Sports

C. Notes

Published

5 months ago

July 21, 2025

NEW YORK — As far as first tests go, Noelvi Marte’s debut in the outfield for the Cincinnati Reds was pretty easy.

Through six innings in right field Sunday at Citi Field, Marte had exactly one ball hit to him, a third-inning grounder from New York Mets leadoff man Brandon Nimmo that got by second baseman Matt McLain.

With Mets center fielder Tyrone Taylor on second, Marte had a play at the plate, but Taylor was about halfway between third and home when Marte scooped the ball to throw home. Marte’s one-hop toss was on line, but too late to get the speedy Taylor, opening the game’s scoring in an eventual 3-2 Mets victory Sunday.

“He came in on the ball — it was (a) very good (throw),” Reds manager Terry Francona said. “He kept the ball down, one-hop. He’s OK. He’s going to be fine.”

Facing Mets lefty David Peterson, Francona put Marte in right field — marking the 23-year-old’s first professional appearance in the outfield — to maximize the number of right-handed bats in the lineup. With Marte in right, the Reds’ starting lineup had seven right-handed hitters, the switch-hitting Elly De La Cruz and left-handed hitting leadoff man TJ Friedl.

Austin Hays, who was the DH for Sunday’s game, and Connor Joe, who specializes in hitting left-handed pitching, are the only regular right-handed hitting outfielders on the team’s roster. Utilityman Santiago Espinal has made eight starts in the outfield after playing there for the first time last year, but at this point is a better defender at third base.

Several weeks ago, Marte, who played shortstop for most of his minor-league career before being traded to the Reds and moved to third base, was shagging balls in the outfield when Reds outfielder coach Collin Cowgill noticed him and thought he looked good out there. Since then, Marte had been working with Cowgill before games in the outfield. After Saturday’s workout, Marte told Cowgill, “I’m ready.”

The next day, Marte found himself in the lineup and in right field.

“I’m a person who likes challenges, I like experimenting different things,” Marte said before the game, according to team interpreter Tomás Vera. “If the team needs me there, I’ll be there.”

Marte said as a kid he wanted to be an outfielder but was then moved to shortstop, where he was signed by the Seattle Mariners.

The 6-foot-2, 216-pound Marte has the arm strength and athleticism to play in the outfield. He’s made five errors in just 70 chances at third this year and 12 in 130 last season. Espinal, who has played five defensive positions this season, has one error in 119 total chances at third base this season, one at second base (38 chances) and one in the outfield (eight chances).

The Reds already moved Marte from shortstop to third base because he was behind De La Cruz and McLain at the position, and another of the Reds’ top prospects, Edwin Arroyo, also plays short.

“He’s not going to be our everyday right fielder right now,” Francona said. “There’s going to be some days where it may be against a lefty that we think we can put a better team out there, and maybe — and hopefully — it helps us defensively.”

Marte said he wasn’t worried about playing in the outfield, noting that all infielders think they can play outfield.

In Sunday’s game against the Mets, the first ball hit in the air to right came with two outs in the seventh, after Jake Fraley had come into the game in the top of the inning as a pinch hitter against right-handed reliever Huascar Brazobán and Marte moved to third.

“I’m not sure we’re dying to have guys start pelting balls to him in the outfield,” Francona said after the game. “That’s not the object here.”

For his part, Marte said he felt comfortable in the outfield and thought it went well. He’s open to the challenge of playing there more, knowing it’s a good chance to expand his playing time and role.

“It’s an opportunity,” Marte said, according to Vera. “And when you have an opportunity, you have to be open to it.”

Another of the Reds’ top prospects is a third baseman. Sal Stewart, 21, was recently promoted to Triple-A Louisville after leading the Southern League in hitting. Two years ago, when Marte was 21, he started the season at Double-A Chattanooga before being promoted to Louisville and then made his big-league debut Aug. 19, 2023.

When Francona was asked whether Marte’s move was a precursor to Stewart’s arrival, he shot down that speculation.

“Oh, you might be getting a little ahead of us there,” Francona said.

Connor Joe got another chance after his recent miscue when Terry Francona put him in left field as a defensive replacement. (Vincent Carchietta / Imagn Images)

Connor Joe put back on the horse

Francona said before Saturday’s game against the Mets that Joe, who lost what would’ve been the final out of Friday’s game in the lights and had it bounce off his glove, was distraught after the series-opening win.

“We would’ve had to talk him off the ledge if that’d ended (differently). Of course, I’d have been right there with him.”

Instead, the Reds pulled out the victory, so Joe was saved the embarrassment of his miscue leading to a loss.

Joe said his teammates and coaches told him to shake it off, and they knew it was just one play. So did Francona, but he also had the power to actually show Joe that he still trusted him by putting him in left field as a defensive replacement in the eighth inning Saturday.

“It was a concerted effort,” Francona said Sunday. “I don’t think when something like that happens, you put someone in the penalty box. He just missed the ball.”

For as small a thing as it is to put someone in left field for two innings, it has an outsized meaning to both Joe and his teammates.

“I really appreciated it,” Joe said Sunday. “I think that’s him. Everything I’ve heard about Tito is on par with that exact moment and that exact showing. These are big, meaningful games, and we want to do nothing but win, and for him to put that trust in me in a big, big situation goes a long way with me and means a lot to me.”

Joe said as soon as he got back on the field, he forgot about Friday’s error — “once you get out there, it’s status quo.”

But he won’t forget what Francona did by showing his trust.

“For him to do that when the game is on the line, it goes further than what anyone could tell me,” Joe said.

Sal Stewart, Héctor Rodriguez to AAA

After one game this spring, Francona noted Stewart was as good a young hitter as he’d seen in a long time. Stewart is one step closer to being seen by Francona regularly.

Stewart and outfielder Héctor Rodríguez were promoted from Double-A Chattanooga to Triple-A Louisville last week.

“With those two guys, I think we all feel like they’re a part of what we’re going to be and we’re excited about that,” Francona said. “We want to make sure they understand that it’s not just getting to Cincinnati, but get here ready to help us win.”

At Chattanooga, Stewart hit .306/.377/.473 with 10 home runs and 19 doubles. When promoted, Stewart was leading the Southern League in batting average and was third in OPS. Sunday, in his third game at Triple-A, Stewart hit his first home run at that level.

“(The minor-league staff has been) staying on Sal about not having the ups and downs of if I get hits or if I don’t. Cause when you get here, you don’t get hits every day and you’ve still got to be a good player,” Francona said. “I think we tried to impress that upon Sal — we’re not picking on you, we f—ing love you, but we’re going to stay on you.”

The message to Rodríguez has been similar. A converted infielder, the 21-year-old Rodriguez was acquired from the Mets in the deal that sent Tyler Naquin to New York near the 2022 trade deadline. Rodríguez was second in the Southern League in batting average (.298) and slugging percentage (.481), and he was fourth in OPS (.838) and fifth in home runs (12).

In the Reds’ system, he’s played all three outfield spots, but has been in right field this season. In his second game at Triple-A on Saturday, Rodríguez reached base four times, going 2-for-3 with a double and a walk.

“They both have a chance to really help us,” Francona said.

The week that was

De La Cruz (0-for-2) and Andrew Abbott (1 inning pitched) appeared in the All-Star Game in Atlanta. The Reds began the second half by taking two of three from the Mets in front of three sellout crowds at Citi Field. The Reds’ series win in New York, coupled with an Arizona Diamondbacks sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals, moved Cincinnati into third in the National League Central, 7 1/2 games behind the Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago Cubs, and 2 1/2 games behind the San Diego Padres for the third wild-card spot.

The week ahead

The Reds go to Washington for three against the Washington Nationals, with rookie right-hander Chase Burns making his fifth start Tuesday. After a day off Thursday, the Reds return home to start a long homestand beginning with three games against the Tampa Bay Rays.

Injury updates

• RHP Hunter Greene (right groin strain) is expected to start a rehab assignment in Arizona this week before moving to Triple-A Louisville.

• RHP Carson Spiers (right shoulder impingement) was returned from his rehab assignment with right biceps soreness. Spiers threw 75 pitches in 3 1/3 innings in his start Saturday. He gave up three runs on four hits with four walks and three strikeouts.

• RHP Ian Gibaut (right shoulder impingement) has begun throwing.

• LHP Wade Miley (left flexor strain) has been playing catch and hopes to return this season.

Minor-league report

• Triple-A Louisville (41-55): OF Rece Hinds notched his first multihomer game of the season Saturday, going 3-for-5 with two home runs.

• Double-A Chattanooga (47-39): OF Austin Hendrick hit his second career leadoff home run in Saturday’s Lookouts win. He has 10 home runs on the season. The 24-year-old, who was the team’s first-round pick in 2020, is having his best season yet as a pro, hitting .266/.342/.462 in 60 games.

• High-A Dayton (28-59): SS Carlos Sanchez is hitting .290/.400/.435 with a pair of home runs in 18 games at Dayton after his promotion from Class-A Daytona. In 60 games with the Tortugas, the 20-year-old Sanchez hit .308/.429/.449 with four home runs.

• Class-A Daytona (41-47): C Alfredo Duno extended his on-base streak to 39 games Sunday (not including his appearance in the Futures Game) with a pair of walks. Over his streak, he has 41 walks to go along with 41 hits and four home runs.

(Top photo: Ishika Samant / Getty Images)

Sports

Allick Joins LOVB Madison – University of Nebraska

Published

6 hours ago

December 20, 2025

Your Sports Nation

LOVB Madison announced on Friday that Nebraska senior middle blocker Rebekah Allick will be joining their squad for the 2026 League One Volleyball season.

Allick will join former Husker Callie Schwarzenbach on LOVB Madison’s roster.

Allick concluded her Husker career with AVCA All-America Second Team honors, the first All-America honor of her career after being named All-Region three times. She also earned All-Big Ten First Team accolades for the first time after twice earning second-team honors.

Allick had the best season of her standout career with 2.56 kills per set on .450 hitting with a team-high 1.27 blocks per set. Her .450 hitting percentage ranked as the No. 4 single-season mark in school history, as well as the No. 4 mark in the country on the season.

She finished her Husker career at No. 5 in career blocks in the rally-scoring era with 543, and her career blocks per set average of 1.31 ranked fourth. Allick was on the AVCA Player of the Year Watch List at the midway point of the season. She was also named to the AVCA All-First Serve Team, and she was the AVCA National Player of the Week and Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week after two standout performances to begin the season against Pitt and Stanford.

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Women’s Volleyball Adds Two Transfers for 2026 Season

Published

6 hours ago

December 20, 2025

Your Sports Nation

HONOLULU — University of Hawai’i women’s volleyball head coach Robyn Ah Mow announced the additions of two productive pin hitters who will join the Rainbow Wahine as transfers for the 2026 season.

Maëli Cormier, a 6-foot-2 opposite/outside hitter who spent her freshman year at Oregon State, and Panna Ratkai, a 5-foot-10 outside hitter who played at Dayton last season, have signed with the Rainbow Wahine and will enroll at UH for the spring semester. Cormier will have three seasons of eligibility remaining while Ratkai will spend her senior season at UH and both bring international experience with them to Mānoa.

“Both Maëli and Panna add a lot of maturity and competitiveness that will immediately upgrade our gym and culture the moment they step foot on campus,” Ah Mow said. “We are very excited to add them both to our ‘ohana and can’t wait to get to work when spring training begins.”

Cormier, originally from Les Îles de la Madeleine, Quebec, Canada, earned a spot on the West Coast Conference’s All-Freshman Team after averaging 2.63 kills per set for Oregon State in the 2025 season. She played in 28 matches with 12 starts and finished second on the team with 266 total kills. She posted double-figure kills in 13 matches with a season-high 20 in a five-set win over Saint Mary’s. She hit better than .300 in 10 matches and went over .400 five times. She was also the starting opposite with Canada’s U-21 team at the 2024 NORCECA Continental Championship in Toronto and led the team with 35 kills in the tournament. She also played with Canada’s U19 team in 2022 and was selected to the National Excellence Program in 2022 and ’23. She played club volleyball for Élans de Garneau and was a 2025 Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association All-Canadian selection.

Ratkai, originally from Budapest, Hungary, was a two-time Horizon League Offensive Player of the Year at Purdue Fort Wayne before spending the 2025 season at Dayton. After redshirting in 2022, Ratkai put away 1,048 kills and averaged 4.62 per set over her two seasons at Purdue Fort Wayne. She finished the 2024 season ranked 15^th in the nation with 4.57 kills per set and 19^th with 5.17 points per set and was an AVCA All-America Honorable Mention selection. She also had 586 digs and recorded 30 double-doubles in her two seasons with the Mastodons. Ratkai competed with the Hungarian National Team last summer and played in 41 sets and posted 82 kills and 71 digs at Dayton this past season.

Cormier and Ratkai join incoming freshmen Cameron Holcomb and Rachel Purser in UH’s signing class for the 2026 season.

2026 University of Hawai’i Women’s Volleyball Signees

Name	Pos.	Ht.	Yr.	Hometown (High School/Last School)
Maëli Cormier	OH/OPP	6-2	So.	Les Îles de la Madeleine, Quebec, Canada (Cegep Garneau/Oregon State)
Cameron Holcomb	L/DS	5-8	Fr.	San Marcos, Calif. (San Marcos HS)
Panna Ratkai	OH	5-10	Sr.	Budapest, Hungary (Gödölloi Török Ignác Gimnázium/Dayton)
Rachel Purser	MB	6-3	Fr.	Henderson, Nev. (Coronado HS)

#HawaiiWVB

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Creighton volleyball adds second high-major transfer commitment in Ayden Ames

Published

7 hours ago

December 20, 2025

Your Sports Nation

OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) – Creighton volleyball is on a heater in the NCAA transfer portal, which opened Dec. 7 and closes Jan. 5.

Texas middle blocker transfer Ayden Ames committed to the Bluejays Friday.

A former Nebraska commit before flipping to Texas in 2023, Ames averaged 1.52 kills and 1.11 blocks per set with a .368 hitting percentage as a sophomore this season. She has two years of eligibility remaining.

Ames is the second transfer commitment this offseason, joining former Kansas setter Katie Dalton, who pledged to Creighton for her final season on Dec. 17.

Dalton helped lead the Jayhawks to a NCAA regional semifinal appearance, where they lost to Nebraska. She averaged 8.76 assists and 2.27 digs per set and earned All-Big 12 Second-Team honors.

Bluejays’ coach Brian Rosen has two AVCA Second-Team All-Americans to replace in outside hitter Ava Martin and middle blocker Kiara Reinhardt. They also lose Third-Team All-American setter Annalea Maeder.

Yet, the program still made an NCAA regional final this season despite losing seven seniors and two All-Americans from the 2024 roster.

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No. 1 seed Kentucky volleyball advances to National Championship after beating No. 3 seed Wisconsin in 5-set thriller – Kentucky Kernel

Published

8 hours ago

December 20, 2025

Your Sports Nation

No. 1 seed Kentucky volleyball (30-2, 15-0 SEC) advances to the 2025 National Championship with a 3-2 win over No. 3 seed Wisconsin (28-5, 17-3 Big Ten) in the Final Four.

This will be Kentucky’s second National Championship appearance in program history, with the first coming in the 2020-21 season when Kentucky took home the title.

Kentucky Wildcats outside hitter Eva Hudson celebrates after scoring a point during the Final Four volleyball match against Wisconsin on Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025, at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Mo. Photo by Will Luckett | Photo Manager

Wisconsin dominated the first set from start to finish, taking a 1-0 match lead with a 25-12 win in set one. Kentucky used a 6-0 run late in set two to pull ahead and even the match with a 25-22 set two victory. The Badgers attack simply overpowered Kentucky again in set three, allowing Wisconsin to win the set 25-21 and take a 2-1 lead in the match. Kentucky fended off a late comeback attempt by Wisconsin in set four, taking the set 26-24 to even the match at 2-2 and force set five. Kentucky got out to a 8-2 lead early in set five before taking the set 15-13, winning the match.

AVCA All-American First Team member Mimi Colyer was the driving force behind a Badger attack that kept the pressure on all night. She led the match with 32 kills and had a .348% hitting percentage.

Behind Colyer, Wisconsin totaled 77 kills and hit .375% in the match.

The Wildcats powerful outside hitter duo of Eva Hudson and Brooklyn DeLeye were the engine of Kentucky’s attack. Hudson had a team leading 29 kills for a new season high and hit .455%. DeLeye added 15 kills of her own and led the team in blocks with five and digs with 14.

The Wildcats totaled 65 kills with a .254% hitting percentage.

Set One

Wisconsin began the match with a 3-0 run, with back-to-back kills from Colyer.

The Badgers extended this lead to 8-2 with a 3-0 run, this forced Kentucky to take its first timeout early in the first set.

Wisconsin had seven kills with a perfect 1.000% hitting percentage at this point, the Badgers were overwhelming the Cats defense early.

The Badgers perfect hitting continued through 10 attempts, pushing Wisconsin ahead 15-6. This forced Kentucky to take its second timeout of the set.

The Wildcats defense has been a strength this season, but Wisconsin’s attack tore it up in the first half of set one.

Wisconsin continued to extend its lead following UK’s timeout, pulling ahead 21-9 with a 5-1 run.

The Badgers dominated set one, taking a 1-0 lead with a 25-12 set win.

Wisconsin recorded 15 kills in the first set with a .682% hitting percentage, the Badgers made zero attack errors.

Kentucky recorded just nine kills with a .056% hitting percentage, thanks largely to seven attack errors.

Wisconsin’s Colyer and Carter Booth both recorded seven kills in set one.

The Wildcats seemed to lack any answers for Wisconsin’s attack in the set, and couldn’t get their own going.

Set Two

Kentucky pulled out to a 3-1 in the second set, thanks to a kill and block assist from DeLeye.

This lead was extended to 6-3 after a 3-1 run by Kentucky.

Wisconsin mounted 6-2 run to take a 10-9 lead.

Wisconsin took a 15-14 lead into the media timeout after the set was tied at 10-10, 11-11, 12-12, 13-13 and 14-14.

a 3-0 Wildcat run allowed Kentucky to pull ahead 21-20, forcing Wisconsin to take its second timeout of the set.

Kentucky continued its run through the timeout, with another 3-0 run to force set point at 24-20.

Wisconsin stayed alive with a 2-0 run that shortened Kentucky’s lead to two points. Kentucky called its first timeout of the set as a result.

Hudson recorded her sixth kill of the set after the timeout, allowing Kentucky to win set two 25-22 and even the match at 1-1.

The Badgers attack cooled off in the second set, while Kentucky’s began to find its rhythm.

Wisconsin had 14 kills in set two with a hitting percentage of .229%. The Badgers had six attack errors after having none in the first set. The Badgers also recorded six service errors.

Kentucky had 13 kills with a .258% hitting percentage.

Hudson not only led UK in kills in the set, she also recorded two blocks and four digs.

Booth had five kills in the set, bringing her total to 12 kills at a .786% hitting percentage through two sets.

Set Three

Colyer recorded four straight kills as Wisconsin got out to a 4-2 lead in set two.

Another 4-2 run by the Badgers gave them a 8-5 lead, with Colyer accounting for five of those points.

An injury forced Wisconsin to call its first timeout of the set with an early lead.

Wisconsin mounted a 4-1 run after its timeout to pull ahead 12-7, this forced Kentucky’s first timeout of the set.

The Wildcats mounted a 4-1 run that shortened the Badgers lead to 15-13.

A 3-0 run by Kentucky allowed the Wildcats to pull within one, Wisconsin called its second timeout of the set with a 21-20 lead.

Wisconsin forced set point at 24-21, leading to the Wildcats second timeout of the set.

The Badgers won the first rally out of the timeout to win set three 25-21, taking a 2-1 match lead.

Colyer had 12 kills in set three, leading the Badgers oppressive attack. Wisconsin had 21 kills total and hit .386% in the set.

The Wildcats had their best attacking set of the match with 16 kills and a .326% hitting percentage, but they were unable to keep up with Wisconsin.

DeLeye and Hudson each had five kills in the set.

Kassie O’Brien assisted on 15 of the Cats 16 kills in the set, nearly doubling her match total.

Set Four

Kentucky got out to a 3-1 lead in set four, Wisconsin responded with a 4-1 run that put the Badgers ahead 6-4.

The Wildcats mounted a 3-0 run, taking a 7-6 lead with a service ace from Molly Tuozzo.

Wisconsin responded with a 3-0 run of its own to pull ahead 9-7.

Kentucky went into the media timeout on a 5-1 run, allowing the Cats to hold a 15-13 lead. Hudson was responsible for 3 of these points, with two kills and a service ace.

A 3-1 Wildcat run allowed Kentucky to extend its lead to 19-16.

Wisconsin took a timeout after Kentucky pulled ahead 20-17.

The Badgers pulled within one point twice but called another timeout when UK pulled ahead 23-21.

The Wildcats forced set point at 24-21, but the Badgers pulled back to within one and forced a Kentucky timeout.

Wisconsin evened the set at 24-24, but Kentucky scored on two consecutive rallies to win the set 26-24. This evened the match at 2-2, forcing a shortened fifth set.

Set Five

A service ace by Trinity Ward gave UK a 2-1 lead in set five, a solo block by Lizzie Carr brought the lead to 3-1. Hudson’s kill turned this into a 4-0 run that forced a Wisconsin timeout.

The Wildcats continued through the timeout, an error by Wisconsin and kill from DeLeye put UK ahead 6-1.

O’Brien recorded a kill then assisted Hudson to put Kentucky ahead 8-2 at the side switch.

Wisconsin came out of the side switch with a 4-1 run to shrink UK’s lead to 9-6.

DeLeye’s third kill of the set put Kentucky ahead 11-7, forcing Wisconsin to call a timeout.

Wisconsin mounted a 2-0 run out of the timeout, coming within two points.

A kill by Hudson forced match point at 14-11, but Wisconsin responded with a 2-0 run to cut the Wildcats lead to 14-13. This forced a timeout from Kentucky.

Kentucky came out of the timeout and forced a block error to win the match with a 15-13 victory in set five.

The Wildcats will take on No. 3 seed Texas A&M in the 2025 National Championship at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri, on Sunday, Dec. 21, at 5 p.m. ET.

It will be the first time in NCAA history that two SEC teams will face off in the National Championship. The Wildcats are the only team to win the National Championship as a member of the SEC.

The Wildcats went on the road to defeat Texas A&M in four sets on Oct. 8, 2025, en route to Kentucky’s undefeated SEC run and ninth consecutive SEC regular season title.

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Jackson, Reilly Take Home AVCA Positional Awards – University of Nebraska

Published

10 hours ago

December 20, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Nebraska volleyball’s Andi Jackson and Bergen Reilly received top positional awards at the AVCA Awards Banquet at the Kansas City Convention Center on Friday.

Jackson was named the Middle Blocker of the Year, while Reilly was named the Setter of the Year. The AVCA positional awards are new this season.

Pitt junior Olivia Babock was named the AVCA Player of the Year for the second straight season, as well as Opposite of the Year. Wisconsin’s Mimi Colyer took home Outside Hitter of the Year, and Iowa State libero Rachel Van Gorp was Libero of the Year.

Reilly set the Huskers to a school-record .351 hitting percentage, as the Big Red concluded their season with a 33-1 overall record and 20-0 mark in Big Ten play en route to a third straight conference title. Reilly averaged 10.47 assists per set and 2.70 digs per set. She also totaled 73 kills, 67 blocks and 19 aces.

Reilly was named a first-team AVCA All-American, Big Ten Player of the Year, Big Ten Setter of the Year, AVCA Region Player of the Year and All-Big Ten First Team. NU’s .351 hitting percentage ranks first nationally and is the best hitting percentage by a Big Ten team since 2009 Penn State.

A junior from Sioux Falls, S.D., Reilly set Nebraska to a .400 or better hitting percentage nine times this season, a school record in the rally-scoring era. Reilly had double-doubles in all six of the Husker matches that went longer than three sets, and she had four double-doubles in sweeps.

A three-time AVCA All-American and one of four finalists for AVCA Player of the Year, Reilly ranks No. 3 in school history in career assists in the rally-scoring era with 3,723. Her career assists per set average of 10.70 ranks No. 4 among active Division I players and No. 2 in school history in the rally-scoring era.

Jackson was chosen to the AVCA All-America First Team for the second straight year, as well as the All-Big Ten First Team. She was also an AVCA Player of the Year Semifinalist and AVCA All-Region Team for the third straight year.

The junior middle blocker from Brighton, Colo., averaged 2.74 kills per set on .467 hitting with 1.12 blocks per set and 16 aces. Her .467 hitting percentage led the nation and was the No. 3 hitting percentage in school history for a single season.

In conference-only matches, Jackson hit .559 to break the Big Ten record for hitting percentage in conference-only matches in a season, which was .541 by Arielle Wilson from Penn State in 2008. Jackson ended her junior season with a career hitting percentage of .437, which is the No. 1 mark in school history and the No. 1 mark among active Division I players.

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YSU Collegiate Invitational Presented by Southwoods Health Meet Information

Published

11 hours ago

December 19, 2025

Your Sports Nation

2026 Youngstown State University Indoor Track & Field 14th Annual Collegiate Invitational Meet Presented by Southwoods Health will start at 1 pm | Friday, Jan. 16

Entry Registration Opens up on Direct Athletics :

Friday, December 19 at 5pm

Time Schedule of Events

Running Events start at 1pm

All Field Events start at 1pm

Running Events — Rolling Schedule Women first, Men to Follow

1pm Women 5000M

Men’s 60M Hurdles Qualifying Round

Women’s 60M Hurdles Qualifying Round

Women’s 60M Dash Qualifying Round

Men’s 60M Dash Qualifying Round

Men’s 5000M

Men’s 60M Hurdles PRELIMS

Women’s 60M Hurdles PRELIMS

Women’s 60M Dash PRELIMS

Men’s 60M Dash PRELIMS

Women’s Mile Run

Men’s Mile Run

Women’s 400M

Men’s 400M

Women’s 60M Hurdles FINALS

Men’s 60M Hurdles FINALS

Women’s 60M Dash FINALS

Men’s 60M Dash FINALS

Women’s 500M Dash FINALS

Men’s 500M Dash FINALS

Women’s 800m

Men’s 800m

Women’s 200M Dash

Men’s 200M Dash

Women’s 3000M Run

Men’s 3000M Run

Women’s 1600M Relay

Men’s 1600M Relay

Field Events Start at 12noon

Seeded Women’s Pole Vault

Seeded Men’s Pole Vault

Unseeded Women’s Pole Vault

Unseeded Men’s Pole Vault

Women’s High Jump–Men’s High Jump to follow

Women’s Weight Throw–Men’s Weight Throw to follow

Men’s Shot Put–Women’s Shot Put to follow

Men (West Pit) and Women (East Pit)

Long Jump–Triple Jump follow 20 minutes upon completion of Long Jump

**Finals in field events will consist of the top Nine marks from the qualifying rounds.**

Meet : Open NCAA sanctioned Indoor Track & Field Competition.

Timing: Fully automatic FinishLynx system

Location: The Watson and Tressel Training Site (WATTS) on the YSU campus. The WATTS features a full-length Shaw Sportexe Power Blade HP+ synthetic turf system football field, a 300-meter state-of-the-art mondo track surface, two long-jump pits, a high-jump pit, four batting cages, protective netting, training room and locker rooms.

GPS address: 651 Elm St. | Youngstown, OH 44555

Entries: Entries are due by Tuesday, January 13 by 7pm on Direct Athletics, consisting of event entries with best marks from the previous year or realistic projected marks. All entries will be done on-line at www.directathletics.com.

Please visit the Direct Athletics website at your earliest convenience in order to familiarize yourself with how the entry process works.

Also, please limit FIVE athletes per event. If you have an event with more than five quality athletes, please text Brian Gorby at (330) 519-7591 and we’ll help to get more entry’s added, if needed.

We always try to help accommodate additional team /individual additional Entry’s.

**Note: Please check YSUsports.com after the entry deadline for changes or adjustments to the meet time schedule!

Internet Entry Lists: Final entry lists will be posted on our website, YSUsports.com on Thursday, January 15. Please check to make sure your athletes are entered correctly. If there are mistakes or scratches, please email bdgorby@ysu.edu & ysutrackmeets@gmail.com .

Entry Fees: $ 500 per each team, men & women genders are separate, consisting of 10 or more individuals in unlimited events are paid online, when you complete Entry’s on Direct Athletics or $ 25 per individual event entry & paid online at Direct Athletics.

ENTRY FEES

$ 25 per ENTRY (i.e. 2 events entered would be $ 50 ) Entry fees must be paid in advance online when you enter on DirectAthletics (all major credit and debit cards accepted).

Relay only Entry’s $ 7 per runner for a total of $ 28 per relay team.

REFUND POLICY

Outside of meet cancellation, there is a strict NO REFUND policy on entry fees.

Absolutely no refunds will be processed due to scratches, change of plans, inability to travel, illness, injuries, etc.

Spikes: ONLY 1/4 inch or shorter pyramid spikes will be allowed and all spikes will be checked prior to events. NO pin or needle spikes, spike elements, or any other type of spike will be allowed.

High Jump: All high jump competitions will be conducted on the Mondo surface.

Sections/Heats/Flights: Flights will be seeded by distance with best marks in the latest sections/flights.

Finals in field events will consist of the top nine marks from the qualifying rounds.

There will be prelims and finals in the 60 and 60h. All other races will be run as sections against time with the fastest heats being run first.

Implement Weigh-In: 30 minutes prior to event at the Throws area.

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