BLOOMINGTON, Minn. — The Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) announced its Athlete of the Week award winners for baseball and softball on Monday. Student-athletes from Gustavus, Macalester, Saint Benedict, and Saint John’s claimed the Conference’s weekly honors.

The MIAC Athlete of the Week awards are nominated by the Conference’s sports information directors and selected by MIAC staff. Throughout the spring season, team sports (baseball, softball, and tennis) Athletes of the Week will be recognized on Monday afternoons, with individual sports (golf, outdoor track & field) announced on Tuesday afternoons. The winners of the latest Athlete of the Week awards are listed below, along with details on their outstanding performances.

The MIAC Athlete of the Week archive has complete details on each week’s selections and winners.

MIAC Baseball Player of the Week
Brayden Kohls
Gustavus Adolphus College
So. | Outfield
Norwood, Minn. | Norwood Young America

Brayden Kohls helped the Gusties secure the MIAC regular season championship with a 4-0 week against conference opponents. Kohls hit .588 (10-for-17) with at least three hits in three of the four games. He scored six runs with four RBI, three doubles, three walks, a stolen base, and a sacrifice, while extending his reached base streak to 28 games. Kohls’ finest performance came in the MIAC championship-clinching win at Macalester on 5/2, where he hit 4-for-5 with two runs scored, a double, an RBI, and a sacrifice.

MIAC Baseball Pitcher of the Week
Connor Hartley
Saint John’s University
Sr. | Right-handed Pitcher
Inver Grove Heights, Minn. | Rosemount

Connor Hartley pitched a two-hit complete game with one unearned run allowed in the Johnnies’ seven-inning 4-1 win over Concordia on 4/29. Hartley tied a season high with seven strikeouts in his fourth complete-game effort of the year, while holding the Cobbers to a batting average of .080 in the contest.

MIAC Softball Player of the Week
Megan Erickson
College of Saint Benedict
Sr. | Catcher/Outfield
Randolph, Minn.

Megan Erickson hit .833 (5-for-6) in the Bennies’ sweep of Bethel on 5/3. Erickson went 3-for-3 with a double, three RBI, and a pair of runs scored in an 8-0 game-one win before going 2-for-3 with another RBI in the 4-3 regular-season finale. The senior played catcher for the first game before moving out to left field for game two.

MIAC Softball Pitcher of the Week
Martha Miller
Macalester College
So. | Pitcher
Medford, Wis.

Martha Miller pitched a five-inning perfect game in the Scots’ 9-0 victory over St. Scholastica on 5/3. Miller faced the minimum 15 batters and struck out eight of them.

“BIC Soleil PVF Championship” Will Be Broadcast Nationally May 9 & 11 on CBS Sports Network

SHELTON, Conn., May 5, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — BIC, a world leader in shaving innovation, is proud to announce that BIC Soleil razor has been named title sponsor for the 2025 championship of Pro Volleyball Federation (PVF), North America’s premier professional volleyball league.

PVF’s top four teams will compete for the league crown on May 9 and 11 at Lee’s Family Forum in Henderson, Nevada, just outside Las Vegas. Two semifinal matches on Friday evening will precede Sunday’s title match. All three matches will be broadcast nationally on CBS Sports Network, continuing PVF’s mission to bring unmatched visibility to its athletes and fans.

Volleyball participation is soaring. According to the National Federation of State High School Associations, U.S. high school rosters hit 470,488 players in 2022-23, second only to outdoor track and field’s 486,355. Momentum also extends to the club, where USA Volleyball logged 333,208 junior athletes ages 11-18 as of July 2024, a 40 percent jump since 2013-14. That expanding pipeline underscores the energy fueling the sport’s popularity and enthusiasm around PVF.

As the championship title sponsor and official razor of PVF, BIC Soleil will engage fans through an interactive campaign spanning CBS Sports Network broadcasts, in-arena signage, digital ads, and social content across Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok. A clever commercial, “Set a BIC, Score a BIC,” plays off the fast-paced volleyball move known as a “Bic,” prompting viewers to scan a QR code during match play for a chance to win exclusive BIC merchandise. Star athletes Ally Batenhorst (Omaha Supernovas) and Mia Tuaniga (Atlanta Vibe) will showcase how they prepare to shine on court, encouraging fans to follow the action.

“It’s an honor for BIC Soleil to join the excitement surrounding women’s volleyball during the PVF’s groundbreaking second season,” said Haven Cockerham, BIC’s Chief Commercial Officer for North America. “BIC’s passion for bringing joy and simplicity to everyday life perfectly matches the enthusiasm of loyal volleyball fans as they support these impressive athletes. We’re thrilled to be part of the growing momentum behind this high-energy, fan-favorite sport.”

“BIC Soleil empowers women to feel their best every day, and our athletes bring that same energy to every serve,” said Jen Spicher, CEO of Pro Volleyball Federation. “The PVF Championship lets us welcome viewers coast-to-coast to the biggest night in professional volleyball. From the opening serve in Las Vegas to screens nationwide, BIC Soleil and PVF are raising the bar for women’s sports and proving why the PVF is the nation’s premier league.”

Story Continues

For women who prioritize self-care, the new BIC Soleil Glide razor offers a simpler shaving routine without sacrificing comfort. This disposable razor features five blades that contour to the body and built-in moisture bars, enriched with shea, cocoa, and mango butters, clinically proven to provide lasting hydration. The BIC Soleil Glide provides a pampering shave and a smooth glide – even without shaving cream – all in one effortless step. The Soleil line also includes the BIC Soleil Escape, a sensorial razor with scented handles like coconut and sandalwood, designed for an immersive shaving experience.

“BIC Soleil is all about empowering women and encouraging them to embrace self-care, starting with an indulgent shave,” said Karen Schwartz, BIC Global Vice President, Blade Excellence. “The PVF’s world-class athletes like Ally and Mia are inspiring women across the country, making this partnership an excellent fit for BIC Soleil.”  

BIC^® Soleil^® Glide™ Sweepstakes Abbreviated Rules – No Purchase Necessary. 50 US & DC who are 18+. Enter between 5/9/25 5:00:00 PM PT and 5/11/25 at 11:59:59 PM PT.  Void where prohibited. Sponsor: BIC USA Inc. Official Rules, visit BIC Group Bio at www.instagram.com/BICGroup.

ABOUT BIC

A global leader in stationery, lighters, and shavers, BIC brings simplicity and joy to everyday life. For 80 years, BIC’s commitment to delivering high-quality, affordable, and trusted products has established BIC as a symbol of reliability and innovation. With a presence in over 160 countries, and over 14,000 team members worldwide, BIC’s portfolio includes iconic brands and products such as BIC® 4-Color™, BodyMark®, Cello®, Cristal®, Inkbox®, BIC Kids®, Lucky™, Rocketbook®, Tattly®, Tipp-Ex®, Wite-Out®, Djeep®, EZ Load™, EZ Reach®, BIC® Flex™, Soleil®, Tangle Teezer® and more. Listed on Euronext Paris and included in the SBF120 and CAC Mid 60 indexes, BIC is also recognized for its steadfast commitments to sustainability and education. For more, visit www.corporate.bic.com and to see BIC’s full range of products visit www.bic.com. Follow BIC on LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube and TikTok.

ABOUT PVF

Pro Volleyball Federation is the leading professional volleyball league in the United States. PVF sets the standard for the sport, offering the largest number of franchises, unmatched attendance, extensive broadcast coverage and substantial championship prize money. It combines top-tier talent, including NCAA stars and international athletes, with cutting-edge production and technology to provide fans with an unmatched viewing experience. As a vital link between collegiate volleyball and the professional stage, PVF is dedicated to shaping the future of the sport and increasing visibility for its athletes. For more information, visit ProVolleyball.com.

Media Contact: BICBlade@mbooth.com

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/bic-soleil-womens-razor-named-title-sponsor-of-pro-volleyball-federations-2025-championship-302445981.html

SOURCE BIC

Well, we had to deal with some good news and bad news at TCU this weekend.

First, the good.

The great exodus from California continues.

Apparently, life is so untenable out there that beach volleyball — Cali’s state sport, I guess — can’t even stand it.

Say what, you ask? TCU’s women’s beach volleyball program became the first program other than Southern Cal or UCLA to win the national championship on Sunday. The No. 2-seed Horned Frogs (32-5) topped No. 4 Loyola Marymount 3-2 in Gulf Shores, Alabama. I believe Gulf Shores is considered part of the Redneck Riviera.

Daniela Alvarez, the American Volleyball Coaches Association player of the year, and Tania Moreno came from behind to win the final match.

Alvarez and Moreno, who took a year off to play for Spain in the Paris Olympics, returned to TCU to finish undefeated in four years as a duo. Alvarez and Moreno dropped the first game 18-21 to LMU’s Michelle Shaffer and Anna Pelloia before rallying to win the final two 21-15 and 15-6.

TCU’s winningest pair, this season, Sofia Izuzquiza and Allanis Navas, won at No. 3, 21-16, 21-13 to remain perfect for the championship at 4-0. The freshman and senior duo end their first year at TCU 26-2.  

Anhelina Khmil and Ana Vergara won at No. 4, 21-14, 21-19, to finish the season undefeated at 21-0. The duo has tallied 41 wins together all-time.

TCU finished the season winning 12 consecutive matches.

Somewhere, the desert-worn Californian Karch Kiraly, a Santa Barbarian, or something, sits, doing little other than cursing Sam Houston’s Texas miracle.

“Son-of-a-beach!”

There were a bunch of people around here on Sunday saying as much because some bad news that trickled into the socials.

The acclaimed, beer-stained University Pub, with a history of almost 45 years, is shutting its doors this month.

Its lease has been terminated, according to an Instagram post.

“Sometimes you eat the bear; and sometimes the bear terminates your lease extension so they can turn a legacy business into your neighbor’s dining room. We’ll be around, having as much fun as ever, until 2am May 18th.”

I have never actually had bear, I don’t think, but I bet Jon Bonnell could cook it.

Bonnell’s Buffalo Bros. is expanding into the space to enlarge its dining room. Unsurprisingly, the move has drawn ire from loyal patrons — past and present — of The Pub, who are threatening to protest what they see as a grave injustice. Imagine Norm without Cheers.

Bonnell got on Instagram to reply to The Pub’s announcement: “Bbros is not the reason for The Pub closing.” He also called them great neighbors.

Since 1981, TCU students have forgotten more at The Pub than they ever learned in Elective 101 or even I’ve-Got-To-Have-This-Class-For-My-Degree 4300.

Reaction on Instagram to the news ranged from something along the lines of “Shame!” to “My ex stole my shithouse shirt and now I’m extra doubly pissed with her.”

A petition on Change.org, which takes on the most pressing cultural issues of our day, is making the rounds.

For the love of God, leaders and signers beseech, not The Pub! There can be no progress for humanity without The Pub!

Our man Mark Mourer, “his ownself,” an occasional contributor to our archives, has paid his share of light bills at The Pub over the years. In fact, we once asked him to whip up an ode to drinking in Fort Worth. He poured out his soul for us, The Pub front of his mind as inspiration for the words that came pouring forth.

He, too, walks the earth today shattered, half the man he was on Saturday.

“The University Pub in Fort Worth, TX is more than a bar,” says petition leader J.P. Johnson. “Nestled right next to the TCU campus, it has been an institution and a cherished part of the community for 44 incredible years. For generations of TCU fans, students, and alumni, the Pub has been a place of celebration, camaraderie, and lasting memories. It’s where we gathered to cheer on TCU’s greatest moments, share our joys and challenges, and create bonds that last a lifetime.

“Now, the very essence of this beloved establishment is under threat as the University Pub faces permanent closure. We are reaching out to all Fort Worth residents, TCU students and alumni, and supporters to help save this iconic venue.”

When I last looked about midday, 1,500 had gotten out their Bics to loan their John Hancock.

Congratulations, TCU’s beach volleyball national champions. We’ll toast you.

Somewhere.

American University’s track and field team wrapped up its regular season at the University of Pennsylvania’s Penn Relays on April 25 and 26. The Eagles’ outdoor track season has been strong, with athletes regularly setting new personal bests and breaking school records. 

American’s track and field head coach Sean Graham was impressed with the campaign’s trajectory and talked about his squad’s success. 

“Compared to what we’ve done in the past, including what the conference is doing, we’ve exceeded some of our expectations in that the number of school records that have gone down this year has far exceeded my expectations after a short while,” Graham said.

During the Virginia Challenge on April 18 at the University of Virginia, freshman Tamara Dorval broke American’s 100-meter record to start the meet, placing 27th with a personal record of 12.00 seconds. Additionally, junior Kaden Kluth and sophomore Ciera Thacker ran their personal bests for the Eagles, each moving up to second all-time for American in the 1500-meter and 100-meter races, respectively. 

The track and field team had broken records at the Dalton Ebanks Invitational at George Mason University on April 5, with the women’s 4×100 squad of freshman Zoe Clark, Dorval, Thacker, and sophomore Lorelei Bangit breaking the Eagles’ program record by six seconds, placing second in 47.05 seconds. 

American’s track and field team also sent its first all-female squad to the Penn Relays, with the team narrowly missing the school records it had set previously. 

At the University of Pennsylvania, Dorval, Bangit, and Clark also returned with freshman Lara Gin to beat the previous school record by 14 seconds in the 4×400 relay, finishing at 3:49.86.

As for recent notable performances on both the men’s and women’s teams, Graham mentioned junior Carver Morgan’s performance at the Patriot League Indoor Championships on the campus of the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, where he finished with a gold medal in the 800-meter and a personal record of 1 minute, 49.37 seconds. 

“And you know [Morgan] has done phenomenally so far this year and then on, come on the men’s side, we’ve got two sort of middle distance aces,” Graham said. “Now Kate includes in the 1500 and Carver Morgan, in the 800, who are pushing the needle on in the national levels of competition,” he said of junior Kate Riley and Morgan.

This year’s Patriot League Championships, hosted at the Naval Academy in a month, also saw  Bangit earn silver in the 400-meter dash with a time of 54.84 seconds, smashing her school record that she had set in the preliminary round the previous day. Breaking her 400 record thrice on the weekend, she also broke the school 200-meter dash record and finished in 24.96 seconds. 

The men’s distance medley relay squad for American, consisting of senior Danny O’Neill, freshman Brandon Williams, Morgan and Kluth, finished the race in 9 minutes, 45.81 seconds, earning silver and a fifth all-time mark for the Eagles.

After racing in the Patriot League Championships, Kluth and Morgan ran at the IC4A and ECAC Division I Indoor Championships hosted by Boston University on March 9. In the open mile, Kluth won in 4 minutes, 3.54 seconds, with Morgan coming in fifth at 4 minutes, 7.59 seconds.

This past weekend, American competed at the Patriot League Outdoor Championships, hosted by the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts. On the tournament’s first day, Bangit broke school records in the preliminary rounds of both the 200-meter and 400-meter events, finishing at 54.20 seconds and 24.39 seconds, respectively. Additionally, Dorval broke her school record in the 100-meter prelims, finishing with a time of 11.86 seconds. 

On the second day of the PL Championships, Kluth and Morgan won gold. Breaking American’s 17-year drought in the men’s 1500 event, Kluth won in 3:49.60, becoming AU’s first champion in the event since 2008. Morgan finished the 800-meter run with a personal best and meet record time of 1:47.91. Winning both the indoor and outdoor 800 men’s titles, Morgan now ranks 32nd in the NCAA East Region. Additionally, Bangit broke AU’s program best in the 400 meters with a finishing time of 54.00 seconds.

“So we’ve got a handful of athletes who have already qualified for the IC4A Championships with the ECAC Championships, two weeks after the Patriot Leagues at George Mason,” Graham said. “We currently have two athletes who are likely to have qualified for the NCAA first round, which is two weeks from now in Florida. And if that goes well, two weeks after that are the NCAA final rounds out in Eugene, [Oregon].” 

Athletes who have qualified will go on to compete at the IC4A and ECAC Championships at George Mason University on the weekend of May 16.

This article was edited by Connor Sturniolo, Penelope Jennings and Walker Whalen. Copy editing done by Olivia Citarella, Sabine Kanter-Huchting, Nicole Kariuki and Hannah Langenfeld. 

sports@theeagleonline.com 

The Patrick Henry High School boys’ volleyball team recently capped off an unforgettable regular season by going undefeated in league play and earning the 2025 City League Championship title.

The Patriots will play a first-round Division II CIF game vs. Pacific Ridge at home on Tuesday, May 6, 7 p.m.

Under the leadership of new head coach David Chau, who also heads the Patrick Henry girls’ volleyball program and leads the volleyball program at Lewis and Pershing Middle Schools, the team experienced a complete turnaround.

Led by senior captains Austin Odle and Caleb Weinert, the Patriots found their rhythm early and never looked back.

Odle, a senior outside hitter, led the team with 282 kills, averaging 3.5 kills per set, and also topped the defense with 169 digs and 2.1 digs per set. His all-around contributions included 332 serve receptions and 0.5 aces per set, making him one of the most reliable and versatile players on the court.

Caleb Weinert also had a standout season as an outside hitter and middle blocker. He recorded 262 kills, averaging 3.1 kills per set, and led the team in hitting percentage at .224. On defense, he added 132 digs, 1.6 digs per set, and led the team in serve receptions with 344 and 26 blocks this season.

Reflecting on the team’s season, Weinert said, “Every single guy on this team worked hard all season long. We put in the time, trusted each other, and it paid off. I’m really proud of what we accomplished together.”

Supporting the offense at the net was junior middle blocker Finnley Corbin, who contributed 105 kills at 1.9 kills per set and posted a strong .214 hitting percentage, providing consistent offensive support.

At the core of the Patriots’ success was junior setter Sylas Doan, who ran the offense with precision and control. He tallied an impressive 926 total assists, led the team with 54 aces, and added 15 total blocks, demonstrating his skill on both sides of the court.

On the defensive side, Jack Boyd, a junior outside hitter and libero, made a major impact with 155 digs and 301 serve receptions. His consistent presence in the back row was key to maintaining momentum and transitioning into offense.

Additional key starters played a crucial role in the team’s championship run. Daniel Behne, a senior opposite, brought energy and offensive strength from the right side, along with 17 aces. Connor Carr, a junior who rotated at both middle and opposite, was a solid force at the net, tallying 19 total blocks. On defense, Peter Tu, a freshman defensive specialist, anchored the back row with dependable passing and serve receive.

This season marked a true turning point for the Patrick Henry boys’ volleyball program.

With strong senior leadership, emerging young talent, and expert coaching from Chau and his assistant coaches, the team not only went undefeated in league but also built a foundation for long-term success.

The 2025 season will be remembered as the year the Patriots rose to the top—and stayed there.

Editor’s note: This article and photo are courtesy of the Patrick Henry High boys’ volleyball team.