Sports
Bryant’s Dynamic Running Duo of Chloe Whiting and Jasmine Trott Prepare for NCAA First Round
Story Links SMITHFIELD, R.I.- Bryant University Track and Field runners Chloe Whiting and Jasmine Trott will make history this weekend as they become the first women in Division I program history to reach the First Round of the NCAA Championships. Trott will compete in the women’s 10,000m, while Whiting will run […]

SMITHFIELD, R.I.- Bryant University Track and Field runners Chloe Whiting and Jasmine Trott will make history this weekend as they become the first women in Division I program history to reach the First Round of the NCAA Championships. Trott will compete in the women’s 10,000m, while Whiting will run in the 5,000m.
“Jasmine and Chloe making the First Round of the NCAA Championships is a major milestone for the program and a huge testament to the commitment and dedication they put into the sport” said Bryant Director of Cross Country/Track and Field Mitchell Switzer. “The growth and development the two of them have had over the past couple of years has been really cool to see. They’ve put in the work, embraced every challenge, and become true leaders on and off the track. They’ve set a new standard for what it means to compete for Bryant and their achievements set a powerful example for the future of the team.”
The duo of Whiting and Trott are not only standout competitors and supportive teammates, but also roommates and best friends off the track. “It’s definitely something special being roommates and best friends and competitors and teammates” said Whiting when asked about her bond with Trott. “It’s such a blessing because we have each other on and off the track with everything that is going on in our lives. It’s so awesome to get to do it together. We talk about the fact that without each other, neither of us would have made it here.”
Whiting is enjoying one of the greatest seasons for a female track athlete in program history and is seeded 23rd in the women’s 5,000m heading into the East Regional. The catalyst for Whiting’s success this season began during the Bulldogs indoor season. On Jan. 18, Whiting claimed her first school record after posting a time of 9:44.75 in the 3,000m at the URI Invitational. Shortly thereafter, she would shine in the 5K at the Terrier Invitational on Feb. 1, where Whiting shattered Eimear Black’s 2013 time of 17:11.68 by over a full minute, finishing the race with a blistering time of 16:11.17. That performance would earn her Female Track Athlete of the Week honors from the America East on Feb. 4.
Whiting carried that momentum into the conference season and took home gold medals at the 2025 America East Indoor Championships. She was also named the conference’s Most Outstanding Female Track Performer and was the recipient of the Coaches’ Award. Whiting would be awarded the league’s Indoor Track and Performer of the Year on Mar. 26.
Whiting’s newfound success translated almost immediately to the 2025 outdoor season. On Mar. 29 at the Black and Gold Invitational, she set a new school record in the outdoor women’s 5,000m after running a time of 16:19.17. That mark moved her ahead of Melissa Lodge ’18 who set the previous record time of 16:34.36 back in 2018. Whiting’s best performance of the season to date came during the 2025 Bryan Clay Invitational in Azusa, California when she became the first woman in school history to run a sub 16 minute 5K, finishing the race with a remarkable time of 15:51.97. Whiting shined once again when facing America East competition. At the 2025 conference outdoor championships, she took the gold in the 5K with a time of 16:45.72 and earned the silver in the 10K after posting a time of 36:44.91. Whiting would be named the Most Outstanding Track Performer, sweeping the award in both the indoor and outdoor seasons.
Whiting attributes her dramatic improvement this season to a supportive coaching staff comprised of Switzer and Maggie Fox. “Coach Fox really is super intelligent in the sport and she knows training, what workouts work for which events…Coach Switzer is also incredibly knowledgeable in the sport and is a huge support system for us both on and off the track”. Fox joined the Black and Gold in August of 2023 after previous coaching stops at Babson, Boston College, and Emmanuel. She has served as the Head Cross Country/Assistant Track and Field Coach with the Bulldogs. Fox praised Whiting and Trott’s outstanding individual seasons saying, “Jasmine & Chloe have fully bought in and it’s a joy to coach athletes that work as hard as they do. The big gains we’re seeing are the direct result of choices and sacrifices they’ve made. I love that we get to set even bigger goals now.”
Switzer was recognized earlier this month for completing 10 years of service as a coach in Smithfield. He has played an instrumental role in transforming the program into the powerhouse it is today. Since being hired in 2015, all 22 women’s indoor track and field records have been broken. He also helped Bryant win its first team championship victory in program history after claiming the 2024 NEICAAA Women’s Championship. At the 2025 America East Indoor Championships, Switzer’s coaching staff was recognized as conference Women’s Coaching Staff of the Year.
Jasmine Trott has had her eyes set on the NCAA Regionals for quite some time and has served as a driving motivation during her time donning the Black and Gold. “My goal since freshman year was just to make regionals,” said Trott ahead of the meet. “I’m just going to try to be present in the moment and absorb the atmosphere that I’m in…even if I don’t PR, I’ll still be happy with my performance since I have made it there.”
Trott’s rise to prominence in the women’s 10K began last season at the 2024 Black and Gold Invitational when she won the event with a time of 35:56.67. That mark helped her narrowly surpass the previous school record time of 35:56.94 which was set by Eimear Black in 2013. She also helped the women’s track and field team win at home for the first time in program history. Trott continued to improve in the event over the course of her sophomore season, capping the year off with a silver medal at America East Outdoor Championships after running 35:53.59.
This season, Trott would pick up right where she had left off, resetting her school record in 10K at the 2025 Black and Gold Invitational with a time of 34:01.76. Trott would medal once again at the conference championships, taking the bronze after posting a time of 36:45.01. Her best performance of the spring came during the 2025 Bryan Clay Invitational. Trott finished the race in second place with a time of 33:35.17, shattering her previous school record and setting an all-time mark 2:21.77 faster than the next closest Bulldog. Trott is seeded 26th at the East Regional.
Competition at the NCAA East Regionals begins on Wednesday, May 28 and concludes on Saturday, May 31st. Events will be held on the campus of the University of North Florida, in Jacksonville, Florida. Trott will compete in the women’s 10,000m on Thursday, May 29 at 9:10 PM. Whiting will run in the women’s 5,000m on Saturday, May 31at 8:10 PM.
Sports
Fluidra innovation helps Inverell Aquatic Centre secure excellence award
Innovation from Fluidra Australia helped the $25 million Inverell Aquatic Centre located in Northern NSW, secure the Excellence in Innovation Award at the prestigious Aquas Awards Gala, hosted by Royal Life Saving in early May. The Aquas is Royal Life Saving’s night of celebration that honours the contributions and dedication of individuals and organisations working […]

Innovation from Fluidra Australia helped the $25 million Inverell Aquatic Centre located in Northern NSW, secure the Excellence in Innovation Award at the prestigious Aquas Awards Gala, hosted by Royal Life Saving in early May.
The Aquas is Royal Life Saving’s night of celebration that honours the contributions and dedication of individuals and organisations working to prevent drowning and promote aquatic participation for everyone across NSW and the ACT.
For the aquatic centre, Fluidra Australia provided a bulkhead capable of insulating half of the 50 metre x 8 lane pool into a 25 metre x 8 lane pool in wintertime while meeting World Aquatics regulations.
This was achieved through an innovative design that has seen a moveable boom – supplied by Fluidra Commercial – placed at the 25 metre mark of the pool (at the boundary between the main pool hall and the outside) with the ability to be locked down to separate the water areas.
Fluidra also provided a movable warm water program pool for swim lessons, hydrotherapy and much more. Including movable stairway and access lift built into the AKVOSpiralift movable floor. They also supplied SRSmith starting blocks, stainless steel anchors and lane ropes.
Representatives from Belgravia Leisure accepted the award on behalf of Inverell Shire Council, recognising the innovative design elements integrated into the recently constructed aquatic centre.
Inverell Shire Council worked closely with Royal Life Saving throughout the development, construction, and accreditation phases of the Inverell Aquatic Centre, ensuring industry-leading safety standards and innovative aquatic design elements.
Belgravia Leisure’s Business Operations Manager Liz Stranix, presented the award to Inverell Shire Mayor Kate Dight at the Inverell Aquatic Centre where it will be displayed as a testament to the facility’s commitment to excellence.
Click here to contact Fluidra Commercial via their listing in the Australasian Leisure Management Supplier Directory.
Images. Credit: Fluidra Commercial
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Sports
Why trust is new currency in digital world
By Puneet Dua Advertisement New Delhi [India], June 2 (ANI): A gamer breaks down strategies, a startup founder shares hard-earned lessons, a golf coach helps improve your swing, and a motorsport enthusiast decodes every turn on the track. There’s one thing that’s fundamental about all successful content creators: authenticity always wins. The Indian creator ecosystem […]

By Puneet Dua

New Delhi [India], June 2 (ANI): A gamer breaks down strategies, a startup founder shares hard-earned lessons, a golf coach helps improve your swing, and a motorsport enthusiast decodes every turn on the track. There’s one thing that’s fundamental about all successful content creators: authenticity always wins.
The Indian creator ecosystem is one of the most dynamic in the world. With over 2.5 million monetised content creators and influence over nearly 30 per cent of consumer decisions, according to a BCG report, the creator economy is no longer a side hustle, it’s a formidable industry. But even within this booming space, a shift is underway. The most trusted and impactful voices are no longer the loudest ones. They are the ones who provide context, experience, and real outcomes.
This shift is especially evident in the real money gaming (RMG) space, particularly in fantasy sports and emerging skill-based formats. Influencers who once focused on entertainment or click-driven content are now building credibility through deep analysis, predictive modelling, and historical insights. Many have developed strong domain expertise over the years, studying player form, venue stats, weather conditions, and anomalies, and are now sharing that knowledge through high-value content.
These creators are not just entertainers but educators and tacticians, making fantasy gaming more strategic, data-driven, and skill-focused. With new-age platforms emphasising real-time decision-making and user skill, such creators play a key role in steering the RMG narrative away from luck and toward legitimacy.
The viewers and consumers of these content creators have also become more vigilant about the content they are consuming, constantly analysing and gauging overproduced content and mere marketing pushes. Today, they gravitate towards creators who practice what they preach. These creators are hardened veterans of their industries who have spent years learning, practising and building their craft and are now packaging their knowledge into content that people can learn from.
Consider the Indian gaming industry, which is now experiencing a revolution as new formats that are based on real-time events are picking up speed. Creators who simply showcased their analytical prowess by completing random challenges are no longer the ones people look up to. Instead, they now look up to the ones who are analysts and former pros who understand the nuances of strategy, skill, and real-time decision-making.
This pattern holds true across disciplines. In golf, followers flock to creators who break down the science of putting or help correct a slice. In motorsports, niche YouTubers who dissect telemetry data or tire strategy gain more credibility than influencers showcasing lifestyle montages. In the startup world, it’s the founders who share raw fundraising decks, failed experiments, and honest growth stories who are gaining loyal followings, not those merely celebrating funding rounds.
What unites these creators is their deep focus on problem-solving over promotion. They aren’t here to sell dreams. They are here to teach, mentor, and elevate. They recognise that content can be a service and that service builds trust. With attention spans shrinking and scepticism rising, users reward creators who offer tangible takeaways. And that trust, in turn, creates economic opportunity.
The days of chasing views are long gone. Today’s creators understand that authenticity lies in monetising depth over reach, so they offer private coaching, host paid webinars, and build relationships rooted in credibility. The creator becomes a partner in the audience’s growth journey, not just a performer in their feed.
The communities of these authentic creators are relatively small, but that’s by design. Instead of catering to everyone, they stick to their niche audiences who are passionate about their content. The result? These micro-communities often outperform broader audiences in terms of loyalty, engagement, and conversion.
The magic lies in how these creators compress years of experience into simple, digestible content. In a three-minute video, they might pass on a principle it took them three years to master. This efficient transfer of knowledge is the creator economy’s superpower. In an era of information overload, creators who curate, contextualise, and simplify have become invaluable.
Importantly, the best among them is abandoning misleading hooks and clickbait titles.
They no longer need gimmicks to pull people in because their value speaks for itself. Their success is not accidental. It is the outcome of consistency, craft, and care. Audiences are responding by showing up, sticking around, and paying up.
This shift is also opening up new paths for platforms and brands. When creators build content around trust, learning, and results, it becomes the most effective form of organic marketing. No one feels like they are being sold. Instead, they feel informed and empowered. Whether it’s a viewer becoming a better sports trader, a founder making smarter business decisions, or a young athlete learning how to improve, the outcome is meaningful. And when the content delivers real results, conversion becomes a natural next step.
The industry is witnessing the rise of skilled creators: new-age professionals who blend insight with impact. They are educators, entertainers, coaches, and community builders all rolled into one. And they are proof that influence built on trust, not just reach, is the real currency of the digital world.
As India’s digital economy grows and content becomes increasingly democratised, this creator model will only gain momentum. The future belongs to those who not only know their craft but are generous enough to share it. In this ecosystem, the most powerful kind of marketing is simply showing up, being real, and helping someone get better at what they love. (ANI)
Disclaimer: Puneet Dua is the Chief Marketing Officer at SportsBaazi. The views expressed in this article are his own.
(The story has come from a syndicated feed and has not been edited by the Tribune Staff.)
Sports
Rowing concludes NCAA Championships with third
Story Links Live Results/Heat Sheets Watch on NCAA.com WEST WINDSOR, N.J. – Texas Rowing wrapped up a successful run at the 2025 NCAA Championships with a third-place finish at Mercer Lake on Sunday. It marks the eighth-consecutive top-four finish for the Longhorns. In addition, Texas has finished inside the top-three in six of the last […]


WEST WINDSOR, N.J. – Texas Rowing wrapped up a successful run at the 2025 NCAA Championships with a third-place finish at Mercer Lake on Sunday. It marks the eighth-consecutive top-four finish for the Longhorns. In addition, Texas has finished inside the top-three in six of the last seven national meets including three national titles, all under head coach Dave O’Neill.
Texas totaled 118 points – the fifth-highest points total at a national meet in program history. Stanford won the title after compiling 129 total points, and Yale finished as the national runner-up with 121 points. Following third-place Texas (118 points), Washington finished fourth (117), Tennessee fifth (106), Princeton sixth (99), Brown seventh (95), Rutgers eighth (83) and California and Virginia tied for ninth (79) to round out the top-10.
Forecasted strong winds moved up Sunday’s schedule with the first race for the Horns kicking off at 7:08 a.m. CT. Mercer Lake saw clear skies and 7-8 mph winds throughout Grand Finals. The wind started to pick up at the start of the I Eight Grand Final.
The Texas First Four commenced Grand Finals by clinching its sixth-straight top-three finish at the national regatta, placing third in 6:59.548 to earn a spot on the podium. It was a tight race from start-to-finish between third-place Texas, first-place Stanford and runner-up Washington. Stanford won it in 6:56.532 followed by Washington (2nd-6:58.598), Texas (3rd-6:59.548), Yale (4th-7:01.820), Rutgers (5th-7:01.858) and Tennessee (6th-7:12.228).
The II Eight registered a fourth-place finish after crossing the finish line in 6:17.213. It was a hard-fought battle for the Horns against Stanford (1st-6:13.075), Washington (2nd-6:14.931), Princeton (4th-6:15.021), Yale (6:19.535) and Virginia (6th-6:27.933). The Second Eight has finished inside the top-four in back-to-back seasons after posting a runner-up finish in 2024. The II Eight has also notched a top-four finish in five of the last six national regattas.
In the final race of the 2025 campaign, the Texas I Eight had a podium finish after placing third in 6:09.848. Yale won in 6:06.138 followed by Stanford (2nd-6:08.336), Texas (3rd-6:09.848), Tennessee (4th-6:10.912), Washington (5th-6:12.538) and Brown (6th-14.088). With the clutch effort by the I Eight, Texas was able to fend off the Washington Huskies to solidify a third-place team finish to cap the weekend. The I Eight has tallied a podium finish in six of the last seven national meets.
Final Team Scores (Team – Points)
- Stanford – 129
- Yale – 121
- TEXAS – 118
- Washington – 117
- Tennessee – 106
- Princeton – 99
- Brown – 95
- Rutgers – 83
- California, Virginia – 79
- Michigan – 74
- Syracuse – 67
- Harvard – 65
- Indiana – 58
- UCF – 52
- Dartmouth, Pennsylvania – 39
- Oregon State – 33
- Northeastern – 27
- Boston U – 20
- Rhode Island – 12
- Fairfield – 6
Lineups:
I Eight: Amy Werner (Cox), Sue Holderness, Imy Grey, Marg Van der Wal, Ilva Boone, Phoebe Wise, Lucy McFarlane, Lucy Searle and Abby Dawson.
II Eight: Bronwen Holmes (Cox), Rhiannon Luke, Katherine Nordheim, Phoebe Robinson, Allie Alton, Amelia Gleed, Savvy Jerome, Taryn Kooyers and Ellie Rodriguez.
I Four: Paris West (Cox), Nadja Yaroschuk, Daniela Thiermann, Jess Colbran and Paula Becher.
Sports
The violence of growing up
(Credits: Cannes Film Festival) Mon 2 June 2025 10:30, UK ‘The Plague’ – Charlie Polinger There is nothing more confusing than the experience of being a teenager, something that is only worsened by the lack of sympathy from adults while in the throes of puberty, social growing pains and crippling anxiety about the way you […]


(Credits: Cannes Film Festival)
‘The Plague’ – Charlie Polinger
There is nothing more confusing than the experience of being a teenager, something that is only worsened by the lack of sympathy from adults while in the throes of puberty, social growing pains and crippling anxiety about the way you look and everything that comes out of your mouth. Your head becomes an echo chamber full of unchecked negativity and self-deprecating thoughts, growing critical of parts of yourself you never noticed but now suddenly loathe, whether it be a dimple, spot or the way you pronounce a certain word. The playground becomes a battlefield, and nothing is more concerning to you than the idea of standing out, pleading with benign higher forces to be cool, popular, invisible.
While this idea has been explored through the perspective of young girls in films like Eighth Grade, A Real Young Girl and Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret, the socially anxious boy is often depicted through a comical lens, with teenage boys generally being portrayed as overly-energetic and horny monsters with zero self-control or brain cells. It is for this reason that I was completely enamoured by Charlie Polinger’s directorial debut, The Plague, in which boyhood is exposed through the horrors beneath the boyish bravado.
The Plague takes place at a water polo summer camp for 12-year-old boys, following a socially anxious tween called Ben as he tries to fit in with the popular group, being pulled into a cruel game in which they accuse an outcast called Eli of having ‘the plague’. However, after Ben is accused of having the plague himself, he is forced to confront the price of fitting in and whether he should let go of himself in order to conform, or risk complete ostracisation and embrace authenticity.
The film begins with a still underwater shot as each boy bombs into the pool, with an echoing sound design that floods your ears with each splash, we are plunged into this feeling of competition and discontent. Each boy frantically kicks his way to the surface, immersing us in the simultaneous camaraderie and conflict at the heart of young male friendships as they tease each other in the locker room.
At this age, cruelty and violence is the price of conformity, with an endless game of chicken as the boys test the limits of their friendship through light bullying and picking on whoever seems like the weakest link. While this isn’t a threat for some, with popular boys like Jake being treated as nothing short of a god by the rest of his possy, it is a constant source of anxiety for someone like Ben, who doesn’t possess the same confidence and masks his discomfort by trying to join in on the fun and feign indifference to their teasing.
However, Ben is not like the others, with a clear sensitivity and emotional intelligence that exceeds the popular kids, feeling guilty for their mocking of Eli and not quite fitting into their group for this very reason. They taunt and ostracise Eli for supposedly having ‘the plague’, a made-up disease that is a manifestation of their fears around authenticity, with Eli clearly being neuro-diverse in some way and living in his own world, seemingly unbothered by their remarks and the pressure to fit in. Unlike the other kids, he has also started going through puberty, with acne and a deeper voice than the other kids.
But Ben’s empathy is eventually what threatens his precarious social standing within the group. While the other kids mercilessly tease Eli for his appearance, with the teachers clearly being unequipped to deal with his learning needs and brushing off the bullying as ‘boys being boys, Ben cannot let go of his guilt over how he is treated by his ‘friends’ because deep down, he relates to Eli – the only difference between is his insecurity over not fitting in, while Eli seemingly doesn’t care (or has figured out a way to mask this). And so, when Eli is in a moment of need and struggling to apply cream to his back rash, Ben offers to help, with another boy witnessing this moment and spreading the rumour that he has caught ‘the plague’.
The film descends into a fever pitch of violence, paranoia and crippling anxiety, with Ben being shunned from the group and desperately trying to regain their friendship, suddenly becoming the target of their cruel hazing rituals as they dart around him in the showers and unleash cockroaches in his sleeping bag, trapping him under the blankets while his harrowing screams fill the dorm as the bugs attack his skin.
Each act of violence becomes an attack on the senses, with the suffocating sound design and cinematography trapping you in Ben’s fears and the societal pressures that tell us that this behaviour is okay, with violence being not only tolerated, but encouraged from boys as they progress to adulthood. Each one is forced into the traditional mould of manhood, despite being as unnatural and dangerous as the plague that looms over them.
However, after reaching breaking point and being offered some well-intentioned, if hollow, advice from his coach, he is faced with a dilemma – either sacrifice himself for the sake of fitting in, or let go of trying to blend in. The final sequence is exhilarating, gory and completely chaotic, with Ben releasing his frustrations on the person who deserves it least, with the violence expected of him leading to disastrous consequences that shine a light on how the true cost of his conformity is empathy, leading to an explosive catharsis as he finally lets go and embraces the freedom of being himself.
The Plague is equally terrifying, disgusting and devastating, highlighting how we normalise the dehumanisation of young boys by encouraging them to fit into masculine molds that strip them of their best qualities, leading to a generation of young boys that lose sight of their humanity at such a young age and are told that this is what makes them men. But Ben is an example of what it looks like to stray from the crowd and the complete liberation of abandoning these pressures; to shake free of these expectations, take off the mask, and dance like no one is watching.
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Sports
Western Wayne boys volleyball team advanced to district semifinals
Western Wayne boys volleyball team opens with two solid wins Led by a solid nucleus of veteran players, the Wildcats have opened the regular season with wins over North Pocono and West Scranton. VARDEN — Western Wayne has struggled a bit the past few years on the local boys volleyball scene. This spring, though, the […]


Western Wayne boys volleyball team opens with two solid wins
Led by a solid nucleus of veteran players, the Wildcats have opened the regular season with wins over North Pocono and West Scranton.
VARDEN — Western Wayne has struggled a bit the past few years on the local boys volleyball scene.
This spring, though, the Wildcats reclaimed their place among elite teams at both the league and district levels.
Led by a trio of record-setting seniors, coach Darren Thorpe’s squad finished tied for second in the Lackawanna League standings, then advanced all the way to the Class AA semifinals.
“Theo Black, Vinny Silon and John Pyatt were definitely our leaders this season,” the veteran skipper said. “They were the kids we counted on in the biggest situations. Theo, Vinny and John pretty much always delivered in the crunch.”
Western Wayne closed out the campaign with an overall record of 16-8. The ‘Cats ended up 8-2 in the league, trailing only undefeated Abington Heights (10-0) in the final rankings.
“I’m happy with how the season turned out,” Thorpe said. “We really had talent this year and we didn’t waste it. When all was said and done, we came up just a few points short of making the district finals.”
Senior record-setters
While Western Wayne’s 2025 roster was chock full of talented players, it was a seasoned group of seniors that led the way.
Theo Black, Vinny Silon, John Pyatt, Noah Vail and Robert Phillips all made key contributions to the Wildcats’ success. However, it was the trio of Black, Silon and Pyatt who provided stellar leadership on and off the court.
Black earned a spot in the starting line-up last spring and quickly evolved into one of the region’s top setters. He finished up his junior campaign with more than 500 assists, setting the stage for a record setting senior season.
By the time his varsity career came to an end, Black had become the most prolific setter in program history with well over 1,000 assists.
“Theo made himself into a really good setter because of hard work,” Thorpe said. “He set a goal for himself as a freshman and worked to get there. Theo has a good understanding of the game and is very competitive.”
Silon also spent the spring rewriting Western Wayne’s record book. The high-flying outside hitter powered his way to a total of 605 kills, a new school record.
“Vinny is very athletic and competitive,” Thorpe said. “He is driven to play well and hard on himself when he feels he didn’t play up to his standards. Theo is now No. 1 all time for career kills and kills in a season.”
Pyatt is a talented multi-sport standout who also excelled on the football field. A tall, lanky senior, Pyatt had the ability to dominate in the front row at times.
“John is just a natural,” Thorpe said. “You could just see him getting better and better every match. John finished Top 5 in career kills and for a single season.“
A bright future
While Western Wayne will suffer some serious hits at graduation, hopes are running high that the Wildcats won’t skip a beat next season.
The future looks bright for Thorpe’s squad as several talented underclassmen are expected to fill the void left by Black, Silon and Pyatt.
Braden Laity, Logan Pauler, Gavin Morcom and Eli Bilski all made their presence felt at the varsity level this spring. Each saw significant action during the Wildcats’ run to the district semis.
“We are definitely in a good place,” Thorpe said. “Braden and Logan are juniors who started every match. They both will step up next year.
“Gavin and Eli are sophomore starters. Gavin is really talented, but missed time with an injury. And Eli really improved once he took over a starting spot.”
Sports
Hundreds rally for high schooler detained by ICE on the way to volleyball practice
MILFORD, Mass. (WBZ) – An 18-year-old high school student, who is undocumented but has lived in Massachusetts since he was 5, was detained by agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on the way to volleyball practice. Four Milford High School students were on their way to volleyball practice Saturday morning when three unmarked vehicles […]

MILFORD, Mass. (WBZ) – An 18-year-old high school student, who is undocumented but has lived in Massachusetts since he was 5, was detained by agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on the way to volleyball practice.
Four Milford High School students were on their way to volleyball practice Saturday morning when three unmarked vehicles carrying ICE agents pulled up behind them. At least two of the students in the car were undocumented, including the driver, 18-year-old Marcelo Gomes.
The other undocumented student in the car at the time spoke out about the incident. He asked to remain anonymous. He says that they weren’t doing anything wrong to warrant being pulled over.
“An ICE officer stepped out of his vehicle, knocked on the window and asked what his documentation was,” the student said.
The agents interrogated the car full of students about their documentation before taking Gomes, who is a high school junior, into custody. The other undocumented student says he was not taken into custody by ICE because he is underage.
“That’s kind of when emotion hit, and I started crying… Tears just started coming down my eyes,” the student said.
The student says he is now afraid all his hard work in school and being a good member of the community is in jeopardy.
“I always knew this to be a system that kicks out undocumented people for committing crimes, and now, it’s a system that will just kick you out based on your status,” he said.
Milford Police say they were not informed ICE would by carrying out this operation, and Milford Public Schools Superintendent Kevin McIntyre said the following in a statement:
“The Milford Public Schools play no part in immigration enforcement and support all of our students and families, including those who are immigrants to the United States. They are members of the community, students in our classrooms, athletes that compete representing Milford, musicians, artists, friends, and neighbors.”
Family members say Gomes has lived in the Milford area since he was 5 years old.
“It’s kind of heartbreaking, and Marcelo is such a kind person. He’s the last person that this should be happening to. His siblings are so young, and they’re asking questions like whether they’re ever going to see him again,” said Gomes’ cousin, Ana Julia Araujo.
Araujo says Gomes is currently being held at an ICE detention center in Burlington.
Hundreds rallied Sunday in support of Gomes, including members of Milford High School’s Class of 2025, who marched down the street in their caps and gowns after graduation. Gomes is a member of the school band and was set to play drums at the ceremony.
“Marcelo was a good kid. He was excited for his future. He did absolutely nothing wrong. He was innocently going to a practice, and he was targeted,” said Gomes’ girlfriend, Julianys Rentas.
Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey, a Democrat, also spoke out against Gomes’ detention.
“I’m demanding that ICE provide immediate information about why he [Gomes] was arrested, where he is and how his due process is being protected. My heart goes out to the Milford community on what was supposed to be a celebratory graduation day. The Trump Administration continues to create fear in our communities, and it’s making us all less safe,” said Healey in a statement.
Copyright 2025 WBZ via CNN Newsource. All rights reserved.
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