SOUTHWICK – The Southwick Regional High School boys volleyball team dropped two sets to Springfield International Charter School during the regular season, losing the second set in both regular season matches against them. In their third meeting Wednesday with much more on the line, the Rams’ opponent would not be as fortunate.

No. 1 Southwick Regional swept fourth-seeded Springfield International Charter School in the Pioneer Valley Interscholastic Athletic Conference Class C boys volleyball semifinals Wednesday night at home, 25-22, 25-21, 25-17, to advance to the championship game. The Rams will now face second-seeded Pioneer Valley Christian on Saturday at Chicopee Comprehensive High School at 10 a.m.

“I am impressed that we beat them in each set,” Southwick Regional boys volleyball coach Kaitlyn Anthony said. “We are a stronger, changed team now.”

It was a tightly-contested battle with Southwick (14-5) finally separating themselves from SICS (13-7) when they hit the 19- and 20-point marks. Rams senior captain, libero Max Salvador, much like he has done all season, provided the glue to help keep his teammates locked in.

“Our past two games [against] this team we lost our energy quick,” said Salvador, who finished with 14 digs. “Our mental game was off [in our previous two matches against SICS]. Today we just know we had to work together, not let each other get down and bring each other up.”

Salvador was not alone in his efforts.

River Thompson delivered a solid all-around game, finishing with eight kills, nine digs, two aces, and one assist. “He had a rough practice, so I was a little nervous,” coach Anthony said of Thompson, “but he came out super strong with his passes and serves and was really focused.”

Braeden Iglesias (three kills, three digs) was also pivotal to Southwick’s three-set sweep, Anthony said, noting, “he came a long way with his blocks and swings and was more aggressive. He has a lot of confidence. He has come a long way.”

There were others who were instrumental in Southwick’s big victory.

Senior captain Phong Tran tracked down 28 assists, four digs, and four aces. Nicolas Spina spun together 17 kills, 11 digs, and half a block. Daniel Methe managed 12 digs and a kill. Zachariah Frailey (kill, two digs, 1 ½ blocks) and Tyce Wilson (kill, two aces) also contributed.

Now, Southwick will attempt to make history and win its first Western Mass championship.

“I have been here something like 10 years,” coach Anthony said. “It would mean a lot personally, especially for our five seniors itching for it.”

“I really hope it would help build our program and build interest in the sport here,” she added. “And I would cry in a good way.”

The Lenoir-Rhyne Men’s and Women’s Track & Field teams have arrived in Colorado and are making their final preparations for this weekend’s national championships, hosted by CSU Pueblo.

The Bears had a light practice session Tuesday afternoon and one on Wednesday before beginning competition on Thursday.

The first Bear to compete will be Oliver Thatcher as he will start the decathlon at 12:30 p.m. ET. Thatcher will compete in the 100 meters, long jump, shot put, high jump, and 400 meters on Thursday. Beginning just after him will be Miranda Marr in the heptathlon, as she will open with the 100 meter hurdles at 1:00 p.m. ET. She will compete in the 100m Hurdles, high jump, shot put, and 200 meters on Thursday before finishing out the national championships with the long jump, javelin throw, and 800 meters on Friday.

The Bears will open the running events with the first event of the national championships, the women’s 4x100m on Thursday at 6:40 p.m. The reigning national champions in this event are seeded sixth with a time of 44.73. Damyja Ortiz will run in the women’s 400m prelims at 7:40 p.m. ET, followed by freshman Havyn Spain running the same event at 7:55 p.m. ET. Ortiz will be competing in four events this weekend while Spain became Lenoir-Rhyne’s record holder in that event due to his 46.69 performance at the SAC Championships. The final event of the night will be Alexis Brown competing in the 100m dash. This is her event to lose, as she is the reigning national champion and holds both the NCAA Division II All-Conditions (10.96) and wind-legal (11.04) records. She holds the nine fastest wind-legal times in Division II history.

The first running event on Friday will be the women’s 200m dash, which will have both Alexis Brown and Damyja Ortiz competing. Brown is the indoor 200m record holder and ran a 22.67 earlier this year, the third fastest outdoor time in NCAA Divison II history. Ortiz qualified 21st in the nation after she set a new personal best time of 23.67 at the SAC Championships. The day will close out with the women’s 4x400m, where the Bears qualified with the fifth fastest time in the country (3:37.47). This broke a school record and is within a second of the top qualifier.

Saturday consists of just finals. The Bears have an opportunity to qualify for six finals, one on the men’s side and five on the women’s.

Schedule of Lenoir-Rhyne Events
Thursday
12:30 p.m. ET – Decathlon / Oliver Thatcher
1:00 p.m. ET – Heptathlon / Miranda Marr
6:40 p.m. ET – Women’s 4x100m Relay (Prelims)
7:40 p.m. ET – Women’s 400m (Prelims) / Damyja Ortiz
7:55 p.m. ET – Men’s 400m (Prelims) / Havyn Spain
8:10 p.m. ET – Women’s 100m Dash (Prelims) – Alexis Brown

Friday
11:30 a.m. ET – Decathlon / Oliver Thatcher
12:30 p.m. ET – Heptathlon / Miranda Marr
7:30 p.m. ET – Women’s 200m Dash (Prelims) / Alexis Brown & Damyja Ortiz
9:50 p.m. ET – Women’s 4x400m (Prelims)

Saturday
7:10 p.m. ET – Women’s 4x100m Relay (Finals)
8:20 p.m. ET – Women’s 400m (Finals)
8:30 p.m. ET – Men’s 400m (Finals)
8:40 p.m. ET – Women’s 100m Dash (Finals)
9:45 p.m. ET – Women’s 200m Dash (Finals)
10:55 p.m. ET – Women’s 4x400m (Finals)

Information provided by Lenoir-Rhyne Athletics

Shawn Theodore had 16 kills and Shane Brower had 11 kills as second-seeded Abington Heights defeated No. 7 Hazleton Area, 3-1 (25-13, 21-25, 25-17, 25-20) in the District 2 Class 3A boys volleyball quarterfinals on Wednesday.

Abington Heights (13-4), the Lackawanna League champions, advanced and will play the winner of Thursday night’s 6-Scranton (4-6) at 3-Wilkes-Barre Area (10-4) match. The semifinals are May 27 and will be a doubleheader at top-seeded Delaware Valley.

Ryan Horutz had 38 assists, four blocks, and four kills, and Ben Reese contributed nine kills for the Comets.

Hazleton Area finished the season with a 2-13 record.

Wyoming Valley West 3, West Scranton 1: The fourth-seeded Spartans defeated the Invaders, 25-16, 25-23, 23-25, 25-19 in the quarterfinals.

Emanuel Benitez had 22 digs and 17 kills to lead West Scranton (5-6), while Emilio Moya added eight kills, Antonio Cordero had 27 assists, and Conner Sessions had nine kills and four blocks.

Wyoming Valley West (6-7) will play at No. 1 seed Delaware Valley in the second game of a semifinal doubleheader that will start 30 minutes after the first semifinal match May 27.

Delaware Valley is the defending two-time District 2 champion. The Warriors defeated Wyoming Valley West, 3-0, on May 1 as part of the regular season in the Wyoming Valley Conference.

Originally Published: May 21, 2025 at 9:02 PM EDT

• Portsmouth’s boys volleyball team is poised to win the Division III championship in their third season.
• The team is undefeated against league opponents and anticipates promotion to Division II next season.
• Senior Sean Wilkey led Portsmouth to victory against rival Mt. Hope with 26 kills, while Jack Loper contributed 44 assists.

PORTSMOUTH — Portsmouth boys volleyball is eyeing both a championship and promotion in short order.

Following their strong showings at the SEC Outdoor Track and Field Championship in Lexington, Kentucky, ten Florida Gator Student-Athletes have been named to All-SEC teams.

The Gators walk away with eight medals combined between the men’s and women’s teams. Selections were made based on finishes in their respective events. Selectees also cannot be named to multiple teams.

Meet The Winners

Women’s Team

Anthaya Charlton 

Anthaya Charlton was looking to improve upon her fourth-place finish at last year’s tournament run, Charlton did just that as she secured her first SEC Outdoor title for Women’s Long Jump.

After securing her Long Jump title, Charlton continued to aid in the Gators’ victory by adding a bronze medal, after her finish in the 100m. Additionally, helping the Gators score in the 4×100 m at sixth.

Habiba Harris

After joining the Gators as recent as January 2025, Harris made a quick impact for this team. She had her outdoor debut this season at the Pepsi Florida Relays in Gainesville and set the collegiate lead in the 100m hurdles. Continuing on in her success, Harris took home the SEC title for her 100m hurdle performance with a time of 12.75. Walking away from her first collegiate championship tournament, with a gold medal, already makes her a favorite for the National Title.

Habiba Harris (Florida) wins the SEC women's 100mH title in a time of 12.75s (1.8)! pic.twitter.com/HTOPEIwl6s

— Track & Field Gazette (@TrackGazette) May 17, 2025

Alida Van Daalen

Van Daalen came into the tournament as reigning Outdoor Champion for Discus Throwing. Though she suffered injuries that held her back from performing in the Fall, Van Daalen came into the meet ready to defend her crown. She did just that as her first place finish was 65.24m, a post-season best, and still 26-feet from silver-medal mark.

Charlton, Harris and Van Daalen make the SEC First-Team.

Hilda Olemomoi

Hilda Olemomoi makes the Gators only selectee for SEC Second team. Olemomoi performed in the Women’s Outdoor 10,000m, claiming her second SEC silver medal of the 2025 season. Her time of 33:15.52 brings her to No.4 in Florida Program’s History and No.35 this NCAA Season.

Also, Olemomoi was runner-up in the 3000m at the SEC Indoor Track and Field Championships.

Men’s Team

All Men’s Players are Third Team All-SEC selections.

Jacob Lemmon

Prior to his time at Florida, Lemmon secured three-time All American in discus at Virginia. Lemmon claimed bronze this past weekend, after performing a personal best of 61.80m. Walking away from the tournament, Lemmons also now holds the No. 2 throw mark for Discus for the Florida Gators’ Program, and No. 12 overall in the Nation for the 2025 season.

Malcom Clemons

Malcom Clemons performed a post-season best of 7.91m [25′ 11.5″] mark, in Outdoor Long Jump, and secured a bronze medal in the process. After failing to qualify for SEC Indoor Track and Field, his strong return makes for a hopeful NCAA Championship run.

Redemption for Malcolm Clemons!

Clemons takes SEC Bronze in the Long Jump with his season-best 7.91m [25' 11.5"] mark!#GoGators pic.twitter.com/jYIXbvAHI4

— Gators Track and Field & Cross Country (@GatorsTF) May 16, 2025

Ashton Schwartzman, Rios Prude Jr, Reheem Hayles and Jenoah Mckiver

This Gator’s 4×400 relay team combined for a time of 3:03.27 , securing a third-place bronze finish. The Gators will be a No.1 seed in the event heading into the NCAA Outdoor Championship Meets.

MARION, Ind. [RESULTS] – The first day of the 2025 NAIA Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Championship saw four individual champions crowned.

Twelve preliminary events took place on day one, including: 4x100m relay, 1500m, 400m hurdles, 200m, 4x800m relay and 3000m steeplechase. 

HEPTATHLON

The outdoor track and field heptathlon event concluded on day one with Mya Hines from Cumberlands emerging as the leader. Hines, a sophomore, accumulated a total of 3084 points, demonstrating consistent performance across all events. Her standout performances included a 14.89-second finish in the 100m hurdles, earning her 856 points, and a strong 25.71-second run in the 200m, which added 823 points to her tally.

Kerrigan Myers, a senior from Midland, closely followed Hines with a total of 3067 points, securing second place. Myers excelled in the 100m hurdles, clocking the fastest time of 13.88 seconds, which was the highest-scoring individual event of the competition with 995 points. Despite a lower performance in the shot put, Myers’ speed in the 200m (25.43 seconds) helped her maintain a competitive edge.

TRACK 

The only track event that crowned a champion on day one was the 10,000m, where Jaynie Halterman won her first outdoor title with a time of 34:10.10. Heather Murphy followed closely behind, finishing off Halterman by just 25.39 seconds. The last time the 10k was run in 34 minutes was when Emily Kearney of Milligan (Tenn.) won in 2021 with a time of 34:07.91.

HAMMER THROW

The women’s hammer throw competition was one of three field competitions that took place on the first day of competition. Victoria Lotz from MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) emerged victorious with a remarkable throw of 57.97 meters (190-2.00), securing her first-place finish. Lotz’s fourth attempt was enough to clinch the win.

Madison Sutton from Doane claimed the second spot with a best throw of 57.71 meters (189-4.00). Sutton’s final attempt was where she achieved her best mark of the day.

LONG JUMP

The top four finishers in the long jump finished within .02 of each other. Rosjai Curtis from Park (Mo.) emerged victorious in the long jump with a winning leap of 5.84 meters (19-2.00) in her second attempt. 

Linnearia Richards from Siena Heights (Mich.) closely followed in second place with a jump of 5.83 meters (19-1.50), achieved in her first attempt. 

Kiana Siefert from Taylor (Ind.) followed with 5.82 meters (19-1.25) and Erica Xayarath from Huntington (Ind.) finished in fourth place with a jump of 5.80 meters (19-0.25).

JAVELIN

In a competitive javelin event, Maddy Wolf from Kansas Wesleyan emerged victorious with a top throw of 44.65 meters (146-6.00), securing first place. Wolf hit her highest mark on her first throw. Kendra Odegard from Valley City State (N.D.) closely followed in second place with a best throw of 44.55 meters (146-2.00). Odegard’s consistent performance across her attempts kept her in contention throughout the event. Mary Lorang from Benedictine (Kan.) followed closely behind, taking third place with a throw of 44.07 meters (144-7.00).

The top eight finishers in each event are NAIA All-Americans. 

The second day of the championship will open with the remainder of the heptathlon events at 10 a.m. CT/11 a.m. ET and starting with the long jump.