Sports
Community Champion – Alexa Bell
There’s not much that Alexa Bell hasn’t tried and if there is, well, there’s plenty of time to give it a go.
From driving trucks towing floats carrying four horses non-stop across the US in her early 20s to competing in her own mini-America’s Cup, Canadian-born Alexa loves to be at the controls and not much fazes her.
For four years in the 1980s she was a successful stockbroker in the institutional sector in Toronto, which helped fund her international horse habit.
At 25 in 1985 she set a world equestrian Puissance jumping record in Toronto clearing a 2.25m (7-foot 4½-inch) jump — a feat that remains unbeaten. This cemented her place as a pioneer in equestrian sport.
After competing in show jumping and buying and selling horses all over the US, Canada and Europe, she went on to become the youngest and first female showjumping coach at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, representing the Australian Equestrian Team.
Left: Alexa, at around 19, ready to strut her stuff in the show ring. Right: Alexa as the 2000 Olympics Australian Showjumping Coach. Photos: Supplied
In the mid-90s Alexa retired from international equestrian competition and took the reins in the kitchen, following her passion for cooking.
She graduated summa cum laude from Le Cordon Bleu Cooking School in Paris, one of the most prestigious cooking schools in the world.
She’d been competing around Holland, Belgium and France so Paris was the logical location, Alexa doing long practical stints in European restaurant kitchens while studying for two years.
That led to her own French food label, Pub Grub – easy to heat frozen French dinners, over this side of the world and, now living in Central Otago, she still enjoys the odd catering job. “I mostly cater for small events, but three times a year I go on a high-country muster in Canterbury as cook which I love.” The mustering crew enjoy coming home to Alexa’s beef stew, cottage pie and freshly baked bread that she’s whipped up on the musterers’ hut coal range.
Alexa off on another local catering job. Photo: Supplied
“Whether it’s a jump course, a fine dining kitchen, or a yacht regatta, I love a challenge,” she grins.
Then last year Alexa accidentally fell into radio-controlled yacht racing, a passion of husband Roy’s. “I went to watch one day, and the Commodore offered for me to borrow his boat,” she says.
“It’s very competitive and fun – I was hooked. It just sparked something, and I couldn’t get enough of it.” Roy bought her a boat and eight months ago she started competing.
“I’m not very good. It’s so challenging, but when you get behind the controls it’s like the America’s Cup, it’s so intense.”
Before she knew it the much younger Club Commodore Jamie White was telling her she needed to become Commodore, so despite being only one of three women nationally racing radio-controlled yachts in what is a very male-dominated sport,
Alexa was voted in. She’s believed to be the only female Commodore in New Zealand for radio yacht racing, just returned from the National Yacht Championships.
As she says, this Montreal girl loves a challenge.
The daughter of two Brits who’d emigrated there not knowing the front end of a horse from the back, Alexa was a real animal lover and from the age of 13 had fallen in love with horses, heading to riding camps.
Snow days and big dumps when it was minus 10deg and too dangerous to get to the horses weren’t happy days for young Alexa.
“I wasn’t academic. I left home at 18 to ride horses on the horse circuit, competing in the north in Canada during the warmer summer months and in the southern US during the winter,” she says.
Alexa’s trusty horse float that she drove all over the States and Canada as a young equestrian competitor. Photo: Supplied
“It’s a business. I’d continually ride and compete, buying and selling horses. My main goal was to qualify for the Olympics.”
Her big break came in 1985 when she jumped her world women’s indoor record Puissance (2.25m) jump.
“I’d drive through blizzards and white outs to get through to the next venue, sometimes 1000 miles (1609.3km),” Alexa says. “I drove a truck and trailer with horses from New York to LA non-stop in just under three days in my 20s with a friend on board. That was the norm.
As two young girls we got lots of help on the side of the road,” she says. “The alternator went in Pennsylvania on a holiday weekend. We got to a truck stop and the mechanic said, ‘The boss has the same one in his truck. Go have breakfast’ and he replaced ours with the boss’s one, no charge,” Alexa chuckles. “We were 18, two young girls in a pick-up truck.”
On another occasion the brakes failed at the top of the Rocky Mountains. Horse trailer in tow, with a straight road ahead downhill for miles. “Truckies at the top went in front and behind guiding us safely down, keeping in radio contact, and keeping traffic in front clear.”
Things really took off in her equestrian career after the world record. Alexa was flown to Australia with three other Canadian riders to compete on borrowed horses – her first international experience.
Alexa competing on borrowed horses in Australia in 1986. Photo Supplied
”I did really well and became the coach for the Australian team. I also represented Canada from 1985 until 1997 all over the world, flown everywhere from Brazil to Morrocco and Belgium where I’d compete on borrowed horses. It was a big deal to fly them then.”
Puissance 1985 Toronto Canada. Photo: Supplied
“In Morocco the princess – not how I’d envisaged a princess would be, organised a Horse Show and I fell off and was hurt badly, suffering a huge haematoma on my leg,” Alexa says. “She said, ‘You will ride tomorrow’. I said, ‘No! I will see the Canadian doctor, who drained and treated it, but it was all a fantastic experience.”
Alexa competing on the Princess’s horse that she got injured on in Morocco. Photo: Supplied
She also rode in the UK, France and South Africa, based in Europe for 10 years before selling up her children’s Riding School and heading to Australia. “I travelled and slept in a swag and next thing they said, ‘Congratulations! You’re the 1999 National Australian Sydney Olympics Showjumping Coach’,” Alexa says.
“I’d already said, ‘No’, four or five times.” A friend convinced her to do it, and she worked with the team for four years. “It was the best showjumping team result they’d had in years and the three-day eventing team, that I was part of the coaching crew for, won gold.”
Flying back from the Hawkes Bay Horse of the Year Show she met husband Roy on the flight – a non-horsey guy, originally from Katikati.
They sold their properties and bought a large sailboat which they lived on for four and a half years, doing long sailing trips, including Sydney to NZ in 2004.
The sailboat that Alexa and Roy lived and sailed in. Photo: Supplied
They’d settled in Kerikeri until three years ago when a biking trip to Central Otago’s Rail Trail saw them fall in love with this area’s beauty, moving south to Queensbury.
But Alexa’s not putting her feet up yet. Her next mission – to drum up new members for the Cromwell Radio Yacht Squadron.
Alexa competing in her new love of radio-controlled yacht racing in Central Otago. Photo: Supplied
BOSTON, Mass. – The Bentley men’s track and field team began the 2025-26 indoor season at the Suffolk Relays on Saturday and had several strong performances.
Sophomore Michael Eddy won the one mile with a time of 4:32.97 which was almost three seconds better than the second place runner.
Senior Ryan Orr was second in the 800 at 1:56.07. Bentley had three runners in the top-five with William Reiser fourth and Anthony Cronin fifth.
The long distance races saw two Bentley runners have top-three finishes. Steven D’Alessandro was second in the 5000 (15:04.94) and Jeff Warnock was third in the 3000 (9:27.24).
In the field events, Donald Dumont was second in the long jump.
Details
Posted: 07-Dec-25
Location: Hays, Kansas
Type: Full-time
Categories:
Coaching
Coaching – Volleyball
Sector:
Collegiate Sports
Required Education:
4 Year Degree
Organize, develop, recruit and administer all functions of a D-II Women’s Volleyball program funded for national success.
Volleyball staff includes additional positions for a Full-time Assistant (w/ benefits) and Graduate Assistant.
Fundamental duties include, but are not limited to, coaching, recruitment of student-athletes, commitment to academic and athletic success of student-athletes, as well as student-athlete development, budget and scholarship management, and supervision of support staff. The Head Coach will manage day-to-day team operations, practice/game preparation, and team travel. This position collaborates with intercollegiate athletics staff members, Sports Medicine, academic support, compliance, and institutional partners. The Head Coach must appropriately represent the team, department, and University in public and media appearances. This position reports directly to the Director of Athletics.
- Provides leadership, organization, and supervision for all aspects of the women’s volleyball program.
- Supervises student-athletes during practices and games, observing and evaluating performance and demonstrating proper techniques.
- Hire, supervise, evaluate, and mentor full-time, graduate assistant, and student staff.
- Supports and monitors the academic performance of student-athletes in conjunction with the compliance and academic support staff.
- Design and implement the overall program recruiting strategy – identification, evaluation, recruitment, and retention of prospective student-athletes.
- Direct oversight and management of the program’s finances and administration of athletic scholarships.
- Manages the women’s volleyball program within the parameters of the approved operating budget.
- Develops and engages in impactful fundraising activities in conjunction with the Athletics’ External Relations staff as needed.
- Represents the university and women’s volleyball program at professional meetings, alumni events, University Foundation events, and other events as necessary.
- Enhances the student-athlete experience through team expectations, personal development, and opportunities, such as but not limited to community service, team building, leadership development, etc.
- Assists in directing or directs camps and clinics.
- Responsible for scheduling of non-conference competitions and practices, team and recruiting travel arrangements, preseason arrangements, and student-athlete meetings.
- Attends and participates in scheduled compliance seminars and complies with all Athletic Department efforts to monitor compliance with NCAA regulations.
- Responsible for compliance with NCAA, MIAA, and institutional rules and regulations, ensuring program compliance.
- Active member of the FHSU Athletic Department and University.
- Performs other duties as assigned.
QUALIFICATIONS
Relevant, successful coaching experience, preferably at the collegiate level. Proven ability to teach sport-specific skills and develop successful competitive strategies. Strong communication skills (written and oral), a high level of organization, and attention to detail required. Public relations skills.
EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE
Bachelor’s degree in a related field. Relevant, successful coaching experience is required. Master’s degree preferred.
https://ncaamarket.ncaa.org/jobs/21888746/head-volleyball-coach
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – The St. Olaf College men’s track and field team had four first-place finishes at the season-opening M City Classic on Friday and Saturday at the University of Minnesota Fieldhouse.
Senior Lance Nemecek, sophomore Jackson Bullock, and senior Kevin Turlington won individual events on the track for St. Olaf, which also had a first-place performance in the 4×400-meter relay. The Oles put recorded five performances that ranked on their all-time top-10 performers’ list at the first indoor meet of the season.
Nemecek, senior Cullen Moore, first year Paxon Myers, and junior Christian Fells all ran top-12 times in NCAA Division III this season in the 800-meter run to post the four fastest times of the day. Nemecek won the event in 1:54.02, followed closely by Moore in 1:54.16, which rank second and third in the country and third and fourth, respectively, on the Oles’ all-time list. Myers edged Fells at the line by one one-hundredth of a second in 1:55.73, as the pair posted the No. 10 and No. 11 times nationally.
Nemecek, Moore, and Myers were joined by sophomore Austin McInturff on the winning 4×400-meter relay, which compiled a time of 3:21.77 to rank second on St. Olaf’s all-time list. That time is just seven one-hundredths of a second off the program record set in 2016 and ranks fifth in the country.
St. Olaf logged the top-three times of the meet in the one-mile run, led by Bullock’s first-place time of 4:23.01. Senior Eli Doran (4:23.04) and junior Alex Bjork (4:23.37) were within half a second of Bullock, with all three Oles posting top-20 times in NCAA Division III to date.
Senior Kevin Turlington added a win in the 5,000-meter run with the fifth-fastest time in NCAA Division III (14:35.39). Fellow senior Gael Manzur Strandlund was third in 15:19.86 as well.
Sophomore Cristian Escobar Pearson bettered his No. 2 time on St. Olaf’s all-time list in the 60-meter dash in both the prelims (7.07) and finals (7.05) to finish eighth in the event. Junior Jesse Olson recorded the No. 8 score on the Oles’ list in the heptathlon (4,153) by registering four personal-bests in the seven-event, two-day competition to take fourth. Olson’s highest finish came in the high jump, where he placed third after clearing 182 meters (5′ 11 ½”).
St. Olaf will be back in 2026 at the Ole Opener at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 17 at Tostrud Center.
Minnesota volleyball is in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2022, and they now have a chance to reach the Elite Eight for the first time since 2021.
After sweeping Fairfield University 3-0 in the first round of the tourney on Friday night at Maturi Pavilion in Minneapolis, the Gophers dominated Iowa State in a sweep Saturday night to advance to the Sweet 16.
The Gophers took the first set 25-22 before securing the second set 25-21. They crushed the Cyclones 25-14 in the third set to roll into the regional semifinal, where they will face No. 1 Pittsburgh on Thursday for a chance to reach the regional final, which would come with a spot in the Final Four on the line.
The Gophers were seeded fourth in their region, while Iowa State was the No. 5 seed.
Minnesota finished the regular season 22-9 and ranked No. 17 in the AVCA poll. Pittsburgh is ranked No. 4 in the nation, sporting a 28-4 record.
The Minnesota-Pitt regional semifinal will happen at 6 p.m. CT Thursday, and the Panthers will be hosting the match at the Petersen Events Center in Pittsburgh.
The match will be televised on ESPN2.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Sha’Nard Walker set an event record in the 300m to highlight the start of indoor season, Saturday at the Birmingham Indoor Icebreaker at the Birmingham Crossplex.
Walker finished first in the 300m with an event-record 33.56, followed by Jancent Wallace who placed fifth with a 34.07.
In the 400m, Jonathan Gaines finished fifth with a time of 49.52 to lead the Cats, while Dashawn Buist grabbed a top-fiver finish in the 800m with a fourth-place 1:58.05.
For the jumpes, Michael Carter’s 7.27m earned him second in the long jump – he also took home fifth in the triple jump at 14.56m.
On the women’s side Betina Jean took two top-10 finishes -eighth in the 200m with a 25.13 and seventh in the 400m at 58.23.
As for jumps, Darryn Hough finished fifth with a 1.55m in the high jump, while Ay’Keelah Green finished fourth in the long jump with a 5.84m. LaNeeya Garrison finished thrid in the triple jump with an 11.81m.
Kasie Ugeh picked up where she left off a season ago with a fourth-place finish in the shot put at 13.19m.
The full list of B-CU times and finishes is listed below:
Men’s 200m
29. Jemari Sanders 22.98
Men’s 300m
1. Sha’Nard Walker 33.56
5. Jancent Wallace 34.07
10. Ethan Sharpe 35.04
Men’s 400m
5. Jonathan Gaines 49.52
9. Donavan Walker-Collins 49.99
16. Makhii Fleming 50.65
Men’s 800m
4. Dashawn Buist 1:58.05
8. Andre Swewl 20:01.42
Men’s Mile
17. Jalen Jackson 4:43.55
Men’s 3000m
35. Gerrard Griffin 9:32.40
41. Dashon Gill 9:53.49
Men’s High Jump
9. Ashton Matthews 1.95m
Men’s Pole Vault
15. Jabari Armant 4.00m
Men’s Long Jump
2. Michael Carter 7.27m
11. Amarrion Grant 6.84m
17. Bari Willimas 6.53m
Men’s Triple Jump
5. Michael Carter 14.56m
7. Farai Mhende 14.48m
Men’s Shot Put
9. William Rothmiller 14.62m
19. Tyler Washing 12.96m
Men’s Weight Throw
10. Anton Holland 15.64m
Women’s 200m
8. Betina Jean 25.13
18. Haely Grant 25.62
19. Quiaundra Brown 25.69
23. Mariana Morillo 25.76
Women’s 300m
10. Zion Harvey 40.84
11. Amani Jones 40.92
Women’s 400m
7. Betina Jean 58.21
9. Haely Grant 59.10
18. Kavay Johnson 1:01.04
Women’s 1000m
18. Morgan Middleton 3:14.02
Women’s 3000m
14. Valencia Butler 11:20.82
23. Shelvany Goin 12:19.12
Women’s High Jump
5. Darryn Hough 1.55m
10. Selena Rutland 1.50m
21. Soukaina Davis 1.50m
Women’s Long Jump
4. Ay’Keelah Green 5.84m
10. Zion Harvey 5.55m
36. Darryn Hough 4.90m
Women’s Triple Jump
3. LaNeeya Garrison 11.81m
5. Selena Rutland 11.74m
Women’s Shot Put
4. Kasie Ugeh 13.19m
25. Raziyah Ware 10.63m
Women’s Weight Throw
29. Raziyah Ware 10.13m
Follow Bethune-Cookman Cross Country/Track & Field on Twitter and Instagram (BCUXCTF) for all of the latest news and updates. For all Bethune-Cookman Athletics news, follow us on Twitter (@BCUAthletics), Instagram (@BCU_Athletics) TikTok (@BCUAthletics) and www.bcuathletics.com.
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