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CVU girls, Essex boys reign

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The Champlain Valley girls dominated mid-distance events to retain their crown. The Essex boys were everywhere to return to glory. And Mount Mansfield’s Avery Gilbert won a year-long duel to reset the day’s lone state record.

Those were the headlines from Saturday’s Division I high school track and field state championships. But they were far from the only storylines to close out a trio of state meets in as many days at Burlington’s D.G. Weaver Athletic Complex.

From Burr and Burton junior Robin Tashjian’s 30-point day to North Country’s Sabine Brueck closing out her star-studded career with a pair of victories to St. Johnsbury’s Andrew Thornton-Sherman’s three wins and Essex thrower Alexander Johnson’s sweep for his first outdoor crowns, plenty was packed in a four-plus hour window.

Brueck summed up the feeling of many: “I just gave it my all.”

More: Vermont high school track and field state championships 2025: Complete results, scores

In the girls team standings, CVU piled up 91 points for the title repeat, while BBA and South Burlington tied for runner-up honors with 71 points. The Essex boys racked up 137 points to dethrone St. Johnsbury (100), which had won the last four D-I crowns. It’s Essex’s 19th crown overall and first since 2019.

“For today, it’s all about place,” Essex coach Katie White said. “We knew we had a little bit of buffer, but you don’t know what’s going to happen on the day or what other people are doing. We went full steam ahead and everyone showed up. Across the board, everyone contributed.”

How CVU girls, Essex boys captured their team titles

A year ago in their run to the first championship in program history, CVU girls tallied 71 of 112 points in races 400 meters and up. Saturday, they scored 62 points in those same events, paced by senior Alice Kredell, who won the 1,500 (4 minutes, 41.19 seconds) and 3,000 (10:30.22), and Isabella Gravina-Budis, the 800 champion in 2:16.95.

Audrey Neilson (third in the 1,500, fourth in the 800), Lydia Donahue (second in the 1,500 and 3,000 and Charlotte Crum (fourth in the 1,500) added to CVU’s dominance on the track.

Kredell’s double wins gave her eight individual state titles combined from cross-country and indoor and outdoor track.

“It was a great day,” said Kredell, who’s set to continue her running career at the University of Maryland. “We came in not knowing what to expect, but if everything went the way it should, we thought we could win.”

More: U-32 rolls to championship sweep at D-II track and field state meet

The Essex boys placed multiple athletes in seven out of the 15 individual events on Saturday. Junior Thomas Meek was front in center for the Hornets, sweeping the 100 (11.03) and 200 (22.31) for his first outdoor crowns and running a leg on the winning 4×100 relay squad (43.68) with teammates Gregory Maiberger, Sanjin Hadzic and Brady Botelho.

The senior Johnson, a three-time indoor individual champion, comfortably won shot put (54 feet, 2 inches) and discus (160-11) for his first titles in outdoor track. Essex throwers produced in general: 42 points in total from Johnson, Kymani Mignott, Diwash Maidali, Joseph Gershon and Jeffrey Gershon.

“I was happy with my performances this season,” said Johnson, who will compete at nationals later this month.

In addition to his contribution on the Essex 4×100, Hadzic’s 20 individual points included victory in long jump (21-8.25).

Avery Gilbert storms to 110 hurdles state record

Since the winter season, MMU’s Gilbert and Essex’s Hadzic have waged an entertaining, intense battle in the 55 and 110 hurdles. Hadzic came away with the state-meet win and indoor state record in the 55. And last weekend, both hurdlers broke 14 seconds and the state’s overall record, with Hadzic bursting through victorious at 13.79.

But Saturday, Gilbert’s fast start was enough to create an early cushion and go on to establish a new standard at 13.74. At least for another week. Both hurdlers will race at the New England championships as well as nationals.

“All of my fastest times have been with (Hadzic) in a race. All of his fastest times have been with me in a race,” Gilbert said. “It’s a special kind of competitive relationship and people are pushed to their best when they have someone to work off of.”

Gilbert also won the 300 hurdles (39.24) and placed fifth in the 200.

Hailey Richards overcomes ‘mental block’ to win pole vault

Last month, Brattleboro’s Hailey Richards faced a “mental block” in pole vault.

“I was scared to go upside down,” the sophomore said.

Richards worked through it and also started using a new pole. The result? A massive personal-best and a state title on Saturday. Richards cleared nearly a foot higher than her previous best, going over at 10-1.75 for first.

Richards also broke a 20-year-old Brattleboro school record.

“I’m so thankful I have an amazing coach who always believes in me,” Richards said. “I’m beyond excited.”

Saturday’s other standouts include:

  • Colchester’s Brinlee Gilfillan: The junior swept the 100 (12.27) and 200 (25.53) for the third straight year. She also anchored Colchester’s winning 4×100 relay.
  • North Country’s Sabine Brueck: The Montana State-bound senior captured the 300 hurdles (43.63) for the fourth straight year, nearly breaking her state record in the process. Brueck, who will next attempt to defend her decathlon crown, owns 19 state titles across indoor and outdoor.
  • Essex’s Tess Adams: The senior did not lose an in-state meet in discus or shot put over the last two seasons after pulling off back-to-back titles Saturday.
  • Mount Anthony’s Ella Palisano: Less than a week after setting the high jump record at 6 feet, Palisano won that event Saturday to highlight a 28-point individual effort.
  • BBA’s Robin Tashjian: The state record-holder in the 100 hurdles, Tashjian cruised in her top event for the win and placed second in triple jump and third in the 100 and 300 hurdles.
  • St. Johnsbury’s Andrew Thornton-Sherman: The senior swept the 1,500 (3:57.98) and 800 (1:57.04) and ran a blistering anchor leg to rally the Hilltoppers to the 4×400 triumph.
  • St. Johnsbury’s Micah McDonald: Won a jump-off for first place in high jump (5-10) and captured javelin (167-01).

Contact Alex Abrami at aabrami@freepressmedia.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter:@aabrami5.

DIVISION I GIRLS TRACK AND FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS

Team scores: 1. Champlain Valley 91; T2. Burr and Burton, South Burlington 71; 4. Essex 64; 5. St. Johnsbury 57.25; 6. Colchester 57; 6. Colchester 57; 7. North Country 40; 8. Mount Mansfield 34; 9. Mount Anthony 32; 10. Burlington 16.25; 11. Brattleboro 14.25; 12. Rutland 7; 13. Spaulding .25.

100-meter dash: 1. Brinlee Gilfillan, Col 12.27; 2. Mallory Chicoine, MMU 12.35; 3. Robin Tashjian, BBA 12.56; 4. Sara Sinkewicz, Essex 12.79; 5. Aven Thomas, SJ 13.21; 6. Lilyanna Mittelstadt, CVU 13.35.

200: 1. Brinlee Gilfillan, Col 25.51; 2. Mallory Chicoine, MMU 25.53; 3. Gracie Morris, SB 26.22; 4. Makenna Pratt, Col 26.95; 5. Aven Thomas, SJ 27.13; 6. Darlene Abiti, Col 27.26.

400: 1. Makenna Pratt, Col 58.93; 2. Gracie Morris, SB 59.33; 3. Fiona Corbett, BBA 1:00; 4. Isabella Delphia, Esesx 1:00.91; 5. Darlene Abiti, Col 1:02.28; 6. Annaliesa Fry, CVU 1:02.76.

800: 1. Isabella Gravina-Budis, CVU 2:16.95; 2. Emily Harris, BBA 2:20.44; 3. Eihlis Murphy, SJ 2:22.15; 4. Audrey Neilson, CVU 2:22.54; 5. Madelyn Harris, BBA 2:26.84; 6. Taylore Dell, Essex 2:27.97.

1,500: 1. Alice Kredell, CVU 4:41.19; 2. Lydia Donahue, CVU 4:48.22; 3. Audrey Neilson, CVU 4:48.61; 4. Charlotte Crum, CVU 4:52.22; 5. Acadia Enman, MMU 4:53.43; 6. Sydney Remenar, BBA 4:53.78.

3,000: 1. Alice Kredell, CVU 10:30.22; 2. Lydia Donahue, CVU 10:36.99; 3. Sydney Rumsey, SB 10:55.81; 4. Acadia Enman, MMU 10:56.17; 5. Erin Geisler, Rut 10:56.87; 6. Annalise Wood, CVU 10:56.98.

100 hurdles: 1. Robin Tashjian, BBA 14.76; 2. Sydney Schoenbeck, SJ 15.19; 3. Sabine Brueck, NC 15.21; 4. Ada Jorschick, Essex 15.92; 5. Teagan Thurber, Bratt 17.03; 6. Amelia Shelton, Rut 17.26.

300 hurdles: 1. Sabine Brueck, NC 43.63; 2. Sydney Schoenbeck, SJ 45.40; 3. Robin Tashjian, BBA 44.45; 4. Amelia Shelton, Rut 48.03; 5. Kate Bradford, Col 48.87; 6. Teagan Thurber, Bratt 49.07.

4×100: 1. Colchester (Abiti, Pratt, Vartuli, Gilfillan) 49.85; 2. Essex 50.22; 3. South Burlington 51.23; 4. Mount Mansfield 51.63; 5. St. Johnsbury 52.61; 6. North Country 53.16.

4×400: 1. Burr and Burton (McGlinn, M. Harris, E. Harris, Corbett) 4:10.38; 2. Colchester 4:11.31; 3. Champlain Valley 4:13.19; 4. St. Johnsbury 4:19.71; 5. South Burlington 4:23.07; 6. Essex 4:24.49; 6.

4×800: 1. Burr and Burton (McGlinn, M. Harris, Martin, E. Harris) 9:57.02; 2. Essex 10:09.06; 3. St. Johnsbury 10:13.67; 4. Champlain Valley 10:16.42; 5. North Country 10:17.63; 6. South Burlington 10:25.64.

Pole vault: 1. Hailey Richards, Bratt 10-1.25; 2. Zoe Jenkins-Mui, CVU 8-5.5; 3. Mckenna Rettew, CVU 8-5.5; 4. Ruby Kiefer, BBA 8-2.5; 5. Avery Wood, MMU 8-2.5; 6. Meredith Lewis, Bratt 8-2.5.

High jump: 1. Ella Palisano, MAU 5-5.75; 2. Sydney Schoenbeck, SJA 5-3.75; 3. Kelsey Adams, SB 4-11.75; 4. Samantha Chittenden, SB 4-9.75; 5. Bailey Qualter, SJ 4-7.75; T6. Elizabeth Toborg, Spa; Britta Fitzgerald, BHS; Rae Thibault, Bratt; Una McKinnon, SJ 4-6.

Long jump: 1. Sabine Brueck, NC 17-10.75; 2. Grace Morris, SB 17-6.75; 3. Ella Palisano, MAU 17-6.75; 4. Mallory Chicoine, MMU 16-11.5; 5. Lilyanna Mittelstadt, CVU 16-10.75; 6. Ada Jorschick, Essex 16-9.25.

Triple jump: 1. Kelsey Adams, SB 37-7.25; 2. Robin Tashjian, BBA 37-3; 3. Sabine Brueck, NC 36-4.75; 4. Ella Palisano, MAU 35-8.5; 5. Lilyanna Mittelstadt, CVU 34-11; 6. Bailey Qualter, SJ 34-9.75.

Shot put: 1. Tess Adams, Essex 39-11.25; 2. Nadia Sylla, BHS 34-7.75; 3. Jaelyn Henault, SB 33-6; 4. Alexa Sprague, MAU 32-7; 5. Nala Meyer, BHS 28-10.25; 6. Hannah Zabilansky, MMU 28-4.25.

Discus: 1. Tess Adams, Essex 126-02; 2. Lanae Buford, SB 101-07; 3. Nadia Sylla, BHS 100-01; 4. Adele Stubbs, Essex 89-09; 5. Kathryn Zajko, SJ 89-04; 6. Jaelyn Henault, SB 88-05.

Javelin: 1. Sara Sinkewicz, Essex 105-09; 2. Ella Palisano, MAU 100-09; 3. Greta Nolan, NC 94-11; 4. Sydney Schoenbeck, SJ 84-09; 5. Effie Dunn, SJ 82-07; 6. Hannah Zabilansky, MMU 75-09.

DIVISION I BOYS TRACK AND FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS

Team scores: 1. Essex 137; 2. St. Johnsbury 100; 3. Champlain Valley 54; 4. Mount Mansfield 48; 5. Colchester 39; 6. Burlington 33; T7. Rutland, South Burlington 27; 9. BFA-St. Albans 20; 10. Burr and Burton 16; 11. North Country 15; 12. Spaulding 14; 13. Brattleboro 13; 14. Mount Anthony 12.

100-meter dash: 1. Thomas Meek, Essex 11.03; 2. Quintin Fortier, CVU 11.10; 3. Deng Aguek, SB 11.15; 4. Gradyn Bellomo, Rut 11.19; 5. Sanjin Hadzic, Essex 11.25; 6. Demunga Alfani, Col 11.25.

200: 1. Thomas Meek, Essex 22.31; 2. Desmond Snyder, BHS 22.39; 3. Quintin Fortier, CVU 22.54; 4. Deng Aguek, SB 22.79; 5. Avery Gilbert, MMU 22.99; 6. Gradyn Bellomo, Rut 23.00.

400: 1. Jack Cady, Bratt 48.92; 2. Desmond Snyder, BHS 49.26; 3. Kaiden Schiller, Col 50.98; 4. Matthew Mallory, Essex 52.23; 5. James Hatch, SJ 52.24; 6. Brady Botelho, Essex 52.32.

800: 1. Andrew Thornton-Sherman, SJ 1:57.04; 2. Treson McEnaney, CVU 2:00.82; 3. Hayden Villarreal, BBA 2:01.40; 4. Toby Hurteau, BFA 2:01.61; 5. Bryan Stocker, SJ 2:01.88; 6. Bjorn Peterson, BHS 2:03.83.

1,500: 1. Andrew Thornton-Sherman, SJ 3:57.98; 2. Benjamin Holoch, CVU 4:03.51; 3. Emmett Johnson, SJ 4:04.26; 4. Nicholas Kidder, Spa 4:04.75; 5. Jacoby Soter, BFA 4:05.99; 6. Joel Thornton-Sherman, SJ 4:07.64.

3,000: 1. Nicholas Kidder, Spa 8:50.40; 2. Benjamin Holoch, CVU 8:58.53; 3. Joel Thornton-Sherman, SJ 9:00.37; 4. Juan Solana, SJ 9:00.39; 5. Teddy Tremblay, BFA 9:03.37; 6. Nico Conathan-Leach, Bratt 9:05.52.

110 hurdles: 1. Avery Gilbert, MMU 13.74 (state record); 2. Sanjin Hadzic, Essex 13.86; 3. Carter Faas, Col 15.56; 4. Max Lesny, Essex 16.17; 5. Henry Dimitroff, Essex 16.25; 6. Wilder Thomas, SJ 16.50.

300 hurdles: 1. Avery Gilbert, MMu 39.24; 2. Carter Faas, Col 40.78; 3. Henry Dimitroff, Essex 42.13; 4. William Carter, SJ 42.29; 5. Jack Currie, Col 42.88; 6. Max Lesny, Essex 43.32.

4×100: 1. Essex (Maiberger, Meek, Botelho, Hadzic) 43.68; 2. South Burlington 43.77; 3. Rutland 44.25; 4. Colchester 45.63; 5. Brattleboro 45.85; 6. St. Johnsbury 45.95.

4×400: 1. St. Johnsbury (Johnson, Carter, Hatch, Thornton-Sherman) 3:29.96; 2. Essex 3:31.14; 3. Champlain Valley 3:31.57; 4. Burlington 3:38.38; 5. Mount Mansfield 3:33.54; 6. Colchester 3:34.30.

4×800: 1. St. Johnsbury (Kehler, Windrow, Stocker, Johnson) 8:00.79; 2. Burlington 802:32; 3. BFA-St. Albans 8:13.96; 4. Essex 8:20.66; 5. Mount Mansfield 8:23.31; 6. Burr and Burton 8:26.38.

Pole vault: 1. Raf Campanile, MMU 13-5.25; 2. Max Lesny, Essex 11-11.75; 3. Alexander Kopeck, BBA 11-11.75; 4. MacArthur Murad, BHS 10-11.75; 5. Joshua Isabelle, NC 10-11.75; 6. Dylan Elder, CVU 10-6.

High jump: 1. Micah McDonald, SJ 5-10; 2. Wyatt Fuller, Rut 5-8; 3. Jason Pelletier, NC 5-8; 4. Luke Bostic, SJ 5-8; 5. Joshua Isabelle, NC 5-6; 6. Spencer Wheeler, NC 5-6.

Long jump: 1. Sanjin Hadzic, Essex 21-8.25; 2. Gradyn Bellomo, Rut 21-8; 3. Deng Aguek, SB 21-4.75; 4. Raf Campanile, MMU 20-9.25; 5. Logan Baker, MAU 20-8.25; 6. Gregory Maiberger, Essex 20-7.75.

Triple jump: 1. Logan Baker, MAU 41-4.25; 2. Jack Akins, Col 39-8; 3. Gregory Maiberger, Essex 39-4.5; 4. Liam Fitzgerald, Col 38-9; 5. Yi Chen, SB 38-5.5; 6. Jackson Ladd, SJ 38-0.

Shot put: 1. Alexander Johnson, Essex 54-02; 2. Jeremiah Watson, SJ 45-7.75; 3. Jansen Fletcher, BFA 42-9.5; 4. Kymani Mignott, Essex 42-8.75; 5. Cullin Ward, NC 42-6.75; 6. Landon Myers, SB 42-2.

Discus: 1. Alexander Johnson, Essex 160-11; 2. Wade Nichols, CVU 128-09; 3. Kymani Mignott, Essex 126-01; 4. Diwash Maidali, Essex 123; 5. Joseph Gershon, Essex 114-09; 6. Ulysses Sansoz, CVU 114-05.

Javelin: 1. Micah McDonald, SJ 167-01; 2. Raf Campanile, MMU 161-07; 3. Jeffrey Gershon, Essex 156-10; 4. Joe Bury, BBA 145-11; 5. Spencer Wheeler, NC 145-07; 6. Hunter Moore, SJ 143-02.





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Owens, Zukley Sweep United East Women’s Track & Field Athlete Of The Week Awards

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December 29, 2025

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LATHAM, N.Y. – Juniors Savannah Owens (Frederick, Md./Gov. Thomas Johnson) and Jillian Zukley (Severna Park, Md./Severna Park) of the St. Mary’s College of Maryland women’s indoor track & field team claimed the United East Conference Women’s Indoor Track and Field Athlete of the Week awards as released by the league office Tuesday (Dec. 9).

Owens was named the United East Track Athlete of the Week for the first time in her career while Zukley garnered United East Field Athlete of the Week honors for the fifth time during her indoor career.

St. Mary’s College opened the 2025-26 campaign at the Christopher Newport University Holiday Open on Dec. 6.

Owens broke a school record in her return following a year away from the Seahawks indoor and outdoor track & field teams. The 5-5 sprinter took second in the 600m with a program record of 1:44.22, breaking the previous school record of 1:49.93 set by teammate Avery Arizzi ’27 on Dec. 2, 2023. She also placed third in the 800m in 2:35.81 while leading off the fourth-place 4x400m.

Following her performance, Owens leads the conference in the 800m while ranking 18th in the Mid-Atlantic region.

Zukley qualified for the 2026 All-Atlantic Region Track & Field Conference (AARTFC) Championships (Mar. 6-7) in the weight throw in the first indoor meet of the season. The 6-3 thrower opened her junior campaign with a bang as she captured the shot put with 11.67m. She then came in second in the weight throw with a school record 15.11m, knocking off her own record of 13.79m set on Jan. 31, 2025, at the Marlin Invitational.

Zukley currently leads the league in both events while ranking fourth in the Mid-Atlantic region in weight throw and sixth in shot put.

SMCM will be idle until the new year when St. Mary’s College travels to the Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex in Staten Island, N.Y. to compete in the Spartan Invitational hosted by St. Thomas Aquinas College. Action is slated to begin at 12 pm on Friday, January 9.

2025-26 United East Conference Women’s Indoor Field Athletes of the Week

2025-26 United East Conference Women’s Indoor Track Athletes of the Week



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Purdue Volleyball Adds ACC All-Freshman Outside Hitter to 2026 Roster

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December 29, 2025

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Purdue has added a young star to its 2026 roster via the transfer portal. The Boilermakers landed a commitment from former Georgia Tech outside hitter Mimi Mambu. She comes to West Lafayette with three years of eligibility remaining.

Mambu spent her freshman season with the Yellow Jackets and was named to the ACC All-Freshman Team. She averaged 2.923 kills per set and hit .155 for the year. The 6-foot outside hitter also totaled 48 blocks and averaged 1.067 digs per set.

“What a wonderful Christmas gift to get the commitment from a smart and dynamic student-athlete,” coach Dave Shondell said in a statement. “We’re excited to have this hard-hitting high-flyer join our team after such a strong first season at Georgia Tech where she helped lead them to an NCAA tournament appearance. We watched Mimi play in high school and knew she would be a special player. Mimi learned so much about our program from Kash [Akasha Anderson] and Isabelle Bardin who are good friends from the D.C. area.”

Shondell saw Mambu up close during the 2025 season. On Sept. 3, the Boilermakers hosted Georgia Tech in the Stacey Clark Classic. The Yellow Jackets won the match 3-1, and the freshman hitter ended the evening with 10 digs and seven kills.

Georgia Tech ended the year with a 16-14 record.

Mambu will likely fill a void left by Purdue senior Akasha Anderson, who proved to be one of the top hitters last season. After transferring in from Michigan State, the senior averaged 2.911 kills per set and had a .282 hitting percentage. She only got better as the season progressed.

Mambu will join a talented and experienced roster in West Lafayette. She joins All-Big Ten selections Kenna Wollard and Grace Heaney at the pin-hitter spots. She will also be playing alongside All-Big Ten setter Taylor Anderson and All-Big Ten honorable mention libero Ryan McAleer.

Purdue closed out the 2025 season with a 27-7 record and a trip to the Regional Final round of the NCAA Tournament.

Mambu had ups and downs

Mackey Arena hosts the NCAA volleyball match between the Washington Huskies at the Purdue Boilermakers

Mackey Arena hosts the NCAA volleyball match between the Washington Huskies at the Purdue Boilermakers | Chad Krockover / For The Journal & Courier / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

As any freshman might, Mambu had some highs and lows throughout her freshman campaign. She reached a double-digit kill total in 13 of Georgia Tech’s 30 matches.

Mambu also had some off days, though. On five occasions, she ended a match with a negative hit percentage. Three of those came against Louisville, Pitt, and Purdue, all of which made deep runs into the NCAA Tournament.

Mambu is a tremendous athlete with high-flying ability and a strong arm. The biggest focus for Shondell and the Boilermakers will be to develop some consistency, but Purdue’s coaching staff has proven it can correct some of those issues.

Plus, with a full year of college volleyball now under her belt, Mambu is likely to show major improvement from her freshman to sophomore season.

Get top Boilermakers stories, expert analysis, and can’t-miss moments straight to your inbox for free by signing up for the Purdue Boilermakers on SI newsletter!

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PURDUE FRESHMAN HITS TRANSFER PORTAL: One of Purdue’s freshmen from the 2025 recruiting class entered the NCAA transfer portal and has already found a new home. CLICK HERE





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How does a Q-Collar work?

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December 29, 2025

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Cougars come back to win Pop-Tarts Bowl 25-21 over Georgia Tech – BYU Athletics – Official Athletics Website

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December 29, 2025

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Fourth Quarter

On second-and-nine, Bachmeier found Roberts in a tight window for a gain of 18. Damuni added four yards, and on third down, Roberts caught a 7-yard pass to move the chains. Bachmeier and Ryan connected for the seventh time, this time for 13 yards to pin BYU at the Yellow Jacket six-yard line. After Kingston recorded a four-yard carry, Nawahine took the direct snap and plowed into the end zone. Keeping the offense on the field to go for two, Bachmier rushed it into the end zone to cut the deficit to three.

BYU forced the game’s first three-and-out. Kingston returned the punt 34 yards to set BYU up at its 45.

Bachmeier pitched to Damuni for a gain of five on first down. The freshman running back gained one yard on the next play, but the Cougars were unable to convert on third-and-four, and Vander Haar and the punting unit returned to the field, resulting in the second three-and-out of the game.

An illegal snap penalty pushed Georgia Tech back to its four-yard line. On second-and-14, King hit Rutherford for a gain of 12, and then another illegal snap penalty was enforced on the Yellow Jackets to set up third-and-seven. Haynes got just short of the line of gain before Glasker and Tanner Wall tackled him to force a punt. Kingston returned the punt four yards and set BYU up at its own 30 with 5:44 on the clock.

Following two incomplete passes, Bachmeier found Kingston at the BYU 34, and he advanced to the 43-yard line to grab the first down. Phillips secured a 14-yard pass from Bachmeier, and then Kingston caught a 15-yard pass to cap three consecutive first downs. After an eight-yard pass to Ryan to the Georgia Tech 20, the running back room led the way, kick-started by Nawahine picking up nine yards with a hurdle over a defender. Bachmeier passed to Damuni for a gain of seven, and then the Providence, Utah product powered into the end zone for his first career touchdown. Alongside Ferrin’s extra point, the Cougars took the lead, 25-21 with two minutes left.

Ferrin’s kickoff was returned 13 yards to pin Georgia Tech at its 21. Nusi Taumoepeau and Lutui hurried King and his pass fell incomplete on first down. On the next play, King lost the ball on a low snap but recovered his fumble for a loss of five yards. On third-and-15, another pass fell incomplete, forcing fourth-and-15. On the play, King went deep to Rivers for a gain of 66 at the BYU 18 with 52 seconds on the clock. The defense held the Yellow Jackets to three-straight incomplete passes, setting up fourth down with 14 seconds remaining. King attempted to hit Haynes in the end zone but his pass was intercepted by Johnson to seal the Pop Tarts Bowl victory 25-21.



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Kats take care of Biblical Studies 117-57

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December 29, 2025

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HUNTSVILLE — Sam Houston bounced back from a loss in the Conference USA opener to wrap up nonconference action with a 117-57 victory over the College of Biblical Studies at Johnson Coliseum on Sunday.
 
The Bearkats (8-4) controlled the temp on both ends of the court, shooting close to 60 percent while limiting the Ambassadors to 31 percent. Sam Houston used its height advantage to dominate the paint, outscoring Biblical Studies 62-12 and outrebounding the Houston area team 66-29.
 
Isaiah Manning led the Kats with a career-high 27 points to go along with 10 rebounds for his first career double-double. Freshman Jacob Walker also scored a new career high with 24 points, Veljko Illic added 16 points and nine boards, freshman Matt Dann chipped in a career-high 12 points, freshman Jacoby Coleman finished with 11 and Damon Nicholas Jr. had 10.
 
Sam Houston built a huge first-half lead and never looked back.
 
The Kats went on a 10-0 run thanks to back-to-back 3s by Walker and Manning, who added a pair of layups to grab a 23-10 advantage. Dann punched in consecutive dunks after a free throw and a two more layups by Nicholas to cap the run at 19-0 to put the game away early as the Ambassadors went more than seven minutes without scoring.
 
Sam Houston shot a blistering 66 percent from the field in the first half, making 25 of 40 shot attempts. The Bearkats also held Biblical Studies to just 23 percent shooting to build a commanding 59-21 lead at the break.
 
Conference USA action resumes Jan. 2 when Sam Houston heads to Bowling Green, Kentucky to face WKU at 4 p.m. on ESPN+.
 



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Texas A&M star Ifenna Cos‑Okpalla signs with League One Volleyball

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December 28, 2025

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Dec. 28, 2025, 12:20 p.m. CT

At the end of the season, after some of the adrenaline from the Texas A&M championship run had subsided, head coach Jamie Morrison revealed that a few players on his roster would have the opportunity to compete at the next level. While he didn’t name names, we had a pretty strong idea of which standout athletes he was referring to.

On Sunday morning, it was officially announced that senior middle blocker and 2025 NCAAVB Champion Ifenna Cos-Okpalla signed a professional contract to play with League One Volleyball (LOVB) Salt Lake. She joins senior opposite Logan Lednicky in the league, who recently signed with LOVB Houston. Cos-Okpalla was also drafted by MLV but ultimately chose to pursue her career with LOVB. We knew a move was coming soon after the news broke that she had signed with Valor Sports Agency just days before this announcement.





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