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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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Tritons Picked Fourth in Preseason Big West Coaches’ Poll

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December 29, 2025

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LA JOLLA, Calif. — UC San Diego men’s volleyball was picked to finish in a tie for fourth in the 2026 Big West Men’s Volleyball Preseason Coaches’ Poll, the conference announced today.
 
The loaded Big West also sees all six of the conference’s teams ranked in the national AVCA preseason poll. The Tritons are No. 10 nationally.
 
Long Beach State was picked to win The Big West by the conference’s head coaches after winning the national championship last season. UC San Diego’s projected fourth place finish is the same as the Tritons’ actual finish in 2025 after they went 18-12 overall and 3-7 in Big West play.
 
The 2026 Triton men’s volleyball season begins at home on January 6 against Jessup. The team’s Big West opener will also be at home as the Tritons host CSUN on March 3. Season and single game tickets are both on sale now.
 
The Tritons will face each Big West opponent home and away this season with the exception of Hawai’i, who will play in La Jolla twice. The Hawaiian Islands presents the 2026 Outrigger Big West Men’s Volleyball Championship will be April 23-25 on the campus of UC Irvine.
 











2026 Big West Men’s Volleyball Preseason Coaches’ Poll
Rank  Institution  Points 
1.  Long Beach State  24 (4) 
2.  Hawai’i  22 (2) 
3.  UC Irvine  17 
T-4.  UC San Diego  9 

CSUN  9 

UC Santa Barbara  9 

 
About UC San Diego Athletics
After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program has begun a new era as a member of The Big West in NCAA Division I. The 24-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in Divisions II and III and helped guide 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. A total of 83 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 39 have garnered prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. UC San Diego scholar-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world’s preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 90 percent, the highest rate among public institutions in NCAA Division I or II. For more information on the Tritons, visit UCSDtritons.com or follow UC San Diego Athletics on social media @UCSDtritons.
 



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Bruening Named to Men’s Volleyball Preseason Team

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December 29, 2025

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IRVINE, Calif. – The Big West Conference released its 2026 Men’s Volleyball All-Conference Preseason Team on Monday, with UC Santa Barbara’s George Bruening earning preseason honors. Bruening was named to the team alongside players from No. 2 Hawai’i, No. 3 Long Beach State, and No. 11 CSUN.

Bruening exited the 2025 season with a spot on the All-Freshman team as well as a First Team Honorable Mention. He was also recognized as the SBART Men’s Volleyball Athlete of the Year. He averaged 2.97 kills per set and hit .299, the highest on the team. 

Additionally, UC Santa Barbara was voted to finish fourth in the conference. Their first match of 2026 will take place on Jan. 8 at 2:00 p.m. versus Kentucky State in Rob Gym. 

The Big West Preseason Coaches’ Poll










Rank / Institution Points (First Place Votes)
1. Long Beach State 24 (4)
2. Hawai’i 22 (2)
3. UC Irvine 17
T-4. CSUN 9
T-4. UC San Diego 9
T-4. UC Santa Barbara 9

The Big West Preseason Coaches’ Team











Student-Athlete Institution Position Year Hometown
George Bruening UC Santa Barbara OH R-So. Newport Beach, Calif. 
Alex Kandev Long Beach State OH So. Sofia, Bulgaria
Jalen Phillips CSUN OPP R.-Jr. Anaheim, Calif.
Tread Rosenthal Hawai’i S Jr. Austin, Texas
Adrien Roure Hawai’i OH So. Lyon, France
Kristian Titriyski Hawai’i OPP So. Sofia, Bulgaria
Skyler Varga Long Beach State OPP R.-Sr. Muenster, Saskatchewan


 



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OVC Mourns the Loss of SIUE Academic Advisor, Former UTM Volleyball Player Lindsey Schmidt

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December 29, 2025

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SIUE, UT Martin and the Ohio Valley Conference mourns the loss of Lindsey Schmidt, who passed away on Tuesday, December 23.

Lindsey has served as an Academic Advisor at SIUE since 2008 and graduated from OVC member institution UT Martin, where she was a standout volleyball student-athlete and helped the Skyhawks to two regular season conference championships. She was named the Most Valuable Player of the 2002 OVC tournament.

“This is heartbreaking for all who knew Lindsey,” said Andrew Gavin, Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics. “She has long been a beloved member of our athletics family, because of her infectious energy, positive attitude, and incredibly helpful and loving heart. She has provided so much support and love to countless current and past Cougar student-athletes.”

Lindsey was a member of the student-athlete success team at SIUE, working hand in hand with Deputy AD Jaci DeClue for nearly two decades. Lindsey’s support and passion helped student-athletes at SIUE achieve incredible results academically, with 39 consecutive semesters posting a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher. In November, SIUE was recognized as having the top Graduation Success Rate nationally among Division I public institutions.

“Lindsey was a source of light and warmth to all who knew her, with the remarkable ability to make everyone feel seen, valued, and special through her kindness, humility, and genuine care for others,” DeClue shared. “During her 17 years at SIUE, she played a vital role in building an academic support program that served thousands of student-athletes, leaving behind a legacy of compassion, excellence, and lasting impact.

“It was truly an honor to work alongside Lindsey for the past 17 years and to witness firsthand the difference she made every single day.  She will be deeply missed by her colleagues, students, and all whose lives were made better by knowing her, and SIUE Athletics will not be the same without her.”

In 2024, she was awarded the Thurston Banks Award by the Ohio Valley Conference, an award that recognizes individuals for their outstanding contributions to OVC student-athletes’ academic success and learning and development.

 









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Creighton volleyball lands Wisconsin transfer outside hitter Trinity Shadd-Ceres

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December 29, 2025

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Buckshot’s Best of 2025: No. 4 – Bailey Wride races to 2nd NSIC title, wins 1,000 meters at NSIC Indoor Championships

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December 29, 2025

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MINOT, N.D. – Earning a conference championship definitely deserves a place on the best moments of the year, so it is no surprise that a second individual title earns this runner a spot in the top 5 in our countdown.

No. 4 on Buckshot’s Best of 2025 is two-time NSIC champion Bailey Wride, who raced to the conference crown in the women’s 1,000 meters at the NSIC Indoor Track & Field Championships.

A standout distance runner from Kalispell, Montana, Bailey made her mark as a freshman at Minot State as she set a new all-time school record and won the women’s NSIC 600-meter title at her first NSIC Indoor Championship meet, in February of 2004, clocking a time of 1 minute, 36.76 seconds.

A reigning NSIC champion, the sophomore headed to the 2025 NSIC Indoor Championships having broken her own school record in the 600 with a time of 1:35.74 earlier in the 2024-25 indoor season, but she would not defend her title, instead stepping up to the 1,000 meters.

That change didn’t affect Wride one bit as she once again broke an all-time Minot State record and raced to a second NSIC title, winning the 1,000-meter crown in 2:55.63 to become a 2-time NSIC individual champion.

 

BUCKSHOT’S BEST OF 2025

No. 10: Minot State soccer finishes 4th in NSIC, hosts playoff game

No. 9: Minot State men’s hockey claims MCH Tournament title in 1st season as an MCH member

No. 8: Beaver women’s hockey goalie and freshman Jillian Ackerman earns All-American honors

No. 7: Jace Carlisle shoots school-record 7-under 65, finishes 4th at NSIC Championship to earn NSIC All-Tournament Team honors

No. 6: Jaxon Gunville sets career 3-pointer record with 316 made 3s, and ties the single-game 3-pointer record

No. 5: Haleigh Lematta earns return to NCWWC Nationals Tournament becoming 1st Beaver women’s wrestler to qualify twice for Nationals.

No. 4: Bailey Wride races to 2nd NSIC title, wins 1,000 meters at 2024-25 NSIC Indoor Track & Field Championships.

No. 3: Revealed December 30

No. 2: Revealed December 31

No. 1: Revealed January 1

 



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Texas Longhorns coaching and athletics administration legend Jody Conradt completes career

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December 29, 2025

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AUSTIN, Texas – Jody Conradt, who built University of Texas Women’s Basketball and Texas Women’s Athletics into a respected, enviable broad-based collegiate powerhouse, is retiring from fulltime appointment. She most recently served as special advisor to Longhorns Vice President and Folger Family Athletics Director Chris Del Conte.

Effective December 31, 2025, she will continue as a department volunteer, providing input and support as requested or needed. She also will complete a nine-year tenure on the NCAA Infractions Committee in August 2026.

Conradt completes 49 notable years after joining UT in spring 1976 as the first fulltime women’s head coach in two sports – basketball and volleyball. Prior to moving the Longhorns’ women’s programs into the NCAA championships structure in 1982-83, she coached in the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) era, had teams that dominated the Southwest Conference for most of two decades and coached teams for 10 years in the Big 12 Conference. Her teams won a staggering and historic 183 consecutive games against SWC opponents from January of 1978 to February of 1990.

She retired from coaching following the 2006-07 season with 900 career victories, 10 SWC and two Big 12 Conference regular season titles, nine SWC postseason tournament championships and one Big 12 Conference postseason tournament crown, one AIAW Final Four and three NCAA Final Four appearances and the first perfect season (34-0 in 1985-86) in NCAA women’s basketball history. That 1985-86 team captured the only national basketball title at Texas.

Prior to Texas, she was an athletics administrator, coached volleyball, basketball and other sports and was a physical education instructor at Sam Houston State (1969-73) and UT Arlington (1973-76).

Conradt was the first women’s coach not required to teach collegiate classes upon joining UT. She coached volleyball for the first two years and then served former Texas women’s AD Donna Lopiano as basketball coach and associate athletics director for all women’s sports for the next 15 years. She conceptualized the academics support structure for women student-athletes, hiring fellow Baylor graduate Dr. Sheila Rice to head those services in 1977 and then Dr. Randa Ryan in the 1990s. She also insisted upon important career readiness/life skills programming and mentorship as part of academics services, along with behavioral/mental health and intervention for disordered eating.

In the late 1970s, Conradt sought the services of former NCAA shot put champion Dana LeDuc to develop her team with strength and conditioning programming as he was doing with men’s sports. She also was instrumental in recruiting first Becky Bludau Marshall and later Tina Bonci (1985) to oversee sports medicine/wellness services specifically designed for elite female student-athletes. The protocols in these units were considered best in class and eventually expanded under the direction of Conradt and legendary men’s athletics director DeLoss Dodds to provide services for all men and women student-athletes.

As conference realignment altered the college athletics landscape in the early 1990s, Conradt was named director of UT’s eight-sport separate women’s athletics department in spring 1992 when Lopiano became executive director of the Women’s Sports Foundation in New York City.  In the same month, undergraduate women on several UT club sports teams filed a Title IX lawsuit against the University, seeking more scholarship and participation opportunities for women.

Conradt and Dodds worked with UT administration and UT System Board of Regents to settle the lawsuit in May 1993, which resulted in adding three varsity sports: women’s soccer (fall 1993), softball (fall 1996) and rowing (fall 1998). Conradt hired accomplished hall of fame caliber coaches, including Chris Petrucelli in soccer, Connie Clark in softball and Carie Graves in rowing. She also performed both basketball coach and AD jobs for nine years (1992-2001) before returning to basketball coaching solely in April 2001. Her 2003 team reached the NCAA Final Four and won both Big 12 regular season and postseason tournament crowns. Texas also won the 2004 Big 12 regular season title.

To date, eight of UT’s 11 women’s sports have won national championships, and the three others (golf, soccer, beach volleyball) are well positioned to vie for one in the near future.

Texas Athletics emphasized class attendance, graduation and career readiness long before NCAA governance required “life skills” programming. Conradt’s basketball team members were media personalities, brand ambassadors, polished public speakers and ultimate representatives of the University and attracted deserved attention and fan support from UT faculty and staff, government civic leaders, politicians, artists and musicians and authors.

Texas women’s basketball attendance soared to 8,000-plus in the mid-to-late 1980s, creating a model that many other institutions and athletics departments sought to emulate. Schools sent representatives to Austin to learn about Texas Women’s Basketball frameworks for media coverage, tv and radio exposure, fundraising, sponsorships, marketing and community engagement.

Donors, keenly interested in the academic futures of Texas women student-athletes, eagerly established endowed scholarships at then UT-established levels to underscore the emphasis on the importance of student-athletes attaining a college degree to launch their career sustainability and personal success. Conradt and her fellow coaches structured mentoring programs for successful and high-profile female professionals to meet with female student-athletes and encourage them to pursue careers in areas considered ground-breaking for women.

Intuitively sensitive to her team’s burgeoning public profile after winning the national championship in 1986 and achieving the first sold-out NCAA Women’s Basketball Final Four in Austin in 1987, Conradt worked with Dodds, Lopiano and former men’s basketball coach Tom Penders to establish the Neighborhood Longhorns Program in 1989. More than 5,500 fifth-through-eighth grade students from more than 30 grade schools and middle schools from Austin Independent School District and other districts participate in NLP programming, which includes after-school tutoring by UT students and student-athletes and emphasis on class attendance and good grades, which lead to such rewards as UT campus visits for museum and college department tours, Texas Longhorns men’s and women’s sports events and a scholar award event that honors high achieving students with savings bonds for future college education.

The NLP returned to Texas Athletics’ department structure in 2025 after being administered for several decades by campus operational units. Conradt continues on the NLP Advisory Board, citing the program as one that allows the University to reach across the community and impact and incentivize youngsters to work toward attending college someday. An official credit hour course in service learning was launched in fall semester 2025 within the College of Education, with more than 30 students tutoring students in a pilot at Gus Garcia Young Men’s Leadership Academy. The course will continue under leadership of Dr. LaToya Smith, executive senior associate AD for student services in athletics and NLP advisory board longtime member and UT graduate Howard Nirken.

Conradt is in nearly every athletics hall of fame. She was just the second woman after Delta State legend Margaret Wade to be inducted to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield. She is both an inductee and emeritus board of directors member of the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in Knoxville. She has been a trusted Women’s Basketball Coaches Association leader and led its ethics committee during her years as head coach.

In March 2026, she is being honored along with higher education notable Ruth Simmons with the History-Making Texan Award from the Bullock Texas State History Foundation as part of annual Texas Independence Day celebrations.

(UT)



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