One of the Hillsdale College women’s track and field team’s top competitors unwrapped a nice early Christmas present for herself on Friday afternoon.

Senior Tara Townsend traveled solo to the Akron Haynes Lancaster Open, looking to get one final crack at her signature event, the pole vault, before heading off to Christmas break.

The trip proved more than fruitful for Townsend, as she cleared three bars on the first attempt to set a new personal best clearance of 4.20 meters, and in the process breaking the Great Midwest Athletic Conference indoor record in the event of 4.16 meters held by Morgan England of Findlay since 2021.

Townsend placed second behind defending MAC pole vault champion Cassidy Allen of Akron at the meet, and with the vault moved into the top spot in the nation in NCAA DII to date in the event.

It’s the latest in a successful run at Hillsdale for Townsend, who earned her first All-American honor in the pole vault at the 2025 NCAA DII Outdoor Championships this past May. Her latest accomplishment sees her closing in on the indoor program record of 4.25 meters, held by multi-time All-American and Hillsdale College Athletics Hall of Famer Kayla Caldwell since 2013.

Townsend and the Chargers are off for the Christmas break, and will return to Akron for the Al Campbell Invitational for their first meet back in action on Jan. 16.

Nebraska volleyball entered the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament after sweeping Kansas State last Saturday. The Huskers faced the Kansas Jayhawks, who defeated Miami in four sets.

Nebraska dominated the match from start to finish, sweeping Kansas (25-12, 25-11, 25-12) and allowing just 35 total points. The Huskers, meanwhile, earned 41 kills off 80 attacks for a .450 hitting percentage. The Huskers’ defense, meanwhile, posted 10 blocks and 48 digs to hold Kansas to 25 kills off 103 attacks and a .029 hitting percentage.

Rebekah Allick finished perfect on the night to lead, going 9-of-9 in attacks. Andi Jackson also delivered nine kills for Nebraska while also leading the team in blocks with five. Harper Murray put together a strong outing for the Huskers, tallying seven kills, 10 digs and four blocks.

Men’s Track & Field | 12/12/2025 9:46:00 PM

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

>> The Saint Francis track & field teams competed in its second indoor meet at the Wagner Seahawk Shootout. 
>> Saint Francis compiled seven top five performers and 18 top 12 finishes.
>> Sophomore Clark Gulycz took first place in shot put.

FLASH WOMEN NUGGETS

The women’s team accumulated eight top 12 performances.

Olivia Renk finished sixth in the 60-meter dash and eighth in the 300-meter dash on the women’s side. The sophomore ran in a time of 7.73 in the 60-meter and a 39.80 time in the 300-meter. 

Morgan McNaughton came in hot during the 3000-meter run. She placed eighth with a time of 10:27.97.

Once again Rylee Nicklas placed in the top 10, this time in ninth place for shot put. The sophomore threw an impressive 11.33 meters. Nicklas also placed ninth in weight throw with a reach of 13.83 meters.

Taylor Foster picked up 12th place due to leap of 10.83 meters. 

Two Red Flash placed in the top three for women’s pole vault. Karsyn Ford reached 3.45-meters and Aubrie Wells was right behind her with 3.15-meters. 

FLASH MEN NUGGETS

The men’s team registered 10 top 11 finishes on the day.

Gulycz had a standout performance, taking first place in shot put. He threw 16.64m. Wyatt Jumper took 11th place with a throw of 14.05m. Both Gulycz and Jumper placed top seven in the weight throw. Gulycz launched his way into fifth place with 14.16m. Jumper threw 13.62m to put himself into seventh place. 

Coming off a huge leap, Tyler Craft finished in eighth place with 6.77 meters. Not far behind him was the freshman, Nehemyah Williams. Williams collected 10th place with a jump of 6.71m in the men’s long jump. 

Once again, Craft and Williams placed high in the triple jump. Craft bumped up to fifth place with a takeoff of 14.33m. Williams jumped 13.86m to sit him in the 10th spot. 

Sophomore, Ayden Martinage, took fifth in the high jump with a lift of 1.95 meters.

The junior, Dylan Andrews, extended his way into fifth place by a stretch over 4.05 meters. 

NEXT UP FOR FLASH

Saint Francis track and field will head down the road to compete in the Penn State University Nittany Lion Challenge. This will be held at the Ashenfelter III Indoor Track next Saturday the 17. 

 

No. 2 seed Louisville volleyball fell to No. 3 seed Texas A&M in five sets Friday night at Bob Devaney Sports Center in Lincoln, Nebraska, ending the Cardinals’ season.

The Cardinals finished Dan Meske’s inaugural campaign as head coach 26-7 in Lincoln, where Meske’s collegiate coaching career began as a graduate assistant for the Cornhuskers 18 years ago.

Louisville earned several American Volleyball Coaches Association awards for its performance in the tournament’s first weekend. Four Cardinals made the All-South Region first team: Kalyssa Blackshear (OPP), Nayelis Cabello (S), Chloe Chicoine (OH) and Cara Cresse (MB). Outside hitter Payton Petersen received an honorable mention.

Coverage from the match:

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Southeast Missouri track and field teams opened their season winning eight events at the John Gartland Invitational hosted by Indiana State Friday night. 

Included in the event wins was Brianna Dixon who set a new SEMO indoor record in the high jump reaching 5-10 to take the title. 

Event Winners

Marshall Swadley won the weight throw with a personal-best mark of 65-9.5 and later captured the shot-put title with another PR of 60-10.5.

John Hartmann claimed first place in the high jump after clearing a personal-best height of 6-9.5.

Clara Billing earned the pole vault victory with a height of 12-11.75.

Kale Clements won the 800 meters in 2:26.4 during her first collegiate meet.

Sydney Burdine captured the 400-meter title with a time of 56.09.

Madelyn Gray won the mile with a time of 5:04.6.

 

Top Three Finishers

Sullivan Gleason placed third in the pole vault with a clearance of 16-2.75.

Dixon followed up her win with a second-place finish in the 60-meter hurdles, running 8.72.

The women’s 4×400-meter relay team of Burdine, Jasmine McClelland, Clements, and Gray finished second in 4:10.1.

The men’s 4×400-meter relay team of Marcus Gordon, Jon’David White, Jackson Witvoet, and Connor Moore placed third with a time of 3:31.4.

Byron Sowerby earned a runner-up finish in the 3,000 meters, clocking 9:02.7.

Jonas Davis finished third in the 200 meters with a time of 22.54.

McClelland placed second in the women’s 200 meters, running 25.77.

Moore finished second in the 400 meters with a time of 50.93.

Trenton Braswell placed second in the weight throw with a mark of 65-4.75.

Liberty Blackburn earned second place in the high jump with a clearance of 5-4.25.

Luke Busateri finished second in the triple jump with a leap of 46-11.

Andreese Ortiz finished in third in the shot put reaching 45-10 for a new personal best throw.

 

Other Notable Performances 

Ortiz placed fourth in the weight throw with a personal-best mark of 58-3.25.

Alyssa Repke finished fifth in the weight throw with a mark of 55-5 while competing in her first collegiate meet.

Colin Beers earned a fifth-place finish in the pole vault after clearing 15-11.

Aarion Jackson placed fifth in the long jump with a leap of 22-3.5.

Matt Pluff recorded a mark of 22-1 in the long jump during his first collegiate competition.

White placed sixth in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.33. Marcus Gordon Jr. followed closely with a seventh-place finish in the 60-meter hurdles at 8.35.

Jackson Witvoet finished sixth in the 200 meters with a time of 22.8 and also placed sixth in the 60 meters at 7.11.

Micah Grawer earned fifth place in the mile with a time of 4:26.12.

McClelland also finished sixth in the 60 meters with a time of 7.75 and Burdine placed seventh in 7.83.

Zavier Winton finished eighth in the weight throw with a mark of 55-5.

Bailie Hux placed seventh in the weight throw with a throw of 53-11.

Elliana Rhinehart finished ninth in the weight throw with a mark of 51-5.75.

Braswell added a fifth-place finish in the shot put with a mark of 52-2.5.

Mark Goldman placed eighth in the shot put with a throw of 47-11.75.

Quinton rounded out the shot put with a ninth-place finish at 46-2.

 

The meet will wrap up Saturday starting at 11 a.m. The Redhawks will have Luis Schadlich and Kannon Harlow finishing up the men’s heptathlon. Anna Thomason will compete in the women’s pentathlon.

 

Two former Big 12 rivals meet with a spot in the regional final on the line, as the Nebraska Cornhuskers play host to the Kansas Jayhawks in the third round of the NCAA Women’s Volleyball Tournament.

The Cornhuskers rolled toward another Big Ten championship. Nebraska has been dominant. Not only are they undefeated, but they have also been nearly untouchable. For two months, the team did not lose a set. The team then went on to win its final five matches in straight sets, clinching a third consecutive Big Ten Championship.

Now, the program that has played in every national tournament since the AIAW days has its sights set on advancing to the final four for the fourth time in the past five seasons. Nebraska looks to avenge last year’s disappointing semifinal exit at the hands of the eventual national champions, Penn State.

Nebraska has yet to lose a set, hammering Long Island and Kansas State in straight sets.

The Jayhawks had a little bit of a tougher time getting to the Sweet 16. After beating High Point in the First Round, Kansas needed four sets to get by Miami last weekend. The J-Birds finished second in the Big 12 during the regular season, four games back of conference champion Arizona State.

NCAA WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL TOURNAMENT

Third Round

Kansas Jayhawks vs. Nebraska Cornhuskers

When: Friday, December 12

Time: 9:30 p.m. ET

Where: Bob Devaney Sports Center (Lincoln, Neb.)

Channel: ESPN2