Sports

British adventurer to swim around Iceland

Published

7 months ago

May 15, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Ross Edgley, a British swimmer who plans to swim around Iceland.
Mbl.is/Eyþór

Ross Edgley, a 39-year-old endurance athlete and swimmer from the UK, is set to embark on an extraordinary journey this Friday—a 1,600-kilometer swim around Iceland. The challenge, which could take between three to five months, is one of the most ambitious of his career and has been more than a year in the making.

Lifelong swimmer with a passion for the sea

Edgley, who has swum competitively since childhood and once played water polo, says he turned to open-water swimming after realizing he didn’t have the height advantage for team sports.

“Height doesn’t matter as much as grit and determination,” he tells

mbl.is

.

A grueling training regimen

In preparation for the expedition, Edgley has followed an intense training and dietary program, consuming 10,000 calories a day and swimming for up to 12 hours daily. He has gained nearly 15 kilograms, aiming to build endurance while maintaining strength.

Much of his recent training took place in the cold waters of Scotland, but he also came to Iceland in February to test the local conditions.

“It was incredibly cold, but I got to see the Northern Lights,” he says with a smile. “It was awesome.”

Sustainable support at sea

Edgley will be accompanied by a support boat carrying an eight-person crew. The team is committed to minimizing environmental impact, rotating responsibilities to ensure a sustainable and efficient voyage.

A Mmission of science and storytelling

In partnership with the University of Iceland and the Marine and Freshwater Research Institute, Edgley will collect environmental DNA (eDNA) samples along his route to help map marine biodiversity.

He also plans to document the journey in detail: weekly YouTube videos, as well as regular updates on TikTok and Instagram, will offer a window into life at sea. He hopes to connect with Icelanders and audiences around the globe, sharing not just the physical challenge, but the people, nature, and culture of Iceland.

Inspired by myth and Marvel

The idea for the swim came years ago, shortly after his swim around Britain. While chatting with friend Chris Hemsworth—the actor who plays Thor in the Marvel films—Edgley was encouraged to consider Iceland, a land steeped in Norse mythology.

“Chris said this would be the closest I’d get to Asgard,” Edgley recalls. “That stuck with me.”

A warm Icelandic welcome

Above all, Edgley says he’s felt nothing but kindness from the people of Iceland.

“I know I’m an odd Brit who came here to swim around your country,” he laughs. “But everyone has made me feel so welcome. It’s a privilege, and I’m incredibly grateful.”

The swim officially begins Friday, and Edgley’s location will be trackable

online

throughout the journey.

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Tufts Athletics Hall of Fame Inductees Named for 2026

Published

13 minutes ago

December 18, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Eight outstanding individuals and one memorable team will be inducted as the seventh class of the Tufts University Athletics Hall of Fame in April 2026.

The group of honorees represents five decades and eight sports, as Tufts continues to recognize accomplished individuals and teams from its more than 150 years of athletics history.

This seventh class will be inducted at the Tufts Athletics Hall of Fame induction dinner on April 24 at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. Ticket information will be released in the coming weeks.

Meet the 2026 Tufts Athletics Hall of Fame inductees:

Chance Brady, A17

Football

Chance Brady rewrote the record book and changed the trajectory of the team during his four years playing football for the Jumbos. When Brady arrived at Tufts, the team was mired in a long losing streak. By the end of his career, the team had finished with a 7-1 record in his senior season, which was its best since 1998.

Brady set or tied 13 team rushing and scoring records. His 1,099 rushing yards in 2016 and 2,692 career total are both Jumbo all-time marks. His 19 touchdowns in 2016 and 35 for his career are also Tufts standards. Brady’s 210 career points scored broke the record of Fred “Fish” Ellis, after whom Tufts’ stadium is named.

In his final game, Brady had 285 total yards (rushing and receiving) and scored five touchdowns in a 48-35 win at Middlebury College. A two-time NESCAC Player of the Year, he earned New England Football Writers and Gridiron Club Player of the Year awards as a senior.

Mark Buben, A79

Football

After a dominant career on the defensive line at Tufts, Mark Buben was signed as a free agent by the New England Patriots of the National Football League.

One of just two Jumbos to play in the NFL during the modern era, Buben appeared in 35 games during three seasons in the NFL with the Patriots (1979, 1981) and the Cleveland Browns (1982). In 1981 he had an interception that he returned 49 yards to help set up a touchdown in a 33-17 Patriots victory over the Chiefs.

At Tufts he was a ferocious defender who intimidated opposing quarterbacks. His 31 career sacks still stand as the most in team history. The 12 sacks he recorded in both 1977 and 1978 remain tied for the most in a single season at Tufts. Buben’s dominant defensive play as the team won the final four games of 1978 helped set the tone for the Jumbos’ subsequent 1979 undefeated season.

Jo Clair, A14

Softball

A leader of two national championship softball teams at Tufts, Jo Clair graduated in 2014 as one of the most prolific hitters in NCAA Division III history. A four-year starter at catcher, Clair was part of the battery with Tufts Hall of Fame pitcher Allyson Fournier that led the Jumbos to NCAA titles in 2013 and 2014. She also helped head coach Cheryl Milligan’s team win three straight NESCAC Championships from 2012-14.

Clair’s 67 career home runs are third-most in NCAA history, and her 220 runs batted in are eighth-most all-time. The 24 home runs she hit in 2014 led the nation and are tied for the second-most in a single-season ever.

Her 156 total bases that year are fourth-best for one season in NCAA history. Clair’s 498 career total bases is another NCAA all-time top-10 mark. A three-time NFCA All-American and a four-time NESCAC All-Conference honoree, including Player of the Year in 2014, Clair was also an Academic All-American as a senior.

Fred Hintlian, A76

Men’s Track & Field

Tufts’ first-ever NCAA national champion in any sport, Fred Hintlian was one of the great hurdlers of his era in track & field. At the second-ever NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Berea, Ohio, Hintlian won the 440-yard hurdles title with a time of 52.15 seconds in 1975.

Due to the NCAA switching to metric measurements for race distances in 1976, Hintlian’s 52.15 mark stands in perpetuity as the Division III record for the 440-yard hurdles event. He was also the runner-up in the NCAA 400-meter hurdles in 1976, and had been third for the 440-yard race at the 1974 Nationals, making him a three-time All-American.

During his career at Tufts, Hintlian won four Eastern Intercollegiate titles in the hurdles and was the New England champion in 1974. A five-time team MVP (indoors and outdoors), Hintlian received Tufts’ Bennett Memorial Scholarship and Frederick Melvin Ellis Prize during his career for academic and athletic excellence.

Dennis Mink, A75

Men’s Basketball

A 6’7” forward, Dennis Mink was a force in the frontcourt for the successful Tufts men’s basketball teams of the early 1970s. Despite playing just three seasons, Mink graduated in 1975 as the Jumbos’ all-time leading scorer with 1,447 points (currently seventh all-time).

He is one of just two players in Tufts history to average better than 20 points per game for his career. As a senior in 1974-75, Mink scored 23.4 points per game, including a 40-point game. He was also #2 on the team’s career rebounds list upon graduation with 839 (still fifth).

Ineligible to play on the varsity team as a freshman due to NCAA rules, Mink was a sophomore on the 1972-73 Tufts team that won 22 games, captured the ECAC New England championship, and was inducted into the Tufts Athletics Hall of Fame in 2023. He averaged 12.4 rebounds that year, the third-best mark in team history. Mink’s 640 career field goals made in three seasons remain fifth all-time at Tufts.

Jessica Stewart, A02

Women’s Volleyball

The Jumbo Volleyball program’s first Tufts Athletics Hall of Fame inductee, Jessica Stuart took the Jumbos to another level with her play during her career from 1998 to 2001. An all-around player, at the time of her graduation Stuart was first on the Tufts career lists for kills (1665) and service aces (214), while also ranking fifth all-time in digs (1390) and ninth in blocks (207).

She posted two of the top three single-season kills marks, including a program-best 452 kills in 1999. At the time, she was the only Jumbo ever to record 30 kills in one match, doing it twice, including 31 versus Brandeis in 2001.

She also had two of the top three Tufts career service aces totals, led by the 73 aces she served in 2001. The NESCAC Rookie of the Year in 1998 and then a two-time All-Conference selection (2000 and 2001), Stuart helped lay the groundwork for a Tufts program that would blossom in the 2000s.

Jessica Trombly Rogers, A04

Women’s Soccer / Women’s Track & Field

One of the great multi-sport athletes in Tufts history, Jessica Trombly Rogers was a leading scorer for the soccer team and a national champion hurdler in track & field.

In her first semester at Tufts, Trombly was an offensive leader on the 2000 women’s soccer team that made a dramatic run to the NCAA championship game. She was NESCAC’s Rookie of the Year that season, a three-time All-Conference honoree overall and finished her soccer career fourth on the team’s all-time scoring list with 58 points (22 goals, 14 assists).

On the track, she won the 2004 NCAA Outdoor 400-meter hurdles title with a time of 59.98 seconds. Equally impressive, Trombly won five events—200m, 400m, 55-meter hurdles, long jump, 4×400 relay—at the New England Division III Indoor Track and Field championships in 2003.

A four-time All-American overall, Trombly still holds Tufts records in the 400 meters indoors and the heptathlon outdoors. She received Tufts’ Hester L. Sargent Award as Best Female Athlete in back-to-back years (2003 and 2004).

1985-86 Women’s Swimming & Diving Team

The 1985-86 Women’s Swimming & Diving team, who will be inducted into the Tufts Athletics Hall of Fame for 2025.

Formed in 1974, the Tufts women’s swimming & diving team quickly became one of the best in New England. The program’s early success peaked when head coach Nancy Bigelow’s 1985-86 team won the New England championship and then placed 10th at the NCAA championships.

With an experienced group of swimmers and divers who had helped the team earn back-to-back undefeated seasons in 1983-84 and 1984-85, the Tufts team then captured the program’s first-ever New England championship in 1985-86.

The Jumbos defeated rival Williams College for the first time to win the New Englands, with six individuals and three relays winning titles. The team’s top-10 NCAA finish was significant because the AIAW national organization had recently disbanded and the NCAA Division III championship meet remained as the only national competition attended by Division III teams.

Eight Jumbos earned All-American honors in 10 events at the national championship. All-Americans Kelly Brown, Jane Donahue, Ann Erickson, Laurie Frankel, Ceci Grimm, Beth Harris, Ann McCann, and Amy Moran led the team.

Brown & Blue Award

Included in the bylaws for the Tufts Athletics Hall of Fame is a provision that permits the Selection Committee to present an award designed to recognize alumni, donors, benefactors, staff, friends, and supporters who have made significant contributions to the success of Tufts Athletics over the years.

The name of this very special award is The Brown & Blue Award. This year’s recipient is Mike Skeldon. The outstanding progress that Tufts University has made in improving its athletics facilities over the past 15 years is largely due to the significant contributions of Skeldon.

As senior project manager of major construction projects for Tufts, he oversaw the construction of the Steve Tisch Sports and Fitness Center, which opened in 2012 as the sparkling new home of Tufts Athletics.

He also helped develop the Athletics Master Facilities Plan, worked on the Tufts Squash Center, which opened in 2020, was part of early iterations of what would become Sol Gittleman Park for baseball, and was involved in the first round of Aquatics Center work with a prospective design/build team.

Skeldon was a natural problem-solver who could creatively figure out ways to get things done in an economically common-sense way. He passed away in 2019, but left a legacy of work that invaluably supported Tufts’ varsity, club sport, and intramural/recreation programs. He also trained with the Tufts Marathon Team, under legendary coach Don Megerle, and finished the historic Boston Marathon in 2018.

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Tarleton State Beach Volleyball announces 2026 schedule

Published

15 minutes ago

December 18, 2025

Your Sports Nation

STEPHENVILLE, Texas – Tarleton State Beach Volleyball announced its 2026 schedule on Thursday, a two-month long regular season that starts Feb. 21.

Tarleton State will begin its third season in program history at Houston Christian Feb. 21-22, in Houston. The Texans and Huskies have matched up once before, in Tarleton State’s inaugural campaign in 2024, also in Houston.

Tarleton State’s first three events will be in Texas, with the next two at Concordia on Feb. 25 in Austin, and at Mary Hardin-Baylor March 6-7 in Belton.

The Texans will play at Louisiana-Monroe on March 13-14, the second time Tarleton State will face the War Hawks in Monroe in three seasons.

On March 20-21, Tarleton State will make a trip to Tucson, Arizona, to take on the Arizona Wildcats. The two teams matched up last season at the LBSU Invitational in Long Beach, California, with this marking Tarleton State Beach Volleyball’s first trip to the state of Arizona.

On March 27-28, Tarleton State will face McNeese for the third straight season. In 2024, Tarleton State’s first matches in program history came at the Cowgirl Beach Bash in Lake Charles, Louisiana, and last year the Texans and Cowgirls faced off in New Orleans. This year, the Texans will return to Lake Charles.

Tarleton State’s final regular season road trip will be to Corpus Christi, for an April 3-4 outing at the Islanders. Last year the Texans traveled to Corpus Christi, the Texans started the Islander Classic with a 5-0 sweep of Sam Houston.

The Texans will host three regular season matches in Stephenville, between April 9-10. Tarleton State will clash with Howard Payne on April 9, then host both Mary Hardin-Baylor and East Texas Baptist on April 10. These will mark Tarleton State’s first regular season home matches since March 22, 2024, when the Texans hosted a doubleheader against Texas A&M-Kingsville.

The Conference USA Beach Volleyball Championship will return to Youngsville, Louisiana, from April 23-26. The Texans have won a match in the conference tournament in each of their first two seasons, defeating Jacksonville State in 2024 and Sam Houston last year.

The NCAA Championships will play out in Gulf Shores, Alabama, on May 1-3.

The full 2026 schedule for Tarleton State Beach Volleyball can be seen below:

Date	Opponent	Location
Feb. 21-22	Houston Christian	Houston, TX
Feb. 25	Concordia	Austin, TX
March 6-7	Mary Hardin-Baylor	Belton, TX
March 13-14	Louisiana-Monroe	Monroe, LA
March 20-21	Arizona	Tucson, AZ
March 27-28	McNeese	Lake Charles, LA
April 3-4	Texas A&M-Corpus Christi	Corpus Christi, TX
April 9	Howard Payne	Stephenville, TX
April 10	Mary Hardin-Baylor	Stephenville, TX
April 10	East Texas Baptist	Stephenville, TX
April 23-26	C-USA Championship	Youngsville, LA
May 1-3	NCAA Championships	Gulf Shores, AL

Dates subject to change | Home matches in bold

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All-Americans, SLC champions highlight Fall 2025 graduating class

Published

28 minutes ago

December 18, 2025

Your Sports Nation

By: Jason Pugh, Associate Athletic Director for External Relations

NATCHITOCHES – Several members of Northwestern State’s dynastic women’s track and field program as well as members of the 2025 Southland Conference regular-season soccer champions highlight a group of 43 student-athletes and staff who received degrees during fall commencement ceremonies that concluded Thursday.

All-American sprinter Maygan Shaw, who became the first Lady Demon sprinter to earn All-American honors, led six current or former Lady Demon track and field athletes who earned their degrees. The majority of that group were part of a run that has seen the program win five of the six Southland Conference championships across the past three years of indoor and outdoor competition.

Shaw, a second-team All-American in the 400 meters this past spring, earned her bachelor’s degree in nursing and was on the honor roll. She is joined by Brea-Baca White (nursing), Tranasia Jones (liberal arts), Shakeria Kirk (psychology), Jaslyn Smith (health and exercise science) and Peyten Ware (child and family studies) as championship-winning track and field competitors who picked up their degrees this week.

Two pieces of the 2025 Southland Conference regular-season Northwestern soccer program also had degrees conferred upon them in the past two days. All-Southland goalkeeper Kennedy Rist (biology), midfielder Madison Murphy (communication) were two of four current or former soccer players who earned degrees in the fall. They were joined by Sara Fernandez (nursing) and Kylie Morris (biology).

The 2024-25 Southland Conference Women’s Basketball Newcomer of the Year, Mya Blake, earned her general studies degree in the summer.

Former All-Southland Conference performers Diamante Gumbs (track and field), Djimon Gumbs (track and field) and Reese Lipoma (baseball) became two-time NSU graduates as all three earned master’s degrees in health and human performance with a concentration in sport administration.

Of the 32 current or former student-athletes who took part in the ceremonies, 21 graduated with at least a 3.0 grade point average.

Total Summer 2025 and Fall 2025 Athletic Department Grads: 43

Summer 2025 Athletic Graduation List (Participating in Fall 2025 commencement): 10
Baseball (5)

Brandon Carter (Former Student-Athlete): Bachelor of Science; College: Education & Human Development; Major: Health & Exercise Science; Honors: Magna Cum Laude

Caden Fiveash: Bachelor of Science; College: Business and Technology; Major: Business Administration; Concentration: Management; Honors: Magna Cum Laude

Reese Lipoma (Former Student-Athlete): Master of Science; College: Education & Human Development; Major: Health and Human Performance; Concentration: Public Health

Cade Pregeant (Former Student-Athlete): Bachelor of Arts; College: Arts and Sciences; Major: Liberal Arts; Minor: Business Administration; Honors: Honor Roll

Balin Valentine (Former Student-Athlete): Bachelor of Arts; College: Arts and Sciences; Major: Liberal Arts; Minor: Social Science; Honors: Honor Roll

Men’s Basketball (2)

Lado Laku (Former Student-Athlete): Bachelor of General Studies; College: Arts and Sciences; Major: General Studies; Concentration: Social Science; Minor: Social Science

Jon Sanders (Former Student-Athlete): Bachelor of General Studies; College: Arts and Sciences; Major: General Studies; Concentration: Social Science; Minor: Social Science; Honors: Honor Roll

Men’s Track & Field (1)

Robert Norton (Former Student-Athlete): Bachelor of General Studies; College: Arts and Sciences; Major: General Studies; Concentration: Social Science; Minor: Social Science

Volleyball (1)

Teresa Garza (Former Student-Athlete): Bachelor of Science; College: Education & Human Development; Major: Sport & Recreation Management; Minor: Business Administration; Honors: Honor Roll

Administration (1)

Jena Williams (Former Graduate Asst./Women’s Basketball): Master of Science; College: Education & Human Development; Major: Health and Human Performance; Concentration: Sport Administration

Fall 2025 Athletic Graduation List (33)
Baseball (2)

John Acosta: Bachelor of Science; College: Arts and Sciences; Majors: Biology and Microbiology; Concentrations: Biomedical and Medical & Health Profession; Minor: Chemistry; Honors: Summa Cum Laude

Bryce Johnson: Bachelor of Science; College: Business and Technology; Major: Business Administration; Concentration: Finance; Honors: Honor Roll

Women’s Basketball (3)

Mya Blake (Former Student-Athlete): Bachelor of General Studies; College: Arts and Sciences; Major: General Studies; Concentration: Social Science; Minor: Social Science

Jordan McLemore (Former Student-Athlete): Bachelor of Science; College: Business and Technology; Major: Business Administration; Minor: Hospitality, Management, and Tourism; Honors: Cum Laude

Madison Moles (Former Student-Athlete): Bachelor of Science; College: Education & Human Development; Major: Health & Exercise Science; Honors: Magna Cum Laude

Football (7)

Matt Broad: Bachelor of Science; College: Arts and Sciences; Major: Biology; Concentration: Natural Science; Honors: Honor Roll

Kody Finley: Bachelor of Science; College: Business and Technology; Major: Business Administration

Cameron George: Bachelor of General Studies; College: Arts and Sciences; Major: General Studies; Concentration: Social Science; Minor: Social Science

Tyler Lewis: Master of Science; College: Education & Human Development; Major: Health and Human Performance; Concentration: Sport Administration

Connor Norcross (Former Student-Athlete): Bachelor of Science; College: Education & Human Development; Major: Health & Exercise Science; Honors: Honor Roll

Danny Sears: Bachelor of Science; College: Education & Human Development; Major: Sport & Recreation Management; Minor: Business Administration; Honors: Cum Laude

Christian Williams: Bachelor of Arts; College: Arts and Sciences; Major: Liberal Arts; Minor: Communication

Soccer (4)

Sara Fernandez (Former Student-Athlete): Bachelor of Science in Nursing; College: Nursing & School of Allied Health; Major: Nursing; Honors: Honor Roll

Kylie Morris (Former Student-Athlete): Bachelor of Science; College: Arts and Sciences; Major: Biology; Concentration: Biomedical; Honors: Cum Laude

Madison Murphy: Bachelor of Arts; College: Arts and Sciences; Major: Communication; Concentration: Sports Media; Minor: P.E., Sport, and Leisure Management; Honors: Summa Cum Laude

Kennedy Rist: Bachelor of Science; College: Arts and Sciences; Major: Biology; Concentration: Biomedical; Honors: Magna Cum Laude

Men’s Track and Field (4)

Diamante Gumbs (Former Student-Athlete; Current Asst. Track & Field Coach): Master of Science; College: Education & Human Development; Major: Health and Human Performance; Concentration: Sport Administration

Djimon Gumbs (Former Student-Athlete; Current Asst. Track & Field Coach): Master of Science; College: Education & Human Development; Major: Health and Human Performance; Concentration: Sport Administration

John Klein: Bachelor of Arts; College: Arts and Sciences; Major: Criminal Justice; Concentration: Pre-Law and Paralegal Studies; Honors: Magna Cum Laude

Joshua Moore (Former Student-Athlete): Bachelor of General Studies; College: Arts and Sciences; Major: General Studies; Concentration: Social Science; Minor: Social Science

Women’s Track and Field (6)

Brea Baca-White (Former Student-Athlete): Bachelor of Science in Nursing; College: Nursing & School of Allied Health; Major: Nursing; Honors: Cum Laude

Tranasia Jones (Former Student-Athlete): Bachelor of Arts; College: Arts and Sciences; Major: Liberal Arts; Minor: Social Science

Shakera Kirk: Bachelor of Science; College: Education & Human Development; Major: Psychology; Honors: Honor Roll

Maygan Shaw (Former Student-Athlete): Bachelor of Science in Nursing; College: Nursing & School of Allied Health; Major: Nursing; Honors: Honor Roll

Jaslyn Smith (Former Student-Athlete): Bachelor of Science; College: Education & Human Development; Major: Health and Exercise Science

Peyten Ware (Former Student-Athlete): Bachelor of Science; College: Education & Human Development; Major: Child and Family Studies; Concentration: Child Development & Family Relations

Volleyball (1)

Tessa Gerwig (Former Student-Athlete): Bachelor of Science; College: Education & Human Development; Major: Psychology; Honors: Magna Cum Laude

Administration (6)

Kendrioun Boatman/Football Grad. Asst. Coach: Master of Science; College: Education & Human Development; Major: Health and Human Performance; Concentration: Sport Administration (Perfect 4.0 GPA!)

Julia Davis/Athletics Academic Coordinator: Master of Science; College: Education & Human Development; Major: Health and Human Performance; Concentration: Sport Administration

Mackenzie Fletcher (Former Graduate Asst./Baseball): Master of Science; College: Education & Human Development; Major: Health and Human Performance; Concentration: Sport Administration

Tyrius “T.J.” Hersey/Football Grad. Asst. Coach: Master of Science; College: Education & Human Development; Major: Health and Human Performance; Concentration: Sport Administration

McKel Major/Strength and Conditioning Grad. Asst. Coach: Master of Science; College: Education & Human Development; Major: Health and Human Performance; Concentration: Sport Administration

Ian Rogers/Strength and Conditioning Asst. Coach: Master of Science; College: Education & Human Development; Major: Health and Human Performance; Concentration: Sport Administration

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Nebraska loss won’t keep Husker fans from NCAA volleyball finals

Published

31 minutes ago

December 18, 2025

Your Sports Nation

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TRICIA MELFY HIRED AS WINONA STATE HEAD VOLLEYBALL COACH

Published

46 minutes ago

December 18, 2025

Your Sports Nation

WINONA, Minn. – Winona State University has named Tricia Melfy the WSU Volleyball head coach, as announced by Winona State Director of Athletics Jen Flowers.

“We are thrilled to welcome Coach Melfy to Winona State. She emerged through this process as the right person lead Warrior Volleyball into the future,” noted Flowers. “Coach Melfy will operate with a student-athlete centered approach, and her leadership and experience will be of great benefit to our program. I am excited to watch our volleyball program excel under Coach Melfy’s guidance.”

Melfy, who brings over 25 years of volleyball coaching experience with over 400 career victories, most recently served as the head volleyball coach at East Stroudsburg University.

“I am honored and excited to lead the Winona State University volleyball program,” Melfy said. “This team is built on a strong foundation of high-caliber talent and high-character student-athletes, and I look forward to building on that tradition of excellence. I want to thank Jen Flowers and the search committee for this tremendous opportunity. I am eager to get on campus and begin working with our Warriors family.”

This past season, Melfy was named the 2025 AVCA Atlantic Region Coach of the year after leading the ESU Warriors to a PSAC East Regular Season Championship, the PSAC Tournament Championship, and the program’s first ever NCAA Division II National Tournament victory while coaching the AVCA Atlantic Region Player of the Year and a pair of AVCA All-Americans.

During her five-season tenure at East Stroudsburg, Melfy led ESU to a pair of NCAA DII National Tournaments, four straight PSAC semifinal appearances, three PSAC East first-place finishes, and was named the PSAC East Coach of the Year in 2021 and most recently the AVCA Atlantic Region Coach of the Year in 2025.

In total, Melfy held a 102-46 (.689) record at East Stroudsburg with three consecutive 20-win seasons. Melfy tutored two All-Americans, one AVCA Atlantic Region Player of the Year, four PSAC East Player of the Year honorees and a PSAC East Defensive Player of the Year to go along with four Atlantic All-Region recipients, and 15 All-PSAC award winners.

Prior to ESU, served as the head women’s volleyball coach for two seasons at Fort Lewis College. She spent two seasons as the head women’s coach at Phoenix College after guiding the women’s program at the University of Minnesota-Morris in 2015. During the 2014 season, Melfy was the first assistant coach at Minot State University (N.D.).

As a student-athlete, she was a two-time All-American at Arizona State University in the heptathlon (1992, 94) and twice qualified for the United States Olympic Trials (1992, 96). She was also an All-American in the heptathlon at Mesa Community College (1990). Melfy found her passion for volleyball competing on Mesa’s Regional Runner-up Mesa volleyball team during the 1989-90 season.

Melfy received her bachelor of science degree in exercise science/physical education from Arizona State University in 1994. She earned her Physical Education Teacher Certification from Ottawa University in 1995, and her master of education in educational leadership from Northern Arizona University in 2002.

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Chanticleers Continue Academic Excellence in Fall 2025

Published

1 hour ago

December 18, 2025

Your Sports Nation

CONWAY — Coastal Carolina Athletics continued its strong academic performance during the Fall 2025 semester, the department announced.

The Chanticleers posted a 3.37 departmental GPA for the fall semester, marking the department’s 23rd consecutive semester with a GPA above 3.0. Overall, 18 of 19 teams earned a team GPA of 3.0 or higher.

“The academic success of our student-athletes during the Fall 2025 semester reflects their commitment to excellence in the classroom and the strong support structure we have in place at Coastal Carolina,” said Chance Miller, Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics and University Recreation. “With 23 consecutive semesters above a 3.0 departmental GPA and multiple programs achieving record-setting results, this performance is a testament to the dedication of our student-athletes, coaches, and academic support staff in developing well-rounded individuals prepared for success beyond athletics.”

A total of 360 student-athletes earned Chauncey’s Honor Roll recognition by posting a semester GPA of 3.0 or better, while 90 student-athletes were named Elite Chants with perfect 4.0 GPAs. Additionally, 146 student-athletes earned Dean’s List honors, an increase of 10 from Spring 2025, and 78 student-athletes were named to the President’s List, three more than the previous semester.

Several programs achieved historic academic milestones during the fall semester. Men’s basketball recorded its highest GPA on record with a 3.51, while men’s cross country posted a program-best 3.59, the highest GPA among all men’s teams. Men’s golf earned its highest GPA outside of the Spring 2020 COVID semester with a 3.55.

On the women’s side, women’s basketball earned its highest GPA on record with a 3.40. Indoor track and field (3.66), women’s track and field (3.67), and softball (3.85) each posted program-best GPAs, while lacrosse recorded its second-highest GPA on record at 3.65. Women’s tennis led all women’s teams with a 3.89 GPA, the highest women’s team GPA this semester.

A DEEPER DIVE