Tarleton State’s Prestina Ochonogor wins gold, sets new U-20 African Record at African U20 Championships
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STEPHENVILLE, Texas – Tarleton State freshman Prestina Ochonogor shined once again on the international stage taking home gold and setting a new African U20 record at the 2025 African U20 Championships in Abeokuta, Nigeria on Saturday. Ochonogor dominated with all three of her jumps exceeding 6.60 meters. She set […]
STEPHENVILLE, Texas – Tarleton State freshman Prestina Ochonogor shined once again on the international stage taking home gold and setting a new African U20 record at the 2025 African U20 Championships in Abeokuta, Nigeria on Saturday.
Ochonogor dominated with all three of her jumps exceeding 6.60 meters. She set a new season best and posted her third-best lifetime leap with a 6.71-meter jump. That leap established herself with the U20 African record and U20 African championships record as well.
The youngster breaks the U20 record previously held by fellow Nigerian Olympian, Ese Brume. Brume’s best leap of 6.61 meters came when she was 19 years and 162 days old. Ochonogor recently celebrated her 19th birthday, setting the new record at 19 years and 16 days old. Brume also held the meet record of 6.33 meters set over 10 years ago when the competition was in Addis Abada, Ethiopia.
The Bennin, Nigeria, native, has been setting constant records since joining the Tarleton State squad. In her first jump as a Texan, she set the new women’s indoor long jump school record and WAC Championships Meet record with a 6.49-meter jump. She bested herself later on in the competition re-breaking those records and setting a new all-time WAC record with a 6.64-meter leap. But she wasn’t done there. In the outdoor slate, she set the new school record at the Texas Relays. At the WAC Outdoor Championships, she tied the meet record with a 6.67-meter leap.
Ochonogor is no stranger to competing for Nigeria at the national level. A summer ago, Ochonogor jumped for Nigeria at the 2024 Paris Olympics. As one of the youngest competitors at the 2024 Paris Games and one of the youngest to compete for Nigeria, the then 17-year-old finished 12th in the women’s long jump.
In her first season as a collegiate athlete, the freshman brought home major accolades. She won the WAC long jump title in both the indoor and outdoor season and was a First Team All-American with an eighth-place finish at each NCAA National Championship. She also earned the WAC Outdoor Female Freshman of the Year, the second Texan this year to win the honor, joining indoor freshman Victoria Cameron.
At the end of the month, Ochonogor will compete at the Nigerian National Championships in the long jump. The freshman will be competing for a chance to earn a bid to the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo, Japan in September.
Canada falls to Serbia in men’s Volleyball Nations League
LJUBLJANA — The Canadian men’s volleyball team fell 3-1 to a Serbian team desperate to avoid relegation in Volleyball Nations League on Saturday. LJUBLJANA — The Canadian men’s volleyball team fell 3-1 to a Serbian team desperate to avoid relegation in Volleyball Nations League on Saturday. Serbia’s (15-25, 25-22, 25-18, 25-22) victory over the Canadians […]
LJUBLJANA — The Canadian men’s volleyball team fell 3-1 to a Serbian team desperate to avoid relegation in Volleyball Nations League on Saturday.
LJUBLJANA — The Canadian men’s volleyball team fell 3-1 to a Serbian team desperate to avoid relegation in Volleyball Nations League on Saturday.
Serbia’s (15-25, 25-22, 25-18, 25-22) victory over the Canadians assured the Serbians a berth in next year’s Nations League with a ranking of 15th out of 18 participating countries.
Canada, ranked 14th with a record of 4-7, will also return to Nations League in 2026. The Canadians wrap the VNL preliminary round Sunday against Ukraine.
Canada dominated the Serbians in the first set, but the latter adjusted to pull out the victory.
Serbia led in attack points (53-50), aces (4-3) and made fewer errors (26-29). Canada had the more effective block (8-4).
“We have to execute at a higher level if we want to be able to compete internationally,” observed Canadian head coach Dan Lewis.
“The statistics in general were not that bad, plus minus was good overall, but we didn’t have enough serving pressure on them and our attack dropped to a level that’s not sufficient enough to compete at a high level.
“We’re not digging enough balls and we’re not presenting ourselves with enough block positive and slow down transition opportunities and this has been a theme for some of our matches. We need to improve on this if we’re going to win.”
Brodie Hofer of Langley, B.C., (15 points), Isaac Heslinga of Orangeville, Ont., (14 points), and Toronto’s Xander Wassenaar Ketrzynski (11) led scoring for Canada.
Serbia’s Drazen Luburić led all scorers with 20 points (18 kills and 2 aces)
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 19, 2025.
Australian captain Bronte Halligan (right) battles it out with Greek player Sofia Tornarou. (EPA PHOTO) Australia’s women’s water polo team suffered a heartbreaking loss in the dying seconds of their quarter-final at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore. The Aussie Stingers and Greece were locked at 7-7 with eight seconds left on Saturday, but Australia […]
Australian captain Bronte Halligan (right) battles it out with Greek player Sofia Tornarou. (EPA PHOTO)
Australia’s women’s water polo team suffered a heartbreaking loss in the dying seconds of their quarter-final at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore.
The Aussie Stingers and Greece were locked at 7-7 with eight seconds left on Saturday, but Australia inexplicably turned over the ball and the Greeks swam towards the Aussie goal, shooting from outside to beat the buzzer, scoring with two seconds left.
There were never more than two goals separating the teams all game, and the Aussies seemed to have the momentum in the final quarter.
It was always going to be an emotion-charged game, the two sides having faced off in the quarter-finals at the Paris Olympics. Australia won that game and went on to claim the silver medal. But, like Australia, the Greeks have a new-look team and have already achieved strong results in this Olympic cycle.
Stingers captain and dual Olympian Bronte Halligan said the team were devastated they won’t have the opportunity to play for a world championship medal.
“That’s a really tough result. As Bec (Rippon, Stingers coach) said, quarter-final water polo you’ve got to stick it out right to the end and we did,” Halligan said.
“The Greeks also did that, but we showed real heart out there and I couldn’t be more proud of our girls.
“It’s a tough loss and it’s going to sting for a little bit, but the girls will hold their heads high knowing we did everything we could have.
“This is a stepping stone and we really want to build this squad, we have a lot more goals. I think it’s exciting to see where we are going to go over the next few years during this Olympic cycle.”
Rippon echoed Halligan’s sentiment, saying despite the disappointment of the loss there is a lot they can build on as they set their sights on LA 2028.
“We spoke about it before the game, that this is what we do all the hard work for, these big moments, and we go out there and leave everything we’ve got in the pool, and I think we did that tonight,” Rippon said.
“It is a heartbreaking way to lose, but we did leave everything out there and I’m proud of the team.”
Australia now meet Japan in the classification matches on Monday.
Former Cardinal Golfer Emily Holzopfel Takes Third in WV Women's Amateur Championship
Story Links Wheeling, W. Va. – Last week, some of the best amateur golfers across the state of West Virginia competed at the Club at Cress Creek for the 2025 West Virginia Women’s Amateur Championship. Former Cardinal Emily Holzopfel was among the events participants and finished third in the competition field with a score of […]
Wheeling, W. Va. – Last week, some of the best amateur golfers across the state of West Virginia competed at the Club at Cress Creek for the 2025 West Virginia Women’s Amateur Championship. Former Cardinal Emily Holzopfel was among the events participants and finished third in the competition field with a score of 224 (+8) across the three rounds of competition. The former Mountain East Conference (MEC) Women’s Golfer of the Year finished just seven strokes behind the event’s champion as she continues her post college playing career.
The event kicked off on Sunday, July 13th, with the first 18 holes of competition and it would be the best round of the event for Holzopfel. She would shoot a 71 across the 18 holes, shooting an even par for the day. After hitting par on hole one, she picked up the first of four birdies on the day to get to –1. She would add two more birdies on the front nine and finished an even par after nine holes. She duplicated her performance on the back nine and would sit in the top spot after the first round. Holzopfel would hold a two stroke lead on the competition field heading into day two of action and looked to continue her success on the course.
As she entered day two of the event, Holzopfel would continue to battle for the top spot, shooting a 74 (+3) in round two. She would add two more birdies to her event total and had her best showing on the front nine, where she shot a +1. With 18 more holes to come on the final day, Holzopfel would hold a one stroke lead over Morgantown’s Alyssa Zhang as she looked to finish the event strong. Her final round would see her shoot 79 (+8), putting up a +4 on both the front and the back nine. She would end up finishing third in the competition field finishing at +11 over the three days of competition. It equalled her third place finish from a year ago competing against the best of the best in the women’s amateur scene.
During her four seasons in a Cardinal uniform, Holzopfel was one of the most decorated golfers in Wheeling Women’s Golf history. She finished as a two-time First Team All-MEC award winner, taking home the conference’s Women’s Golfer of the Year award during the 2021 season. In that same season, she led the Cardinals to their first-ever team appearance at the NCAA DII Atlantic Regional Championships. She also played as a member of the Wheeling University Women’s Basketball team, where she helped lead the Cardinals to the MEC Women’s Basketball tournament in each of her four seasons. She would cap her athletic career by winning the Female Intercollegiate Athlete of the Year award, given annually to the top graduating female student-athlete for their achievements across their entire athletic career.
The Wheeling University Women’s Golf team will kick-off the 2025 Fall season on Thursday, September 4th, when they host day one of the Wheeling Invitational at 9 AM.
Eastman key to Manitoba’s Francophone Games team – The Carillon
After nearly a decade on hiatus, the Canada Francophone Games are back. The games opening ceremonies were held in Montreal’s Bell Centre, the home of the NHL’s Canadiens July 15, with the Manitoba delegation full of Eastman talent. The Francophone Games bring French-speaking youth from across the country together to compete in a variety of […]
After nearly a decade on hiatus, the Canada Francophone Games are back.
The games opening ceremonies were held in Montreal’s Bell Centre, the home of the NHL’s Canadiens July 15, with the Manitoba delegation full of Eastman talent. The Francophone Games bring French-speaking youth from across the country together to compete in a variety of disciplines.
The Francophone Games were last held in 2017, with the 2020 edition of the games cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Gabrielle-Roy volleyball standout Logan Barnabe will be suiting up for Team Manitoba at the Francophone Games this week in Laval. He was named a Manitoba High Schools Athletic Association AAAA boys varsity all-star this season, as Gabrielle-Roy were defeated in the AAAA semi-finals by St Paul’s. (Cassidy Dankochik The Carillon)
One of the over 100-member delegation from Team Manitoba is Otterburne’s Mélanie Curé, who is the coach of the province’s badminton team. The Francophone games feature both sports and culture competitions, including culinary, music and improv teams.
“It’s really good to see them back,” Curé said.
“It will come with a bit of a learning curve for a lot of folks. Typically when you have this sort of thing every two or three years, there’s continuity… When you go eight years without it, you’ve essentially lost two high school cycles.”
Sporting events include beach volleyball, badminton, athletics, ultimate, flag football and 3×3 basketball.
Eastman participants fill the Team Manitoba roster, with more than two dozen set to suit up for Team Manitoba across various events. Gabrielle-Roy volleyball standouts Colin Vermette and Logan Barnabé, who helped their AA school to an appearance in the AAAA semi-finals last season, will represent the province in beach volleyball.
Cure’s badminton team features a pair of Eastman players from St Adolphe and Aubigny. It’s going to be an intense schedule for badminton athletes. After individual events, the provinces will be seeded for a team competition, similar to the Davis Cup in Tennis.
“It makes for a very different feel,” Curé said, noting the players and coaches feel the pressure to perform for teammates.
“There’s a lot of emotional management happening as well. All of a sudden you’re not just playing for everybody on the bench with you. The fans are always a lot louder, you’ve got cowbells and signs. That’s not something that badminton players are used to seeing… It makes for a very different experience… Getting to do it in French is something that doesn’t happen very often.”
Some of the best badminton players in the U19 age group in Manitoba are Francophone, with more than 40 players trying out for the team earlier this year. Curé said it’s difficult to predict how badminton players will fare at the games, as even during normal games it was up in the air how good the top players from other provinces would be.
“I’m very happy with the turnout, we had a record number of players try out, which made my job very difficult but also very rewarding” she said.
“In terms of how they’ll stack up against other provinces, I truly have no clue.”
There are plenty of new faces on Team Manitoba’s mission staff, with many former athletes and participants now making the transition to organizers and coaches.
While the pressure to perform in their respective disciplines is strong, Team Manitoba is also the three-time defending Francophonie award winner, where athletes from other provinces vote for which region had the best spirit throughout the games.
“It’s something that’s definitely been discussed,” Curé said with a laugh.
“We’re really hoping to bring that vibe again.”
A new feature for the games this year has an Eastman connection as well, as the Francophone Games will give out the first Roxane Dupuis Commitment Award.
The award recognizes “the ongoing commitment of a person who has distinguished themselves by their contribution to the development of the games over the years,” and is named after La Broquerie’s Roxane Dupuis, who will be in Laval to present the award herself.
The 2028 edition of the games will be closer to home, as Regina was announced as the next hosts earlier this year.
Participants
Raphael Raharijaona – Grunthal – Ethics Cup
Nathalie Delaquis – Ile des Chenes – Music
Julie Fillion – Kleefeld – Music
Cédric Chartier – La Broquerie – Athletics
Yvan Turenne – La Broquerie – Basketball
Melanie Cure gives coaching to a player during the Zone 13 badminton championships in April. The Otterburne coach is leading Team Manitoba at the Francophone Games in Laval. (Cassidy Dankochik Carillon Archives)
In Liberia's version of baseball, there are no bats and no men
MONROVIA, Liberia (AP) — It was a perfect pitch. The ball sped straight across home plate, where it was met with an equally powerful kick. Perryline Jimmie sprinted toward first base after her kick as her teammates erupted in cheers on the sidelines. Jimmie, 23, is a professional player of kickball, a close cousin of […]
MONROVIA, Liberia (AP) — It was a perfect pitch. The ball sped straight across home plate, where it was met with an equally powerful kick. Perryline Jimmie sprinted toward first base after her kick as her teammates erupted in cheers on the sidelines.
Jimmie, 23, is a professional player of kickball, a close cousin of baseball that is beloved by women in Liberia and played all over the country from schoolyards to public squares and dirt fields. Since its introduction in the 1960s, it has become the nation’s second-most popular sport after soccer.
Kickball in Liberia has the rules of baseball but there are no bats, and players kick a soccer ball instead of the larger, lightweight ball used for the game in other places.
There also are no male players.
“In Liberia, (kickball) is our tradition,” said Jimmie, who noted many girls start playing kickball from an early age. “This is why you see women playing kickball in Liberia.”
How kickball came to Liberia
In 1964, Peace Corps volunteer Cherry Jackson noticed that, unlike boys, the students at the all-girls school where she taught in Monrovia, the capital, didn’t play any sports, according to Emmanuel Whea, president of Liberia’s National Kickball League.
Jackson, an American, tried to teach the girls baseball but quickly realized they were much better at hitting the ball with their feet. That was the start of what became a custom for girls in the country of about 5.6 million people.
“When you’re a girl growing up in Liberia, you will play kickball,” Whea said.
Kickball is played in other parts of the world, including in the United States, where it is a common elementary school game for girls and boys. But only in Liberia is there a women-only professional league.
A league for women and peace
The National Kickball League was created in 1994 to bring people together as Liberia was reeling from a civil war.
The league was set up “to bring the ladies together and use them (as part of) the reconciliation process of Liberia,” Whea said. “We had just left the civil war, and everybody had just scattered … So kickball was one of those sports used to bring Liberians together so they could have the time to hear the peace messages.”
Whea has big plans for the league, including expanding it to men and introducing the game to other African countries. However, his mission has been complicated by a lack of resources, especially in a region where women’s sports often are underfunded.
Saydah A. Yarbah, a 29-year-old mother of two, admits it is hard to make ends meet on her athlete’s salary despite playing kickball for 10 years. Her earnings are “not even near” what male athletes earn, she said.
An all-women sport headed by men
In Liberia, many sports, including soccer, are male-dominated. Despite kickball being a sport played by women, the league is led by men, from the coaches to the referees and league officials.
The league encourages women but they really don’t want to be coaches, Whea said.
“Their husbands might have a problem with them working full-time (and) for some, their relationship will not allow it,” he said
Yarbah plans to change that narrative by becoming a coach when she retires, allowing her to share her passion for the sport with others, including her two sons, she said.
“They are not going to play kickball for now,” she said. “But probably in the future, they are going to introduce kickball to men.”
For the moment, kickball remains a women’s game. Men sometimes come during their practice, Yarbah said, but they do not stand a chance.
“They don’t know the techniques of the game,” she said. “So we always win.”
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