in the 200m with a 25.13 and seventh in the 400m at 58.23.

As for jumps, Darryn Hough finished fifth with a 1.55m in the high jump, while Ay’Keelah Green finished fourth in the long jump with a 5.84m. LaNeeya Garrison finished thrid in the triple jump with an 11.81m.

Kasie Ugeh picked up where she left off a season ago with a fourth-place finish in the shot put at 13.19m.

The full list of B-CU times and finishes is listed below:

Men’s 200m

29. Jemari Sanders    22.98

Men’s 300m

1. Sha’Nard Walker    33.56

5. Jancent Wallace    34.07

10. Ethan Sharpe    35.04

Men’s 400m

5. Jonathan Gaines    49.52

9. Donavan Walker-Collins    49.99

16. Makhii Fleming    50.65

Men’s 800m

4. Dashawn Buist    1:58.05

8. Andre Swewl    20:01.42

Men’s Mile

17. Jalen Jackson    4:43.55

Men’s 3000m

35. Gerrard Griffin    9:32.40

41. Dashon Gill    9:53.49

Men’s High Jump

9. Ashton Matthews    1.95m

Men’s Pole Vault

15. Jabari Armant    4.00m

Men’s Long Jump

2. Michael Carter    7.27m

11. Amarrion Grant    6.84m

17. Bari Willimas    6.53m

Men’s Triple Jump

5. Michael Carter    14.56m

7. Farai Mhende    14.48m

Men’s Shot Put

9. William Rothmiller    14.62m

19. Tyler Washing    12.96m

Men’s Weight Throw

10. Anton Holland    15.64m

Women’s 200m

8. Betina Jean    25.13

18. Haely Grant    25.62

19. Quiaundra Brown    25.69

23. Mariana Morillo    25.76

Women’s 300m

10. Zion Harvey    40.84

11. Amani Jones    40.92

Women’s 400m

7. Betina Jean    58.21

9. Haely Grant    59.10

18. Kavay Johnson    1:01.04

Women’s 1000m

18. Morgan Middleton    3:14.02

Women’s 3000m

14. Valencia Butler    11:20.82

23. Shelvany Goin    12:19.12

Women’s High Jump

5. Darryn Hough    1.55m

10. Selena Rutland    1.50m

21. Soukaina Davis    1.50m

Women’s Long Jump

4. Ay’Keelah Green    5.84m

10. Zion Harvey    5.55m

36. Darryn Hough    4.90m

Women’s Triple Jump

3. LaNeeya Garrison    11.81m

5. Selena Rutland    11.74m

Women’s Shot Put

4. Kasie Ugeh    13.19m

25. Raziyah Ware    10.63m

Women’s Weight Throw

29. Raziyah Ware    10.13m

Follow Bethune-Cookman Cross Country/Track & Field on Twitter and Instagram (BCUXCTF) for all of the latest news and updates. For all Bethune-Cookman Athletics news, follow us on Twitter (@BCUAthletics), Instagram (@BCU_Athletics) TikTok (@BCUAthletics) and www.bcuathletics.com. 

–#HailWildcats–

 
 



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No. 1 Nebraska volleyball sweeps KSU, advances to NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 | Husker Red Zone

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December 7, 2025

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