Sports

Cooper’s Intentional Training Leads to Second Consecutive NCAA West Appearance

Published

7 months ago

May 26, 2025

RIO GRANDE VALLEY – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) junior track & field student-athlete Aaron Cooper is a triple jump specialist, and he has lived up to that title in his time with the Vaqueros.

Cooper owns both the indoor and outdoor triple jump program records and his name is scattered all over the leaderboard, with four of the top 10 marks indoors and six outdoors. He owns a silver medal from the 2024 WAC Outdoor Championships and a bronze medal from the Southland Conference (SLC) Outdoor Championships.

While making his case to be considered the best men’s triple jumper UTRGV has ever seen, he has shown his ability to hang with the best the nation has to offer. Cooper is a two-time NCAA West First Round qualifier, making it to the regional meet last year as a sophomore and securing his second consecutive trip this season. He is one of two back-to-back qualifiers for the Vaqueros.

“It means a lot. I know not a lot of people get this opportunity, so I’m extremely grateful,” Cooper said. “I got third at conference, and I’m grateful for that, but that wasn’t my ultimate goal. My goal was to win. I’m taking that with me as fuel to the NCAA West meet, going with a little bit of a chip on my shoulder to push me to be a top 12 finisher and go to nationals.”

Cooper heads to this year’s regional meet ranked 31^st on the West performance list with a season-best mark of 15.48 meters. He was 29^th prior to last year’s meet, where he finished 30^th. He’ll compete Friday at 2:30 p.m. at E.B. Cushing Stadium in Bryan-College Station.

His marks and pre-meet rankings are similar between his first and second trip, but the journey was very different. Last year, Cooper secured his spot at NCAA West with his last jump of the season. This year, he did it on his very first jump of the season – opening the year ranked fifth in the region and ninth in the nation.

“It was kind of a clutch moment last year, but this year getting that mark as early as I did definitely lifted some weight off my shoulders. I was able to train harder throughout the season in preparation to peak at this meet,” Cooper said.

With Cooper’s talent and potential, advancing to the NCAA West has become more of an expectation than a goal. And because of that, his coaches changed his offseason training to get him ready for this moment.

Cooper spent a lot of time in the fall working with head coach Shareese Hicks and the sprinters along with doing his usual training with associate head coach Mike Embry and the jumpers. He did long runs and sprinter drills to help with endurance and speed.

Getting accustomed to the amount of running was tough for Cooper, who was a multi-sport athlete in high school but has been solely a jumper in his collegiate career. But the bigger challenge was staying positive and keeping the right mentality while doing something new.

“After every rep I’d be very tired and a little discouraged because I wasn’t finishing up at the front. But I had to get that out of my head and remember that my main goal was to get my runway faster,” Cooper said. “Coach Hicks definitely reminded me that it wasn’t about beating these regional-qualifying sprinters in their events. It made me mentally tougher and gave me a better perspective to focus on my technique and run my own race, essentially.”

Intentionality was at the center of Cooper’s season. While pushing himself with sprint workouts, he was also closely studying videos of his jumps to tweak his technique. Jumping is all about rhythm, Cooper said, so he tries not to mess with technique or patterns during the season. With that, he had to really focus on the small details during the fall with help from Embry and Hicks and felt they made the right adjustments to have him jumping consistently throughout the year.

From his work on the track to his focus on technique to putting in extra time in the weight room, Cooper was intentional with his process to achieve a goal of getting faster down the runway to carry that speed through the rest of his jump. He believes he accomplished that and is ready to show it at NCAA West.

Having a trip to the regional meet under his belt has Cooper heading to his second go-round with more confidence. The nature of the meet, with the big-name competitors and limited number of jumps and intense “perform or go home” environment, can lead to first-time qualifiers putting too much pressure on themselves. Cooper did the opposite last year and left feeling like he let himself relax too much and therefore wasn’t aggressive enough with his three attempts.

He won’t make that mistake this year. He knows he’s prepared physically to make a legit run at a top 12 finish and a trip to the NCAA Championships. His challenging fall, his detailed season, his experience and maturity have Cooper going to College Station more focused and engaged than he has ever been. He’s hoping for big things not only for himself, but his teammates, too, as they aim to represent UTRGV with pride.

“My preseason taught me to control what I can control. My pre-meet preparation has to be more intentional and aggressive because a lot of my best jumps were in the finals and now I don’t get that, so I have to peak during those three jumps. I’ll be locked-in and prayerful about doing my best, going out there and being assertive with all three of my jumps and taking full advantage of those opportunities that I’ve been given,” Cooper said.

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Rowan Men’s Indoor Track and Field starts season at Fasttrack – The Whit

Published

13 minutes ago

December 10, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Rowan hit the ground running with their opening meet at Friday’s Fasttrack Season Opener at Ocean Breeze in Staten Island, New York.

The team looked strong all around, and head coach Dustin Dimit was pleased with the results.

“That’s probably our best opening we’ve ever had with five or six guys already hitting marks,” Dimit said. “Just really impressed with how far along we already are.”

Seniors Kwaku Nkrumah and Jason Agyemang finished one and two in the 60-meter hurdles. Nkrumah edged out Agyemang by 0.0002 seconds. This is the first time this season that the two previous national champions have competed.

The Profs dominated in the high jump, as Rowan took four of the top five spots. Jamile Grantt took home first place with a 2.08-meter effort.

Freshman Anthony Parker also made his debut for the Profs and won the long jump (7.08 meters).

“To be able to go out there and win against Division I teams as well as hit marks that will get them to the NCAA championship is just outstanding,” Dimit said. “It really shows a bright future.”

Rowan will return to Ocean Breeze Complex after the winter break, on Jan. 16 for the Gotham cup.

Over the break, Dimit’s message is clear, and that’s to continue to put in the work.

“We got more work to do over the break,” Dimit said. “We’re really proud of the work they put in the fall, but none of that matters if we don’t put in this month of work over break before we come back.”

For comments/questions about this story, DM us on Instagram @thewhitatrowan or email [email protected]

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Four ACC Teams Advance to Third Round of 2025 NCAA Volleyball Championship

Published

14 minutes ago

December 10, 2025

Your Sports Nation

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (theACC.com) – The third round of the 2025 NCAA Women’s Volleyball Championship kicks off this Thursday, December 11, as four Atlantic Coast Conference remain standing in the tournament. All four of the third-round matches featuring ACC teams will be broadcast live on ESPN2.

No. 1-seeded Pitt swept Michigan in the second round to advance to its sixth consecutive regional semifinal. The Panthers will host the Pittsburgh Regional, taking on Minnesota at 7 p.m. ET on Thursday, December 11.

No. 2-seeded SMU will also head to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to play in its first-ever regional semifinal appearance, as the Mustangs face off against No. 3-seeded Purdue approximately 30 minutes following the conclusion of the Pitt-Minnesota match. The winners of both matches will play in the Regional Final on Saturday, December 13.

No. 2 seed Stanford will take on No. 3 seed Wisconsin on Friday, December 12, in the Cardinal’s 22nd NCAA regional semifinal appearance since the tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1998. The Cardinal will hit the court at 2:30 p.m. ET in Austin, Texas, at the Austin Regional.

No. 2 seed Louisville will travel to Lincoln, Nebraska, to take on No. 3 seed Texas A&M in the Cardinals’ 11th regional semifinal appearance. The match will take place at 6 p.m. ET on Friday.

In the final AVCA/Taraflex Poll of the regular season (December 1), Pitt led the ACC in the No. 4 spot with Stanford (No. 5), SMU (No. 7), Louisville (No. 9), Miami (No. 13) and North Carolina (No. 19) filling out the rest of the Top 25. The ACC has the most teams of any conference in the top 10.

Noting ACC Volleyball

Pitt and Stanford earned a share of the 2025 ACC Volleyball Championship title, with Stanford earning the AQ to the national tournament after a head-to-head win against Pitt.

Pitt right side hitter Olivia Babcock was named the ACC Player of the Year, while Panthers’ teammate Bre Kelley was named the ACC Defensive Player of the Year. SMU’s Averi Carlson was tabbed the ACC Setter of the Year, while Louisville’s Kalyssa Blackshear was named ACC Freshman of the Year. Stanford head coach Kevin Hambly was named the ACC Coach of the Year.

The ACC had the most teams in the final regular season NCAA DI Volleyball RPI Top 10, headlined by Pitt (No. 5), Stanford (No. 7), SMU (No. 8), and Louisville (No. 9).

At the end of the regular season, Miami’s Flormarie Heredia Colon led the nation in kills with 719, kills per set with 6.25, total points with 815.0 and points per set with 7.09.

Duke’s Jolene Nagel announced her retirement after 27 seasons leading the Blue Devils’ volleyball program.

SMU earned its highest ranking in program history at No. 7 in the AVCA DI Volleyball Top 25 poll released on Monday, October 20.

Miami’s Heredia Colon, Pitt’s Olivia Babcock and Stanford’s Elia Rubin were named as semifinalists for the AVCA Division I Player of the Year.

Florida State’s Chris Poole ranks first among active NCAA Division I coaches with 955 victories in 39 seasons. Duke’s Jolene Nagel ranks fifth on that list with 717 career wins.

Pitt head coach Dan Fisher reached his 400th career win on September 10, in the Panthers’ win over No. 3 Kentucky.

Stanford’s Kevin Hambly reached his 400th career win on Friday, November 14, in an upset win over No. 3 Pitt.

Virginia Tech’s Marci Byers reached her 300th career win on Friday, November 28, in a win over Syracuse.

SMU’s Sam Erger reached her 100th career win on Saturday, December 6.

SMU’s Malaya Jones was named the AVCA Division I National Player of the Week on Tuesday, September 2.

Pitt’s Olivia Babcock was named the AVCA Division I National Player of the Week on Tuesday, October 21.

Miami’s Flormarie Heredia Colon was named the AVCA Division I National Player of the Week on Tuesday, November 11.

SMU’s Malaya Jones was named the AVCA Division I National Player of the Week for the second time this season on Tuesday, December 2.

The ACC finished non-conference play with an overall record of 129-55 (.701), headlined by 10 wins against AVCA Top 25 teams and the inaugural ESPN Events “Showdown at the Net” title, after winning nine of the 16 matches against the SEC.

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Viking track and field in Fargo on Thursday.

Published

30 minutes ago

December 10, 2025

Your Sports Nation

VALLEY CITY, N.D. – The Valley City State University Men’s and Women’s Track and Field teams will be in Fargo on Thursday, December 11th for the NDSU Dakota Alumni Classic at the Shelly Ellig Indoor and Track and Field facility on the campus of North Dakota State University.

The men are coming off a fourth-place finish at the Mike Thorson Open in Bismarck at the University of Mary on Saturday. Cameron Champagnie took first in the triple jump with a jump of 13.58m. The men had 18 top eight finishes on the day and scored 91 team points.

On the women’s side, Frida Barrera continues to impress. The freshman took second in the 1 Mile run and the 800m run. He time in the 1 Mile run of 5:21.61 set the school record in that event by 4.67 seconds. He time in the 800m of 2:26.69 was 2.45 seconds off the school mark. The women had nine top eight finishes and scored 59 team points which was good enough for third place.

The field events on Thursday begin at 12:00 p.m. with the weight throw. The running events will begin at 4:30 p.m. with the preliminaries of the 60m hurdles.

Live results can be found here

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2025 Big 12 Volleyball National Honors

Published

31 minutes ago

December 10, 2025

Your Sports Nation

The following Big 12 volleyball players have earned national postseason recognition. Check back frequently for updates.

2025 AVCA Division I Women’s Volleyball All-Region Teams & Awards

Central Region

Rachel Van Gorp, Iowa State, First Team

Reese Ptacek , Kansas, First Team

Jovanna Zelenovic, Kansas, First Team, Region Freshman of the Year

Ava LeGrand, Kansas State, First Team

Shaylee Myers, Kansas State, First Team, Region Player of the Year

Morgan Brandt, Iowa State, Honorable Mention

Rhian Swanson, Kansas, Honorable Mention

Pacific Region

Noemie Glover, Arizona State, First Team

Bailey Miller, Arizona State, First Team

Colby Neal, Arizona State, First Team

Jordan Wilson, Arizona, First Team

Southeast Region

Avah Armour, UCF, First Team

Southwest Region

Evan Hendrix, TCU, First Team

Ksenia Rakhmanchik , Baylor, First Team

Alice Volpe, TCU, Honorable Mention

West Region

Suli Davis, BYU, First Team, Region Freshman of the Year

Brielle Kemavor, BYU, First Team

Ana Burilovic, Colorado, First Team

Kamryn Gibadlo, Utah, First Team

Alex Bower, BYU, Honorable Mention

Claire Little Chambers, BYU, Honorable Mention

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Volleyball Returns to National Stage, Faces Concordia-St. Paul in NCAA Quarterfinal

Published

47 minutes ago

December 10, 2025

Your Sports Nation

ELITE EIGHT QUARTERFINAL PREVIEW

No. 7 Gannon vs. No. 2 Concordia-St. Paul
Thursday, December 11 • 2:30 PM (ET)
Sanford Pentagon – Sioux Falls, S.D.

The Matchup
The NCAA Division II Elite Eight opens with a high-profile quarterfinal as No. 7 Gannon challenges one of the most dominant programs in Division II history, No. 2 Concordia-St. Paul.

Gannon enters the national tournament for the second straight year and the fourth time in the last five seasons. Concordia-St. Paul arrives in Sioux Falls seeking its 10th national title under head coach Brady Starkey, who has built a 688-96 record over 22 seasons and has guided the Golden Bears to 13 Elite Eight appearances.

This will be the second all-time meeting between the two programs. The Golden Bears earned a 3–1 victory in a neutral-site match earlier this season on September 7.

Head-to-Head
Gannon is making its second straight trip to the Elite Eight and fourth in the last five years. The Golden Knights face a renowned Concordia-St. Paul team in the quarterfinals. The Golden Bears are in search of their tenth NCAA national championship, last winning in 2017. This marks the 13th trip to the Elite Eight in head coach Brady Starkey’s 22 seasons. Starkey owns an incredible 688-96 record as head coach. After losing to St. Cloud State in the NSIC championship match Concordia-St. Paul came back to defeat the Huskies in the Central Regional title game on Saturday, winning 3-2.

Series History: Concordia-St. Paul leads 1–0 (last meeting: Sept. 7, 2024 – CSP 3, Gannon 1)

Quotes from Gannon Head Coach Matt Darling

On facing Concordia-St. Paul:

“Concordia is one of the most storied Division II programs, and they have earned that status. Competing against them on this stage creates a tremendous challenge and an opportunity for our team.”

On the Gannon team’s progress:

“I am proud of what this group has accomplished this season. They are a connected and resilient team, and I look forward to having another week with them.”

How Gannon Advanced: Atlantic Regional Champions

Gannon hosted the NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional for the fourth straight year and came away with a second straight regional crown. The Golden Knights opened up with a 3-0 win over CIAA champion and No. 8 seed Fayetteville State in the quarterfinals. Next was a familiar foe in No. 4 Pitt-Johnstown. After dropping the first set to the Mountain Cats the Golden Knights won the next three games for a 3-1 win.

For the third time this season Gannon defeated Indiana (Pa.), prevailing by scores of 25-15, 25-15, 25-20. The Crimson Hawks had upset PSAC champion East Stroudsburg in the semifinals. Gannon is making its fourth trip to the Elite Eight in the last five years.

Atlantic Regional Results

Thursday, December 4 – Quarterfinals

No. 1 Gannon 3, No. 8 Fayetteville State 0

Kills: Wake 15, Williams 11

Assists: Arslan 38

Blocks: Williams 4, Smith 3

Friday, December 5 – Semifinals
Gannon 3, Pitt-Johnstown 1

Kills: Williams 17, Wake 11, Smith 10

Assists: Arslan 47

Digs: Fowler 13

Blocks: Smith 5, Atwell 3, Arslan 3

Saturday, December 6 – Championship Match
Gannon 3, Indiana (Pa.) 0

Kills: Yazicioglu 13, Wake 11

Assists: Arslan 41

Digs: Williams 11

Blocks: Atwell 5, Smith 3, Yazicioglu

All-Tournament Honors
Gannon had five players named to the 12-member Atlantic Regional All-Tournament Team. They included Bengisu Arslan (Ankara, Turkey/Private Çankaya Doga Anatolian), Lauren Atwell (Mars, Pa./Mars Area), Alexis Fowler (Cranberry Township, PA/Eden Christian Academy), Sydney Wake (Massillon, Ohio/Jackson) and Abbey Williams (Chicago, Ill./Mother Mcauley Liberal Arts). Arslan was previously named to the All-Tournament Team in 2022 as a freshman.

Arslan earned her second career regional tournament honor, previously recognized in 2022.

National and Regional Accolades
AVCA All-Americans (Honorable Mention)

AVCA All-Atlantic Region – First Team

D2CCA All-Atlantic Region

Arslan – First Team

Atwell – Second Team

Wake – Second Team

PSAC West Major Awards

All-PSAC West

First Team: Arslan, Atwell, Wake

Second Team: Yazicioglu

Record Book Performances
Bengisu Arslan (Ankara, Turkey/Private Çankaya Doga Anatolian) — Senior Setter

4,481 career assists (2nd all-time at Gannon)

1,375 assists this season (2nd all-time at Gannon)

Also ranks in the top 10 in service aces, matches played, and sets played

Lauren Atwell (Mars, Pa./Mars Area) — Junior Middle Blocker

365 career blocks (3rd all-time)

Top 10 in single-season hitting percentage

Additional Notes

Kasey Smith (Meadville, Pa./Villa Maria) ranks 7th in single-season hitting percentage (.360)

Atwell ranks 9th (.333)

Gannon’s Elite Eight History
The Golden Knights are making their eighth appearance in the NCAA Division II Elite Eight. They lost in the quarterfinals in 1991, ’92, and ’93 with head coach Gerry Burbules at the helm. Gannon returned to the Elite Eight in 2017 under head coach Matt Darling and posted a 3-0 win over Regis to advance to the semifinals, where Florida Southern edged the Golden Knights, 3-2. Gannon reached the Final Four for a second time in 2021, upsetting No. 4 seed Hillsdale, 3-1, before losing to host and top-seeded Tampa in the semifinals.

1991 (No. 8 seed, Canyon, Texas)

vs. West Texas A&M – L, 0-3 (14-16, 8-15, 4-15)
1992 (No. 8 seed, Portland, Ore.)
vs. Portland State – L, 0-3 (6-15, 5-15, 4-15)
1993 (Marquette, Mich.)
vs. CSU Bakersfield – L, 0-3 (8-15, 7-15, 6-15)
2017 (No. 7 seed, Pensacola, Fla.)
vs. No. 2 Regis – W, 3-0 (25-20, 28-26, 25-17)
vs. No. 3 Florida Southern – L, 3-2 (25-16, 15-25, 23-25, 26-24, 12-15)
2019 (No. 7 seed, Denver, Colo.)
vs. No. 2 Nebraska-Kearney – L, 1-3 (25-19, 22-25, 17-25, 15-25)
2021 (No. 5 seed, Tampa, Fla.)
vs. No. 4 Hillsdale – W, 3-1 (20-25, 25-20, 25-21, 25-16)
vs. No. 1 Tampa – L, 1-3 (21-25, 20-25, 25-23, 18-25)
2022 (No. 5 seed, Seattle, Wash.)
vs. No. 4 Cal St. LA – L, 0-3 (11-25, 14-25, 18-25)
2024 (No. 6 seed, Sioux Falls, S.D.)
vs. No. 3 Angelo State – L, 2-3 (26-28, 25-15, 25-17, 19-25, 6-15)

What’s at Stake
The winner of the Gannon–Concordia-St. Paul quarterfinal will advance to the NCAA Division II semifinals on Friday, December 12 at 5:00 p.m. (ET), facing the winner of No. 3 Point Loma vs. No. 6 Bentley.

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Brendan Sorsby from Cincy would be interesting

Published

1 hour ago

December 10, 2025

Your Sports Nation

I think I saw it rumored that he might portal…pretty nice stats against ACC-comparable competition…maybe he doesn’t see B12 starter to ACC starter as a logical move though…unless he’s just unhappy at Cincy

I don’t see us taking someone like Minchey…4-star or not, he’s only managed 15 attempts in 3 years. I think we’ll see someone with a proven on-field track college track record

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