BRUNSWICK, Maine – Five members of the Bowdoin College outdoor track & field team have qualified for the NCAA Division III Championships from May 22-24 at the SPIRE Institute in Geneva, Ohio.
 
Adepoju Arogundade, Mardy Novak, Oliver Brandes, Ian Stebbins, and Kennedy Kirkland will all represent the Polar Bears in Ohio.
 
Kennedy Kirkland is the top seeded athlete in the women’s long jump thanks to a 6.28m distance at the Wesleyan Invitational on March 22. The women’s long jump prelims and finals are scheduled for 5:30 p.m. on Thursday evening.
 
Ian Stebbins will enter nationals as the sixth-seeded men’s pole vaulter. Stebbins cleared a height of 5.05 meters at the New England Division III Championships on May 2. The men’s pole vault is scheduled for noon on Saturday.
 
Oliver Brandes qualified for the men’s 800m race as the eighth seed thanks to a season-best performance of 1:49.63 at the MIT Final Qualifier on May 15. The prelims of the men’s 800 will be held on Friday at 4:00 p.m. with the finals slated for 2:50 p.m. on Saturday.
 
Mardy Novak earned a trip to nationals to compete in the women’s javelin with a throw of 41.93 meters at the NESCAC Championship on April 26. Novak is seeded 12^th in the competition, which will be held at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday afternoon.
 
Adepoju Arogundade will compete in the men’s 400 meter hurdles at the championship after a season-best time of 52.41 at the F.I.R.E. Meet hosted by Williams on May 9. The preliminaries of the 400 meter hurdles will be held at 6:10 p.m. Thursday evening with the finals set for 3:15 p.m. on Saturday.
 
Complete championship information can be found at the Championship Home Page, with live results available throughout the week here.  

The Indy Ignite are looking for a new coach after their first season.

The American River College beach volleyball team competed at the NorCal Pairs Championships at Cosumnes River College on May 2 and 3. The Beavers finished the regular season 18-6, 12-2 in conference, and got second in the Big 8 Conference behind Sierra College. 

ARC sent all five pairs to the NorCal championships; this is the first time in program history that all five pairs have been sent to NorCal’s. 

The tournament got started with Gwendolyn Hanson and Mallory Kuehl going down 21-17 in two straight sets to Maya Cann and Chloe Albiez from Feather River College.

This was the start to a rough day for ARC, four out of the five pairs were eliminated from championship contention in the first round. Samantha Chavez and Sadie White were the only pair from ARC to get the job done in the first round after getting the better of Emma Landaverde and Rachel Sanchez from West Valley College in three sets. 

Chavez and White would go on to lose to Cann and Albiez from FRC in three sets, in the second round of the tournament. 

Lillie Miranda and Maya Mischuck were the last pair from ARC to play in the first round, the pair lost to the number four seed from Fresno City College Phoebe Constable and Lusa Andrews, who would go on to become the eventual NorCal Pairs Champion, and would later advance to the Championship game at the California Community College Athletics Association State Championship in Long Beach.

Despite the second-round loss, Chavez and White would go on to win the constellation bracket for the 13th seed, qualifying them for the CCCAA State Championship.

“You kind of have to have a certain amount of resilience, especially when you go through the losers bracket, which is what Sam and Sadie had to do in order to qualify,” said ARC Beach Volleyball Head Coach Carson Lowden following the NorCal pairs Championships.

The State Championship was hosted at Long Beach City College on May 8-10. Chavez and White were unable to advance out of the Pool Stages where they finished pool play with a record of 0-3, including a loss to eventual State Champion Annah Legaspi and Nicole Lankton from Santa Monica College. 

This was only the third season of Beach Volleyball for ARC, but they are already proving to be a strong competitor. 

“Even though we are less experienced than some of these other programs, I think what it showcases is the depth and the quality of our volleyball program as a whole,” Lowden said.

ARC will look to build on this season of beach into a fresh start for indoor and beach next school year.

Cullowhee, N.C. – Western Carolina University Chancellor Kelli R. Brown announced today, Monday, May 19, the selection of Kyle Pifer to serve as the director of athletics following approval of his contract by the university’s Board of Trustees during a special-called meeting earlier in the day.
 
Pifer (pronounced PIE-furr) has served as the deputy athletics director and chief operating officer for WCU Athletics since November 2020 and, most recently, as the interim director of athletics following the departure of Alex Gary.
 
The appointment, effective immediately, follows a national search conducted by a 13-member committee, chaired by WCU Provost Richard Starnes. The North Carolina-based executive search consulting firm CSA assisted the search committee.
 
A formal introduction and campus reception is set for 10 a.m. on Tuesday, May 20, in the Hospitality Room of the Ramsey Regional Activity Center. The press conference will be streamed live through both WCU’s and the Catamount Athletics YouTube channels.
 

Pifer has served as a WCU Athletics senior staff member and second in command within the department for the past four years, managing all internal functions for the Catamounts, including budget and finance, capital projects, sport administration, event and facility operations, and human resources.
 
A skilled administrator, Pifer has spent the past 23 years of his professional career working in higher education and intercollegiate athletics. He served previously as the senior associate athletics director for compliance at Oregon State in Corvallis, Oregon, from 2013 until 2020, when he came to Cullowhee. He also held an associate athletic director position at the University of Washington in Seattle from 2009 until 2013 and worked in NCAA compliance positions at Oregon State and Gonzaga.
 
Pifer’s professional experience in major collegiate athletic conferences, such as the Pac-12, combined with his strong relationships on campus, in the community, with regional leaders, and within the Southern Conference, make him a good fit to lead the Catamount athletics program.
 
“After a comprehensive national search for WCU’s next Director of Athletics, I’m incredibly pleased that the best candidate was already a member of our Catamount family. Mr. Kyle Pifer is an outstanding choice to lead Catamount Nation into its next era,” said Brown. “In the short amount of time that Kyle has served as interim AD, he has distinguished himself as a collaborative and strategic university leader with a commanding grasp of the landscape of intercollegiate athletics. Catamount Athletics is in good hands with Kyle at the helm, and I am confident and excited about the future for our amazing student-athletes.”
 
Over the last four years in Cullowhee, Pifer has spearheaded the formation of the sport administrator committee and the student-athlete well-being committee, both aimed at the better management of the teams and to evaluate the student-athlete experience at Western Carolina. He has also served on numerous campus committees, including the institutional planning, well-being, health and safety, and emergency crisis management teams.
 
Pifer began his professional career as an NCAA compliance officer in 2003 at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington. In 2007, Pifer departed for the first of his two stints at Oregon State, beginning as an assistant director of compliance. He then took on the role of the director of compliance at the University of Washington in Seattle, advancing rapidly and earning four promotions in under five years, working his way to an associate athletics director position. He was a member of the UW Athletics department senior staff. 
 
As the senior associate athletics director for compliance at Oregon State, Pifer has experience within on-campus and department operations, including a wealth of knowledge on NCAA compliance within the changing landscape of intercollegiate athletics. As a part of the OSU athletics executive staff, he was the sport supervisor for the Beavers’ men’s golf and the women’s cross country/track and field teams. He was also particularly influential in the development of the Oregon State track and field program, rekindling the program after a nearly 20-year hiatus from the sport sponsorship.

During his eight-plus years at OSU, concluding as the senior compliance administrator, Pifer served on a variety of campus committees, including the Enrollment Management Leadership Team, the High Incident and Event Group, and the Criminal History Attendance and Participation Committee.

 

A native of Frankfort, Indiana, Pifer is a former intercollegiate student-athlete at Francis Marion University, where he was a four-year track and field letter winner and earned academic all-district honors. He possesses a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Francis Marion where he was a member of the Francis Marion Honor Society and graduated summa cum laude in 1999. He earned his master’s degree in sport and athletic administration from Gonzaga in 2021.

 

Pifer and his wife, Sydney, have three daughters: Reese, Delaney, and Ellis.

 

Pifer was selected from an exceptionally competitive and well-qualified pool of candidates. The search committee identified three finalists who participated in on-campus interviews in Cullowhee. 

 

“Kyle Pifer has the experience, vision, and energy to build on the great momentum Catamount athletics has experienced in recent years to take us to the next level,” Starnes said. “He is deeply committed to the success of our student-athletes in competition, in the classroom, and their lives after graduation.”

 

Brown appointed the search committee in March and set an ambitious and accelerated timetable to find a permanent successor for Gary, who served as WCU’s athletics director from February 2020 until March 2025.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Illinois volleyball’s head coach Chris Tamas announced the addition of Devin Dzienny (Da-zin-ee) to the 2025 roster on Monday.

 

Devin Dzienny // Toledo, Ohio // Florida // Legacy Volleyball // DS/L // 5-8

Notes: Started her collegiate campaign at Florida in the spring of 2025… 2024 First Team All-District… 2024 OHSAA Final Four… 2024 First Team All-Conference Catholic High School League… 2023 OHSAA Final Four… 2023 First Team All-Conference Catholic High School League… 2023 OHSAA All District… 2024 Prep Volleyball.com Second Team All-American… 2024-Sunshine Qualifier All-Tournament Team… 2024-Salt Lake City Qualifier All-Tournament Team… 2024 Central Zone All-Tournament Team… 2024 Triple Crown NIT Show Stopper… 2024 Triple Crown All-Tournament Team… 2024 Summerfest All-Tournament Team… 2023 Central Zone Prep Volleyball.com Honorable Mention… 2023 Central Zone Prep Dig Libero Watch… 2023 Summerfest All-Tournament Team… 2023 Prep Volleyball.com #14 class of 2025… 2022 AAU 15u OPEN National Champion… 2022 Prep Volleyball.com #16 class of 2025… 2022 AVCA PHENOM Selection class of 2025… 2022 Prep Dig Defensive Dandies JVA Rock & Rumble… 2022 Under Armour Vball Recruiter Standout Libero… 2022 JVA Watchlist 2025… 2021 AVCA PHENOM Selection class of 2025… 2021 Prep Volleyball.com TOP 150 class of 2025… 2024 USA Volleyball NTDP Training Program Series… 2023 USA Volleyball NTDP Training Program Series… 2022 USA Volleyball NTDP Training Program Series… 2021 USA Volleyball NTDP Training Program Series… 2020 USA Volleyball HP High Performance training selection… 2019 USA Volleyball HP High Performance training selection

Coach Tamas on Dzienny: “Devin comes from top high school and club programs. She’s a winner and has helped her teams win several championships throughout her career. Her work ethic and attitude towards the game aligns with our program and she will be a great fit for our team.”

Why Illinois? “I chose Illinois because of its welcoming atmosphere. Illinois offers excellent academic programs, making it an ideal place for me to grow as a student athlete. From my first interaction, the coaches made me feel valued. The coaches’ commitment to developing players both on and off the court stood out to me.”

LOS ANGELES – Following the LMU Beach Volleyball program’s run to the national championship game and the best final ranking in program history, Head Coach John Mayer has named Jacinda Ramirez his next assistant coach.
 
Ramirez has been with the program for the since arriving to LMU as a player in 2021. Over her four seasons playing for the Lions, Ramirez earned three all-conference recognitions, two NCAA All-Tournament honors, was a Top Flight winner, and won 97 matches. Additionally, Ramirez was named CSC Academic All-District in 2023 and was a two-time member of the WCC All-Academic First Team and one-time WCC All-Academic Honorable Mention recipient.
 
In her transition in 2024 to Student Assistant Coach, the Lions broke the program record with 38 wins, defeated 12 opponents ranked in the top-25, including multiple wins over #1 ranked opponents, and helped lead the Lions to the best finish in school history with a national title game appearance.
 
“I’m incredibly excited and grateful to continue my journey with the LMU Beach Volleyball team,” said Ramirez. “I never could have imagined when I joined this program five years ago as a player that it would lead me to this opportunity. I want to thank all the coaches and athletic administrators who have supported me throughout my career at LMU, and especially John (Mayer) and Ashley (Armstrong) for believing in me and trusting me with this role. LMU has always felt like home, and I can’t wait to help this program continue to grow and succeed.”
 
Ramirez begins her new position immediately.
 
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