AMHERST, MA (May 10, 2025) – The Tufts University men’s track and field team finished 13th out of 30 teams in a mixed field of Division I, II and III squads at the NEICAAA Championships at UMass Amherst on Saturday.

Junior Josh Wilkie picked up a huge win in the 400m hurdles as he finished ahead of the rest with a personal best time of 52.35 and the fourth fastest finish in program history. Wilkie also picked up points for Tufts with a fifth place finish in the 110m hurdles with a 14.42.

First year Luke Benson was the only other Jumbo to earn points as he finished fourth in the triple jump. The rookie continued to show his strength in the event with a mark of 14.30m. 

Senior Noah Turner finished 11th in the 100m dash among an immensely competitive field of athletes. He set a new personal best time with a mark of 10.61.

The Jumbos will now shift their sights to the 2025 NCAA Division III Outdoor Men’s Track and FIeld Championships at the Spire Institute in Geneva, Ohio on May 22nd. 

–JUMBOS–

Jupiter beach volleyball wins state championship

Updated: 6:46 PM EDT May 10, 2025

CONGRATS TO ALL INVOLVED IN ANOTHER LOCAL TEAM TAKING HOME THE HARDWARE TODAY. CONGRATS TO THE JUPITER GIRLS BEACH VOLLEYBALL TEAM! THREE A STATE CHAMPS, THE WARRIORS, AS THE TOP SEED, BEAT FLETCHER, CAPPING O

Jupiter beach volleyball wins state championship

Updated: 6:46 PM EDT May 10, 2025

The Jupiter Warriors girls beach volleyball team claimed the 3A state championship on Saturday beating Fletcher High School in the FHSAA title game in Tallahassee. The Warriors finished the season with an impressive 16-1 record.

The Jupiter Warriors girls beach volleyball team claimed the 3A state championship on Saturday beating Fletcher High School in the FHSAA title game in Tallahassee.

The Warriors finished the season with an impressive 16-1 record.

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INDIANAPOLIS – A rivalry as old as time took center stage once again, and this time, it felt like a fairy tale unfolding — complete with heroes, villains and an electric crowd.

And while last year’s campaign may have penned a storybook ending for the Bruins, this year’s bout saw a much different result. 

No. 2 seed UCLA women’s water polo’s (20-6, 5-1 MPSF) dreams of back-to-back national championship was shattered by No. 3 seed USC (29-4, 5-1) in Saturday’s NCAA semifinal after the team suffered a 15-13 loss at the IU Natatorium in Indianapolis.

From the opening whistle, the Bruins came out blazing. Redshirt junior attacker Emma Lineback fired in a goal within the first minute of play, signaling UCLA’s hunger. But the Trojans weren’t going down without a fight, answering swiftly with a goal of their own.

The two teams traded scoring opportunities across the first quarter, with the pool charged with an energy apparent through the various 8-claps of Bruin fans in the stands. 

“We had a real chance there in the second quarter,” coach Adam Wright said. “We’re seven, six on five in a tournament game, but we really had a chance to widen the gap there.”

The Bruins played with a strong aggression, leading the game in power-play conversions – converting five of seven chances – and registering seven blocks to the Trojan’s two. Yet, as the second period wound down with under two minutes remaining, the Trojans had clawed back to trail by just two points, 7-5.

But not all stories unfold as happily ever after.

With halftime looming and the score narrowed to a one-point difference, the question shifted – who would step up and take control of the match?

The Trojans answered first. Firing in two quick goals to claim their first lead of the game at 8-7, the Bruins’ crosstown rivals stretched it to 10-7 lead, putting a halt to the Bruins’ offensive rhythm and forcing a timeout.

Lineback, the Bruins’ leading scorer throughout the NCAA tournament, responded with a goal to stop the bleeding. But a highly contested USC goal soon followed. Though UCLA’s sophomore goalkeeper Lauren Steele appeared to have punched the ball out of the cage, the officials ruled it had crossed the line, counting it as USC’s 12th goal.

The momentum swung hard in favor of the Trojans. They rattled off three more goals as the Bruins struggled to find a response on either end of the pool. With one period left, the Bruins’ dreams of an NCAA finals berth hung on by a thread.

“We came out that third quarter pretty flat,” Wright said. “Got to give them (USC) credit, they played with great energy in the second half.”

Then came a flicker of hope for the Bruins. Junior center Bia Mantellato scored to make it 14-9, and a penalty goal by senior attacker Molly Renner narrowed the gap further to 14-10. Another strike from Mantellato cut it to a three-goal margin – with five minutes still to play, the Bruins weren’t done yet.

Three more goals would have given UCLA a small chance, but USC’s defense wouldn’t allow it – with the Bruins slowly succumbing to their lead. 

The loss marked an early exit from the NCAA tournament for the team and the conclusion to its 2025 season.

“Where we are today from where we were in the beginning of the season, it’s a completely different team,” Wright said. “That’s why it hurts so much because they really did grow and we put ourselves in a position to have a chance to be the best. Unfortunately, today, it wasn’t our best.”

HONOLULU — Kamehameha, leading by six points midway through the third set, appeared well on its way to what many had assumed — another date with Punahou in a boys volleyball state final.

But Moanalua, the Oahu Interscholastic Association champion playing with the benefit of home court advantage, was not so eager to let the defending state champion Warriors breeze to Saturday’s New City Nissan/HHSAA Division I final.

Na Menehune staked a valiant last stand, extending the Warriors to five before falling, 25-22, 25-22, 24-26, 25-27, 15-12 on Friday night.

By the end, it had the feel of a worthy title game. Fans of both teams stood and applauded.

[Note: See below for more photos of Kamehameha-Moanalua in the HHSAA Division I boys volleyball semifinals.]

“I always expect the unexpected,” said Warriors hitter Conor Williams, who was forced to summon a 26-kill, 12-dig, two-ace performance. “So I knew they were gonna put up a fight, because I know they wanted it as much as we did, but an end we put we wanted it way more, and we fought for it.”

Cain Kahahawai and Edward Tanaka posted 13 kills apiece while setter Nathaniel Koahou registered 58 assists, seven digs and four blocks for coach Sava Agpoon’s Warriors.

Afterward, Agpoon could breathe a sigh of relief. He gets another shot at ILH champ Punahou (17-0), which swept Kamehameha (15-6) in three league meetings. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Moanalua.

“They’re hungry, they’re finally piecing it together, just like last year’s team,” Agpoon said.

Rick Tune’s Buffanblu, who had their run of 10 straight titles interrupted by star Kainoa Wade and Kamehameha last year, made quick work of MIL champion Maui High, 25-19, 25-18, 25-19.

Wade, the reigning state player of the year, would’ve been on this year’s team, but graduated early over semester break to play his freshman season of volleyball for his father, University of Hawaii coach Charlie Wade. The Rainbow Warriors were in Columbus, Ohio, for the NCAA Tournament.

Agpoon said Wade spoke to the team before he departed.

“He told us, ‘it doesn’t matter what your record is,’” Agpoon recalled, ‘at the end is where (it matters), if you just piece it together correctly — that’s what the state champs really are.’”

Williams was one of the only holdovers from real experience from the Warriors’ title team, but he missed most of the season with an injury.

“Every night after practice, I’d just stay in with the trainers,” he said. “And you know, we have the best trainers in this state, I can confidently say that.”

Moanalua nearly pulled off the first boys volleyball state final appearance by an OIA team since 2022, when Na Menehune got there and lost to Punahou in lopsided fashion.

Kamehameha’s Jaeden Miyahana and Tanaka finally collaborated on the match-winning block of Ezekiel Afalava-Sablan, who attacked at the right pin and had his shot popped up and to the back far corner as Na Menehune could only watch in shock that their comeback effort was denied.

Lionel Gannon led Na Menehune with 25 kills and seven digs, Afalava-Sablan added 13 kills and Jarryn McCutcheon 11 for coach Alan Cabanting.

Lionel Gannon put down a team-high 25 kills in the loss for Moanalua. (Spectrum News/Brian McInnis)

Moanalua outhit Kamehameha, .262 to .239. Blocks were even at 12. But Kamehameha had seven service aces and Moanalua none.

Senior setter Malu Wilcox tallied 60 assists in his final winners bracket match.

“The difference in the match definitely was not luck,” Afalava-Sablan said. “I know how good they can be and how good we can be. Thank you to my teammates for picking me up. I especially appreciate all of the boys laying out, never giving up at the end.”

An ILH team is assured to take home the trophy for the 43^rd consecutive edition of the tournament. An OIA team last prevailed in 1979, when Roosevelt three-peated under Robin Goo.

In Division II, Radford of the OIA takes on KIF champion Kapaa at 5 p.m. Radford upset ILH champ Le Jardin in four in the semifinals.

Jaeden Miyahana (12) and Edward Tanaka (8) combined to block Moanalua’s Ezekiel Afalava-Sablan on match point. (Spectrum News/Brian McInnis)

Moanalua coach Alan Cabanting reacted to a play. (Spectrum News/Brian McInnis)

Kamehameha coach Sava Agpoon brought his team back to the Division I state championship with a largely new group. (Spectrum News/Brian McInnis)

Moanalua libero Christian Cruz popped up a ball. (Spectrum News/Brian McInnis)

Lionel Gannon attacked from the right pin against Kamehameha’s Conor Williams (11) and Jaeden Miyahara (12). (Spectrum News/Brian McInnis)

Moanalua middle Luke Jones reacted after a block. (Spectrum News/Brian McInnis)

Jaeden Miyahana elevated for a kill for Kamehameha as Moanalua’s Lionel Gannon tried to block. (Spectrum News/Brian McInnis)

Kamehameha’s Conor Williams reacted to a play. (Spectrum News/Brian McInnis)

Kamehameha’s Nazareth Agcaoili passed on serve-receive. (Spectrum News/Brian McInnis)

Moanalua players celebrated after a point. (Spectrum News/Brian McInnis)

Moanalua fans cheered on their team in Na Menehune’s gym. (Spectrum News/Brian McInnis)

Kamehameha’s Kekuaokalani Paik hit a ball between Moanalua’s Ezekiel Afalava-Sablan (6) and Luke Jones (5). (Spectrum News/Brian McInnis)

Brian McInnis covers the state’s sports scene for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at brian.mcinnis@charter.com.

Arguably one of the best young men’s volleyball setters in the world, The Big West Player and Freshman of the Year is averaging 10.00 assists per set for the nation’s most productive offense. The Beach hit .395 on the season, putting down a Division I-best 13.28 kills per set with Nikolov guiding the way.  

The prowess at the service line has been unmatched as the first-year player from Sofia, Bulgaria has accumulated a Big West single-season record 97 aces on the year. The 0.942 aces average leads the country. Also a major contributor on the front line, Nikolov averaged 0.757 blocks per set with 78 on the season to go along with 1.56 kills per set for LBSU.  

Nikolov has single-match superlatives with eight aces in a five-setter to lead the country as well as seven in a four-setter to tie for second nationally. Nikolov has distributed 30 or more assists in each of the last seven matches and 21 times 31 total matches played.  

Nikolov’s top-ranked Beach are set to battle No. 5 seed Pepperdine in the semifinal round   of the 2025 National Collegiate Men’s Volleyball Championship on Saturday at 2 p.m. PT, inside the Covelli Center in Columbus, Ohio and broadcast on ESPN+. LBSU will be looking to advance to back-to-back Championship finals in the quest for a first national championship since winning back-to-back trophies in 2018 and ’19. Should LBSU advance, they’ll meet up with the winner between second-seeded Big West champion Hawai’i and No. 3 seed and defending champion UCLA.  

The Beach and Bruins tussled for the title in 2024 with UCLA coming out on top. The Beach and ’Bows went four sets on O’ahu for The Big West crown and the two have met up in the national finals on two occasions with each program cutting down the nets once. 

While Moni has followed in Alex’s footsteps as a freshman phenom for the Beach, he can best Alex on the national collegiate stage tomorrow by making a Championship final, and soar over his brother the high-flying outside hitter on Monday with a win. 

INDIANAPOLIS – A rivalry as old as time took center stage once again, and this time, it felt like a fairy tale unfolding — complete with heroes, villains and an electric crowd.

And while last year’s campaign may have penned a storybook ending for the Bruins, this year’s bout saw a much different result. 

No. 2 seed UCLA women’s water polo’s (20-6, 5-1 MPSF) dreams of back-to-back national championship was shattered by No. 3 seed USC (29-4, 5-1) in Saturday’s NCAA semifinal after the team suffered a 15-13 loss at the IU Natatorium in Indianapolis.

From the opening whistle, the Bruins came out blazing. Redshirt junior attacker Emma Lineback fired in a goal within the first minute of play, signaling UCLA’s hunger. But the Trojans weren’t going down without a fight, answering swiftly with a goal of their own.

The two teams traded scoring opportunities across the first quarter, with the pool charged with an energy apparent through the various 8-claps of Bruin fans in the stands. 

“We had a real chance there in the second quarter,” coach Adam Wright said. “We’re seven, six on five in a tournament game, but we really had a chance to widen the gap there.”

The Bruins played with a strong aggression, leading the game in power-play conversions – converting five of seven chances – and registering seven blocks to the Trojan’s two. Yet, as the second period wound down with under two minutes remaining, the Trojans had clawed back to trail by just two points, 7-5.

But not all stories unfold as happily ever after.

With halftime looming and the score narrowed to a one-point difference, the question shifted – who would step up and take control of the match?

The Trojans answered first. Firing in two quick goals to claim their first lead of the game at 8-7, the Bruins’ crosstown rivals stretched it to 10-7 lead, putting a halt to the Bruins’ offensive rhythm and forcing a timeout.

Lineback, the Bruins’ leading scorer throughout the NCAA tournament, responded with a goal to stop the bleeding. But a highly contested USC goal soon followed. Though UCLA’s sophomore goalkeeper Lauren Steele appeared to have punched the ball out of the cage, the officials ruled it had crossed the line, counting it as USC’s 12th goal.

The momentum swung hard in favor of the Trojans. They rattled off three more goals as the Bruins struggled to find a response on either end of the pool. With one period left, the Bruins’ dreams of an NCAA finals berth hung on by a thread.

“We came out that third quarter pretty flat,” Wright said. “Got to give them (USC) credit, they played with great energy in the second half.”

Then came a flicker of hope for the Bruins. Junior center Bia Mantellato scored to make it 14-9, and a penalty goal by senior attacker Molly Renner narrowed the gap further to 14-10. Another strike from Mantellato cut it to a three-goal margin – with five minutes still to play, the Bruins weren’t done yet.

Three more goals would have given UCLA a small chance, but USC’s defense wouldn’t allow it – with the Bruins slowly succumbing to their lead. 

The loss marked an early exit from the NCAA tournament for the team and the conclusion to its 2025 season.

“Where we are today from where we were in the beginning of the season, it’s a completely different team,” Wright said. “That’s why it hurts so much because they really did grow and we put ourselves in a position to have a chance to be the best. Unfortunately, today, it wasn’t our best.”