Sports
Books, brains and breaking news
SINGAPORE – From global headlines on the tariff war to news about sports and popular culture, more than 6,000 students recently put their current affairs knowledge to the test.
A total of 16 schools, including Nanyang Girls’ High School and Naval Base Secondary School, have made it to the semi-finals of the current affairs quiz competition organised by The Straits Times, after preliminary rounds kicked off in April.
What’s The News? is an inter-school interactive quiz competition organised by ST as part of its 180th anniversary outreach, and is supported by the Ministry of Education. The Central Narcotics Bureau is a partner.
Students aged 15 and above from local secondary schools, junior colleges, polytechnics and the Institute of Technical Education were tested on their knowledge of news and current affairs.
The competition consists of an individual online quiz in the preliminary round, followed by arena-style team games in the semi-finals based on current affairs questions.
Four best-performing teams will then head to the final contest with a game show format, with a $4,000 cash prize for the team in first place. The final will be held at the NUS University Cultural Centre on May 23.
The schools that finish second, third and fourth will win $3,000, $2,000 and $1,000, respectively.
Through this, ST aims to encourage young people to be more balanced consumers of the media through regular discourse on current affairs with friends and family, allowing them to step out of “echo chambers” present in the polarised media landscape, said the competition’s organising team.
More than 6,000 students from 50 schools – across secondary and tertiary institutions – took part in the preliminary round.
Teams from the top 16 schools have earned a spot in the semi-finals – a series of four telematch games – which is taking place on May 21 at Our Tampines Hub.
ST editor Jaime Ho with Secondary 3 student Ammar Emran Putra Sulaiman during the inter-school interactive quiz competition, What’s The News?, on April 15.ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI
ST editor Jaime Ho said: “We don’t give our youth and children enough credit. We sometimes think all they want to read about is K-pop or memes, but we found through our interactions with them that they were very interested in things happening in our community, like the shophouse fire in River Valley, or global issues, like how tariffs would affect us in Singapore.
“Reaching more than 6,000 students through the preliminaries is something that we’re really excited about. We are so glad that the schools and students lent their support, and are our partners in improving news and media literacy among our young.”
Students have been preparing for the semi-finals – which will require physical activity and teamwork – by reading the news daily across different platforms. Some students have even come together with teammates to quiz each other using Kahoot!, an interactive quiz tool.
Tampines Meridian Junior College student Yew Shang Hong, 17, said he has been reading up on current affairs, including global news.
He added: “There have been a lot of headlines (on politics) or even when it comes to trade, especially with Trump’s tariffs. These articles have a lot of interesting points, like whether it’s a good thing for those countries or is it actually hurting their economy?”
What’s The News? travelling showcase at Naval Base Secondary School on April 25.ST PHOTO: WHAT’S THE NEWS? ORGANISING COMMITTEE
For Naval Base Secondary School student Alexis Eng, 15, preparing for the semi-finals has seen her reading more widely to be exposed to different viewpoints and broaden her understanding of unfamiliar topics.
“I know the quiz isn’t just about having the right answers, but about staying curious and passionate about learning… To me, it’s about improving, not being perfect,” she said.
Her positive disposition towards learning heartened her teachers, who found the competition to be about more than just current affairs.
Mr Daniel Troy, 32, the teacher leading the team of students from Naval Base Secondary, said: “I think (the students have) been actually quite passionate in developing not just their knowledge, but also their critical thinking skills, and appreciate some of the complexities of real-world issues.”
Regardless of the outcome, the school is proud of the effort that the students have put in, he added.
Read the news and slay the quiz: A recap
First preliminary round of The Straits Times’ quiz competition What’s The News? at St Gabriel’s Secondary School on April 15.ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI
The preliminary round tested students on their knowledge of news and current affairs via a 30-question online quiz with a 30-minute limit.
This included topics from local issues such as how much in SG60 vouchers seniors will get, to wider questions about Oxford English Dictionary’s word of the year and the kidnapping of Chinese actor Wang Xing in Thailand in January 2025.
Students who took part in the quiz said they found that the wide range of topics tested went beyond topics usually discussed at school, opening their eyes to how current affairs can be applicable to their daily lives.
Temasek Junior College student Chloe D’Mello, 16, found that the quiz exposed her to content on topics like politics, science and technology, which are covered in her General Paper lessons.
“The quiz tested us on very current bits of current affairs, which made me realise how much is going on in the world beyond the classroom. One example that stood out to me was the question about Chinese academics naming newly discovered spider species after Jay Chou’s songs.” she said.
What’s The News? host Rishi Budhrani (left) with ST Schools editor Serene Luo.ST PHOTO: ONG WEE JIN
Out of the 50 schools, six schools, including Pasir Ris Secondary and Nanyang Junior College, had their preliminary round hosted by local stand-up comedian Rishi Budhrani, who turned out to be a highlight of the competition, said ST Schools editor Serene Luo.
Ms Luo, whose team produces publications and content like IN, Little Red Dot and TL;DR for students, said that students were very focused on getting a ticket to the semi-finals.
“In some schools, teachers led the charge by giving their students articles to read; in others, the students did their own preparation by reading news sites, following news sites on social media, or sending articles to their own friends, too,” said Ms Luo.
At one school, students gathered outside the lecture theatre to take a photo with their prelim quiz scores, showing it off like a badge of honour, she added.
Feeling Fomo? Catch the heat of the prelims here
More learning through fun
A travelling showcase, designed to look like a bookcase, will visit schools and public spaces from April to June.ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI
A travelling showcase, designed to look like a bookcase, will visit schools and public spaces from April to June.
Hoping to spark further discourse on current affairs among young people, the interactive showcase features informative panels and fun activities, such as the Catch the Lie panel, which gets participants to identify which statements are fake news.
By completing an activity sheet at the showcase, visitors stand a chance to win exclusive merchandise such as keychains, laptop stickers, notebooks and a Nalgene water bottle.
Key objectives of the display include showing how staying in touch with current affairs helps young people make better decisions, and to encourage them to maintain a balanced and healthy diet of media consumption.
It will also be available to the public at Our Tampines Hub on May 21 and outside Punggol Regional Library from Jun 2 to 16.
LEXINGTON, KY. – The Wofford volleyball team was defeated by the No. 1 seeded Kentucky Wildcats 3-0 on Thursday night inside of Historic Memorial Coliseum in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Terriers close the season 17-14 with a 10-6 record in conference action. Kentucky will take on UCLA tomorrow night.
“Our mindset was to come out and leave it out there,” said head coach Lynze Roos. “I feel like we competed in some really good points. They got some separation and that was tough, but I’m really proud of the way that these women competed in the season that we had.”
Wofford totaled 27 kills on 26 assists throughout the match. On defense, the team posted 54 digs and four blocks. The Wildcats finished the match with 45 kills on 44 assists. Kentucky also posted 56 digs and four blocks.
Leading Wofford was Bradley Brown who had 10 kills on a .259 hitting percentage. Brown also led the team with three blocks. Following behind was Chloe Smith with six kills. Maddy Frazier dished out a team-high 13 assists, while Taylor Pecht had 10. Laney Klika recorded a team-high 13 digs, along with 10 from Caroline Przystup. Annemarie Rakoski and Natalie Arnold tallied one block apiece.
“We talk a lot about playing relentless defense and going for every single ball. We knew that tonight was going to be a tough task, but you never really know unless you go for it,” said Laney Klika.
“We talked a lot before the game about playing how we play and not letting their offense or defense change the way that we like to play,” added Annemarie Rakoski.
“It was amazing just to be able to have some family and friends that I don’t get to see very much anymore come watch me play. It was super cool to just have that support,” said Chloe Smith.
Kentucky grabbed the first two points of set one, but Wofford responded with a solo block by Annemarie Rakoski. Another solo block from Bradley Brown kept the Kentucky lead within one point. With the Wildcats leading 13-8, Kentucky would add four unanswered points to bring the Wofford deficit to nine points. The Terriers could not overcome the Kentucky lead, losing set one 25-11.
The teams were back-and-forth to start set two, as the Terriers would take an early 5-4 lead. Wofford took its biggest advantage – a 15-13 lead – after a pair of Kentucky attacking errors. The Wildcats fought back to take a 20-19 lead, and the team scored the final five points of the stanza to take set two 25-19. Bradley Brown totaled eight kills and one block in the second set alone.
Wofford jumped out to a 2-0 lead to start the third set of the match by way of a Bradley Brown kill. Kentucky responded with a 7-1 run, however, to regain the lead. The Wildcats would eventually take a 13-4 advantage. Wofford cut the deficit to six points a few rallies later, but the team would lose set three and ultimately the match.
Wofford concludes the season 17-14 with a 10-6 mark in Southern Conference play. The team entered the conference tournament as the No. 3 seed and defeated both No. 6 Samford and No. 2 Furman to reach the championship match. The Terriers took down No. 1 ETSU to win their third-straight conference championship and earn another bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Junior Seren Rodgers secured a third place finish in the pentathlon, totaling 3,771 points. With the result, the Taunton, England, native now sits sixth all-time in program history in the women’s indoor pentathlon.
Overall, Rodgers recorded three podium finishes during the competition, including a pair of runner up results in the long jump, where she recorded a jump of 10.32 meters, and the 800m, crossing the line in 2:19.62. Rodgers also claimed third place in the 60m hurdles after clocking a time of 8.86 seconds.
Meanwhile, freshman Julia Aere also competed in the pentathlon, securing eighth place with 3,462 points in her collegiate debut. The Delray Beach, Fla., native placed inside the top-10 in all five events, highlighted by a third place finish in the shot put after recording a distance of 11.13 meters, as well as a fifth place result in the 800m after recording a time of 2:27.34.
Notable Finishes
Pentathlon
2025-26 Indoor Track and Field Top-10 Marks in School History
From the Staff
“I’m really pleased with how the competition progressed today. Julia and Seren competed well and this meet was a great measure of how hard we have worked throughout the fall semester. It gave us a chance to get out, perform at a high level and still recognize that we left some points on the table, which is exciting. We are in a great place heading into the holiday break and this will keep us motivated and hungry. These two ladies set the tone early for the team and we are eager for the rest of the team to compete this weekend.” – Assistant Coach Ryan Grinnell
Up Next
The Demon Deacons return to action on Saturday with a pair of meets. One group of Wake Forest athletes will travel to Boston to compete in the 5K race at the Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener. Meanwhile, several Deacs will compete at the Visit Winston-Salem College Kick-off at the JDL Fast Track.
After the Lopes dominant WAC indoor run of 14 conference titles between the men’s and women’s teams, GCU will compete in its first season as a Mountain West member.
“This schedule and competition should prepare both our men’s and women’s teams to make a lot of noise at our inaugural Mountain West Conference Indoor Championships, as well as send a lot of our athletes to the NCAA Indoor Championships,” GCU head coach Tom Flood said.Grand Canyon’s indoor schedule will feature meets in trips to Flagstaff, Arizona; Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Reno, Nevada.
“Again, we are really excited about our indoor schedule,” Flood said. “We will again be competing at some of the finest indoor facilities in the country and against some of the best track and field programs in the country.”
The 2025-26 season begins Thursday as the Lopes travel to Reno, Nevada, before taking a break until the new year. From there, they will travel to Flagstaff and Albuquerque before heading back to Reno for the Mountain West Indoor Championships.
GCU aims to represent at the NCAA Indoor Championships, which will be held March 13-14 in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
For the full indoor schedule, click here.
A new era in Hope College track and field begins today with the first indoor meet of the 2026 season.
Beginning at noon, the Flying Dutch and Flying Dutchmen are competing at the Grand Valley State University Holiday Open under the leadership of first-year head coach Jordan Bartolazzi, the 11th women’s head coach in program history and the 13th men’s coach.
Bartolazzi, who built his alma mater, Elmhurst University (Illinois), into a College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin power before coming to Hope, is thrilled with the progress both teams made during preseason workouts.
“There was a lot of good stuff going on here to build on,” Bartolazzi said. “Our focus, with every practice, has been preparing to compete, whether we’re an All-American or trying to crack the conference lineup. We have a lot of student-athletes working really hard. We’ve been having a ball. There has been really good energy. I think it’s been a good start for us.”
The Flying Dutch, who finished third in the MIAA Women’s Indoor Track and Field Preseason Coaches Poll, feature a roster of 73, with 17 seniors, 17 juniors, 14 sophomores and 25 freshmen.
The Flying Dutchmen, who also tookl thjird in the MIAA Men’s Indoor Track and Field Preseason Coaches Poll, have a roster of 64, with 18 seniors, nine juniors, 17 sophomores and 20 freshmen.
Coaching Staff
Head coach: Jordan Bartolazzi, first season
Distance coach: Mark Northuis
Distance assistant coaches: Dan Campbell, Mike Northuis
Throws coach: Paul Markel
Jumps coach: Addy Gerig
Pole vault coaches: Jon Lunderberg, Ben Turner
Women’s Roster
Senior Sara Schermerhorn (Traverse City, Michigan / Traverse City West) is Hope’s top returner after claiming All-America honors in four events for the second consecutive season in 2025: indoor and outdoor 200 meters and indoor and outdoor 400 meters.
The exercise science major swept MIAA Most Valuable Indoor and Outdoor Track Athlete honors as a junior and earned MIAA Most Valuable Indoor Track Athlete accolades in back-to-back seasons. She became the first sprinter in league history to win titles in the 60, 200 and 400 at the same meet.
Schermerhorn set MIAA records in the indoor 200 and 400 meters last season. She also ran on the MIAA champion 4×400 relay, which returns two other sprinters: senior Frances Cozzens (Lyman, New Hampshire / Saint Johnsbury Academy) and sophomore Sofia Fisher (Lombard, Illinois / Montini Catholic).
Hope returns three runners from the MIAA champion distance medley relay: senior Molly Durow (Glenview, Illinois / Glenbrook South), junior Amanda Markham (Hoffman Estates, Illinois / William Fremd) and sophomore Lily Sackrider (St. Johns, Michigan / St. Johns).
Durow is coming off an All-America cross country campaign this fall. The special education major finished 32nd at the Division III national championships and was runner-up at the Great Lakes Regional and MIAA Championships.
“We have great leadership,” Bartolazzi said. “Not only do we have some great upperclassmen, but we have some really wonderful seniors who have made an effort to welcome our freshmen and newcomers to the program. It’s a gift to have great senior leadership in year one.”
Men’s Roster
Hope returns senior sprinter Liam Danitz, the 2025 First Team All-MIAA honoree and MIAA Most Valuable Men’s Indoor Track Athlete.
Danitz (West Branch, Michigan / Ogemaw Heights) set an MIAA record in the 200-meter dash (21.59), earned First Team All-America honors with a fifth-place national finish in the 200 (21.93), and took second in the 60-meter dash (6.83) for All-MIAA Second Team honors.
The exercise science major also contributed to an All-MIAA Second Team 4×400 relay alongside returning junior Dylan Terpstra (Hudsonville, Michigan / Hudsonville).
Senior Erickson Kunzler (Marne, Michigan / Grand Rapids Catholic Central) returns as the MIAA 800-meter champion after posting a winning time of 1:56.09.
Senior Carston Cole (Holland, Michigan / West Ottawa) and junior Carter Dean (Traverse City, Michigan / Traverse City West) also return from last year’s All-MIAA First Team distance medley relay.
Cole recorded Hope’s top cross country finish at nationals this fall. The Flying Dutchmen placed 23rd in the nation as a team and made history with their first Great Lakes Regional title since 1980 and first MIAA crown since 1986.
Sophomore Logan Begeman (Portage, Michigan / Portage Central) ran away with the Great Lakes Regional and MIAA individual championships.
“They’re hungry,” Bartolazzi said of the Flying Dutchmen. “Having that breakthrough season in cross country is such a gift. They felt like they were close and believed they could compete at the conference and national levels. They showed they could. That carries over to the track season.”
Schedule
The Flying Dutch and Flying Dutchmen are scheduled to compete in 10 indoor meets and eight outdoor meets.
The MIAA Indoor Championships are Saturday, Feb. 28, at Trine University.
The NCAA Indoor Championships are Friday-Saturday, March 13-14, in Birmingham, Alabama.
Hope will host the MIAA Outdoor Championships on Friday-Saturday, April 30-May 1, at Brewer Track.
The NCAA Outdoor Championships are Thursday-Saturday, May 21-23, in La Crosse, Wisconsin.
“One thing I wanted to do this year was get our student-athletes on banked tracks a little more,” Bartolazzi said. “Nationals will be on a banked track, so I want them to know what that feels like. It’s a great thing in West Michigan — you don’t have to go far to race against really good people.”
Blue-Gold Invite
Loftus Sports Center – South Bend, Indiana
Friday, December 5, 2025
Live Results
McFerrin-12 Degree Invite
Fasken Indoor Track – College Station, Texas
Saturday, December 6, 2025
Live Results | Watch
Sharon Colyear Danville Season Opener
BU Track & Tennis Center – Boston, Massachusetts
Saturday, December 6, 2025
Live Results | Watch
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DALLAS, Texas (SMU) — The Mustangs will open up their 2025-2026 track and field season across three different meets this weekend. The distance ponies will split between Notre Dame’s Blue-Gold Invite and Boston University’s Sharon Colyear Danville Season Opener. The rest of the team will travel to Texas A&M’s McFerrin-12 Degree Invite.
This meet will serve as a soft opener for the Mustangs with the remainder of the season beginning in mid-January. The distance athletes are coming off a successful cross country season, which concluded with an appearance at the national championship for Rose Mburu, but this will be the first competition for the sprints, jumps, and multis after fall training.
The action will begin on Friday at Notre Dame and continue at the other two meets on Saturday.
The meet is scheduled to begin at 1:30 p.m. and will include a combination of field and sprint events.
Admission is free to fans. Live results from the OU Winter Field Fest can be found via TimingInc.
The Sooners are coming off their first season in the SEC, where they claimed seven individual conference titles.
OU Winter Field Fest Schedule of Events
Triple Jump (M) – 1:30 p.m.
Weight Throw (M) – 1:30 p.m.
High Jump (W) – 2:30 p.m.
Triple Jump (W) – 3 p.m.
Pole Vault (W) – 3 p.m.
Weight Throw (W) – 3 p.m.
60M Hurdles Prelims (W) – 3 p.m.
60M Hurdles Prelims (M) – 3:15 p.m.
60M Dash Prelims (W) – 3:30 p.m.
60M Dash Prelims (M) – 3:45 p.m.
Long Jump (M) – 4:30 p.m.
Shot Put (M) – 4:30 p.m.
60M Hurdles Finals (W) – 4:30 p.m.
60M Hurdles Finals (M) – 4:40 p.m.
60M Dash Finals (W) – 4:50 p.m.
60M Dash Finals (M) – 5 p.m.
Pole Vault (M) – 5:30 p.m.
Long Jump (W) – 6 p.m.
High Jump (M) – 6 p.m.
Shot Put (W) – 6 p.m.
For more information on Oklahoma Track & Field, follow the Sooners on Twitter and Instagram (@OU_Track) and like Oklahoma Sooners Track & Field and Cross Country on Facebook.
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