Sports
Diversity in Aquatics Expands Water Safety Initiatives to the Caribbean, Transforms Lives Across the Diaspora
Diversity in Aquatics’ World Oceans Day event on Grand Anse Beach in Grenada.
A young swimmer at the World Oceans Day event by Diversity in Aquatics in Grenada.
Groundbreaking Program Reaches 150+ Youths as Organization Expands Life-Saving Mission from US to Caribbean
NEW YORK, NY, UNITED STATES, June 20, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ — In a powerful demonstration of community-driven impact, Diversity in Aquatics (DIA) successfully launched its most enterprising international water safety initiative to date, imprinting water safety education on over 150 local children on the island of Grenada, while addressing the critical global crisis of drowning disparities affecting communities of color.
The historic World Oceans Day-timed program at Grand Anse Beach represented more than a single day of programming—it marked a pivotal moment in DIA’s expanding mission to eliminate racial and socioeconomic disparities in water safety education in the United States and across the African Diaspora.
“This is about more than sun and surf—it’s about empowering Grenadian youth with skills that save lives and build community,” said Dr. Miriam Lynch, Executive Director of Diversity In Aquatics. “Though having a close proximity to water, what we have realized is a lot of communities have a disconnect. In Grenada, a significant percentage of the island’s population does not know how to swim. For us, it was really important to bridge that gap to support the mission of teaching water safety while making a connection to the opportunities in aquatics with no borders.”
The comprehensive event featured ocean swim lessons, the island’s largest youth swim meet of the year, water safety workshops, CPR training, snorkeling and sailing coaching.
The organization’s latest initiative comes at a critical moment for water safety advocacy. Each year, approximately 4,000 people in the U.S. die from unintentional drowning, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)—with Black, Indigenous, and low-income communities disproportionately affected. After decades of decline, drowning rates began rising again following the onset of the COVID‑19 pandemic, widening racial and ethnic disparities nationally.
Globally, the crisis is just as alarming. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), about 300,000 people drown annually, with children among the most at risk.
The urgency to address this issue has only increased following the Trump administration’s recent decision to disband the CDC’s drowning prevention team, leaving a gap in federal research and support. Community-based organizations like DIA have become critical to filling that gap. Its culturally grounded approach offers a proven, community-centered model for change.
“We’re not just teaching swimming skills—we’re rebuilding generational relationships with water,” said Dr. Lynch.
INNOVATIVE, TRAUMA INFORMED APPROACH SETS NEW STANDARD
What distinguishes DIA’s work is its recognition of the historical trauma surrounding water in communities of color. The Grenada event featured a powerful session led by Dr. Fran Jackson of Spelman College, exploring the lasting impact of the transatlantic slave trade. The discussion touched on cultural disconnection, shifts in family dynamics, and the deep trauma connected to water, especially comparing experiences in the U.S. and the Caribbean.
Following that, Thaddeus Gamory, founder of BlueMindfulness, took participants through a trauma-informed session of breathwork and ocean-based healing exercises inspired by ancestral water traditions. Designed for BIPOC communities, the session aimed to help people reconnect with water and begin releasing generational fears tied to that legacy.
This trauma-informed methodology, combined with practical CPR training, swim instruction and community engagement, created what local partners described as “a reclaiming of our relationship with the ocean.”
“There is so much potential for long-term impact and a seismic change in aquatics,“ said Gamory. “Everything starts with learning to swim and being safe in the water. We’re already contributing to it and the potential for it to grow is substantial – as a matter of fact, it’s already in motion.”
SCALING IMPACT THROUGH STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS
Diversity in Aquatics has partnered with several organizations to raise awareness and expand equitable access to aquatics, working to eliminate disparities in drowning. In collaboration with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Olympic gold medalist Cullen Jones, the organization advances water safety education in historically underserved communities, breaking down systemic barriers and creating pathways for lifelong aquatic engagement.
DIA’s recent success in Grenada builds on a robust network of institutional partnerships that are reshaping aquatic education across the United States and beyond. HBCUs, too, are driving nationwide change in the water safety arena with national partnership launches including:
-$1 million, 10-year USA Swimming partnership funding programs at Cheyney University, Norfolk State, Texas Southern and other HBCUs, reaching over 2,000 students
-Howard University water polo team relaunch in 2024, supported by DIA and USA Water Polo
-Historic American Red Cross partnership establishing the first Instructor Trainer Academy at an HBCU (Bowie State University), expanding certified -instructor pipelines in underserved communities
-Annual HBCU Water Safety Festival convening students, alumni and experts for workshops and community engagement
MEASURABLE IMPACT AND FUTURE EXPANSION
The organization’s data-driven approach demonstrates tangible results:
-Over 2,000 HBCU students reached through swimming programs
-150+ youth served in 4-hour, single-day Grenada event
-Expanding Caribbean presence through local partnerships
“The most rewarding part is community and collaboration,” said Dr. Lynch. “To see people and organizations come together to give back to the youth, seeing the happy faces and proud parents has been the most rewarding for all of us.”
LOOKING AHEAD: A MOVEMENT BEYOND BORDERS
As DIA expands its reach across the Caribbean and strengthens its U.S. institutional partnerships, the organization is positioning itself as a global leader in culturally-responsive water safety education. Its success in Grenada serves as a blueprint for future international expansion while deepening impact in historically underserved communities. The organization’s holistic approach—combining practical skills training, trauma-informed healing, community partnerships, and institutional change—offers a replicable model for addressing water safety disparities worldwide.
“The tides are turning,” Dr. Lynch concluded. “Through education, community, and culturally rooted care, we’re ensuring that water isn’t a barrier—it’s a bridge to empowerment, health, and generational healing.”
About Diversity in Aquatics:
Diversity in Aquatics is a U.S.-based nonprofit organization committed to promoting equitable access, education, and leadership in aquatic spaces. From grassroots swim lessons to institutional partnerships with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and national organizations, DIA works to eliminate racial and socioeconomic disparities in water safety, ensuring that all communities can safely and confidently experience the power of water.
Jordan Cross
Mel&N Media
jordan@melandnmedia.com
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NAPERVILLE — The College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) recognized a pair of strong performances from the first weekend of the indoor season by naming Elmhurst sophomore Carmela Woods and Illinois Wesleyan junior Imani Ogunribido as its Women’s Indoor Track and Field Student-Athletes of the Week.
Track: Carmela Woods, Elmhurst
Competing at the UW-Oshkosh Early Bird Invitational last Saturday, Woods won the 400 meters in a time of 57.87 seconds. The performance currently ranks first in the CCIW and fifth in Division III. Woods, a sophomore from Evergreen Park, Ill., also performed well in other sprints, finishing third in the 60-meter dash with a time of 7.90 seconds Her unconverted 60 meter time currently ranks sixth in the CCIW and 31st nationally.
Field: Imani Ogunribido, Illinois Wesleyan
Ogunribido, a junior, achieved a personal best in the triple jump at Friday’s Titan First Chance Meet in Bloomington. She cleared 12.53 meters, which also improved her own school record, and ranks her first in Division III by nearly half of a meter. The Hanover Park, Ill. native also competed in the long jump for the first time in her collegiate career, recording a mark of 5.60 meters – third in the league and seventh nationally.
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The College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) was founded in 1946 and currently services nine member institutions including Augustana College (Rock Island, Ill.), Carroll University (Waukesha, Wis.), Carthage College (Kenosha, Wis.), Elmhurst University (Elmhurst, Ill.), Illinois Wesleyan University (Bloomington, Ill.), Millikin University (Decatur, Ill.), North Central College (Naperville, Ill.), North Park University (Chicago, Ill.) and Wheaton College (Wheaton, Ill.).
BRENTWOOD, Tenn. – On Wednesday the Ohio Valley Conference announced that SIUE is the recipient of the 2025-26 Team Sportsmanship Awards for volleyball.
Voted on by the student-athletes and coaches of the respective sports, the team awards are bestowed upon the Conference squads deemed to have best exhibited the standards of sportsmanship and ethical behavior as outlined by the OVC and NCAA. Included in the areas for evaluation are the conduct of student-athletes, coaches, staff, administrators and fans.
The 2025-26 school year marks the 21st year the team sportsmanship honors have been awarded.
It marks the fourth time in the last five years and the sixth time overall that the program has earned the honor.
Implemented in August 2005, the team honors are the most recent addition to an awards program that recognizes and celebrates sportsmanship within the Conference. In 1998, the league established the Steve Hamilton Sportsmanship Award, presented annually to a male or female student-athlete of junior or senior status who best exemplifies the characteristics of the late Morehead State student-athlete, coach and administrator. Five years later, the Conference added the OVC Sportsmanship Award, presented annually to the member institution selected by its peers to have best exhibited the standards of sportsmanship and ethical behavior as outlined by the OVC and NCAA.
In 1995, the Ohio Valley Conference implemented a first-of-its-kind “Sportsmanship Statement,” a policy promoting principles of fair play, ethical conduct and respect for one’s opponent. The statement answered the challenge of the NCAA Presidents Commission to improve sportsmanship in collegiate athletics and has become a model for others to follow across the nation.
Each week during the academic year, the NE10 honors Athletes of the Week for all of its 24 sponsored sports while they are in season. Faces in the Crowd shines a spotlight on outstanding on-field performances that didn’t earn Athlete of the Week recognition, while also highlighting academic or community efforts from student-athletes across the league.
Below are this week’s NE10 Faces in the Crowd.
Hope Fox
School: Southern Connecticut
Sport: Basketball
Fox made history for Southern Connecticut women’s basketball in their NE10 opener against Franklin Pierce. Fox recorded a career-best of nine steals, which is the second-most steals in a single-game in program history and the most since Kiana Steinauer had 10 against Stonehill in 2019. Additionally, Fox’s nine steals are the most recorded in a game in the NE10 this season and third-most in the NCAA.
Jodiann Ebanks
School: American International
Sport: Track & Field
A Campbell transfer, Ebanks was at the front of the sprints for AIC in the TRACK at new balance Early Bird Invitational. She won the 60-meter dash and 200-meter dash with her 25.42-second time in the 200-meter race being the fastest in the NE10 and throughout the East Region after the year’s first week of competition.
Ruzgar Christina Boyle
School: American International
Sport: Basketball
Boyle lost her mind this weekend against Pace, drilling six first quarter threes en route to nine total makes and a new AIC single-game record. Boyle finish an insane 9-13 from behind the arc va the Setters for a career-high 27 points. The nine makes are the second-most by a women’s basketball player in DII this winter.
Skyla Lang
School: Bentley
Sport: Swimming & Diving
Lang won three races at the WPI Gompei Invitational last week, most notably breaking her own school record in the 100 IM at 58.09, which is the fastest time in the NE10 this season. Lang also won the 400 IM and the 100 Breaststroke. Her time in the 400 IM is the best in the NE10 so far (4:34.02).
Valerii Pidhoretskyy
School: Adelphi
Sport: Swimming & Diving
Valerii posted personal bests in every race he swam last week, breaking Adelphi records in the 50 Free, 100 Free, 400 Medley Relay, 200 Medley Relay. He swam the fastest times in the NE10 this season in the 50 Free and the 200 Free Relay while posting the league’s second-best times in the 100 Free, 100 Fly, 200 IM, 400 Free Relay and 800 Free Relay.
This Year’s Faces in the Crowd
Week 1
Anna Daggatt, Saint Michael’s Volleyball
Dillon Labonte, SNHU Cross Country
Jakkai Stith, AIC Football
Jenni Huttunen, Franklin Pierce Soccer
Taylor Leckey, SCSU Field Hockley
Week 2
Alice Bender, Pace Volleyball
Annie Lorenz, Bentley Field Hockey
Isabel Hughes and Claudia Keith, SNHU Soccer
Reese Swanson, Franklin Pierce Field Hockey
Connor Dietz, AIC Football
Jay Kastantin, Assumption Football
Week 3
Dillon Labonte, SNHU Cross Country
Elizjah Lewis, Pace Football
Grace Almeida, Saint Michael’s Volleyball
Lana Mignon De Wet, Adelphi Field Hockey
Paola Soto Burgos, AIC Volleyball
Week 4
Brennah Abilheira-Cargill, Assumption Volleyball
Kerrigan Habing, SCSU Volleyball
Drew Forkner, St. Anselm Football
Khais Milligan, Pace Soccer
Madeline Krepelka, Bentley Field Hockey
Week 5
Connor Dietz, AIC Football
Elizjah Lewis, Pace Football
Kaylise McClure, Mercy Field Hockey
Mackenzie Casey, Adelphi Volleyball
Michael Guarnieri, St. Anselm Football
Week 6
Andrew Surprenant, SNHU Men’s Golf
Isaiah Osgood, Bentley Football
Jessica Evans, Mercy Field Hockey
Sarah Henault, SCSU Volleyball
Sydney DeRoche, Bentley Women’s Soccer
Week 7
Faith Kosiba, Saint Michael’s Soccer
Grace Presswood, Assumption Volleyball
John Giller, SCSU Football
McKenzie Carey, Bentley Field Hockey
Ruby Harrington, Saint Michael’s Field Hockey
Week 8
Avery Frommer, Bentley Field Hockey
Billy Gould, Assumption Football
Kerrigan Habing, SCSU Volleyball
Maya Fisher, SCSU Cross Country
Quinlyn Moll, AIC Field Hockey
Week 9
Isaiah Decias, Bentley Football
Jessica Evans, Mercy Field Hockey
Milagros Zanatelli, AIC Field Hockey
Ryan Rosario, Franklin Pierce Women’s Soccer
Sasha Luzina, Bentley Volleyball
Week 10
Connor Smith, Assumption Football
Jake Croce, Saint Anselm Football
Madeline Chaapel, Adelphi Volleyball
Maggie Burchill, Saint Anselm Field Hockey
Riley Mastowski, Franklin Pierce Hockey
Week 11
Ana Carolina Westerich, Adelphi Volleyball
Dayshawn Walton, Adelphi Basketball
Taeya and Rheyna Steinauer, SCSU Basketball
Will Gomes, Franklin Pierce Football
Amelia Hohos, Saint Anselm Soccer
Week 12
Brady Gaudet, Franklin Pierce Soccer
Dom Santiago, Assumption Football
Elena Coban, Bentley Volleyball
Olivia Crespo, Franklin Pierce Soccer
Will Davies, Saint Anselm Basketball
Week 13
Alvaro Garcia, SNHU Soccer
Jojo Wallace, SNHU Basketball
Kaitlin McDonough, Saint Anselm Basketball
Margaret Montplaisir, Saint Michael’s Basketball
Zee McCown, Assumption Basketball
Week 14
Hope Fox, SCSU Basketball
Jodiann Ebanks, AIC Track and Field
Ruzgar Christina Boyle, AIC Basketball
Skyla Lang, Benltey Swimming
Valerii Pidhoretskyy, Adelphi Swimming
ABOUT THE NE10
The NE10 is an association of 10 diverse institutions serving student-athletes across 24 NCAA Division II sports. Together we build brilliant futures by embracing the journey of every student-athlete.
Each year, 4,500 of those student-athletes compete in conference championships in 24 sports, making the NE10 the largest DII conference in the country in terms of sport sponsorship. Leading the way in the classroom, on the field and within the community, the NE10 is proud of its comprehensive program and the experience it provides student-athletes.
Fans can subscribe via this link to follow NE10 NOW on FloSports this season. The partnership between the NE10 and FloSports works to provide funds back to the athletic departments of the Northeast-10 Conference in support of student-athletes while promoting the league on a national platform.
Dec. 10, 2025, 3:45 a.m. CT
Here are the 2025 Journal Star volleyball all-area honorees in alphabetical order, led by player of the year and separated by large-school players and small-school players.
Mia Lamberti, Limestone
Lamberti is the 2025 Journal Star player of the year, becoming the sixth repeat winner in the award’s 36-year history. She helped Class 3A top-ranked Limestone to a 34-3 record and a Mid-Illini Conference championship. The 6-foot junior setter/opposite hitter was named to four all-tournament teams this season, having over 1,000 career kills and assists. Lamberti, who committed to Illinois this past June, recorded 402 kills, 406 assists, 137 digs, 67 aces and 13 blocks. Her individual accolades include American Volleyball Coaches Association third-team all-American, AVCA all-region, Illinois Volleyball Coaches Association first-team all-state and all-Mid-Illini Conference first team.
The honor added to Sharp’s accolade-filled season with the Broncos. The middle blocker was also named Mountain West Freshman of the Year and All-Mountain West. Sharp is the first Bronco to earn all-region first team honors and the conference freshman of the year award in the same season.
Sharp was one of 14 players selected to the All-Northwest Region team and one of three middle blockers. She was also among four freshmen on the all-region squad.
Out of Burlingame, Calif., Sharp averaged 2.21 kills and 1.24 blocks in 113 sets played this past season. Her 250 kills and 140 total blocks were second-best on Boise State while she finished the year with 329.5 points.
She is 31st in the country in total blocks and 50th in blocks per set.
Sharp is the 10th Bronco to earn one of the 14 all-region first team selections in program history.
There were 213 student-athletes recognized across 10 regional teams by the AVCA this year. Each region had 14 first-team all-region honorees and a handful of honorable mentions.
Boise State finished the season 20-11 and reached the semifinals of the Mountain West Volleyball Championship.
HICKORY, N.C. – Averie Dale, Kayli Cleaver, and Hadley Prince have each been named to the AVCA Honorable Mention All-America Team.
This marks the second consecutive All-America honor for Cleaver and Dale, while Prince is making her first appearance on the team. There have now been seven individuals in Lenoir-Rhyne volleyball history who have been named to an All-American team.
Averie Dale tied the school record with a .399 hitting percentage this season, totaling 245 kills, 31 service aces, and 31 assists. She finished tied for first in the conference and first on the team with a total of 107 blocks, and added 82 digs.
Kayli Cleaver was the Bears’ go to on the outside, leading the team with 363 kills on a .266 hitting percentage. She totaled double-digit kills in 20 of her 31 matches played and set a new career high with 23 kills in a four set victory at Newberry.
Hadley Prince is this year’s South Atlantic Conference leader and ranks seventh all-time in Lenoir-Rhyne history with 547 digs. She had double-digit digs in every match this year and had a Lenoir-Rhyne career high of 32 on November 11th at Coker. Her 39 service aces led the team while her 115 assists were fourth.
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