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Community members rally after ICE detains Milford high schooler

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7 months ago

June 2, 2025

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The high school junior was arrested Saturday morning on his way to volleyball practice. Governor Maura Healey said she is “demanding immediate answers.”

Family and classmates of Marcelo Gomes Da Silva embrace as they protest outside of Milford Town Hall. Jessica Rinaldi/The Boston Globe

A Milford High School student was detained by federal immigration officials on his way to volleyball practice Saturday, prompting a protest of hundreds of people.

“It was shocking. It’s frankly disgusting,” said coach Andrew Mainini.

The high school junior was arrested when U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents pulled over a car full of students, according to multiple reports. The boys were on their way to an early Saturday morning volleyball practice; Mainini told Boston.com he initially thought they overslept.

But, one of the student athletes texted Mainini, letting him know that the driver of their carpool had been detained by federal agents. The coach learned more details from the students Sunday, who said that upwards of ten masked people, who appeared to be ICE agents, began questioning the three high schoolers and scanning their faces with cell phones on their way to practice.

“These are high school students. They’re honors and AP level students. They are members of athletic teams. They are members of the student council. They are members of the school musical ensembles,” Mainini said.

Sunday morning, Milford families celebrated during the high school’s graduation ceremony. Afterwards, community members gathered to support the detained student at Milford Town Hall. The town, which is about 40 miles southwest of Boston, is nearly 30 percent foreign-born, according to census data.

During Sunday’s demonstration, family members identified the detained student as 18-year-old Marcelo Gomes, according to reports. He is originally from Brazil, and his full name is Marcelo Gomes Da Silva, according to the ICE inmate tracker. The tracker did not say where he is currently being held as of Sunday evening.

ICE and Milford police did not return a request for comment Sunday evening.

The coaching staff told the whole team about Da Silva after practice Saturday morning, after discussing it with school administration, Mainini said. Most of the team was in tears, he said, and one athlete even threw up.

“Marcelo was their friend. I think, to many of them, he felt like family. It was intense,” Mainini said. “He is deeply ingrained in the school community, and he is someone that touches people’s lives positively on a daily basis.”

The agents let the other two students go, Mainini said, including one who had a student visa through an exchange program. Agents told the other student to get “good representation because ICE would be back for them,” according to the coach. That student was under the age of 18.

“It was surreal,” Mainini said.

Governor Maura Healey said Sunday she “demands answers” about the arrest.

“Yet again, local officials and law enforcement have been left in the dark with no heads up and no answers to their questions,” Healey wrote on X. “I’m demanding that ICE provide immediate information about why he was arrested, where he is and how his due process is being protected.”

“Free Marcelo”: Hundreds gather at Milford Town Hall

Hundreds gathered along Main Street in Milford during Sunday’s protest, some students still in graduation robes, wearing Milford red and chanting “hands off our kids.” Protesters held signs like “due process,” “Free Marcelo,” “He belongs here,” and “Education not deportation.”

Nearly 200 educators joined the demonstration, marching from the high school to town hall on Sunday, the Milford Teachers Association said. Union President Nick Molinari said “this student should have been at a volleyball practice with his teammates.”

“Instead, ICE agents targeted one of our students in a deliberate act of cruelty, traumatizing his family, friends and peers,” Molinari said. “This is immoral, unnecessary and should be universally condemned. We will not stand by while the rights and humanity of our students are violated.”

Rep. Jake Auchincloss also attended the demonstration.

“This administration has its public safety priorities backwards,” Auchincloss wrote on X. “It pardons cop-beaters from Jan 6 but detains high-school volleyball players. It makes gun-purchaser background checks harder while pushing for tax breaks to buy silencers for pistols.”

Detained high school student’s girlfriend: ‘He is not a criminal’

Milford Public Schools Superintendent Kevin McIntyre did not respond to a request for comment Sunday, but said in a statement to WCVB that the district has no role in immigration enforcement operations.

“We have also had a number of parents who have been detained by ICE in recent weeks. We are all distraught by this news,” McIntyre’s statement read. “They are members of the community, students in our classrooms, athletes that compete representing Milford, musicians, artists, friends, and neighbors. We will do everything in our power to support our students and families during these difficult times.”

A friend who was in the car when Da Silva was arrested said “if I were a year older, I would have been in the back of the car with my friend,” WCVB reported. The student’s girlfriend, Julianys Rentas, told the news station that she spoke to Da Silva after he was detained.

“He told me he had chains around his ankles, he had chains around his wrists,” Rentas said. “He’s in a cell with 30 other men. He’s the only 18-year-old there, he’s the youngest there. He is not a criminal. He’s a member of this community and has never done anything wrong.”

Mainini said that Da Silva is enrolled in honors classes and is a member of the school band. He told Boston.com that Da Silva doesn’t have any significant disciplinary record.

“This is a story where I think the public needs to take a hard look at the situation and really question what exactly is going on,” Mainini said.

Mainini told the Globe that Da Silva is enrolled in honors classes and is a member of the school band. Dawn Craig, a Milford school administrator, said he helped coach the girls volleyball team and took care of his younger siblings.

“He’s been in this country since he was 5,” Craig told the Globe. “Where is he going to be sent?”

Molly Farrar is a general assignment reporter for Boston.com, focusing on education, politics, crime, and more.

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Nebraska volleyball’s perfect season ends in Elite Eight heartbreaker

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3 minutes ago

December 16, 2025

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Badgers news: Wisconsin upsets Texas, to play Kentucky in Final Four

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1 hour ago

December 16, 2025

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The Wisconsin Badgers wore black for a reason on Sunday: they went to a Texas Funeral.

The No. 3 Badgers upset the No. 1 Texas Longhorns 3-1 on Sunday, sending them to the Final Four against the No. 1 Kentucky Wildcats in an impressive win.

Wisconsin, facing the team that swept them earlier in the season, came ready to play. Falling behind 10-7 in the first set, the Badgers went on a four-point run before the two sides engaged in a back-and-forth battle, with neither side leading by more than two before Wisconsin had a monster end to the set.

Leading 18-17, the Badgers had an impressive 6-0 run thanks to a trio of Texas attack errors, a Mimi Colyer kill, a Kristen Simon service ace, and a Carter Booth kill. The Longhorns tried to mount a comeback, scoring five straight points, but Colyer got the set-winning kill, and Wisconsin started up 1-0.

The Badgers got off to a good start in the second half, starting off with a 10-6 lead. After the Longhorns went on a 4-1 run to cut the lead to one, the Badgers controlled the remainder of the set, starting with a 3-0 run of their own. From there, Wisconsin led by at least three for the rest of the set, with Carter Booth and Mimi Colyer having a flurry of kills, and they ultimately took the second set 25-21 to go up 2-0.

But, the work wasn’t done just there. The Longhorns were still a big threat, and they showed that in the third set, taking an early 8-6 lead after going on a 4-1 run. Wisconsin fought back with a 4-1 run of their own moments later, retaking the lead 12-11, with Colyer recording four straight kills.

However, a five-point Texas run right after proved to be the difference in the set, as the Longhorns took a 16-12 lead and never relinquished it, despite Wisconsin fighting to cut the deficit to one at 20-19. Texas closed out the set on a 5-1 run, taking the third set and we had a ballgame.

Things did not look good at the start of the fourth set, as the Longhorns started the set on a 4-0 run, picking up where they left off in the third set. That’s when the tables turned. Wisconsin completely flipped the script on a 13-4 run to take a five-point lead, with reserve Trinity Shadd-Ceres having two clutch back-to-back kills.

Moments later, that lead was extended to 18-11, thanks to a Colyer kill and two more attack errors from Texas. The Longhorns had a four-point run, but the deficit was too much to overcome, as the Badgers closed the set on a 6-3 run to win the fourth set 25-19 and take the match.

Colyer had another impressive game, following her 27-kill performance against Stanford with a 23-kill performance on Sunday. Una Vajagic came up huge in the end, getting 15 kills while hitting .458, while Booth had 11 kills of her own.

Elsewhere, Charlie Fuerbringer followed her 61-assist game on Friday with 57 assists on Sunday, while Alicia Andrew had a team-high five blocks. Wisconsin had 25 attack errors and 10 service errors, but they were still too much for Texas to handle.

Now, they’re heading back to the Final Four, with the Kentucky Wildcats up next on Thursday.

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Huskies Place Six on Academic All-MAC Team

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1 hour ago

December 16, 2025

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Women’s Volleyball | December 15

CLEVELAND, Ohio—Six members of the Northern Illinois University Huskies volleyball team have earned spots on the Mid-American Conference (MAC) All-Academic team following the 2025 season.

The Huskies volleyball team has had six or more honorees on the Academic All-MAC in each of the last ten seasons.

The Academic All-MAC honor is awarded to a student-athlete who has excelled in both athletics and academics. To qualify, a student-athlete must have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.20 and have participated in at least 50 percent of the contests in that sport.

A total of 78 athletes from around the conference were honored.

Athlete, Year, Major, GPA
Kylie Schulze, Junior, Marketing, 3.81
Rylea Alvin, Sophomore, Psychology, 3.746
Emma McCartney, Sophomore, Biomedical Engineering, 3,709
Ava Grevengoed, Sophomore, Kinesiology, 3.515
Ella Strausberger, Sophomore, Marketing, 3.442
Alexa Hayes, Senior, Criminology, 3.389

Stay up-to-date with Huskie volleyball all-year long! Follow us on Twitter/X at @NIUVolleyball, on Facebook at NIU Volleyball, and on Instagram at @NIUVolley.

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Javin Richards Named America First Credit Union USU Student-Athlete of the Week

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2 hours ago

December 16, 2025

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LOGAN, Utah – Utah State track and field senior Javin Richards has been named the America First Credit Union USU Student-Athlete of the Week for the period ending on Sunday, Dec. 14. The award is voted on by a state-wide media panel.

With their sponsorship of the student-athlete of the week, America First Credit Union donates funds directly to support student-athlete scholarships.

Richards broke the Utah State record in the indoor heptathlon, taking second place at the BYU December Invitational last week. His overall score of 5,536 points bested John Strang’s performance from 2009 and improved on his previous best of 5,330 points that had ranked second all-time. The Perry, Ohio, native set personal bests in the 60 meters, long jump, shot put and 1,000 meters en route to his record-setting performance. Richards currently ranks ninth in the country in the event.

Fans can follow the Utah State track and field programs on X at USUTF_XC, on Facebook at USUTrack and on Instagram at USUTF_XC. Aggies fans can also follow the Utah State athletic program on X at USUAthletics or on Facebook at Utah State University Athletics.

Nominees from other sports for USU Student-Athlete of the Week included:
MEN’S BASKETBALL – Senior forward Garry Clark (St. Louis, Missouri) helped Utah State to an 83-78 neutral-site victory over Illinois State at the Delta Center on Saturday. Against the Redbirds, Clark scored 18 points, grabbed eight rebounds, including seven offensive boards, to go along with two assists and two steals in 25 minutes off the bench. Clark shot 7-of-8 from the floor, 0-of-1 from 3-point range, and 4-of-4 at the free throw line in the win.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL – Junior guard Aaliyah Gayles (Las Vegas, Nevada) led Utah State with 18 points and a career-high nine rebounds in its 80-73 home win against Idaho. Gayles went a perfect 6-of-6 from the free throw line, including 4-of-4 in the fourth quarter, as she scored eight points in the final frame to help clinch the win. Gayles also added two steals and one assist in the victory.

WOMEN’S TRACK & FIELD – Freshman Adia Ross (Tokyo, Japan) broke the Utah State record in the women’s 60 meters with a time of 7.48 at the BYU December Invitational last week. In her first-ever indoor 60-meter competition, she bested the previous school record of 7.49, which was set in 1987 by Lola Ogunde, to place fourth in the event finals.

2025-26 America First Credit Union USU Student-Athlete of the Week Winners

Sept. 1 – Miles Davis, Football

Sept. 8 – John Miller, Football

Sept. 15 – Bryson Barnes, Football

Sept. 22 – Bryson Barnes, Football

Sept. 29 – Loryn Helgesen, Volleyball

Oct. 6 – Kaylie Kofe, Volleyball

Oct. 13 – Tess Werts, Soccer

Oct. 20 – Loryn Helgesen, Volleyball

Oct. 27 – Loryn Helgesen, Volleyball

Nov. 3 – Mara Štiglic, Volleyball

Nov. 10 – Rine Yonaha, Soccer

Nov. 17 – Garry Clark, Men’s Basketball

Nov. 24 – MJ Collins, Men’s Basketball

Dec. 1 – Andrea Simovski, Volleyball

Dec. 8 – Loryn Helgesen, Volleyball

Dec. 15 – Javin Richards, Track and Field

– USU –

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Georgia Freshmen and Signees Shine at SPAR European Cross Country Championships

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3 hours ago

December 16, 2025

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LAGOA, Portugal – Georgia cross country freshmen Kristers Kudlis and Anastasia Nilsson competed alongside Bulldog signees Bertold Kalász and Alex Lennon at the SPAR European Cross Country Championships early Sunday morning.

Nilsson was the first Georgia athlete to compete, racing in the Women’s U20 competition (4450m). She crossed the finish line at 15:56 to place 33rd overall, scoring third for Sweden and helping the team to a third-place team finish with 44 points.

Meanwhile in the Men’s U20 race (4450m), Georgia had three representatives, all of which finished within the top-30.

Signee Lennon led the group with a 15th place finish at 13:37. His performance served as the second-best scoring effort for Great Britain and Northern Ireland that helped the team to a second-place finish with 45 points.

Fellow signee Kalász also delivered an impressive effort with a 13:38 to place 17th overall. Kalász was the first finisher across the line for team Hungary in the competition.

Kudlis finished 29th place crossing the finish line at 13:54, which was first for team Latvia.

News and updates from Georgia’s track and field and cross country teams are always located on X/Instagram at @UGATrack.

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Nebraska Women’s Volleyball Upset Eliminates Highest-Spending Team

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3 hours ago

December 15, 2025

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The NCAA women’s volleyball tournament will go on without the sport’s highest-spending team, after undefeated Nebraska, the event’s top overall seed, was stunned by Texas A&M in the quarterfinals on Sunday.

Nebraska was 33-0 heading into the game and is also the sport’s financial powerhouse. The university spent $5.91 million on its women’s volleyball team in the 2023-24 season, the most of any program in the country, according to Sportico’s College Sports Finances Database. Nebraska is the only public FBS school to spend more on women’s volleyball than women’s basketball, and first-year head coach Dani Busboom Kelly earned a base salary of $700,000 this season.

The team also brought in $2.57 million in ticketing revenue, which is the third-highest for any women’s sports team at a public FBS school, trailing only Iowa’s and UConn’s women’s basketball teams. The Aggies, for contrast, made just $288,000 from ticket sales.

Women’s volleyball has taken off in recent years, with top college programs spending more and multiple pro leagues raising millions to get off the ground. Average viewership for the 2025 college regular season on ESPN was up 36% year-over-year. Nebraska, which drew 92,003 fans to a game at Memorial Stadium in 2023, has been a big part of the sport’s success.

Texas A&M is no slouch when it comes to volleyball spending, though, ranking in the top 10 in budget each of the past four years and seventh at $3.75 million in the most recent season for which data is available. On the other side of the bracket, Wisconsin is the No. 3 highest-spending program in the nation at $4.68 million and will face Kentucky, whose $3.21 million in expenses ranked 11th. The fourth semifinalist, Pittsburgh, is public but does not provide its financial details via open records requests.

The semifinals and final will be played on Thursday, Dec. 18 and Sunday, Dec. 21, respectively, at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, less than a four-hour drive from Lincoln, Neb.

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