BUIES CREEK – Evan Darm has officially been named the head coach of the Campbell Track & Field and Cross Country teams, dropping the interim tag after one season at the helm during the 2024-25 athletic year.

“Evan has done a remarkable job leading our cross country and track and field teams over the last year on an interim basis and we are excited to officially name him head coach,” Director of Athletics Hannah Bazemore said. “Evan is a Camel through and through and knows what it means to wear the Orange and Black. His passion for this program is unmatched. With the positive culture and determination he brings to both training and competition, he will continue to elevate our program and develop our student-athletes.”

Darm, a 2015 Campbell graduate, worked for three seasons in The Creek following graduation as a graduate assistant and then a volunteer assistant. After a year away, Darm returned to the program for a season in 2019, helping guide the men to the Big South title. He left to take a head coaching job for cross country at Lincoln Memorial (Tenn.) for two years, before returning again to Campbell in 2022 where he has remained and taken over the head coaching position. 

“I have to first thank my wife and family for the support through my career,” Darm said. “I wouldn’t be in this position I am today without the support system I have. Next, I would like to thank Director of Athletics Hannah Bazemore and Senior Athletic Director Melissa Wendt. Hannah has a clear vision to continue to lead this athletics department forward in the ever-changing NCAA landscape. I am grateful that this plan shares a vision that aligns with my drive to continue to grow the program in the classroom and on the track.

“Lastly, I’d like to thank the current team and support staff. At this level, it takes a village to believe in Campbell University, to buy into the training, and the belief in the direction this program is heading. I look forward to building upon the legacy of the past generations.”

During cross country season, both the women and men won the Wilmington Beach Blast 5K to kick off the season. Two Campbell women finished 1-2 individually in the event, and the men placed four runners in the top 10. 

Darm’s spring track and field season saw Reagan Wise break a 40-year-old school record in the men’s pole vault and take the CAA Championship in the same event. Mekhi Dupree also won a CAA title in the men’s 200m. Dupree and Ticora Gaskin both qualified for the NCAA East Regionals in the men’s 200m and women’s long jump, respectively. 

As an assistant, Darm primarily worked with distance runners, featuring all-American Dorcus Ewoi, who finished second in the Big South during cross country season, and claimed four first-place finishes between the indoor and outdoor Big South championships in 2022-23. Ewoi then went on to finish fifth at the NCAA National Championships in the 800m, the best finish for the Campbell women in program history at the national event. 

Darm, a 2015 Campbell alum, ran cross country for the Camels and earned all-Big South honors in 2014. 

 

DAYTON – Wright State head volleyball coach Travers Green has announced the additions of Cam Hausler and Megan Wielonski to his coaching staff to join him on the Raider sidelines.
 
Hausler remains at Wright State after playing for the Raiders, while Wielonski joins the staff after a standout career at Ball State. The pair join another former Raider, Megan Alders, on the bench with Green.
 
“I’m excited to introduce our coaching staff at Wright State – an exceptional group of former student-athletes who know what it takes to win,” Green said. “Each of them has competed at a high level and won conference championships. As we pursue championships, we’re being shaped by the journey we’re on together. I look forward to watching them mentor our players, as they’ve all walked in their shoes and understand what it takes along with how rewarding of an experience it is.”
 
Hausler was a part of three NCAA Tournament teams as a Wright State player. She appeared in 101 sets over her Raider career and was part of Wright State teams that won Horizon League regular season championships in 2020, 2022, 2023 and 2024 and captured Horizon League tournament titles in 2020, 2022 and 2023. A native of Lakewood, IL in the Chicagoland area, Hausler is currently working on her graduate degree in Physical Education. She earned her undergraduate degree in Marketing from Wright State in April 2024.
 
Wielonski racked up a slew of honors on and off the court at Ball State. The 2021 MAC Freshman of the Year and 2022 MAC Setter of the Year, Wielonski was a three-time First Team All-MAC selection. She earned a spot on the 2021 AVCA All-Midwest Region team and was a 2022 AVCA All-Midwest Region Honorable Mention, and was also named an alternate for the 2023 USA Volleyball Women’s Collegiate National Team. Off the court, she was named to three-straight College Sports Communicators (formerly CoSIDA) Academic All-District Women’s Volleyball Teams from 2022-2024.
 
Alders begins her second year as an assistant, helping the Raiders to a Horizon League regular season title last fall. She aided a Raider offense that finished third nationally with a 14.53 kills per set average and passed out 13.75 assists per set, tops in the nation. Individually, Lauren Yacobucci finished the year first nationally with her 11.92 assists per set average and had 1,335 total assists, a mark that finished seventh in the country.

MORAGA, Calif. — Coming off of a program record tying 20 win season in 2025, the Gaels are hard at work adding to their 2025-26 roster, and have gone to the portal for their most recent signing, as Alisia Silverthorn will join the Gaels, heading to Moraga from Houston Christian University. Silverthorn will come to Saint Mary’s as a senior after three years of competition with the Huskies. 

Originally hailing from Auburn, Washington, Silverthorn prepped at Auburn Riverside High School, where she was teammate with Hannah Couch. There, the dynamic duo led the Ravens to four straight district titles. At the prep level, Silverthorn was three times named All-Conference, seeing time as both a setter and outside hitter, demonstrating the versatility that she would go onto use throughout her beach career. Her outstanding indoor high school career was culminated by being named the 2021 3A/4A North Puget Sound Cascade District MVP.

Silverthorn chose Houston Christian to be her home for her collegiate career. After appearing in six matches in her first two collegiate seasons for the Huskies, split between the four and five spots, she made her way into the everyday lineup this last season, appearing in 30 of 33 matches at the twos. She went 9-21 for the campaign, including her first collegiate win against Central Arkansas (Feb. 23), and her first two match clinching wins against Cal State Bakersfield (Feb. 28) and New Orleans (Apr. 11). At the culmination of her junior year, Silverthorn entered the portal, where she was found by Coach Harrer and her staff. 

About Alisia, Coach Harrer noted, “Given her background as a beach volleyball player and her academic pursuits, we are pleased to welcome Alisia to the Gael family!  Saint Mary’s College aligns with her athletic and educational goals.” She went on to say, “Silverthorn has made significant strides in her volleyball career. Transitioning to beach volleyball, she found her groove in the sand. Beach Volleyball showcases her adaptability and passion for the sport!”

About her choice to commit to Saint Mary’s, Alisia stated, “My dream is to play volleyball at the highest level I can for as long as I can while still prioritizing my education.”

This statement reflects her commitment to balancing athletic excellence with academic achievement.

The first transfer to be added to the 2025-26 Saint Mary’s Beach Volleyball, the Gaels have had good success with transfer players in recent years, including Hawley Harrer (UCLA), Paola Peralta (MiraCosta College), Sedona Sherman (Pacific), Sadie Shipman (Stephen F. Austin) and Chloe Swanson (Irvine Valley College)

#GaelsRise

Former “Grey’s Anatomy” star Eric Dane is speaking out for the first time in a television interview about his battle with ALS, a degenerative neurological disorder.

“I wake up every day and I’m immediately reminded that this is happening,” Dane, 52, said in an interview with Diane Sawyer that aired Monday on “Good Morning America.” “It’s not a dream.”

Just a few months after first revealing his ALS diagnosis publicly in April, Dane said he has lost function of his right arm and worries about what’s next.

“I feel like maybe a couple, few more months, and I won’t have my left hand (functioning) either,” Dane told Sawyer, adding that he’s worried about the loss of his legs too. “Sobering.”

ALS, short for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, is a degenerative neurological disorder where the symptoms worsen over time, according to the National Institutes of Health.

The NIH notes that ALS causes motor neurons, a type of nerve cell in the brain and spinal cord to deteriorate, causing the muscles to progressively weaken and eventually leads to paralysis, taking away a person’s ability to move, speak or even breathe.

Dane — who shot to fame amid six seasons on the hit ABC drama “Grey’s Anatomy,” where he played Dr. Mark Sloan, affectionately known as “McSteamy” — said his symptoms began over one year ago, when he began to experience weakness in his right hand.

“I didn’t really think anything of it at the time. I thought maybe I’d been texting too much or my hand was fatigued,” he recalled. “But a few weeks later, I noticed it had gotten a little worse, so I went and saw a hand specialist, who sent me to another hand specialist.”

Dane, a father of two teenage daughters, said he was then sent to two different neurologists before he received the diagnosis of ALS.

“I’ll never forget those three letters,” he said of the diagnosis.

Dane said the full weight of the effects of ALS grasped him just a few months ago when he went on a boat trip with his 13-year-old daughter. Once a competitive swimmer and a water polo star, Dane said he jumped in the ocean with his daughter only to realize he didn’t have the strength to swim.

“She dragged me back to the boat,” Dane said of his daughter, adding that he broke down in tears on the boat. “I was just, I was, like, heartbroken.”

Dane shares his 13 and 15-year-old daughters with actress Rebecca Gayheart, whom he married in October 2004. Though the couple once separated in their marriage, Dane said Gayheart is now his “biggest champion.”

“I talk to her every day,” he said. “We have managed to become better friends and better parents. And she is … probably my biggest champion and my most stalwart supporter. And I lean on her.”

After losing his own father to suicide when he was just 7-years-old, Dane said he is “angry” that ALS may also take him from his daughters too soon.

“I’m angry because, you know, my father was taken from me when I was young,” he said. “And now, you know, there’s a very good chance I’m going to be taken from my girls while they’re very young.”

Dane said he is focused on his family and continuing the work he loves for as long as he is able.

Most recently, Dane portrayed Cal Jacobs, the head of the Jacobs family, on “Euphoria.” He is also starring in an upcoming series on Amazon Prime Video, a police thriller titled “Countdown.”

The average prognosis for ALS patients is an average of two to five years of survival from the time of first symptoms, but there is a range, according to the NIH.

There is currently no known cure for ALS but some treatments, including FDA-approved medications and physical and speech therapies, may slow down the progression of the disorder and improve an ALS patient’s quality of life.

“I mean, I really, at the end of the day, just, all I want to do is spend time with my family and work a little bit if I can,” he said, later telling Sawyer, “I don’t think this is the end of my story. I just don’t feel like, in my heart, I don’t feel like this is the end of me.*

Tune into “Good Morning America” on Tuesday, June 17, from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. EDT, for more of Diane Sawyer’s interview with Eric Dane.

CHAMPAIGN — Mia Lamberti was already drawing Division I interest as a freshman at Limestone. It got a little more specific during her sophomore season with the Rockets, with Big Ten and SEC programs in pursuit.

Lamberti spent the first half of June hitting multiple camps. First came a trip to Missouri on June 4 and then on to Kansas a day later. The Limestone junior attended Iowa’s elite prospect camp on Thursday and Illinois’ elite camp Saturday.

Lamberti’s whirlwind month continued Sunday when she became Illinois’ first commitment in the Class of 2027. The Illini’s future recruiting efforts also include a pair of 2026 commitments from Angola (Ind.) outside hitter Maya Harris and Hamilton Southeastern (Ind.) outside hitter Madison Miles.

Securing a commitment from Lamberti means Illinois is starting its 2027 recruiting class with a setter. Their newest commit has played six rotations for Limestone the past two seasons splitting her time at setter and opposite.  

Lamberti had 393 assists, 309 kills, 136 digs and 49 aces during her freshman season with the Rockets where she was a News-Gazette All-State Second Team selection.

The follow-up last fall was even better, with Limestone finishing as the Class 3A state runner-up. Lamberti flirted with a triple-double in the state championship match with 16 kills, 14 assists and six digs against Mahomet-Seymour. The Bulldogs dropped the first set to Lamberti and Rockets, but rallied for a 22-25, 25-22, 25-18 victory.

Lamberti totaled 452 assists, 454 kills, 181 digs and 64 aces for Limestone as a sophomore. That effort helped her earn N-G All-State First Team recognition as one of the top 18 players, regardless of class, statewide. Lamberti was one of two sophomores named to the First Team along with Bloomington Central Catholic’s Kampbell Niepagen.