For the third year in a row, Arizona can claim itself as the top college athletic program in the state.

Arizona won the Territorial Cup Series for the 2024-25, winning 14 out of 22 points over rival ASU. The 14-8 margin is the largest in the Territorial Cup Series since 2011-12, when Arizona took 12.5 points to ASU’s 5.5.

Dating back to the series’ founding in the 2009-10 academic year, Arizona has won 10 years while ASU has won six. Arizona has won five of the last six years.

Points are awarded to the winning school at the conclusion of 22 competitions, whether head-to-head or at conference or national championships.

This year Arizona won points in the following sports: women’s soccer, women’s triathlon, women’s gymnastics, women’s basketball, men’s basketball, women’s indoor track and field, softball, women’s tennis, baseball, men’s tennis, women’s golf, men’s outdoor track and field and women’s outdoor track and field.

ASU won in these sports: women’s volleyball, women’s cross country, football, women’s swimming and diving, men’s swimming and diving, men’s outdoor track and field, beach volleyball and men’s golf.

The Springville-Griffith girls outdoor track and field team wrapped up the spring season in the NYS Championships at Middletown on June 13 and 14, as the teams competed in Class C competition.

“Our girls had a great showing at the New York State Track and Field Championship meet. Kendra Cook, who is only a freshman, came in second place in Class C in the pentathlon.  She had a great performance and set a new personal best in this event,” S-GI girls track and field head coach Mark Heichberger said.

Section VI changed its format from last season from two section champions in each event for large and small schools to three section champions in each event between Classes A, B and C, and expanding the number of eligible participating for a state championship with three champions in each event as opposed to two.

The path to competing at States can be met by one of three ways: winning a sectional title, finishing second at sectionals if an at-large standard is met or hitting a super standard result at any point in the season at an invitational with five or more teams.

S-GI combined to compete in four events this past weekend at States with all capturing a top-10 or better finish. While three events were exclusively track events, the other, the pentathlon, was a combination of track and field events.

The Griffins were led by senior Kirsten Melnik, who finished with two top-five finishes and two school records in her last representation for Springville. Both records surpassed records she had previously set.

Melnik’s best finish came in the 1,500 run where she finished third. In that event, the four-time section champion finished with a 4:35.11 time, surpassing her previous record of 4:39.09 that she set just the previous weekend in the Section VI Championships at Falconer.

Melnik also finished fifth in the 3,000 run with a 9:58.90 time. It was at Middletown where she set the previous school record in 2023 with a time of 10:01.19.

“Kirsten Melnik had a great meet, an outstanding season, and an all-around amazing high school track and field career here at Springville. Kirsten had a third-place finish at the State Championship meet in the 1,500 and a fifth-place finish in the 3,000-meter run. She broke her own school records in both events at the meet, and we could not be happier for her,” Heichberger said.

Kendra Cook set a personal best while claiming a second-place finish in the pentathlon in Class C. The freshman netted 2,958 points through the five events. In the overall field (all classes), she finished as high as eighth and as low as 22nd spanning all five events. 

Her best individual event finish was in the long jump (16-feet-6.75) at eighth, followed by a ninth-place finish in the shot put (28-feet-6.25), a finish of 11th in the 100 hurdles (15.91), a 17th place finish in the 800 run (2:33.50) and tied 22nd in the high jump (4-feet-9).

Rounding out the Griffin performers was the 4X400 relay team of Abigail Hughes, Taylor Casey, Aubrie Staniszewski and Carlynn Heckathorn. The foursome finished 10th with a 4:13.57 time.

“Our relay team finished with their second-best time of the year and came in 10th place in the 4×400 among Class C schools. Aubrie Staniszewski ran the fastest split time and has been our top 400-meter runner this year. Taylor Casey has always been the heart and soul of our relay team and ran an amazing race once again. Abigail Hughes ran another very solid split time while Carlynn Heckathorn ran a season-best time for herself and did an admirable job filling in (for Kirsten Melnik), as she was our alternate originally,” Heichberger said.

The S-GI girls head track and field coach also shared his thoughts on the season.

“Our girls track and field team had another outstanding season. We were led by two amazing captains, Taylor Casey and Kirsten Melnik. They did such a great job in leading our team each and every day.”

“Our team was once again undefeated in our league season, and we were ECIC Division 4 champions. We finished in second place at the Class B meet and were able to send two individuals and a relay team to the New York State Championship Track and Field Meet. Kirsten Melnik was the small school Section VI Champion in the 1500-meter dash for the fourth consecutive year.”

“Along with all of the athletic accomplishments, we had 27 girls that were scholar athletes, with an average above a 90%. We are certainly going to miss all of our seniors. Kirsten, Taylor and Harleigh [Swanson] will continue their track career at the collegiate level next year and it will be fun to follow their progress.”

“We have a strong group of girls coming back next year and I believe we will have another great season. We have a great group of parents that support our team and help out at our track meets and we are very thankful to have them! Our coaching staff would also like to give a big thank you to the community, our administration and the board of education for supporting our program.”

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LOS ANGELES – Sophomore Dean West of UCLA Baseball has been selected the Student-Athlete of the Week for competitions held between June 10-16.
 
In UCLA’s 6-4 win over Murray State at the Men’s College World Series, leadoff hitter Dean West set the tone for the offense, delivering a 2-for-4 performance while scoring twice and driving in a run to account for three of the Bruins’ six runs. West also drew his team-leading 49th walk of the season, reaching base three times in the game. His impact wasn’t limited to the plate, as he made a game-changing play on the defensive end with a crucial diving grab in the fifth to prevent a run.
 
The outfielder secures his first-career UCLA student-athlete of the week award.

Also Nominated

Michael Pinckney, M. Track & Field; Jana van Schalkwyk, W. Track & Field

 

Previous Winners

Aug. 21 – Bridgette Marin-Valencia, W. Soccer; Aug. 28 – Lilly Reale, W. Soccer; Sept. 4 – Cheridyn Leverette, W. Volleyball; Sept. 11 – Ryder Dodd, M. Water Polo; Sept. 18 – Bode Brinkema, M. Water Polo; Sept. 25 – Sofia Cook, W. Soccer; Oct. 2 – Pablo Ereño, M. Golf; Oct. 9 – Quincy McMahon, W. Soccer; Oct. 16 – Jose Contell, M. Soccer; Oct. 23 – Ethan Garbers, Football; Oct. 30 – Grayce Olson, W. Volleyball; Nov. 6 – Carson Schwesinger, Football; Nov. 13 – Quincy McMahon, W. Soccer; Nov. 20 –  Maggie Boyd/Sally Perez, Beach Volleyball; Nov. 27 – Lauren Betts, W. Basketball; Dec. 4 – Carson Schwesinger, Football; Dec. 11 – Ryder Dodd, M. Water Polo; Dec. 18 – Tyler Bilodeau, M. Basketball; Dec. 24 – Kiki Rice, W. Basketball; Jan. 1 – Eric Dailey Jr., M. Basketball; Jan. 8 – Lauren Betts, W. Basketball; Jan. 15 – Jordan Chiles, Gymnastics; Jan. 22 – Lauren Betts, W. Basketball; Jan. 29 – Aday Mara, M. Basketball; Feb. 5 – Jordan Chiles, Gymnastics; Feb. 12 – Taylor Tinsley, Softball; Feb. 19 – Mulivai Levu – Baseball; Feb. 26 – Lauren Betts, W. Basketball; March 5 – Jordan Chiles, Gymnastics; March 12 – Lauren Betts, W. Basketball; March 19 – Jordan Woolery, Softball; March 26 – Chae Campbell, Gymnastics; April 2 – Lauren Betts, W. Basketball; April 9 – Megan Grant, Softball; April 16 – Megan Grant, Softball; April 23 – Jordan Chiles, Gymnastics; April 30 – Omar Morales, M. Golf; May 7 – Jeremy Zammit, M. Track & Field; May 14 – Spencer Johnson, M. Tennis; May 21 – Jordan Woolery, Softball; May 28 – Jordan Woolery, Softball; June 4 – Roman Martin, Baseball; June 11 – Payton Brennan, Baseball

 

Texas finalized its involvement in the 2024-25 athletic year when the NCAA track and field championships concluded over the weekend, putting a stamp on the Longhorns’ debut season in the SEC. 

Naturally, Texas’ introduction to the conference where “It Just Means More” brought plenty of changes. But the Longhorns sustained their success, securing the Director’s Cup — awarded to the country’s best-performing athletic department across all sports — for the fourth time in five years.  And UT undertook its year of change alongside a familiar companion. Oklahoma, Texas’ Red River Rival, also made the move from the Big 12 to the SEC.

So, how did Texas’ performance in the SEC compare to Oklahoma’s in Year One? 

Here’s a sport-by-sport look. 

Football 

Texas’ dominant Red River Rivalry win forecasted the outcome of the debut SEC season for both programs. The Longhorns, who hammered the Sooners 34-3 at the Cotton Bowl, finished 13-3, cracking the SEC title game and advancing to the semifinals of the College Football Playoff. Oklahoma finished 6-7 for the second time in three years under coach Brent Venables, concluding the season with a loss to Navy in the Armed Forces Bowl. 

SEC finish: Texas: 2nd, OU: 14th 

Baseball 

The Longhorns blitzed college baseball’s best league in their debut season, winning the SEC by two games and clinching the title with a series victory over the Sooners in Norman. Oklahoma finished 12th in conference play, but advanced just as far in the postseason as the Longhorns did; both clubs were ousted in their respective regional finals. 

Regular-season SEC finish: Texas: 1st, OU: 12th 

Softball 

Oklahoma won three of the four meetings between the Longhorns and Sooners in 2025, but Texas scored the most important victory. The Horns topped OU, 4-2, at the Women’s College World Series en route to their first national championship in program history. The title snapped a streak of four consecutive national titles won by the Sooners. Oklahoma did claim the SEC regular-season crown, though, and was awarded a share of the tournament title after the title game was canceled due to weather. 

Regular-season SEC finish: OU: 1st, Texas: 3rd 

Women’s basketball 

Vic Schaefer’s Longhorns cracked the Final Four for the first time since 2003, beating the Sooners on their way to claiming a share of the SEC regular-season title alongside South Carolina. Oklahoma acquitted itself well in its introduction to the SEC, too. The Sooners won 27 games and advanced to the Sweet 16. 

Regular-season SEC finish: Texas: T-1st, OU: 4th 

Men’s basketball 

The Sooners and Longhorns each sputtered along in the SEC, finishing with 6-12 conference records and splitting the season series, with the road team claiming both games. But the strength of the SEC meant both teams carved out resumes good enough for the NCAA Tournament. Texas fell to Xavier in the First Four while the Sooners lost their Round of 64 game to UConn. 

Regular-season SEC finish: OU: 13th, Texas: 14th

Women’s volleyball 

Oklahoma beat Texas for just the fifth time ever and the first time since 2014 on Nov. 3, although the Longhorns rebounded later that month to split the season series. The Longhorns’ bid for a national championship three-peat ended in the Sweet 16, and the Sooners were bounced in the Round of 32. 

Regular-season SEC finish: Texas: 2nd, OU: 6th

Beach volleyball 

Texas cracked the NCAA Tournament in beach volleyball for the first time, topping Cal in the opening round before falling to TCU in the quarters. The SEC does not sponsor beach volleyball, but Texas won the CCSA tournament on its way to a 28-10 campaign. Oklahoma does not field a beach volleyball team. 

Women’s golf 

The Longhorn women got the best of the Sooners on the golf course, advancing to the quarterfinals of the SEC and NCAA championships by finishing third and seventh in stroke play at those respective events. Oklahoma, by contrast, failed to make it out of the stroke play pool at either competition, registering a 14th-place finish at the SEC championships and tying for 21st at NCAAs. 

Men’s golf 

Texas advanced to the match play bracket at the SEC and NCAA tournaments, falling in the quarterfinals in both events to Auburn and Florida. The Sooners achieved the exact same fate in both events, falling to Florida at the SEC tournament and Oklahoma State in NCAAs. Oklahoma did best Texas in the stroke play portion of both events, though. 

Men’s swimming and diving 

The Longhorns dominated in the pool in 2024-25, claiming the SEC title and the 16th national title in program history, which is the most in the country. Oklahoma does not sponsor men’s swimming and diving. 

SEC finish: Texas: 1st 

Women’s swimming and diving 

The Longhorns also claimed the SEC title in women’s swimming and diving, while coming in third at the NCAA championships. Oklahoma does not field a women’s swimming and diving program. 

SEC finish: Texas: 1st

Women’s tennis 

The Longhorns topped the Sooners in a tight, 4-3 affair on Feb. 28, but Oklahoma finished with a better SEC mark and advanced to the semifinals of the conference tournament while Texas bowed out in the quarters. Texas performed better at the NCAA Tournament, though, advancing to the Sweet 16 while Oklahoma fell in the Round of 32. 

Regular-season SEC finish: OU: 4th, Texas: 8th

Men’s tennis 

Texas claimed the regular-season and tournament conference titles in men’s tennis, topping Oklahoma on the way to a 29-5 record. The Longhorns danced all the way to the Final Four, where they fell to TCU. The Horned Frogs also eliminated the Sooners from the NCAA Tournament in the second round. Oklahoma concluded the campaign with a 17-11 record that included a trip to the SEC quarterfinals. 

Regular-season SEC finish: Texas: 1st, OU: 9th

Women’s track and field 

The Sooners outperformed the Longhorns in both indoor and outdoor competition at the SEC championships. Oklahoma placed second in the indoor event in March while Texas came in 12th. At the outdoor event in May, the Sooners picked up a sixth-place finish while Texas tied for ninth. At NCAAs, Oklahoma finished fourth in the indoor championships while the Longhorns tied for 35th. Texas recovered at outdoor NCAAs, though, picking up a 10th-place finish to best the Sooners, who came in 14th. 

SEC finish: OU: 2nd (indoor), 6th (outdoor), Texas: 12th (indoor), 9th (outdoor) 

Men’s track and field

The Texas men finished 14th at the SEC indoor championships in March and recorded a seventh-place finish at the outdoor championships in May. In NCAA competition, the Longhorns tied for 26th place at the indoor event and finished 34th at the outdoor championships last weekend. Oklahoma had a better season overall; the Sooners finished third at the SEC indoors and 10th at the outdoor championships. They added a 12th-place finish at NCAA indoors and finished sixth in the outdoor competition. 

SEC finish: OU: 10th (outdoor), 3rd (indoor), Texas 7th (outdoor), 12th (indoor) 

Men’s cross country 

The Longhorns bested the Sooners on the cross-country course in 2024, claiming a fourth-place finish at the SEC championships while Oklahoma finished ninth. Texas finished third at its NCAA regional, missing out on the NCAA championships by one spot, OU placed 11th in regional competition. 

SEC finish: Texas: 4th, OU 9th

Women’s cross country 

Texas claimed a fifth-place finish at the SEC cross country championships to top Oklahoma’s 12th-place mark. The Sooners did not qualify for the NCAA championships, where Texas finished 31st. 

SEC finish: Texas: 5th, OU: 12th

Women’s gymnastics 

The Sooners claimed national title glory in women’s gymnastics, posting a 198.0125 score to beat UCLA, Mizzou and Utah in the NCAA finals. They arrived there off the back of a 33-2 overall record, sharing the regular-season conference title with LSU and finishing second at the SEC championships. Texas does not field a women’s gymnastics team. 

Regular-season SEC finish: OU: T-1st 

Men’s gymnastics 

The SEC does not sponsor a championship in men’s gymnastics, where Oklahoma posted a 24-4 overall record that the Sooners parlayed into a bronze medal at the NCAA championships. Texas does not have a men’s gymnastics team.

Rowing 

The introduction of Texas and Oklahoma prompted the SEC to sponsor a rowing championship for the first time. The Longhorns claimed the inaugural title, while the Sooners finished fourth out of four teams. The Longhorns finished third at the NCAA championships, and Oklahoma did not qualify. 

SEC finish: Texas: 1st, OU: 4th 

Soccer 

Texas’ soccer team became the first program on campus to win an SEC championship, beating South Carolina to claim the SEC tournament title. The Longhorns claimed a 1-0 victory over Oklahoma, which missed the NCAA Tournament while the Longhorns were ousted in the second round by Michigan State. 

Regular-season SEC finish: Texas: 3rd, OU: 14th 

Wrestling 

Oklahoma competed in the Big 12 in wrestling in 2024-25 because the SEC does not sponsor a wrestling championship. The Sooners picked up an 8-4 overall record and a 4-4 conference mark. They finished seventh at the Big 12 Championships and 38th at NCAAs. Texas does not have a wrestling team. 

Reach Texas Insider David Eckert via email at david.eckert@hearst.com. 

Local track and field athletes are taking their talents to the next level at various national competitions this weekend.

Lakeland junior Kaylyn Davis, Mid Valley’s Natalie Talluto and Olivia Thomas, and a contingent from Abington Heights will be in action, aiming for experience against the top athletes in the country.

Davis, the Times-Tribune Girls Track and Field Performer of the Year, is set to throw the javelin in the Championship Division at the New Balance National Championship meet Sunday at University of Pennsylvania’s Franklin Field.

Davis won a bronze medal at the PIAA Class 2A Championship meet in the javelin with a distance of 124 feet, 1 inch. Her personal-best mark is 128-1, which she hit to win the District 2 Class 2A gold medal. She also won the title at the Robert Spagna Championships with a distance of 127-5.

Abington Heights graduate Tomara Seid, an All-Region performer, competes in the Championship Division of the pole vault Saturday at the New Balance meet. Seid has a career-best height of 12-2 from the Friendship Games on May 9. She also cleared 12-0 to win a silver medal at the District 2 Class 3A Championships and recently finished third at the Warwick Valley Fast Times Relays with a height of 10-7 in early June.

Abington Heights will also be represented by this year’s All-Region 3,200 relay team of Erin Bartell, Anna Pucilowski, Maggie Coleman, and Reese Morgan; the distance medley team of Pucilowski, Coleman, Morgan, and Marley Gilboy; middle school hurdler Rachel Regan; and middle school shot putter Justin Lezinski at the meet.

Thomas, who dominated at the junior high level for Mid Valley, will race in the 100-meter hurdles and the long jump on Thursday and Friday, respectively, in the Middle School Division at the New Balance meet.

Thomas set a meet record to win the 100 hurdles in 15.07 seconds and won the gold in the long jump with a distance of 16-5.5 at the Phil Tochelli Junior High Championships.

Talluto, also an All-Region athlete, travels to North Carolina to compete at the adidas Track Nationals at Greensboro. She will race on Friday in the 100 hurdles and in the 400 hurdles.

Talluto emerged as one of the top athletes in the Lackawanna Track Conference this season. Last weekend, she finished fourth in the 100 hurdles with a time of 15.75 and was fourth in the 400 hurdles with a time of 1:14.40 at the East Coast Track and Field Championships. Talluto has a personal-best time of 15.25 in the 100 hurdles that she ran at the Jack Roddick Invitational in April.

Buckhorns shine

Wallenpaupack’s Aiden Janowicz had a strong start to the summer season.

The District 2 Class 3A champion in the 1,600, who missed most of his junior year with an injury, finished fourth in the 800 (1:56.23) at the East Coast Track and Field Championships on June 13-14 at Kenny Armwood Stadium at Piscataway, New Jersey.

Earlier, Janowicz posted a career-best time of 1:55.69 in the 800 and finished 12th at the John Hay Pennsylvania Distance Festival at West Chester Henderson High School.

June Brown, a LTC Division I-II Coaches’ All-Star, finished second in the 800 at the East Coast Track and Field Championships, running a personal-best time of 2:19.18.

Kelcie Fillebrown finished ninth in the 800 (2:30.30).