León, Mexico  – The United States Under 23 National Team was pushed to the brink but pulled out a 3-2 victory over host Mexico in the semifinal round of the Pan American Cup on late Thursday night. Scores of the U.S. victory were 20-25, 27-25, 25-20, 21-25, 15-10.

The United States (4-0) will face Canada (3-2) on Friday at 5 p.m. Central for the Gold Medal. The Canadians pulled their second straight upset on Thursday, defeating previously unbeaten Cuba, to clinch its first medal ever at the event.

Rising Creighton senior Ava Martin played in all five sets as a serving sub. She served a pair of U.S. points in the fourth set to help tie the score at 19-all, then served up three consecutive points in the fifth set to help the American side take a 9-4 lead it would never surrender.

Norah Sis did not play in the contest.

The U.S. is being coached by Marie Zidek, who also is the head coach at DePaul.

Complete stats were not immediately available after the match, though the video stream showed Martin with at least two digs and a back row attack.

Last season at Creighton, Sis and Martin were one of the most formidable outside hitting tandems in the nation to help the Bluejays finish 32-3 and reach its first Elite Eight since 2016. Both women were unanimous All-BIG EAST selections and named AVCA All-Americans in 2024. Martin will return for her senior year in August looking to help Creighton win a 12th consecutive BIG EAST Conference title, while Sis won the Pro Volleyball Federation title with the Orlando Valkyries in May and looks to carry that momentum into her second professional season next spring.

Creighton has had several women play internationally with USA Volleyball in recent seasons, as Brittany Witt (Thailand), Jaali Winters (Croatia), Taryn Kloth (China; France) and Sis (Mexico) have all represented Team USA at one time or another in the past decade. Sis was part of back-to-back gold medal-winning teams at the U21 Women’s NORCECA Pan American Cup, while Kloth became Creighton’s first female student-athlete to compete in the Olympics last summer when she tied for ninth in Beach Volleyball along with partner Kristen Nuss.

USA Volleyball Women’s U23 Roster

Name, (Pos., Height, Hometown, College/Pro, Region) 

1 Emmy Klika (L, 5-7, 2003, Novelty, Ohio, Pro Volleyball Federation, Ohio Valley)

3 Chloe Chicoine (OH, 5-10, 2004, Lafayette, Ind., Univ. of Louisville, Hoosier)

4 Cara Cresse (MB, 6-6, 2003, Ft. Wayne, Ind., Univ. of Louisville, Hoosier)

6 Raven Colvin (MB, 6-1, 2003, Indianapolis, Ind., Pro Volleyball Federation, Hoosier)

8 Eva Hudson (OH, 6-1, 2004, Ft. Wayne, Ind., Univ. of Kentucky, Hoosier)

9 Norah Sis (OH, 6-2, 2003, Papillion, Neb., Pro Volleyball Federation, Great Plains)

10 Averi Carlson (S, 5-11, 2003, Lucas, Texas, SMU, North Texas)

11 Ifenna Cos-Okpalla (MB, 6-2, 2004, Flower Mound, Texas, Texas A&M, North Texas)

13 Caroline Kerr (S, 5-11, 2004, Champaign, Ill., Univ. of Tennessee, Great Lakes)

15 Ava Martin (OH, 6-1, 2004, Overland Park, Kan., Creighton Univ., Heart of America)

16 Jurnee Robinson (OPP/OH, 6-1, 2004, Simpsonville, S.C., LSU, Palmetto)

18 Lauren Rumel (OPP, 6-2, 2003, Tucson, Ariz., Oregon State Univ., Arizona)

Coaches

Head Coach: Marie Zidek (DePaul)

Assistant Coach: Kayla Banwarth (PVF, Olympian)

Assistant Coach: Danielle Scott (LOVB, Olympian)

Performance Analyst: Matthew Adams (Michigan)

ATC: Cherryl Bueno (Coast to Coast AthletiCare)

Team Lead: Taylor Marten (Ozark Juniors)

Schedule

All times Central

July 27: USA def. Dominican Republic, W 3-0 (27-25, 25-19, 25-21)

July 28: USA vs. Suriname, W 3-0 (25-10, 25-13, 25-7)

July 29: USA vs. Costa Rica, W 3-0 (25-18, 25-10, 25-10)

July 31: USA at Mexico, W 3-2 (20-25, 27-25, 25-20, 21-25, 15-10)

Aug. 1: USA vs. Canada (Gold Medal Match), 5 p.m. CT

EUGENE, Ore. – Nine current and former Oklahoma State track & field athletes have qualified for the U.S. Track& Field Championships this weekend across ten events, with each looking to punch their tickets to the world championships in Tokyo later this year.

Thursday’s action kicks off with 2025 first team All-American Emma Robbins in the women’s Hammer Throw final at 3:30 p.m. CT. In her lone season as a Cowgirl, Robbins placed fifth at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the Hammer Throw and was the Big 12 runner-up in both the Weight Throw indoors and the Hammer Throw.

Former Cowboy Mehdi Yanouri opens the track events in the men’s 800 Meter first round at 5:07 p.m. Yanouri was a member of the 2024 Cowboy Distance Medley Relay squad that won the NCAA title indoors. He will compete in heat three with the top six from each heat plus next three fastest times advancing to the semifinals.

Cowgirl junior Kaylie Politza continues the festivities Thursday in the women’s 800 Meter first round in the second heat at 5:37 p.m. Politza was a second team All-American this season in the 800 Meters indoors and owns the second-and-third-fastest 800 Meter times in program history indoors and outdoors, respectively.

Men’s action continues during the evening section with Cowboy senior Ryan Schoppe and former Cowboy Josh Thompson each competing in the first heat of the 1,500 Meter first round. Schoppe is a two-time NCAA champion as a member of the Cowboy DMR (once alongside Yanouri) and Thompson was a five-time Big 12 champion, helping the Cowboys secure the program’s second Big 12 indoor title in 2016.

Immediately following are another pair of former Cowgirls with Grace Boone (heat one) and Sinclaire Johnson (heat two) in the 1,500 Meters. Johnson set the American and Area Record in the Mile earlier this month and was the NCAA champion in the 1,500 Meters back in 2019. She also won the U.S. title in 2022 and has qualified for three world teams for the USA.

Rounding out the first night of action is former Cowgirl Taylor Roe in the women’s 10,000 Meters at 8:54 p.m. Roe set the world record in the Road 10 Mile in March and was the 2025 U.S. Half Marathon champion in her inaugural season as a pro. She will also be competing in the 5,000 Meters on Sunday at 4:31 p.m. While at OSU, Roe was the 2022 NCAA champion in the indoor 3,000 Meters and was a 12-time first team All-American and eight-time Big 12 champion. She also still holds the school records in both the indoor and outdoor 5,000 Meters and outdoor 10,000 Meters.

Back-to-back defending Shot Put world champion and former Cowgirl Chase Jackson (Ealey) already has her ticket punched to the world championships as the defending champion. She will be looking to secure her fourth consecutive U.S. title and ninth overall as she is currently ranked No. 1 in the world in the Shot Put. Jackson also broke the American Record in the Shot Put last month with her toss of 20.95 meters and will compete Saturday at 2:45 p.m.

USATF.tv will stream the entirety of the U.S. Track & Field Championships, with Peacock and NBC streaming the track finals Saturday and Sunday from 3-5 p.m. CT.

For more information on the Cowboys and Cowgirls, continue to check back with okstate.com. 

Not going to lie, I wasn’t originally planning to attend the inaugural Boston Beach Sprints. After all, I woke up in Ohio on Saturday morning and there was only one day left of the weekend-long event. However, after hearing a bit about the excitement on Carson Beach, Massachusetts, I’m glad I made the trip.

Here’s why you should find a beach sprints event to race (or watch!):

• Coastal sprints is a vibe. It’s almost like… Rowing is now a spectator sport. Our on-land cheers echoed more often than the 7-8 min intervals of a traditional, flat-water event. Unlike the nearby pickup beach volleyball match, the HOCR brought the party with a DJ, beach balls, and the 100+ competitors from 26+ states and 5+ countries. Furthermore, the amazing umpires passed the vibe check by trading in their blazers for Hawaiian shirts. You had to be there.
  
• The spirit of the sport on the center stage. As the “ultimate team sport,” everyone on land and water pulled together to bring this sport forward into the spotlight. Long gone are the days of “pushing the boat off the dock” and running/biking from shore on race day. Coaches and boat handlers were just as much involved on race day, adding to the excitement of the spectator sport. In what looked like arm gestures reminiscent of the Y-M-C-A (or H-O-T-T-O-G-O depending on what generation you’re from), boat handlers supported competitors from land in an equal-parts entertaining and equal-parts impressive display.
  
• Beach Sprints unabashedly reminds us that rowing is for everyone. I got to chat with a young man, Kishore, who only started rowing 8 months ago. In an impressive performance, Kishore cut 40 seconds from his initial attempt, having only attended the beach sprints clinic 36 hours prior. Finishing behind his US Training Center competitor, Kishore shared the sand, sun, and joy of coastal rowing with rowers of all experiences. And dare I say this, but the coastal rower “build” appears yet to be defined. Given the smaller (pun intended) sample size, the short and quick steps and strokes were mirrored by the shorter and compact builds. While one can cite the challenges of getting in a boat at knee or hip level for shorter rowers, I can only imagine that the lower center of gravity helps when rowers run at full speed only to turn around completely to position themselves in a rowing shell.
  
• Excellent commentary. Maybe I’m biased, maybe I was on the mic. Regardless, with a career working with youth, can you blame me for saying “we’re so proud of you!” 5? 10? 20 times? The competitors – new and old, young and seasoned – gave us all enough to smile about, both on and off the water. The future of the sport is here.

With the summer waning, I’m already marking my calendar for the next coastal rowing event. While I can’t wait to organize this year’s Rowing in Color boats at this year’s Head Of The Charles, the coastal sprints bug has officially caught. And it’s not going away anytime soon.

Many thanks to the HOCR staff, USRowing, especially head beach sprints coach Marc Oria, and all the supporters without whom this event would not have been possible.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (July 31, 2025) – The U.S. Women’s U23 National Team faced its biggest test of the 2025 NORCECA Women’s U23 Pan American Cup, coming away with a 3-2 (20-25, 27-25, 25-20, 21-25, 15-10) semifinal round victory over Mexico on Wednesday in León, Mexico.

The U.S. (4-0) will play for the gold medal against North American rival Canada (4-1), which earned a five-set win in the quarterfinals and reverse swept Cuba in the other semifinal. The match will be tomorrow, Friday, August 1, at 3 p.m. PT.

The U.S. dominated the net with 15 blocks compared to just four for Mexico. The U.S. served five of the seven aces in the match. Although Mexico led in kills 68-65, they made 13 more hitting errors.

Middle blocker Ifenna Cos-Okpalla was outstanding with 10 of the 15 U.S. blocks to go with 12 kills for 22 points. Outside hitter Eva Hudson recorded 20 kills. Libero Emmy Klika finished with 27 digs and passed in system 82 percent of the time in 39 attempts.

Outside Chloe Chicoine scored 16 points on 15 kills and a block. Middle blocker Raven Colvin also reached double digits in scoring with 14 points on 10 kills, a team-high three aces and a block. Opposite Jurnee Robinson added eight points on six kills and a pair of blocks.

Mexico took a quick 7-2 lead to start the match and never trailed in the first set. Back-to-back aces off the tape by Colvin cut the lead to one, 11-10. The U.S. pulled within a point seven more times in the set, the last time 21-20 on a back row attack by Hudson, but Mexico scored the final four points of the set to hand the U.S. its first set loss of the tournament.

Two kills and two blocks from Cos-Okpalla turned a 9-9 tie in the second set into a 14-10 U.S. lead. Mexico answered with four consecutive points to tie the set again. A Colvin kill put the U.S. up by three points, 19-16, and the lead was three again, 22-19, when Cos-Okpalla adjusted midair to post a kill. Mexico used a 4-1 run to square the set at 23. The U.S. was unable to convert two set points before scoring consecutive points on a kill by Hudson and another block by Cos-Okpalla.

The U.S. won the third set, 25-20. In the fourth, Chicoine scored off the block to give the U.S. an 11-10 lead, but Mexico ran off the next four points and never trailed again in the set. Chicoine kills tied the set at 19 and 20, and a Hudson back row attack evened the score at 21. Mexico scored the final four points to send the match to a fifth set.

The U.S. gave up the first point of the deciding set but scored the next three points and never surrendered the lead behind the pinpoint passing of Klika. Mexico misplayed a Chicoine serve, leading to a Colvin kill on a slide and the 3-1 advantage. After dropping the next point, the U.S. regained a two-point lead on another perfect pass from Klika that led to a Hudson kill off the block.

A Robinson kill and Cos-Okpalla block increased the margin to three, 7-4, and prompted a Mexico timeout. The U.S. continued its momentum with a Chicoine off-speed crosscourt kill and Robinson block making it 9-4.

Another strong Klika pass led to a Chicoine kill for an 11-7 U.S. lead. A series of phenomenal defensive plays by Mexico ending up cutting the lead back to three, but the trio of Klika, setter Caroline Kerr and Chicoine connected again for a 12-8 lead.

Kills by Hudson and Colvin gave the U.S. 13-8 and 14-9 leads, respectively. After Mexico saved one set point, Hudson ended the match on a kill to send the U.S. to the gold medal match.

USA Volleyball Women’s U23 Roster

Name, (Pos., Height, Hometown, College/Pro, Region)
1 Emmy Klika (L, 5-7, 2003, Novelty, Ohio, Pro Volleyball Federation, Ohio Valley)
3 Chloe Chicoine (OH, 5-10, 2004, Lafayette, Ind., Univ. of Louisville, Hoosier)
4 Cara Cresse (MB, 6-6, 2003, Ft. Wayne, Ind., Univ. of Louisville, Hoosier)
6 Raven Colvin (MB, 6-1, 2003, Indianapolis, Ind., Pro Volleyball Federation, Hoosier)
8 Eva Hudson (OH, 6-1, 2004, Ft. Wayne, Ind., Univ. of Kentucky, Hoosier)
9 Norah Sis (OH, 6-2, 2003, Papillion, Neb., Pro Volleyball Federation, Great Plains)
10 Averi Carlson (S, 5-11, 2003, Lucas, Texas, SMU, North Texas)
11 Ifenna Cos-Okpalla (MB, 6-2, 2004, Flower Mound, Texas, Texas A&M, North Texas)
13C Caroline Kerr (S, 5-11, 2004, Champaign, Ill., Univ. of Tennessee, Great Lakes)
15 Ava Martin (OH, 6-1, 2004, Overland Park, Kan., Creighton Univ., Heart of America)
16 Jurnee Robinson (OPP/OH, 6-1, 2004, Simpsonville, S.C., LSU, Palmetto)
18 Lauren Rumel (OPP, 6-2, 2003, Tucson, Ariz., Oregon State Univ., Arizona)

Alternates
7 Brooke Bultema (MB, 2004, Cincinnati, Ohio, Univ. of Kentucky, Ohio Valley)
12 Ella Swindle (S, 6-2, 2004, Columbia, Mo., Univ. of Texas, Heart of America)
14 Devin Kahahawai (OPP, 6-4, 2004, Kailua, Hawaii, Univ. of Texas, Aloha)
17 Marianna Singletary (MB, 6-4, 2004, Charleston, S.C., UCLA, Southern)
19 Maya Sands (L, 5-7, Rock Falls, Ill., Univ. of Missouri, Great Lakes)

Coaches
Head Coach: Marie Zidek (DePaul)
Assistant Coach: Kayla Banwarth (PVF, Olympian)
Assistant Coach: Danielle Scott (LOVB, Olympian)
Performance Analyst: Matthew Adams (Michigan)
ATC: Cherryl Bueno (Coast to Coast AthletiCare)
Team Lead: Taylor Marten (Ozark Juniors)

Schedule

All times Pacific

July 27: USA def. Dominican Republic, 3-0 (27-25, 25-19, 25-21)
July 28: USA def. Suriname, 3-0 (25-10, 25-13, 25-7)
July 29: USA def. Costa Rica, 3-0 (25-18, 25-10, 25-10)
July 30: Quarterfinals: USA received a bye
July 31: Semifinals: USA def. Mexico, 3-2 (20-25, 27-25, 25-20, 21-25, 15-10)
Aug. 1: Gold Medal Match: USA vs. Canada, 3 p.m.

The 2025 U.S. Track and Field Championships take place from Thursday, July 31 through Sunday, August 3 at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon. Qualifying spots for the 2025 World Athletics Championships—set for later this summer in Tokyo—are on the line and the athletes will compete over the four days to make Team USA.

Athletes who finish within the top three in each event will qualify for the World Championships, assuming they are in the world rankings quota or have achieved the World Championship standard.

Check out the top five results from each of the finals below (athletes in the top three with the World Championship standard are bolded)