Sports
ETHS girls water polo: Strong start helps Kits sink Trevs for tourney title
Chloe Lundervold had never scored three goals in a varsity water polo game before.
But the Evanston junior rose to the occasion when the Wildkits needed her most.
Lundervold poured in three goals in the first eight minutes of the Central Suburban League South division tournament championship game Saturday morning at Glenbrook North and paced the Kit girls to a second straight tournament title.
Dominating just like they did during the regular season, the Wildkits overpowered nemesis New Trier 9-2 and improved to 20-4-1 on the season. It marked Evanston’s third win in four tries this spring against the Trevians, with the other game resulting in a 5-5 tie.
Evanston’s fast start behind Lundervold left no doubt to the outcome. The Kits were able to find the energy they needed despite the fact that a half dozen seniors attended the school prom the night before and could have been expected to feel some fatigue.
But just like last year’s state runner-up team, this group refuses to lose.
“Winning this tournament is one of the goals we talked about before the season started,” pointed out ETHS second-year head coach Maggie Hatcher, “We wanted to make sure they all had fun at prom — and that they also knew their responsibilities to the team. They understand that they have to keep themselves accountable.
“And when no one was late for the bus, that felt like a good sign to me.”
Lundervold’s three goals, plus goals from Alice Lemmon, Maya Vincent and Tacy Jamison, sparked ETHS to a 6-0 halftime advantage, and the Kits were never threatened despite suffering through an offensive lull when they were outscored 2-1 in the third period.
Also contributing goals in the second half were Lemmon, Teagan Kenney and Vincent again.
During the regular conference season, the Wildkits went undefeated and scored in double figures in half of those games. But Hatcher and Co. didn’t take a tournament title for granted.
“Even if something is supposed to happen, you still have to do it,” Hatcher said. “Our main goal today was to take control early and stay in control, just play our game. It was great to have the energy we had.”
Evanston defeated New Trier for the tourney title in 2024, and the two teams are seeded 1-2 for next week’s Glenbrook South Sectional tournament. Hatcher, a former standout player for the Kits herself, knows that New Trier had the pre-eminent program in the conference for years, and just two years ago the Wildkits won the regular season matchups only to lose to New Trier in the postseason.
But the vibe between the two programs is trending in Evanston’s favor now.
“They’re always in the back of our minds [in the postseason], and I wouldn’t say that’s gone,” Hatcher added. “I think now we’ve figured out some things about how to play to our strengths and how to show up for any big game, regardless of who the opponent is.
“At the sectional, it will be about just taking one step at a time. We can’t look past the Wednesday game [against Glenbrook North] or a possible Friday game. The best thing they can do is just stay in the present.”
Lundervold’s unexpected scoring outburst came from a player who netted just 14 goals during the regular season, but still was chosen to the all-conference team along with goalie Ella Feeney, Vincent and Jamison. Feeney, a senior, was also recognized as the winner of the Richard Dux “Goalie of the Year Award” named in honor of the former Niles West coach. She finished with eight saves to deny the Trevs on Saturday.
Lundervold’s all-around play left an impression on CSL South coaches, and she might be one of the most improved players in the state of Illinois considering that she rarely got off the bench for last year’s talent-laden squad.
“We set our goal to come out hard and play our best water polo today, so I had a lot of energy at the start,” said the Evanston junior. “I’ve never had three goals in a varsity game before. I just kept working hard for the next possession and the next possession after that.
“I didn’t play much last year, but I played club in the summer and the winter and the coaches really pushed me to do better. I think I’m just more confident all around this year. We all put in a lot of work on this team. We push each other and we trust each other. It’s all about effort and hard work for us.”
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Sports
FSC Athletics Update – January 5
FARMINGDALE, N.Y. | The Skyline Conference released its first winter weekly reports of the 2026 calendar year Monday, and Farmingdale State College junior Mia Simmons (Queens, N.Y.) was selected as its Women’s Basketball Player of the Week while freshman center Allison Ntambwe (Queens Village, N.Y.) earned honorable mention praise.
Women’s Basketball (6-5, 4-3 Skyline) | Skyline Report
Farmingdale State opened the calendar year in non-conference play Saturday at Hunter College, falling by a 79-61 score to the Hawks. Simmons poured in a career-high 21 points to lead the Rams, while Ntambwe came off the bench to score a career-high 10 points on 5-of-11 shooting. Senior point guard Shyann Parker (Floral Park, N.Y.) recorded a double-double, pulling down 11 rebounds while dishing out a career-high 10 assists.
The Rams travel to NYU’s Paulson Center Tuesday night for a Skyline Conference game versus Yeshiva at 8, before welcoming Lasell (Mass.) University for a 6 p.m. tip-off on Thursday.
Men’s Basketball (9-2, 2-0 Skyline) | Skyline Report
FSC resumed Skyline play Saturday with a 92-60 triumph over St. Joseph’s-Brooklyn on the team’s annual CYO Day. Five Rams scored in double figures against the Bears, including senior guard Michael Notias (Manhasset, N.Y.), who led all players with 15 points (6-of-11 FG, 3-of-5 3FG), five assists and three steals, while junior forward Kentrell Evans (Brooklyn, N.Y.) registered a double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds.
The Rams will welcome conference foe St. Joseph’s-Long Island for a 7 p.m. tip-off on Wednesday night, before traveling Saturday for a noontime Skyline tilt at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy.
Indoor Track and Field
Farmingdale State returns to action on Friday, January 9, when it travels to the Ocean Breeze complex in Staten Island, N.Y., for the St. Thomas Aquinas Spartan Invitational at noon.
Sports
All 6 Wisconsin volleyball outgoing transfers have found new homes
The Wisconsin Badgers and Kelly Sheffield had a pretty big exodus this season after their Final Four run. While none of them were surprising in a vacuum, as a whole, it was hard to watch six players for the present and the future decide it was time to get more guaranteed playing time elsewhere.
Many Wisconsin Badger fans hoped one or two, or even a few, would opt to leave the portal after entering it and return to Wisconsin; however, all six outgoing transfers have landed at new homes. Here’s where:
Una Vajagic and Tosia Serafinowska transferred to Arizona State
Maybe the biggest surprise was Una Vajagic transferring, as she clearly had a starter role last season and developed into an impressive outside hitter. However, she wasn’t going to be guaranteed the same minutes next season with other outside hitters coming in to compete for her job. That may have been what sent her looking for a new opportunity. She and the other international player on the team, Tosia Serafinowska, both decided to go to Arizona State.
Addy Horner transferred to TCU
Horner became a starter when star setter Charlie Fuerbringer went down with an injury. However, as soon as Fuerbringer was healthy, Horner went back to the bench. She proved she can be a starter and a pretty good one at that, but she didn’t have a shot of overtaking Fuerbringer’s spot, so it made sense for her to transfer. She has since gone to TCU.
Maile Chan has transferred to Florida State with Aniya Warren going to Oklahoma
Chan, as well as Aniya Warren, was stuck on the depth chart behind a true freshman (last season), and Kristen Simon proved she was going to be the main libero for the future. That sent both Chan and Warren to the portal. Chan landed at Florida State while Warren became a Sooner.
Trinity Shadd-Ceres has transferred to Creighton
Shadd-Ceres proved she can be a powerful and effective outside hitter, but similar to Vajagic, there was nothing guaranteed on the Wisconsin roster. There are just too many elite and talented outside hitters. She is going to be a starter at Creighton.
Sports
Quinasia Abercrombie Named PBC Women’s Basketball Player of the Week
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AUGUSTA, Ga – Augusta women’s basketball sophomore Quinasia Abercrombia was named PBC Player of the Week
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Player of the Week
Quinasia Abercrombie, Augusta
Sophomore, Guard/ Forward
- Averaged 21.50 points as Augusta went 2-0 on the week
- Abercrombie scored 26 points while adding 10 rebounds, two assists and four steals in a 91-69 victory over Converse
- Scored 17 points while adding four rebounds and two steals in a 53-47 victory over Middle Georgia
- Abercrombie is averaging 15.6 points, good for fourth in the conference and 6.8 rebounds, good for ninth in the conference with a .530 field goal percentage which is good for second in the conference.
Fans of Jaguar Athletics can subscribe to the email listserve by clicking here. Fans can follow Augusta University at www.augustajags.com and receive short updates on Facebook at Augusta University Athletics and on Twitter at @AugustaJags
Sports
Walton Named A-10 Player of the Week for Third Time
Walton posted 25 points on 70% shooting, including 10-13 from the free throw line vs. the Flyers on New Years Eve. She scored 14 of those points in the fourth quarter to secure the Patriots’ 74-59 victory. Walton also scored four rebounds and dished out four assists.
The Patriots went 2-0 last week, continuing their undefeated streak in conference play, and stretching their overall record to 8-6 on the season.
Sports
Brittnay Estes – Assistant Coach/Recruiting Coordinator – Women’s Volleyball Coaches
“Brittnay is the perfect addition to our staff. She comes to us highly-recommended and is a very well-respected coach in the volleyball community. I am excited to add her energy, extreme enthusiasm and competitiveness to our gym,” said Wargo-Kearney. “Brittnay is a great relationship builder and will have the trust of our players, as well as future Wolfpack athletes. I have no doubt her impact on our program will make us stronger and she will continue to put together strong recruiting classes as our recruiting coordinator. I am fired up to welcome her to Raleigh!”
Estes joins the Pack after spending the last four seasons at her alma mater, Lipscomb.
She helped coach the 2023 ASUN Player of the Year, Meg Mersman, to All-American, All-Region honors, in addition to three All-ASUN honors.
In her first season with the Bison in 2020, she helped guide the squad to their seventh ASUN Regular Season Championship and seventh Tournament Championship after the group finished with a 14-2 overall record and 11-1 conference record.
Prior to joining the staff in Nashville, Estes spent five years in Los Angeles, California where she played one season of beach volleyball for Loyola Marymount as a graduate student before playing pro for the Associate of Volleyball Professionals (AVP), the country’s most extensive premiere beach volleyball tour.
A standout outside hitter for the Bison, the Palm Harbor, Florida native was a four year starter and was tabbed the 2015 Conference Player of the Year. During her senior campaign, she was tabbed the ASUN Tournament MVP. She remains in the top-five in the Lipscomb record book for several stats, including kills per set and kills per set in a five set match.
Over the course of her time in Nashville, she collected two All-Conference selections, two All-Tournament team nods, and four Player of the Week honors. She was also a two-time AVCA All-Region honoree. In 2020, she was named to the ASUN All-Decade team.
Estes graduated from Lipscomb in 2016 with a bachelor’s degree in Journalism and New Media. She also earned her master’s degree from Loyola Marymount in Educational Studies.
Sports
This Week in Wake Forest Women’s Athletics – Presented by Truist (Jan. 5-11)
- Women’s Basketball:
- Wake Forest began the month with a 74-55 victory over Pitt on Jan. 1, as the Demon Deacons shared the ball at an elite rate, assisting on 26 of the 29 made baskets in the win over the Panthers.
- It marked the first time since the 2019-20 season that the Deacs started ACC play at 2-1.
- The Demon Deacons now turn the attention to the California swing, first facing Stanford on Thursday before concluding the trip against Cal on Sunday.
- Track & Field:
- The Wake Forest women’s track and field team are set to return to action with three meets during the month of January.
- The Demon Deacons begin 2026 by competing in the Mondo College Invitational (Jan. 17) at the JDL Fast Track in Winston-Salem.
- The Deacs will then have a dual slate during the final week of the month, with one group heading to Lynchburg, Va. to compete at the Brant Tolsma Invitational (Jan. 30-31), while another group traveling to Boston for the John Thomas Terrier Classic (Jan. 31).
- The Wake Forest women’s track and field team are set to return to action with three meets during the month of January.
- Volleyball:
- Head coach Jeff Hulsmeyer and Demon Deacons volleyball recently announced three additions in middle blocker Catherine Burke, libero Andrea Roman and outside hitter Amina N’Diaye.
- Burke comes to Wake Forest from Penn State, where she was a member of the Nittany Lions’ 2024 National Championship team. Off the court, she earned a spot on the 2024 Academic All-Big Ten Team.
- Roman was one of the country’s top defenders this past fall as a junior at Little Rock, finishing second in the NCAA in total digs (632) while being named the OVC Defensive Player of the Year. The Humacao, Puerto Rico, native earned multiple all-OVC honors during her three years with the Trojans.
- N’Diaye spent her freshman season at Miami, helping the Hurricanes rank as a top-15 team nationally for the majority of the fall en route to making an appearance in the second round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament. A key piece of Miami’s core of hitters, she was third on the roster in kills (139) in 27 matches.
- Head coach Jeff Hulsmeyer and Demon Deacons volleyball recently announced three additions in middle blocker Catherine Burke, libero Andrea Roman and outside hitter Amina N’Diaye.
About Truist
Truist Financial Corporation is a purpose-driven financial services company committed to inspiring and building better lives and communities. Truist has leading market share in many high-growth markets in the country, and offers a wide range of products and services through our retail and small business banking, commercial banking, corporate and investment banking, insurance, wealth management, and specialized lending businesses. Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., Truist is a top 10 U.S. commercial bank with total assets of $574 billion as of March 31, 2023. Truist Bank, Member FDIC. Learn more at Truist.com.
About Wake Forest University
Wake Forest University is known for its distinctive combination of world-class academics, unrivaled campus experience, intimate learning environment and Power 4 athletics in a top-growing metro market. A Charter member of the Atlantic Coast Conference, the Demon Deacons have won 59 conference titles and are one of nine ACC schools to win 11 or more national championships. Additionally, with 1.7 million people within 30 miles of campus, Wake Forest anchors the Winston-Salem and Triad market, which ranks as ESPN’s seventh-best nationally from a viewership perspective.
Wake Forest’s comprehensive excellence includes its highly regarded school of medicine, business school, law school, innovative department of engineering and its nationally renowned Program for Leadership and Character, which prepares students to live with purpose, integrity and courage. Additionally, Wake Forest has campuses across Winston-Salem, Charlotte and Washington, D.C. – providing many academic offerings to students from across the nation and around the world.
Learn more about Wake Forest University at www.wfu.edu and at GoDeacs.com.
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