CHICAGO – DePaul Director of Track & Field and Cross Country Dave Dopek has agreed to a contract extension through 2029, Vice President and Director of Athletics DeWayne Peevy announced Tuesday afternoon. A former NCAA Champion, DePaul Athletics Hall of Famer and 1996 graduate, Dopek enters his 29th season on staff with the program in 2025-26 and 16th as head coach. Dopek’s extension through 2029 ensures the Blue Demons’ continued rise as one of the BIG EAST’s most competitive and nationally recognized track and field programs.
“Dave Dopek has been the heart of DePaul Track and Field and Cross Country for decades – as a student-athlete, an NCAA Champion and a leader who has dedicated his life to developing our student-athletes,” said Peevy. “His commitment to building a championship culture while emphasizing academics, character and community is exactly what our Dream Big vision represents. I’m thrilled to extend his leadership as we continue raising the bar for success in the BIG EAST and beyond.”
Dopek’s extension comes on the heels of a landmark 2024-25 season, one of the most historic in program history. The Blue Demons men’s and women’s programs both finished runner-up at the 2025 BIG EAST Outdoor Championship, marking one of the program’s strongest all-around team performances to date. That momentum carried onto the national stage where a school-record 11 athletes qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field First Round in College Station, Texas. Two of those athletes, Alex Bernstein and Darius Brown, advanced to the NCAA Outdoor National Championship in Eugene, Ore., highlighting the program’s continued rise on the national scene. The event saw Brown earn his fourth All-American honor, the most in program history.
“I am excited to receive another contract extension and honored with the new title of Director of Cross Country/Track & Field,” said Dopek. “Over my 15 years leading these programs, we have made steady progress and weathered many changes, each time coming out stronger. This is a unique moment in the NCAA and within our sport, and I believe our cross country and track & field programs are at an important inflection point. We have restructured our coaching staff with several talented additions, elevated Coach Geoff Wayton to Head Cross Country Coach, and expanded our roster with exceptional student-athletes, all in preparation for the next step in our team’s evolution. I look forward to what the future holds and am sincerely grateful to DeWayne and our administration for their tireless work in putting our athletic department on this path.”
DePaul track & field has seen a steady progression under Dopek’s leadership, on both the regional and national stage. Over his 15 seasons as head coach, Dopek has led the Blue Demons to two BIG EAST team titles, 148 conference event champions, 82 NCAA Regional qualifiers, 20 NCAA Championship qualifiers and 12 All-Americans. Countless student-athletes have represented their country on the national or international stage, including 2024 Paralympic Gold Medalist Noelle Malkamaki and two-time Olympian, Tim Nedow. Under Dopek and his staff’s tutelage, over 100 program records have been set across indoor, outdoor and cross country events.
Dopek’s teams have built a reputation for producing NCAA qualifiers at a rate unmatched in program history, while also maintaining excellence in the classroom. The Blue Demons have received U.S. Track & Field Coaches Association All-Academic honors in each of Dopek’s 15 seasons as head coach.
A Hall of Fame figure in DePaul Athletics, Dopek’s impact on the program extends well beyond his coaching tenure. Dopek holds the distinct honor of being DePaul’s only NCAA National Champion, winning the 200-meters at the 1995 NCAA Indoor Championship. As a student-athlete from 1992-96, he captured a total of seven individual Great Midwest Conference titles and was named DePaul’s Most Valuabe Performer four times. His national resume includes a gold medal at the 1995 U.S. Olympic Festival, a relay gold at the World University Games and a semifinal appearance at the 1996 U.S. Olympic Trials. In recognition of his outstanding career, Dopek was inducted into the DePaul Athletics Hall of Fame in 2010. In 2024, Dopek received the prestigious recognition of becoming one of the first non-basketball athletes at DePaul to have his jersey retired.
No. 3 Texas A&M swept No. 1 Kentucky to win the 2025 DI women’s volleyball championship on Sunday, Dec. 21 at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri.
Both programs earned their spot in the final after clinching victories on Thursday, Dec. 18 to set up the first ever all-SEC national championship in DI women’s volleyball history.
The Aggies knocked off No. 1 Pitt in three straight sets, continuing their historic season by etching their names in the program’s first-ever national championship. Kyndal Stowers powered the Maroon and White with 16 kills on .433 hitting while setter Maddie Waak orchestrated her balanced offense to an impressive .382 clip with four different Aggies earning at least eight put-aways. Texas A&M has now knocked off back-to-back No. 1 seeds (Nebraska, Pitt) and look to the next in No. 1 Kentucky.
Big Blue earned a dramatic five-setter victory over No. 3 Wisconsin to earn its second ever national championship appearance and first since their 2021 national title. The Badgers seemed to have all control after a Set 1 25-12 victory, but Kentucky wouldn’t be denied. Eva Hudson was on fire, accruing 29 kills on .455 hitting while Molly Tuozzo’s back-court defense with 17 critical digs fought off a career night from Mimi Colyer. The Cats have the momentum heading into Sunday’s match with 27 straight wins.
The full 64-team bracket was announced on Sunday, Nov. 30. Thirty-one conference champions earned automatic bids to the tournament, with the NCAA DI women’s volleyball committee selecting 33 other teams as at-large picks.
Here is everything you need to know about the 2025 women’s volleyball championship.
2025 DI women’s volleyball championship bracket
👉 Click or tap to see the interactive bracket
2025 DI women’s volleyball championship schedule
All times listed in ET
Selection show: 6 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 30
First round:
Thursday, Dec. 4
No. 5 Colorado 3, American 0
No. 6 Baylor 3, Arkansas State 2
No. 8 UCLA 3, Georgia Tech 2
No. 5 Miami (Fla.) 3, Tulsa 1
No. 4 Indiana 3, Toledo 0
No. 6 UNI 3, Utah 2
North Carolina 3, No. 6 UTEP 1
Utah State 3, No. 7 Tennessee 2
No. 1 Kentucky 3, Wofford 0
No. 3 Purdue 3, Wright State 0
No. 4 Kansas 3, High Point 0
Cal Poly 3, No. 5 BYU 2
No. 3 Creighton 3, Northern Colorado 2
No. 3 Wisconsin 3, Eastern Illinois 0
No. 2 Arizona State 3, Coppin State 0
No. 4 USC 3, Princeton 0
Friday, Dec. 5
Marquette 3, No. 7 Western Kentucky 0
Michigan 3, No. 8 Xavier 0
Florida 3, No. 7 Rice 0
No. 6 TCU 3, SFA 0
No. 5 Iowa State 3, St. Thomas (Minn.) 2
No. 8 Penn State 3, South Florida 1
Kansas State 3, No. 8 San Diego 2
No. 2 Louisville 3, Loyola Chicago 0
No. 1 Pittsburgh 3, UMBC 0
No. 2 SMU 3, Central Arkansas 0
Arizona 3, No. 7 South Dakota State 1
No. 3 Texas A&M 3, Campbell 0
No. 4 Minnesota 3, Fairfield 0
No. 1 Nebraska 3, LIU 0
No. 1 Texas 3, Florida A&M 0
No. 2 Stanford 3, Utah Valley 1
Second Round:
Friday, Dec. 5
Saturday, Dec. 6
Regionals
Thursday, Dec. 11
Friday, Dec. 12
Saturday, Dec. 13
Sunday, Dec. 14
Semifinals: Thursday, Dec. 18
National championship: Sunday, Dec. 21
DI women’s volleyball championship history
Here is the complete history of DI women’s volleyball champions:
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The buzz from a thrilling NCAA volleyball tournament final four in Kansas City and a Texas A&M national championship hasn’t dimmed, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t too early to start thinking about next season. With the transfer portal already open, most of the country’s players and coaches already have.
Nebraska’s dominance this season looked like a forgone conclusion. Then one afternoon in Lincoln, Texas A&M shocked the world and turned the run to the national championship into a wide-open affair.
That’s what 2026 should be from the outset. So many great players like Pitt’s Olivia Babcock, Nebraska’s Harper Murray and Kentucky’s Brooklyn DeLeye are back and will be on teams with a chance at a title.
The transfer portal has yet to take hold in full. Many rosters could get a shake up in the coming weeks. This top 10 is based on what we know now and is a little peek into how the run to next season’s final four in San Antonio could shake out.
1. Texas Longhorns
The freshman class, led by Cari Spears and Abby Vander Wal, was instrumental in getting the Longhorns back to a No. 1 NCAA tournament seed. The Longhorns’ recruiting class for 2026 looks just as good with top-rated outside hitter, Henley Anderson, and top setter, Genevieve Harris. They will all still be led by Torrey Stafford, the 12th-best point producer in the country and one of the best all-around players.
2. Stanford Cardinal
Stanford tied for the ACC championship and did it with 14 freshmen and sophomores on the roster. Top hitter Elia Rubin will be tough to say goodbye to, but the Cardinal will have the depth and talent to win their first national title since 2019.
3. Nebraska Cornhuskers
The invincibility of 2025 Nebraska won’t be there with the losses of Rebekah Allick and Taylor Landfair. But Bergen Reilly, Murray and Andi Jackson form a core capable of the national championship that eluded the Huskers following their stunning loss to Texas A&M in the regional finals.
4. Wisconsin Badgers
The offseason might be nearly as long for Wisconsin as it is for Nebraska, as the Badgers ponder how it let the national semifinal match against Kentucky slip away. Coach Kelly Sheffield will also have to worry about replacing the likes of Mimi Colyer and Carter Booth, but a talented group of underclassmen led by All-American setter Charlie Fuerbringer will make Wisconsin a final four contender again.
5. Pittsburgh Panthers
The good news is that Pittsburgh has reached five straight final fours and still has Babcock for one more season. The bad news — the Panthers again failed to advance to a national championship game and will lose all-ACC setter Brooke Mosher.
6. Kentucky Wildcats
With the graduation of Eva Hudson, who was so vital to the Wildcats’ run to the final four, and the jump that Texas is expected to take, Kentucky’s streak of nine straight SEC titles could be in jeopardy. But top hitter DeLeye is back for her senior year and she’ll be joined by Lizzie Carr, Asia Thigpen and Kennedy Washington, Kentucky’s third-, fourth- and fifth-best scorers from this season.
7. Louisville Cardinals
With the ACC Freshman of the Year in Kalyssa Blackshear, the conference leader in blocks in Cara Cresse, the ACC’s second-leading setter in Nayelis Cabello and their top two hitters — Payton Petersen and Chloe Chicoine — all back, the Cardinals will be in position to shake off the disappointment of a fourth-place ACC finish and a loss in the regional semifinals of the NCAA tournament, their earliest exit since 2020.
8. SMU Mustangs
While setter Averi Carlson and top hitter Malaya Jones have used up their eligibility, the sophomore trio of Jadyn Livings, Favor Anyanwu and Natalia Newsome are expected back. Full, healthy seasons from Livings and Newsome would be a big boost. So will the addition of Big 12 Freshman of the Year Suli Davis, who has already announced her transfer to SMU from BYU.
9. Purdue Boilermakers
Purdue, the surprise team of the season, was picked seventh in the Big Ten in the preseason yet reached the Elite Eight. Ravaged by transfers (Hudson and Carr were Boilermakers in 2024) and graduation and with a roster with just two seniors, Purdue leaned into its underdog role. That won’t be the case in 2026 if Purdue can keep a well-balanced team led by Kenna Wollard and Grace Heaney intact.
10. Texas A&M Aggies
The losses of program mainstay Logan Lednicky and setter Maddie Waak make repeating this season’s magic seem unlikely. However, the star power of Kyndal Stowers is obvious, which might be good enough to make the SEC a three-team race.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Logan Lednicky had 11 kills, Maddie Waak had 29 assists and Texas A&M won its first NCAA volleyball championship, sweeping Kentucky 3-0 on Sunday.
The Aggies (29-4) accomplished the rare feat of defeating three No. 1 seeds. They defeated Nebraska and Pittsburgh earlier in the tournament. They did not drop a set in the final four.
Texas A&M led 13-10 in the third set before a kill by Lednicky started a 6-1 scoring run for a commanding 19-11 lead, six points from the national championship.
At 24-18 in the third set, Kentucky held off a couple of match points before the Aggies took advantage of a free ball and Ifenna Cos-Okpalla delivered the championship point, crushing a set from Waak out of the middle.
Kyndal Stowers finished with 10 kills and hit .304. Cos-Okpalla added eight kills, hitting .235 and Lednicky hit .250.
Eva Hudson had a match-high 13 kills for Kentucky and Kassie O’Brien had 34 assists.
The Aggies hit .257 as a team, compared to Kentucky’s .148.
Set scores were 26-24, 25-15, 25-20.
The Aggies trailed throughout the first set until they tied the score at 20 and also saved a set point to tie it at 24. The Aggies took their first lead at 25-24 on an attack error by Kentucky’s Brooklyn DeLeye, her fifth of the set. Stowers finished off the 26-24 first-set win for the Aggies with a tip off the Kentucky block.
After taking that 25-24 lead, the Aggies did not trail at any point in the rest of the match.
Kentucky (30-3) continued to struggle at the net in the second set. The Wildcats had nine errors in the first set and six more while falling behind 19-9 in the second. The Aggies continued to dominate, winning 25-15 after outhitting their SEC rival .253 — .077.
Stowers and Lednicky had eight kills each in the first two sets, with Stowers hitting .368 and Lednicky .240.
For the first time in program history, the Aggies were crowned NCAA Volleyball champions after sweeping SEC rival Kentucky in three sets on Saturday.Fanatics/Canva
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The Texas A&M Aggies are national champions!
For the first time in program history, the Aggies were crowned NCAA Volleyball champions after sweeping SEC rival Kentucky in three sets on Saturday.
Fans can show their Aggies pride with commemorative championship gear at Fanatics here.
You can also browse a variety of Texas A&M volleyball merch on Fanatics — like this Texas A&M Aggies Volleyball Pullover Hoodie, this Texas A&M Aggies GameDay Greats Pick-A-Player Jersey or this Texas A&M Aggies Volleyball Long Sleeve T-Shirt.
NCAA Volleyball Tournament
Final Four Results
Thursday, Dec. 18
Texas A&M 3, Pittsburgh 0
Kentucky 3, Wisconsin 2
Elite Eight Results
Saturday, Dec. 13
Kentucky 3, Creighton 0
Pitt 3, Purdue 1
Sunday, Dec. 14
Texas A&M 3, Nebraska 2
Wisconsin 3, Texas 1
Sweet 16 Results
Thursday, Dec. 11
Creighton 3, Arizona State 1
Kentucky 3, Cal Poly 0
Pitt 3, Minnesota 0
Purdue 3, SMU 1
Friday, Dec. 12
Texas 3, Indiana 0
Wisconsin 3, Stanford 1
Texas A&M 3, Louisville 2
Nebraska 3, Kansas 0
Joey Chandler is a sports commerce reporter for NJ.com. She’s earned Associated Press Sports Editors honors and won first-place writing awards for features, columns and breaking news in Ohio, Alabama and North…
Local high school runners have once again shifted to the oval following an exciting cross country season as the indoor track schedule has begun with the PVIAC’s weekly meets kicking off on Sunday, Dec. 14.
Smith College’s Indoor Track and Tennis Complex will once again host the competitions that feature teams throughout western Massachusetts. Meets will take place on the weekends, either on Saturday or Sunday, until the MIAA postseason commences in early February.
Here’s a closer look at all six area teams:
Amherst
The Hurricanes should be contenders once again this winter. The girls squad lost a fair amount of talent from last season, but as the cross country season showed, runners are always waiting in the shadows to step up for Amherst.
Ololara Baptiste returns with the most accolades for the ‘Canes girls as the junior was part of the state-championship winning 4×200-meter relay quartet last year. Ella Jamate (mid-distance), Juliana Albo (sprints, field events) and Genevieve Dole (long distance) will round out Amherst’s depth.
The boys will look to see continued growth from Nico Lisle (mid-distance) and Wesley Dunford (field events) this season.
Northampton
An encouraging cross country campaign should carry over into the indoor season for the Blue Devils, who bring back some skilled athletes.
Mairead O’Neil will be the catalyst for the girls team as the reigning Western Mass. cross country champion will attack the mile and 2 mile events for Northampton this winter. Ella Hoogendyk should collect plenty of points for the Blue Devils in field events as the senior will compete in the long jump, high jump and 600. Maddalena Figueroa-Starr (mid-distance, long distance) Maya Zink (long distance) and Allie Sullivan (sprints, field events) are other athletes to watch.
The boys team’s strength will reside in the long distance events, led by Gus Frey and Henry Daggett as Northampton’s 2-milers. Kai Webster (mid-distance) is another name to keep an eye on for the Blue Devils.
Holyoke
Yasani Thompson brings back a winning pedigree to the Purple Knights’ girls team this winter as the defending state champion in the 300. The senior will also strive to qualify for the New England Championships, according to fifth-year head coach Matt Benoit.
Seniors Ryan Kennedy (short, mid-distance) and Jaybriel Rivera Soto (short distance) will carry the Holyoke boys.
Frontier Regional
Expect the Redhawks to be in and around the top of the Valley North standings as both the boys and girls teams have impressive athletes sprinkled throughout their rosters.
The Frontier boys have a pair of seniors in Luke Howard (long distance) and Adrien Pazmandy (sprints) that’ll acquire the bulk of its points. Last season, the Redhawks won the league title after going 13-0. Head coach Walter Flynn enters his fifth season at the helm.
The Frontier girls have a near even split between returners and newcomers this winter. Maddie Antes, Julia Morse and Ashley Rivard count as the Redhawks’ senior class, while the Flagollet sisters (Emmanuelle and Louise) highlight their new runners. Louise Flagollet was Frontier’s top cross country runner on the girls team this past fall.
Head coach Bob Smith, who is in the midst of his 47th season leading the Redhawks, feels experience and team pride are the strengths of this year’s team, while sprints will be an area to grow.
Hampshire Regional
The Raiders girls have a handful of distance runners that’ll secure plenty of points this winter. Brooke Hockenberry, Charlotte Letendre and Kathleen Barry all earned first or second-place finishes at the first PVIAC meet.
Hampshire’s boys trio of Aidan Conklin (mid-distance), Owen Cubi and Oscar Schiff (both long distance) will surely be athletes to keep track of for the Raiders.
South Hadley
The Tigers may not have the high-end talent as some of the other Hampshire County teams, but both boys and girls teams have several athletes who will hold their own on the oval.
Grace Cooney and Margaret Healey raced well in the first PVIAC meet and will anchor South Hadley’s girls’ distance crew.
For the boys squad, Matt Gillis (sprints, field events) and Trevor Sullivan (long distance) are two Tigers athletes who can make an impact this season.
