Friday’s competition marks the second trip to Ocean Breeze in the last seven days for the Red Storm. Last Saturday, the Johnnies enjoyed a plethora of success both on the track and in the field at the Youree Spence Garcia Invitational.

Nora Haugen highlighted the competition for St. John’s, breaking both the program record and Norwegian national record in the 600 meters with a time of 1 minute, 26.93 seconds. The senior’s time currently sits atop the NCAA across all three divisions.

Along with Haugen, three other Johnnies won their individual events, and both relays crossed the finish line first.

Eleven student-athletes will return to the track and the ring for the second time this indoor season.

Jamora Alves returns to the shot put circle for a second straight weekend, as she is slated to compete in the event. The Guyana native had a second-place showing last weekend

with a toss of 14.40m (47 feet 3 inches). Her teammate, Desiree Pagan, will also return to the ring, competing in the weight throw.

On the track, Attoya Harvey will compete in the mile run. Last weekend, the junior ran a lifetime-best 3:00.41 in the 1,000-meter run to take fourth place and was part of the first-place 4×800 relay.

On the sprints side, Cassandra Lemus-Sodji and Karese Clivesha Kezia Lloyd are slated to make their season debuts in the 60-meter dash. Last indoor season, Lemus-Sodji placed second at the BIG EAST Indoor Track and Field Championship with a personal-best time of 7.50.

Director of Track and Field Aliann Pompey and her squad will break until late January, where they will compete at the Dr. Sander Scorcher at The Nike Track and Field Center at The Armory. 

 

The Kentucky Wildcats volleyball team is on the the Elite Eight in the NCAA Tournament after a dominant 3-0 win over Cal Poly on Thursday. They move on to face Creighton, who won their match earlier in the day.

It was a true team effort by Kentucky in this one. Lizzie Carr was the star of the game, though. She led the team with 11 kills, and also led them with 6 blocks. Her hit percentage was an impressive .667, topped only by Kennedy Washington who had 7 kills and a .700 hit percentage.

They’re not alone, though. Of course, Brooklyn DeLeye and Eva Hudson were heavily involved with 8 and 9 kills respectively. Kassie O’Brien was terrific again as well, posting 31 assists and 3 blocks.

Three Pine Bush High School graduates were inducted into the Section IX Track and Field Hall of Fame this fall – Al Schmidt, Adam Mires and Amber Passalaqua Sherlock.

Adam Mires is a 1998 graduate of Pine Bush. Adam was a driving force in Pine Bush winning the 1998 OCIAA championship. He won the 800 meters, 1600 meters, 3200 meters and was a member of the winning 4 x 800 relay. He was a four-time New York State champion in the 800m, 1000m, and 1600m. Adam’s 4:16 in the 1600 meters is still the Pine Bush High School record. Nationally he competed in the 800m and one mile races. He went on to compete for Rutgers University where he again was successful on the track, being a two-time Metropolitan Intercollegiate Track and Field Association champion and a three-time Big East Conference medalist.

Amber Passalaqua, a 2010 PBHS graduate, exemplified an all-around athlete. Her strength made her one of the best pentathletes in the nation. She was the 2009 and 2010 New York State champion in the pentathlon, and still holds the Section IX record. She was also a team player, being a part of the 2008 New York State championship 4 x 400 meter relay team that competed in the prestigious Penn Relays in Philadelphia and the Millrose Games held in New York City where they placed third. She also competed in the high jump and hurdles, as well as on the competitive cheerleading team. As a senior, she placed second in the nation at the NSIC Indoor Track and Field championships at The Armory in New York City and won the 2010 Outdoor Track and Field AAU Junior Olympics. She went to Syracuse University on a full scholarship to compete as a heptathlete, where she took fourth in the Big East Championship and won the hept at the Cortland Classic. After her freshman year, she transferred to the University of Arizona to compete in the PAC 12 Conference and complete her education and her competitive years. Among the highlights there, Amber took third place in the PAC 12 championship in the heptathlon in 2014 and qualified for the NCAA D1 championships in long jump. She found great success both on the track and off at both schools.

Al Schmidt is a 1977 graduate of Pine Bush High School and a legendary track and field/cross country coach, serving the district for 40 years, from 1982 to 2022. Al Schmidt started his career in track and field as a runner on the modified team in 1971. In high school, he started running cross country under the great Coach Dan Brown where he found his passion for the sport. In the fall of 1976, they won the UCAL championships and Al represented Section IX at the state meet. In the spring of 1976 and 1977, they again won the UCAL championship in track and field. He was the county champion in 1977 in the two-mile run, and also held the school record in the one mile. 

He continued to run at Mohawk Valley Community College where he earned all-regional in cross country and track. He volunteered to coach both cross country and track and field at MVCC.

He came back to Pine Bush High School to coach in the spring of 1982 and never stopped until 2022. His time here is unsurpassed. During his coaching tenure here at Pine Bush he had two individual state and federation champions, as well as two relays that were state and federation champions.

“I have been blessed to coach many talented athletes who were able to excel and qualify Pine Bush High School for many championship meets such as Division I championships, multiple state meets, Penn Relays and Millrose games, along with multiple team awards over the years,” said Coach Schmidt. “I have watched the athletes grow and many went on to continue running in college and have gone on to become teachers, coaches, doctors, lawyers and sportswriters. I have been very thankful to have mentored so many individuals and many still keep in touch today.”

Current Pine Bush coaches Rob Lawrence, Anthony DiMarco and Robin Renahan attended the hall of fame dinner to honor the Pine Bush recipients.

“I have had the pleasure of being coached by and coached alongside Al Schmidt – Mr. Pine Bush Track & Field/ Cross Country, in my opinion,” said Coach Lawrence. “(He is) the best coach ever at Pine Bush. I was also a teammate of Adam Mires and recruited and coached Amber Passalaqua with Gerald Risco.”

Congratulations to Coach Schmidt, Adam Mires and Amber Passalaqua. You certainly make us Pine Bush Proud!

The Saints boys and girls basketball teams both split their season-opening games at the Vail Christian Tip Off Tournament last weekend. The boys took down Cedaredge in overtime on Friday before falling to Highland in the championship game on Saturday. The girls defeated Lake County 47-33 and lost to Cedaredge 67-18.

Vail Christian junior Rayman Romanin poured in 23 points in the season opener. Oliver Neumann added 18 points and nine rebounds and Jack O’Shaugnessy chipped in 10 points as well for the Saints, who were up by four at halftime.

The Bruins clawed back, however, taking a four-point lead late in the fourth quarter. With 16 seconds left, Neumann came off a screen and drilled a catch-and-shoot 3-pointer from the wing to make it 69-68. Cedaredge guard Ian Blair missed two free throws on the next possession and Romanin was fouled on the loose ball rebound. The Saints junior went 1-for-2 to force overtime.

Romanin came through in the clutch in overtime, too. With 31.6 seconds left and the score tied 76-76, the Saints’ full-court press forced Blair into a double dribble. On the ensuing possession, Romanin floated an up-and-under right-hander from in the paint with five seconds to go for the game-winner.

Susie Irving and Eva Soto led the Saints against the Panthers in the Friday contest. Irving dropped 21 points to go along with nine rebounds and six steals, while Soto added 10 points and five boards. Irving led the way against Cedaredge as well, scoring seven. Vanessa Reyes added six in the loss.

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Both Vail Christian squads will face Nucla on Thursday night.

Eagle County volleyball players earn postseason awards

Several Eagle County volleyball players earned all-state and all-conference recognition.

Battle Mountain’s Cynthia Orona was named to the CHSAA 4A all-state second team. The outside hitter led the team in kills (330) and guided the Huskies to a 24-5 record and second-straight state tournament trip.

Eagle Valley’s Riley Weatherred was named all-state honorable mention. The junior led the Devils in kills (478) aces (42) and digs (290) in guiding the Devils to a 9-14 record.

Vail Christian had three players — Betty Bartok, Mary McClarrinon and Tenley Brasington — earn all-state honorable mention honors. Bartok was also named to the Colorado Coaches of Girls Sports all-state squad, was a 2A Western Slope first-team player and was named the league’s senior of the year. McClarrinon was tagged as the 2A Western Slope player of the year, while Brasington earned league setter of the year honors and was named to the conference second team. Stella Hawkins was named all-conference honorable mention as well.

Saints coach Britney Branson claimed 2A Western Slope coach of the year honors after guiding Vail Christian to a 21-6 overall mark and 10-0 league record. It’s the second time in Branson’s three-year tenure that the Saints have gone undefeated in league play and qualified for the state tournament.

SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – The Slippery Rock University track & field program will send four athletes to the University of Akron Friday evening to compete in the Haynes Lancaster Open at the Stile Athletics Field House.
 
MEET INFO
• Events begin at  4 p.m.
• Complete Event Schedule
• Live Results Link
 
PSAC/NCAA QUALIFYING STANDARDS
• 2025-26 Qualifying Standards
• PSAC Performance List
• NCAA Division II Performance List
 
SRU ATHLETES COMPETING
Men: Drew Layton, Logan Gossard
Women: Baylee Blauser, Allie Taylor
 
COLLEGE TEAMS COMPETING
Akron, Buffalo, Hillsdale, Roberts Wesleyan, Slippery Rock, Walsh
 
MEN’S PREVIEW
The Rock will send just two pole vaulters to represent the men’s team with Drew Layton and Logan Gossard set to compete in a strong field that includes 18 entries, all with a seed mark above 4.50 meters. Layton is the highest seeded collegiate athlete in the field with his career-best of 5.24 meters with only one unattached athlete seeded higher. Gossard is the 10th seed with his best mark of 4.81 meters.
 
Both SRU men opened the season last week at Youngstown State, where Layton cleared an NCAA provisional mark of 5.05 meters and Gossard went 4.60 meters. Layton’s mark currently ranks No. 1 in the PSAC and No. 8 among all vaulters in Division II while Gossard ranks No. 3 in the PSAC.
 
The men’s pole vault will follow the women’s pole vault, which is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m.
 
WOMEN’S PREVIEW
Slippery Rock will send two field athletes to Akron with Baylee Blauser set to jump in both the long and triple jump events and Allie Taylor set to compete in the pole vault. Taylor enters the meet seeded fifth (3.85 meters) in a strong field that includes 12 total vaulters and six Division II women. Blauser is the No. 1 seed in the long jump and the No. 3 seed in the triple jump (11.55 meters). She will be joined by only one other Division II jumper in the long jump and only Division I jumpers in the triple jump.
 
Both women opened their indoor seasons last week at Youngstown State. Taylor currently ranks No. 2 in the PSAC in the pole vault (3.55m), while Blauser is No. 5 in the PSAC In both the long jump (5.48m) and the triple jump (11.11m).
 
Taylor will be the first to compete when the women’s pole vault starts at 4 p.m. Blauser will jump in the long jump after the men’s competition ends.
 
RESULTS
Results from the meet will be available late Friday night or Saturday morning, depending on how late the meet finishes.
 
UP NEXT
Slippery Rock will take a little over a month off from competition with the semester break. The Rock are set to return to action Jan. 16 at Youngstown State.
 
 
 

To stay up to date with all that happens at The Rock, follow our official Athletic Communication accounts on ‘X’ (formerly Twitter, @Rock_Athletics), Facebook (RockAthletics) and Instagram (RockAthletics).

DES MOINES, Iowa – The Drake Relays will kick off preparations for the 2026 edition of America’s Athletic Classic by hosting two in-person officials training sessions in January. Open to all officials, including those not working the Drake Relays and those who would like to simply learn more about track and field officiating, the sessions are designed to improve officiating consistency, expand technical expertise, and provide event-area training for the upcoming high school, collegiate, and elite track & field seasons.

Training sessions will be held Sunday, January 11, 2026, and Sunday, January 25, 2026, featuring instruction from Drake Relays Head Officials and event-area leaders. Both dates will offer hands-on demonstrations, situational review, and shared best practices across multiple levels of competition.

These training initiatives are made possible through the leadership of Jim Walczyk, USATF Iowa President and Drake Relays Officials Coordinator. Walczyk’s longstanding commitment to education and community development continues to elevate the standard and consistency of officiating at the Drake Relays.

“Jim Walczyk’s leadership and tireless efforts continue to elevate the professional conduct that defines America’s Athletic Classic,” said Blake Boldon, the Franklin P. Johnson Director of the Drake Relays. “We are incredibly fortunate to work with such a dedicated and knowledgeable community of officials from throughout Iowa and across the country. Their commitment ensures that athletes at every level, from high school competitors to Olympians, experience the fairness, precision, and world-class environment that distinguish the Drake Relays as a global destination.”

 

JANUARY 11 TRAINING HIGHLIGHTS

Active Threat Training — Scott Law, Drake University Executive Director of Public Safety & University Operations.

This essential session equips staff and volunteers with the skills needed to respond during an active threat using the Run, Hide, Fight model. The program emphasizes situational awareness, rapid decision-making, and coordination with law enforcement to ensure the safety of participants and spectators at major events such as the Drake Relays.

Total Station Training — Randy Baker & Mark Tigges, long-time members of the Drake Relays Electronics Crew with extensive experience in total station operation and electronic officiating systems.

Weights & Measures — Jon Turner, Drake Relays Head Weights & Measures Official for more than 35 years and brings extensive experience from USATF Championships, NCAA events, conference championships, and three U.S. Olympic Trials.

 

JANUARY 25 TRAINING HIGHLIGHTS

Throws Training — Doug Johansen, widely regarded as one of Iowa’s premier throws officials and has officiated multiple NCAA Championships and Olympic Trials. He currently serves as the Drake Relays Head Throws Official.

Vertical Jumps Training — Curt Broek, a former Drake Relays athlete and long-time Head Jumps Official, Broek has served for over 20 years and is the current USATF Iowa Officials Certification Chair.

Horizontal Jumps Training — Sharon Plant, a Drake Relays jumps official for more than a decade with national-level experience from the Olympic Trials, NCAA Regionals, and NCAA Championships.

Running Events Training — Carolyn Hill and Ryan Elsbernd. Hill retired from a career in track and field meet management serving as the Assistant Athletic Director for Relays Operations. She is a Master-level USATF official with extensive national championship experience. Elsbernd serves as Head Umpire for the Drake Relays and is a Master-level USATF official with significant experience across NCAA Championships and Olympic Trials.

Para Athletics Training — Ryan Elsbernd is a national leader in Para Track & Field officiating and will focus the training on expanding the pipeline of certified officials in this growing discipline.

Immediately following the January 25 training session, all attendees are invited to join the Drake Relays community at the Drake Women’s Basketball game as the Bulldogs host Murray State at 2:00 PM.

Individuals interested in learning more should contact Tre Stanton at tre.stanton@drake.edu