Sports
Cruz Reflects on Attending First College Sports Communicators Convention
People care about what we do.
I took many notes throughout my four days at the 2025 College Sports Communicators (CSC) Convention in Orlando. But that statement – people care about what we do – kept ringing through my mind as I reflected on the experience.
It was obvious, from start to finish, how much the folks filling the halls of the World Center Marriot care about what they do, who they do it for, and who they do it with. You heard it in the sincerity of the panelists and in the speeches of the award winners who all made it a point to credit a mentor or teammate for aiding their success. It was evident in the advice shared between veterans and youngsters and the many ways people documented the lessons being doled out.
That passion made it easy to connect with my peers and soak in the information. Between sessions and receptions, I attended 25 learning and networking opportunities throughout the convention, and I can honestly say I took something meaningful from each one.
A journalist at my core, I was thrilled to see that storytelling was a major theme for the week, and I took full advantage. We heard from ESPN storytellers including Andrea Adelson, Elliott Munoz and Luke Knox, and author Dawn Dugle. There were several sessions in which fellow communicators across college and professional athletics discussed how the stories we tell affect the culture and business of the departments and institutions we serve.
As a first-time attendee and the only person from my comms team at convention, I went into this with a feeling of responsibility to go to everything – when I started making my schedule on the event app, there were numerous times I double-booked, or even triple-booked, myself within a time slot. Throughout convention, the experienced attendees kept reiterating that some of the most valuable lessons are the ones you learn in the hallways, not sitting in a session. I found that to be true after some wise words from Ohio State Associate Director – Communications, Maria Slovikovski. We met in-person for the first time Monday morning at the CSC Women Coffee Hour after seeing each other on CSC Women Zoom calls for nearly two years. Slovikovski told me not to feel pressure to go to everything. She spoke on the importance of leaving space in your convention schedule to take a break and digest what you’re learning. I didn’t realize how much I needed to hear that. Her advice, simple as it sounds, allowed me to give myself grace and shifted my mentality as I reworked the crazy schedule I initially put together.
The next three days of convention were very intentional. I thoughtfully selected which sessions to attend and really applied what I was hearing to my role at UTRGV. On Divisional Day, I found the “Defining Media” and “Workflows” sessions particularly useful for the upcoming endeavor of taking on UTRGV’s first football season. I picked up helpful tips on how to teach student workers how to write with confidence and clarity. I soaked up info on handling crossover content, covering programs at all levels of success, and working with stats. I joined two CSC/NACMA collaborative sessions about content strategies for multiple channels of communication and using storytelling to fuel business growth, which provided great insight into just how vital athletic communicators are to the success of college athletics.
Ideas started popping into my mind as I heard the talented individuals talk about their experiences and practices. I sought out more of those hallway connections and let myself enjoy being surrounded by people with goals similar to mine. During the week-ending CSC Special Awards Luncheon, I was recognized for earning a National Runner-Up award in the Fred Stabley Sr. Writing Contest.
I felt, and still feel, so reinvigorated and inspired after one of the most pivotal weeks of my career.
The work we do as athletic communicators is so important and special. We work so uniquely with a range of people, and we impact every area of college athletics – the student-athlete experience, recruiting and retention, revenue generation, culture and branding. It’s not an easy job, but people care about what we do, and nobody cares more than the dedicated SIDs working tirelessly behind the scenes.
Editor’s Note: I was fortunate to attend the convention as one of six recipients of the NCAA Inclusion CSC Convention Grant selected by the CSC and NCAA Leadership Development and Media Coordination and Statistics staffs along with Kensley Walters (Conference USA), Coreyon Chester (Texas Woman’s University), Devanée Williams (Eckerd College), Dawnisha Franklin (Plattsburgh State), and Jalon Avent (Rutgers-Newark). Major thanks to NCAA Assistant Director of Media Coordination and Statistics Marcus Thatcher for being an incredible point-person for the grant and setting us up with incredible opportunities (which I’ll dive into in August after our trip to the NCAA national office.)
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Sports
Keresey, Pierre, Monday Bring Home GNAC Weekly Recognition
STANDISH, Maine – The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) weekly honors have been released and Saint Joseph’s College of Maine was well-represented, with sophomore Isaac Keresey (Pittsfield, Maine) named GNAC Track Athlete of the Week, junior Tudum Monday (Lewiston, Maine) selected as GNAC Field Athlete of the Week, and freshman Stephen Pierre (Turner, Maine) earning GNAC Rookie of the Week recognition following their performances at the USM Alumni Open.
Keresey claimed Track Athlete of the Week after placing second in the mile with a time of 4:31.81 and running on Saint Joseph’s second-place 4×400-meter relay that clocked 3:42.01. Keresey is now the top-ranked miler in the GNAC and sits ninth in Division III New England early in the 2025-26 indoor season.
Pierre was tabbed Rookie of the Week after setting two school records at the USM Alumni Open. He won the long jump with a mark of 6.81m (22′ 4.25″), meeting the New England Division III automatic qualifying standard, and placed second in the 55-meter hurdles in 7.98, a New England Division III provisional time. Pierre now leads the GNAC in both events and is ranked sixth in Division III New England in the long jump and eighth in Division III New England in the hurdles as of December 14.
Monday earned Field Athlete of the Week honors by winning the triple jump with a mark of 13.03m (42′ 9″), meeting the New England Division III provisional standard. He also ran 8.24 in the 55-meter hurdles prelims, meeting the New England Division III provisional standard in that event as well. Monday ranks first in the GNAC in the triple jump by 60 centimeters and sits 14th in Division III New England.
Sports
Saint Joseph’s Women Sweep Three GNAC Weekly Awards
STANDISH, Maine – The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) weekly honors have been released and Saint Joseph’s College of Maine was well-represented, with freshman Amber Pendleton (Warren, Maine) named GNAC Track Athlete of the Week, sophomore Olivia Bean (South Portland, Maine) selected as GNAC Field Athlete of the Week, and freshman Olivea Miller (Livermore Falls, Maine) earning GNAC Rookie of the Week recognition following their performances at the USM Alumni Open.
Pendleton claimed Track Athlete of the Week after winning the 500 meters in 1:27.86, setting a Saint Joseph’s program record. She also competed on the winning 4×400-meter relay that recorded a time of 4:30.61.
Miller was tabbed Rookie of the Week after placing second in the 200 meters in 27.37, meeting the New England Division III provisional qualifying standard. She also finished second in the high jump with a clearance of 1.47m (4′ 9.75″). Miller now leads the GNAC in both events and is ranked 21st in Division III New England in the 200m and 26th in Division III New England in the high jump as of December 14.
Bean earned Field Athlete of the Week honors by winning the triple jump with a school-record mark of 10.72m (35′ 2″), meeting the New England Division III provisional standard. She also placed eighth in the long jump with a best of 4.68m (15′ 4.25″). Bean’s record-setting triple jump mark currently ranks seventh in the New England region.
Sports
2025 CWRU Women’s Cross Country Season Recap
The Case Western Reserve University women’s cross country team saw a talented class of first-year runners lead the way, as the team was represented at the NCAA Division III Championships for the sixth time in the last seven years in 2025.
CWRU was led by a pair of first-years, as Francesca Taracila was the top-finishing Spartan in three races during the year, while Halina Tompkins crossed the finish line first among Spartans on four occasions. Taracila got stronger as the season went on and was the first CWRU runner to cross the line at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional Championship, earning an NCAA Championship berth with a ninth-place finish overall at the meet with a career-best time of 22:28.8 in the women’s 6K.
Taracila went on to place 74th out of 290 total finishers at the NCAA Division III Championship in Spartanburg, South Carolina the following week. Her time of 22:35.9 was the seventh-fastest among 45 total first-year runners at the meet. It marked the 22nd consecutive season that the Spartans have been represented by at least one men’s or women’s team member at the NCAA Division III Championship.
In addition to Taracila, Tompkins also claimed all-region honors with a 26th-place finish at the NCAA Great Lakes Region Championship. Also scoring for the Spartans at the meet were seniors Arianna Holbrook (41st) and Ayla Grabenbauer (42nd), along with first-year Reid Smith (46th). CWRU placed sixth out of 37 total teams at the regional championship.
CWRU also placed seventh at the UAA Championship on November 1 behind a 29th-place finish from Tompkins and a 33rd-place finish from Taracila.
The Spartans were featured in all nine United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Great Lakes Region polls during the year, and were ranked as high as fourth in the region over the course of the campaign. CWRU has been ranked in 12 consecutive regional polls dating back to last season.
Other highlights from the season included team wins at both the Daniel Mullen Memorial Invitational on October 4 and the Oberlin Inter-Regional Rumble on October 18. CWRU placed five runners in the top-10 at the Daniel Mullen Invite, including Taracila (second), first-year Aditi Mukundhan (fourth), sophomore Cecilia Postma (fifth), Smith (sixth), and sophomore Becca Liaw (ninth). Tompkins also led the way at the Oberlin Inter-Regional Rumble with a 10th-place finish and was followed by Taracila (12th), Holbrook (16th), Liaw (21st), and Mukundhan (22nd). Eight of the 12 Spartan runners who competed at Oberlin recorded season-best times, including Tompkins, whose time of 22:17.9 was the fastest by a Spartan in 2025.
The Spartans added a third-place finish out of 11 teams at the Pre-National Meet and opened the season with a 15-50 win over John Carroll at the Bill Sudeck Invitational with each of the top seven finishers in the race coming from CWRU.
In addition to the team’s athletic success during the season, eight members of the women’s cross country team received UAA Fall All-Academic honors, including Grabenbauer, senior Julia Hluck, senior Lauren Iagnemma, sophomore Ciara Ledford, Liaw, senior Medha Patria, Postma, and sophomore Julia Walko.
The Spartans earned the following individual honors during the 2025 season:
Sports
Tigers Open Season at UCCS Pre-Holiday Meet
Colorado College opened the 2025-26 track & field season at the Colorado Running Company Pre-Holiday Invite and Multi last weekend at UCCS.
Freshman Riley Webb posted the best individual performance for the Tigers, placing fourth in the women’s 400 with a time of 1:01.42. Senior Allison Barker followed in sixth place in 1:02.92 and sophomore Chloe Johnson was 14th in 1:07.65.
Senior Emma Jones and freshman Jane Keenan tied for 10th in the pole vault, while sophomore Jordyn Tomlinson placed 12th in the shot put.
Junior Zaniya Bruno Munn and sophomore Keely Lueckeman ran in the prelims of the 60-meter dash, while Lueckeman and fellow sophomore Clara Kirr competed in the prelims of the 200-meter dash.
The Tigers return to action at the Colorado Invitational, Jan. 23-24, in Boulder, Colo.
Sports
Volleyball Announces 2026 Freshman Signing Class
WILLIAMSBURG, Va. — William & Mary volleyball announced the signing of three student-athletes to its incoming 2026 freshman class on Monday. Joining the Tribe is Regan Hill, Emily McKee, and Teagan Pocius.
“We are so excited to welcome our 2026 signing class!” said William & Mary interim head coach Emma Minnick. This group brings high-level club experience, strong talent, and an immediate commitment to our program’s culture and goals. We are confident they will elevate our play and we can’t wait for them to join the team!”
| 2026 W&M TRIBE VOLLEYBALL FRESHMAN SIGNING CLASS | |||
| NAME | POS | HT | HOMETOWN / HIGH SCHOOL |
| Regan Hill | OPP | 5-10 | Garnet Valley, Pa. / Garnet Valley HS |
| Emily McKee | OH | 5-11 | Stamford, Conn. / King School |
| Teagan Pocius | MB | 6-0 | St. Louis, Mo. / Marquette HS |
Regan Hill
5-10 • Opposite hitter • Garnet Valley, Pa. • Garnet Valley High School
HIGH SCHOOL: Two-time first team all-state selection at Garnet Valley High School where she holds the school record for kills, blocks, and aces… Earned all-district and All-Central League honors three times… Varsity captain… Played for club teams Dynamic Volleyball Academy and East Coast Power.
PERSONAL: Intends to major in biology… Had a 3.97 GPA and is a member of the National Honor Society and National Art Society… Four-time honor roll selection and two-time distinguished honor roll… Grandfather played football at Northwestern College in Iowa.
Why W&M? “I chose William & Mary because it has a really strong academic program and opportunities to help me in my career development. I’m also excited to get the chance to play volleyball there, challenging myself both academically and athletically. Lastly, the atmosphere there is everything I was hoping for. The community is so supportive, and the campus is beyond gorgeous.”
Emily McKee
5-11 • Outside hitter • Stamford, Conn. • King School
HIGH SCHOOL: Four-year varsity player and two-year captain at King School in Connecticut… Four-time FAA All-League First Team selection… Named 2025 NEPSAC Class A Player of the Year… Helped lead King to four FAA championships, four NEPSAC championships, and three undefeated seasons with a total record of 86-1… Holds the school record for kills with over 1,000… Named to the 2025 AVCA All-American Watchlist and AVCA Girls High School All-Region Team playing for Northeast Volleyball Club.
PERSONAL: Intends to major in business… Participated in the Fellowship Friday Mentor & Clinker Buddy Program Mentor, which provides mentoring to younger students in the community… Earned high honors in the classroom every year of her high school career.
Why W&M? “I chose William & Mary because the sense of belonging I felt with the volleyball team was unmatched. It’s a place where I know I’ll be pushed both academically and athletically, and the program’s supportive, competitive, and team-oriented culture truly stood out to me. I can’t wait to get on campus and be a part of this program.”
Teagan Pocius
6-0 • Middle blocker • St. Louis, Mo. • Marquette High School
HIGH SCHOOL: All-state, all-district and all-conference selection at Marquette High School… Owns school records for career kills (986), career blocks (413), single-season blocks (139), single-game kills (32), and single-game blocks (10)… Named to the 2024 USAV All-Tournament Team… Earned AVCA All-Region honors in 2024 and 2025… Tabbed to the AVCA All-America Watch List… Played for Rockwood Thunder Club team.
PERSONAL: Intends to major in business analytics… Had a 3.96 GPA and was a four-time academic all-state selection… Has played viola in orchestra since fourth grade… Member of the National Honor Society.
Why W&M? “I chose W&M because it’s literally a complete package. It has everything down to the academics, the athletics, the team, and the environment I was looking for. Truly, [it was] such an easy choice to make.”
FOLLOW TRIBE VOLLEYBALL
Fans can keep up with the Tribe by following @WMTribeVB on X/Twitter and Instagram.
Sports
K-State Track Host Winter Camp at Cliff Rovelto Indoor Track
Starting December 29 through March 4, from 5:00-6:30 p.m., attendees will develop proper running mechanics, speed, strength and event specific skills. Coaches will also teach injury prevention and warm-up/cool-down techniques.
Dates:
December 29
January 5, 12, 19, 26
February 4, 11, 18, 25
March 4
Attendees will be charged $750, plus a $41.50 fee, and are expected to bring their own athletic gear and necessary equipment. Any questions can be sent to assistant coach Trey Brokaw at tbrokaw@kstatesports.com or (309) 335-3895.
— k-statesports.com —
How to follow the ‘Cats: For complete information on the K-State Track and Field and Cross Country Teams, visit www.kstatesports.com and follow the team’s social media channels on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and Facebook.
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