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Five Thoughts on the 2024

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Five Thoughts on the 2024

With the Cowboy baseball season coming to an end Sunday evening, the Oklahoma State sports calendar is just about ready to turn to 2025-26.

Dave Smith still has athletes competing at the NCAA Championships, but for the most part, the Cowboys and Cowgirls are done for the summer. Before the offseason truly starts, let’s take a look back at the school year that was for OSU Athletics.

1. Back to the Future

Oklahoma State is a wrestling and golf school.

If you would’ve told that to someone back in 2006, they would’ve told you “Duh,” but if you would’ve gone back three years ago, it might’ve been tough to see the path for the OSU wrestling and golf teams to step so directly into the national spotlight.

Spurred by the dawning of the David Taylor era, Wyatt Hendrickson doing back flips and the Cowboys being as good as they have been in some time, interest in OSU wrestling seems to be as high now as it has been in a while. Although the Cowboys still have work to do to catch up with the four-time defending champion Nittany Lions, OSU is firmly in the title hunt again.

As for the Cowboy golf team, OSU had won a title in 2018, but losing Eugenio Lopez-Chacarra to LIV and Brian Start to the portal in the years following meant the Pokes had to do a bit of a rebuild. That rebuild ended up looking more like a reload. The Cowboys took home national title No. 12 last month, doing so with a lineup of four sophomores and a freshman.

It wasn’t the most fun year of OSU athletics (see the final nine games of the football season), but Cowboy fans should be thankful that in a year where football was as down as its been in sometime and basketball (again) went through a reset that the ole reliable sports of wrestling and golf were there.

2. It Brought Some High Highs

As down as this school year might’ve seemed because of football and men’s basketball, it provided some all-time OSU moments.

Wyatt Hendrickson’s win against Gable Steveson might be the best singular OSU sports moment of this century, much less the school year. Seriously, which moments outdo that? The John Lucas shot? Collin Oliver’s fourth-down sack in 2021 Bedlam? There can’t be many. Of the 1.2 million YouTube views of Hendrickson’s win, I have to have contributed about 350.

Outside of Hendrickson beating Steveson, here are a few of my other favorite moments from the school year:

• Brennan Presley breaking the all-time receptions record against TCU

• The Cowgirl basketball team coming back from down 15 to beat No. 9 TCU

• Baseball’s walk-off win on Sunday to eliminate Georgia

3. And Some Lows

I don’t want to linger on the 2024 football season any more than I have to, but man, that stunk.

Three moments from the season were particularly smelly: An OK West Virginia team running for 389 yards in Boone Pickens Stadium; the 52-0 season-ending loss to Colorado; and the circus that was the Board of Regents reported “standoff” with Mike Gundy.

We’ll get a little more into the Cowboys’ offseason later, but for how dire things seemed back in early December, there seems to be a new energy surrounding OSU football with the new staff and the cavalcade of incoming transfers. That energy boost was much needed after Cowboy fans had to watch their team lose nine times in a row to close the year.

4. Predictions Mean Even Less in Chaotic Portal Era

Take a look at where these five OSU teams were predicted to finish in the Big 12 going into this school year vs. where they actually finished:

Football — 3rd ➡️ 16th
Men’s basketball — 14th ➡️ 12th
Women’s basketball — 11th ➡️ 3rd
Baseball — 1st ➡️ 7th
Softball — 1st ➡️ 4th

Men’s basketball was close. Other than that, you might’ve been better off betting the opposite of those preseason polls. And I don’t even think it’s the pollsters’ faults either — whether it’s coaches or media. It’s hard enough to keep on top of the roster comings and goings of one team, much less 16, and have an educated argument as to how good that team will be compared to these other 15 teams that also have a ton of new players on them.

Gundy has long said that rankings shouldn’t come out until October or so. In the runaway train that is modern media, that’s not going to happen, but now more than ever you have to judge college teams on how they are actually playing as opposed to what you think they might be.

5. How Will History Remember the Football Offseason?

This year was the first time that the OSU football program had to use the portal to the extent the Cowboys did. OSU added more than 30 transfers this offseason — an offseason unlike any other in OSU’s history to this point.

In 20 years, will we all look back at this offseason as a sign of the crazy portal era times? Or is this just going to become commonplace? I reside in the camp that hopes something gets done about just how easily players are able to jump from one school to another. But with each passing day, the college athletic landscape just seems more like a mess that needs to be figured out.

Maybe legislation sets guard rails soon and we all look back at this time like a fever dream. Or maybe this is the first offseason of a new normal for OSU football.

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Track and Field Opens Indoor Season with the Alden Invitational

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PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The Brown track and field programs opened up their 2025-26 indoor seasons this weekend, competing at two separate meets in Rhode Island. A majority of the Bears competed at their home opener, the 39th annual Alden Invitational at the Olney-Margolies Athletic Center (OMAC) on Saturday.
 
The Alden Invite saw three Bears set marks that landed on the program’s all-time top 10 performers list in their respective events. Senior Zoe Carter-Konate tossed a 17.88-meter weight throw, putting her sixth all time in women’s program history, beating her previous PR by 56 centimeters. Junior Alyssa Jackson ran a 7.55 60-meter dash, tying her for third in program history and beating her previous PR by .03 seconds. On the men’s side, sophomore Trevor Wilder finished the 60m dash in 6.86 seconds, putting him ninth in program history. 
 
As a team, the Brown women took home first place out of four teams with 164 points, while the men’s team took second, trailing only Bryant with 116 points. 
           
ALDEN INVITATIONAL
MEN
In the 60m final, Wilder’s 6.86 time placed him first in the event, with freshman Filippos Georgantas finishing second with a time of 6.92 and junior Skyler Hall finishing third with a time of 6.97. Hall also finished fifth in the 300m race with a time of 36.17.
 
Junior Aaron Caveney claimed first in the 1,000 meter run with a time of 2:29.11. Freshman Duncan Frisbie-Smith followed in second with a time of 2:30.34.
 
In the 3000m, freshman Will Smitas finished second with a time of 8:42.85. Sophomore Kit Jackson finished third with a time of 8:44.34 and sophomore Nick Strayer finished fourth in 9:15.71. 
 
Junior Mubaraq Aderogba finished first in the long jump final at a mark of 7.06 meters. Freshman Jerald Evangelista finished third by leaping 6.86 meters.
 
Two freshmen had big first impressions in the shot put with Sean Wilton taking first place (15.98m), and Argenis Luciano finishing fifth at 13.83 meters. 
 
In the weight throw, junior Ethan Wordell captured first with a 16.84m throw. Freshman Grayson He made a big impression by finishing fourth at 15.40m.
 
 
WOMEN
Jackson’s 7.55 60m dash was good enough for first place. Sophomore Mackenzie Fulgham had a podium finish in third place with a time of 7.74 seconds. 
 
In the 300m dash, two freshmen shined for the Bears with Sydney Ruckett taking first place with a time of 39.42 and Jannah Maguire placing third with a time of 40.15. Junior Maddelynn Brooks finished fourth with a time of 40.42 seconds. 
 
In the 600m race, freshman Mia Reaugh captured first with a time of 1:36.28. Junior Katrina Sortland finished third with a time of 1:37.26 and freshman Megan Jasinski finished fourth with a time of 1:38.04.
 
Sophomore Bria Benigni ran the 1,000 meters for the Bears and finished fourth with a time of 3:07.44
 
In the mile, junior Nina Kruzewska finished third with a time of 5:09.26 and senior Juli Gonzalez finished fourth with a time of 5:11.76
 
Senior Olivia Bergin claimed first in the 3,000-meter race with a time of 10:37.40. Senior Sara Perez followed behind Bergin, placing second with a time of 10:39.22. Sophomore Eve Siff-Scherr also ran in the race, placing fifth with a time of 11:05.12.
 
Elle Riley’s 8.55-second time in the 60m hurdle finals placed her second overall, and 0.07 seconds shy of her own school record. Maguire finished third at a time of 8.84 and senior Simone Dunbar finished fourth in 8.86 seconds. 
 
In the high jump, sophomore Adanna Obuba placed second by clearing 1.56 meters. 
 
Sophomore Naa Adua Annan finished third in the long jump with a 5.35-meter mark. 
 
In the triple jump, freshman Clara Fan placed second with a mark of 11.21 meters. Senior Rachel Bibiu placed fifth with a mark of 11.06 meters.
 
In the shot put, junior Amiya Hopkins placed third with a 12.30m mark and freshman Angela Volkova placed fifth with a mark of 11.86 meters.
 
Carter-Konate’s 17.88-meter toss in the weight throw placed her in first. Junior Jillian Leahy placed third with a toss of 16.44 meters, and sophomore Giana DeCesare placed fourth at 16.08m.
 
URI MULTI-MEET
At the URI Pentathlon, junior Rosie Volpintesta and freshman Nyla Blake-Soden each scored points for the Bears with Volpintesta finishing in third place with 3,520 points, and Blake-Soden finishing fifth with 3,364. As part of the event, Volpintesta finished second in the shot put and third in the high jump, and Blake-Soden took third place in the 800 meters.
 
On the men’s side at the URI Heptathlon, Gabriel Liem Thai led the way for Brown in fourth place out of 17 competitors with 4,666 points. He finished third in the event’s pole vault by clearing 4.50 meters.
 
The Bears will return to action after the holiday break on Saturday, January 10 at the Dartmouth Relays in Hanover, N.H.
 


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‘U’ Sweeps Fairfield in NCAA Tournament Opener

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MINNEAPOLIS — The No. 4 seeded Minnesota volleyball team defeated the Fairfield Stags in three sets to open NCAA Tournament play on Friday evening. The set scores were 25-12, 25-7, 25-13.

“I’m proud of our team for playing our brand of volleyball,” said head coach Keegan Cook. “Serving, blocking and playing really clean. Tomorrow will be a big challenge. Iowa State is a great team in a lot of facets, especially defensively,”

In their 30th NCAA Tournament appearance and 11th straight, Minnesota improved to 29-1 in first round matches. The Gophers set a school record tonight, hitting a blistering .582. The previous best was .562 in 2025 vs. Jackson State.

“You’d rather be in the Pav than anywhere else,” said head coach Keegan Cook. “We want to make the most of this experience as we had to work hard to be here. We can’t wait to play in front of our fans one more time tomorrow night. We know they’ll always show up.”

 

Julia Hanson had 13 kills to lead Minnesota while Carly Gilk had seven kills, six digs and four blocks. Lourdes Myers totaled seven kills and six blocks while Stella Swenson had 31 assists.

With Hanson’s third kill of the match, she became the latest Golden Gopher to hit 1,000 for her career. She talked about that milestone after the match.

“When I hit that back row attack from Stella I knew that was my 1,000th,” Hanson said. “It’s not something I was focusing on, but it was at the back of my mind.”

The Gophers (23-9, 12-8 Big Ten) outhit the Stags (25-6, 17-1 MAAC) .582 to .056, leading in kills (40 to 27), digs (31 to 21), aces (8 to 1) and blocks (11 to 1).

For Fairfield, Allie Elliott had seven kills while Mamie Krubally had six.

How It Happened

SET 1 | Minnesota came out red hot, scoring seven of the first eight points. Fairfield would score six of the next eight to make it 11-7. The Gophers heated up after that, tallying eight of the next 10 to go up 19-9, forcing a Stags timeout. Minnesota tallied two blocks while Gilk had two kills. Hanson and Taylor had one each in the spurt. After the timeout, Fairfield tallied a pair of points before Kinney and Swenson had kills, Hanson put down an ace and Myers was in on a pair of blocks. The ‘U’ took a 25-12 set one win.

SET 2 | Fairfield started out with a 3-1 lead before the Gophers responded with five straight to make it 6-3. Hanson and Kinney each had a pair of kills in the spurt. After the two teams split the next few points, Minnesota went on a 5-0 run to go up 12-5 and force a timeout. After the break, Gilk had an ace before Myers went for a block with Hanson. Another kill by Myers, an ace from Hanson and an attacking error by Fairfield made it 18-6, Gophers, forcing the visitors’ final timeout. Minnesota would close on a 7-1 run getting a block, four kills and an ace to win, 25-7.

SET 3 | The Stags came out hot, scoring seven of the first 12. Minnesota would respond with a 4-0 run to go up 9-7, getting kills from Taylor and Gilk along with an ace from Kinney. After a timeout, Fairfield would get back within one at 11-10 before Minnesota scored five more in-a-row. Myers and Hanson had kills along with three errors from Fairfield. After another Fairfield timeout, The Gophers extended it to 21-12 after a couple kills from Kinney and an ace from Chloe Ng, her first of the season. Minnesota scored the final four points two win, 25-13, getting a kill from Crowl, an ace from Kinney and a block from Hanson and Taylor.

Game Notes

» Minnesota is now 2-0 all-time against Fairfield, winning in sweeps in the 2019 and 2025 NCAA Tournaments.

» The Gophers are now 29-1 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

» The ‘U’ hit a season-best and program-best .582 tonight. They had 40 kills and just one error on 67 swings.

» .582 was the best mark by any team in the NCAA this season.

» Every Gophers hitter hit over .500 for the first time in school history. Julia Hanson was the ‘lowest’ at .522.

» Minnesota is now 20-3 against unranked opponents this season.

» McKenna Garr (10) posted 10+ digs for the 22nd time in 2025.

» Julia Hanson (13 kills) posted 10+ kills for the 25th time this season.

» The Gophers improved to 13-4 at home this year.

» Lourdes Myers had six blocks, her 12th time with five-or-more blocks this year.

» Chloe Ng tallied an ace for the first time this season and fourth time in her career.

Up Next

Minnesota will take on No. 5 seeded Iowa State tomorrow at 7 p.m. in the Round of 32 at Maturi Pavilion. ESPN+ will stream.  



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Hartford Men’s Track and Field Rewrites Record Book In Yale University Season Opener

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NEW HAVEN, Conn. – On Saturday, the University of Hartford men’s indoor track & field team kicked off the 2025-26 campaign competing at the Yale Season Opener in New Haven. Today was highlighted by record-setting performances as several Hawks rewrote the program record book.

Rapid Recap:

  • Graduate student Kaden Leonard (Webster, N.Y.) headlined for Hartford breaking records on this Saturday season opener. He took fourth place in the 60 meter dash with a time of 6.92 seconds. Leonard out beat his own all-time record at Hartford which was previously at 6.94 seconds and continues to hold the number one all-time spot in the 60 meter dash. Along with his fourth place finish Leonard took eighth in the 200m sprint event crossing the finish line at 22.70 seconds.
  • Sophomore Owen Klein (Coventry, R.I.) earned second place in the men’s mile event crossing the finish line with an impressive time of 4:29.78. Along with this feat, Klein also took third in the 3000m event at 9:11.95. In that same event senior Gulian Marconi (Southampton, Mass.) placed seventh with a time of 4:35.92. Along with teammate sophomore Daren Johnson (Meriden, Conn.) on his tail coming into eighth place at 4:36.06.
  • Sophomore Marlon Pierre (Baldwin, N.Y.) finished in second place in the 60m hurdles event with a time of 8.58 seconds. With this race Pierre now holds the second fastest time in Hartford history. Just behind Pierre was freshman Burrell Laneau (Valley Stream, N.Y.) making his first collegiate debut earning fourth place with a time of 8.79 seconds 
  • Junior Thomas Yonkers (Farmington, Conn.) claimed second place in the pole vault event clearing a height of 4.10 meters.
  • Sophomore Aidan Lybarger (South Burlington, Vt.) took third place in the men’s shot put with a distance of 14.76m on his second throw, earning also the second furthest distance of all time for the history books at Hartford. Lybarger also took 10th in the men’s weight throw, tossing a distance of 14.91 meters.
  • Freshman Julius Lowe-Wannamaker (Springfield, Mass.) launched his collegiate debut earning second place in the long jump event clearing a distance of 6.82m. He also finished in 6th place in the high jump event clearing a height of 1.90 meters. 
  • Sophomore Ethan Fiorenza (Dover, N.H.) took third place in the 5000m event crossing the line at 15:51.81.
  • Hartford ended the day with a strong showing in the 4×400 event, it was senior Spencer Beane (North Reading, Mass.), Yonkers, freshman Mikael Isaacs (Danbury, Conn.), and sophomore Aidan Quee (Springfield, Mass.) to earn fourth place with a team time of 3:31.32.

 

Post Game Press:

“During my time off, I focused on cleaning up my form and building strength so I could come back more efficiently and ready to make a run at nationals,” said graduate student Kaden Leonard (Webster, N.Y.). “Even though I wasn’t competing, I was hungry the whole time, ready to chase PRs. My teammates fed off that energy adn ambition during block starts, workouts, the weight room, and time trials. Iron sharpening iron.”

“We had an incredible season opener,” said head coach Connor Green. “Now while school records and and top 10 marks are a goal and excellent when they happen, what we really loved with seeing all of our new athletes was to  get a chance to showcase all of the hard work they’ve been putting in. As well as all of our returners really stepping up and putting themselves in a great position for the rest of the season. Across the board it was a stellar day and we are thrilled with how our athletes performed. We can’t wait to see what’s next.”

 

Up Next: 

The Hawks will compete next Saturday, December 13th at the SCSU Art Kadish Invitational.

For the latest information on Hartford Athletics follow the Hawks on Facebook, Instagram, X, and YouTube.

 





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UW-Oshkosh volleyball wins 2025 Division 3 national championship

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BLOOMINGTON, Ill. (WBAY) – The UW-Oshkosh volleyball team is the best in the country for the first time in program history, as the Titans took down La Verne to secure a Division 3 national championship.

The Titans won 18 consecutive sets in the national tournament en route to the championship. They last dropped a set against UW-Eau Claire in the WIAC championship match on Nov. 15.

The volleyball title marks the 33rd Division 3 national championship in the history of the UW-Oshkosh athletic department.



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Lea’s Facility and School Record Headlines Impressive Bison Opener for Women’s Track & Field

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LEWISBURG, Pa.- Alexandra Lea added another chapter to her already impressive career book by setting the Gerhard Fieldhouse and school record in the 300-meter dash during Saturday’s Bison Opener. The Bison speedster commenced her sophomore season racing 39.29, shattering the old mark of 39.55 held by Bucknell legend Meghan Quinn. Lea’s win was one of the Bison’s four victories and six additions to the record book and top ten lists. 

Results

Lea’s time obliterated her old personal best of 40.88, which was fifth in school history, and reaffirmed to the track & field world that the second-year runner has gained additional speed. The time is Lea’s first facility record, her first indoor school record, and third overall school record. 

Three of Lea’s teammates joined her in the 300-meter top ten list. Alison Cooke finished second logging 40.85, improving upon her sixth-best time in school history. Freshman Raygan Lust moved into seventh place after finishing third with a time of 41.22. Alexa Goll set a new personal record, running 41.41, for fourth in the event and eighth in Bucknell history. 

Megan Baggetta began her junior campaign with a win in the triple jump. The Bison veteran jumped 38-2.75 for the comfortable win. 

Anna Carruthers collected the decisive win in the 800-meter run. Her time of 2:16.34 easily paced the field. 

Isabella Johns won the mile run with a time of 5:09.88. She broke her previous best time of 5:23.23 by nearly 14 seconds. 

Two Bison freshmen made immediate impact in the 60-meter dash. Grace Camerlingo lit a roaring fire in the sprints corps by running 7.62 for a second-place finish. Her time ranks third in Bucknell history behind legends Meghan Quinn and Katie Salisbury. Piper Portacio also made an impressment, racing 7.76, for fifth place in the event and eighth in Bison history. 

Madison Fowler collected two second place finishes in the weight throw and shot put. She posted a 43-0.25 mark in the shot put and threw 58-4 in the weight throw. 

Noelani Sadler slotted third in the 60-meter hurdles, logging 8.92. She won the preliminaries with a time of 8.80. 

Sara Bronson set a vastly improved personal record in the 3000-meter run. The Bison distancewoman ran 10:57.64 to finish third and shatter her old mark of 11:34.12. 

The Bucknell “B” Team of Madeline Sipe, Ava Lomberto, Abigail Michaelson, and Juliette Reed finished third in the 4×400-meter relay combining for a time of 4:10.18. 

Liliana Wakenshaw placed third in the high jump, clearing 5-3, in her return to competition after injury hobbled her last season. 

Jordan Muraglia started her collegiate career by placing third in the long jump. The freshman jumped 18-2.50. 

Elizabeth Bryant cleared 12-1.50 for third place in the pole vault. 

Ella Boback finished sixth in the 200-meter dash, running 25.99. 

Bucknell will return to action in 2026 at the Nittany Lion Challenge on Jan. 17. 

 



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ISU Falls at Minnesota in the Second Round

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MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – No. 23 Iowa State (23-8, 12-6 Big 12) ended its season at No. 17 Minnesota (24-9, 12-8 Big Ten) in the NCAA Championship Second Round Saturday night. Iowa State fell in straight sets by scores of 22-25, 21-25, 14-25.

Nayeli Ti’a went out to a double-double with an errorless 12 kills at a .500 clip and 11 digs ending her season with seven double-doubles. Ti’a led the Cyclones in both categories.

SET ONE

Ava Martin served up an ace to make it 4-3 with Minnesota ahead, and the home team was the first to 10 with the Cyclones close behind at 7. Minnesota’s Julia Hanson followed slamming down kill No. 7 on 11 attempts, putting the Gophers up 14-9 to cause an ISU timeout. The Cyclones pulled within four after Goolsby’s third kill (18-14), and the freshman put down another soon after to make it 19-15. With Minnesota at set point 24-19, ISU fought back with three-straight kills as the Gophers called their second timeout, but Minnesota took the opener on the next play with a block. Minnesota hit at .425 while ISU hit .293.

SET TWO

ISU went up two (6-4) after two straight Minnesota errors while the Gophers took a run of three to get the lead back at 7-6. After a tie at 8s, Minnesota scored five straight forcing a Cyclone timeout. ISU answered with a run of its own, taking four in a row to make it a one-point set (14-13) and cause a timeout by the host. Ti’a slammed down a kill to tie it out of the timeout, while Van Gorp had her second ace of the run to take the lead at 15-14. ISU held onto the lead before Minnesota flipped it at 21-20, and after another Hanson kill Iowa State took a timeout. Minnesota remained with the advantage, winning the second 25-21 on Hanson’s 20th kill.

SET THREE

Minnesota again hit 10 first with ISU holding six. Out of an Iowa State timeout, Amiree Hendricks-Walker and Goolsby put up a block to stop a Gopher run. Minnesota continued to control the set running ahead 19-12 hitting at .450 in the frame as ISU took its final timeout. The Gophers went on to seal the sweep on a 6-0 run at 25-14.



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